Berkeley, CA
Neuroscience and AI research institute advancing brain-like AGI
Astera Institute conducts in-house research at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence to understand biological intelligence and engineer safe AGI systems. Through divisions like Neuro & AGI and Radial, they run labs on rodent neuroscience, structural biology ML, hierarchical RL, and open science tools. Their work integrates experimental neuroscience with AI architectures to drive transformative progress in intelligence and life sciences.
Manages the full lifecycle of scientific research data, including governance, metadata, repositories, open-science publishing, and AI/ML compatibility. The role also builds partnerships with federal research organizations and requires a bachelor’s degree plus 5–7+ years of relevant experience.
Senior/Staff AI Research Scientist building post-training RL feedback loops and generative models that align frontier biological AI to high-throughput experimental measurements of folding, binding, and function. Requires PhD (or equivalent), hands-on training of models from scratch, and experience with diffusion/transformers/RL.
Principal AI Scientist at Polytope Bio (Astera) to co-direct development of reinforcement learning post-training methods that close the loop between frontier biological AI models and high-throughput experimental data. Requires PhD (or equivalent), hands-on training of large models from scratch, and deep RL expertise; ideal for researchers seeking scientific leadership and potential co-founding role.
Shape the control-system architecture and requirements for a Gen-1 DNA-origami electrostatic actuator to ensure observability and controllability from the start. Advise on sensor/actuator design, data logging for system ID/ML, and closed-loop architecture as a fractional consultant.
Provide expert molecular simulation and theory for a nanoscale electrostatic actuator, modeling electrostatics, nanomechanics, and predicting experimental observables like FRET distances and force behavior to guide device design and iteration. Requires PhD-level expertise in interfacial electrostatics and nanomechanics.
Advise on and develop site-specific bioconjugate chemistry to anchor DNA-origami structures to device surfaces with precise placement, orientation, and yield. Requires PhD expertise in surface chemistry, DNA tethering, and click/photochemistry for a fractional contract role.
Design and fabricate electrostatic drives and FET position sensors for nanoscale DNA-origami actuators. Own the full device stack, cleanroom fabrication, and bench characterization including AFM. Requires advanced degree and experience in semiconductor device physics, high-k dielectrics, and e-beam lithography.
Lead the design and wet-lab fabrication of a DNA-origami electrostatic actuator using molecular dynamics simulations (oxDNA) and nanoscale characterization techniques. Requires PhD and hands-on DNA-origami experience to lead a small interdisciplinary team developing functional nanodevices.
Contract-to-hire Finance Lead covering Controller leave (Sep 2026-Jun 2027) then potentially converting to own FP&A and finance operations. Own end-to-end accounting, treasury, compliance, reporting, and budgeting for a scaling philanthropic foundation (100 to 300 FTEs) supporting scientific projects. Requires 8-12 years strategic finance experience, preferably in startups.
Drive Astera Institute's events, convenings, and external communications to foster scientific conversations and community. Own end-to-end event execution, comms strategy, website/social management, and contractor oversight while partnering closely with leadership in an early-stage research environment.
Own end-to-end operations for Astera's fully-funded research Residency program, serving as primary point of contact for residents while managing selection, onboarding, needs anticipation, and scaling processes in a fast-moving early-stage environment. Requires 5-10 years operations or program management experience, exceptional organization, and cultural alignment with ambitious science and technology goals.
Scientist building ensemble-aware protein representations and ML models that integrate dynamic structural data with PLMs, ligands, and functional info to advance dynamic structural biology. Requires PhD and experience with large bioinformatic pipelines.
Research Assistant supporting the diffUSE Project by maintaining bioinformatic pipelines, curating structural biology datasets (X-ray, cryo-EM, ensembles), running validation checks, and assisting with data deposition and publication materials. Requires BS/MS in bioinformatics or related field, Python proficiency, and strong attention to detail.
Lead development of computational infrastructure for large-scale neuroscience research, building real-time stimulus/acquisition systems, high-throughput data pipelines, and cloud tools. Requires exceptional full-stack engineering with real-time systems experience; neuroscience background not required.
Design and build custom precision hardware systems (mechanical, electronic, optical) for large-scale neural experiments, owning instruments end-to-end from concept to reliable operation. Principal-level role also involves equipping the prototyping facility, mentoring engineers, and setting hardware engineering standards.
Build and scale The Stacks, a content platform for scientific and technical work. Hands-on full-stack engineer with 2-3+ years experience, modern web tech, and strong architectural judgment.
Develop computational models of neural circuits and brain function. Requires Python, scientific computing libraries, and research experience in computational neuroscience. PhD or equivalent required.
Build and operate Astera’s recruiting engine, owning candidate scheduling, communication, pipeline tracking in Ashby, and logistics for twice-annual residency cohorts. Requires 2+ years in operations or executive support with exceptional organization and communication skills.
The Project Manager will coordinate efforts across a multidisciplinary team for The DiffUSE Project, ensuring strategic alignment, managing project plans, budgets, and communications, and fostering a collaborative environment.
Open general application for computational biology, ML research, data science, software engineering, and program roles at DiffUSE, focused on protein dynamics, structural data infrastructure, and open science tooling.
Analyzes large-scale connectome and neurophysiology datasets, develops computational models of neural circuits, and implements data pipelines using Python/Matlab. Ideal for students in computational neuroscience or related fields with data analysis experience.
Software Engineering Intern builds infrastructure for large-scale distributed simulation systems including biological and 3D physics environments. Works on C++ high-performance systems, networking, orchestration, and performance optimization with strong fundamentals required.
Conducts advanced X-ray crystallography experiments to study protein dynamics in the diffUSE project, including crystal growth, synchrotron data collection, and computational modeling of conformational ensembles. Requires PhD in structural biology or related field with hands-on crystallography experience.
Conducts fundamental research on data-efficient ML architectures, including bootstrapped program synthesis and self-synthesizing learning systems. Requires Master's in ML/math, PyTorch fluency, and research experience.
Leads technical direction for bio AI research programs, architects AI/computational infrastructure, prototypes modeling systems, and builds high-caliber engineering team. Requires deep ML expertise in generative models, large-scale training, and bio applications with hands-on leadership.
Leads development of standards and validation frameworks for dynamic structural biology data, focusing on ensemble models from X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. Collaborates with engineers to build deposition, search, and retrieval infrastructure for the diffUSE Project. Requires PhD in structural biology or related field.
Develops bi-directional/recurrent architectures for hierarchical sensorimotor perception inspired by brain principles to advance AGI. Requires PhD-level expertise in deep learning frameworks like PyTorch/JAX, theoretical rigor, and passion for biological intelligence.
Conducts fundamental research on hierarchical RL agents, developing architectures for world modeling, planning, and ethologically constrained learning. Collaborates cross-functionally to translate brain-inspired principles into scalable AGI systems; requires PhD-level expertise in AI/ML and strong coding skills.
Conducts fundamental research on brain-inspired world models and AGI architectures, designing experiments on cognition, causal representations, and unsupervised learning. Collaborates with neuroscientists and engineers; requires PhD-level expertise in deep learning frameworks like PyTorch/JAX.
Conducts fundamental research on neuroscience-inspired energy-based models and hierarchical latent variable models for AGI. Designs experiments on cognition and collaborates cross-functionally to build scalable systems. Requires PhD-level expertise in deep learning and PyTorch/JAX.
Develops theories of intelligence grounded in neural network internal structures, focusing on belief geometries in LLMs and biological brains. Conducts experiments bridging mathematics, ML interpretability, and safety research; requires PhD-level quantitative depth and hands-on coding.
Owns digital infrastructure for AI research, managing compute access, auto-scaling, resource visibility, and reproducibility using Kubernetes and observability tools. Requires systems intuition, operational rigor, and pragmatism for experimental workloads.
Staff Software Engineer architects high-performance infrastructure for large-scale Neuro-AI models and simulations, optimizes RL environments informed by neuroscience, and scales research prototypes to production while resolving technical bottlenecks.
Builds high-performance infrastructure for brain reverse-engineering via large-scale AI models and neuroscience-informed simulations. Architects systems, optimizes RL environments, and scales research prototypes to production.
Architects high-performance infrastructure for training large-scale neuroscience-informed AI models and RL environments. Optimizes code, resolves critical bottlenecks, and scales research prototypes to production systems.
Leads vision, strategy, and execution for The Stacks, an open-access platform for scientific knowledge. Translates user needs into roadmaps, collaborates with engineering/design, conducts research, and ensures high usability. Requires 4-7+ years PM experience in content/research tools and technical fluency.