Molecular Biology Advisor: DNA/RNA Engineering & Screening

Eli Lilly and Company; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision

Well-being benefits

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Eli Lilly and Company in San Carlos, CA seeks a scientist (Advisor, Molecular Biology) to engineer DNA/RNA constructs and advance non-viral DNA therapeutics. You will design expression cassettes, optimize regulatory elements, and drive high-throughput cloning and assay development to support in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

The role emphasizes bench work, data communication, and collaboration across therapeutic areas with strong emphasis on LNP-formulated payload design and translational impact

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Genetics, or related field with 1–2+ years of industry or postdoc experience.
• Deep expertise in regulatory element engineering, tissue-specific expression, and library screening.
• Experience with high-throughput cloning and LNP delivery is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize DNA/RNA constructs, including expression cassettes and regulatory elements.
• Lead high-throughput cloning, screening, and assay design to compare constructs for potency and specificity.
• Support transition of constructs from in vitro screening to in vivo evaluation and data package generation.

Skills

Molecular biology

Synthetic biology

DNA construct design

Regulatory understanding

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology or related field

Tools

Golden Gate cloning

Gibson assembly

Lipid nanoparticle formulation

NGS-based readouts

Job description

Eli Lilly and Company in San Carlos, CA seeks a scientist (Advisor, Molecular Biology) to engineer DNA/RNA constructs and advance non-viral DNA therapeutics. You will design expression cassettes, optimize regulatory elements, and drive high-throughput cloning and assay development to support in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

The role emphasizes bench work, data communication, and collaboration across therapeutic areas with strong emphasis on LNP-formulated payload design and translational impact