Advisor / Senior Advisor, CNS/PNS NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Eli Lilly and Company
June 26, 2026
On-site
Indianapolis, IN
Clinical Research and Development
Position Overview
- Scientist (individual contributor; primarily laboratory-based) in Lilly’s NAMs/CIVMs pillar within Investigative Toxicology.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, qualify, and apply advanced human-relevant in vitro models for CNS/PNS liability assessment (iPSC-derived neurons/glia, co-cultures, organoids/assembloids, DRG neuron models, BBB models).
- Design mechanistic investigations into excitotoxicity, seizurogenic activity, demyelination, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, axonopathy, and BBB integrity disruption.
- Implement functional MEAs and/or FLIPR calcium flux assays as readouts for seizurogenic potential, ion channel perturbation, and neural network activity disruption; qualify assays/endpoints to improve sensitivity/specificity/throughput/translational relevance.
- Act as a scientific resource for project teams; design/perform follow-on in vitro studies to understand mechanism and species translatability.
- Integrate in vitro data with in silico ADMET CNS/PNS predictions; contribute to tiered safety decision frameworks.
- Evaluate emerging technologies; independently review literature; serve as CRO/academic point of contact; participate in consortia; publish and present findings.
Minimum Requirements
- PhD in Neuroscience/Neurotoxicology/Pharmacology/Biomedical Engineering/Cell Biology or related.
- Advisor: PhD + 2+ years postdoc/industry with hands-on neural in vitro models. Senior Advisor: PhD + 5+ years with independent contributions, model qualification, and leadership.
- Direct hands-on experience with at least one: (1) iPSC neural model development/optimization; (2) MEA/FLIPR functional neurotoxicity or seizurogenic assessment; (3) in vitro BBB model development; (4) 3D organoid/assembloid injury profiling.
- Independently design/execute experiments; manage concurrent projects; prioritize under drug discovery timelines.
Additional Skills/Preferences
- Transcriptomics and/or high-content imaging; strong communication; cross-functional matrix collaboration; knowledge of oligonucleotide delivery neurotoxicity (plus); neuroinflammation/microglial biology (plus); mentoring/leading scientific activities.
Benefits (explicitly stated)
- Company bonus for eligible full-time employees (depending on performance).
Application Instructions
- If you require accommodation to submit a resume: complete the workplace accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation).
- Scientist (individual contributor; primarily laboratory-based) in Lilly’s NAMs/CIVMs pillar within Investigative Toxicology.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, qualify, and apply advanced human-relevant in vitro models for CNS/PNS liability assessment (iPSC-derived neurons/glia, co-cultures, organoids/assembloids, DRG neuron models, BBB models).
- Design mechanistic investigations into excitotoxicity, seizurogenic activity, demyelination, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, axonopathy, and BBB integrity disruption.
- Implement functional MEAs and/or FLIPR calcium flux assays as readouts for seizurogenic potential, ion channel perturbation, and neural network activity disruption; qualify assays/endpoints to improve sensitivity/specificity/throughput/translational relevance.
- Act as a scientific resource for project teams; design/perform follow-on in vitro studies to understand mechanism and species translatability.
- Integrate in vitro data with in silico ADMET CNS/PNS predictions; contribute to tiered safety decision frameworks.
- Evaluate emerging technologies; independently review literature; serve as CRO/academic point of contact; participate in consortia; publish and present findings.
Minimum Requirements
- PhD in Neuroscience/Neurotoxicology/Pharmacology/Biomedical Engineering/Cell Biology or related.
- Advisor: PhD + 2+ years postdoc/industry with hands-on neural in vitro models. Senior Advisor: PhD + 5+ years with independent contributions, model qualification, and leadership.
- Direct hands-on experience with at least one: (1) iPSC neural model development/optimization; (2) MEA/FLIPR functional neurotoxicity or seizurogenic assessment; (3) in vitro BBB model development; (4) 3D organoid/assembloid injury profiling.
- Independently design/execute experiments; manage concurrent projects; prioritize under drug discovery timelines.
Additional Skills/Preferences
- Transcriptomics and/or high-content imaging; strong communication; cross-functional matrix collaboration; knowledge of oligonucleotide delivery neurotoxicity (plus); neuroinflammation/microglial biology (plus); mentoring/leading scientific activities.
Benefits (explicitly stated)
- Company bonus for eligible full-time employees (depending on performance).
Application Instructions
- If you require accommodation to submit a resume: complete the workplace accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation).