Job Description

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!

Your Role: Senior Scientist (R2) - Internal Medicine Physiologist and Early Project Lead

As a Senior Scientist in the Mechanistic Biology team, you will leverage internal medicine and physiological expertise to drive next-generation drug discovery. In this non-lab-based role, you will lead novel animal health indication pipeline strategies, target identification/selection, validation, and biomarker strategies to advance Elanco's pipeline across diverse animal health indications.

Your Responsibilities:

• Lead target identification, validation, and strategy refinement for internal medicine solutions across companion and farm animal indications.

• Assess safety risks (on-target and off-target) for pipeline assets while integrating AI and translational disease models to de-risk drug effects.

• Design and execute comprehensive biomarker and diagnostic plans from early proof-of-concept through registrational studies.

• Provide expert physiological support and oversight for animal studies, ensuring scientific integrity, quality documentation, and animal welfare.

• Lead early-phase pipeline projects by collaborating with cross-functional teams and external strategic partners to maintain progression strategies.

• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards (e.g., GLP/GxP), accurate budget tracking, scientific integrity, and animal welfare principles.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):

• Education: DVM residency trained in internal medicine and/or PhD relating to the field of veterinary physiology.

• Experience: Experience with human, small animal, and large animal disease characterization and translational data extrapolation between species.

• Top 2 Skills: Proficiency in biomolecular techniques (e.g., flow cytometry, transcriptomics, proteomics) and the ability to lead hypothesis-driven experiments in a collaborative environment.

What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):

• DVM boarded in internal medicine with a PhD in physiology or related field.

• 5+ years of experience in a pharmaceutical company with a proven publication record.

• Working knowledge of statistical principles and emerging technologies such as AI and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).

• Previous fellowship, post-doctoral, and clinical experience.

• Understanding of pharmaceutical drug development from idea to registration with demonstrated ability to identify all projects risks from project initiation.

• Demonstrated proficiency in immunology and experience in animal health industry.

• Ability to collaborate and lead through influence in a fast paced, agile environment.

• Strong drive and ability to execute efficiently.

Additional Information:

Travel: up to 25%

Location: Indianapolis, IN - Hybrid Work Environment

Elanco 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

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.