The laboratories of Ilana Witten and Sebastian Seung at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute are recruiting a number of postdoctoral or more senior researchers to study the structure and function of neural circuits for reward learning and decision-making. The researchers will record the activity of neurons in striatum or VTA with calcium imaging, and then reconstruct the connectivity of the same neurons using electron microscopy (EM).
This cutting edge combination of technologies will leverage the unparalleled infrastructure of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, including the Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics (https://pni.princeton.edu/centers/bezos), as well as the only EM facility in the world with high-throughput TEM and SEM instruments. The project is part of a consortium organized by the Allen Institute for the NIH BRAIN CONNECTS program, one of the three transformative projects of the NIH BRAIN Initiative.
These full-time positions have an initial appointment of one year and possibility of renewal based on satisfactory performance.
For more information, see Witten lab publications on VTA (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1261-9) and striatum (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-022-01021-9), and Seung lab publications on combining calcium imaging and EM connectomics in visual cortex.
Essential qualifications: -Ph.D. in Neuroscience or other closely related field
Preferred qualifications: -electron microscopy, light microscopy -viral labeling, immunolabeling -stereotaxic surgery -MATLAB, Python, image analysis software (e.g. FIJI/ImageJ) -strong quantitative skills
Interested applicants must apply online and include a CV, cover letter or statement of research interests. Also include the names and contact information for at least 2 references.
The work location for this position is in-person on campus at Princeton University. This position is subject to Princeton University’s background check policy.