Merge Labs
Protein Engineer - Biosensors
$120K–$215K
San Francisco Bay Area · On-site · Full-time · Posted Sep 15, 2026
- Education
- PhD in Bioengineering, Biophysics, Biochemistry, or a related field, or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end.
About the job
Designs and optimizes protein-based biosensors that convert neuronal activity into imaging signals for next-generation brain-computer interfaces.
What you'll do
- Design biosensors using rational and computational design, directed evolution, and combinatorial libraries.
- Build and characterize protein variants using scalable workflows and assays.
- Collaborate with machine learning and other teams to model sequence and structure relationships, develop designs, and improve screening and validation.
What they ask for
- PhD in Bioengineering, Biophysics, Biochemistry, or a related field, or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end.
- Experience with biosensors or other proteins with novel functionality.
- Proficiency in library construction, mammalian-cell protein expression, and standard characterization.
- Comfort using computational approaches for protein engineering and understanding their fundamental principles.
Nice to have
- Experience engineering multi-state proteins or multi-component protein assemblies.
- Experience with protein expression in primary neurons, brain organoids, or brain tissues; large-scale screening; assay development; or machine-learning/data-driven design.
Pay
$120K – $215K (base salary; currency not stated)
Tools
mammalian cell lines, machine learning
AI focus
Collaborates with the machine learning team to develop models linking protein sequences and structures to function and guide future constructs.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative