Scientist - Gene Delivery

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.

About the team

Our Bio team designs, builds, and characterizes the biotechnologies that form the foundation of next-generation brain-computer interfaces. We combine molecular engineering, synthetic biology, neuroscience and advanced physical methods such as ultrasound to establish less invasive, high-bandwidth connections with neurons. The Bio team develops our core molecular technologies, validates their performance in vitro and in vivo, and demonstrates their advanced capabilities in animal models. We build custom experimental setups and pipelines and collaborate closely with engineers and data scientists. We work across disciplines to come up with creative ideas and solve some of the most challenging problems in biotechnology.

About the role

As a Scientist in Gene Delivery, you will engineer and validate gene delivery approaches to enable the expression and function of novel molecular biosensors and actuators of neural activity in preclinical models. Your work will serve as the critical bridge between molecular engineering and in vivo functionality and enable the ultimate clinical translation of molecular BCI. You will optimize the design and production of vectors and routes of administration, working closely with colleagues on payload design and expression requirements. You will originate and evaluate novel in-house and external gene delivery strategies, including viral and non-viral approaches. You will collaborate closely with protein engineers, cell and synthetic biologists, machine learning engineers, physicists and neurobiologists.

In this role, you will:

• Develop preclinical gene delivery approaches using established vectors such as AAVs.

• Optimize and validate the delivery of biosensor and actuator constructs in vivo.

• Establish the production of vectors in-house and/or through external partners.

• Collaborate with molecular engineering and neurobiology colleagues on payload design and expression requirements.

• Originate and test novel gene delivery vectors and strategies, including viral and non-viral, and developed in-house and partnered.

• Recruit and mentor research associate(s) as needed to expand efforts.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• a Ph.D. or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end in bioengineering, neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology or a related field.

• Engineered AAVs and/or worked with them extensively to deliver genes to the brain in preclinical models.

• Demonstrated expertise in developing or optimizing gene delivery modalities.

• Developed and used methods to evaluate gene delivery and expression in brain tissues.

• Optimized titers, delivery routes, timing and other parameters to achieve specific expression goals.

• Worked on a delivery-related problem that is unusual or complex and loved it.

• Fun working on multidisciplinary teams, collaborating and communicating with experts across disciplines.

• The desire to be part of a fast-paced team working on frontier scientific and technical problems.

Nice to have:

• Have worked with systemically delivered vectors and evaluated their transduction of peripheral tissues.

• Have worked on expression targeting to specific cell types.

• Have worked with transgenic mouse models.

• Have worked with large animal models.

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification, please apply. As we build, we're hiring for complementary strengths to form a high-impact team.

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 [email protected].