Principal/ Sr. Scientist – Cardiovascular & Heart Failure Biology

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

The Cardiometabolic Research (CMR) organization at Lilly focuses on new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases with particular focus on cardio-renal disease. Starting from an idea, we work with partners across Lilly to discover and develop novel biologic, small molecule, nucleic acid-based, and gene-editing therapeutics.

Our focus is the patient: by understanding the biology and pathophysiology underlying disease states, we aim to address the root cause of disease and develop breakthrough therapies. We have one of the strongest pipelines in the industry and a track record of delivering impactful medicines that improve people’s lives.

We are currently seeking a hands-on Research Associate with expertise in developing, optimizing, and running cell-based assays. You will work with a group of scientists to turn assay concepts into robust, reproducible methods and generate high-quality data that advance our cardiometabolic research portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and run cell-based assays (e.g., viability, signaling, electrophysiology, and other functional readouts) using various cell types.

• Perform molecular and protein assays, including PCR/qPCR, Western blot, ELISA, and flow cytometry.

• Analyze and interpret assay data, troubleshoot technical issues, and report results clearly to the team and internal stakeholders.

• Working under the guidance of the team lead, contribute to the design, development, optimization, and qualification of novel assays and methods.

• Maintain accurate and thorough documentation of experimental results in compliance with electronic lab notebook guidelines.

• Collaborate with local, cross-site, and cross-functional teams to advance the cardiometabolic research portfolio.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related life science

• 3 + years in academia, biotech or industry

• This role is designed for candidates with a BS or MS degree and relevant industry/research experience. PhD-level candidates are not being considered for this position

• 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 Preferences

• 5+ years of industry, academic, or postgraduate experience.

• Hands-on experience developing cell-based assays, not only running established protocols.
• Masters degree in cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related life science

• Proficiency in mammalian cell culture and in PCR/qPCR, Western blot, and ELISA.

• Works independently on defined projects and collaboratively within a team, with guidance from the team lead on assay strategy and design.

• Detail-oriented, with sound troubleshooting instincts.

• Experience with primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, or co-culture systems.

• Flow cytometry experience, plate-reader or high-content imaging experience.

• Hands-on experience with electrophysiology analysis (e.g., patch clamp, multi-electrode array) is a significant plus.

• Familiarity with using AI tools (e.g., for literature search, data analysis, or documentation) to work more efficiently.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

$72,000 - $189,200

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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