Postdoctoral Positions

[Ken Harris]

Two postdoctoral positions, one experimental and one theoretical, are
available in the Quantitative Neuroscience Laboratory at Rutgers
University, to study the organization of cell assemblies in the auditory
cortex of the rat. 

The theory of the "cell assembly" (Hebb, 1949) has been enormously
influential in shaping theories of brain function over the last half
century. However, only recently have developments in electrophysiology
made it possible to record large enough numbers of neurons
simultaneously to put this theory to the test experimentally.

In recent work (Harris et al, Nature 2003), we employed a novel "peer
prediction" method to characterize assembly activity in populations of
simultaneously recorded hippocampal neurons. This method found that
neurons are organized into groups showing coordinated activity beyond
that predicted from spatial modulation of firing rate, with a
synchronization timescale of approximately 25ms. However, several
questions remain: is this process specific to hippocampus, or a more
general aspect of cortical processing? And how does the timing of
assembly activity relate to the temporal structure of a sensory
stimulus? 

We are seeking two postdoctoral fellows to address these questions using
large-scale parallel recordings in rat auditory cortex, under temporally
controlled stimulus conditions. We seek:

1) An experienced electrophysiologist, to record from large neuronal
populations using silicon microelectrodes in auditory cortex. Experience
with extracellular recording is preferred. However, specific experience
of silicon probes or the auditory system is not assumed.

2) A computational neuroscientist. While a knowledge of neuroscience and
familiarity with statistical/machine learning techniques is preferred,
prior experience with electrophysiological data is not assumed.

This project will provide an exciting opportunity for experimental
neuroscientists to learn the advanced data analysis methods that are
becoming essential to modern electrophysiology, and for theorists to
gain hands-on experience with real physiological data.

Interested applicants should send a CV by email.

------------------------
Kenneth D. Harris, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
197 University Avenue
Newark  NJ 07102, USA

phone: 973 353 1080, x3331
fax: 973 353 1272
email: kdharris at andromeda.rutgers.edu 
web: http://qneuro.rutgers.edu