Connectionists: Two postdoc positions at the Shouval lab

[Harel Shouval]

Two Postdoc Positions in the Shouval lab

The Shouval lab has two openings for Postdoc’s in Theoretical/ 
Computational  Neuroscience. One position is at a system-circuit level  
and the other at the cellular-molecular level. The Shouval lab is  
located at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and the UT  
Medical School in Houston.

1. Circuit/System level modeling
This Postdoc will be involved in a collaborative project with the lab  
of Marshall Shuler at Johns Hopkins. This postdoc is funded by an and  
NIH grant: Learning Temporal Representations In Cortex; Their  
Behavioral Correlates And Mechanism. The aim of the theoretical  
component it to explain specific physiological data from the Shuler  
lab, and specifically to explain how cortical neurons can learn to  
represent behaviorally relevant cortical intervals. More generally,  
this is a study of the plasticity of cortical dynamics. We have  
published several papers related to this work; these include: Shuler  
and Bear, Science (2006), Gavornik et. al PNAS (2009), Gavornik and  
Shouval, J Comp. Neurosci (2011).
The Postdoc is expected to perform both computational and analytical  
work. This work includes mean-field analysis of spiking networks,  
simulations of networks of spiking cortical neurons, and modeling  
reward dependent synaptic plasticity in such cortical circuits. The  
work will be based on a close collaboration with the experimental  
group at Hopkins, and will require travel to the experimental lab  
several times a year.

2. Cellular/Molecular level modeling
This Postdoc 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 of such a process  
will be examined, including it’s impact on memory storage and learning  
at the cellular and circuit level. The Sacktor lab has many  
publications on PKMzeta and its impact on memory, and our lab has  
several publications on how the control of protein synthesis can  
account for the stability of memory (search Aslam and Shouval). This  
project will be based on a close collaboration with the Sacktor lab  
and the Postdoc will be expected to travel periodically to the Sacktor  
lab to facilitate the collaboration.
The ideal Postdoc’s for these positions will have a PhD in  
computational neuroscience, but Postdocs with a strong analytical  
background in the Physical or Mathematical Sciences will also be  
considered. For the second position I will also consider applicants  
with a background in chemical engineering. The positions are for one  
year, with a possible extension for two more years. 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. This is an excellent environment for  
conducting research in Computational Neuroscience as several labs in  
the department conduct computational work and because of our  
participation in the Gulf Coast Consortium in Theoretical and  
Computational Neuroscience, which is a collaboration between several  
different universities in the Houston area, including Rice University,  
Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston (http://gulfcoastconsortia.org/Research/Gulf_Coast_Consortium_for_Theoretical_and_Computational_Neuroscience.aspx 
). More than 20 faculty members from the different Houston area  
universities belong to the consortium. As part of this collaborative  
effort we hold a weekly theoretical seminar, an annual conference and  
several joint graduate courses.

If you are interested in one of these positions please contact me  
directly by email (harel.shouval at uth.tmc.edu), and attach your CV.



Harel Shouval

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

http://nba.uth.tmc.edu/homepage/shouval/
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