Meridial – Associate Scientist – In Vivo Neuroscience

Convergent Research; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Meridial in London seeks an Associate Scientist – In Vivo Neuroscience to perform survival neurosurgery in mice, cranial-window implantation and long-term imaging using two-photon systems, advancing 3D mapping of neural circuits.

You will work with engineers and computational researchers, develop protocols, and contribute to open-data workflows, with mentoring from senior scientists and a small experimental team.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with mouse neurosurgery and in vivo two-photon imaging.
• Experience setting up longitudinal imaging experiments in mice.
• Familiarity with optogenetic approaches and data recording.

Responsibilities

• Perform survival neurosurgery in mice, including stereotaxic viral injections, cranial-window implantation and preparation of animals for chronic imaging and manipulation.
• Carry out high-quality in vivo two-photon imaging, including longitudinal imaging of the same animals over weeks to months.
• Run optogenetic experiments to interrogate and manipulate neural circuits.
• Support the implementation of viral and transgenic strategies for functional imaging, circuit manipulation and anatomical investigation.
• Support animal colony management, working with senior team members and animal facility staff, including tracking breeding and experimental requirements.
• Monitor preparation quality and animal welfare throughout longitudinal studies and help identify and resolve technical problems with more senior scientists.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of experimental procedures and outcomes.

Skills

Mouse neurosurgery

In vivo two-photon imaging

Optogenetics

Longitudinal animal imaging

Experimental protocol development

Tools

Two-photon microscope

Stereotaxic apparatus

Virus injections

Job description

About Meridial

Meridial is a Focused Research Organisation (FRO) with a mission to bring connectomics into the living brain. We are building a platform for longitudinal, synapse-resolution mapping of functional neural circuitry in preclinical models. Our aim is to deploy this platform for translational projects and improve drug development outcomes for disorders of the central nervous system.

Meridial is a new not-for-profit FRO in the Convergent Research Ecosystem and funded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA).

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 Meridial’s programme to develop advanced 3D imaging and photostimulation technologies for functional mapping of neural circuits.

We are looking for a scientist with strong practical and experimental skills. You should already have substantial hands‑on experience with mouse neurosurgery and in vivo two‑photon imaging and be motivated to develop these skills further.

You will join a small Experimental Team that will grow over the coming year, and will be able to contribute to the development of protocols and workflows from an early stage. You will report to the Director of Experimental Research and will receive hands‑on training and mentoring from more senior scientists in the team. You will also work closely with engineers and computational researchers across Meridial.

Key Responsibilities

In vivo experimentation

• Perform survival neurosurgery in mice, including stereotaxic viral injections, cranial‑window implantation and preparation of animals for chronic imaging and manipulation.
• Carry out high‑quality in vivo two‑photon imaging, including longitudinal imaging of the same animals over weeks to months.
• Run optogenetic experiments to interrogate and manipulate neural circuits.
• Support the implementation of viral and transgenic strategies for functional imaging, circuit manipulation and anatomical investigation.
• Support animal colony management, working with senior team members and animal facility staff, including tracking breeding and experimental requirements.
• Monitor preparation quality and animal welfare throughout longitudinal studies and help identify and resolve technical problems with more senior scientists.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive records of experimental procedures and outcomes.

Method and platform development

• Follow the team’s surgical and experimental protocols and contribute to their development, optimisation and documentation as SOPs.
• Help test, evaluate and optimise new surgical, imaging and experimental approaches, including systematic evaluation of variables that affect preparation quality, reproducibility and long‑term stability.
• Help test and improve microscopes, behavioural apparatus and other experimental systems in collaboration with the Engineering Team.
• Work with the Computational Team to support data acquisition, data‑quality assessment and analysis, and to make sure data and metadata meet the standards needed for open sharing.

Scientific contribution and team development

• Contribute to experimental planning, interpretation and discussion within the Experimental Team.