Director - Immunology Research

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.

We are a leading biopharma company dedicated to advancing therapies that extend healthspan and combat age-related diseases. We are seeking a highly motivated scientist to join our research team to spearhead efforts focused on immune aging and rejuvenation. In this role, you will drive cutting-edge research to identify and develop novel interventions, using any modality that is appropriate for the indication, to restore immune homeostasis, mitigate inflammaging and improve organ function. This position offers the opportunity to pioneer transformative therapies to ameliorate prevalent and debilitating conditions in the aging population, with a focus grounded in Immunology. The individual will have the opportunity to build and manage a research team supporting immune-aging projects and to provide cross-functional leadership through larger collaborative efforts. 

Responsibilities

•  Design and execute preclinical studies to investigate mechanisms underlying immune senescence, including but not limited to age-related hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) dysfunction, telomere attrition, senescence-associated phenotypes, and T-cell exhaustion.

•  Develop rejuvenation/reprogramming strategies to revitalize hemopoietic and non-immune, parenchymal cells of interest in immune and age-related disorders.

•  Utilize advanced techniques in cytometry, ‘omics and hi-dimensional datasets to identify targetable nodes for intervention. Use appropriate in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo models to assess immune aging phenotypes of interest.

•  Collaborate with stakeholders in Immunology and other therapeutic areas to cross-functionally lead and develop research findings into future clinical candidates.

•  Prepare and present research findings at internal meetings, scientific conferences, and in peer-reviewed publications.

•  Stay abreast of emerging advances in the field to inform strategic decisions and help assess external opportunities as needed.

•  Contribute to IP filings, and regulatory documentation as needed.

•  Recruit and train a small team to scale research efforts.

Basic Qualifications/Requirements:

•  PhD in Immunology, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, or a related field; Postdoctoral experience in aging biology or rejuvenation is required.

•  5+ years of hands-on research experience in academia, biotech, or pharma, with a proven track record related to immune aging/senescence research.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

•  Demonstrated expertise in molecular mechanisms of immune senescence, including inflammaging, stem cell exhaustion, and therapeutic interventions 

•  Familiarity with landscape of immune aging research activities including but not limited to academic labs, biotechnology companies, and large pharma.

•  Strong publication record in high-impact journals with first- or senior-author contributions.

•  Proficiency in experimental design, data analysis and statistical methods.

•  Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.

•  Experience with in vivo models of aging (e.g., progeroid mice, humanized models) and translational strategies for rejuvenation therapies.

•  Advanced knowledge of stem cell rejuvenation techniques, epigenetic reprogramming and delivery systems.

•  Prior experience leading a cross-functional team and/or managing others.

•  Understanding of the unique regulatory hurdles in regeneration and aging-related therapeutics.

Additional Information:

Travel: Estimated ~20%

Work Environment: Position is based in South San Francisco, CA 

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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