cortical circuits group

Ranson lab

01/02/2023 - Fully funded post-doc position

We invite applications for a fully funded 3-year EU postdoctoral position to commence in early 2023. The applicant will participate in two projects studying plasticity and computation in cortical sensory circuits in vivo in rodents. The first is a collaborative translational project testing a novel approach to promote recovery of cortical tissue following stroke. The second line of research will be co-developed with the candidate and project advisors (Adam Ranson https://www.ransonlab.net and Jaime de la Rocha https://braincircuitsbehavior.org) and will be related to the contribution of cortical activity during sleep to promoting learning and memory.

The project will use state-of-the-art in vivo brain imaging (multi-photon microscopy/calcium imaging), optogenetic and computational approaches to measure, perturb and analyse neural circuits in awake behaving mice at cellular resolution at the scale of thousands of individual neurons. We welcome applicants from a range of computational and experimental backgrounds, please get in touch if you are unsure of your suitability. Experience would be valued in:

Please apply with a CV, letter of motivation (max 1 page) including any specific lines of research you are interested in pursuing, two letters of recommendation (from someone you have previously worked with) or two references who can be contacted.

The position requires a high level of English fluency and a relevant PhD qualification. You will be based between the UIC Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona Institute of Neurosciences (https://inc.uab.cat/en).

More details of our research can be found at https://www.ransonlab.net and https://braincircuitsbehavior.org.


31/05/2021 - Fully funded PhD Studentship 

We are seeking a candidate for a 3 year PhD studentship in Computational and Systems Neuroscience (October 2021 start date). The PhD project will be a collaboration between the groups of Adam Ranson (UIC/UAB) and William Connelly (University of Tasmania) and will study questions related to how visual information is encoded in the sensory cortex, and how encoding is altered in conditions such as psychosis in which hallucinations are a prominent feature. The project will be based around an approach of using artificial neural networks to learn the mapping between the activity of large populations of neurons in the visual cortex and sensory inputs, such that non-sensory driven activity can be subsequently decoded. The analysis will make use of large scale in vivo recordings (>10,000 simultaneously recorded neurons) from rodent sensory cortex collected within the lab in behaving animals.

The project would suit candidates from a range of backgrounds, but those with experience in computational methods/data science/machine learning (in particular deep neural networks) are strongly encouraged to apply even if they lack experience in biology/neuroscience.

More information on the research interests of the lab can be found here:

https://www.ransonlab.net/research-topics

Details of the studentships can be found here:

https://careers.talentclue.com/en/node/73202586/12623479

Please direct enquiries in English to:

aranson@uic.es with cc to William.Connelly@utas.edu.au

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/645289


18/09/2020 - Fully funded PhD Studentship and 2 Year Research Assistant Positions in cortical circuit neurobiology

We invite applications for a fully funded PhD studentship (start date depends on exact date of call being opened, but 2021) and a 2 Year Research Assistant Position (to commence in late 2020 - early 2021), both. Both positions will be incorporated into a recently funded project studying the development and in vivo function of sensory brain circuits. The project aims to understand the formation and processing operations of cortical sensory brain circuits which integrate incoming sensory data from the retina with internal signals such as prediction and attention. As well as the normal function and assembly of these circuits, was have an interest in how they may misassemble and malfunction in conditions such as amblyopia (a developmental disorder of the visual system) and psychosis in schizophrenia.

The candidates will be trained in the use state-of-the-art in vivo brain imaging, optogenetic and virtual reality approaches to measure and perturb neural circuits in awake behaving mice at cellular resolution at the scale of thousands of individual neurons. 

For the PhD studentship a number of lines are research are possible and the precise project will be agreed in discussion with the candidate. We welcome applicants with an interest in experimental systems neuroscience from a range of computational and experimental backgrounds to please get in touch if you are unsure of your suitability. To apply please write to adam@ransonlab.net with a CV, letter of motivation (max 1 page) including any specific lines of research you would to pursue, and if possible a letter of recommendation (from someone you have previously worked with) or if not a reference who can be contacted.

For the Research Assistant position responsibilities will include daily running of in vivo experimental procedures, mouse colony management and laboratory administrative management. To apply please write to adam@ransonlab.net with a CV, and if possible a letter of recommendation (from someone you have previously worked with) or if not a reference who can be contacted.

Both positions require a high level of English fluency and a relevant Masters qualification. 


06/09/2019

We have a postdoctoral position available from 1st Jan 2020 for 4 years. Candidates with a background in experimental or computational neuroscience are encouraged to apply. The project will involve a mixture of experimental work (state of the art in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in awake behaving mice) and data analysis (preferably in the Matlab programming environment). The precise aims of the project are somewhat flexible and will be decided in discussion with the candidate but should be loosely aligned with the interests of the lab (https://www.ransonlab.net/research-topics). The role also involves a teaching commitment which will be adjusted to the areas of knowledge of the candidate and so the position would particularly suit an individual seeking both teaching and research experience. Experimental work will be carried out at the PI's lab in the Institute of Neuroscience at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (https://inc.uab.cat/en) and teaching at the Sant Cugat campus of the International University of Cataluña (https://www.uic.es/en).

Desirable characteristics/experience

Salary: 27.273€ 

In order to apply please send the following as as one pdf to adam@ransonlab.net: 

1) CV 

2) Publication list

3) Letter of motivation (max 1 page) including any specific lines of research you would to pursue

4) One letter of recommendation (e.g. from the PhD or Postdoc supervisor)