Research Scientist, Optical Physiology and Neurotechnology

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, as needed, with other Mindspan teams (Scalable Chemistry, Microscopy and Optics, Automation and Industrialization, and Computation and Analysis), 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.

• Design, execute, and optimize cellular activity imaging experiments.
• Lead efforts to 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.
• Analyze physiology data in collaboration with the Computation and Analysis team.
• 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 chance to build 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 ($120,000 to $159,000), depending on experience.

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

• Ph.D. in bioengineering, neuroscience, biophysics, chemistry,…