Postdoctoral Associate | Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics
The Rockefeller University
Application
Details
Posted: 01-May-24
Location: New York, New York
Internal Number: 1416
Organization Overview
The emergence of new optical technologies combined with molecular sensors and advanced computational tools has led to significant advances in understanding how the circuitry and dynamics of neuronal populations give rise to brain functions and behavior. The Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics (LNB) has a significant focus on developing and applying advanced optical imaging technologies with applications for systems neuroscience. Over the last few years,the lab has developed a portfolio of optical techniques that allow near-simultaneous stimulation and functional imaging of neuronal activity on the whole-brain level at the single-cell level in small model organisms and,more recently,in the more scattering rodent brain. Overview
Our lab has been focused on the development and application of advanced optical imaging technologies to advance neuroscience. Over the last years, we have developed a portfolio of optical technologies that allow for large-scale and whole-brain optical recording and manipulation of neuroactivity at high spatiotemporal resolution across model systems with with our most recent imaging technology capable of recording the activity of up to 1 million neurons distributed across different depths of both hemispheres of the mouse cortex at single cell resolution [1]. Using this data we have found an unbounded scaling of dimensionality with neuron number [2]. While half of the neural variance lies within a low number of behaviorrelated dimensions, we find this unbounded scaling of dimensionality to correspond to an ever-increasing number of internal variables without immediate behavioral correlates. The activity patterns underlying these higher dimensions are fine-grained and cortex-wide distributed, highlighting that large-scale recording is required to uncover the full neural substrates of internal and potentially cognitive processes.
Which fundamental questions in neuroscience would you be able to uniquely address with such capabilities and how would you use such data to inform computational models about the brain?
We are welcoming applications from creative, highly motivated, and ambitious candidates interested in pursuing projects based on their own ideas or within existing lines of work at the interface of experimental and computational system neuroscience.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities include:
Conducting research experiments in the field of neuroscience under a research scope and methodology
Collecting, preparing, and analyzing all data from research recordings, using relevant background skills to analyze collected data sets
Maintaining a detailed database of research data and lab notebook to document work progress and observations
Conducting in-depth literature review as needed and participate in manuscript writing for publication in scientific journals and/or talks
Performing related duties & responsibilities as assigned/requested
Qualifications
Requirements:
Highly motivated, ambitious, and creative Ph.D. in computational / systems neuroscience, computer science, physics, electrical engineering or related field
Prior experimental work in one and more of these areas: statistical analysis of large-scale experimental data, computational modeling, machine leaning, systems neuroscience, multi-photon microscopy, design of behavioral experiments in rodents
Programming skills (Matlab, Python)
Excellent organizational and communication skills, ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and willingness to work outside their core expertise
The Rockefeller University does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to the characteristics listed above.
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on various factors, including but not limited to organizational budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The hiring range provided represents The Rockefeller University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
The Rockefeller University is a world-renowned center for research and graduate education in the biomedical sciences, chemistry, bioinformatics and physics. The university's 72 laboratories conduct both clinical and basic research and study a diverse range of biological and biomedical problems with the mission of improving the understanding of life for the benefit of humanity.