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Rodent Surgery Researcher Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Caltech

Senior Research Associate

Pasadena, CA · On-site

$29.75 - $37.25/hr

This role involves rodent surgery, molecular biology support, shared project ownership, and laboratory safety oversight. The Senior Research Associate will be an integral member of the laboratory ...

Retro

Research Associate, In Vivo

Redwood City, CA

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Experience assisting with and/or performing rodent anesthesia and sterile survival surgical ...

Retro

Research Associate, In Vivo

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Experience assisting with and/or performing rodent anesthesia and sterile survival surgical ...

Retro

Research Associate, In Vivo

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Experience assisting with and/or performing rodent anesthesia and sterile survival surgical ...

Retro

In Vivo Technical Associate

Redwood City, CA

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Train to assist and/or perform sterile survival surgical procedures (stereotaxic injections etc.

Retro

In Vivo Technical Associate

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Train to assist and/or perform sterile survival surgical procedures (stereotaxic injections etc.

Retro

In Vivo Technical Associate

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$95K - $115K/yr

You want to be involved in research using rodent models, learn new procedures and techniques, and ... Train to assist and/or perform sterile survival surgical procedures (stereotaxic injections etc.

RPM ReSearch

Ocular Research Scientist

San Diego, CA · On-site

$80K/yr

Experience with ocular surgical, dosing and sampling techniques is necessary. The Ocular Research ... Hands-on in vivo experience with multiple research species, at a minimum, rodent, and rabbit.

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Rodent Surgery Researcher information

What is a rodent surgery researcher?

A Rodent Surgery Researcher is a scientific professional who specializes in performing surgical procedures on rodents, such as mice and rats, for biomedical research purposes. These researchers are responsible for designing experiments, conducting surgeries with strict adherence to ethical and regulatory standards, and ensuring the welfare of the animals. Their work supports studies in areas like neuroscience, genetics, pharmacology, and disease modeling. Rodent Surgery Researchers often collaborate with other scientists, maintain detailed records, and may also train others in surgical techniques.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a rodent surgery researcher?

To thrive as a Rodent Surgery Researcher, you need a solid background in animal science or biomedical research, proficiency in aseptic surgical techniques, and often a relevant degree such as a BSc or MSc in a life science field. Familiarity with laboratory animal care protocols, use of surgical instruments, and compliance with Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines are typically required, alongside certifications like ALAT or LAT. Attention to detail, manual dexterity, strong organizational skills, and effective teamwork are essential soft skills for success in this role. These skills ensure the welfare of research animals, the accuracy of experimental results, and compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.

What are some common challenges faced by rodent surgery researchers and how are they addressed in a laboratory setting?

Rodent surgery researchers often encounter challenges such as maintaining strict aseptic technique, ensuring precise and reproducible surgical procedures, and minimizing animal stress and post-operative complications. These challenges are addressed through comprehensive training, adherence to detailed protocols, and close collaboration with veterinary staff. Laboratories typically provide regular workshops, access to specialized equipment, and foster a team environment where researchers can share best practices and troubleshoot issues together, ensuring both animal welfare and research integrity.

What is the difference between Rodent Surgery Researcher vs Laboratory Animal Technician?

AspectRodent Surgery ResearcherLaboratory Animal Technician
CredentialsVeterinary or research-related certifications, surgical trainingAnimal care certifications, laboratory animal technician credentials
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, surgical suites, academic institutionsAnimal facilities, research institutions, laboratories
Job FocusPerforming surgeries, experimental procedures on rodentsAnimal husbandry, daily care, and monitoring of laboratory animals

While both roles involve working with laboratory rodents, the Rodent Surgery Researcher specializes in performing surgical procedures and experimental interventions, requiring surgical skills and related certifications. In contrast, the Laboratory Animal Technician focuses on daily animal care, monitoring, and maintaining animal health. Both roles are essential in research settings but differ in their primary responsibilities and skill requirements.

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For Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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Cities in California with the most Rodent Surgery Researcher job openings:

Rodent Surgery Researcher jobs near you
Infographic showing various Rodent Surgery Researcher job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, and 7% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Research Associate, Rodent Surgery & Behavior

Astera

Emeryville, CA • On-site

$80K - $120K/yr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

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
We are hiring a Research Associate to join Astera Neuro's rodent neuroscience team. Your initial assignment is to perform the surgical preparations and behavior training that ready animals for an all-optical program reading, writing, and perturbing working memory in the mouse cortex. Aseptic survival surgery, centered on chronic cranial-window and headbar implantation, is the core of the job from day one.
The ideal candidate is meticulous and highly skilled, with experience performing cranial-window surgeries, and equally comfortable running behavior-training sessions and keeping the colony and the rigs in order. A clear, long-lived imaging preparation is what makes these experiments possible, so preparation quality sets the ceiling on what the team can attempt. All animal work is performed under IACUC-approved protocols to AAALAC standards, with animal welfare treated as inseparable from scientific quality.
What You Will Do
  • Perform mouse survival surgeries under aseptic technique and IACUC-approved protocols: stereotaxic AAV viral-vector delivery, chronic cranial-window implantation, and headbar installation.
  • Run head-fixed behavior training on the sequence working-memory task, including daily training, data collection, and rig upkeep.
  • 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 and veterinary staff.
  • Keep careful, shared records of surgeries, training histories, and preparation quality so that others can build on the work and the program stays compliant.
  • Work closely with the scientists running the all-optical experiments to keep preparation, imaging, and perturbation tightly coupled.

Who You Are
Required:
  • Current, hands-on experience performing mouse survival surgery, including chronic cranial-window implantation, headbar installation, and stereotaxic viral injections. This is the requirement that matters most: these are hard skills to learn, and we need them on day one.
  • A track record of consistently healthy, long-lived surgical preparations.
  • Meticulous, skilled hands and the ability to sustain high-quality work at volume.
  • 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. In this role that standard lands on the preparation, and we treat preparation quality as a scientific result rather than support work. What we cannot build, we do not understand.
  • Comfort building on shared infrastructure rather than private projects. Rigs, surgical preparations, and records are standardized so that they can be shared, and datasets are designed to stitch across sessions and animals. This means building things others can use, and using theirs.
  • Care for the animals. Healthy, well-handled, calm mice are the foundation of both the science and its credibility. We hold ourselves to that standard independent of what regulation requires.
  • 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.

Preferred/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.

Education
  • BS or BA in neuroscience, biology, bioengineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience. We value demonstrated skill and relevant experience above credentials.

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
This is a chance to help build a rodent neuroscience program from the ground up, in a team where preparation quality is treated as a scientific result rather than support work. You will work alongside scientists, engineers, and veterinary staff who treat excellent animal care as inseparable from excellent science. There is real room to grow as the program expands.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion.

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