Imaging Clinical Research Scientist

Eli Lilly and Company; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 177,000 - 339,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Leave of absence benefits

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis is seeking a Director/Senior Director, Imaging Clinical Research Scientist to lead the clinical development of diagnostic radiopharmaceutical imaging programs across oncology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. You will shape strategies, endpoints, and imaging criteria and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance translational imaging science.

The role requires a PhD and 5+ years in clinical development, with strong expertise in molecular

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years of clinical development experience; minimum 3 years in industry.
• Tracer development experience and oncology, immunology and/or cardiology experience preferred.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Travel estimated at 10–15%.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated clinical development programs for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in oncology, immunology and cardiovascular diseases.
• Define clinical strategies, endpoints, patient populations, and imaging criteria.
• Design studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy and imaging biomarkers.
• Serve as scientific expert in molecular imaging modalities (PET, SPECT, CT, MRI).
• Collaborate with physicians, scientists, and CROs; coordinate with partners.
• Author clinical and regulatory documents.
• Communicate findings via presentations, abstracts, and publications.

Skills

Strong communication

Collaboration

Organizational skills

Influencing skills

Fluency in English

Education

PhD in a relevant field

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.

Organization Overview

The Director/Senior Director, Imaging Clinical Research Scientist is a key member of the medical development team, leading the clinical development of diagnostic radiopharmaceutical imaging programs, with a focus on oncology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. This role spans both diagnostic and therapeutic applications and contributes across the full clinical development life cycle, from early phase studies through registration trials. The successful candidate will be a translational scientist whose research background and expertise bridges disease biology, biomarker science, and clinical trial execution. In addition, the candidate will serve as an internal scientific expert in molecular imaging, partnering closely with cross functional teams and external collaborators to advance innovative imaging strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of integrated clinical development programs for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in oncology, immunology and cardiovascular diseases across early and late-phase development.
• Define clinical strategies, endpoints, patient populations, and imaging criteria for each phase of development.
• Design studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, optimal imaging timing, patient selection biomarkers, and comparative performance versus standard‑of‑care imaging.
• Serve as a scientific expert in molecular imaging modalities, including PET, SPECT, CT, and MRI (e.g., imaging of vascular and myocardial inflammation, autoimmune disease activity, atherosclerotic plaque, and cardiac amyloidosis), with applicability to oncology and emerging theranostic platforms a plus.
• Analyze and interpret molecular imaging data (e.g., PET/CT, SPECT/CT), including tumor localization, tracer biodistribution, dosimetry considerations, and longitudinal response assessment. Evaluate and interpret imaging biomarkers for patient stratification, disease activity assessment, and disease monitoring across immune-mediated and cardiovascular conditions.
• Evaluate imaging performance metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, standardized uptake values (SUVs), and tumor to background ratios.
• Provide strategic input into the development, validation, and quantitative evaluation of advanced image analysis methods.
• Apply knowledge of oncology, immune‑mediated, cardiovascular, and/or metabolic disease biology to guide the scientific strategy of diagnostic imaging programs.
• Collaborate internally with physicians, scientists, medical physicists, as well as with imaging operations and advanced image analysis teams.
• Lead cross functional projects and coordinate with external partners, including CROs, academic institutions, software developers, and scanner manufacturers, to support imaging method validation and implementation.
• Evaluate emerging scientific and technological advances in imaging, including modeling approaches and artificial intelligence, and drive their application in clinical programs.
• Author and review key clinical and regulatory documents, including Investigator’s Brochures, protocols, protocol amendments, clinical study reports, and regulatory briefing documents.
• Contribute to the development of technical manuals and imaging related trial documentation.
• Communicate scientific findings through internal presentations, conference abstracts, and peer reviewed publications.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Requirements

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years clinical development experience; minimum 3 years industry experience.

Additional Skills/Preferences

• Tracer development experience and experience in oncology, immunology and/or cardiology is highly preferred.
• Strong problem-solving skills; able toanticipateand recognize systemic problems, diagnose root causes and take corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence.
• Familiarity with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and regulatory requirements.
• Strong ability to balance scientific and business priorities.
• Demonstrated communication, collaboration, organizational, and influencing skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Travel estimated at 10-15%.

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 (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) and 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

$177,000 - $338,800

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance).

• 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
• 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.