Connectionists: PhD-Position available at the Bernstein Center Freiburg - "Local Balance in Neuronal Networks" (Biomicrotechnology lab - Prof. Dr. Ulrich Egert)

[Janina Kirsch]

We are inviting application for a

PhD-Position
"Local Balance in Neuronal Networks"
Biomicrotechnology lab - Prof. Ulrich Egert

Neuronal networks with inhomogeneous connectivity have been suggested to be
more robust against saturation and excessive synchronization in high input
regimes. This strongly depends on the specific type of balance of excitation
and inhibition as well as the role and effectiveness or long range
connectivity. Locally unbalanced networks could contribute to an optimal
representation of information in wide range of input regimes, or conversely
to pathological network dynamics. In this context, we are interested in the
role of inhibition/excitation balance beyond the statistical mean. We expect
that local variability, the extent of connectivity and the specific
properties of inhibitory/excitatory balance influence the activity structure
and robustness of neuronal networks. We test this in synthetic networks of
cultured cortical neurons using electrophysiological, optogenetic and
computational techniques.

We invite applications to join the lab for a 3-4 year PhD-Project, and to
enter the PhD-Program "iCoNeT" at the Bernstein Center Freiburg. The project
is financed by a fellowship of the DAAD.

The successful applicant has some prior training in experimental
neurophysiology, excellent command of the English language, high motivation
for independent work, knowledge of some programming language, ideally Matlab
or Python, and willingness to contribute to an international team.
Experience with cell cultures, network modeling or intracellular recording
would be a plus.

The Bernstein Center Freiburg concentrates research in Computational
Neuroscience and Neurotechnology at the University of Freiburg, Germany. The
projects are highly interdisciplinary and span across
mathematical-theoretical approaches on the function and dynamics of neuronal
networks, neuroanatomy, experimentally driven neurophysiology and the
development of technologies for medical application. 

Application deadline: March 31, 2013

Further details on:	 
www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/jobs
and
http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/teaching-and-training/phd-program
	
Contact:	
Dr. Janina Kirsch
Teaching & Training Coordinator
Hansastr. 9a
79104 Freiburg, Germany
kirsch at bcf.uni-freiburg.de