Job ID: 97203
Post-doctoral position in neuronal circuit of pleasant touch and pain
Position: Post-doctoral Position
Deadline: 20 November 2022
Employment Start Date: 2 January 2023
Contract Length: 12 to 48 months
City: Montpellier
Country: France
Institution: Institut of functional genomic CNRS INSERM UM
Department: Neuroscience
Description:
The Team
The “Affective Touch” team is working on the neural processes that allow tactile stimulation to be perceived as pleasant and to be at the origin of prosocial behaviour, in naive and pathological conditions. Current research is focused on circuitry in cortical and subcortical regions, such as the insular cortex and the PAG. Research techniques used in the laboratory include in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiological recording combined with fiberphotometry to record neuronal activity, optogenetics, chemogenetics and viral engineering for in vitro circuit mapping and in vivo behavioural manipulation, as well as machine learning and computer vision for behavioural analysis.
The project is funded by multiple agency including the Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller, FRC, ANRs and Era-NET program.
The team is part of the Institute of Functional Genomics in Montpellier, an internationally recognized institute for the study of GPCRs and ion channels. The institute is located in the beautiful city of Montpellier, south of France, near the Mediterranean Sea.
Description of the job:
The successful applicant will acquire neuronal recordings and behavioural data to reveal the circuits and processes underlying affective touch and how this representation is used to guide social behaviours. The applicant will have access to a large list of mouse lines to manipulate sensory neurons as well as a fiberphotometry and multielectrode electrophysiology setup for freely moving or head-fixed neuronal recordings. Subsequent behavioural manipulation of the recorded circuits is also planned to identify the key elements modulating social behaviour.
The successful applicant will have a PhD in Neuroscience or a related field, and experience with in vivo electrophysiological recordings or in vivo imaging, and multi-dimensional and multi-scale data analysis. The successful candidate will need to be an independent thinker, motivated to do science and able to work in a highly collaborative environment. Applicants will be selected based on how well they demonstrate that they meet the essential and desirable criteria for this particular role.
Essential skills
To hold PhD in Neuroscience, or a related field or in the final stages of PhD submission
Experience with work on rodents and in vivo approaches
Experience in analysis of multi-dimensional and multi-scale data e.g. neuronal recordings (calcium imaging or extracellular electrophysiological recordings).
To have a track record of writing papers as evidenced by pre-prints or publications.
Evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings
Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to present complex information effectively
Desirable skills
Competence in electrophysiology (Ex vivo or in vivo) or in vivo imaging.
Competence in programming languages (MATLAB, Python, other)
Experience in the study of in sensory system processing
Experience in behavioral neuroscience