Principal Research Scientist

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets.

At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.

We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success.

Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Your Role:

As the Principal Research Scientist for In Vitro Assay Development, you will be the ‘Architect of the Lab Test’ for Elanco’s research portfolio.

You will serve as the scientific hub for a team dedicated to answering a critical question: does a new drug work in the lab before we ever test it in an animal? By designing and implementing the complex experiments that demonstrate a drug’s potency and mechanism of action, you will directly shape the scientific direction of projects and serve as the bridge between our discovery and development teams.

Your Responsibilities:


* Serve as the intellectual leader for the design and development of all critical protein and cell-based assays, providing strategic and technical guidance to project teams.


* Architect the end-to-end in vitro screening strategy for diverse projects, designing bespoke assays to probe mechanism-of-action (MOA), determine potency, and characterize cellular responses.


* Define and manage the strategic balance of assay development and execution between internal teams and external Contract Research Organizations (CROs).


* Drive scientific innovation by evaluating and implementing cutting-edge technologies and new methodologies (e.g., AI/ML applications) to advance our screening cascades.


* Lead, mentor, and guide a team of 3-5 scientists, fostering their career development and building a culture of scientific rigor, curiosity, and collaboration.


* Act as a key scientific liaison, collaborating closely with leaders in medicinal chemistry, protein engineering, immunology, and virology to drive projects forward.

What You Need to Succeed (Minimum Qualifications):


* Education & Experience: Ph.D.

in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Immunology, or a related discipline with 8+ years of relevant industry experience; OR an M.S.

with 12+ years of extensive, relevant industry experience.


* Technical Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in developing a wide array of cell-based assays (e.g., signaling, reporter, cytotoxicity, proliferation, target engagement).


* Modality Experience: Proven experience w...