Research Scientist - Protein Sciences

Elanco•Indianapolis, IN

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

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: Research Scientist – Protein Sciences As a Research Scientist on our Antibody Discovery team, you will play a critical role in advancing Elanco's pipeline by producing high-quality proteins essential for groundbreaking structural biology studies. In this lab-based role, you will lead protein production for parasitology, small molecule, and large molecule projects, tackling complex expression challenges and mastering automated purification systems. This is an exciting opportunity to directly contribute to the discovery of novel animal health solutions.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, or a related scientific field.
Foundational hands-on experience in recombinant protein expression and purification, typically gained through academic research (0-2 years).
Demonstrated expertise in common protein expression/purification techniques and a strong aptitude for independent experimental design and troubleshooting.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with preparing and characterizing proteins specifically for X-ray crystallography or Cryo-EM.
Direct experience with challenging targets such as membrane proteins (e.g., GPCRs, ion channels).
Working knowledge of protein refolding methods from inclusion bodies.
Experience in generating and evaluating stable cell lines for protein expression.

Responsibilities

Design and execute multi-platform protein expression and purification strategies (bacterial, insect, mammalian) for structural biology studies.
Develop, optimize, and troubleshoot protocols for automated chromatography (AKTA) and various purification techniques, including Affinity (NiNTA, GST), Ion Exchange (IEX), and Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC).
Employ advanced genetic construct design (e.g., tag selection, truncation screening, codon optimization) to enhance protein solubility and suitability for structural biology studies.
Serve as the technical point of contact for outsourced protein production projects with external Contract Research Organizations (CROs), ensuring quality and timeline standards are met.
Maintain rigorous and timely documentation of all experimental procedures and results within the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) system.