Research Associate – Immunotolerization

Merge Labs; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Merge Labs in San Francisco is seeking a Research Associate, Immunotolerization, to help build systems that understand how novel proteins are seen by the immune system. You will execute quantitative readouts of immunogenicity in vitro and support de-immunization efforts across core molecular technologies.

Your work will inform how we design proteins compatible with the human immune system, enabling durable, safe, and scalable brain-computer interfaces.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, in vitro immune/cell-based assays, and molecular cloning.
• Strong understanding of immune processing and antigen presentation mechanisms.
• Attention to detailed, reproducible documentation and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Execute assays that characterize immunogenicity of engineered proteins, generating quantitative readouts in vitro.
• Scale and run high-throughput immune characterization workflows for rapid hypothesis testing.
• Maintain accurate lab records, inventories, and shared resources.
• Analyze and present data to guide experimental design.
• Collaborate across scientific disciplines and learn new techniques.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

In vitro immune assays

Molecular cloning

Education

BS/BA/MS in Immunology/Biology/Biochemistry/Bioengineering

Job description

Merge Labs is a frontier research lab with the mission of bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability, agency and experience. We’re pursuing this goal by developing fundamentally new approaches to brain-computer interfaces that interact with the brain at high bandwidth, integrate with advanced AI, and are ultimately safe and accessible for anyone to use.

About the team

Our Bio team designs, builds, and characterizes the biotechnologies that form the foundation of next-generation brain-computer interfaces. We combine molecular engineering, synthetic biology, neuroscience and advanced physical methods such as ultrasound to establish less invasive, high-bandwidth connections with neurons. The Bio team develops our core molecular technologies, validates their performance in vitro and in vivo, and demonstrates their advanced capabilities in animal models. We build custom experimental setups and pipelines and collaborate closely with engineers and data scientists. We work across disciplines to come up with creative ideas and solve some of the most challenging problems in biotechnology.

About the role

As a Research Associate, Immunotolerization, you will help build the systems used to understand and control how novel proteins are seen by the immune system. You'll execute the experimental work that establishes quantitative readouts of immunogenicity and directly support our de-immunization efforts across core molecular technologies. Your work will feed directly into how we design proteins that are compatible with the human immune system, enabling durable, safe, and scalable brain-computer interfaces.

In this role, you will:

• Execute assays that characterize the immunogenicity of engineered proteins, generating quantitative readouts of immune processing, presentation, and recognition in in vitro models.
• Help scale and run high-throughput immune characterization workflows to enable rapid hypothesis testing and iteration.
• Maintain accurate lab records, inventories, and shared resources.
• Analyze and present data to help guide experimental design.
• Learn new techniques and collaborate across scientific disciplines.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• A BS, BA, or MS in Immunology, Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience in one or more of the following: mammalian cell culture, in vitro immune/cell-based assays, molecular cloning.
• Strong expertise in (or eagerness to build expertise) the mechanisms that govern antigen processing and immune recognition.
• Strong attention to detail and comfort with the documentation rigor that reproducible data requires.
• A collaborative, organized approach to experimental work and data integrity.
• Prior experience in an academic or industry research lab.
• The desire to be part of a fast-paced team working on frontier scientific and technical problems.

For more information about hiring at Merge, please visit our Hiring FAQ

Merge Labs does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, family status, ancestry, citizenship, U.S. military (state and federal) and veteran status, or any other legally protected status. It is our intention that all applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions are based on job related factors. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made by emailing [e-mail].