Upper Midwest HERC

The Translational NeuroEngineering Laboratory (TNEL) in the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry has an NIH-funded opening for a post-PhD scholar at the intersection of neuroscience, brain stimulation, and behavior. Our laboratory develops technologies to understand and reverse the circuit impairments that cause mental illness, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, and addictions. More information about our work is at http://www.tnelab.org/ . 

Job Duties/Responsibilities: 

The job duties (100%) in this project involve measuring and manipulating the activity of cortico-striato-thalamic circuits involved in complex decision-making, and specifically in governing the balance between flexible and rigid decision styles. Tools to be employed (and on which we can train you) include: 

â¢Novel high density probes for recording across multiple cortical/ striatal circuits 
â¢Optogenetic and electrical real-time perturbations, including interventions directly related to clinical deep brain stimulation. 
â¢Parametric computational modeling of behavior to identify the underlying circuit computations. Current projects in our laboratory emphasize task-structured behavior assays, including set shifting, reversal learning, conflict-related decisions, and foraging. 

The work has direct relevance to new treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and depression, among other illnesses. 

 

Required Qualifications: 

â¢A doctoral degree in a relevant field. "Relevant" is very broad. Scholars from neuroscience, biomedical engineering, psychology, physics, computer science, and many other disciplines have thrived in our team. 
â¢A strong command of and interest in decision science and/or cognitive neuroscience, evidenced by prior research in this general area published in strong journals. 
â¢Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Much of our work requires explaining complex technical concepts to non-domain-experts. 
â¢Substantial (and documented/proven) capability for independent work, problem-solving, and initiative-taking. 
â¢Interpersonal skills appropriate for collaboration in a very multidisciplinary and highly diverse environment. 

Preferred Qualifications: 
â¢Prior experience in either electrophysiology or optical stimulating/recording methods. â¢Experience working with awake, behaving rodents is essential, which could include work using pharmacologic manipulations. 
â¢Prior experience in highly multi-channel electrophysiology 
â¢Any prior work in mathematical models of decision-making 
â¢Prior work with psychiatric patient populations or the biological mechanisms of mental illness

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Connections working at University of Minnesota Twin Cities