Research Associate - Automation & High Throughput Screening

About the Team

The HTS team builds the shared infrastructure that multiplies the scale and precision of every Merge experiment. We are building this capability from the ground up: selecting instruments, translating manual assays into standardized automated workflows, and transferring those workflows to the teams that run them every day. It's an early, hands-on team, and the work spans bench science, instrument integration, and process design.

About the Role

We are seeking a Research Associate to join our HTS team and take shared ownership of our automated workflows: developing and executing assays at the bench, operating and improving methods on our liquid-handling platform, training users, troubleshooting equipment, and removing the next bottleneck. This is a good fit for someone who is meticulous at the bench, familiar with automation, and energized by building something new rather than inheriting a mature process.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and optimize plate-based assays across molecular biology and cell biology, with a focus on reproducibility and scalability.
• Translate validated assays into automated workflows, and partner with program teams to establish SOPs, train users, and transfer methods for routine execution.
• Identify sources of experimental variability and work with scientists to improve assay performance and robustness.
• Prepare samples, reagents, and cell cultures, and execute experiments with accuracy and consistency.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
• Collect, organize, and perform initial quality control on experimental data, and maintain detailed records, sample metadata, and inventory in digital laboratory systems.
• Help maintain a safe, organized, and efficient laboratory environment.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• A BS, BA, or MS in Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, or a related field.
• Strong hands-on experience in assay development and high-throughput screening, including designing, optimizing, and validating plate-based assays and executing them at scale.
• Depth in one or more of the following areas: AAV production and analytics (mammalian cell transfection, viral purification, and qPCR-based titering); Cell biology (cell culture, transfection or transduction, and plate-based assessment of cell viability or function); Molecular biology (PCR/qPCR assay development, nucleic-acid preparation and quantification, or sequencing library preparation).
• Experience with laboratory automation and a systematic approach to troubleshooting and improving experimental workflows.
• Strong written documentation and communication skills, and a collaborative mindset for working across scientific and engineering disciplines.

Nice to have:

• Experience culturing and handling primary or iPSC-derived neurons, including plate-based assays of neuronal viability or function.
• Hands-on experience with Hamilton, Tecan, Opentrons or other liquid handlers.
• Familiarity with Python, R, or another scripting or data-analysis language.
• Experience with LIMS, ELNs, sample-tracking systems, or automated data pipelines.