Sr. Scientist - Lab Automation Scientist

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

The Biologics Automation and High-throughput Technologies Group at the Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego is seeking an Associate Lab Automation Scientist to support early-stage discovery and screening of protein therapeutics. Our team is working toward a vision of closed-loop autonomous discovery — where robotic platforms, lab digitalization, and AI-driven orchestration work together to accelerate how medicines are found. Getting there starts with a strong foundation: reliable instrumentation, connected workflows, and clean data flowing from the physical lab into the digital world. You'll play a hands-on role in maintaining and advancing that foundation, while growing alongside a team that is actively building toward the next generation of autonomous laboratory systems. If you're excited about being part of that journey, we want to hear from you.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot lab automation equipment used in biotherapeutic discovery, including stand-alone liquid handlers, micro-dispensers, plate readers and washers, protein quantification instruments, colony/plaque pickers, sequencing instruments, and a fleet of diverse fully integrated robotic systems.

• Work alongside automation engineers on day-to-day instrument and robotic platform upkeep, reliability, operational scripting, and scheduling software.

• Collaborate with protein discovery, engineering, and protein expression groups at the San Diego site to support and improve automation-driven research workflows.

• Contribute to the design, implementation, and validation of new automation equipment, integrated robotic workstations, and lab digitalization technologies in partnership with vendors and internal teams.

Basic Qualifications

• M.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline with a minimum of 2 years of relevant industry experience, or

• B.S. in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline with a minimum of 5 years of relevant industry experience

• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Additional Skills and Preferences

Liquid Handling & Benchtop Automation

• Experience with liquid handlers such as Beckman, Hamilton, HighRes

• Experience with micro-dispensers such as BioTek, Thermo, Formulatrix, or Let's Go Robotics

• Familiarity with microplate washers, readers, and high-throughput antibody quantification instruments

• Any exposure to E. coli colony plating/picking systems (e.g. QPix) is a bonus

Integrated Robotic Systems

• Some experience operating or working alongside integrated automation workstations

• Any familiarity with scheduling software (Cellario, Green Button Go, Director, SAMI, VWorks, Genera, or similar) is a plus

• Any background in robotics engineering or systems integration is a bonus

Software & Data Tools

• Basic scripting or programming experience in Python, Java, C#, or SQL is a plus — curiosity and willingness to learn matters more than expertise

• Familiarity with data analysis or visualization tools such as JMP, Tableau, Power BI, or Spotfire

Lab Informatics

• Experience with an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) such as Benchling or LabGuru

• Any exposure to LIMS platforms or database tools (e.g. PostgreSQL, Genedata) is a plus

General

• Strong attention to detail and good record-keeping habits

• A collaborative mindset and comfort working across scientific and engineering teams

• Eagerness to learn, take ownership, and grow in a fast-moving, technology-driven research environment

• Background in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, or high-throug