The PostDoctoral researcher will conduct research activities in modelling and simulation of reward-modulated prosocial behavior and decision-making. The position is part of a larger effort to uncover the computational and mechanistic bases of prosociality and empathy at the behavioral and circuit levels. The role involves working at the interface between experimental data (animal behavior and electrophysiology) and theoretical modelling, with an emphasis on Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning and neural population dynamics.

The Perception and Plasticity Group of Caspar Schwiedrzik at the DPZ is looking for an outstanding postdoc interested in studying the neural basis of high-dimensional category learning in vision. The project investigates neural mechanisms of category learning at the level of circuits and single cells, utilizing electrophysiology, functional magnetic resonance imaging, behavioral testing in humans and non-human primates, and computational modeling. It is funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (Acronym DimLearn; “Flexible Dimensionality of Representational Spaces in Category Learning”). The postdoc’s project will focus on investigating the neural basis of visual category learning in macaque monkeys combining chronic multi-electrode electrophysiological recordings and electrical microstimulation. In addition, the postdoc will have the opportunity to cooperate with other lab members on parallel computational investigations using artificial neural networks as well as comparative research exploring the same questions in humans. The postdoc will play a key role in our research efforts in this area. The lab is located at Ruhr-University Bochum and the German Primate Center in Göttingen. At both locations, the lab is embedded into interdisciplinary research centers with international faculty and students pursuing cutting-edge research in cognitive and computational neuroscience. The main site for this part of the project will be Göttingen. The postdoc will have access to state-of-the-art electrophysiology, an imaging center with a dedicated 3T research scanner, and behavioral setups. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the labs of Fabian Sinz, Alexander Gail, and Igor Kagan.

A fully funded 3-years PhD position (EU MSCA-COFUND program) is available at Aix-Marseille University (France) for motivated students interested in the behavioral, neurophysiological and computational investigation of multistable visual perception in healthy and pathological populations. The project is strongly cross-disciplinary, including psychophysical and oculomotor experiments as well as advanced computational modeling. It will also involve an international mobility at the University of Edinburgh (UK), as well as a collaboration with the psychiatry department of Lille Hospital (France).

The Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior at the University of Chicago seeks outstanding applicants for multiple postdoctoral positions in computational and theoretical neuroscience. We especially welcome applicants who develop mathematical approaches, computational models, and machine learning methods to study the brain at the circuits, systems, or cognitive levels. The current faculty members of the Grossman Center to work with are: Brent Doiron’s lab investigates how the cellular and synaptic circuitry of neuronal circuits supports the complex dynamics and computations that are routinely observed in the brain. Jorge Jaramillo’s lab investigates how subcortical structures interact with cortical circuits to subserve cognitive processes such as memory, attention, and decision making. Ramon Nogueira’s lab investigates the geometry of representations as the computational support of cognitive processes like abstraction in noisy artificial and biological neural networks. Marcella Noorman’s lab investigates how properties of synapses, neurons, and circuits shape the neural dynamics that enable flexible and efficient computation. Samuel Muscinelli’s lab studies how the anatomy of brain circuits both governs learning and adapts to it. We combine analytical theory, machine learning, and data analysis, in close collaboration with experimentalists. Appointees will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and multiple opportunities for collaboration with exceptional experimental labs within the Neuroscience Institute, as well as other labs from the departments of Physics, Computer Sciences, and Statistics. The Grossman Center offers competitive postdoctoral salaries in the vibrant and international city of Chicago, and a rich intellectual environment that includes the Argonne National Laboratory and UChicago’s Data Science Institute. The Neuroscience Institute is currently engaged in a major expansion that includes the incorporation of several new faculty members in the next few years.