Research Associate – In Vivo Operations

Merge; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Merge is seeking a Research Associate in San Francisco with strong expertise in in vivo research and hands-on surgical experience with rodents. The role involves executing complex studies, managing all aspects from scheduling to data collection. Ideal candidates have a background in biology or related fields with at least 5 years of relevant experience, showcasing independence and strong data documentation skills. Join Merge to contribute to groundbreaking research in neurotechnology.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant academic or industry experience in in vivo research.
• Strong hands-on experience with rodent stereotaxic surgery.
• Ability to deliver rigorously documented studies.
• Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple studies.

Responsibilities

• Execute complex in vivo studies in rodents.
• Manage scheduling, dosing, monitoring, and data collection.
• Perform tissue processing and support assays.
• Collaborate with teams for seamless execution.
• Maintain accurate and audit-ready study documentation.

Skills

In vivo research expertise

Hands-on surgical experience

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

BS, BA, or MS in Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, 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 In Vivo team sits at the core of Merge Labs’ experimental engine, operating at the intersection of neuroscience, molecular biology, and engineering. We are responsible for executing and enabling in vivo studies across multiple teams, making our role critical to the success of the broader mission. We design, build, and run high‑quality, scalable in vivo pipelines, supporting a wide range of experimental needs. As a central function, we collaborate closely with cross‑functional partners and serve as the backbone for translating ideas into robust, reproducible in vivo data. Given the breadth of teams relying on our work, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of execution, precision, and reproducibility. We are deeply committed to operational excellence, consistency, and continuous improvement, ensuring that every study is executed with rigor and reliability.

About the role:

We are seeking a Research Associate with strong in vivo expertise and hands‑on surgical experience in rodents to play a critical role in executing and scaling our in vivo operations. This is a highly hands‑on position at the core of our experimental work, requiring independence, precision, and the ability to deliver consistent and reproducible high‑quality execution across multiple studies.

In this role, you will partner closely with Scientists to generate high‑quality, reproducible data, continuously optimize workflows, and help build robust, scalable in vivo pipelines from the ground up. Your contributions will be essential to driving execution, enabling rapid iteration, and supporting the advancement of next‑generation neurotechnology.

In this role, you will:

• Execute complex in vivo studies in rodents, including advanced surgical procedures and managing day‑to‑day study activities, including scheduling, dosing, monitoring, and data collection.
• Perform tissue collection, processing, coordination of downstream analyses (e.g., immunofluorescence, H&E staining, and ELISAs) and support histology and immunological assays as needed.
• Troubleshoot experimental issues and contribute to protocol optimization and workflow improvements.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Maintain accurate, detailed, and audit‑ready study documentation.
• Ensure strict adherence to animal welfare, regulatory, and biosafety standards.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• BS, BA, or MS in Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, or a related field, with 5+ years of relevant academic or industry experience, including strong hands‑on in vivo research expertise – particularly in rodent stereotaxic surgery (handling, dosing, monitoring, and post‑operative care) – and a demonstrated ability to deliver high‑quality, rigorously documented studies while balancing speed and precision across multiple concurrent experiments.
• Proven ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple concurrent studies.
• Strong attention to detail with a focus on data quality, reproducibility, and documentation.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, with ability to coordinate across teams.

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every qualification, please apply. As we build, we're hiring for complementary strengths to form a high‑impact team.

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].