We are happy to announce two postdoc openings in the group of Dr. Demian Battaglia, within the newly created Functional System Dynamics team at University of Strasbourg. The recruited postdocs will work as well in close collaboration with Dr. Romain Goutagny in Strasbourg and Dr. Viktor Jirsa at the Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Marseille.
Both positions will focus on investigating the link between dynamics of large-scale functional connectivity and cognition: first, by assessing that the maintenance of a structured and fluid dynamics of Functional Connectivity is a predictor of cognitive performance and of its resilience despite progressing neurodegeneration; second by showing that interventions aiming at restoring "healthy" brain dynamics can rescue cognitive performance. POSITION START: as early as possible (ideally, before April 2024) POSTDOC DURATION: 24 months - TWO POSITIONS AVAILABLE Specifically the first position will delve with the study of dynamic Functional Connectivity variations and their correlation with variations of cognitive performance in longitudinal studies of aging and Alzheimer's disease cohorts (human resting state fMRI, physiological markers, cognitive profiling...). The second position will delve with the characterization of the effects of non-invasive visual gamma flickering stimulation (vGENUS) on electrophysiological activity in AD mutant mice and the modelling of the mechanisms behind these effects via virtual mouse mean-field whole-brain simulations. We are seeking for candidates, with previous experience in computational neuroscience or computer science, physics or mathematics training with strong motivation to transit toward neuroscience. Previous experience with whole-brain modelling or dynamic functional connectivity analyses would be a plus, although not strictly required. Interested candidates could have hybrid data analysis/computational modelling projects. We expect fluent programming skills (e.g., Python, C/C++, Matlab), good communication skills in English (oral and written), the ability to work well in an international team, curiosity and open-mindedness (more than applying existing methods, we tend to forge original ones, shaped by the specific scientific questions we work on). The candidate will integrate the Functional System Dynamics team (FunSy, https://funsyteam.org) at University of Strasbourg, which is a mixed theoretical and experimental group focusing on the functional roles of multi-scale system's level dynamics. FunSy research aims at linking dynamics to information processing, behavior and cognition in the healthy and pathological brain, exploring projects in rodent, non-human primate or human neuroscience as well as pure theory. The present postdoc openings are funded by the Foundation "Vaincre Alzheimer" and the French National Priority Research Investment Program "PEPR Digital Health". Strict interactions are to be expected with other partners in this initiative ("Brain Health Trajectories"), with frequent visits at Viktor Jirsa's lab at Aix-Marseille University, or other researchers at Neurospin in Saclay (Paris South) or Grenoble. Strasbourg University is home of an emergent and active community in neuroscience, from molecules and cells to whole brain imaging and behavior, in relation with clinics. The proximity with Germany and Switzerland is an asset allowing interactions with transnational computational neuroscience centers. Strasbourg, one of European Union's capitals, is a fascinating city with a rich student and cultural life, well connected via high-speed train to important European cities (e.g. less than two hours from Paris) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: December 24th 2023 Please send your application, including CV, motivation letter and representative publications (preprints accepted) electronically to Dr. Demian Battaglia. In addition, contacts of at least two academic references must be communicated (contact email or recommendation letter attachments). Pre-selected candidates will be interviewed over Zoom or invited to give a talk if possible. We wish to promote the recruitment of strong candidates from minority groups in STEM research. Feel free to inquire for additional requests of information. CONTACT: Demian Battaglia ([email protected] or [email protected])
