In Vivo Research Associate II, Konermann Lab

Arc Institute; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

Arc Institute in Palo Alto seeks an In Vivo Research Associate II to join the Konermann Laboratory, advancing in vivo projects on brain development. You will collaborate with experienced scientists to design and execute experiments, and contribute to functional genomics and neuroscience approaches.

The ideal candidate will have strong animal handling experience and be comfortable with advanced procedures, tissue processing, and imaging, with opportunities for PhD-track growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in molecular biology or neuroscience.
• Experience with animal handling and colony management.
• Willingness to work weekends as needed.
• Strong documentation and lab practices.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute, analyze, and troubleshoot experiments independently with team support.
• Perform in vivo mouse experiments including stereotaxic surgeries.
• Collect and process tissue; vibratome/cryostat sections; immunostaining and imaging.
• Comply with IACUC/AAALAC regs and Arc safety protocols.
• Maintain an organized, detailed lab notebook; present data at meetings.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Organizational skills

Comms skills

Independent work

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's in molecular biology/neuroscience

MS degree

Tools

Stereotaxic setup

Immunostaining

Vibratome/cryostat prep

Single-cell sequencing prep

Spatial transcriptomics

Job description

About Arc Institute

Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit research organization at the interface of artificial intelligence and biology, working to accelerate scientific progress and understand the root causes of complex diseases. Founded in 2021 and based in Palo Alto, Arc partners with Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco.

Unlike academia, our scientists have long-term funding and industry-like resources. Unlike industry, they're free to pursue high-risk, long-term research without commercial pressures. Arc's Technology Centers and Core Investigator labs work side by side, integrating experimental and computational biology under one roof to tackle problems neither could solve alone.

Our two Institute Initiatives reflect this model in action:

• Virtual Cell Initiative : Building a full-stack virtual cell model to identify disease mechanisms and nominate drug targets, accelerating the path from biological insight to clinical trials.
• Alzheimer's Disease Initiative : Mapping the genes, pathways, and environmental factors behind Alzheimer's disease to develop drug candidates that address root causes.

More than 300 Arconauts work together at our Palo Alto headquarters, backed by substantial long-term philanthropic funding.

About the position

We are seeking an In Vivo Research Associate II to join the Konermann Laboratory at the Arc Institute. You will collaborate closely with experienced scientists to advance in vivo projects focused on understanding brain development.

This project builds on previous work in genome-scale CRISPR screening (Konermann et al., 2015; Biering et al., 2021; Wei et al., 2023; Roohani et al., 2025) and aims to combine modern functional genomics and neuroscience tools to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development and function. The ideal candidate will have experience in animal handling and colony management, intracerebral injections, sample processing for single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial pipelines, and imaging. This position offers an excellent opportunity for candidates considering PhD programs, as it involves participation in all stages of a research project under the guidance of an experienced scientist.

About You

• You love science and learning. Whether it's a new field or a new bench technique, you stay curious and enjoy stepping outside your comfort zone.
• You are detail-oriented. You're careful and diligent about documentation and good lab practice, and you like keeping things organized.
• You collaborate and help others. Science is a team effort, and you take the initiative to pitch in.
• You are a problem solver. Experiments rarely work the first time. You bring patience and confidence to complex technical troubleshooting.

In this position, you will

• Plan, execute, analyze, and troubleshoot experiments with a high degree of independence, with continued support from the rest of the team
• Perform in vivo mouse experiments, including stereotaxic surgeries, as well as IV and IP injections
• Collect and process tissue, including vibratome and/or cryostat sectioning, immunostaining, and imaging
• Comply with federal, Arc, and local IACUC/AAALAC regulations governing animal research
• Follow Arc's standards for code of conduct, safety, and the handling of hazardous materials, biological materials, and controlled substances
• Analyze and present data at subgroup meetings and seminars
• Maintain an organized, detailed lab notebook

Job Requirements

• BS with 2+ years of relevant experience, or MS, in molecular biology, neuroscience, or another relevant field. Relevant experience includes independent lab work during undergraduate studies
• Strong experience working with laboratory animals, including handling, restraint, and procedures under an approved protocol (intracranial, IV, and IP injections, as well as perfusions)
• Detail-oriented, with excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Highly motivated and curious, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Ability to work some weekends as needed (days off can be swapped for weekdays

Preferred Skills

• Prior experience with cloning via Gibson assembly or Golden Gate protocols (library cloning experience is a plus)
• Knowledge of and experience with NGS library preparation, particularly single-cell and spatial workflows
• Computational skills (Python or R)

The base salary for this position is $75,900. This amount does not include benefits or other forms of compensation.

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