Job ID: 123319

PHD position: Mechanisms of energy efficient fast signaling in human neurons

Position: Ph.D. Student

Deadline: 15 August 2025

Employment Start Date: 1 October 2025

Contract Length: 4 years

City: Amsterdam

Country: Netherlands

Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA)

Department: Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR)

Description:

The PhD student position is available at the center for neurogenomics and cognitive research (CNCR) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the group of Huib Mansvelder.  The CNCR is a research center within the university which bridges the gap between basic and clinical research and offers a multidisciplinary neuroscience community.

Project: The focus of the project is on elucidating neuronal mechanisms of energy efficient signaling in human cortical neurons. A critical requirement of fast neuronal computation and better cognitive function is the ability of neurons to generate and maintain fast and stable output – action potentials. Because of difficult access to living human neurons, their function in supporting cognition remains largely unexplored. Our lab has extensive experience in studying the function of human neurons from neurosurgery patients. We recently showed that fast action potential signaling in human neurons directly links to cognitive ability in the same individuals. The project will focus on human cortical neuron types that are selectively vulnerable in diseases of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), since these neuron types show surprisingly fast signaling. In this project we will address the question of how these human-specialized neurons achieve fast synaptic and cellular signaling and how mechanisms of energy expenditure play a role, in both non-pathological and pathological conditions. The project is part of the Brainscapes consortium (https://brainscapes.nl) which offers and exciting environment for scientific interactions and collaborations..

Profile of the candidate: The position will be for four years with one your trial period. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with an MSc in Neuroscience with excellent written and verbal communication skills. The candidate has experience with electrophysiological recordings, organotypic culturing, immunocytochemistry, computational modeling (knowledge of coding in MATLAB or Python are necessary).

Interested candidates should apply through the university website (https://werkenbij.vu.nl/vacatures/phd-position-mechanisms-of-energy-efficient-fast-signaling-in-human-neurons-amsterdam-1183085), with a cover letter stating their research experience and future goals, a CV and 2 reference letters. (applications by email will not be considered)