In vivo imaging and electrophysiology of developing cortical circuits

Are you interested in how synaptic plasticity shapes the developing brain? Do you want to use state-of-the-art imaging and electrophysiological equipment to observe how neurons make functional networks and employ optogenetics to understand the mechanisms of brain wiring? Can you work in an international environment where you follow up on your ideas and still have the support of experts around you? Then this job may be for you.

• PhD or master degree or equivalent in neuroscience.
• Experience with live cell microscopy and/or patch-clamping, as well as programming are a plus.
• Good oral and written communication skills in English.

Appointment
The position is for a period of 3 or 4 years in total for a postdoctoral researcher or PhD-student, respectively. The first appointment is for one year with an extension for the remaining period pending on an evaluation.

Salary
This will be commensurate with experience and institutional guidelines based on the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities; CAO NU) in scale 10. Full time monthly salary for a PhD student is € 2,325.- (1st year) / € 2,979.- (4th year) before taxes. The starting salary for a postdoctoral researcher depends on experience and ranges from € 3,123.- to € 3,514.- before taxes.  A 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus are excluded. We offer an extensive package of fringe benefits.

Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience conducts basic and strategic research in the neurosciences,  focusing in particular on the brain and the visual system.

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience examines how the human brain makes awareness, perception, movement, learning, social interaction and other cognitive functions possible. It also studies how brain disorders can disrupt these functions.   

The institute encompasses the Netherlands Brain Bank and the Netherlands Sleep Registry, which offer Dutch and international researchers facilities for studying human brain tissue, cognitive functions and sleep patterns. 

Our group investigates the mechanisms underlying the precise wiring of the brain. We use cutting-edge optical techniques, including high-speed in vivo 2-photon microscopy, combined with patch-clamp recordings or optogenetics in mice. Our goal is to identify the early activity patterns and plasticity mechanisms that are responsible for fine-tuning synaptic connections in the developing cortex. The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute. It provides a highly interactive and dynamic multi-cultural research environment and helps starting foreign employees with finding housing and acquiring residence permits. For further information, see https://nin.nl/research/researchgroups/lohmann-groep/.