Neurobiology Research Associate

Axoniverse; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Job summary

Axoniverse in Cambridge, MA is seeking a Neurobiology Research Associate to culture neurons from iPSCs, optimize differentiation, and supply high-quality cultures.

You will manage multiple cell lines, maintain neuronal networks on MEAs, and perform rigorous quality control. The role embraces ambiguity and startup pace, with a focus on understanding why we do this research.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience differentiating neurons from iPSCs across multiple protocols.
• Ability to run several cell lines and experiments at once, with careful monitoring and documentation.
• Neurobiology or neuroscience background, including neurogenesis and neuronal development.
• A scientific mindset, and ability to explain the reasoning behind past lab work.
• Real interest in biological computing / Organoid Intelligence

Responsibilities

• Culture neurons from iPSCs and optimize differentiation protocols.
• Manage multiple cell lines and maintain neuronal networks on MEAs with quality control.
• Support exploratory R&D and communicate findings clearly.

Skills

Neurobiology background

iPSC differentiation

Cell culture management

Experimental documentation

Biological computing interest

Job description

We're developing computing chips that use living neurons as their computational units. We call them BPUs (Biological Processing Units).

As a Neurobiology Research Associate, you'll be responsible for culturing neurons from iPSCs, finding ways to optimize the protocols, and keeping the team supplied with high-quality cultures. Day to day, that means managing multiple cell lines, maintaining biological networks on MEAs, and running the quality control that keeps them reliable.

Training and computing with neurons is new, so our R&D is very exploratory. You'll need to be comfortable with ambiguity, willing to put in the hours a startup demands, and, most importantly, driven to understand how and why we do this kind of research, not just how to execute it.

What we're looking for

• Hands-on experience differentiating neurons from iPSCs across multiple protocols
• Ability to run several cell lines and experiments at once, with careful monitoring and documentation
• Neurobiology or neuroscience background, including neurogenesis and neuronal development
• A scientific mindset, and the ability to explain the reasoning behind the work you did in your last lab
• Real interest in biological computing / Organoid Intelligence

Good to have:

developing new differentiation protocols, iPSC reprogramming, cell engineering, organoid or assembloid models, co-culture with glia or other neuronal subtypes, vascularized models, or publications in any of these.

You'll be doing work that only a handful of people in the world are doing right now, on a question nobody has answered yet: can biological neurons in vitro compute? It's not intuitive, but it's incredibly rewarding to watch a dish of neurons play a game or solve a task. You should also be willing to play against them yourself. You won't win, but it's fun.

Compensation:

60k–80k per year + health insurance.