Technical Associate, Optical Physiology and Neurotechnology

Mindspan Institute; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision benefits

Retirement contribution matching

Job summary

Mindspan Institute in Cambridge, MA, is seeking an engineering-oriented scientist to record, analyze, and visualize neural activity at cellular resolution. You will develop and optimize protocols, troubleshoot complex systems, and document reasoning behind each parameter.

You will work with the Optical Physiology team under the Head of Optical Physiology, applying Python/C++/MATLAB data analysis, and hands-on experiments using neural tissue, iPSC-derived neurons, and brain slices to push

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field with hands-on lab experience.
• Experience with neural tissue handling and cell culture.
• Experience with electrophysiology and imaging techniques.
• Systematic documentation and protocol development.
• Strong data analysis and scientific rigor.

Responsibilities

• Execute and optimize cellular activity imaging experiments.
• Produce high-quality voltage imaging and synaptic data from iPSC-derived neurons and brain slices.
• Characterize optogenetics and voltage sensor performance.
• Documentation and training: keep protocol records for others to execute with reasoning behind parameters.
• Collaborate with team to improve throughput and reliability.

Skills

Python

C++

MATLAB

ImageJ

Data analysis

Education

B.S. or B.A. in bioengineering, neuroscience, biophysics, chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, or a related field

Job description

This is an engineering-oriented science role, recording, controlling, analyzing, and visualizing neural activity at cellular and subcellular resolution. The job involves careful thinking about which parameters matter and why, meticulous execution, and sharp observation of results, figuring out which parameters to optimize to improve recording quality and throughput.

You report to the Head of Optical Physiology, and work with other members of the Optical Physiology team, using logic and evidence to advance your work so as to boost the performance of all.

The position is intended for someone who wants to redefine what is possible in cellular activity imaging, in addition to performing experiments using existing tools. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the job, it is ideal for a person who enjoys problem solving across intellectual boundaries, at the level of concepts as well as of hands-on debugging. It also requires systematic documentation, analysis, and iterative problem solving, to arrive at working protocols, apply them, and share them.

• Execute and optimize cellular activity imaging experiments.
• Produce high-quality voltage imaging and synaptic recording data from iPSC-derived neurons and human and mouse brain slices.
• Characterize optogenetics and voltage sensor performance.
• Documentation and training: keep protocol records that others can execute, with the reasoning behind each parameter.
• B.S. or B.A. in bioengineering, neuroscience, biophysics, chemistry, biochemistry, materials science, or a related field.
• Direct hands-on experience with neural tissue handling, cell culture, histology, and fluorescent microscopy.
• Demonstrated ability to build, modify, troubleshoot, and improve complex experimental systems.
• Excellent experimental judgment and scientific rigor.
• Strong data analysis skills (Python, C++, MATLAB, ImageJ, or similar).
• Direct experience with image analysis.
• Hands-on experience with neuronal activity recordings, e.g. electrophysiology, calcium imaging, voltage imaging and optogenetics.
• Experience with human iPSC differentiation and mouse brain slice recording.
• Familiarity with viral and nonviral gene expression systems.

The disorders of the brain affect over 1,000,000,000 people around the world: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, and other conditions. We operate with a sense of urgency, even as we look to understand the brain at its most fundamental levels.

We are hypercollaborative, and focused on impact over short-term markers of productivity. Creativity and failure are the stepping stones to scale, and working together with “strong opinions, weakly held” is our style.

We solve real engineering problems the best way we can: inventing fast when we have to, and using good existing solutions where they exist. We believe hard problems only yield to many disciplines working together, so collaboration is not optional.

We expect people to explore the unknown, which means making mistakes daily, owning them, and learning from them to improve and excel.

We are recruiting a team of scientists and engineers who exemplify all these values.

The ideal candidate is a scientist-engineer who naturally crosses disciplinary boundaries. You are intellectually curious, relentlessly practical, and happiest when solving problems that have never been solved before.

You have a strong detail orientation and exceptional organizational, planning, interpersonal, and communication skills. You are good at writing, can work within a team and also independently, and can prioritize and multitask as needed. Self-motivation, commitment to high quality standards, and a service-oriented mindset are all key. You have good judgment, balancing flexibility and focus, action and planning, speed and thoughtfulness, as appropriate. You are open to giving and receiving feedback, constructively and thoughtfully, to advance scientific missions and personal growth.

This is an in-person job. Flexible hours may be required at times.

The chance to contribute to one of the core scientific pipelines of a new research institute alongside some of the most adventurous scientists in the field, with real autonomy and a direct line to the people setting the scientific agenda. The institute is organized around end-to-end runs that carry tissue from intake to a reconstruction worth simulating, and your pipeline sits in the middle of every one of them. You will get to contribute to addressing one of the most important unmet medical needs of our time, as part of the initial team. You will learn lots of things that probably cannot be learned any other way, as you solve problems, build, and work with others. As Mindspan grows, we expect this role to grow with it. We are excited to invest in someone who wants to take on increasing responsibility over time.

Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and family benefits, and a matching retirement contribution.

Competitive salary ($75,000 to $110,000), depending on experience.

The Mindspan Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to a collaborative and scientifically rigorous environment for everyone who works here.