Connectionists: Recruitment: Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour

[Peter Dayan]

Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour

Under the Directorship of Professor John O’Keefe, the Sainsbury Wellcome
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at UCL will commence operations
in early 2015 bringing together world-leading scientists to investigate
how brain circuits process information to create neural representations
and guide behaviour. The Centre has been created through substantial
investment from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Wellcome Trust,
and is being structured to foster a culture of innovation,
collaboration, enquiry and excellence.

The Centre will be accommodated in a new, purpose-designed, seven-storey
building located in Central London and offering an outstanding and
unparalleled research environment through its provision of
state-of-the-art research laboratories with integral biological services
capability, cutting-edge scientific equipment, technologically-advanced
prototyping and fabrication laboratories, significant in-house
high-performance computing facilities and extensive data storage systems
to support both experimental analysis and theoretical modelling.

Neuroscientists working in the Centre will use the latest advanced
molecular and cellular biology, imaging, electrophysiology and
behavioural techniques. The Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit will
be located at the heart of the Centre, facilitating broad and deep
collaborations in data analysis and computational modelling. The full
complement of scientists in the Centre is expected to reach 150 together
with around 50 dedicated support staff.

Scientists joining the Centre will become part of UCL Neuroscience which
brings together over 450 principal investigators located primarily
within the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences and offers extensive
opportunities for interaction and collaboration. Neuroscience is a
strategic priority for UCL as it positions itself to become the world’s
leading neuroscience institution. The Centre will offer additional
opportunities for collaboration, networking and intellectual stimulation
through its visitor programme, regular seminar series and the hosting of
world-class scientific conferences and workshops. Formal teaching
commitments will be minimal allowing scientists to focus on their
research.

The Centre is recruiting high-achieving, highly-motivated collaborative
scientists with backgrounds in neuroscience as well as related physical
and biological sciences, at all career levels. We invite applications
from outstanding, innovative scientists who can evidence the highest
levels of academic excellence through substantial peer-reviewed
publications and significant scientific achievement. Given the
technologically- advanced research proposed for the Centre, we are
particularly interested in scientists wishing to extend the boundaries
of technological development in areas such as high-density
electrophysiological probes, telemetry, optical recording, molecular and
genetic tools, new anatomical mapping techniques, and the use of virtual
reality and other novel behavioural approaches such as video image
analysis.  Recruitment will take place on a continuing ad hoc basis and
at dedicated residential recruitment workshops. The first recruitment
workshop has been scheduled for 3-4 November 2014 with a focus on
Fellowship applications. Senior scientist interviews will be scheduled
from November onwards.

Competitive salaries, tailored research space and generous relocation
and recruitment packages, including research support, will be offered. 

For further details about vacancies and how to apply online, please
visit: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/swc/opportunities