Post doctoral for Genetics of Cognition research unit

ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA; Italia; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private health care coverage

ERC funding support

Job summary

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Italy seeks aResearcher for the Genetics of Cognition unit, focusing on inter-brain dynamics and optogenetic control in murine models. You will work in a multidisciplinary team, performing in vivo recordings and causal manipulations under ERC funding.

The role requires a PhD, strong publication record, and proficiency in English. Collaboration across autono­mous and international environments is expected, with a competitive salary and robust health

Qualifications

• PhD in Neuroscience or related field required.
• Documented in-vivo experimentation on murine model.
• Strong publication record.
• Good command of spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Design and perform in vivo miniscope and multisite fiber photometry recordings in murine models during socio-emotional paradigms.
• Execute cell-type and circuit-specific manipulations in vivo.
• Analyze datasets and write results/manuscripts.

Skills

PhD in Neuroscience or related field

In-vivo experimentation on murineModel

Strong publication record

English proficiency

Education

PhD in Neuroscience or related fields

Tools

Coding experience

Signal processing

Job description

Organisation/Company Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Research Field Neurosciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 31 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Italy Type of Contract Other Job Status Other Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - ERC Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Commitment & contract: Full time, 1+4 (1 year + then renewable for other 4 years)

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate, each with their expertise, to carry out a scientific activity with a shared research goal.

The Genetics of Cognition Research unit (website: https://geco.iit.it/ ) is coordinated by Dr. Francesco Papaleo. The research focuses on uncovering how distributed neural circuits coordinate across interacting individuals during emotion recognition. Using simultaneous multi-site fiber photometry in freely interacting model, the project will map cell-type-specific inter-brain dynamics across cortical and subcortical networks and determine how long-range projections from prefrontal somatostatin neurons coordinate socio-emotional information flow. The successful candidate will also adopt closed-loop approaches in which neural activity recorded from one individual model drives real-time optogenetic stimulation in another, enabling causal investigation of how inter-brain coupling shapes socio-emotional behavior in typical and neuropsychiatric disease-relevant conditions.

Within the research team, your main responsibilities will be:

• Design and perform in vivo miniscope and in vivo multisite fiber photometry recordings simultaneously in multiple murine model during socio-emotional behavioral paradigms.
• Cell-type and circuit-specific causal manipulations in multiple murine model simultaneously during socio-emotional paradigms.
• Analyze datasets and write results/manuscripts.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• A PhD inNeuroscience, Biology, Pharmacology, Statistics, Medicine, Genetics, Bioengineering, Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or related fields.
• Documented experience in in-vivo experimentation on murine model.
• Strong publication record.
• Good command of spoken and written English.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Experience in coding and, ideally, signal processing.
• Knowledge of data analyses, and circuits manipulations.
• Ability to work in a challenging and international environment.
• Capacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment.
• Possess Analytical Reasoning skills and attitude in troubleshooting.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary ranging between 30K and 45K
• Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract
• Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years.

This open position is financed by the ERC Advanced Grant “EmotionalBrainS” project (Grant Agreement n. 101266114 - CUP: J53C26001960006).