Senior Analyst- Molecular Pharmacology

Elanco; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation packages

Two weeklong US‑shutdowns

8‑week parental leave

Employee Resource Groups

Annual bonus offering

Flexible work arrangements

Up to 6% 401K matching

Job summary

Elanco, a global leader in animal health, seeks a Senior Analyst for the Molecular Pharmacology team in Indianapolis. You will integrate molecular biology with tissue culture to establish cell lines, run cell-based assays, and generate high‑quality data to support discovery programs.

You will maintain cell lines, perform assays (viability, reporter readouts, pathway activity), and analyze data with Prism/Excel, ensuring documentation in ELN aligns with data standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 4+ years of hands‑on laboratory experience; OR
• Master’s degree with 0–2 years of laboratory experience.

Responsibilities

• Apply core molecular biology techniques to support engineered cell lines.
• Establish, expand, validate, and bank mammalian cell lines and culture conditions.
• Execute 96/384‑well cell‑based assays to assess biological activity.
• Process assay data using GraphPad Prism and Excel; summarize results.
• Document protocols, designs, and assay data in ELN per data standards.

Skills

Molecular biology techniques

PCR/qPCR

DNA/RNA extraction

Transfection/Transduction

Mammalian cell culture

ELN documentation

Data analysis (GraphPad Prism, Excel)

Cell-based assays

Collaborative teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular Biology/related field

Master’s Degree in related field

Tools

GraphPad Prism

ELN software

PCR/qPCR equipment

Lentiviral transduction

Job description

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets.At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Position Summary

We are seeking an energetic, detail-oriented Senior Analyst to join our Molecular Pharmacology team within Research and Breakthrough Innovation at our Indianapolis global headquarters. In this hands‑on laboratory role, you will integrate molecular biology techniques with tissue culture to establish new cell lines, maintain existing cell lines, and execute cell‑based assays supporting discovery research programs.

Working collaboratively, you will help generate and maintain new cell lines, and execute a variety of cellular assays (e.g., cell viability, reporter gene expression, pathway modulation, and cytotoxicity). This role is critical to delivering consistent, high‑quality molecular and cellular pharmacology data that directly drives Elanco’s discovery pipeline milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Molecular Biology & Cell Line Engineering Support: Apply core molecular biology techniques (e.g., DNA/RNA isolation, PCR/RT-qPCR, gel electrophoresis, plasmid preparation, restriction digestion, transient transfection, or viral transduction) to support the generation, validation, and characterization of engineered cell lines and reporter systems.

• Establish & Maintain Cell Lines: Establish, expand, validate, and bank new mammalian cell lines from internal or external sources; optimize initial culture parameters and establish baseline growth conditions to support pharmacology workflows.

• Cell‑Based Pharmacology Assay Execution: Execute established cell‑based assays in 96‑well and 384‑well formats to measure biological and pharmacological activity, including cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, reporter gene readouts, and signaling pathway activation.

• Data Capture & Analysis: Process raw assay data using standard software tools (e.g., GraphPad Prism, Microsoft Excel), calculate concentration‑response curves (IC50 / EC50), verify data quality, and summarize results for discovery project teams.

• Documentation & Data Integrity: Accurately document experimental protocols, molecular designs, cell passage histories, and assay results within the Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) in compliance with company data standards.

Required Qualifications

• Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.) in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or a related biological sciences field with 4+ years of hands‑on laboratory experience; OR

• Master’s Degree (M.S.) in a related biological sciences field with 0–2 years of laboratory experience.

• Technical Capabilities:

• Demonstrated hands‑on proficiency in routine molecular biology techniques (e.g., PCR/qPCR, DNA/RNA extraction, plasmid preparation, transfection/transformation).

• Hands‑on proficiency in aseptic technique, routine mammalian cell culture maintenance, and establishing/thawing new cell lines.

• Practical experience executing multi‑well plate cellular assays using microplate detection formats (luminescence, fluorescence, absorbance).

• Proficiency with standard data analysis software (e.g., GraphPad Prism, Excel) and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN).

• Core Competencies:

• High attention to detail, laboratory organization, and consistency in experimental execution.

• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively within a multi‑disciplinary research team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience with stable cell line generation (e.g., lentiviral transduction, selection marker screening, or single‑cell cloning).

• Experience establishing or handling diverse cell types (e.g., adherent, suspension, reporter lines, or primary cell models).

• Familiarity with basic cell‑based assay troubleshooting and standard pharmacology/screening quality metrics.

• Strong communication and teamwork skills to collaborate across discovery project teams.

Elanco Benefits and Perks:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well‑being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:

• Multiple relocation packages
• Two weeklong shutdowns (mid‑summer and year‑end) in the US (in addition to PTO)
• 8‑week parental leave
• 9 Employee Resource Groups
• Annual bonus offering
• Flexible work arrangements
• Up to 6% 401K matching

Elanco 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.

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.

Elanco 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

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.