Skip to: expectations, terms of appointment, frequently asked questions, research publications
Lilly's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent to gain and expand scientific expertise while working under the direct supervision of a senior Lilly scientist. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides valuable training to prepare each Fellow to accept opportunities in academia or industry upon completion of the Lilly Fellowship.
During the two-year training period, Lilly provides each Fellow the opportunity to participate and complete research project(s) that encompass exploratory research, new technologies and/or novel methods to advance research and development related to the strategic interests of Lilly Research Laboratories worthy of publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
A mentor is assigned to each Fellow to assist in the training and coaching of each project and initiative in which the Fellow participates. State-of-the-art facilities and a strong scientific environment provide the Fellow with the resources necessary to complete the given assignment. Lilly also supports and encourages attendance at scientific meetings throughout the year to help further development.
Expectations of the Postdoctoral Fellow
Students selected for Lilly's Postdoctoral Fellow program are expected to:
- Provide a good faith effort to accomplish the scientific objectives agreed upon when hired
- Provide scientific influence within the laboratory and department via discussion and sharing of technical knowledge and experiences
- Present at various scientific seminars within Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL) on work performed at Lilly
- Write and submit at least one scientific paper to a peer-reviewed, high quality journal during Lilly tenure
- Present at least one abstract at a national/international scientific meeting
Terms of Appointment
The initial Postdoctoral Fellow appointment is two years. After successful completion of the first year, the second year is automatically approved unless otherwise agreed upon with your mentor.
Extensions for third or fourth year Fellowships require special approval and will be determined on an individual basis.
Open Positions
To search for open Postdoctoral Fellow positions, follow the instructions below:
- Click on Job Search in the menu on the left side of the screen
- Select Post Doctorate under Job Type
- Click the Search button
*Note: Postdoctoral Fellow positions are available periodically throughout the year. Please check back later if you are unable to locate any.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long are Postdoctoral Fellows enrolled in the Program?
Generally, Postdoctoral Fellows are enrolled in the program for 2 years. The assignment is structured as a one-year term and is renewable for a second year. There is an option to extend the assignment into a third year and in some cases a fourth year with special line management approval.
What opportunities do Postdoctoral Fellows have to collaborate with other scientists?
Postdoctoral Fellows at Lilly have the opportunity to collaborate with other Lilly Postdoctoral Fellows, with external scientists and with Lilly staff scientists. Collaborations with Lilly scientists must be carefully structured to ensure the Postdoctoral Fellow works on projects that permit prompt publication.
Where do Postdoctoral Fellows go after completion of the program? What is breakdown between industry and academia?
Approximately 75% of Lilly Postdoctoral Fellows find jobs within the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries, the remaining 25% find jobs in academia or government research or other.
How easy is it to publish as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Lilly?
Lilly postdoctoral projects must all be publishable, after filing patent applications when appropriate.
Can Postdoctoral Fellows attend scientific conferences? How many?
Yes. Lilly provides travel resources to at least one scientific meeting per year.
Is the Postdoctoral Fellow Program used as a recruiting tool by Lilly?
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at Eli Lilly and Company is not intended as a primary recruiting tool to fill Lilly senior scientist positions. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides a Fellow with valuable training so that the individual can accept opportunities in industry or academia upon completion of the Lilly Fellowship.
How many Postdoctoral Fellows are in the program at any given time?
The number of Postdoctoral Fellows at Lilly varies due to a number of factors such as the decisions of Postdoctoral Fellows to leave the program to pursue other opportunities in industry or academia or to extend their Fellowship into a 3 rd or 4 th year. The number of new Fellowships which will be funded each year is determined through the annual business planning process.
Do I receive any benefits as a Postdoctoral Fellow?
Yes. Postdoctoral Fellows are Lilly employees and are eligible for many, but not all benefits. Some of the Postdoctoral Fellow benefits include: Health Plan, Vacation, Illness Pay, Flextime, Lilly Savings Plan (401K), Employee Parking, On-site Child Care, Credit Union, Financial Planning, Adoption Reimbursement, and Employee Services, including the Lilly Fitness Center.
Does Lilly offer relocation assistance for Postdoctoral Fellows?
Yes. Lilly provides relocation assistance to Postdoctoral Fellows, which includes a house hunting trip, transportation expenses, temporary accommodations, household goods move expenses, and real estate assistance.
Research Publications
First Example
Park KJ, Krishnan V, O-Malley BW, Yamamoto Y, Gaynor RB. Formation of an IKKalpha-dependent transcription complex is required for estrogen receptor-mediated gene activation. Molecular Cell, 2005 Apr 1;18(1):71-82.
Abstract
The IκB kinases IKKα and IKKβ regulate distinct cytoplasmic and nuclear events that are critical for cytokine-mediated activation of the NF-κB pathway. Because the IKKs have previously been demonstrated to associate with the nuclear hormone receptor coactivator AIB1/SRC-3, the question of whether either IKKα or IKKβ may be involved in increasing the expression of hormone-responsive genes was addressed. We demonstrated that IKKα, in conjunction with ERα and AIB1/SRC-3, is important in activating the transcription of estrogen-responsive genes, including cyclin D1 and c-myc, to result in the enhanced proliferation of breast cancer cells. Estrogen treatment facilitated the association of IKKα, ERα, and AIB1/SRC-3 to estrogen-responsive promoters and increased IKKα phosphorylation of ERα, AIB1/SRC-3, and histone H3. These results suggest that IKKα plays a major role in regulating the biological effects of estrogen via its promoter association and modification of components of the transcription complex.
Second Example
Yan, Jiangli et al. Complete Relative Stereochemistry of Multiple Stereocenters Using Only Residual Dipolar Couplings. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 126(15). April 21, 2004. 5008-5017.
Abstract
Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), in combination with molecular order matrix calculations, were used to unambiguously determine the complete relative stereochemistry of an organic compound with five stereocenters. Three simple one-dimensional experiments were utilized for the measurements of 13C-1H, 13C-19F, 19F-1H, and 1H-1H RDCs. The order matrix calculation was performed on each chiral isomer independently. The fits were evaluated by the comparison of the root-mean-square deviation (rmsd) of calculated and measured RDCs. The order tensor simulations based on two different sets of RDC data collected with phage and bicelles are consistent. The resulting stereochemical assignments of the stereocenters obtained from using only RDCs are in perfect agreement with those obtained from the single-crystal X-ray structure. Six RDCs are found to be necessary to run the simulation, and seven are the minimum to get an acceptable result for the investigated compound. It was also shown that 13C-1H and 1H-1H RDCs, which are the easiest to measure, are also the most important and information-rich data for the order matrix calculation. The effect of each RDC on the calculation depends on the location of the corresponding vector in the structure. The direct RDC of a stereocenter is important to the configuration determination, but the configuration of stereocenters devoid of protons can also be obtained from analysis of nearby RDCs.
Third Example
Quirk JC, Siuda ER, Nisenbaum ES. Molecular determinants responsible for differences in desensitization kinetics of AMPA receptor splice variants. J Neurosci. 2004 Dec 15;24(50):11416-20.
Abstract
Flip (i) and flop (o) alternatively spliced variants of the four glutamate AMPA receptor subunits (GluR1-4) are differentially expressed in the CNS and can display distinct rates of desensitization that contribute to the heterogeneity of native AMPA receptor-dependent synaptic responses. In the present study, we initially compared the kinetics of desensitization in response to fast application of glutamate (1 mM) for the eight different homomeric recombinant human AMPA receptors (hGluR1-4i and o) heterologously expressed in mammalian cells. Consistent with previous reports on recombinant rat AMPA receptors, the time constants of desensitization between human GluR1i and GluR1o receptors were the same, whereas the flip isoforms for GluR2-4 receptors exhibited significantly slower rates of desensitization compared with the flop isoforms. To identify the molecular determinants responsible for these functional differences, the effects of exchanging amino acid residues in the flip-flop cassette of GluR2i and GluR2o were investigated. Three amino acid residues in the flip-flop region (Thr765, Pro766, and Ser775 in flip and Asn765, Ala766, and Asn775 in flop) were identified that contribute to splice-variant differences in the rate of desensitization. Recent structural data show that these three residues are located on helix J, which forms part of the intradimer interface of AMPA receptor ligand-binding cores, and that the stability of this interface may regulate desensitization. The present results suggest that these three residues may confer differences in flip and flop receptor desensitization rates by directly and/or indirectly influencing the stability of the interface between adjacent subunits.
