Sr. Scientist - mRNA Purification and Analytical Chemist

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 Biotechnology Discovery Research group located in both San Diego and Indianapolis discovers medicines that address significant unmet needs by integrating biology with innovative scientific capabilities in protein discovery, production and characterization, and engineering. We collaborate with colleagues in both the discovery and development organizations, including scientists in therapeutic area biology, biomolecule formulation and developability, ADME, Toxicology, PK/PD, Statistics, Computational Sciences, Clinical Development, and more. Our team has more than 25 years of experience discovering and developing antibodies, proteins, and peptide therapeutics.   

We are looking for a motivated associate scientist with a strong background in mRNA purification and analytical characterization to be part of the in-vivo CAR-T therapeutics matrix team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to apply advanced expertise in mRNA process development and analytical QC to advance our biotherapeutic discovery portfolio.  

If you are a highly motivated teammate, with a passion for goal-oriented scientific research and a background in mRNA/oligonucleotide chemistry, we urge you to join the Lilly Team today! 

Responsibilities:  

• Design and conduct experiments to optimize mRNA purification protocols using various chromatography techniques to enhance yield and purity

• Perform and optimize analytical QC assays (HPLC/UPLC, capillary electrophoresis, gel electrophoresis) to characterize and quantify mRNA  

•  Establish high-throughput mRNA purification and analytical QC workflows for screening purposes, leveraging automation capabilities

• Analyze experimental data, prepare comprehensive technical reports and protocols, and present findings to multidisciplinary teams. 

Basic Qualifications:  

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, biophysics, or related field with 5 years (Bachelor's) or 3 years (Master's) of relevant industry experience.

Skills/Preferences:  

• Extensive hands-on experience with nucleic acid/mRNA purification, QC and advanced analytical characterization

• Expert-level proficiency operating AKTA, Agilent HPLC and OpenLab software

• Experience establishing and optimizing high-throughput oligonucleotide/mRNA workflows

• Proven ability to analyze large datasets

•  Experience in protein purification and analytical characterization is a plus 

• Knowledge of in vivo CAR-T and mRNA therapeutics is beneficial   

• Excellent communication skills with ability to prioritize and meet deadlines

• Team player with strong organizational skills ready to work effectively with cross-functional colleagues in a collaborative, fast-paced environment

Additional Information:

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.

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