PhD student Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology

The goal of this interdisciplinary project is to generate accessible in vitro experimental models to allow visualisation of neuronal circuits with molecular precision. The PhD candidate will reconstitute complete neuronal networks from mouse primary cell cultures and human brain organoids and obtain high-resolution information on changes in network architecture and function using a multi-scale, multi-modal approach, including molecular and cellular biophysics, light and electron microscopy and electrophysiology measurements. The project consists of two parts, where first neuronal connectivity in complete networks will be mapped, and then underlying molecular mechanisms will be identified.

Concretely, the PhD student will start with establishing mouse neuronal networks from different brain regions (hippocampus, cerebellum) and mouse models (CAMK2, mTOR, SORCS2, TDP43) using high-content confocal microscopy and then apply that knowledge to neuronal network formation in brain organoids from patients suffering from neurological disorders. During the final phase of the PhD trajectory, the PhD student will zoom in on one of the mouse/human neuronal network models to unravel the molecular underpinnings of the disease.

This project is part of the Convergence program Integrative Neuromedicine, a large-scale collaborative effort from Erasmus University, Erasmus Medical Center and Delft University of Technology to develop integrated biological and computational models of the human brain. The PhD student will be part of the Meijer lab, while the project will be carried out in a tight collaboration with the Erasmus Medical Center.

The Meijer lab consists of an international, growing team of multidisciplinary scientists. We aim for a high impact, supportive environment, where talented people work together to solve quantitative questions in neuroscience. See also our group website www.dimphnameijerlab.org .