PhD Position Thalamo-cortical Interactions in the Brain

Are you interested in how the neocortex and thalamus interact with each other in the mammalian brain? Do you like physiological and behavioral experiments in rodents and badly wish to make ground-breaking discoveries? Are you excited by new ideas, new techniques, and unconventional approaches? If your answers are all yes, this project might be for you!

Join our team!
The project entitled “Understanding parallel communication in the brain using novel micro-optical probes” has recently been awarded the prestigious NWO M1 Grant that supports 48-month PhD research. The project aims to understand how the enigmatic higher-order thalamic nuclei influence the cortex via parallel pathways. To do so, we will take an unprecedented approach combining a novel micro-optical probe with electrophysiology, optogenetics, and calcium imaging in the rodent brain in vivo. We are looking for a highly skilled and enthusiastic PhD candidate to conduct the research (see below for more detail).

The project supervisor Dr. Mototaka Suzuki is affiliated in Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences at The University of Osaka and in the Department of Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS) within the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. CNS aims to elucidate how neuronal networks distributed across the sensory neocortex, frontal cortex, hippocampal memory system and subcortical regions cooperate in perception and memory processing.

Since Dr. Suzuki’s primary affiliation is The University of Osaka, the project is co-supervised by other faculty members at CNS. The project may include short research stays in Osaka.

This is what you will do
In this project, you will work at SILS and characterize 1) what information is conveyed through parallel projections from the thalamus to the cortex; 2) which cellular structures (e.g., interneurons, apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons) receive the information from the parallel pathways; and 3) the functional significance of each parallel pathway. Because parallel connectivity patterns are widely found in the brain, this feature presumably play a fundamental role in brain computations. This project will study such parallel pathways in the brain through combined use of state-of-the-art techniques and tiny optical tools we have recently developed. This new approach has potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the brain’s mysterious parallel communications.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• complete and defend a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration of four years;
• conduct independent research in the thalamo-cortical network in the rodent brain, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals;
• participate in the Faculty of Science PhD training programme;
• help teaching courses in the bachelor and master programmes;
• supervising Bachelor and Master thesis projects whose topics are relevant to your project.

What we ask of you
You have/are:

• a Master in neuroscience or a relevant field;
• eager to master electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, and/or calcium imaging in the rodent brain in vivo;
• eager to master rodent behavioral training;
• willing to lecture or support courses for master/bachelor students;
• professional command of English (both writing and speaking).

This is what we offer you
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The prefered starting date is 1 September 2025. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range between €2.901 and €3.707 (scale P) in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD student is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Curious about our extensive secondary benefits package? You can read more about it here.

About us
The Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) is located at the vibrant Amsterdam Science Park. SILS is one of eight institutes of the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Science (FNWI). With around 240 employees, SILS carries out internationally high-quality life science research and provides education within various university programs. Research is also carried out in close cooperation with the medical, biotech, chemical, flavor, food & agricultural, and high-tech industries, and revolves around 4 main themes, Cell & Systems biology, Neurosciences, Microbiology and Green Life Sciences.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 30 June 2025. If you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact: Prof. Dr. Mototaka Suzuki, m.suzuki@uva.nl

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• a letter of motivation;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: national knowledge security guidelines). Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.