Research Associate, Neuroscience Returnship

We are building a future where biology is solvable.
The path to new medicines is currently slow and expensive, with high failure rates, leaving millions of patients waiting for new treatment options. Our story is one of innovation: applying AI, vast datasets, and industrial scale to decode biology and accelerate the development of life-changing treatments.

Recursion’s Returnship Program
Recursion’s Returnship program, sponsored by the Women at Recursion Employee Resource Group, helps professionals who have taken a break of two or more years from the STEM industry return to the workforce. Participants work in a supportive, learning-focused environment with guidance from their teams and mentors.
Our program benefits both sides. You’ll own projects that directly advance our mission to radically decode biology and serve patients, and you’ll build experience with new, cutting-edge tools and technology. In turn, Recursion gains access to an underutilized pool of talent in Utah and benefits from the skills and experience you’ve built through your work and life.

What you’ll get

• A dedicated mentor who meets with you weekly
• Weekly seminars on workplace culture, communication, and technology
• Support from your team as you re-enter the workforce

Our program runs for sixteen weeks, from March 2027 through the end of June 2027. Depending on performance and business needs, it may lead to full-time employment. This position is primarily based at our Salt Lake City, UT headquarters, with some hybrid flexibility.

Neuroscience Returnship
The Neuroscience (Neuro) team is a diverse, collaborative group working on complex human cell models for drug discovery. This team works on iPSC differentiation techniques, process development for scaled cell production, assay development for cell characterization, and gene editing techniques to deliver data packages that drive decisions about cellular models and compound selection. With a mission of bringing transformative medicines to patients, this high-performing team works together to continually improve our workflows.

The Neuro Returner will work alongside, and in support of, R&D scientists. This role will be trained and mentored by a scientist and will interact with other team members outside of Neuro daily, as needed, during the returnship period.

You will own a laboratory project focused on developing and validating cell-based assays, performing hands-on cell culture work, and maintaining data and documentation in the team’s systems.

• Perform tissue culture activities such as cell thawing, passing, and banking of cell models, including iPSCs and/or iPSC-derived cell types
• Develop, optimize, and validate cell-based assays using automated imaging and analysis pipelines
• Establish and optimize experimental conditions for cell models
• Document project activities using an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) and interact with a laboratory information system (LIMS) for reagent tracking, SOPs, and QC
• Write assay SOPs and support inventory and QC tracking workflows
• Deliver data with assays such as immunofluorescence, qPCR, ELISA, etc.

The Recursion Community
Cutting-edge tools matter, but our people are what set us apart. Our structure and culture are built to help you do your best work, not to feed politics or ego. We live by values that give us a real competitive advantage. They help us work better and faster without relying on burnout, and they encourage us to make leaps where others take steps. People in every role and at every level make the bold bets that move us forward.

The Returnship gives you a front-row seat to this culture. From your first week, you’ll work alongside teams who value collaboration over ego, with a mentor in your corner and real ownership of projects that matter. You won’t be on the sidelines while you ramp up.

The Experience You’ll Need

• 3+ years of work experience in a research laboratory, preferably with mammalian cell culture AND a Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Neuroscience, Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, or related major.
• 2+ years break from employment
• Strong desire to learn with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to accurately record experimental details and results
• Enjoy working both independently and collaboratively with a team in a laboratory setting
• Thrive in fast-paced environments where you’ll leverage creativity and independent thinking