Scientist - Ultrasound-Mediated Gene Delivery

Slope; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Merge Labs delivers frontier neurotechnology in San Francisco, seeking a Scientist to engineer and validate gene delivery approaches for neural biosensors and actuators in preclinical models. You will optimize focused ultrasound and delivery vehicles for safe, precise brain expression and support translation toward clinical application.

Collaborate with protein engineers, cell biologists, ML engineers, and neurobiologists to design in vivo experiments and interpret results, iterating rapidly.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end in bioengineering, neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology or a related field.
• Hands-on experience using focused ultrasound (FUS) to deliver genes to the brain in preclinical models.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing or optimizing gene delivery modalities.
• Developed and used methods to evaluate gene delivery and expression in brain tissues.
• Optimized focused ultrasound parameters to achieve specific expression goals.

Responsibilities

• Develop preclinical gene delivery approaches using focused ultrasound paired with viral and non-viral delivery technologies.
• Systematically optimize focused ultrasound parameters against each delivery vehicle to maximize expression, spatial precision, and safety.
• Collaborate with teams building the assays and readouts needed to quantify delivery, expression, and tolerability in brain tissue.
• Design, run, and interpret in vivo experiments, iterating rapidly from data to the next round of optimization.
• Evaluate emerging delivery technologies and help shape the team's longer-term delivery strategy.

Skills

PhD

FUS in brain

Gene delivery

In vivo experiments

Cross-disciplinary

Education

PhD or equivalent

Tools

FUS tools

Delivery modalities

Non-viral delivery

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

The Delivery team develops the viral and non-viral delivery technologies that enable Merge’s next-generation neurotechnology platform. By partnering closely with bioengineering, neuroscience, and in vivo teams, we create delivery systems that support rapid preclinical testing while advancing the platform toward safe and effective human translation. 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 Scientist in the Delivery team, you will engineer and validate gene delivery approaches to enable the expression and function of novel molecular biosensors and actuators of neural activity in preclinical models. Your work will serve as the critical bridge between molecular engineering and in vivo functionality and enable the ultimate clinical translation of molecular BCI. You will optimize the design of experimental conditions for focused ultrasound (FUS)-mediated delivery as a spatially targeted, non-invasive route to the brain, tuning acoustic parameters against the delivery vehicles best matched to it. You will collaborate closely with protein engineers, cell and synthetic biologists, machine learning engineers, physicists and neurobiologists.

In this role, you will:

• Develop preclinical gene delivery approaches using focused ultrasound paired with viral and non-viral delivery technologies.
• Systematically optimize focused ultrasound parameters against each delivery vehicle to maximize expression, spatial precision, and safety.
• Collaborate with teams building the assays and readouts needed to quantify delivery, expression, and tolerability in brain tissue.
• Design, run, and interpret in vivo experiments, iterating rapidly from data to the next round of optimization.
• Evaluate emerging delivery technologies and help shape the team's longer-term delivery strategy.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• A Ph.D. or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end in bioengineering, neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology or a related field.
• Prior hands‑on experience using focused ultrasound (FUS) to deliver genes to the brain in preclinical models.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing or optimizing gene delivery modalities.
• Developed and used methods to evaluate gene delivery and expression in brain tissues.
• Optimized focused ultrasound parameters to achieve specific expression goals.
• Worked on a delivery‑related problem that is unusual or complex and loved it.
• Fun working on multidisciplinary teams, collaborating and communicating with experts across disciplines.
• The desire to be part of a fast‑paced team working on frontier scientific and technical problems.

Nice to have:

• Expertise in non-viral delivery modalities.
• Experience sourcing, evaluating, or in‑licensing delivery technologies through external collaboration.
• Experience working with large animal models.

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].