Job ID: 121834
PhD student – Neural Circuit Physiology
Position: Ph.D. Student
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Employment Start Date: 1 May 2025
Contract Length: 3 years
City: Hamburg
Country: Germany
Institution: Center for Molecular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
Department: Neural Circuit Physiology
Description:
PhD student – Neural Circuit Physiology
Are you curious about how context and memories shape how the brain is processing information? Our research group Neural Circuit Physiology led by Dr. Sebastian Bitzenhofer at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf is looking for a talented graduate student to join our team.
The position is fully funded as part of an ERC starting grant on the processing of information within complex neural networks, how it adapts through learning and memory, and how it integrates new knowledge with existing frameworks. The project focuses on sensory areas in the brain responsible for processing information from olfaction, the sense of smell. The aim is to understand whether learning-induced changes in sensory areas occur independently or if they are driven by signals from higher brain areas associated with learning and memory, such as the hippocampal formation. We will explore neural activity and propagation of information through electrophysiological recordings, optogenetic manipulations, and anatomical investigations.
Tasks:
- Planning and carrying out electrophysiological measurements of brain activity combined with optogenetics and behavioral experiments on mice
- Analysis and interpretation of the test results
- Presentation of the results in seminars and scientific publications
Your profile:
- Completed university degree in natural sciences (neuroscience, biology, physics, or similar).
- Experience with laboratory work and/or data analysis is an advantage.
- Good English knowledge.
- Self-reliant work with a high level of motivation, teamwork, and communication skills.
Check the website for further information:
This position starts preferentially in spring/summer 2025 but there is some flexibility to the exact start date. The salary is according to the German salary scale for PhD positions (so-called 65% TVöD E13) and it is fully funded for 3 years.
Please send your application, including CV, motivation letter (max 1 page), and transcripts to sebastian.bitzenhofer@zmnh-uni-hamburg.de.