Experimental Neuroscientist

Company Overview Astera Neuro is a philanthropically funded research organization within the Astera Institute, working to decipher and ultimately write the neural codes underlying perception, thought, behavior, and internal state. The tools this requires do not yet exist. We are assembling a founding team of experimental neuroscientists, computational scientists, and engineers to build them, from recording and interface hardware to software and computational methods, and to use them to study neural activity at unprecedented scale, with direct promise for treating neurological and psychiatric disease. We pursue high-risk, high-reward science in a collaborative, well-resourced environment and share our tools, data, and discoveries openly under Astera's Open Science Policy. Position Summary Experimental Neuroscientists at Astera Neuro develop and lead research programs aimed at understanding how the brain builds a model of the physical world, forms new thoughts, and creates a stable model of the self, and at learning to control each of these functions with precision through write-in experiments. The role requires both the ability to independently drive a research program from start to finish and the ability to collaborate closely with a diverse team of scientists to collect novel datasets that can transform our understanding of the neurobiology of intelligence and consciousness. Experimental work combines large-scale neural recordings, targeted stimulation, and behavioral design, working closely with computational, engineering, and software teams to translate biological insight into a detailed model of the brain that can guide causal perturbation experiments and inform new AI architectures. Successful applicants will focus on one or more of the primary research tracks within Astera Neuro: how the primate brain builds a stable model of the physical world, how it generates a model of its own physical and mental states and plans, and how it combines abstract representations of thoughts into new configurations to support complex, flexible behavior. Background and interest will determine the best fit. All animal research is conducted under IACUC-approved protocols with a deep commitment to animal welfare and AAALAC standards. Title and scope are calibrated to track record. What You Will Do - Design behavioral paradigms (perceptual and cognitive tasks) aligned with our scientific goals. - Design and execute large-scale, multi-area neural recording experiments in awake, behaving subjects performing complex perceptual, working-memory, and higher-cognitive tasks, using high-density Neuropixels probes, chronic polymer probe arrays, two-photon imaging, and holographic optogenetics. - Design and execute write-in (causal perturbation) experiments targeting visual percepts, thoughts, and internal states using model-guided closed-loop stimulation. - Build and analyze datasets that stitch across sessions, animals, and paradigms to support stable, brain-wide, single-neuron-resolution representations. - Collaborate across electrophysiology, holography, computational, and engineering teams to keep recording, perturbation, and modeling tightly coupled. - Mentor research technicians, and at the senior or principal level, more junior scientists. Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and lab culture. - Contribute to publications, talks, open data and tooling releases, and engagement with the broader scientific community. Who You Are Required: - Conviction that the brain's internal model can be understood in full, and recognition that getting there requires a kind of science no single academic lab can do. We are betting on scale, on deep collaboration across science and engineering, and on open sharing of ideas and expertise in a full-stack environment. - Willingness to be held to an engineering standard. Our decisive tests are write-in experiments: constructing a specific percept, thought, or internal state, not merely decoding one. What we cannot build, we do not understand. - Comfort building on shared infrastructure rather than private projects. Recordings and perturbations will be registered onto a common whole-brain functional and anatomical atlas, and datasets are designed to stitch across sessions, animals, and paradigms. This means designing experiments others can build on, and building on theirs. - Commitment to open science. We will release tools, data, and methods, and we aim to create a new dynamic of rapid, open exchange in neuroscience. - Hands-on experience across multiple animal models in systems neurophysiology, including acute and chronic large-scale electrophysiology in awake, behaving subjects. - Strong quantitative and computational skills, with fluency in Python and/or MATLAB and modern neural data analysis pipelines, including Kilosort, spike sorting, and quality-control workflows. - Demonstrated track record of leading systems neuroscience experiments end to end, from paradigm design through data collection, analysis, and dissemination. - Comfort working closely with software engineers, computational neuroscientists, and hardware engineers in a fast-moving, multi-team environment. Preferred/Nice to Have: - Hands-on experience performing complex cognitive paradigms, including high-density Neuropixels recordings and chronic polymer probe systems. - Experience with optogenetic, electrical, or other causal perturbation methods across multiple animal models. - Experience with closed-loop or real-time experimental control and stimulation. - Familiarity with neural population dynamics and dynamical-systems modeling. - Experience contributing to or leading large, multi-team programs (academic centers, institutes, foundations, or industry research labs). - Track record of mentorship and technical leadership. Education - PhD in neuroscience, cognitive, behavioral or medical sciences, biology, biomedical engineering, or a related field, or equivalent research experience. Compensation The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, including comprehensive benefits, commensurate with their experience. Why Join Us You will join the founding scientific team of an institute built to do the kind of neuroscience no single academic lab can, with dedicated engineering, computational, and animal care teams behind every experiment. The datasets you collect will be among the largest and richest ever gathered from the primate brain. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion.