Research Associate – Immunotolerization

Merge Labs • San Francisco, CA

1d • $95,000 - $120,000

About The Position

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.

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.

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.

Requirements

• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree