Post-doctoral Scientist - Neural Obesity

Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Location: Indianapolis
Posted on: July 19, 2025

Job Description:

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. We seek a highly motivated post-doctoral scientist with strong scientific credentials and communication abilities to join our team for innovative research on neural mechanisms regulating body weight. Your work will combine molecular biology, animal physiology, neural anatomy and RNA sequencing to investigate Gut-Brain communication. You are expected to develop original concepts, conduct independent research, analyze and present data effectively, and collaborate with colleagues from a wide range of fields. In This Role, You Will: Investigate the role of vagus nervous system in feeding and body weight regulation. Collect and analyze data on neuronal responses to physiological conditions such as fasting, feeding, chronic weight loss by incretin treatments etc. Investigate vagus-to-brain connectivity in lean and diet induced obesity rodent models. Use bulk and single nucleus RNA sequencing and bioinformatic approaches to understand neural mechanisms of feeding at single cell level. Perform studies to bridge findings in rodents and humans. Have significant interactions with other groups and departments within Eli Lilly and Company. Engage in areas of key need across clinical development and champion creative solutions to address those needs. Maintain external awareness and learning to benefit the organization. Present findings at conferences and publish in high quality peer-reviewed journals. Basic Qualifications PhD in biology, pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology or similar life science field with all completed requirements by October 2025. Additional Skills/Preferences Proficiency in rodent, especially rat, handling and motivation to learn new surgical skills. Preference will be given to candidates skilled in rat surgeries such as vagotomy. Proficient in various histological and imaging techniques. Experience in bulk and single-nuclear RNAseq data analysis. Proficiency in a data science programming language, such as R or Python highly preferred. Experience in a cloud computing environment such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure is a plus. Self-directed and highly motivated individual who can develop and learn new techniques while pursuing high standard research and publication goals. Excellent problem-solving skills including critical and analytical thinking. Creates and engages in a learning environment, open to suggestions and actively solicits input from scientists on the team. Excellent communicator (oral and written) with presentation experience, along with a strong publication record. Sets the standard and is not satisfied with the status quo. Additional Information Position location: Lilly Research Laboratories, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis IN USA This position is not permanent. It is for a fixed duration of two years with potential to extend to 3 years and for a maximum up to 4 years. You will have opportunities to apply for full time positions after your duration is complete. Our goal in research and development is the discovery and delivery of innovative medicines that make life better for people around the world. Achieving this challenging goal is an iterative process that requires us to “fail forward”, progressively gaining mechanistic understanding about the disease biology and therapeutic chemistry that drive decisions to bring new therapies 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. These achievements would not have been possible without foundational work in research and development. 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 - $100,320 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. WeAreLilly

Keywords: Eli Lilly and Company, Terre Haute , Post-doctoral Scientist - Neural Obesity, Science, Research & Development , Indianapolis, Indiana