Job ID: 121887

PhD position: Brainstem control of locomotion in mice

Position: Ph.D. Student

Deadline: 30 April 2025

Employment Start Date: 1 September 2025

Contract Length: 4 years

City: Sherbrooke

Country: Canada

Institution: Université de Sherbrooke

Department: Pharmacology-Physiology

Description:

PROJECT: The locomotor role of dopaminergic cells is classically attributed to their ascending projections to the basal ganglia that project to brainstem locomotor circuits that controls locomotion. However, descending dopaminergic projections to brainstem locomotor circuits were uncovered (Ryczko et al. PNAS 2013, PNAS 2016, J Neurosci 2017, J Neurosci 2020, Juarez Tello et al. Cell Reports 2024). In lamprey, these descending projections increase locomotor activity. In mammals, their role is just starting to be studied.

The student will address this issue in mice using in vivo optogenetics and chemogenetics, movement analysis, patch-clamp electrophysiology and calcium imaging, viral injections and neuroanatomy. The new knowledge will provide a better understanding of the relation between dopaminergic and locomotor neurons and help identify new clinical strategies to improve locomotor function in Parkinson’s disease.

REQUIREMENTS: The candidate should have completed a MSc in neuroscience or a close field. The ideal candidate would have experience in patch-clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics or calcium imaging, in vivo optogenetics or chemogenetics, virus injections, matlab or python scripting, and a keen interest in motor control.

HOST LABORATORY: Pr. Ryczko has expertise in the neural control of locomotion and has published his research in excellent journals (PNAS, Science, Cell Reports, Science Robotics…). The lab receives grant support by the CIHR, NSERC, FRQS, CFI and ERC. We are equipped for optogenetics, viral injections, patch-clamp recordings, confocal and two photon calcium imaging, high-resolution movement analysis based on deep learning, and microscopy (confocal, light-sheet, two-photon, STED).

APPLY: Candidates should send a letter of interest, a CV, a complete record of their academic results and three references at: dimitri.ryczko@usherbrooke.ca. Please specify where you found the job post.