Research Associate at the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology

Job id: 088287. Salary: £43,205 - £50,585 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 07 May 2024. Closing date: 04 June 2024.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Developmental Neurobiology.

Contact details:Dimitar Kostadinov. [email protected]

Location: Guy's Campus. Category: Research.

We are seeking two highly motivated postdoctoral researchers to join the Kostadinov Lab to investigate how the cerebellum collaborates with the forebrain in the execution of both sensorimotor and cognitive behaviours.  

Successful applicants should have a PhD in Neuroscience or a related subject (candidates who have submitted their thesis are also encouraged to apply). They will lead a research program aiming to map the organizational logic of connections between the cerebellum and motor regions of the neocortex and basal ganglia, uncover shared activity patterns in these long-range circuits, and define causal contributions of the cerebellar activity patterns and wiring to computations in partner regions and to behaviour. Expertise in rodent behavioural training, electrophysiology or calcium imaging, optogenetics, and analysis of neurophysiological data are desirable.  

As some of the founding members of Kostadinov laboratory, the successful candidate will have to opportunity to be intimately involved in the design, execution, and analysis of the research project. They will also receive regular career mentorship and advice from the lab’s supervisor. The applicant will also have the opportunity to collaborate with and mentor PhD students working in the lab, and they will present their findings at regularly at domestic and international scientific conferences. Ultimately, their findings will be published as scientific papers in high-quality research journals. 

These posts will be offered on full-time, fixed-term contract for 24 months.

• Assist in building instrumentation to measure the behaviour and neural activity of awake behaving mice
• Train mice to execute behavioural tasks
• Perform imaging, electrophysiology, and perturbation experiments in behaving animals
• Analyze behavioural and neurophysiological data to understand how the cerebellum and forebrain regions communicate during behavioural execution
• Facilitate a vibrant, supportive, and rigorous research environment by providing support, mentorship, and constructive suggestions to other members of the laboratory
• Maintain detailed records of experimental data and analysis
• Present their work to lab members, the Centre, and at scientific meetings
• Communicate research findings in the form of scientific pre-prints and peer-reviewed papers.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria

1.       PhD in neuroscience or related subjects (including quantitative sciences such as engineering, mathematics, or physics). Candidates who have submitted their thesis are also encouraged to apply.

2.       A track record of writing and publishing scientific articles (including pre-prints).

3.       Strong communication skills and passion to disseminate research findings.

4.       A willingness to problem-solve and execute experiments and analysis independently.

5.       An ability to work collaboratively as part of a research team and share expertise with fellow researchers.

6.       A commitment to creating an engaging and supportive research environment.

Desirable criteria

1.       Experience with behavioural neuroscience techniques in rodents.

2.       Experience with recording, manipulating, and/or analyzing neurophysiological signals (e.g. calcium imaging, extracellular probes, patch-clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics).

3.       Experience with building or modifying instrumentation for neuroscience research (e.g. optical microscopes).

4.       Experience of immunofluorescence and fluorescent imaging systems.

5.       Strong programming skills in Python or Matlab.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

This post is subject to an Occupational Health clearance.