Connectionists: Postdoc at Aix-Marseille University in computational modelling of basal-ganglia-cortico-cerebellar circuits

[BATTAGLIA Demian]

Applications are invited for a:

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION at Aix-Marseille University (southern France)

under the joint mentoring of Dr. Demian Battaglia (Institute for Systems Neuroscience - INS) and Dr. Nicole Malfait (Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone - INT).

This two-years position is funded by the project ANR (Agence National de la Recherche) “SENCE - Movement disorders in Parkinson’s disease: The role of somatoSENsory deficits and CErebellar anomalies”, involving researchers from Aix-Marseille University and the University of Oxford, as well as clinicians of the Hôpital de la Timone (AP-HM).

In the context of this project, behavioral, electrophysiological (EEG/subthalamic nucleus LFP) and neuroimaging data will be recorded in patients with Parkinson's disease, under different medication (ON/OFF L-Dopa) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) conditions. In particular, effects of conventional continuous “open-loop” and "closed-loop" (adaptive) DBS will be contrasted. Rich expertise will be thus available in psychophysics and electrophysiology of sensorimotor systems (Nicole Malfait, INT; Huiling Tan, University of Oxford), structural and functional neuroimaging analyses (Olivier Coulon, INT), basal ganglia involvement in sensorimotor coordination (Andrea Brovelli, INT), and DBS (Alexandre Eusebio, AP-HM; Huiling Tan, University of Oxford) and theoretical and computational modelling of oscillating circuits dynamics (Demian Battaglia, INS).

The postdoctoral fellow will participate to the design of circuit models (mean-field and spiking) with realistic anatomy, including known basal ganglia/cortical loops, as well as connections between basal ganglia and cerebellum, whose role has been until now only poorly studied. It has indeed recently been hypothesized that basal ganglia deregulation may directly interact with cerebellar predictive functions contributing to movement disorders in Parkinsons’s disease.
Computational simulations of extended BG–cortex–cerebellum circuits will be used to reverse engineer circuit mechanisms responsible for the transition from normal to pathological oscillatory dynamics –also in relation to Dopamine levels– and to model and optimize the impact of adaptive deep brain stimulation protocols.

Candidates should have already acquired experience in the computational modelling of neural circuits during their PhD. Previous experience in the modelling of BG circuits is a plus. Candidates should be able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary and international work environment.
Salary corresponds to French national guidelines (~2K € net per month, experience-dependent), with travel and equipment funds.

The successful candidate will integrate the Theoretical Neuroscience Group at the Institute for Systems Neuroscience (INS), located on the same campus as the Institut des Neuroscience de la Timone (INT) and the Hôpital de la Timone (AP-HM). The integrative and clinical neuroscience community in Marseille is among the most lively in Europe and Marseille is a vibrating city, with wonderful natural surroundings and home to the largest French-speaking university in the world, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies.

Interested candidates should send a cv, a brief description of qualifications and research interests and the name of two reference contacts to both the co-directors:

Demian Battaglia        demian.battaglia at univ-amu.fr<mailto:demian.battaglia at univ-amu.fr>
Nicole Malfait          nicole.malfait at univ-amu.fr<mailto:nicole.malfait at univ-amu.fr>

Feel free to inquire for further information.
Applications from under-represented categories in STEM sciences are welcome and supported.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.srv.cs.cmu.edu/pipermail/connectionists/attachments/20181104/4ef8bc83/attachment.html>