Job ID: 123302
PhD or Postdoctoral Position – Neuroethological basis of social dynamics
Position: Ph.D. Student
Deadline: 15 October 2025
City: Quebec
Country: Canada
Institution: Université Laval - CERVO Brain Research Center
Department: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences
Description:
PhD or Postdoctoral Position – Neuroethological basis of social dynamics
Labonté Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
Allard Laboratory, Department of Physics, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
The Labonté Lab and Dynamica Research Lab (co-led by Antoine Allard), at Université Laval, are conjointly seeking a highly motivated PhD student or postdoctoral fellow to join an exciting research program focused on the behavioral and molecular correlates of social dynamics in ethological environments and their modulation by environmental and emotional stressors.
The selected candidate will lead a project that leverages fully automatized ethological behavioral analyses of social groups evolving in naturalized environments. The project will explore behavioral correlates of social behaviors, their diversity, their evolution during social consolidation and their rearrangement induced by environmental constraints in complex mouse colonies. The project involves processing longitudinal behavioral time series through clustering and network-based algorithm supported by AI-based modeling including large language and recurrent neuronal network models. Time constraint and social network-based computational approaches will be used to evaluate the evolution of social dynamics under baseline and environmentally-constraint conditions. Biomarkers of sociability and stress response will be monitored in mouse colonies to supplement AI-based approaches in creating in silico models predicting socially relevant features and their evolution according to environmental challenges in males and females.
The project integrates a multidisciplinary toolkit, including:
- Smart vision, automatic tracking and behavioral annotation in mouse social colonies evolving in ethological environments
- Ethological behavioral analyses of spontaneous and social behaviors
- Computational processing behavioral time series using Large Language and Recurrent Neural Network models
- Advanced clustering and social network-based approaches for the construction social networks and evaluate their dynamics
- Molecular biomarker monitoring to supplement the behavioral phenotyping of individual mouse evolving in social contexts.
- Integration of an existing behavioral platform for the automatic identification and monitoring of mouse spontaneous and social behaviors over prolonged periods of time in naturalised and ethological environments.
This position is part of an ongoing and well-supported research program with strong foundations in molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience.
The Labonté Laboratory, located in the CERVO Brain Research Center, offers a vibrant, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. The center also features a rich program of events, including weekly seminars and summer schools. The Dynamica Research Lab, based on the main campus of Université Laval, is a multidisciplinary group focused on the study of complex systems. It collaborates with several scientific initiatives, including UNIQUE, which explores the shared principles of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, and CIMMUL, which is dedicated to mathematical and statistical modelling and their applications in the applied sciences.
We are strongly committed to the scientific and professional development of our trainees, offering ample opportunities for career advancement, networking, and training in both academic and translational neuroscience. We actively promote the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and strive to create a supportive environment that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds and identities. The Labonté and Allard Laboratories are fully bilingual environments and, while several options to learn French are available, the English language is prioritized in the labs.
The labs are located in Québec City, a historic and culturally rich city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region offers a high quality of life and is surrounded by exceptional opportunities for outdoor activities year-round.
We are looking for candidates with:
- A strong interest in computational neurosciences and behavioral analysis
- Demonstrated experience in programming and coding with Python, Matlab and R.
- A high degree of scientific curiosity, motivation, and independence
We encourage interested candidates to apply by sending an email to benoit.labonte@fmed.ulaval.ca including a motivation letter, CV, 2 reference letters and transcripts.