Connectionists: postdoc position in neuroinformatics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Fri Jun 4 05:43:55 EDT 2021

The FLAG-ERA project NeuronsReunited is looking for a postdoctoral 
research associate
(Neuroinformatics/Computational Neuroscience) for a 2 year position at 
0.9 fte.

Each mental event or voluntary motor act involves the coordinated 
activity of neurons in areas of
the brain far apart. Thin, branched and extremely long cellular 
processes called axons provide the
physical substrate of these interactions. Since a few years it is 
possible to fully trace these long-
range axons one at a time. The goal of the FlagERA research project 
"NeuronsReunited"
(https://www.flagera.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FLAG-ERA_JTC2019_HBP_NeuronsReunited.pdf)
is to create tools for speeding up the conversion of experimental data 
into digital axons, and to
precisely place neurons into a digital reference brain to reveal their 
context. The tools are applied
to existing and new data in mouse, and the resulting insights are 
incorporated into new models for
brain function.

The project is a collaboration between five international partners, two 
experimental partners (Prof.
Francisco Clasca, Madrid; Prof. Egidio d'Angelo, Pavia) and three 
computational/theoretical
partners (Prof. Paul Tiesinga, Dr. Rembrandt Bakker, Nijmegen; Prof. 
Michele Giugliano, Trieste;
Prof. Sacha Van Albada, Jülich). As a postdoctoral research associate 
you will design strategies to
get axonal arbors precisely registered in a brain atlas. The brain atlas 
consists of high-resolution
3d dataset that represents the average mouse brain anatomy, while the 
neuron consists of a vector
representation of its morphology that can be extended with images of 
selected tissue sections.
Depending on your field of expertise, further steps can focus on 
automating the process to trace
neurons from stained tissue sections or to integrate the resulting 
database of precisely registered
neurons with other data modalities to generate new knowledge. You will 
be part of a team that
deals with atlasing and data integration (Nijmegen) and model building 
(Jülich, Padova, Trieste).
A key deliverable will be the creation of a gold standard online catalog 
of precisely placed
neurons that future generations of neuroscientists can contribute to and 
compare data to. The tools
make use of an existing body of work that consists of web-based 
applications:
HBP Morphology Viewer (https://neuroinformatics.nl/HBP/morphology-viewer),
Scalable Brain Atlas (https://scalablebrainatlas.incf.org/), and 
interactive notebooks (Python).
Besides being a member of the project team, you will also be part of the 
European Human Brain
Project and have access to the expertise of the large neuroscience 
community at the Donders
Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior.

We ask:
     •   A PhD degree in a quantitative field (engineering, physics, 
computational neuroscience,
         etc).
     •   Expertise in neuroscience or interest in acquiring it.
     •   Excellent programming skills, preferably in JavaScript 
applications or Python-based
         pipelines.
     •   Experience with neuroinformatics, visualization/3d-graphics, 
image processing, and/or
         machine learning.
     •   Demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment 
at the forefront of
         science.
     •   Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English.

We are:

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, home to more 
than 600 researchers
from 35 countries, is a world-class research centre devoted to 
understanding the mechanistic
underpinnings of human cognition and behaviour in health and disease. 
The institute's mission
includes conducting excellent interdisciplinary research at the unique 
interface between genetic,
molecular and cellular processes at one end and computational, 
system-level neuroscience with
cognitive and behavioural analysis at the other end. Within this playing 
field, the
Neuroinformatics department plays an essential role in developing new 
approaches for both
computational modeling and data processing, all with the aim to turn raw 
data into highly valuable
and well-integrated resources from which neuro-scientific insights can 
be extracted.
Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? 
Because this is what the world
around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an 
indispensable contribution
to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what 
unites the more than 22,000
students and 5,000 employees at Radboud University. And this requires 
even more talent,
collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer:
     •   Employment: 0.9 FTE.
     •   A maximum gross monthly salary of € 4,402 based on a 38-hour 
working week (salary
         scale 10).
     •   The exact salary depends on the candidate's qualifications and 
amount of relevant
         professional experience.
     •   In addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% 
end-of-year bonus.
     •   Duration of the contract: 25 months.
     •   The intended start date is 1 September 2021.
     •   You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care 
Services. Our Dual Career and
         Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, 
help your partner or
         spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized 
support in their search for
         employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
     •   Have a look at our excellent employment conditions. They 
include a good work-life
         balance (among other things because of the excellent leave 
arrangements), opportunities
         for development and a great pension scheme.

Apply directly

Please use this link to apply: 
https://www.ru.nl/english/working-at/vacature/online-
solliciteren/?tk=uk&recid=1152432#apply.
Address your application to Paul Tiesinga and submit it no later than 1 
July 2021.
Your application should include the following attachments:
     •    Letter of motivation.
     •    CV including contact details of two references.
     •    Your research statement.

The first round of interviews will take place on 6th July 2021. The 
second round of interviews
will take place on 13th July 2021.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact:
Paul Tiesinga, Full Professor
Tel.: +31 24 365 22 32
Email: p.tiesinga at science.ru.nl
Rembrandt Bakker, Postdoctoral Researcher
Tel.: +31 24 365 26 33
Email: r.bakker at donders.ru.nl

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