Post Doc Positions in Computational Neuroscience available

2 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Positions in Computational Neuroscience
a) 3 years fixed term, full time – Ref 928
b) 3 years fixed term, part-time 50% fte – Ref 929

Salary range: Grade 7 £27,466 to £32,796 p.a. (pro-rata for part me)
are available at the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics (CCNR) at the University of Sussex, UK.
Expected start date: As soon as possible
Closing date for applications: 12 January 2008
Job details:
The two post-doctoral positions are available in a new research initiative for modelling the pheromone system of the moth at the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics (CCNR) at the University of Sussex starting 1 February 2008. Our objective in this project is to discover how insects use their sense of smell (olfaction) to find pheromone (chemicals emitted by living organisms to send messages to individuals of the same species) sources in a noisy and dynamic environment. The ability of a flying male moth to find a pheromone emitting mate is truly remarkable and well beyond our ability to replicate artificially. Investigating this system will substantially advance our knowledge in sensory systems and neuroscience in general and will have strong implications for biomimetic applications. The research initiative, funded by the French ANR and British BBSRC, is in conjunction with two French partners, the groups of Dr. Jean-Pierre Rospars at INRA, Versailles and of Dr. Dominique Martinez at LORIA, Nancy. You will work on computational modeling of the pheromone-detecting centre of the moth brain – the antennal lobe. The work plan includes opportunities to analyze original experimental data from one of the French partners and building computational models as well as to develop your own research directions. An 80-core computer cluster is available at the CCNR for numerical work and will be extended to 120 cores for this project.
For the full time position, emphasis will be on building detailed and increasingly simplified one-glomerulus models to analyze the specific information processing strategies in the moth. Another important part of this work will be the development of suitable data fitting and model simplification methods.
The part-time position will focus on the amplification and noise-suppression problem in the pheromone system, starting from general models of convergent neuronal networks with noise. Later you will join forces with the other research fellow and analyze the specific example of the moth on the one-glomerulus level.
Successful candidates must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a quantitative science discipline. We are looking for candidates with a strong mathematical and computational neuroscience background. Knowledge of the olfactory system would be a plus but is not a requirement. Both positions require a good knowledge of a higher object oriented programming language (preferably C++). The positions will involve occasional travel to France.
For informal inquiries about the positions, please contact Dr. Thomas
Nowotny, CCNR, Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1
9QJ, t.nowotny@sussex.ac.uk. Please provide a CV with publication list with your application form and include a description of your scientific interests and future aspirations in the ‘additional support’ section.
Interviews are anticipated for end of January 2008
For full details and how to apply see http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/staffing/personnl/vacs/vac928_929.shtml
The University of Sussex is committed to equality of opportunity