Post-Doctoral Scientist – Delivery, Devices & Connected Solutions (DDCS) Inhaled Drug Formulation & Aerosol Science

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.

​Company Overview:

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 35,000 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.

Position Overview:

Are you looking to make a significant difference by contributing to the field of pulmonary and nasal delivery through computational model development?

We are seeking an ambitious post-doctoral scientist with strong research and communication skills to contribute to highly visible research projects. This role sits at the intersection of pulmonary physiology, inhaled formulation science and computational aerosol modeling, supporting the advancement of next-generation inhalation therapies. The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team to characterize device performance and develop predictive computational models of aerosol deposition — contributing directly to formulation design decisions and preclinical-to-clinical translation strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and execute in vitro aerosol characterization experiments using pulmonary and nasal device platforms, including droplet size distribution (laser diffraction, cascade impaction), delivered dose, and delivery efficiency assessments.

• Develop, validate, and apply computational fluid dynamics (CFD) or physiologically based pharmacokinetic/deposition (PBPK/PBPD) models to predict regional aerosol deposition across patient-representative airway geometries.

• Integrate experimental aerosol data with in-silico deposition predictions to support formulation optimization and design space definition.

• Develop and validate IVIVC frameworks linking in vitro aerosol metrics (MMAD, FPF, delivered dose) to predicted in vivo regional deposition and, where feasible, to pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic endpoints.

• Apply uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis to computational models to characterize inter-subject and inter-effort variability in predicted deposition outcomes.

• Collaborate with formulation scientists, device engineers, and translational scientists to interpret results and generate actionable insights.

• Communicate findings through internal technical reports, cross-functional presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.

• Participate in structured mentorship and professional development programming within Lilly’s postdoctoral research community.

Basic Requirements:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Aerosol Science, or a closely related field, conferred within the past three years.

• Hands-on experience with pulmonary and /or nasal device characterization techniques (e.g., next-generation impactor [NGI], laser diffraction, DUSA) and/or experimental fluid dynamics.

• Demonstrated proficiency in computational modeling of aerosol transport and/or deposition (e.g., CFD using ANSYS Fluent/OpenFOAM, or lung deposition models such as MPPD).

• Strong publication record commensurate with career stage.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, matrix-based environment.

• 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.
   

Additional Preferences:

• Experience with realistic or idealized airway geometry models (e.g., Weibel, stochastic, or CT-derived anatomical models).

• Prior industry internship or academic–industry collaborative research experience.

• Self-directed and highly motivated individual who wants to learn new techniques while continually pursuing research and publication goals.

• Excellent communicator (oral and written) with presentation experience, along with a strong publication record.

• Proficient in data analysis and reporting

Other Information:

• This is a fixed-term role for one-year, extendable up to four years, with eligibility to apply for full-time positions upon completion.

• 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 Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

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; 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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