Technical Associate, Optical Physiology and Neurotechnology

The Mindspan Institute is a new non-profit research institute in Cambridge, MA, aimed at building novel tools to analyze the human brain, and scaling them to study its molecules and wiring. We interpret how they contribute to brain functions and dysfunctions, and share our tools and discoveries as freely as possible, to advance human health.
The role

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.
• Evaluate gene expression systems.
• Documentation and training: keep protocol records that others can execute, with the reasoning behind each parameter.

The disorders of the brain affect over 1, 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 a core scientific pipelines of a new research institute alongside some of…