Discovery Synthetic Chemistry Automation Scientist

1w1 week ago

Eli Lilly and Company

Shanghai, CN · Full-time · CNY 600,000 – CNY 1,000,000

About this role

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. The Discovery Synthetic Chemistry Automation Scientist designs, develops, and deploys high-throughput synthesis automation workcells to accelerate AI-driven drug design. This role bridges chemistry and automation for robust, scalable synthetic workflows feeding into automated analytical and design feedback loops.

Located in Shanghai, partner with external engineering companies to build and integrate automation systems. Collaborate internally with the Discovery Lab Operations Lead, Discovery Analytical Automation scientist, and global Discovery teams. Ensure seamless alignment of scientific design principles, data workflows, and automation standards across sites.

Develop scalable automated synthesis workflows supporting iterative compound generation for medicinal chemistry and AI-driven drug design. Define chemical workflow requirements, system interfaces, and safety standards for automated synthesis operations. Oversee installation, qualification, and performance optimization of automation platforms.

Apply deep expertise in organic synthesis to guide system design and chemical workflow optimization. Evaluate emerging automation, robotics, and lab informatics technologies to enhance speed, quality, and reproducibility. Represent Shanghai lab’s synthetic automation capabilities in global technical forums and cross-site strategy discussions.

Requirements

Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or related field
7+ years of experience in pharmaceutical discovery synthesis, with strong hands-on experience in chemical design and execution
Proven understanding of lab automation, robotics, and workflow integration in a research environment
Strong collaboration and communication skills across scientific and engineering disciplines
Proficiency in English and Mandarin

Responsibilities

Partner with external automation engineering vendors to design, test, and deploy modular high-throughput synthesis automation systems
Define chemical workflow requirements, system interfaces, and safety standards for automated synthesis operations
Oversee installation, qualification, and performance optimization of automation platforms
Integrate synthesis workflows with downstream automated analytical and data pipelines to enable closed-loop AI learning
Develop and implement scalable automated synthesis workflows supporting iterative compound generation for medicinal chemistry and AI-driven drug design
Collaborate with the Discovery Analytical Automation Scientist to ensure seamless sample handoff and data flow
Work with global Discovery teams to align on chemistry strategy, automation standards, and FAIR data integration
Apply deep expertise in organic synthesis to guide system design and chemical workflow optimization