Advisor - Protein & CAR Construct Engineering

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 at Lilly’s Biotechnology Center in San Diego discovers medicines that address significant unmet needs by integrating biology with innovative scientific capabilities in protein engineering and computational sciences.  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.
 

We are seeking a talented scientist with a recent Ph.D. to join our research team, focusing on protein engineering and CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) construct design and optimization. This role offers an exciting opportunity to apply advanced expertise in protein sciences and immunotherapy development while transitioning into an independent research career in a dynamic biotechnology environment.

If you are a highly motivated teammate, with a passion for goal-oriented scientific research, with a background in protein engineering and/or protein biochemistry and possess a sound practical knowledge of molecular biology and understanding of structure/function relationships we urge you to join the Lilly Team today!

Key Responsibilities
 

Protein Engineering

• Design, engineer, and optimize proteins for therapeutic applications using rational design, computational modeling, and directed evolution approaches

• Conduct structure-function analyses to enhance protein stability, binding affinity, specificity, and therapeutic properties

• Contribute to cross-functional project teams as protein engineering lead.

• Develop novel protein engineering strategies to address challenging therapeutic targets

• Analyze and interpret complex datasets using bioinformatics and computational tools

CAR Construct Engineering

• Design and construct sophisticated CAR architectures incorporating various antigen-binding domains, costimulatory modules, and signaling elements

• Engineer next-generation CAR platforms including multi-specific, switchable, and logic-gated constructs

• Optimize CAR expression, cell surface presentation, and functional properties through iterative molecular engineering

• Design and execute validation studies for CAR constructs in relevant cell-based functional assays

• Contribute to intellectual property generation and patent applications

Scientific Leadership & Collaboration

• Independently design and execute experimental plans to address key research objectives

• Troubleshoot complex technical challenges and develop innovative solutions

• Mentor research associates and provide technical guidance

• Author scientific manuscripts, technical reports, and regulatory documents

• Present research findings at internal meetings and external scientific conferences

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including immunology, cell biology, analytics, and process development

• Participate in project planning and contribute to research strategy development

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Immunology, or related discipline

• Proven expertise in protein expression and purification across multiple systems (bacterial, yeast, mammalian, cell-free)

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in CAR-T

• Postdoctoral or industry experience in cell and gene therapy, immunotherapy, or protein therapeutics

• Deep understanding of protein structure-function relationships and engineering principles

• Strong publication record demonstrating scientific productivity and impact

• Expertise in CAR-T, TCR engineering, or synthetic immunology

• Advanced knowledge of T cell biology, immune signaling pathways, and cancer immunology

• Experience with structural biology techniques (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR) or computational protein design

• Proficiency with bioinformatics tools, sequence analysis, and protein modeling software

• Extensive hands-on experience with molecular cloning, gene synthesis, and advanced DNA assembly methods

• Experience with mammalian cell culture and transfection techniques

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and solve complex problems

• Excellent scientific writing and oral communication skills

• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with data analysis software

• Hands-on experience with flow cytometry, functional immunoassays, and cell-based screening platforms

• Familiarity with high-throughput methods, library construction, and next-generation sequencing

• Experience using established ML-based tools for sequence analysis, developability assessment, and protein design

• Basic Python or R skills for data processing and plotting (no algorithm development required) 

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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

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

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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