Research Associate

About the Company

Merge Labs is a frontier research lab with the mission of bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability, agency and experience. We’re pursuing this goal by developing fundamentally new approaches to brain-computer interfaces that interact with the brain at high bandwidth, integrate with advanced AI, and are ultimately safe and accessible for anyone to use.

Responsibilities

• Run weekly AAV production workflows from mammalian cell culture and transfection through harvest, purification, concentration, aliquoting, and sample handoff
• Perform QC assays to assess vector titer, purity, genome integrity, and lot-to-lot consistency
• Prepare plasmid DNA and support molecular biology workflows for AAV constructs and production plasmids
• Translate vector production requests into organized production runs, timelines, and handoffs
• Maintain accurate lot records, sample metadata, QC results, deviations, and process data in an ELN
• Maintain organized inventories of plasmids, cells, vector lots, and reagents
• Follow SOPs for vector production and update them as workflows improve
• Recognize, document, and communicate deviations from expected production or QC outcomes
• Troubleshoot production issues and contribute to practical process improvements

Requirements

• BS, BA, or MS in a scientific, engineering, or related field
• Hands-on experience with mammalian tissue culture and aseptic technique
• Experience with AAV, lentivirus, biologics production, or similar biological workflows
• Practical molecular biology experience including plasmid preparation, cloning, PCR, and sequence verification
• Experience running analytical or QC assays such as qPCR, SDS-PAGE, sequencing-based QC, or ddPCR
• Strong documentation habits using ELN, LIMS, or structured sample-tracking systems
• Experience following SOPs and recognizing deviations
• Organized approach to managing multiple samples, assays, and timelines
• Hands-on experience developing or engaging with automation workflows