Postdoc Position: Synaptic Specificity in Cortical and Thalamocortical Circuits

Postdoc Position: Synaptic Specificity in Cortical and Thalamocortical Circuits

VIB

Leuven, Belgium

Description

This is a collaborative international project with the laboratory of Anthony Holtmaat (University of Geneva, Switzerland), funded by the Weave cross-European initiative. The project is at the interface of the expertise of the De Wit lab (molecular mechanisms of synaptic connectivity) and the Holtmaat lab (synaptic integration of sensory input and context in cortical circuits).

The project will unravel molecular mechanisms of synaptic specificity in cortical and thalamocortical circuits. Our recent work has shown that higher-order thalamocortical inputs and cortical inputs to pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex display striking differences in their synaptic properties, even when intermingled on the same cortical dendrite. This project will explore the molecular mechanisms that mediate this specificity and test how these regulate structure and function of higher-order thalamocortical inputs in cortical circuits. The applicant will use various technologies, including super-resolution imaging, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, viral vectors, conditional knockout mice, optogenetics, and in vivo imaging.

Your profile

We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic, critical, and creative individual to join our team.

The successful candidate:

• Holds a PhD in neuroscience
• Has at least one first-author research publication in a peer-reviewed international journal
• Has expertise in molecular and cellular biology and mouse neurobiology
• Is enthusiastic to drive an ambitious project that bridges the molecular and circuit levels
• Is motivated to work on a collaborative international project and is a team player

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