Connectionists: Postdoc positions in modelling brain development

[Geoffrey Goodhill]

Two postdoc positions studying neural wiring development are now  
available in the lab of Prof Geoff Goodhill at the Queensland Brain  
Institite in Brisbane, Australia. Both positions involve a combination  
of theoretical modelling and data analysis in collaboration with  
experimental neuroscientists. The salary range starts from AU$64,000  
(currently US57,000)

1. The first position is in the area of axon guidance, particularly  
axonal chemotaxis. This will build on our recent work in two PNAS  
papers:

A Bayesian model predicts the response of axons to molecular gradients.
Mortimer et al, PNAS, 106:10296-10301 (2009).

Axon guidance by growth rate modulation.
Mortimer et al, PNAS, Early Edition, March 1st (2010).

Part of this work is an HFSP-funded collaboration with Guillermina  
Lopez-Bendito (Alicante), Ole Paulsen (Oxford) and Tomomi Shimogori  
(Tokyo).

2. The second position is in the area of visual map development,  
particularly the effect of abnormal visual input during development.   
This will build on our recent work in two Neuroimage papers:

Natural scene statistics and the structure of orientation maps in the  
visual cortex.
Hunt et al,  Neuroimage, 47: 157-172 (2009).

The influence of restricted orientation on map structure in primary  
visual cortex.
Giacomantonio et al, Neuroimage, in press (2010).

This is an NHMRC-funded collaboration with Michael Ibbotson (ANU).

The above papers can be downloaded from http://cns.qbi.uq.edu.au/pubs.html

Applicants should have a strong background in theoretical/ 
computational modelling. Ideally this would be in a neuroscience  
context, but this is not required. To apply please send a covering  
letter and detailed CV including contact details for at least 3  
referees to the address below.

The QBI is a new, well-funded research institute, one of the largest  
in the world dedicated to neuroscience research, containing close to  
30 different research groups using state-of-the art research tools. It  
is part of the University of Queensland, ranked in the top 50  
universities in the world by topuniversities.com. Brisbane is a  
cosmopolitan and rapidly-developing subtropical city of 2 million  
people, a short drive from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast,  
subtropical rainforests, and close to the Great Barrier Reef. The UN's  
Human Development Index in 2009 ranked Australia as the 2nd most  
developed country in the world (after Norway).

Professor Geoffrey J Goodhill, PhD
Queensland Brain Institute and School of Mathematics & Physics
University of Queensland
St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Phone: +61 7 3346 6431
Fax:   +61 7 3346 6301
Email: g.goodhill at uq.edu.au
http://www.uq.edu.au/qbi/index.html?page=26835
Editor-in-Chief, Network: Computation in Neural Systems
http://informahealthcare.com/net