In Vivo Two-Photon Imaging Scientist (CaRMA)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); California, Northern (MO, KY); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Mentorship

Collaborative culture

Publication opportunities

Job summary

The Sternson Lab at the University of California, San Diego, supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, seeks a Research Specialist to lead in vivo two-photon imaging of the mouse brain as part of CaRMA imaging. You will manage imaging experiments, surgical preparations, and data acquisition in behaving mice.

You will develop methods to improve imaging quality, perform rigorous data analysis, and train others in imaging and analysis, while collaborating across projects to advance neural

Qualifications

• Substantial hands-on experience with in vivo two-photon imaging in the mouse brain and ability to obtain reproducible, high-quality imaging data.
• Experience with surgical preparations for chronic mouse brain imaging, including cranial windows and/or GRIN-lens approaches.
• Strong experience analyzing calcium-imaging or related neural imaging datasets, with ownership of analysis from raw data to interpretation.
• Programming experience in Python and MATLAB, or a related environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform in vivo two-photon calcium imaging of neural population activity in behaving mice.
• Perform and optimize surgical preparations for chronic imaging, including cranial windows, headplates, and GRIN-lens implantation as appropriate.
• Develop, optimize, and troubleshoot in vivo imaging methods for CaRMA imaging, focusing on reliable high-quality data acquisition and reproducibility.
• Take ownership of two-photon imaging data analysis: registration, motion correction, segmentation, signal extraction, quality control, and longitudinal tracking.
• Help align functional imaging data with post hoc molecular information generated through CaRMA imaging.
• Design imaging experiments with lab members and provide training and ongoing technical support in imaging and analysis.
• Take primary technical responsibility for in vivo two-photon imaging capabilities, including microscope performance and improvements to hardware/software.
• Integrate imaging with behavioral-control and physiological measurement systems and contribute to experimental design, interpretation, and publications.

Skills

in vivo two-photon imaging

surgical preparations

calcium-imaging data analysis

Python

MATLAB

troubleshooting imaging methods

Education

Advanced degree in neuroscience/related field

Tools

Two-photon microscope

GRIN-lens implantation

Job description

The Sternson Lab at the University of California, San Diego, supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, seeks a Research Specialist to lead in vivo two-photon imaging of the mouse brain as part of CaRMA imaging. You will manage imaging experiments, surgical preparations, and data acquisition in behaving mice.

You will develop methods to improve imaging quality, perform rigorous data analysis, and train others in imaging and analysis, while collaborating across projects to advance neural