Sr. Advisor - Preclinical Discovery, Women's Health - Preeclampsia

Lilly
Boston, MA

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 Lilly

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. As a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, we are committed to advancing innovative medicines in areas of high unmet medical need.

As part of Lilly’s growing Women’s Health strategy, we are building early discovery capabilities in pregnancy‑related disorders, including preeclampsia—a condition with profound maternal and fetal consequences and no disease‑modifying therapies. We are seeking an experienced discovery biologist to help define scientific strategy, evaluate novel mechanisms, and advance preclinical biology in this uniquely complex therapeutic area.

This role emphasizes deep biological insight, meticulous experimentation, and scientific leadership in early R&D.

** this position is located in Boston **

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide independent scientific leadership to drive discovery research in preeclampsia and pregnancy‑related vascular disorders, including target identification, hypothesis development, and mechanism‑based program strategy.
  • Maintain a hands‑on role in the laboratory, establishing and implementing relevant in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models and assays.
  • Design and conduct experiments supporting target validation, preclinical pharmacology, and mechanism‑of‑action studies, with emphasis on maternal‑placental biology.
  • Critically evaluate translational relevance and biological risk, including maternal versus fetal considerations and gestational timing.
  • Serve as a core biology contributor within cross‑functional discovery teams, collaborating with chemistry, translational science, and safety functions.
  • Operate independently while contributing to a highly collaborative research environment.
  • Provide scientific supervision and mentorship to 1–2 scientists as appropriate.
  • Ensure data integrity, clear data interpretation, and effective scientific communication in both written reports and oral presentations.
  • Ensure all work is conducted in accordance with Lilly Research Policies, safety standards, and required training timelines.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in physiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, reproductive biology, or a related field
  • 3+ years of proven experience

Additional Skills / Preferred Qualifications

  • Strong background in placental biology, vascular/endothelial biology, or maternal‑fetal physiology.
  • 2+ years of postdoctoral training
  • Hands‑on experience with preclinical in vivo models relevant to pregnancy or vascular dysfunction, as well as supporting in vitro and ex vivo systems.
  • Ability to critically assess novel targets and mechanisms in the context of pregnancy‑specific biology and safety constraints.
  • Demonstrated experience driving mechanism‑focused discovery biology in early R&D.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative approach and ability to influence scientific direction.
  • Additional experience in chronic women’s health indications (e.g. endometriosis, PCOS and Stress Urinary Incontinence) is a plus

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

$138,000 - $224,400

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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