Research Associate Rodent Surgery and Behavior
Astera InstituteVisit Astera Institute website
Astera Institute is an active nonprofit research institute and foundation that operates in-house neuroscience-informed AI research and funds, operates, and supports open-science programs and public goods.
Berkeley, CA, United States
About Astera Institute
Astera operates three divisions: Neuro-AI, Radial life-sciences research, and its Foundation. Its AI work pursues neuroscience-informed approaches to artificial general intelligence, while its foundation and Radial activities support open scientific infrastructure, datasets, research programs, and residencies.
Skills
Candidate Availability
About the Role
You will perform mouse survival surgeries, train head-fixed animals, collect behavioral data, maintain behavior rigs, coordinate colony readiness, and keep shared records of surgeries and training histories.
Requirements
- Hands-on experience performing mouse survival surgeries, including chronic cranial-window implantation, headbar installation, and stereotaxic viral injections
- Track record of high surgical yield and healthy, long-lived window preparations
- Experience in neuroscience, biology, bioengineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience
- Ability to sustain high-quality surgical work at volume
Responsibilities
- Perform mouse survival surgeries, including stereotaxic viral-vector delivery, chronic cranial-window implantation, and headbar installation
- Run head-fixed behavior training, collect data, and maintain training rigs
- Build and maintain behavior rigs, including Bonsai, Harp, and lickport hardware
- Manage the mouse colony and coordinate animal sourcing, health, and readiness with the vivarium
- Maintain shared records of surgeries, training histories, and preparation quality
- Coordinate preparation, imaging, and perturbation activities with scientists