Job ID: 119694

Postdoctoral Fellow in Systems Neuroscience and Behavior

Position: Post-doctoral Position

Deadline: 15 September 2024

Employment Start Date: 30 October 2024

Contract Length: 2 year with possibility of extension

City: Stockholm

Country: Sweden

Institution: Karolinska Institute & SciLifeLab

Department: Neuroscience

Description:

Do you want to contribute to top-quality medical research and advance your career?

The Stagkourakis lab, located in state-of-the-art facilities at the interface of Karolinska Institute and the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Stockholm, is opening its doors in September of 2024. Recruitment for multiple postdoctoral positions is ongoing. The lab is well funded and will be integrated in a leading, highly interdisciplinary, world-class environment for neuroscience research – the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institute, and will also be part of the SciLifeLab, with access and services on cutting-edge infrastructure, high-throughput technologies, and data analytics. The aim of the lab is to contribute to a better understanding of the neural basis of prototypical behaviors, including instinctual and homeostatic behaviors, such as aggression, fear, food, and water intake. Primary experimental techniques utilized in our lab include but are not limited to: brain slice imaging and electrophysiology, silicon probe electrophysiology, miniscope and 2P microscopy, application of the diverse AAV and rabies virus systems neuroscience toolkit, and animal behavior.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their application through Varbi (https://ki.varbi.com/cn/what:job/jobID:743374/) as early as possible. For an overview of the lab and related publications to the lab’s research program see https://www.scilifelab.se/researchers/stefanos-stagkourakis/.

 

Division

The Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institute hosts 35 research groups and teams dealing with different aspects of the function of the nervous system, both under normal conditions and during different diseases: https://ki.se/en/neuro/research/group-leaders-at-the-department-of-neuroscience

SciLifeLab is a national resource of unique technologies and expertise available to life scientists, closely intertwined with the community of researchers in areas such as biomedicine, ecology and evolution. Its purpose is to bring scientists together across traditional boundaries and foster collaborations with industry, health care, public research organizations and international partners. See also: https://www.scilifelab.se/

 

Candidate’s profile

Research in our lab integrates a variety of approaches, making us open to individuals from diverse backgrounds. A foundation in quantitative fields (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computer science, physics) and experience in theoretical neuroscience or experimental techniques (e.g., high-channel density silicon probe electrophysiology in vivo or in vitro, advanced animal behavior designs and analysis, miniscope or two-photon imaging) is advantageous. Candidates are expected to demonstrate previous productivity, often by publications, but not exclusively.

Essential skills include:

  • a high degree of independence, and
  • ability to construct/maintain and use complex experimental setups, or
  • proficiency in “big” data analysis (using MATLAB or Python), or
  • expertise in theoretical neuroscience (with original publications or preprints showcasing the development of mathematical and computational models to understand neural systems by the candidate).

Candidates with demonstrated expertise in at least one, but ideally more, of the following domains are invited to apply:

  • Design of novel, custom behavioral paradigms in mice.
  • Use of hardware and (custom) software to interface and synchronize behavioral and neural recording setups.
  • Familiarity with Arduino, Bonsai, DataJoint, and/or neural data recording platforms.
  • Assembly, maintenance and use of complex electrophysiology or imaging systems.
  • Combination of behavior with large-scale neural recordings using silicon probes, miniscope, or 2P imaging.
  • Ability to explore and analyze large datasets using modern machine learning methods and a data-centered approach.
  • Experience in data-driven circuit models, biologically realistic deep learning models, abstract neural network models, and machine learning methods.
  • Previous participation in collaborative projects with computational or experimental researchers.
  • scRNA sequencing.
  • Expertise in non-traditional animal models.

 

What we provide

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institute is one of the world’s leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institute, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working in a wide range of methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top-quality education and research.

In the Stagkourakis lab, alongside comprehensive on-the-job training in scientific and technical skills, we mentor postdocs in various professional aspects, including writing research proposals and papers, analyzing and presenting data, giving talks, supervising students, and more. The greatest strength of the laboratory is its people, and we are committed to fostering a strong collaborative culture. Postdocs will also benefit from exposure to the vibrant Neuroscience community at Karolinska and will receive support of outstanding technical teams at Karolinska Institute and SciLifeLab on approaches including microscopy, RNA sequencing, bioinformatics, data science, animal husbandry, and animal behavior. They will also be supported administratively and experimentally by a lab manager.

Required academic qualifications

To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the post-doctoral education.

Location: Solna

The Stagkourakis Lab is located at Biomedicum and SciLifeLab, at the Karolinska Institute Solna Campus

  • Biomedicum, Dept. of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Solnavägen 9, 171 65 Solna
  • SciLifeLab, Gamma 5, Tomtebodavägen 23, 171 65 Solna

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

 

Application process

An application must contain the following documents in English:

  • CV, including a publication list, date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, and other academic distinctions.
  • A cover letter explaining your interest in working at our group.
  • Two or more letters of reference.

Start date for these positions is flexible and to be agreed with the PI.