Senior Principal Scientist - Bioanalytical Research

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly · Pharma · Louisville, CO

Senior Principal Scientist in Bioanalytical Research at Eli Lilly, focusing on small and large molecule mass spectrometry for oncology portfolios, particularly radioligand therapeutics. Responsibilities include sample preparation, operating mass spectrometers for quantitative bioanalysis, investigating structure-activity relationships (PK, biodistribution, biotransformation), and mentoring junior scientists. Requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree with significant experience in mass spectrometry and bioanalysis, with preferred qualifications in radioligand therapeutics and advanced data analysis tools, including AI-based analysis as an advantage.

What you'd actually do

  1. Perform sample preparation (e.g. tissue homogenization, multiwave digestion, immunoaffinity enrichment, protein precipitation) and operate mass spectrometer to develop bioanalytical methods and perform quantitative bioanalysis (bioA) of small molecule or/and large molecule therapeutics from in-vitro and in-vivo samples.
  2. Investigate the structure-activity relationship (SAR) including pharmacokinetics (PK), biodistribution (bioD), biotransformation (BioT) and metabolite identification (metID) of drug molecules using LC-MS/MS.
  3. Collaborate with ADME project leaders to support fast-paced drug discovery projects. Serve as bioA representative and provide bioanalytical expertise to project team.
  4. Mentor junior scientists in developing their skills in LC-MS sample preparation, data analysis, visualization and reporting.
  5. Maintain and troubleshoot lab instruments to ensure their operation.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering (chemistry, chemical engineering, bioengineering or related field) with at least 7 years of work experience, or master’s degree in related field with at least 5 years of work experience.
  • Experience with using inductively coupled plasma (ICP), triple quadrupole (QQQ), high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS, including QToF, Orbitrap) in bioA method development, qualification, and transfer.
  • Experience with small and large molecule bioanalysis, including sample preparation (e.g. tissue homogenization, microwave assisted acid digestion), sample extraction (LLE, SPE, immunoprecipitation, protein precipitation) prior to MS.
  • Experience of drug ADME principles in understanding PK, biodistribution and biotransformation of small and large molecule therapeutics.

Nice to have

  • Experience with discovery and development of radioligand therapeutics and elemental analysis using Agilent 8900 ICP-MS.
  • Hands-on experience in sample preparation, LC-MS bioanalytical workflow to support the bioA and metID of RLTs.
  • Familiar with bioanalytical workflow of biotherapeutics (mAbs, ADC, siRNA, fusion protein, etc.), including immunoprecipitation, proteolytic digestion and deglycosylation.
  • Bottom-up peptide, payload quantification using Sciex 6500/7500.
  • Intact mass acquisition, top-down MS using Thermofisher Orbitrap Exploris 240/480/Tribrid instruments.
  • Familiar with MS-related informatic tools to conduct in-depth data analysis – Mass Hunter, Biopharma Finder, QuantBrowser, MultiQuant, Biologics Explorer, Protein Metrics, MassMetaSite, etc.
  • AI-based data analysis and report writing are an advantage.
  • Previous experience in experiment documentation (eLN, signals, benchling, etc.), PK calculation (Phoenix, Watson LIMS, R-studio aNCA), data visualization (PRISM, BioRender) and report QC.
  • Hands-on experience in automation instruments, such as Apricot, Hamilton, Tecan and KingFisher to support high-throughput bioanalytical assays.

What the JD emphasized

  • Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.