Advisor, Analytical Methods (Methods4Insight)

100 Eli Lilly and Company; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 244,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision

Job summary

Lilly is seeking an Advisor/Senior Advisor in Analytical Methods to lead development and deployment of advanced analytical approaches for molecule discovery. You’ll work with discovery teams to translate questions into executable analyses, benchmark new methods, and deliver prototype solutions.

You will collaborate with multiple pillars and aim to publish research, present findings, and advance AI-enabled discovery capabilities while contributing to high-impact science within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Cheminformatics, Computational Biology, Biophysics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME in analytical domain; stay current on methods.
• Develop and deploy cutting-edge analytical methods for discovery challenges.
• Translate scientific questions into tractable analytical problems for project teams.
• Collaborate to deploy methods as tools and APIs for autonomous AI decisions.
• Identify data gaps and design experiments to generate high-value data.
• Publish research, present at conferences, and disseminate analytical literacy.

Skills

Python

R

Publications

Communication

Software engineering practices

Education

Ph.D. in Cheminformatics or related field

Tools

None

Job description

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Overview:

At Lilly, we serve an extraordinary purpose. We make a difference for people around the globe by discovering, developing and delivering medicines that help them live longer, healthier, more active lives. Not only do we deliver breakthrough medications, but you also can count on us to develop creative solutions to support communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. Lilly Small Molecule Discovery is an organization purpose-built to create molecules that make life better for people. We focus on using cutting edge science to unlock new approaches that can treat people suffering from diseases with poor treatment options. We continually challenge ourselves to deliver molecules that can provide breakthrough efficacy with the highest possible safety margins. We are dedicated to optimizing our mindset, technology, and processes for faster, more nimble execution. Our success is built on a culture that empowers innovative problem solving through open collaboration and individual accountability.

About Data Foundry

Data Foundry is a multidisciplinary team dedicated to enabling and accelerating molecule discovery through scalable and reproducible data generation, fueled by advanced scientific computing, informatics, and automation solutions. Data Foundry operates through four integrated pillars: Architecture4Insight (data infrastructure and scientific software), Methods4Insight (analytical and computational methods), Scale4Insight (lab automation and agentic workflows), and Preparedness4Insight (data governance and readiness). Together, these pillars empower every Lilly scientist to make optimal decisions by providing seamless access to data, insights, and AI-driven capabilities at scale.

Position Summary

The Advisor/Senior Advisor, Analytical Methods will serve as a domain expert within Methods4Insight, responsible for developing, deploying, and maintaining cutting‑edge analytical approaches in their area of expertise — such as cheminformatics, computational biology, statistical modeling, or AI/ML. This role requires deep domain knowledge to translate advanced methods into practical capabilities that accelerate molecule discovery for both human scientists and autonomous AI agents. You will work alongside discovery project teams and supporting functions to understand scientific challenges, provide expert consultation, and develop custom solutions when existing methods fall short. You will maintain awareness of emerging methods, evaluate their value by designing and running benchmark experiments and ultimately deliver prototype implementations. You will collaborate closely with other Methods4Insight domain experts, Architecture4Insight, Scale4Insight, and Frontier AI. We're looking for someone who is an expert in their analytical domain, has a strong publication record related to novel methods and when possible publicly released code implementing them, and is passionate about advancing their field and enabling scientific impact.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the subject matter expert in your analytical domain, staying current on innovative methods and making informed recommendations about adoption, adaptation, or development of novel approaches.
• Develop and deploy cutting‑edge analytical methods tailored to Lilly's discovery challenges, building workflows that integrate multiple approaches (e.g., physics‑based and data‑driven) to harness complementary strengths.
• Work alongside discovery project teams to translate complex scientific questions into tractable analytical problems, driving analyses that directly inform compound prioritization, design recommendations, or mechanism of action hypotheses.
• Collaborate with Architecture4Insight to deploy analytical methods as accessible tools and agent‑ready capabilities with well‑defined APIs for autonomous AI decision‑making.
• Identify strategic data gaps in your domain and partner with Scale4Insight to design targeted experiments that generate data in high‑value areas.
• Collaborate across all Data Foundry pillars and with Frontier AI to ensure analytical capabilities are fully integrated into the broader discovery ecosystem.
• Publish peer‑reviewed research, present at scientific conferences, and build analytical literacy across the organization.

Basic Requirements

• Ph.D. in Cheminformatics, Computational Biology, Biophysics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• Experience developing and applying analytical methods in drug discovery or related life sciences fields.
• Deep expertise in at least one analytical domain with demonstrated impact on scientific outcomes.
• Strong programming skills in Python, R, or similar scientific computing languages.
• Publications in peer‑reviewed journals demonstrating contributions to your analytical domain.
• Ability to explain complex analytical concepts clearly to non‑computational scientists.
• Familiarity with software engineering practices and deploying research code in production environments.
• Ability to communicate effectively across scientific, technical, and executive audiences.

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 (AMECA)
• Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly)
• Chinese Culture Network (CCN)
• EnAble
• Evolve
• Lilly Indian Network (LIN)
• Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA)
• Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies)
• Veterans Leadership Network (VLN)
• Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL)

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.

The anticipated wage for this position is $166,500 - $244,200 Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

Benefits

• 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
• 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.

#WeAreLilly At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. How do we do this? We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe!