Imaging Clinical Research Physician

Lilly • Indianapolis, IN

1d • $198,000 - $389,400 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Imaging Clinical Research Physician is a key member of the medical development team, leading the clinical development of diagnostic radiopharmaceutical imaging programs, with a focus on oncology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. This role spans both diagnostic and therapeutic applications and contributes across the full clinical development life cycle, from early phase studies through registration trials. The successful candidate will be a translational physician-scientist whose research background and expertise bridges disease biology, biomarker science, and clinical trial execution. In addition, the candidate will serve as an internal scientific expert in molecular imaging, partnering closely with cross functional teams and external collaborators to advance innovative imaging strategies.

Requirements

• Medical Doctor--must be board eligible or certified in a medical specialty relevant to the role or have completed the comparable level of post-medical school clinical training relevant to the country of hiring.
• U.S. trained physicians must have achieved board eligibility or certification.
• Foreign medical graduates in U.S. based jobs, who are not U.S. board eligible or certified may be hired directly for employment in the U.S. at the discretion of the Chief Medical Officer.
• Non-U.S. trained physicians must have completed education and training at a medical school that meets the requirements of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
• Minimum 5 years clinical development experience; minimum 3 years industry experience.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

• Tracer development experience and experience in oncology, immunology and/or cardiology is highly preferred.
• Strong problem-solving skills; able to anticipate and recognize systemic problems, diagnose root causes and take corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence.
• Familiarity with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and regulatory requirements.
• Strong ability to balance scientific and business priorities.
• Demonstrated communication, collaboration, organizational, and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of integrated clinical development programs for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals in oncology, immunology and cardiovascular diseases across early and late-phase development.
• Define clinical strategies, endpoints, patient populations, and imaging criteria for each phase of development.
• Design studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, optimal imaging timing, patient selection biomarkers, and comparative performance versus standard‑of‑care imaging.
• Serve as a scientific expert in molecular imaging modalities, including PET, SPECT, CT, and MRI (e.g., imaging of vascular and myocardial inflammation, autoimmune disease activity, atherosclerotic plaque, and cardiac amyloidosis), with applicability to oncology and emerging theranostic platforms a plus.
• Analyze and interpret molecular imaging data (e.g., PET/CT, SPECT/CT), including tumor localization, tracer biodistribution, dosimetry considerations, and longitudinal response assessment.
• Evaluate and interpret imaging biomarkers for patient stratification, disease activity assessment, and disease monitoring across immune-mediated and cardiovascular conditions.
• Evaluate imaging performance metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, standardized uptake values (SUVs), and tumor to background ratios.
• Provide strategic input into the development, validation, and quantitative evaluation of advanced image analysis methods.
• Apply knowledge of oncology, immune‑mediated, cardiovascular, and/or metabolic disease biology to guide the scientific strategy of diagnostic imaging programs.
• Collaborate internally with physicians, scientists, medical physicists, as well as with imaging operations and advanced image analysis teams.
• Lead cross functional projects and coordinate with external partners, including CROs, academic institutions, software developers, and scanner manufacturers, to support imaging method validation and implementation.
• Evaluate emerging scientific and technological advances in imaging, including modeling approaches and artificial intelligence, and drive their application in clinical programs.
• Author and review key clinical and regulatory documents, including Investigator’s Brochures, protocols, protocol amendments, clinical study reports, and regulatory briefing documents.
• Contribute to the development of technical manuals and imaging related trial documentation.
• Communicate scientific findings through internal presentations, conference abstracts, and peer reviewed publications.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance)
• company-sponsored 401(k)
• pension
• vacation benefits
• 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
• well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree