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The European Neuroscience Institute in Göttingen (ENI-G) Germany, a partnership between the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-Society, is seeking a
*Ph.D. student *
About us:
The Neural Circuits and Cognition lab of Caspar Schwiedrzik at the European Neuroscience Institute (ENI-G) and the German Primate Center http://www.dpz.eu/de/startseite.html (DPZ) in Göttingen, Germany is looking for an outstanding PhD student interested in studying the neural basis of perceptual learning in vision. The project investigates neural mechanisms of learning and perception at the level of circuits and single cells, utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in combination with electrophysiology and behavioral testing in humans and non-human primates. It is funded by an ERC Starting Grant (Acronym VarPL; “Specificity or generalization? Neural mechanisms for perceptual learning with variability”). The PhD student’s project will focus on developing new perceptual learning paradigms and investigating the neural basis of perceptual learning in humans using fMRI. In addition, the PhD student will cooperate with other lab members on parallel electrophysiological and fMRI experiments as well as comparative research exploring the same questions in non-human primates.
The lab seeks to understand the cortical basis and computational principles of perception and experience-dependent plasticity in the macaque and human brain (see http://www.eni-g.de/groups/neural-circuits-and-cognition). To this end, we use a multimodal approach including fMRI-guided electrophysiological recordings in non-human primates and fMRI and ECoG in humans. The PhD student will play a key role in our research efforts in this area. The lab is located at the ENI (http://www.eni-g.de) and the DPZ ( http://www.dpz.eu), which are interdisciplinary research centers with international faculty and students pursuing cutting-edge research in neuroscience. The PhD student will have access to a new imaging center http://www.dpz.eu/en/infocenter/ with a dedicated 3T research scanner, electrophysiology, and behavioral setups.
ENI-G is engaged in experimental molecular and cellular research on the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as cognitive and systems neurosciences research. ENI is part of the University Medical Center Göttingen and associated with the Max Planck Society. The University Medical Center Göttingen is a tertiary care center. Its 7,400 employees work in over 65 departments and facilities to provide top-quality patient care, excellent research and modern teaching facilities. Göttingen provides a vibrant and stimulating neuroscience community with a strong background in computational as well as experimental neurosciences. The PhD student will have the opportunity to join one of the fourteen programs of the Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (http://www.ggnb.uni-goettingen.de).
Your profile:
The position will be available starting in November 2018 with an initial appointment for 3 years and a salary according to 50% TVL-13. Candidates should have a degree (master, diploma or equivalent) in a relevant field (e.g., neuroscience, psychology, biology), and ideally prior experience in fMRI, strong quantitative, programming, and experimental skills, and share a passion for understanding the neural basis of visual perception and its plasticity. Interested candidates should send their curriculum vitae, a description of their scientific interest and the names and contact information of up to two references who are able to comment on your academic background and who agreed to be contacted to c.schwiedrzik@eni-g.de, preferably before October 10th, 2018, but later expressions of interest will be considered until the position is filled. A good command of English is a requirement, but fluency in German is not essential.
Please apply by 10.10.2018 to: Universitätsmedizin Göttingen
European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen
Neural Circuits and Cognition Lab Dr. Caspar Schwiedrzik Grisebachstr. 5 37077 Göttingen Germany Tel.: +49-(0)551-39-61371 E-Mail: c.schwiedrzik@eni-g.de