Post-Doctoral Scientist- Immunology Discovery

Initial Therapeutics, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Pension

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance

Time off and leave

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to lead a mechanistic program comparing T cell–redirecting immunotherapy platforms, including TCEs and CAR T therapies. This two-year postdoctoral role focuses on mechanistic insights at the intersection of basic immunology and translational drug discovery.

The fellow will design multi-aim studies using established reagents and assays, advancing understanding of T cell biology in this therapeutic context, with collaboration across groups.

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or related field (completed or near completion).
• Strong foundational knowledge of T cell biology.
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Responsibilities

• Support immunology research project advancing understanding of T Cell biology in the context of T Cell Engagers and CAR T cell Therapies.
• Collaborate with immunology research, in vivo pharmacology and bioinformatics groups.
• Characterize T cells using primary human isolation, multiparameter flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, and transcriptional profiling.

Skills

T cell biology

Flow cytometry

Multiplex cytokine profiling

NanoString

Single-cell RNA sequencing

Education

PhD in Immunology or related field

Tools

NanoString

MSD

scRNA-seq

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.

Are you looking to make a significant difference by contributing to immunology research?

Eli Lilly and Company's Immunology organization is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to lead a mechanistic research program comparing two clinically important T cell–redirecting immunotherapy platforms: bispecific T cell engagers (TCEs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, including transient mRNA-encoded CAR approaches. This is a unique opportunity to conduct hypothesis-driven, publication-caliber research at the interface of basic immunology and translational drug discovery, embedded within an active, industry-leading immunology discovery team.

The postdoctoral fellow will design and execute a systematic, multi-aim research program using established internal reagents, cell lines, and assay platforms, with the goal of generating valuable mechanistic insights.

In this role, you will:

• Support immunology research project advancing understanding of T Cell biology in the context of T Cell Engagers and CAR T Cell Therapies
• Work in close collaboration with immunology research, in vivo pharmacology and bioinformatics groups
• Perform phenotypic and functional characterization of T cells using:
  • Primary human T and B cell isolation and co-culture
  • Multiparameter flow cytometry
  • Multiplex cytokine profiling (MSD)
  • Transcriptional profiling (NanoString; potential single-cell RNA sequencing)

Basic Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related field (completed or near completion).
• Strong foundational knowledge of T cell biology
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct research experience with T cell engagers (TCEs) and/or CAR T cell platforms, including cytotoxicity assays and mechanistic characterization.
• Hands-on experience with primary human immune cell isolation and culture, multiparameter flow cytometry, and standard immunoassay techniques.
• Experience with multiplex cytokine profiling (e.g., MSD), transcriptional profiling (e.g., NanoString or scRNA-seq), and/or lipid nanoparticle–mediated mRNA delivery.
• Familiarity with regulatory T cell biology and immune subset dissection techniques.

• Excellent communicator (oral and written) with presentation experience, along with astrong publication record.
• Proficient in data analysis and reporting
• Previously experienced with multidimensional flow cytometry.
• Experience with scRNA-seq data acquisition and analysis

Additional Information:

• This position is not permanent. It is for a fixed duration of two years with potential to extend to 3 years and for maximum of up to 4 years. You will have opportunities to apply for full time positions after your duration is complete.
• Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

About Eli Lilly’s Postdoctoral Scientist Program

When it comes to research and development, our goal is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that make life better for people around the world. It’s challenging, expensive and often filled with failure. But even when we fail, we advance medical science and understanding by learning more about diseases, biology and chemistry – ultimately bringing new solutions one step closer to reality.

Over the course of our history, we have shed light on some of the toughest health care problems known to man – diabetes, heart disease, infectious diseases, neuroscience disorders, cancer and more. We could not pursue this without our research and development team.

Postdoctoral scientists help us continue this pursuit. During your experience you will get:

• Top industry research experience
• Mentoring by some of Lilly’s top scientists
• Laboratory and classroom training and education to further your development
• Collaboration and networking across dozens of postdoctoral scientists and other researchers

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

$58,000 - $123,200

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
• well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

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