Materials Science Solid State Lead-SMDD

Job ID: R-110509Company: LillyLocation: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of AmericaJob Type: Full TimeCategory: Research & DevelopmentPosted Date: 2026-09-02At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. The Synthetic Molecule Design and Development (SMDD) organization is responsible for the development of synthetic drug substances and drug products from the pre-clinical phase through commercialization. Our scientists and engineers develop innovative technical solutions to advance an exciting portfolio that includes small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides, and other emerging therapeutic modalities. By encouraging a hardworking, culturally diverse workforce that exhibits deep technical expertise, SMDD delivers on these responsibilities and helps bring the next generation of life-changing medicines to patients!SMDD has an exciting opportunity for a materials scientist to join our multidisciplinary team of chemists, engineers, and formulation scientists! Empowered by access to world-class capabilities and extensive pharmaceutical development experience, you will help deliver technical solutions that enable deeper understanding of processes and products across the portfolio. Ideal candidates will possess experience in solid-state characterization and form selection in support of pre-clinical studies, clinical studies, drug manufacturing, and drug product design for novel small molecules and new modalities.Responsibilities:Solid-form screening and characterization of novel small molecules, peptides, oligonucleotides, and intermediates.Scale up crystallization of small molecules and peptide fragments.Consultant for project teams solving complex technical problems related to solid form assessment and particle propertiesProblem-solving skills in applying solid-state principles to the delivery of new therapeutic modalities and ability to learn.Engage in development of workflows for solid-state integration with automated data analysis.Documentation of scientific results.Maintain laboratory area and instrumentation related to solid state and process crystallization.Demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.Minimum Requirements:PhD degree in a physical science (e.g. chemistry), pharmaceutics, or related discipline or Masters degree with 5+ years experience. Additional Skills/Preferences:PhD with industry experience.Familiarity with standard solid-state analytical tools (e.g. XRPD, DSC, TGA, DVS, HPLC) and optionally crystallization instrumentation (e.g. Easymax, Crystal 16)Demonstrated experience with solid form screening including crystallization, salt, and/or cocrystal screening for pharmaceutical solids.Experience with scale-up crystallization of small molecules or peptides.Ability to balance multiple activities, prioritize evolving project needs, and handle ambiguity.Understanding of pharmaceutical solid-state science and its impact on drug product performance and manufacturing.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 () 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 (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (View email address on click.appcast.io), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is$126,000 - $204,600Full-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.#WeAreLillySkillssolid-state characterizationsolid-form screeningcrystallizationxrpddsctgadvshplcscale-up crystallizationform selectionsolid-state instrumentationeasymaxcrystal 16peptide crystallizationoligonucleotide crystallizationsalt screeningcocrystal screeningautomated data analysisprocess crystallizationproject problem-solvingscientific documentationwritten communicationverbal communicationpharmaceutical solid-state science