Postdoctoral Associates

Department of Neuroscience and Medical Discovery Team on Optical Imaging and Brain Science, University of Minnesota, MN

Postdoctoral positions are available in the Integrated Circuit Neuroscience labs (icnlabs.org), which are part of the Department of Neuroscience and the Medical Discovery Team on Optical Imaging and Brain Science at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The labs will be located in the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), home to some of the most advanced MR instrumentation in the world. In addition, the Optical Imaging team will have access to state-of-the-art single- and multiphoton instruments for cellular resolution calcium and voltage imaging in behaving animals. The multipopulation voltage imaging technique, established by the ICN labs (see refs.: Kannan, Vasan et al., Nature Methods, 2018; Science, 2022) is uniquely poised to provide novel insights into the dynamics of genetically targeted neuron types in cortical and subcortical areas, during rodent behavior, at single-neuron, single-spike resolution.

The labs are funded by the Department's startup as well by multi-year NIH BRAIN Initiative grants, awarded to the PIs, that support the engineering and application of innovative optical technologies to dissect the circuit and network basis of mental experience and behavior.

Job Description:

The incoming candidate will be involved in dissecting the neural and circuit basis of rodent behavior using multipopulation voltage imaging and examine the real-time dynamic relationships between genetically targeted neuron types during attentional paradigms/virtual navigation. The candidate will be trained in cutting-edge techniques including targeted voltage and calcium imaging, targeted gene perturbation, and single-cell transcriptomics. They will participate in all aspects of the project from conception to data acquisition, analyses, and the dissemination of the work and will have multiple opportunities to train graduate and undergraduate students, collaborate with other labs, and compete for early career fellowships. 

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree in engineering or the life sciences, ideally awarded within the last 1-2 years, with a strong background in cellular, circuits, or systems neuroscience. Experience with live tissue/live animal fluorescence imaging, and/or slice electrophysiology. An excellent track record, as evidenced by first-author publications and conference presentations.  Knowledge of programming languages, such as MATLAB, for data acquisition and analyses.

Preferred Experience:

• Prior experience with stereotaxic rodent surgeries, including intracranial viral vector infusions and cranial window implantations, subcortical cannular implantations, and/or animal behavioral assays is desired. Must be self-driven and open to opportunities to initiate new studies within the realm of systems neuroscience using cutting-edge imaging techniques with advanced spatiotemporal resolution.

Please email CV, a 2-page research statement, and the contact information for 3 referees as a single PDF to Madhu Kannan, Ph.D., (mkannan@umn.edu) and Ganesh Vasan, Ph.D. (gvasan@umn.edu).  

The position includes an excellent comprehensive benefits package, including low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans, as well as paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave. For additional details, please see: https://humanresources.umn.edu/benefits.

The University of Minnesota recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. We are committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds. The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at UMN: http://diversity.umn.edu.