Job ID: 111834
Functional connectomics of neuropeptide signaling networks
Position: Post-doctoral Position
Deadline: 5 July 2023
City: Leuven
Country: Belgium
Institution: KU Leuven
Department:
Description:
The research group of Prof. Isabel Beets at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) has a position available for a postdoctoral researcher (up to 3 years, ERC-funded), to investigate the functional organization and plasticity of neuropeptide signaling networks. Are you fascinated by how neuromodulators enable behavioral flexibility, and motivated to learn new techniques and work in a dynamic research environment? Apply for this postdoctoral position supported by ERC.
Who we are
The Beets lab is part of the Leuven Brain Institute and located at the Biology Department of KU Leuven in Belgium. We are an enthusiastic and dedicated team of PhD students, postdocs and research technicians interested in the fundamental mechanisms that allow for behavioral flexibility. We aim to understand how the extensive network of neuromodulators, such as neuropeptides, regulate behavior based on experience.
Our goal is to understand fundamental operating principles of the broad and “wireless” neuropeptide signaling network. To achieve such a reductionist understanding of neuromodulation, we are using the compact nervous system of the genetically tractable model C. elegans, whose synaptic connectome has been completely mapped. Using reverse pharmacology, we have also mapped the neuropeptide signaling network in the C. elegans nervous system (Beets et al., biorxiv, 2022; Ripoll-Sánchez et al., biorxiv, 2022). This first neuron-level map of an animal’s neuropeptide connectome provides a unique, integrative framework for studying peptidergic modulation of behavior. Current projects in the lab – supported by ERC, NIH, Research Foundation Flanders, and the Baillet Latour Fund – focus on decoding how neuropeptide signaling networks regulate behavioral plasticity, learning and memory. We apply a broad range of techniques, including optogenetics, calcium imaging, tracking-based behavioral analysis, cell-type specific RNA-seq, receptor deorphanization and molecular genetics to understand how, when and where neuromodulators act to control behavioral states. We are also developing neuropeptide sensors that allow visualizing peptidergic signaling in vivo.
The Beets lab is an international, collaborative team embedded in an interactive research environment. We closely interact with neurobiology and C. elegans teams (Schafer-Schoofs-Temmerman-Beets) in our Department, within the Leuven Brain Institute and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK), and collaborate with leading neuroscience institutes worldwide.
Lab website: https://bio.kuleuven.be/df/ib
Your profile and responsibilities
We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher who has a strong interest in understanding principles of neuromodulation and neural mechanisms driving flexibility of behavior. Your project will build on recent developments in the lab that have comprehensively mapped neuropeptide signaling networks and permit monitoring their activity and regulation in C. elegans. We are keen to further understand how peptidergic circuits change with experience and act combinatorially to set behavioral states. We seek a postdoctoral candidate interested in building a conceptual modulatory framework for stress-induced behavioral states, by working with and further developing our in-house neuropeptide sensors and other functional circuit readouts.
As a postdoctoral team member you will have the opportunity to expand your expertise in a variety of rapidly evolving skills and technologies. These include C. elegans genetics, in vivo imaging of neuropeptide signaling and neural activity, cell-type specific RNA-sequencing, peptide receptor deorphanization, and behavioral tracking. You will work in an international and interactive research environment.
This position situates within our lab’s ERC project. Both experimentalists and postdoctoral researchers aiming to combine experimental work with computational network analysis are encouraged to apply.
Requirements and skills we are looking for
- (Expected) PhD degree in Neuroscience, Biology, Biochemistry or related field required
- Neuroscience background or strong motivation to obtain the relevant understanding during the postdoc
- Experience with neural imaging (processing), genetically-encoded biosensors, or elegans neurobiology is preferred but not required
- Ability to plan and coordinate your work independently
- Collaborative, creative and driven
- Open and active communicator, able to clearly communicate your research (results)
- Proficient in English
- Proactive, flexible, and problem-solver
- Excellent research, data and statistical analysis skills
- Interactive team player
Offer
We offer a full-time ERC-funded position (up to 3 years) in the Beets lab at KU Leuven. Our laboratory is situated on a beautiful historic campus in the city center of Leuven, located just 20 min from Brussels, in the center of Europe.
KU Leuven is the top ranked university in Belgium and is among the top ten universities in Europe. Candidates will work in an international, stimulating and inclusive research setting. You will be part of a team of enthusiastic, friendly and motivated neuroscientists that value collaboration, personal development, and high quality research. We provide support with career development and a competitive salary in accordance with the University salary scales for postdoctoral researchers. We also encourage and support you to apply for postdoctoral fellowships (e.g. EMBO or MSCA fellowships).
Envisaged start date to be agreed upon, asap with a reasonable bracket for administration and mobility.
Apply
Candidates can apply by submitting their CV and motivation letter (incl. research and career goals) via the online application tool. Please also include the names and contact details of three senior researchers that are willing to write a letter of recommendation upon request.