Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the opening of a PhD position at INMED (Aix-Marseille University) through the SCHADOC program, focused on the neural coding of social interactions and memory in the cortex of behaving mice.

The project will investigate how social behaviors essential for cooperation, mating, and group dynamics are encoded in the brain, and how these processes are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

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Project Overview

This project uses longitudinal calcium imaging and population-level data analysis to study how cortical circuits encode social interactions in mice. Recordings from mPFC and S1 in wild-type and Neurod2 KO mice will be used to extract neural representations of social memory. The candidate will develop and apply computational models of neural dynamics and representational geometry to uncover how these codes evolve over time and are disrupted in social amnesia.


Key features

 Combination of systems neuroscience, data analysis, and computational modeling

 High-density, longitudinal calcium imaging in freely behaving animals

 Strong quantitative and analytical component

 Integration in an international and interdisciplinary research environment


Supervision

 Supervisor: Dr. Lorenzo Fontolan, INMED (Aix-Marseille University)

 Co-supervisor: Dr. Antoine de Chevigny, INMED (Aix-Marseille University)

 Consultant: Leo Guignard, IBDM (Aix-Marseille University)


The ideal candidate will have a strong background in neuroscience, physics, engineering, or applied mathematics, with experience or interest in data analysiscomputational neuroscience, and systems-level brain function.

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More information here:


We would appreciate it if you could circulate this opportunity to interested students or relevant mailing lists. For any further information, feel free to get in touch.


Best regards,

Lorenzo Fontolan


Group Leader CENTURI 

Institute de Neuroscience de la Mediterranée (INMED)
Centre de Physique Théorique (CPT)
Aix-Marseille University
Campus scientifique de Luminy
13009 Marseille, France