A post-doctoral research position is open at the Center for Neuroscience Research of Lyon (CRNL) in the context of the project “Cross-species Regulation of Action by Controllability: a Keystone of 5-HT signaling?” funded by the ATIP-AVENIR program (INSERM).
Applicants are expected to develop their project within a broader research program whose goal is to identify the computational determinants of serotonin signaling in the mammalian brain and the impact of endogenous and induced serotonin dynamics on learning and decision-making in health and disease (depressive disorders in particular). The methodology of this research program is structured around three complementary pillars:
Neuroimaging techniques (MEG and/or fMRI) combined with pharmacological interventions in healthy participants and depressed participants.
Invasive light-based and electrophysiology techniques in transgenic mice to record and manipulate genetically defined serotonin neurons during behavioral tasks and pharmacological interventions homologous to those used in human experiments.
Computational modeling inspired by causal inference principles to guide the design of cognitive tasks and to provide a joint framework for the interpretation of data across species and studies.
The candidate shall develop a project within one of the three research axis outlined above, as a function of their expertise and interests, The candidate should be eager and ready to interact and collaborate with international students and postdocs that will recruited to work on the remaining two axis as well as with other members of the COPHY team and CRNL, in which the Adaptive Control Group is embedded.
The application of candidates who wish to explore a new discipline will be considered with attention, as long as their academic background is relevant for our broader research program and that their motivation to change fields is clearly articulated. This position is therefore a good opportunity for cognitive neuroscientists willing to pivot towards system neuroscience (and vice-versa), for experimentalists willing to embrace more quantitative/analytical approaches, for theoreticians willing to get in touch with the complexity of living brains, etc. Candidates willing to develop a system neuroscience project should be eager and prepared to work with the principal investigator on the development and validation of various hardware and equipment given that the group has just been founded.
The application of candidates who wish to explore a new discipline will be considered with attention, as long as their academic background is relevant for the broader research program and that their motivation to change fields is clearly articulated. This position is therefore a good opportunity for cognitive neuroscientists willing to pivot towards system neuroscience (and vice-versa), for experimentalists willing to embrace more quantitative/analytical approaches, for theoreticians willing to get in touch with the complexity of living brains, etc. Candidates willing to develop a system neuroscience project should be eager and prepared to work with the principal investigator on the development and validation of various hardware and equipment.
The successful applicant will be supervised by Romain Ligneul (principal investigator, Chargé de Recherche at INSERM).
The successful applicant should have a PhD in a scientific discipline, prior experience in neuroscience, cognitive science and/or machine-learning team, and solid skills in computer programming (especially Python, Matlab, Javascript and/or C#). Special attention will be paid to the motivation of the candidates and to their ability to work and communicate with others members of an international team.
Publication records will be evaluated alongside other contributions to the scientific community (e.g., GitHub repositories, teaching experience, editorial activities, public outreach, etc.).
Proof of qualifications (certificates) will be required at a later date for the formalization of the contract agreement.
- Romain Ligneul
- Mathilde Bonnefond
- Jérémie Mattout
Fixed term contract of 2 years, with possible extension through other sources of funding.
Starting date between June 1st and October 30th 2023.
Remuneration according to the current grid (month gross salary ranging from 2895.6€ to 4257.4€ depending on experience).
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and a CV including at least two references to romain.ligneul@inserm.fr with the subject line “ATIP-AVENIR-2023 Application”.