Two positions (one postdoc and one research assistant/post-bac) in the laboratory of Dr. Carmen Varela (Psychology Department, Florida Atlantic University; https://www.varelalab.org/) to investigate the role of the thalamus in sleep-dependent memory consolidation.  

Keywords: behaving rodent extracellular electrophysiology, cell population dynamics, thalamic circuits, learning and memory, sleep consolidation, synaptic plasticity, mRNA translation.

Start date flexible within 2021.  

Project 1 (postdoc; 3 years with possibility of extension):  Cell population dynamics of spike activity in thalamic cells during learning and subsequent NREM sleep consolidation.

Project 2 (research assistant; 1-2 years with possibility of extension):  Synaptic changes evoked by thalamic activity during sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

***  Requirements  ***

Interested candidates please send your curriculum and a brief description of your research interests to varelac@fau.edu We are looking for team-oriented candidates, ideally with prior experience with rodent behavior and electrophysiology. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide contact information for up to three references.    

***  What you get  ***

·            Work on exciting and impactful projects to understand the contribution of higher order thalamic cells to learning and memory.

·            Develop research skills using state-of-the-art systems, molecular and computational neuroscience techniques.

·            Mentorship, supportive lab environment, in a rapidly growing neuroscience campus.

Location:  The Varela laboratory is located in FAU’s Jupiter campus, a rapidly growing neuroscience hub, which also hosts our partners the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and Scripps Research Institute.