A postdoc position is available in the lab of Marion Silies at the European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, Germany. The Silies lab (www.silieslab.com) seeks to understand how neural circuits are organized to perform behaviorally relevant computations. We use imaging, behavioral, anatomical and computational techniques to study the processing of visual information in the model organism Drosophila. The position is funded by the ERC Starting Grant “Microcircuits in the Drosophila visual system - MicroCyFly”, which will start in July 2017 and run for five years.

The postdocs to be hired will focus on one aspect of the MicroCyFly project, which revolves around the functional architecture of behaviorally relevant visual pathways. The goal is to understand how complex microcircuits perform neural computation and how individual neurons or even individual synaptic connections shape the receptive field properties of identified cell types and contribute to downstream circuit function and behavior. Depending on the project, we are going to combine a variety of techniques, including in vivo two photon imaging, behavioral analysis, Drosophila genetics, molecular biology and computational modeling.

What will be expected of the applicants?
- PhD in neuroscience, biology, physics, engineering, computer science or equivalent
- Strong motivation to perform neuroscience research
- Experience with imaging, electrophysiology, Drosophila genetics, behavior, or computational analyses and computer programming are a plus
- Ability to integrate into a team
- Ability to think independently and advance the project by developing ideas for experiments and analyses

The position is for 2 years initially with the possibility for renewal. Applications will be considered until May 20th, or until the position is filled. Please send your application to Marion Silies ([email protected]), including a CV as well as names and contact details of at least two references. Please make sure to include a statement of why this project interests you and how you think you could contribute, based on your scientific background.

The European Neuroscience Institute belongs to the University Medical Center Goettingen which is a tertiary care center. Its 7,400 employees work in over 65 departments and facilities to provide top-quality patient care, excellent research and modern teaching facilities. UMG is an equal opportunity employer and strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination. Women are especially encouraged to apply. 
 
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Dr. Marion Silies
European Neuroscience Institute
Research Group ‘Visual Processing’
University Medical Center Goettingen
Grisebachstr. 5, 37077 Goettingen
Tel. +49 (0)551 39-13905
[email protected]
www.silieslab.com