The newly formed research group of Dr. Wilten Nicola, at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary invites applications for talented PhD and postdoctoral researchers commencing in the fall of 2019 or Winter of 2020.
The Nicola lab is focused on the interplay between network connectivity, and dynamics in populations of spiking neurons.. We attack this problem using two general approaches:
Bottom Up: Given a set of synaptic weights, what dynamics or phenomenon emerge in a network of neurons coupled by these weights? Potential methods: Fokker-Planck systems, Mean-field approaches, Wilson-Cowan modelling.
Top Down: Given a desired dynamical system that a network should display, how should the individual neurons be coupled together such that the network displays these dynamics? Potential methods: Inverse Problem Theory and Machine Learning approaches to training Recurrent Neural Networks.
PhD Requirements: An undergraduate/masters degree in Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Engineering, or other quantitative fields with a strong interest in neuroscience, or machine learning.
Postdoctoral Requirements: A PhD in applied/pure mathematics, computational neuroscience, physics, or related quantitative fields.
As part of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, an eagerness to collaborate with experimental researchers in the department is a must! Examples include Jaideep Bains, Cam Teskey, Stephanie Borgland, and Jonathan Epp.
Calgary, Canada’s fastest growing major city, is vibrant and multicultural with a population of more than 1,000,000. Situated near the Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park and Lake Louise, Calgary offers great quality of life and outstanding recreational activities.
Interested candidates for the positions should submit, via email, a curriculum vitae, and a summary of research interests. PhD candidates should also submit undergraduate/masters transcripts. Postdoctoral candidates should submit reprints of (up to) their three most relevant publications by August 15th. Submit directly to
Dr Wilten Nicola
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary
Foothills Medical Center
1403 29th Street NW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 2T9
Email: nicolacompneurolab@gmail.com
Applications will be considered until all positions are filled.