Research Associate – In Vivo Operations

Merge Labs is a frontier research lab with the mission of bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability agency and experience. Were 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.

About the team:

Our In Vivo team sits at the core of Merge Labs experimental engine operating at the intersection of neuroscience molecular biology and engineering. We are responsible for executing and enabling in vivo studies across multiple teams making our role critical to the success of the broader mission. We design build and run high-quality scalable in vivo pipelines supporting a wide range of experimental needs. As a central function we collaborate closely with cross-functional partners and serve as the backbone for translating ideas into robust reproducible in vivo data. Given the breadth of teams relying on our work we hold ourselves to the highest standards of execution precision and reproducibility. We are deeply committed to operational excellence consistency and continuous improvement ensuring that every study is executed with rigor and reliability.

About the role:

We are seeking a Research Associate with strong in vivo expertise and hands-on surgical experience in rodents to play a critical role in executing and scaling our in vivo operations. This is a highly hands-on position at the core of our experimental work requiring independence precision and the ability to deliver consistent and reproducible high-quality execution across multiple studies.

In this role you will partner closely with Scientists to generate high-quality reproducible data continuously optimize workflows and help build robust scalable in vivo pipelines from the ground up. Your contributions will be essential to driving execution enabling rapid iteration and supporting the advancement of next-generation neurotechnology.

In this role you will:

• Execute complex in vivo studies in rodents including execution of advanced surgical procedures and managing day-to-day study activities including scheduling dosing monitoring and data collection.

• Perform tissue collection processing coordination of downstream analyses (e.g. immunofluorescence H&E staining and ELISAs) and support histology and immunological assays as needed.

• Troubleshoot experimental issues and contribute to protocol optimization and workflow improvements.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with teams to ensure seamless execution.

• Maintain accurate detailed and audit-ready study documentation.

• Ensure strict adherence to animal welfare regulatory and biosafety standards.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• BS BA or MS in Biology Biochemistry Neuroscience Bioengineering or a related field with 5 years of relevant academic or industry experience including strong hands-on in vivo research expertise particularly in rodent stereotaxic surgery (handling dosing monitoring and post-operative care) and a demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality rigorously documented studies while balancing speed and precision across multiple concurrent experiments.

• Have proven ability to work independently prioritize tasks and manage multiple concurrent studies.

• Have strong attention to detail with a focus on data quality reproducibility and documentation.

• Have excellent organizational and communication skills with ability to coordinate across teams.

If youre excited about this role but dont meet every qualification please apply. As we build were hiring for complementary strengths to form a high-impact team.

For more information about hiring at Merge please visit our Hiring FAQ

Merge Labs does not discriminate on the basis of race color religion national origin age sex sexual orientation gender gender identity gender expression marital status physical or mental disability medical condition genetic information family status ancestry citizenship U.S. military (state and federal) and veteran status or any other legally protected status. It is our intention that all applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions are based on job related factors. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities and requests can be made by emailing

Required Experience:

IC