Careers in Research & Development
Our strategy is simple: Innovation, Portfolio, and Productivity with a deep focus on customers' needs. In an Research and Development (R&D) role, you touch all parts of our corporate strategy.
At our seven core R&D facilities worldwide, there is a wide range of career opportunitites, including very early stages of ideation and discovery all the way to the product approval process. Our portfolio spans six core species and is balanced across farm animal and pet health products. R&D teams also work on multiple types of delivery mechanisms and cutting-edge technologies.
The organization focuses on delivering consistent, high impact innovation that is streamlined and optimized to deliver a focused pipeline. We have a mix of internal and external innovation, allowing us to be a partner of choice in a dynamic industry.
Hear From Our Research & Development Team
Robert Neugebauer
Sr. Director, Biopharma Tech Dev
"I’m responsible for cell line development, upstream, downstream, formulation, and analytical development groups. I really enjoy the ownership that Elanco entrusts to its employees – teams can shape how to best go about projects and initiatives. Elanco is one of the larger companies in the animal health industry, but we preserved a "start-up mentality": most people will step up from their job description and get stuff done, we are helping each other and there is a purpose in what we do."
Virginia Brandao
Research Scientist, Product Development
"My primary responsibilities involve creating, designing, and implementing clinical studies to assess Target Animal Safety and the Effectiveness of new products for farm animals. These studies generate crucial data to get new products approved by regulatory agencies. The best part of my work is interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise and the continuing learning experiences that come with working on projects across multiple technical teams."
Mark Crawford
Advisor, Product Development
"I help develop the commercial manufacturing processes and control strategies for Elanco’s monoclonal antibody molecules. These processes are designed by networking across several departments from discovery, cell line development, cell culture development, formulation, analytical and manufacturing. I also lead product and process transfers globally ensuring that the processes developed are manufacturable and fit within various facilities."
Elanco R&D Scholars Programs
The Elanco Scholars Program, funded by Elanco R&D, is a growing external talent development program that encompasses our R&D interns, graduate fellows, and post docs. We partner with key Universities and professional societies to attract top talent to these programs which give candidates exposure to the exciting opportunities at Elanco and in animal health careers.
Animal Health Fellowship
As a new program, we established Elanco R&D’s Animal Health Fellowships with partner universities. These fellowships fund students’ graduate training, increasing the number of graduate students trained in specific areas of study. The purpose of this program is multi-fold: support areas of external research that are vital to our animal health solutions, increase access of graduate level training for diverse populations of students, and establish and grow Elanco R&D as an employer of choice. Our founding University partnership for the Elanco Animal Health Fellowships was Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Biomedical Sciences Program and Cornell University Department of Animal Science, established in 2023.
Post Doctoral Scientists
Occasionally, our R&D teams determine that we need to bring in additional expertise or perspectives to focus on a specifically scoped project to advance a particular area of our R&D portfolio. When that is the case, we will post specific postdoctoral scientist roles. These scientists will operate under the mentorship of their supervisor, often solving key scientific questions relevant to moving our internal projects ahead. Many of our postdocs have also gone on to become full-time Elanco employees at the completion of their projects.
R&D Internship Program
Our interns within R&D spend 12 weeks exploring what it is like to have a career at Elanco. Our internship projects make tangible contributions to our R&D portfolio and are as diverse as our intern candidates. From day one, our interns are treated as Elanco employees, going through an onboarding process that prepares them to have a productive summer within their teams. Our R&D interns come from all different backgrounds and are undergraduate or graduate-level students. We continue to get positive feedback from our interns on how much they learn in one summer, the networking opportunities it provides them, and long-lasting friendships and professional connections.
Explore Beyond
Benefits
Solving the world’s most pressing challenges requires grit, determination and a mind that can think beyond a job description. Employees who bring that can expect a culture that helps them make time for what is important outside of work, and to be rewarded for approaching every problem and opportunity with curiosity underscored with integrity.
How To Apply
Looking to break boundaries and push forward your career to help the world’s animals? Learn more about our hiring process, essential tips for your interview and explore frequently asked questions.
Innovation
Animal health has untapped innovation potential. Only a few companies have the capability to develop and get approval for new, breakthrough innovations and then get them into the hands of farmers, veterinarians and pet owners around the world. Discover how we’re one of those few companies and what makes us an innovation partner of choice.
