PhD / Postdoc positions

1 PhD position and 1 postdoc position as part of interdisciplinary collaborations are available in Laura Busse’s group at the Department of Biology II of the LMU Munich. We study the neural circuits of visual perception in awake, behaving mice, where we combine electrophysiological recordings using cutting edge multi-electrode recordings techniques with genetic tools for circuit manipulation.

The PhD position is part of the DFG-funded Priority Programme „Computational Connectomics” (SPP 2041), is offered for 3 years, and will be done in collaboration with Dr. Tatjana Tchumatchenko at the MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The project combines questions from neurobiology and computational neuroscience. It will investigate contrast invariance in the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus and primary visual cortex in populations of excitatory and inhibitory interneurons. The successful candidate will perform extracellular recordings (e.g. with the newly developed Neuropixels probes), and optogenetics in mice, use quantitative data analysis and collaborate with our theory partner in Frankfurt on theoretical network analyses. The project requires a strong interest in visual neurophysiology, as well as computational modeling, and the ability to work in a distributed team. Programming skills are necessary. Applications will be considered via the GSN application tool. Interested candidates are welcome to establish contact via email to busse@bio.lmu.de.

The postdoc position is part of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits, and will be offered for 4 years. The successful candidate will collaborate on state-dependent response modulations within the thalamo-cortico-thalamic loop in the mouse visual system. The project builds on our previous work published in Erisken et al. (2014) Current Biology, and will combine genetic circuit manipulations with extracellular recordings in mouse V1 and dLGN. The candidate must have a PhD in neuroscience, or a related field, and a strong research record including publications. The ideal candidate will have experience in electrophysiology / imaging in awake mice and in genetic tools for circuit manipulation. Proficiency in programming (e.g. Python) and experience in signal processing are necessary. Applications will be considered until the position is filled, and should contain a statement about research experience and career goals, a CV and names of 2 referees. Please send your application as a single pdf via email to busse@bio.lmu.de.

For further details, please contact Prof. Dr. Laura Busse.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Laura Busse
Department Biology II, Division Neurobiology
LMU Munich
Großhadernerstr. 2
82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 218074305
busse@bio.lmu.de