Lauren Neuwirth, PMP

Lauren Neuwirth is a Senior Facilities Engineer at Eli Lilly and Company, based in the Greater Indianapolis area. She earned dual bachelor's degrees from Purdue University in 2020, one in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the other in Food Science, completing her studies despite the financial pressures of coming from a single-parent household. This combined academic background has given her the versatility to work across every stage of a product's lifecycle, drawing on food science expertise for research and development while applying her engineering training to scale-up and facilities work. Prior to joining Eli Lilly in February 2025, Lauren spent nearly five years building her career at Cargill. She started as an Associate Dairy Applications Scientist in Minneapolis before moving into engineering roles in Paris, Illinois, progressing from Engineer I to Reliability Engineer II. She later relocated to Newark, California, where she took on the role of Facilities and Utilities Supervisor. Her path to Cargill began earlier, with internships in food safety and quality chemistry, as well as food research and development, alongside a stint as an undergraduate teaching assistant in biological sciences at Purdue. She eventually transitioned to Eli Lilly to be closer to family in the Midwest. Lauren holds several technical certifications, including her Project Management Professional (PMP) credential, MLT1 Machine Lubrication Level 1 Certification, Vibration Analyst Category 1, and Laser Safety Officer (LSO) designation. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she volunteers weekly reading with third graders at a local elementary school in Boone County, Indiana. Throughout her career in a male-dominated field, she credits mentors such as Jacob Thomas and Corey Somers with shaping her growth, and she remains committed to the values of collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning.