Pre-Clinical Statistician

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 152,000 - 244,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

401(k) plan

Job summary

Lilly in Indianapolis is seeking a Project Statistician to provide statistical leadership across discovery and preclinical research, with an emphasis on oncology. You will collaborate with biologists and other researchers to design experiments and analyze data. The role requires applying both frequentist and Bayesian methods, developing novel visualizations, and mentoring junior staff.

You will communicate results to management, manuscript teams, regulators, and governance bodies. A Ph.D.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Statistics or Biostatistics required.
• Experience in oncology research preferred.
• Expertise in study design, mixed models, multivariate analysis, and design of experiments.

Responsibilities

• Provide statistical leadership across discovery and preclinical projects.
• Lead design and analysis of in‑vitro and in‑vivo experiments; develop studies and analysis plans.
• Consult on biomarker analyses (RNA expression, NGS, proteomics) with cross‑functional teams.
• Develop training on statistical methods for scientists and researchers.
• Mentor and lead contracted statistical analysts.

Skills

Statistical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication of results

Problem solving

Interpersonal communication

Education

Ph.D. in Statistics or Biostatistics

Tools

R

Python

SAS

JMP

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.

Job Description

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.

We are seeking a candidate with experience in pre‑clinical research, particularly in the oncology space.

Responsibilities

The Project Statistician provides statistical leadership in multiple dimensions including:

• Provides technical leadership and expertise in initiating and carrying out multi-disciplinary or cross functional projects that impact the Lilly Research Laboratory and the Statistical Sciences organization
• Leads the assessment and introduction of new statistical technology and methodology, including both frequentist and Bayesian techniques, to apply to broader practice
• Leads the design and analysis of in‑vitro and in‑vivo experiments to advance the discovery portfolio, innovative study designs, and statistical analysis plans in collaboration with biologists and other researchers
• Provides consultation for specialized biomarker analyses including genomic analysis of RNA expression data and analysis of other biomarker data (single cell RNA, NGS, protein, imaging) in conjunction with pre‑clinical and clinical data
• Establish novel visualizations to explain complex results and interactions
• Provides consulting and statistical direction on priority discovery projects

Statistical Design And Analysis

• Work with Drug Discovery teams to understand statistical needs to improve the quality of candidates and shorten drug development timelines. This will involve understanding the experimental objectives, appropriately specifying the primary and secondary endpoints, setting the sample size using statistical power analysis, determining appropriate statistical methods, and analyzing the data to determine the results. Engage in the write up of the results and presentations to Project and Scientific Management
• Understand biological assay development needs and advise biologists on experiments required to validate biological assays for Drug Discovery programs. Experience with design of experiments and applications to high throughput screens will be valuable in this role.
• Find opportunities for Meta‑Analysis and other Data Mining techniques, and then conduct them, to identify key results from a series of experiments to identify key conclusions from the gestalt of all experiments in the program and determine appropriate next steps the Project Team should prioritize to optimize progress. This will require knowledge of in‑house data repositories, knowledge about publicly available data sources and repositories, and the ability to use appropriate data management tools to build the necessary datasets and then to conduct the analysis
• Develop and provide training courses on statistical methods for biologists, chemists, and other research staff
• Potential leadership and direction of contracted statistical analyst support
• Maintain currency with respect to statistical methodology, maintain proficiency in applying new and varied methods, and to be competent in justifying methods selected
• Influence team members regarding appropriate research methods
• Perform peer‑review of work products from other statistical colleagues

Communication Of Results And Inferences

• Collaborate with team members to write reports and communicate results
• Assist with, or be responsible for, communicating study results via internal governance, manuscripts, or oral presentations in group settings, as well as for communicating one‑on‑one with key customers and presenting at scientific meetings
• Respond to regulatory queries and interact with regulators

Therapeutic Area Knowledge

• Understand disease states, competitive landscapes, and the foundational science in order to enhance the level of patient focus and collaboration and be seen as a strong scientific contributor

Regulatory Compliance

• Perform work in full compliance with assigned curriculum(s) and will be responsible for following applicable Corporate, Medical, local, and departmental policies, procedures, processes, and training as well as ensuring legal, regulatory and data protection requirements are met in all activities

Statistical Leadership And Teamwork

• Introduce and apply innovative methodology and tools to solve critical problems
• Merge scientific thinking and business knowledge to identify issues, evaluate options and implement solutions
• Lead projects independently and work effectively across functions. Apply technical expertise to influence business decisions

Basic Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Statistics or Biostatistics

Additional Preferences

• Experience in oncology research is preferred
• Expertise and experience in study design, mixed models, multivariate analysis, design of experiments, multiplicity control, and analysis of variance
• Proficient in statistical programming languages/software such as R, Python, SAS®, JMP®, etc.
• Demonstrated problem solving ability and critical thinking
• Interpersonal communication skills for effective customer consultation and collaboration
• An established track record of developing and maintaining an area of statistical or collaborative research

Additional Preferences (a Plus, But Not Required)

• Experience with pre‑clinical, biomarker, genomics/genetics, or discovery research data and analyses
• Experience manipulating and analyzing large data sets
• Knowledge or education in Biology
• Skills in biological pathway/network analysis
• Skills in predictive modeling and machine learning
• Experience working in High‑Performance Computing environment

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 $151,500 - $244,200 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; and 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.

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