A funded PhD position "Neural basis for motivation and perseverence in behavior” is available in the group of Julijana Gjorgjieva, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (Frankfurt, Germany) and the Technical University of Munich (Munich, Germany). We will also consider strong postdoctoral applicants. Recommended application deadline: February 15, 2017. Applicants will be considered until the position is filled. The project is a collaboration with the experimental lab of Ilona Grunwald Kadow (Technical University of Munich) who studies the neural circuits underlying sensory processing and decision making in Drosophila. We are two young and highly-driven labs with many interesting ideas and synergistic interactions. Have you ever wondered how you came to like the taste of coffee? If you don’t like blue cheese, would you still consider eating some if you were very hungry? We want to understand how behavior changes in response to different sensory experiences and how they are imprinted as memories. The project aims to uncover circuit principles and behavioral readouts of motivation and persistence in the presence of diverse stimuli of different valences (appetitive of aversive) and as a function of internal state (e.g. hunger). To achieve this, we use a combination of theory, computational modeling and cutting-edge experiments. Applicants should have strong quantitative background (in mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, or related fields), some experience in programming and data analysis, and a desire to develop cutting-edge experimental techniques. Previous background in behavioral analysis is a plus! The position offers the possibility to live in two of the most exciting cities in Germany and Europe. It will be based at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, with frequent visits to the Technical University of Munich in Munich. The position also offers the possibility of behavioral analysis and in vivo multiphoton imaging experiments to be performed in the collaborating Grunwald Kadow lab: http://www.neuro.wzw.tum.de To apply, please email the following: 1. A curriculum vitae 2. A motivation letter (if a PhD student) or a description of research interests (if a postdoc). Please explain your scientific interests, what are you strengths when working on a problem, why us? 3. Contact details for 2-3 referees 4. A written sample of scientific research, e.g. a manuscript, thesis, or code Please feel free to contact us with informal enquiries: gjorgjieva@brain.mpg.de http://www.cns.wzw.tum.de ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Research Group Leader Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Max-von-Laue-Str. 4, Frankfurt Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich, WZW Freising office: +49 69 850033 3600 http://cns.wzw.tum.de