PhD Position in Neurotechnology

We look for a talented and hardworking researcher with a passion for studying the function of the brain in motor control by computational modeling and/or closed-loop brain stimulation. The focus of this project will be on advanced versions of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), targeting multiple brain areas in an optimized way. Depending on your background, this may include neural network / neural mass modeling of large-scale brain activity during and after stimulation, tACS in healthy participants, electric field simulation, setting up a brain-computer interface for closed-loop stimulation in healthy participants, or a combination of these topics.

The successful applicant will join the Biomedical Signals and Systems group of the department of Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Twente (UT), Netherlands.

About the project:
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive technique to modulate neural activity in the human brain. While its effects on neurophysiology and behavior are typically small in size, the technique has the advantage to be very flexible in terms of application sites and time courses of the applied currents, leading to large parameter spaces for applications. To optimize tACS towards a technique of network stimulation in the human brain, we use computational modeling at the population level (neural mass models) as well as at the neuron level (neural network models), in part including plasticity. Electric fields will be estimated based on finite-element method models. Furthermore, we plan to adapt multi-site tACS in a closed-loop fashion, adjusting parameters of stimulation based on behavior or electrophysiology. The project can be adapted to your specific interests and your background.