Associate Scientist – In Vivo Neuroscience

Meridial; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Visa sponsorship

Relocation support

Generous benefits

Job summary

Meridial is seeking an Associate Scientist - In Vivo Neuroscience to perform survival neurosurgery, longitudinal two-photon imaging, and optogenetic experiments in mice as part of advancing 3D imaging and circuit mapping technologies.

You will join a small, growing team, develop protocols, and receive mentoring from senior scientists. Start March 2027; London-based, on-site 4–5 days/week with potential visa sponsorship for exceptional candidates.

Qualifications

• Degree in neuroscience or a related discipline, or equivalent research experience.
• 3+ years’ hands-on experience with in vivo neuroscience experiments in mice is ideal.
• Experience with survival stereotaxic surgery in mice, including intracranial viral injections and cranial-window implantation.
• Hands-on experience with in vivo two-photon microscopy and functional neural data acquisition.
• Familiarity with viral-vector and genetic approaches to study neural circuits.

Responsibilities

• Perform survival neurosurgery in mice, including stereotaxic viral injections and cranial-window implantation for chronic imaging.
• Carry out in vivo two-photon imaging, including longitudinal imaging over weeks to months, and run optogenetic experiments.
• Support viral and transgenic strategies and animal colony management.
• Monitor preparation quality and animal welfare, and troubleshoot technical problems.
• Develop and test team SOPs and protocols; collaborate with engineers and computational researchers.

Skills

In vivo neuroscience

Stereotaxic surgery

Longitudinal two-photon imaging

Optogenetics

Data collection/quality control

Education

Degree in neuroscience or related discipline

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

About Meridial

Meridial is a new not-for-profit Focused Research Organisation (FRO) in the Convergent Research Ecosystem, funded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Our mission is to bring connectomics into the living brain. We are building a platform for longitudinal, synapse-resolution mapping of functional neural circuitry in preclinical models, to improve drug development outcomes for disorders of the central nervous system.

We are building our Experimental Team and are recruiting for several experimental roles, including more senior Scientist roles focused on in vivo neuroscience and neurophysiology.

About the Role

Meridial is seeking an experimental neuroscientist to join our team as Associate Scientist - In Vivo Neuroscience. This is a hands-on role: you will carry out neurosurgery, longitudinal two-photon imaging and optogenetic experiments in mice as part of our programme to develop advanced 3D imaging and photostimulation technologies for circuit mapping.

You will join a small, growing team and contribute to the development of protocols and workflows from an early stage. You will report to the Director of Experimental Research and receive hands-on training and mentoring from more senior scientists.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform survival neurosurgery in mice, including stereotaxic viral injections and cranial-window implantation for chronic imaging.
• Carry out high-quality in vivo two-photon imaging, including longitudinal imaging over weeks to months, and run optogenetic experiments.
• Support viral and transgenic strategies and animal colony management.
• Monitor preparation quality and animal welfare, and help identify and resolve technical problems.
• Follow and help develop the team’s protocols and SOPs, and help test and optimise new experimental approaches.
• Work with engineers and computational researchers on experimental systems, data acquisition and data-quality assessment.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in neuroscience or a related discipline, or equivalent research experience.
• Ideally 3+ years’ hands-on experience with in vivo neuroscience experiments in mice.
• Demonstrated experience of survival stereotaxic surgery in mice, including intracranial viral injections and cranial-window implantation.
• Substantial hands-on experience with in vivo two-photon microscopy and the acquisition of functional neural data.
• Familiarity with viral-vector and genetic approaches used to study neural circuits.
• Ability to recognise experimental problems and troubleshoot procedures.
• Strong organisational skills and careful record-keeping.
• If you do not already hold a UK Home Office Personal Licence, willingness to complete the required training before starting (costs covered by Meridial).
• Strong commitment to animal welfare and the 3Rs.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Longitudinal or subcellular two-photon imaging; optogenetics, including all-optical methods; GRIN-lens or prism preparations; viral-vector and tracing strategies; histology; intracellular electrophysiology; head-fixed behaviour; microscope alignment; Python and/or MATLAB.
• A current UK Home Office Personal Licence.

Position

• Start date: around March 2027.
• Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, based in London with an on-site presence of 4-5 days per week.
• Occasional out-of-hours and weekend work for longitudinal experiments and post-operative animal care.
• Salary: £45,000-£55,000 a year, plus generous benefits.
• For exceptional candidates, Meridial will consider visa sponsorship and relocation support.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and do not make employment decisions on the basis of protected characteristics.

£45,000 to £55,000 per year