Post-Doctoral Associate, Visual Inspection

Technical Services & Manufacturing Science

Post-Doctoral Associate, Visual Inspection: Full Time (Fixed Duration)

Post-Doctoral Associates at Lilly are responsible for

• Ensuring reliability of our manufacturing and quality systems
• Searching for and implementing continuous improvements
• Driving technical and scientific projects
• Maintaining our processes in a state of compliance with US and global regulations
• Designing and developing inspection strategies and control systems for parenteral drug products

The position is a Post-Doctoral Associate position within the Visual Inspection (VI) group of the Technical Services/Manufacturing Science (TS/MS) organization. The position will provide technical and scientific support within a dynamic manufacturing environment for the development of automated and manual inspection strategies used to detect particulate and container defects in parenteral drug products. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and executing experiments to advance inspection science, probability of detection (PoD) modeling, and particle characterization, as needed.

Associates actively contribute to the TS/MS organization and have extensive opportunities for involvement in cross-functional teams. This position allows for development of a comprehensive understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), regulatory requirements, and the essential role scientists play in making medicine and creating real-world solutions.

Key Objectives/Deliverables

• Understanding the scientific principles required for visual inspection of parenteral drug products, including the interaction of defect type, container, and inspection method.
• Understand the formation, classification, and risk profile of particulate and container defects (vials, syringes, cartridges).
• Develop appropriate laboratory-scale models and defect libraries to support inspection qualification studies.
• Design, conduct, and analyze statistically-designed experiments (e.g., probability of detection studies, Knapp reject zone methodology) to deepen inspection process understanding and optimize detection performance.
• Evaluate AI-based strategies for optimization of defect detection performance.
• Understand scale-up requirements and, as needed, partner with manufacturing sites and CMOs to conduct appropriate technology transfer work.
• Provide technical support for automated and manual inspection qualification activities.
• Strong technical writing and documentation of all technical work.
• Mentor lab associates to enhance their technical capabilities.
• Participate in technology transfer as needed.
• Ability to work well independently and collaboratively.

Basic Requirements

• Ph.D. in scientific disciplines of Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience and proficiency in the areas of particle characterization, materials analysis, or optical/imaging systems.
• Requires a record of publication in peer reviewed journals and presentations / posters at scientific conferences.
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Additional Information

• This Post-Doctoral Associate position is not permanent. It is for a fixed duration of two years with potential to extend to 3 years and for maximum of up to 4 years. You will have opportunities to apply for full-time positions after your duration is complete.
• Lilly 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.

Location

• Indianapolis, IN