Postdoctoral position in Camouflage Pattern Design and Eye-Tracking Experimentation

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA

Type: RESEARCH

Position: FULL-TIME POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLAR

Description:  A position for a postdoctoral fellow in computational vision in biological systems is available to study visual camouflage in the Hanlon Lab at MBL, in collaboration with groups at UC Irvine (C. Chubb) and NTHU (C.C. Chiao) and the University of Chicago (S. Palmer and L. Osborne).  The goal of the 3-year study is to develop a generative model of successful camouflage patterning and edge design, both at rest and in motion. Camouflage patterns will be inspired by natural animal behaviors, particularly in cephalopods - octopus, cuttlefish, squid – marine fishes, and insects. 

The postdoc will be involved in the statistical analysis of natural images and artists’ camouflage designs.  Our approach is to use gaze tracking during visual search to define metrics of camouflage success and, complementarily, to measure the statistics of image features that draw human gaze.  Visual stimuli for search tasks will be taken from natural image and video databases in the Hanlon and Palmer laboratories and artworks created by students at the Rhode Island School of Design.  Human gaze tracking data will be collected and analyzed in the Osborne laboratory.  The fellow may participate in data collection from live animals and human subjects, but the primary focus will be image and gaze data analysis. 

Education and Experience:  The ideal candidate will have a background in computational analysis or computer vision, and a Ph.D. in computational biology (e.g. neuroscience, cognitive science, animal behavior), physics, computer science, or a related field.  Programming experience in MATLAB is highly desirable. Experience in image and video analysis, and programming experience in Python or C, are also desirable.  Previous experience in visual psychophysics is not required, but would be helpful. 

Environment: The Hanlon Laboratory is part of the Eugene Bell Center at the Marine Biology Laboratory. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.  Utilizing unique and highly tractable marine and aquatic model organisms, high throughput and comparative genetic approaches, novel imaging technologies and the latest advances in data-intensive computational analysis, scientists in the Bell Center, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Chicago and the Argonne National Laboratory, are providing answers to some of the most fundamental and intriguing questions in biology.

The candidate will interact closely with: (i) the team at MBL (the PI and lab personnel); (ii) faculty collaborators at University of Chicago and UC Irvine; (iii) the summer neurobiology and imaging community at MBL; and (iv) art students and faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Duration: This position is for 2.5 years.  Desired start date is 1 November 2017 or as soon thereafter as feasible.

Web link to MBL job listing: https://mbl.simplehire.com/postings/search

Questions:  Send inquiries to

Roger Hanlon  rhanlon@mbl.edu

Stephanie Palmer  sepalmer@uchicago.edu

Leslie Osborne  osborne@uchicago.edu

Application:

The application comprises a cover letter, CV, a 1-2 page description of past research experience, the contact information for 3 references.  Follow links at 

https://mbl.simplehire.com/postings/search to upload application materials.  

EEO Statement:

MBL supports individuals in reaching their full potential by offering equal employment opportunities and an environment that actively values diversity. MBL complies with all applicable laws concerning hiring and employment practices and is firmly committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination by age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, genetic predisposition, national origin, military status, race, religion, or sexual orientation. MBL requires all newly-hired staff to undergo a background check. Background checks are conducted after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted by the applicant.