The Willuhn lab is looking to fill a PhD student position at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience to study neurobiological mechanisms of deep-brain stimulation and compulsive behavior. The ‘Neuromodulation and Behavior’ group, headed by Ingo Willuhn, studies the neurobiological basis of reinforcement learning, decision making, and compulsive behavior using rodent models. Basal ganglia interactions with the cortex and modulatory input of dopamine and serotonin neurons to these structures are the team’s primary focus. We investigate different aspects of physiological (e.g., habit formation, motivation, patience) and pathological behavior (e.g., compulsivity, craving, impulsivity) and measure/manipulate brain activity simultaneously in vivo. We have a variety of in-vivo research tools that are well-established in the lab, which include tailor-made behavioral assays for mice and rats that are combined with methods for neuro-stimulation (deep-brain stimulation (DBS), optogenetics), neurochemical measurements (fast-scan cyclic voltammetry), electrophysiological recordings (single-unit activity, local field potentials), and calcium imaging (miniaturized fluorescence microscopes).

In the long-term, we aim to apply our basic-science findings from relevant animal models to psychiatric illnesses that are studied and treated at the Psychiatry department of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC). This PhD project will be in collaboration with Prof. Damiaan Denys (Chair of Amsterdam UMC Psychiatry), a world-leading expert in deep-brain stimulation (DBS) as a therapeutic tool in psychiatry. The UMC Psychiatry department attends to the worldwide greatest population of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients that receive DBS treatment. Although DBS is an effective therapeutic tool in OCD, its mechanism of action is not well understood and its efficacy is yet to be optimized. Thus, the PhD candidate will study brain function with the primary focus on neural signals in the basal ganglia and its afferent projections during relevant (operant) behavior using cutting-edge research tools for in-vivo electrophysiology and/or calcium imaging in freely-moving rodents. The goal of these studies is to identify a brain signature of compulsivity and characterize the neuronal mechanisms of DBS to inspire optimized treatment of OCD patients. This work will be supported by other lab members from different backgrounds ranging from engineering to chemistry and medicine with an emphasis on neurobiology and psychology.

The ideal candidate has a Master’s degree relevant to the vacant project, has experience with the analysis or modeling of complex data, and using Matlab and/or similar software packages. Experience with electrophysiology and/or calcium imaging is desirable. Experience with behavioral testing of rodents or rodent neuro-surgery is a bonus, but not required. Candidates should be highly motivated, detail-oriented, have excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and should be eager to integrate into a fun, creative, multi-cultural, and collaborative team of scientists. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, and disability.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

We offer you ample opportunity for development, deepening and broadening, additional training and a place to grow! Working at AMR means working in an inspiring and professional environment where development is encouraged in every respect.

• The maximum gross monthly salary based on a 36-hour work week is € 3.103,- (scale OIO 421 CAO UMC).
• The base salary does not include holiday pay (8%) and a year-end bonus (8.3%).
• We offer a contract for 4 years.
• In addition to excellent accessibility by public transport, AMC also has a sufficient number of parking spaces for employees.
• Pension is accrued at Be Frank.

For an overview of all our other terms of employment, see https://werkenbijamc.nl/arbeidsvoorwaarden-amr/

The Amsterdam UMC

The Amsterdam UMC, location AMC

Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN)

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the prestigious Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the country’s leading neuroscience research-institute. It conducts basic and strategic research on how the brain enables awareness, perception, movement, learning, social interaction, and other cognitive functions, as well as how brain disorders can disrupt these functions. It hosts approximately 200 researchers from many different cultural backgrounds distributed over 16 teams, conducting fundamental neuroscience ranging from the level of single neurons to systems to behavior. The institute’s operating language is English, as it is for most organizations in Amsterdam.

The NIN is located in the south of the beautiful, vibrant, and international city of Amsterdam, on the campus of the Amsterdam UMC, the biggest academic hospital in the Netherlands. The Willuhn group collaborates closely with the UMC Department of Psychiatry that conducts neurobiological and patient-centered research on compulsivity, anxiety, depression, and impulse-control disorders, aiming to develop a better understanding of neuro-pathophysiology and treatment options. Together with the proximity to other excellent research institutions (University of Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Utrecht Medical Center), this provides a critical mass of experts in psychiatry and neuroscience and a unique position at the interface of clinical and fundamental science.