Neuroscientist, Preclinical Electrophysiology

Axoft; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Axoft seeks a Neuroscientist to plan and perform neural implant surgeries, develop behavioral tasks for animal studies, and collect electrophysiology data from implanted interfaces. This role involves collaboration with engineering teams, animal facilities, and CROs to run studies and resolve issues.

The candidate will assess signal quality, troubleshoot recording challenges, and contribute to downstream data analysis. Flexible hours and occasional travel abroad may be required.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a neuroscience/engineering field is required.
• 3+ years of in vivo animal research experience.
• Extensive hands-on animal neurosurgery experience with neural implants.
• Experience acquiring in vivo electrophysiology data with multielectrode arrays (e.g., Neuropixels).
• Ability to identify neural signals and common recording artifacts.
• Experience designing/adapting behavioral tasks and conducting behavioral testing.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate neural implant surgeries with facilities and CROs.
• Perform neural implant surgeries and document procedures and follow-ups.
• Develop and refine behavioral tasks for neuroscience studies.
• Set up and run in vivo electrophysiology sessions; troubleshoot recordings.
• Write and maintain study protocols; communicate progress to collaborators.

Skills

Surgical proficiency

In vivo electrophysiology

Animal handling

Data analysis collaboration

Documentation

Education

Ph.D. in systems neuroscience / neuroengineering / electrophysiology

US driving license

Tools

Neuropixels

Neural recording hardware

Histology equipment

Job description

About Axoft

Axoft develops ultrasoft, implantable brain–machine interfaces designed for minimally invasive implantation and stable, high-bandwidth communication with the brain. Our team brings together expertise in neuroscience, engineering, and materials science to develop neural interfaces for people with neurological disorders.

About Axoft

Axoft develops ultrasoft, implantable brain–machine interfaces designed for minimally invasive implantation and stable, high-bandwidth communication with the brain. Our team brings together expertise in neuroscience, engineering, and materials science to develop neural interfaces for people with neurological disorders.

About The Role

We are seeking a Neuroscientist to plan and perform neural implant surgeries, develop behavioral tasks for animal studies, and collect electrophysiology data from implanted neural interfaces. You will collaborate with Axoft’s engineering teams, animal research facility staff, and contract research organizations (CROs) to run studies and resolve experimental issues. You will assess signal quality during recordings and work with colleagues who lead downstream data analysis. The role might require flexible business hours and ability to travel abroad multiple times a year.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate neural implant surgeries with animal research facilities and CROs. Manage the surgical schedule and confirm that staff, equipment, and supplies are ready before each procedure.
• Perform neural implant surgeries in collaboration with veterinary and facility staff. Document procedures, deviations, and follow-up actions.
• Identify and evaluate solutions to surgical challenges to develop new surgical procedures and improve existing ones, with input from our clinical neurosurgery advisors.
• Design, pilot, and refine behavioral tasks to meet neuroscience study objectives. Develop animal training procedures as needed and track behavioral performance across sessions.
• Set up and run in vivo electrophysiology sessions, including repeated recordings for longitudinal studies. Assess signal quality during acquisition, identify noise and artifacts, troubleshoot recording issues, and document session conditions for the analysis team.
• Write and maintain study protocols and experimental procedures. Communicate study progress and technical issues to collaborators.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in systems neuroscience, biomedical engineering, neuroengineering, electrophysiology, or a related field.
• At least three years of relevant academic or industry experience in in vivo animal research.
• Extensive hands-on experience in animal neurosurgery, including independently implanting neural electrodes or other neural devices in research animals.
• Hands-on experience acquiring in vivo electrophysiology data with implanted multielectrode arrays (e.g. Neuropixels) and the ability to recognize expected neural signals (spikes, local field potential) and common recording artifacts.
• Experience debugging and denoising electrophysiology recording hardware outside of optimized laboratory environments.
• Experience designing or adapting behavioral tasks and conducting behavioral testing in research animals.
• Strong attention to detail in surgical preparation, adherence to study protocols, and documentation of procedures and recording sessions.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate across scientific and engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with electrical neural stimulation using microelectrodes, including designing stimulation paradigms or selecting stimulation parameters, and characterizing single-cell and local neural responses to stimulation.
• Surgical experience with pigs, nonhuman primates, or other large-animal models.
• Experience with neural tissue histology, such as tissue preparation, sectioning, staining, or microscopy. Experience evaluating implant sites or tissue responses to neural implants is a plus.
• Experience developing surgical protocols and coordinating preclinical studies with external animal research facilities or CROs.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications in neuroscience, neuroengineering, or a related field, ideally involving in vivo electrophysiology, animal behavior, or implantable neural interfaces.
• US driving license.