Postdoctoral Position - Mapping How Brain Chemistry Shapes Whole-Brain Activity

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Rovereto; In loco; EUR 30.000 - 32.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Private health care

International research environment

Access to advanced imaging platforms

Descrizione del lavoro

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Rovereto invites applications for a neuroscience research scientist position in a multicultural, multidisciplinary group. The role focuses on understanding brain networks using awake mouse imaging, computational analysis, and causal neural manipulations.

The successful candidate will work across experimental neuroscience, functional imaging, and neurocomputational methods, contributing to publications and training junior team members in a dynamic environment

Competenze

• PhD in Neuroscience or related discipline.
• Experience with rodent experiments and neural imaging.
• Ability to analyze complex datasets.
• Proficient English, strong organization and problem-solving.

Mansioni

• Design and perform experiments combining cell-type manipulations with brain imaging in awake mice; analyse imaging datasets to quantify changes in cortical activity, brain-wide dynamics, and functional connectivity.
• Integrate experimental, imaging, and computational approaches; collaborate with and help train junior laboratory members; and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Conoscenze

Experimental neuroscience

Rodent experiments

Data analysis

English proficiency

Organizational skills

Formazione

PhD in Neuroscience

Biology/Bioengineering background

Strumenti

MATLAB

Python

R

Descrizione del lavoro

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural and multidisciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate across experimental neuroscience, functional neuroimaging, and computational analysis to understand the brain as an integrated network.

The Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, coordinated by Prof. Alessandro Gozzi, investigates how the brain works as an integrated network in health and disease. The research combines causal neural manipulations in rodents with fMRI, functional ultrasound imaging, multimodal recordings, optical imaging, and cutting-edge neurocomputational approaches. This project examines how basal forebrain circuits control large-scale brain activity and functional network organisation in awake mice.

Within the research team, your main responsibilities will be:

• Design and perform experiments combining cell-type-specific manipulations with brain imaging in awake mice; analyse imaging datasets to quantify changes in cortical activity, brain-wide dynamics, and functional connectivity.
• Integrate experimental, imaging, and computational approaches; collaborate with and help train junior laboratory members; and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• A PhD in Neuroscience, Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline
• Documented experience in experimental neuroscience and rodent experiments
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex biological datasets
• Good command of spoken and written English, together with strong organisational skills, reliability, and a problem-solving attitude

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Experience with in vivo brain imaging and/or awake-mouse experiments
• Experience with circuit manipulations, viral/vector-based approaches, and/or large-scale neural datasets
• Knowledge of MATLAB, Python, R, or related analysis tools
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
• Scientific ambition, analytical reasoning skills, and a growth mindset

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary ranging between 30,000 and 32,000 Euro which may include a bonus option depending on your role and contract
• 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.

The successful candidate will join an international and multidisciplinary research environment at IIT in Rovereto, with access to advanced experimental platforms for mouse brain imaging, circuit-level manipulations, and computational analysis of brain-wide activity.