Lab Analytical Automation Scientist

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

About the Role

TheAnalytical AutomationScientist will partner with external vendors to design, develop, and deployhigh-throughputanalytical automation modules(i.e., PCR,LC and LC/MS, etc.) to support thehigh-throughputchemistry/biology automation workcell. This role is pivotal in enabling rapid, high-quality analytical data generation that fuels iterative learning.

Working in Shanghai, the scientist will partner withexternal engineering companies to deliver state-of-the-art automation systems and collaborate internally to ensure consistent analytical strategy, workflow integration, and alignment with global standards.

Key Responsibilities

Automation System Development & Integration

• Partner withexternal automation and engineering vendors to design, build, and validatehigh-throughputanalyticalautomation systems (i.e.LC and LC/MS).
• Define analytical workflow specifications and ensure seamless integration with thesynthetic chemistry/structure biologyautomation workcell.
• Oversee installation, qualification, and performance verification to ensure robust data quality and operational reliability.
• Integrate analytical systems withother automation systems.

Automated Analytical Operations

• Develop automated workflows forcompound identification, purity assessment, structural elucidation, and high-throughput screening.
• Establish and maintainSOPs aligned with relevantLilly global standards.
• Optimize analytical turnaround time to accelerate data generation.
• Ensure structured FAIR data capture, semantic contextualization, and full data traceability within theEnterprise Data Lake (EDL).

Technical Leadership

• Apply deep expertise inLC, LC/MS, NMR, and related analytical techniques to guide automation design and scientific strategy.
• Evaluate and implement emerginganalytical and automation technologies to enhance lab capability and throughput.
• Collaborate closely withglobal Data Foundry teams to connect analytical data streams with additional systems and models.

Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree inAnalytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in ananalytical lab, supporting compound characterization, identification, and structure elucidation.
• Proven hands-on expertise withLC and LC/MS systems (Agilent, Waters, Sciex, Thermo).
• Strong understanding ofdata automation, system integration, and analytical digitalization.
• Excellent communication skills inEnglish and Mandarin with demonstrated cross-functional collaboration.

Preferred:

• Experience inNMR, high-throughput screening, and early discovery analytical workflows.
• Background inautomation design or robotics integration.
• Familiarity withdata analytics andinformatics platforms (e.g., Spotfire, R-Shiny, Pipeline Pilot).
• Prior experience collaborating withglobal teams and managing external engineering vendors.
• Experience establishing new analytical lab infrastructure is highly desirable.

Why Join Us

• Build and lead astate-of-the-art analytical automation platform within Lilly’s global discovery network.
• Collaborate withworld-class scientists and engineers globally across chemistry, biology, and data science.
• Shape the future ofautonomous drug discovery together with global teams, by integrating advanced analytics, automation, and computation.
• Be part of a mission-driven team accelerating the path from molecule design to life-changing medicines.

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 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.