Connectionists: A Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience, The Shouval lab

[Shouval, Harel]

A Postdoc Positions in the Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience
The Shouval lab has an openings for a Postdoc in Theoretical/Computational  Neuroscience. This Postdoc will work on a collaborative project with the lab of Todd Sacktor to uncover the basis for the maintenance of long-term memory.
Learning and memory can last a lifetime, yet the molecular substrates that underlie this memory last for periods of time shorter by several orders of magnitude. This is a fundamental problem in Neuroscience,which was first explored by Francis Crick in 1984, and various solutions have been offered through the years. However, there is no commonly accepted theory, with significant experimental support, which can account for the persistence of memory. Our lab has been studying this question for several years, in collaboration with experimental groups. This Postdoc position is part of this ongoing effort.
The Postdoc hired will be involved in a collaborative project with the lab of Todd Sacktor in SUNY Downstate in NY. This Postdoc is funded by NIH grant: CRCNS: PKMzeta-dependent protein synthesis can account for the maintenance of synaptic plasticity.   The aim of this project is to explain how memories are maintained despite the molecular turnover and diffusion of their substrates. Work on this project will include detailed modeling at the molecular level of the biochemical networks that ensure the stability of memory. To carry out this project, mass action and stochastic models will be simulated as well as bifurcation analysis and analytical approximate solutions of the fixed points and the dynamics. Additionally more abstract aspects ofsuch a process will be examined, including its impact on memory storage andlearning at the cellular and circuit level.

We are seeking a Postdocs with a strong analytical and computational abilities and a background in Computational Neuroscience, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science or Engineering. Applicants with a background in dynamical systems, or chemical engineering are especially welcome. The salary will follow the NIH scale.

The Shouval lab focuses on modeling synaptic plasticity, and its impact on learning memory and cortical dynamics. The lab is located in the department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Houston has an excellent environment for conducting research inComputational Neuroscience (see the Gulf Coast Consortium in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience,http://gulfcoastconsortia.org/Research/Gulf_Coast_Consortium_for_Theoretical_and_Computational_Neuroscience.aspx).
If you are interested in one of this position please contact me directly by email (harel.shouval at uth.tmc.edu<mailto:harel.shouval at uth.tmc.edu>), and attach your CV. I will attend the CNS conference in Atlanta from 7/22-7/25, and this will be happy to interview applicants during the conference.

Harel Shouval
http://nba.uth.tmc.edu/resources/faculty/members/shouval.htm