Lilly Scholar Jason Thiagarajan finds his path to pharmaceutical engineering at Purdue
When Jason Thiagarajan was weighing his college options, he wasn’t sure how he would pay for school, or which university would best prepare him for life and career. That uncertainty disappeared the day he opened his acceptance letter to Purdue University.
Inside was an invitation to join the inaugural cohort of the Lilly Scholars at Purdue (LSAP), a program that covered his full tuition and created a direct talent pipeline to one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. For Thiagarajan, a junior in agricultural and biological engineering from Bloomington, Indiana, it was the clarity he had been seeking.
“I immediately knew this was the right path,” he said.
He chose Purdue’s top-ranked engineering program for its strong industry connections and its emphasis on real-world impact. Drawn to applying engineering solutions to modern pharmaceutical challenges, he found his academic home in biological engineering, where he could bridge bioengineering principles with large-scale manufacturing systems.
Through LSAP, Thiagarajan secured an internship with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. Working in process engineering within manufacturing, he gained firsthand experience in scaling pharmaceutical production — an area he hopes to continue exploring after graduation in May 2027.
In the future, he plans to work at the interface of research and development, clinical trial support and commercial-scale manufacturing, helping bring innovative therapies from the lab to patients more efficiently.
Beyond the classroom and industry experience, Thiagarajan is active in student organizations that reflect both his professional goals and personal interests. As a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, he has supported outreach efforts and helped compile a network of Purdue ABE alumni to make career pathways clearer for current students. He is also involved in the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineers, further preparing him for a future in the pharmaceutical industry.
On campus, Thiagarajan connects with his heritage through the South Indian Association, where he participates in cultural and educational activities. He once joined a team to perform a choreographed dance as part of a mock Kalyanam, or wedding, festival. The organization, he said, helps him stay connected to his South Indian roots on his father’s side and reflects Purdue’s commitment to offering a place for every student.
He acknowledges that the path has not been without challenges. Because the LSAP selection process felt opaque at first, he experienced moments of imposter syndrome. Mentorship within the program, however, helped him address those feelings directly and
build confidence in his abilities. That confidence carried into his internship, where he embraced Lilly’s culture of informal coffee chats and relationship-building.
Today, Thiagarajan says the combination of academic rigor, mentorship and industry access has shaped him into the best version of himself.
His advice to future students: Believe in your abilities, connect with people both inside and outside your field, and never assume you aren’t enough.
“Whether you believe in yourself or not,” he said, “either mindset becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”