Scientist - In Vivo Molecular Neurotechnology

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

• Own and scale in vivo validation pipelines in rodents for molecular biosensors/actuators, including gene delivery, surgical workflows, sensory/behavioral paradigms, and ex vivo characterization
• Optimize delivery vehicles, administration methods and parameters for robust, cell-type specific expression
• Design and perform in vivo experiments to benchmark functional performance of biosensors/actuators in physiologically relevant neuroscience context
• Collaborate with hardware engineers and platform teams to develop and build custom setup incorporating novel imaging and modulation instruments
• Assess tolerability and biological effects through functional and molecular assays
• Work closely with molecular engineers, physical engineers and data scientists to define project goals
• Recruit and mentor research associate(s) as needed

Requirements

• PhD in Neuroscience, Biology, Bioengineering or a related field, or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end
• Expertise in benchmarking and optimizing molecular tools in vivo (viral delivery, advanced surgical procedures, histology, tissue clearing, or expansion microscopy)
• Experience in in vivo neuroscience research in rodents using sensory or behavioral experiments with simultaneous imaging and/or stimulation
• Ability to develop, implement and troubleshoot novel techniques
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in generating transgenic animals
• Experience with ex vivo methods such as activity-based labeling or spatial sequencing
• Knowledge and experience in system neuroscience
• Hands-on or CRO experience with larger animals
• Familiarity with protein or gene construct engineering and/or computational approaches