Research Associate, Rodent Surgery & Behavior

The role

The research associate will perform mouse survival surgeries, run head-fixed behavior training, and manage the mouse colony. This role supports an all-optical program to read, write, and perturb working memory in the mouse cortex.

What you will do

• Perform mouse survival surgeries including stereotaxic AAV viral-vector delivery, chronic cranial-window implantation, and headbar installation
• Run head-fixed behavior training on the sequence working-memory task
• Build and maintain behavior rigs including Bonsai and Harp control and lickport hardware
• Run the mouse colony and coordinate animal sourcing, health, and readiness with the vivarium
• Keep careful, shared records of surgeries, training histories, and preparation quality
• Work closely with scientists running all-optical experiments

Required qualifications

• BS or BA with 0-6+ years of experience in neuroscience, biology, bioengineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience
• Current, hands-on experience performing mouse survival surgery: chronic cranial-window implantation and headbar installation, plus stereotaxic viral injections
• A track record of high surgical yield and healthy, long-lived window preparations
• Meticulous, fast hands, and the ability to sustain high-quality work at volume

Nice to have

• Head-fixed behavior-training experience, ideally with working-memory or sequence tasks
• Scripting in Python and familiarity with Bonsai and Harp or comparable behavior-control tools
• Experience building and maintaining behavior rigs, including lickport and other custom hardware
• Experience with two-photon imaging or optogenetic stimulation in awake mice
• Colony management experience and comfort coordinating with vivarium staff

Benefits

• comprehensive benefits package
• total compensation that is competitive and commensurate with the level of experience and qualifications

About the company

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. Astera Neuro seeks to understand and engineer consciousness by combining large-scale neural recording, causal perturbation, and brain-based AI.