A post-doctoral position is available immediately in the area of neural imaging and behavior in the Quantitative Neurotechnology Lab at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) with Dr. Dirk Albrecht.
We seek outstanding candidates with a neuroscience and/or microscopy background and an enthusiasm for asking exciting questions about brain function and neuronal signaling using cutting-edge technologies. This project will use and advance newly-developed methods for multi-neural imaging using “light-sheet” or selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) compatible with microfluidic and optogenetic stimulation. Examples include investigating: (1) sources and mechanisms of behavioral variability, attention, and decision making; (2) neural response changes during long state transitions (e.g. learning, quiescence); and (3) dynamic activity patterns arising from targeted neural activation.
The Albrecht lab is a part of the Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at WPI in Worcester, MA, right in the heart of Massachusetts. We are located in a biotechnology hub close to many universities, biotech startups, and an hour from nearby Cambridge & Boston (~35 mi). We are currently completing a move to fully-renovated lab space with custom microscopy and microfabrication rooms. The lab has access to a full range of WPI and U Mass Medical School (UMMS) facilities for the project, including automated systems for behavioral and neural recording, worm sorting, and robotic drug screening, cleanrooms for microfluidics, and dedicated facilities for nematode culture, microinjection, genetics, and molecular biology. For more information, please visit our lab website at: wp.wpi.edu/qntl
The postdoc will join a large and vibrant community of neurobiologists, microscopists, and engineers, and interface with our project collaborators at WPI, UMMS, Yale and NIH. Further opportunities for mentoring and networking exist across the metro area, including training at the Marine Biological Lab at Woods Hole, MA for candidates beginning by July 2017.
Funding is currently available for a two-year period, with the opportunity to extend into subsequent years. A doctoral degree in biology, biomedical engineering, or related field is required. Prior experience with microscopy and neuroimaging (in any organism), or C. elegans genetics and molecular biology is preferred. Please send a CV, a cover letter with past achievements and research interests, and contact information for at least two references to: dalbrecht@wpi.edu
Dirk Albrecht
Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biology & Biotechnology
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA