A postdoctoral position that combines experimental & theoretical investigation of neural networks (see position description below) is available jointly between the laboratories of Drs. Mark Goldman and Kim McAllister at the University of California at Davis.  UC Davis is a top-ten public research university (US News & World Report) located 1 hour east from the San Francisco Bay Area and 20 minutes from the state capital of Sacramento.  Candidates are expected to have training in both performing experiments and background in an analytically rigorous discipline such as computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. 
     Interested candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and contact information for three references to: Mark Goldman, msgoldman@ucdavis.edu and Kim McAllister, kmcallister@ucdavis.edu.

Development, dynamics, and plasticity of neural networks:  We are seeking to understand the learning rules underlying development and learning in neural networks.  We will use cutting-edge technology in patterned substrates, optogenetics, and uncaging in a novel long-term imaging assay for synapse dynamics that allows recording and single synapse or single cell manipulation of neuronal and network activity.  These cultured networks will be used to directly test central tenets of Hebbian, spike-timing dependent, and homeostatic learning.  The applicant will perform these imaging experiments as well as apply theoretical models to better understand and predict experimental findings.