Job ID: 104362

Post-doctoral fellow or Engineer – Neuroscience (Optical Imaging)

Position: Post-doctoral Position

Deadline: 30 April 2023

Employment Start Date: 17 February 2023

Contract Length: 1 year (with one year possible extension)

City: Paris

Country: France

Institution: Collège de France, CNRS, Inserm

Department:

Description:

We are seeking to recruit a post-doctoral fellow or engineer for one year (with one year possible extension) in the framework of a collaboration between the groups of Cathie Ventalon (IBENS) and Michaël Zugaro (CIRB, Collège de France, http://zugarolab.net). Our groups are located in the historic center of Paris and characterized by a diversity of backgrounds (physics, biology, engineering) and a friendly atmosphere.

The scientific project focuses on the development of novel calcium imaging methods to record neuronal activity in freely-behaving mice, in order to investigate hippocampal dynamics underlying learning and memory. We have developed a fiberscope that allows for fast fluorescence confocal imaging (100 Hz) of GCaMP indicators during behavior and sleep. Building upon our prototype described in [1], our fiberscope can measure place fields and their evolution during multiple imaging sessions.

In order to study hippocampal dynamics underlying learning and memory, the candidate will extend the capacities of the fiberscope in two directions:

• Consolidate our recent developments leveraging the fast kinetics of GCaMP8, in order to reliably image fast hippocampal sequences during memory encoding and consolidation across successive learning days (recordings will be compared between our fiberscope and a standard miniscope).
• Our optical system has the unique capability to perform targeted photoactivation simultanesouly with functional imaging. In order to manipulate network activity patterns with fine spatio-temporal precision, we will combine targeted excitation or inhibition of specific cells (using blue optogenetic actuators) with recordings of place cell activity (using red calcium indicators such as jRGECO1a).

Expected expertise:

• Brain surgery in mice (AAV injections, implantation of chronic windows, implantation of extracellular electrodes)
• Recording neuronal activity using calcium imaging and electrophysiology (LFP)
• Animal training
• Data analysis

Selection will be open until the position is filled. Applicants should send their CV, a cover letter detailing their research experience and interests, and two letters of reference (cathie.ventalon@ens.psl.eu and michael.zugaro@college-de-france.fr).

Recent publications
[1] Dussaux et al. (2018), Scientific Reports 8:16262.
[2] Oberto et al. (2021), Current Biology 32:1-13.e6.
[3] Todorova and Zugaro (2019) Science 366:377-81.
[4] Drieu et al. (2018) Science 362:675-9.