"Research Assistant | Laboratory of Neural Systems"

Our visual perception of the outer world is the creation of active brain processes that structure and select the information provided by the eyes. The Laboratory of Neural Systems is interested in the neural processes that form object representations as well as those that allow attention to make those representations available for cognition. Our laboratory aims to understand the inner workings of this system, from the level of individual cells to the interactions of brain areas, in order to answer questions such as: How does face selectivity emerge in a single cell? How is information transformed from one face patch to another? What is the contribution of each face patch to different face recognition abilities, like the recognition of a friend or a smile? How do the different face patches interact in different tasks? And how is information extracted from a patch when a perceptual decision is made?

The Laboratory of Neural Systems is seeking a highly motivated research assistant (RA) with an excellent academic background to work on a cutting-edge neuroscience project at the interface of vision, face perception and social cognition. Through a seemingly effortless process, the brain makes sense of an extremely complex visual world, relying on stored memories and experiences. While it is known that the neural systems for vision and cognition are recurrently connected, how these systems process information together to support perception and understanding remains unknown. Using the face processing system as a model, this NIH-funded project seeks to understand the coordination and information processing between the prefrontal and ventral cortical regions. Under the supervision of a postdoctoral fellow (Dr. Ryan Morrill), the RA will learn and employ state-of-the-art techniques in electrophysiology and optical multiphoton imaging to record neural activity, and then use computational analysis and neural network modeling techniques to uncover patterns in these large datasets. The RA will, under proper guidance, present results at scientific meetings, and is expected to co-author a scientific paper. The RA will develop skills in systems neuroscience, animal behavior and computational modeling, and will be in a great position to enter and succeed in a variety of excellent biomedical graduate programs. The ideal candidate would commit to 2 years in the lab.

Responsibilities include: Running NHP multiphoton optical brain imaging recording studies; Analyzing and computational modeling of physiology and imaging data; Performing various NHP care tasks; Presenting and writing up results in lab and scientific meetings; Performing related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree required; Experience with functional optical imaging techniques (e.g. 2-photon imaging) in any model organism; Curiosity and eagerness to learn; Clear communication, organization and people skills; Excellent work ethic and attention to detail; Previous work with mammalian model organisms in a laboratory setting. Preferred: Experience with animal behavior and/or electrophysiology or motivation to learn; Basic knowledge of programming (e.g. Python or MATLAB) or strong motivation to learn.