PhD Student in Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

PhD Student in Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands -Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, occupies a leading position internationally in the field of research and participated in a large number of cooperation programs with universities, research institutions and businesses. Faculty have a body of about 3,000 students and 1,500 staff members, spread across eight research institutes and a number of faculty-wide support services. Most of this research was made possible by external funding from the Netherlands and international organizations and the private sector. Faculty of Science offers a Bachelor's degree programs and thirteen Master's degree program in eighteen fields of exact sciences, computer science and information studies, and life and earth sciences.

Since September 2010, all faculties have been placed in a new building in Science Park in Amsterdam. Installment of the Science Park faculty has made one of the largest academic research centers in the Netherlands.

Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is one of the largest Faculty of the institution. Its approximately 200 scientists and staff members working in 13 research groups that conduct excellent research centered on four themes: 1) your life, 2) Signaling Plant, 3) Neuroscience, and Life Technologies 4) Science.

In the research group Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (SILS Center for Neuroscience), vacancies are available for PhD student positions, for a research project which aims to establish a causal relationship between the nervous system function and cognition, by altering brain activity in rodents with optogenetic techniques, funded by the project new EU collaborative "Enlightenment".

PhD student in Neuroscience
1.0 FTE (38h per week)
vacancy number W11-205

The structure of the brain encodes and exchange of information through synchronous activation of cell assemblies. Some form of brain rhythms in the frequency of cell assembly dynamics, and coordinate their appearance in several brain regions. Dialogue between brain areas lies at the most basic cognitive functions. Multi-channel electrophysiological recordings, capturing the activity of neuronal ensembles in conjunction with the local-field potential, providing many insights into the complex mechanisms. Experiments in awake, behaving animals allow us to directly correlate the pattern of brain activity with cognition, with the level of detail affordable with non-invasive methods such as functional neuroimaging. To go beyond correlational evidence, however, and to explain the causal relationship between neural and cognitive events, it is necessary to flexibly manipulate brain activity. Optogenetic method provides a new way to disrupt neural activity in unprecedented fashion right. We're building optogenetic methodology in the laboratory, and together with our partners "Enlightenment" we are developing a new technology platform to detect patterns of neural activity in real time, with special hardware, and circuitry of the brain that disrupt optogenetically on the detection of the target pattern. PhD students will participate in developing this platform, and he / she will apply to the study of interactions between several brain structures. Specifically, the project aims to study the cortico-hippocampal interactions in memory acquisition and consolidation.

Reference
Benchenane K, Peyrache A, Khamassi M, Tierney PL, Gioanni Y, Battaglia FP, Wiener SI (2010) coherent theta oscillations and reorganization of the spike in hippocampal-prefrontal networks in learning. Neuron 66:921-936. Peyrache A, Khamassi M, Benchenane K, Wiener SI, Battaglia FP (2009) Replay of neuronal patterns associated learning rules in the prefrontal cortex during sleep. Nat Neurosci 12:919-926.

Requirements
A Master of Science degree in Neuroscience or Biophysics, or a Master of Science in Physics, (Bio) Engineering (or other quantitative discipline) and a strong motivation to pursue research in Neuroscience. Desired area of ​​expertise is systems neuroscience, and / or behavioral neurophysiology, quantitative skills, particularly in computer programming, and electronics. Demonstrated ability to work in teams and ability to work independently would be considered profit.

More information
Project information can be obtained from Dr. Francesco P. Battaglia, E-mail: fpbattaglia@uva.nl; phone +31-20-5257968

Appointment
Appointment of full-time will be on a temporary basis for a maximum period of four years (18 months plus 30 more months after a positive evaluation) and should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). Based on the promise of full-time gross monthly salary will range from € 2.042 in the first year to € 2.612 in the last year, according to the Dutch salary scale for PhD students. Collective work agreement (CAO) of Dutch universities apply.

The successful candidate will also participate in teaching in the Master program of neuroscience undergraduate program Biomedical and psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam.

Job application
Applications, quoting the number of vacancies and marked confidential (in the upper left corner of the envelope) should include a curriculum vitae. Applications should be sent to:

Dienst Personeelszaken
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica
Postbus 94 216
1090 GE Amsterdam
The Netherlands.

Applications can also be emailed to the application-science@uva.nl, bearing vacancy number in the subject line and the relevant documents as attachments.

The closing date for applications is January 1, 2012.