Job ID: 116623

PhD Student – Pharmacological modulation of functional connectivity

Position: Ph.D. Student

Deadline: 31 October 2023

City: Rovereto

Country: Italy

Institution: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Department: Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems

Description:

The Functional Neuroimaging laboratory at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (https://www.fnimg.iit.it/), Rovereto (Italy), invites applications for an industrially funded PhD scholarship aimed at investigating pharmacological modulation of brain connectivity in the mammalian brain.

Our lab combines multimodal brain imaging, opto-chemogenetics, electrophysiology and quantitative modelling to investigate the neural drivers of large-scale brain connectivity, and its modulation by genetic, pathological or pharmacological effectors. For reference to recent work of relevance to this project, please see Rocchi et al. Nature Communications (2022), Pagani et al., Nature Communications (2021), Gutierrez-Barragan et al., Current Biology (2022), Montani et al, Neuropsychopharmacology (2021).

The project will be at the intersection of pharmacological neuroscience and brain imaging, and will entail multiple shared research, as well as secondments at the headquarters of an industrial partner.

The successful candidate will have a M.Sc. in pharmacology, neuroscience, biotechnology, physics, psychology or related. Hands-on training in in vivo experimental neuroscience and familiarity with science-related programming languages (i.e. R, Matlab, Python) will be highly valued.

The four-year studentship aims to provide students with a multi-disciplinary training in conducting research at the interface of biomedical imaging, experimental neuroscience and neuropharmacology, including the use of advanced state-of-the-art neuromanipulations in rodents.

The studentship is part of the international doctoral school in cognitive and brain sciences, in partnership with the University of Trento (http://web.unitn.it/en/cimec/). Final admission to the doctoral school entails a competitive selection process, as per the doctoral school regulations.

The IIT center in Rovereto is actively expanding its infrastructure for systems level neuroscience research, and is located in Trentino, a region of Northern Italy nestled in the Dolomite Mountains, offering spectacular natural beauty, vibrant culture and exceptional quality of life.

Any interested party can informally contact Dr Alessandro Gozzi (alessandro.gozzi@iit.it) to gather more information about the position, the project and the selection process.