The Translational NeuroEngineering Laboratory (TNEL) in the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry has an opening for a post-PhD scholars at the intersection of neuroscience, brain stimulation, and behavior. Our laboratory develops technologies to reverse the circuit impairments that cause mental illness, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, and addictions. More information about our work is at http://www.tnelab.org/ .

The job duties (100%) in this project involve measuring and manipulating the activity of cortico-striatal circuits involved in complex decision-making, and specifically in governing the balance between flexible and rigid decision styles. Tools to be employed (and on which we can train you) include:

• Novel silicon probes (Neuropixels, UCLA, maybe NeuroNexus) for recording hundreds of simultaneous channels across the striatal circuitry
• Optogenetic and electrical real-time perturbations, including interventions directly related to clinical deep brain stimulation.
• Innovative behavioral assays and parametric computational modeling of behavior to identify the underlying circuit computations.

The work has direct relevance to new treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and depression, among other illnesses.

The majority of this position’s work will be with animals (rats), but we are a translational lab that also does human/clinical work, and you may be involved in preliminary human translation if that is of interest. Depending on your interests, there may also be opportunities/exposure to:

• Medical device development and commercialization
• Neural simulation and modeling paradigms
• The clinical neurobiology of mental illness

The emphasis of this role will be preparing you to be successful in the future as an independent researcher and planning to move on after about 3-4 years. There would be a strong emphasis on submitting competitive applications for fellowships and other grants on the pathway to independence.

This position is open to researchers of any nationality. We will happily sponsor a visa, but please tell us up front about your needs and current status.

We are similarly very interested in hearing from researchers from non-traditional or underrepresented backgrounds, and who may not have had all of the exposures/training mentioned above, but who are eager to learn and willing to work hard to master new skills. The UMN neuroscience community is committed to reversing historical inequities, and you will find a welcoming and supportive community here.

You must have:

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field. "Relevant" is very broad. Scholars from neuroscience, biomedical engineering, psychology, physics, computer science, and many other disciplines have thrived in our team.
• A strong command of and interest in decision science, evidenced by prior research in this general area.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Much of our work requires explaining complex technical concepts to non-domain-experts.
• Substantial (and documented/proven) capability for independent work, problem-solving, and initiative-taking.
• Interpersonal skills appropriate for collaboration in a very multidisciplinary and highly diverse environment.

It will be helpful (and we will give your application priority) if you have:

• Prior experimental work in animal or human neuroscience, especially electrophysiology in any species
• Any prior work in mathematical models of decision-making
• Prior work with psychiatric patient populations or the biological mechanisms of mental illness
• Skills with electronics or computer hardware, whether design or repair
• Experience with brain-computer interfaces and/or brain decoding paradigms

Performing the job duties will require:

• Standing or sitting for extended periods
• Performing fine motor tasks under visual guidance
• Independent analysis and interpretation of technical data
• Complex technical communication in the English language
• Professional interactions with a diverse body of colleagues and research participants
• Acquisition and maintenance of all necessary requirements (e.g., background checks, immunizations, institutional trainings) for work with animal subjects, particularly outbred rats.

About University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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