Principal Research Scientist-Scientific Lead-Insulins/Connected Care

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 39,000 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.

Responsibilities

Are you inspired by the science and the desire to make a difference in diabetes therapy? Do you have deep expertise and real passion for diabetes drug discovery? Have you led teams of innovative scientists exploring and discovering connected care capabilities? Reporting to the Senior Director, Insulin and Incretin Discovery Research, you will be responsible for the discovery and early development of next generation insulin therapies in diabetes in accordance with the broader research strategy of the Diabetes and Complications Therapeutic Area (DCTA) at Lilly. Consider joining Lilly to make a positive impact on the lives of our patients.

As the scientific lead you will drive insulin therapeutic discovery efforts from idea through preclinical development. You will oversee a group of 2-7 researchers focused on developing in vitro and in vivo models to study traditional and non-traditional insulin agonists and devices for insulin delivery. You will define and lead projects in the insulin space collaborating closely with in vitro pharmacologists, chemists, adsorption and metabolism specialists, clinicians and engineers. You will help shape Lilly's strategy for next generation insulins and novel approaches to the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. You should have strong knowledge and technical skills in the physiology and pharmacology of insulin action and expertise in subcutaneous biology and absorption of therapeutic compounds from subcutaneous tissues. Key components of the role are setting scientific direction, assembling and progressing innovative efforts with focus on scientific rigor and effectiveness, and building and maintaining state-of-the art preclinical expertise in insulin pharmacology and delivery. You will work in close collaboration with scientists in Lilly's biotherapeutic discovery and development groups in Indianapolis and San Diego, CA, and with scientists and engineers at Lilly's device innovation site in Cambridge, MA. An additional opportunity of this role will be to identify and lead collaborations with academic and biotech partners that seek to complement and enhance the internal efforts.
Opportunities Include

• Discover and advance novel approaches to deliver insulin therapy so that it is more efficacious, safer, and less cumbersome for the patient.
• Provide preclinical biology leadership on cross-functional project teams by partnering in a team-driven approach to expeditiously tackle challenges and advance projects.
• Drive insulin drug discovery projects from initiation through clinical proof-of-concept
• Work with colleagues in the business unit to define strategy and use your expertise to help address scientific questions at all stages of development
• Maintain scientific expertise and presence in the external scientific community through publication, collaborations, and presentations in the areas of diabetes and metabolic disease.
• Establish and lead external partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and research organizations to complement internal research efforts

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a state-of-the-art insulin research lab by building internal and accessing external technologies
• Design, conduct and champion studies in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models relevant to insulin research, aligning resources to meet short- and long-term goals
• Collaborate with colleagues working to enable next-generation insulin delivery devices including closed-loop artificial pancreas systems
• Partner with clinical, manufacturing and regulatory scientists to support insulin-related clinical projects with preclinical models, regulatory reports and mechanism of action studies as needed
• Participate in insulin-related strategy efforts in close collaboration with the Diabetes business unit and the DCTA.
• Represent insulin discovery research inside and outside of Lilly at meetings and in scientific advisory boards.
• Maintain a high scientific profile by participation in scientific exchange, publications and presentations. Build and maintain scientific network in insulins, devices and related areas.

48590BR

Basic Qualifications

• Ph.D and/or M.D. with a minimum of 5 years experience post education
• A track-record of breaking new ground in Diabetes Research in an academic or drug discovery setting as evidenced by high-impact publications and/or contributions to drug discovery

Additional Skills/Preferences

• Extensive expertise in insulin in vivo pharmacology and drug discovery models
• Expertise in subcutaneous tissue drug delivery and device work
• Experience working in cross-functional groups of scientists
• Ability to set vision and identify paths for implementation, including ability to work both collaboratively and drive new directions. Willingness to prioritize and make trade-offs
• Strong oral and written communication skills; needs to be able to communicate effectively with senior leadership, internal and external partners and staff
• Ability to lead a diverse set of team-members, and deliver effective mentorship and feedback
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent self-management and interpersonal abilities

Additional Information
Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.