Connectionists: Doctoral position or Postdoctoral position in Insect Visually Guided Behaviour

[Jens Peter Lindemann]

Doctoral position or Postdoctoral position in
Insect Visually Guided Behaviour
Neurobiology & CITEC, Bielefeld University, Germany

Project
=======
Learning strategies and visual information used for localising a goal in 
bumblebee navigation: A combined behavioural, neural and modelling 
analysis. Funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Bielefeld 
University.

What do we expect?
==================
We are seeking a highly-motivated candidate who strives for 
understanding the mechanisms underlying the processing of spatial 
information by bumblebees in the context visual navigation. Quantitative 
behavioural analysis targeting the neural basis of the behaviour defines 
the field of activity. Particular emphasis will be laid on the 
coordination of head and body movements while the animal performs 
learning and search flights in the vicinity of its goal.

You are expected to work together with other researchers focusing on 
behavioural and modelling approaches and to actively contribute own 
ideas. You are an ideal candidate, if you are experienced in doing 
experimental analyses on insects, in data analysis and in programming 
(preferably Matlab) and have excellent writing skills. However, even if 
you match this profile only in parts, you are encouraged to apply - 
given you are prepared to develop new skills, learn new techniques and 
are eager to contribute interesting research results to the field of 
navigation of bees.

What do we offer?
=================
We offer a position in a research team working in a stimulating 
environment with excellent facilities for laboratory work as well as 
computational analyses (e.g. high-speed video techniques, virtual 
reality arenas for behavioural and neurophysiological experiments, and 
innovative approaches to data analysis). The Neurobiology group is 
cooperating with other groups at CITEC in Bielefeld, but also 
internationally.

What is the project background?
===============================
Bumblebees use visual memories to locate their nests and/or food sites. 
Although it is known that visual information plays a dominant role for 
locating a virtually invisible goal during local navigation and that 
this information is acquired by active learning strategies, it is still 
controversial which environmental features are stored during learning 
and later used for finding the goal. This issue can only be resolved if 
the precise coordination of the complex movements of the head (which 
carries the eyes) and of the body (which carries the flight machinery) 
is understood. Only then can we reconstruct what the animals have seen 
during their flight manoeuvres.

Where to apply?
===============
For further inquiries about the project, please contact:

	Prof. Dr. Martin Egelhaaf
	Neurobiology & CITEC
	Bielefeld University
	D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany

	martin.egelhaaf at uni-bielefeld.de

	Website: http://web.biologie.uni-bielefeld.de/neurobiology/

Please send your application including a letter outlining your academic 
education and past research, your motivation for this position and your 
specific experience (max. 2 pages), CV, list of publications (if 
available) and contact details of 2-3 referees in a single (!) PDF file 
to Prof. Dr. Martin Egelhaaf, Neurobiology & CITEC, Bielefeld 
University; martin.egelhaaf at uni-bielefeld.de.

Applications will be considered until the position is filled.


-- 
Dr.-Ing. Jens Peter Lindemann <Jens.Lindemann at Uni-Bielefeld.DE>
Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University
D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany