Job ID: 111836
Decoding neuromodulatory control of learning and memory
Position: Post-doctoral Position
Deadline: 5 July 2023
City: Leuven
Country: Belgium
Institution: KU Leuven
Department:
Description:
A postdoctoral position is available in the research group of Prof. Isabel Beets at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, to investigate the neuromodulatory regulation of learning and memory. Are you interested in how learning and memory is regulated by neuromodulatory networks, and motivated to acquire new research skills and work in a dynamic research environment? Apply for this postdoctoral position supported by the Baillet Latour Fund.
Who we are
The Beets lab is part of the Leuven Brain Institute and located at the Biology Department of KU Leuven. We are an enthusiastic and dedicated team of PhD students, postdocs and research technicians studying the fundamental mechanisms that allow animals to adapt behavior based on experience. Our main interest is in the role of neuromodulators, including monoamines and neuropeptides, that play crucial rules in modulating learning and memory processes.
Learning, memory storage and retrieval are regulated by combinatorial actions of neuromodulators, and memory decline has been associated with defects in various neuromodulatory systems. We aim to decode fundamental principles of the “wireless” neuromodulatory network that controls learning and memory using a reductionist approach, by studying learning and memory in the compact nervous system of the genetically tractable model C. elegans. Using reverse pharmacology, we have generated a neuromodulatory signaling map of the C. elegans nervous system (Beets et al., biorxiv, 2022; Ripoll-Sánchez et al., biorxiv, 2022). Together with the available synaptic connectome, this multi-layer neural connectivity map provides a unique framework to investigate neuromodulatory codes regulating learning. We have also pioneered functions of conserved neuropeptides in learning behaviors in this model (e.g. Beets et al., Science, 2012; Watteyne et al., Nat Comm, 2020). 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 approaches, including tracking-based behavioral analysis, optogenetics, calcium imaging, and molecular genetics to understand how, when and where neuromodulators act to control learning circuits. We are also developing neuromodulator sensors that allow visualizing peptidergic and aminergic 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 neuromodulation and the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. Your project will build on recent developments in the lab that have comprehensively mapped neuromodulatory signaling networks and permit monitoring their activity in C. elegans. We seek a postdoctoral candidate interested in applying our established learning assays and optimizing novel memory paradigms to delineate principles of neuromodulatory regulation. Candidates will analyze spatiotemporal and combinatorial actions of neuromodulators in different learning and memory phases using neuromodulator 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 optogenetics, behavioral tracking, functional neural imaging tools, and C. elegans genetics. You will work in an international and interactive research environment. This position is supported by the Baillet Latour Fund.
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 C. elegans neurobiology, optogenetics, or in vivo neural imaging 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 postdoctoral position in the Beets lab at KU Leuven. The postdoctoral researcher will receive a competitive salary from existing grants for up to 3 years, with the possibility of extension for one more year.
KU Leuven is the top ranked university in Belgium and is among the top ten universities in Europe. 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. 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.