Postdoctoral Research Associate

Job summary

These two posts form part of an interdisciplinary collaborative research project, “Statistical Physics of Cognition” funded by the UKRI and Wellcome. The aim of the project is to understand how neuronal avalanches relate to cognition. The postholders will be part of an interdisciplinary team including theorists, experimental neuroscientists and optical physicists aiming to solve this problem. The approach taken will be to perform…

Job listing information

• Reference:  ENG02064
• Date posted: 8 March 2022
• Closing date: 30 April 2022
• Location: South Kensington Campus(map)
• Position type: Full time, fixed term
• Salary: £41,593 – £43,376 plus benefits
• Department Department of Bioengineering
• Category:  Researcher / Non Clinical Researcher

Job description

Job summary

These two posts form part of an interdisciplinary collaborative research project, “Statistical Physics of Cognition” funded by the UKRI and Wellcome. The aim of the project is to understand how neuronal avalanches relate to cognition. The postholders will be part of an interdisciplinary team including theorists, experimental neuroscientists and optical physicists aiming to solve this problem. The approach taken will be to perform large-scale neuronal imaging experiments to record the activity of thousands of neurons in the brains of mice performing cognitive tasks, to use advanced methods to analyse how distance from criticality is task-dependent, to develop models describing the role of avalanche dynamics in cognition, and to use graph theory, information theory and complexity theory to advance our understanding how large-scale network dynamics affect cognitive performance. As well as advancing our understanding of the way the brain operates, this may lead to new insights into how neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease cause degradation in cognitive function, and aid in the development of future treatments.

Duties and responsibilities

Based in the Neural Coding and Neurodegenerative Disorders Laboratory led by Prof Simon Schultz, we are seeking two postdoctoral fellows to carry out neuroscience experiments involving two-photon imaging of neural activity from thousands of neurons in behaving mice.

Applications should have research experience in either systems neuroscience or in biomedical optics. A PhD in neuroscience, physics, or a cognate discipline is essential.

Post 1 – Multiphoton optical microscopy. You will have expertise in biomedical optics, including the construction, maintenance and use of advanced optical apparatus for fluorescence imaging of neural activity, and an interest in neuroscience.

Post 2 – Optical neurophysiology. You will have expertise in systems neuroscience, including experience in performing in vivo neurophysiology experiments, and expertise in processing and analysis of neurophysiological data.

You will be based in the Neural Coding and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory led by Prof Simon Schultz and Dr Amanda Foust, in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. As well as members of the group, you will work closely with colleagues in the Department of Mathematics, including Prof Mauricio Barahona and Prof Henrik Jensen, as well as two theoretical postdoctoral fellows working as part of the collaborative project. You will also work together with external collaborators, including particularly Dr Fernando Rosas (University of Sussex) and Prof Lucilla De Arcangelis (University of Campania).

Essential requirements

You will jointly lead research aimed at understanding how neuronal avalanches and other large scale neurodynamical phenomena relate to cognition.

Post 1 – you will be responsible for installing, commissioning and maintaining a two-photon mesoscope, and using it to carry out calcium imaging experiments in behaving mice. The project will involve optimising the imaging system for detection and characterisation of phenomena such as neuronal avalanches across large area of the cerebral cortex.

Post 2 – you will be responsible for carrying out in vivo neuroimaging experiments using a two-photon microscope or two-photon mesoscope, in mice performing cognitive tasks such as a spatial working memory task. Additional responsibilities will include development of an appropriate analysis pipeline for processing the imaging data, and systematic statistical analysis of the data. Strong experience in a neurophysiological recording technique such as multiphoton microscopy is required, together with experience of programming in Python.

Both roles will require practical experience with experiments, knowledge of research methods including statistical analysis and experimental design, ability to conduct a detaile review of recent literature, ability to develop and apply new concepts, ability to organise own work with minimal supervision, ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines, and advanced computer skills. Willingnes to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative is essential.

You will have the opportunity to supervise MEng/MSc/MRes students and to be officially involved in the supervision of PhD candidates through Imperial’s “Assistant supervisor” scheme. Where desired, experiences in other teaching roles, including lecturing, will be enabled as part of the broad range of career development opportunities available for postdoctoral researchers at Imperial College.

Further information

This is a fixed term position for 34 months. Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £36,694 – £39,888 per annum.

Informal queries relating to the position should be directed to Prof Simon Schultz at s.schultz@imperial.ac.uk.

Our preferred method of application is via our website. Please click “APPLY NOW” to go through to the online application form. Should you have any queries regarding the application process please contact: Yusra Vallimohamed y.vallimohamed@imperial.ac.uk ( For technical issues when applying online please email recruitment@imperial.ac.uk Please ensure that you include the job reference number in any correspondence.

The Department of Bioengineering leads the bioengineering agenda both nationally and internationally, with its staff coming from diverse academic disciplines, including all main branches of engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and medicine, to create a rich collaborative environment. More information about staff benefits, including generous annual leave entitlements and excellent professional development opportunities, can be found here: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/job-applicants/staff-benefits/.

Documents

• Research Associate in Multiphoton Optical Microscopy – JD.pdf
• Research Associate in Optical Neurophysiology – JD.pdf

About Imperial College London

Imperial College London is the UK’s only university focussed entirely on science, engineering, medicine and business and we are consistently rated in the top 10 universities in the world.

You will find our main London campus in South Kensington, with our hospital campuses located nearby in West and North London. We also have Silwood Park in Berkshire and state-of-the-art facilities in development at our major new campus in White City.

We work in a multidisciplinary and diverse community for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle the big global challenges our complex world faces.

It’s our mission to achieve enduring excellence in all that we do for the benefit of society – and we are looking for the most talented people to help us get there.

Additional information

Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to follow the Imperial Values & Behaviours framework. Our values are: 

• Respect              
• Collaboration
• Excellence          
• Integrity
• Innovation

In addition to the above, employees are required to observe and comply with all College policies and regulations.

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Disability Confident Leader and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Please click here to apply.