What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Scientist/Senior Research Scientist – Upstream Process Development position at Elanco?
At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.
Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!
Position Description
The Upstream Senior Research Scientist (Technical Development) directly supports Elanco’s Technical Development (TD) organization in its mission to develop and deliver Innovation, Characterization, and Process Control. The primary responsibilities of this role are to support the upstream (mammalian cell culture) scientific team by developing, optimizing, and characterizing cell culture processes that produce recombinant vaccines, proteins, and antibodies. This role supports upstream lab activities within the broad scope of Elanco’s large molecule portfolio with initial emphasis on delivering Elanco’s therapeutic monoclonal antibody platforms.
Functions, Duties, and Tasks
Education
Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.
As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.
At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.
Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!
Position Description
The Upstream Senior Research Scientist (Technical Development) directly supports Elanco’s Technical Development (TD) organization in its mission to develop and deliver Innovation, Characterization, and Process Control. The primary responsibilities of this role are to support the upstream (mammalian cell culture) scientific team by developing, optimizing, and characterizing cell culture processes that produce recombinant vaccines, proteins, and antibodies. This role supports upstream lab activities within the broad scope of Elanco’s large molecule portfolio with initial emphasis on delivering Elanco’s therapeutic monoclonal antibody platforms.
Functions, Duties, and Tasks
- Lead a small group (1–3) scientists and ensure team members are growing scientifically and professionally through direct and indirect coaching and mentorship
- Technical program leadership
- Incorporate safety and quality into process development
- Incorporate DoE-based approaches into design and analysis of cell culture experiments
- Collaborate with internal and external partners and technology transfer with manufacturing partners
- Author, review, and execute protocols, batch records, and technical reports
- Provide subject matter expertise to mammalian cell culture processes and seed train expansion, leveraging knowledge and experience to accelerate and optimize protein production
- Introduce new techniques and technologies to the TD organization and maintain awareness of advancements in the field and competitive landscape
- Conduct prospective capacity planning and program planning for resources under supervision
Education
- PhD in Engineering, Biochemistry, or other biotechnology-related degree
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working with mammalian cell culture of large molecule product streams (monoclonal antibodies, proteins, antigens)
- Experience with fed-batch cell culture and leading other scientists
- Experience with cell culture scale-up and technology transfer
- Experience working in regulated environments (e.g., cGMP, USDA) and BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories
- Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate with and influence teams
- Experience designing experiments using statistical approaches involving biological systems
- Experience with fed-batch, perfusion, and/or intensified fed-batch cell culture
- Experience with cell culture scale-up and technology transfer
- Experience working in regulated environments (e.g., cGMP, USDA) and BSL-1 and BSL-2 laboratories
- Strong problem-solving skills, including strategic and creative thinking
- Understanding of or experience with multiple technology platforms (e.g., fermentation, analytical method development, purification, formulations)
- Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to collaborate with and influence teams
- Strongly preferred: experience within the Animal Health industry
- Experience interacting with applicable regulatory agencies (FDA, USDA, EMA)
- Experience with quality standards such as GMP
- Travel: Approximately 10%
- Work Location: Global Elanco Headquarters – Indianapolis, IN
- Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.