Connectionists: Scientist II opening in Computational Neuroscience at the Allen Institute for Brain Science (Seattle, USA)

[Costas Anastassiou]

Scientist II opening in Computational Neuroscience

Lab headed by Dr. Costas Anastassiou

Allen Institute of Brain Science

 

Do you want to make a difference in our understanding of brain disorders? Do you have a solid background in computational neuroscience/scientific computing/simulation-based research and curious about how the brain works? Are you able to meet aggressive timelines and deliverables in a collaborative environment? The laboratory headed by Dr. Costas Anastassiou at the Allen Institute is currently looking for a talented Scientist II to work on large-scale, biophysically detailed brain circuit simulations to explore the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Our mission at the Allen Institute for Brain Science is to accelerate the understanding of how the human brain works in health and disease. By implementing a team science approach on a large scale we strive to generate useful public resources, drive technological innovations and discover fundamental brain properties through integration of experiments, modeling and theory.

 

Position summary:

We are seeking to fill a position at the level of Scientist II (SciII) to work on an exciting new translational neuroscience pilot project at the Institute. The goal of this project is to investigate cellular and circuit mechanisms of epileptogenesis in human hippocampus. To address these questions, we seek to develop a faithful computational model of the human epileptogenetic hippocampus consisting of a multitude of reconstructed, interconnected and biophysically faithful neurons emulating anatomical and dynamical characteristics of the pathological brain tissue. For examples of biophysically realistic network models as pursued in this work see [Schomburg, Anastassiou et al, J Neurosci, 2012; Reimann, Anastassiou et al, Neuron, 2013; Taxidis, Anastassiou et al, Neuron, 2015]. The aim of the computational model is to (i) understand how synaptic, cellular and connectivity properties of pathological brain tissue give rise to pathophysiological network dynamics, (ii) understand how pathophysiological dynamics are reflected on signals such as depth-, ECoG- and EEG-recordings, and (iii) identify intervention targets to abort or suppress pathological activity. Importantly, the computational effort will occur in parallel with novel in vitro experiments in brain slices derived from patients undergoing surgery for treatment refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy that will provide the data on which the computational modeling will be based. The project will be pursued in collaboration with in-house experimental colleagues as well as neurologists and neurosurgeons and has a guaranteed duration initially of 18 months beginning in the summer of 2016.

 

Responsibilities:

·         Construct detailed biophysical models using cable theory and NEURON-software.

·         Design, implement and analyze large-scale network simulations.

·         Publish/present findings in peer-reviewed journals/scientific conferences.

·         Prepare written and oral reports on a regular basis. 

·         Publish scientific findings in peer-reviewed journals and relevant conferences.

·         Maintain clear and accurate communication with supervisor and team members.

 

Qualifications:

·         PhD degree in computational neuroscience, physics, biology, bioengineering or related fields.

·         Strong background in scientific computing; experience in computational neuroscience is preferred, but other strong applicants will be considered (with background in computational physics, biophysics, and related disciplines). Experience with parallel computing is a plus as well as familiarity with high-level programming languages such as python.

·         Ability to meet aggressive timelines and deliverables in a collaborative environment.

·         Strong publication record.

·         Experience in pursuing research projects in collaborative fashion. 

·         Proven independent thinking and flexibility.

·         Familiarity with in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological monitoring techniques and data analyses.

·         Strong written and verbal communication skills.

 

How to apply:

Visit the Allen Institute for Brain Science Careers website and fill out your information for the Scientist II-position under “2200-Modeling, Analysis and Theory”.

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