Merge Labs
Scientist - Non-Viral Gene Delivery
$120K–$215K
San Francisco Bay Area · On-site · Full-time · Posted Nov 4, 2026
- Education
- Ph.D. or equivalent experience in bioengineering, chemical engineering, drug delivery, neuroscience, molecular biology, or a related field.
About the job
Develops and evaluates non-viral gene delivery approaches for neural biosensors and actuators in preclinical models, supporting molecular brain-computer interface development and clinical translation.
What you'll do
- Formulate, adapt, and characterize non-viral vehicles for nucleic acid delivery to the central nervous system; identify and secure access to promising technologies.
- Design and interpret in vivo studies comparing delivery technologies, and develop assays to assess efficacy and tolerability.
- Evaluate durability, repeat dosing, ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening, manufacturability, and cost; collaborate across scientific teams.
What they ask for
- Ph.D. or equivalent experience leading research projects end-to-end in a related field.
- Hands-on experience with non-viral delivery vehicles, including lipid or polymeric nanoparticles.
- Expertise developing, optimizing, or evaluating gene delivery modalities.
- Experience designing and executing in vivo studies and interpreting delivery and expression results.
Nice to have
- Experience advancing a delivery technology through preclinical translation or into the clinic.
- Experience sourcing or in-licensing delivery technologies, nanoparticle CMC or scale-up, repeat dosing, microfluidics, targeted nanoparticles, ultrasound delivery, or large animal models.
Pay
$120K – $215K (base salary)
Tools
lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening, microfluidic formulation
AI focus
The role supports a brain-computer interface platform that integrates with advanced AI; it does not specify direct AI work.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative