Eli Lilly and Company Visiting Scientist

January–December 2026

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis strives to highlight successful women in STEM as positive role models for children and families. We believe that in order to support girls and young women in their exploration of STEM, it’s vital to provide them with opportunities to interact with, and learn from women working in, and making significant contributions to, STEM fields and concepts. To support girls and women in STEM, the museum offers a Visiting Scientist program, featuring a female STEM professional.

The museum is recruiting a female STEM professional who has demonstrated experience in STEM outreach and experience connecting girls to STEM. By serving as the museum’s Visiting Scientist, the incumbent will have an opportunity to develop outreach programs for a variety of audiences at the world’s largest children’s museum. This application is for a seasoned STEM professional who will serve as the Eli Lilly and Company Visiting Scientist at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis from January 2026 to December 2026. This program is made possible through extraordinary philanthropic support provided by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.

Visiting Scientist Program Goals:

• To recruit a female scientist to interact with and inspire girls to pursue STEM experiences through hands on programs to a variety of museum audiences, including school groups and families.
• To impart an understanding of the scientist’s own career path, the focus of their work or research, and how science builds our understanding of the world around us.
• To demonstrate an understanding of the processes and tools used by scientists to ask questions and research answers or solutions.
• To help the museum reach girls and young women interested in STEM through programs, outreach, and museum exhibits.
• To provide an opportunity for female scientists to provide voice and perspective on future museum programs and exhibits.

The museum anticipates multiple onsite visits and virtual meetings by the scientist. This will include public outreach in the museum’s STEMLab or in a public space within the museum. The museum and the scientist will collaborate to develop the outreach program.

Prior to creating programs or outreach materials to be used at the museum, the scientists will participate in onboard meetings at the museum. These meetings will include understanding the museum audience and co-planning with museum staff.

Expectations of and deliverables developed by the Visiting Scientist include:

• Facilitate a program or presentation with existing museum audiences such as summer camps, home school programs, and teen program (no more than 5 times a year).
• Serve as a guest facilitator in the museum’s STEMLab multiple times a year, including weekends and school breaks.
• Participate in museum special events such as STEM Exploration Day for public or school audiences (3-4 times a year).
• Co-collaborate with the museum’s science education staff on a program related to the scientist’s field of study.
• Serve as an advisor to museum exhibit teams, as appropriate.Attend events with museum leadership or development teams (up to 3 events)

About The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest children’s museum and is committed to creating extraordinary family learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families.

Statistics:

• The museum includes 17 major galleries spread over 482,950 square feet, including the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience®, a 7.5-acre indoor/outdoor experience dedicated to Indiana sports legends and family fitness, a fully-staffed paleontology lab, space object theater, STEM classroom, and substantial natural science collection. For more information, visit childrensmuseum.org/exhibits.
• Annual museum attendance is more than 1.2 million guests.
• The museum houses a collection of over 130,000 artifacts and specimens ranging from natural science to space travel, popular culture, and representation of communities across the world.
• Over 80,000 students and teachers visit each year on school field trips.

Eligibility

One scientist will be selected to be the Visiting Scientist by a selection committee. Criteria for scientist selection will include:

Required credentials

• Advanced degree in field of expertise.
• At least 10 years of experience in a STEM field, such as industry or research experience.
• Field of expertise connects to a museum initiative, exhibit, program, or project.
• Experience with science education of children, science outreach or science communication to diverse audiences.
• Interest in connecting girls and young women to STEM.
• Ability to visit the museum campus on a monthly basis.
• Available to serve as a visiting scientist from January-December of 2026.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion.

For the current application cycle, the museum is interested in a Visiting Scientist with expertise or interest in multi-disciplinary STEM learning. All fields are encouraged to apply.

Compensation

Through the generosity of the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the museum will provide an honorarium and travel reimbursement for the Visiting Scientist. Mileage will be provided if the Visiting Scientist lives more than 60 miles from the museum. 

Application details

The deadline to submit an application is 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 15, 2025.

Application materials will include:

1. Online application
2. Description of a 20-minute hands-on STEM program for families (~25 people ranging from ages 5–75) that you would facilitate.
3. A single PDF document that includes: 

• • CV (5 pages or less).
  • Brief, high-level description of the scientist’s area of study and/or research.
  • Examples of completed public outreach and/or programs targeted at girls in STEM or other diverse audiences.
  • Contact details of three professional references who can attest to the scientist’s outreach experience.   

Contact Information
Becky Wolfe
Director of School Programs and Educational Resources
3000 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46208 United States
317-334-4618
beckyw@childrensmuseum.org

The Eli Lilly and Company Visiting Scientist is made possible through the extraordinary philanthropic support provided by the Eli Lilly Company Foundation.