Research Associate - Vector Core

About the role

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 are establishing an in-house AAV vector core to deliver reliable, high-quality vector production for program teams. The core focuses on consistent execution, careful documentation, and continuous improvement so teams can move quickly while maintaining strong experimental reproducibility.

About the role:

We are seeking a Research Associate to help establish, operate, and improve our AAV vector core. This is a hands-on production role that requires strong mammalian tissue culture skills, attention to detail, and a service-oriented mindset. In this role, you will produce small lots of AAV for pre-clinical testing, perform QC assays, maintain complete lot records, and coordinate with scientists across internal programs. Success means that teams receive consistent, high-quality vectors on predictable timelines, production and QC data are accurate and traceable, SOPs are followed and improved, and routine workflows become easier to run reliably over time. This role is well suited for someone who takes pride in repeatable execution and process improvement.

In this role, you will:

- Run weekly AAV production workflows from mammalian cell culture and transfection through harvest, purification, concentration, aliquoting, and sample handoff.

- Perform QC assays to assess vector titer, purity, genome integrity, and lot-to-lot consistency.

- Prepare plasmid DNA and support molecular biology workflows for AAV constructs and production plasmids.

- Translate vector production requests into organized production runs, timelines, and handoffs.

- Maintain accurate lot records, sample metadata, QC results, deviations, and process data in an ELN.

- Maintain organized inventories of plasmids, cells, vector lots, and reagents.

- Follow SOPs for vector production and update them as workflows improve.

- Recognize, document, and communicate deviations from expected production or QC outcomes.

- Troubleshoot production issues and contribute to practical process improvements.

- As team needs evolve, support related viral or non-viral delivery workflows.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

- A BS, BA, or MS in a scientific, engineering, or related field.