Hello Comp-Neuro Community,

We have two Postdoctoral Fellow positions available in the lab, where we study how spinal neurons mediate motor control in mice. Next week, our lab will move from NIH to the Krembil Brain Institute at the University Health Network of the University of Toronto.

Lab Description

We focus on the spinal cord as the final point of neural control over body movement. The spinal cord contains the motoneurons that drive our muscles, the immediate premotor neurons that are the primary regulators of motoneuron activity, and the broader, as-yet-undefined networks of spinal neurons that transform sensory and descending cues into purposeful behavior. We have built extensive atlases of spinal cord cell types and we now want to understand how they act cooperatively to orchestrate movement.

Position 1

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to investigate whether, and how, cell types shape population activity and mediate specific elements of sensorimotor function. This work will bring together several powerful approaches recently developed and adapted in our lab including in vivo high density electrical recordings from the spinal cords of awake behaving mice, closed-loop optogenetics, spinal cell-type specific manipulation, quantitative behavioral tracking, and computational analysis of neural activity and behavior data (which could involve co-mentorship with an outside collaborator). There is significant opportunity to co-design and lead projects.

Position 2

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to investigate how specific spinal cord cell types and sensory elements contribute to behavior in mice. This work will also test the links between cell type identify, connectivity, and function by bringing together several powerful approaches including circuit tracing, cell-type specific manipulation, closed-loop optogenetics, and quantitative behavioral tracking. There is significant opportunity to co-design and lead projects.

Duties

• Development of all stages of research projects) in collaboration with Dr. Levine, members of the laboratory, and outside collaborators
• Experimental design, wet-lab procedures, and data analysis
• Advise and mentor of students and serve as an active member of laboratory intellectual life
• Write and contribute to grant applications
• Present research through original research publications, reviews, and talks at scientific conferences

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree (PhD) must be obtained within the previous 5 years from a recognized
• A strong publication record (including pre-prints)
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas
• Position 1: high density electrophysiology, computational neuroscience, neural circuit tracing and analysis, mouse surgery, and quantitative assessment of sensorimotor behavior
• Position 2: viral and anatomical circuit tracing, optogenetics, mouse genetics, mouse surgery, quantitative kinematic analysis, electromyography, and statistical/computational data

Applications can be submitted through the UHN SmartRecruiters portal (Position 1 and 2) or through the lab website.

Thank you for sharing with your students and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Ariel

Ariel Levine, MD, PhD

Senior Scientist

Peter Gilgan Chair in Neuroregeneration Research

Krembil Brain Institute

University Health Network

University of Toronto

www.levine-lab.org