A postdoctoral position in systems neuroscience is available in the laboratory of Alex Kwan at Yale University School of Medicine. Research in the lab focuses on the mouse prefrontal cortex with emphases on how circuit mechanisms enable flexible decision-making, and how network dysfunction underlies cognitive deficits in mental illnesses. The successful candidate will use in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, slice electrophysiology, and optogenetic perturbation to study cortical circuits in head-fixed, behaving mice.

Recent publications from the lab:

• Siniscalchi MJ, Phoumthipphavong V, Ali F, Lozano M, and Kwan AC. Fast and slow transitions in frontal ensemble activity during flexible sensorimotor behavior. Nat. Neurosci., 19, 1234-1242 (2016).
• Barthas F, and Kwan AC. Secondary motor cortex: where ‘sensory’ meets ‘motor’ in the rodent frontal cortex. Trends. Neurosci.,40, 181-193 (2017).
• Phoumthipphavong V, Barthas F, Hassett S, and Kwan AC. Longitudinal effects of ketamine on dendritic architecture in vivo in the mouse medial frontal cortex. eNeuro, 3(2):0133-15.2016 (2016).

The qualified applicant will hold a PhD and should have at least one first-author publication. Research experiences in microscopy, electrophysiology, rodent behavior, or MATLAB are highly desired. Interested applicants should send a short research statement, a CV, and names of three references by email to Alex Kwan (alex.kwan@yale.edu).

Alex will be available to meet during the JNS 2017 meeting. Please directly contact him if you are interested in this position.

Alex Kwan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Yale University
New Haven, CT, United States

Email: alex.kwan@yale.edu
Lab page: http://medicine.yale.edu/lab/kwan/

Torii and Hashimoto-Torii labs at Children's National Health System in Washington DC have four opening postdoc positions supported by NIH funding. These positions will be paid according to the NIH payscale. Health insurance and other benefits will be provided by Children's National.

Two of the positions seeks a person who has a strong background in molecular biology, biochemistry or systems biology (bioinformatics). The other positions are available for who has experience in in vivo imaging or electrophysiology. Each will have a primary position in either of the two labs. However, since Torii lab and Hashimoto-Torii lab closely collaborate and share the resources, they are expected to join the collaborative projects between the labs.

Research in the Torii lab focuses on deciphering the complex mechanisms of cell positioning and neural circuit formation in the developing cerebral cortex, and translating the findings into the development of novel therapeutic approaches for neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Toward this goal, the lab uses various tools and techniques, including in vivo gene manipulation, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, transgenic animals and animal disease models, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, and cell transplantation.

The Hashimoto-Torii lab seeks to understand how an adverse prenatal environment interacts with genetic predisposition, thereby increasing disease susceptibility after birth. Harmful conditions, such as hypoxia, exposure to excessive levels of heavy metals, and maternal smoking and alcohol intake are thought to reprogram normal fetal brain development and consequently increase the incidence of many childhood disorders, including lower birth weight, SIDS, pediatric epilepsy, schizophrenia and ADHD. However, the mechanisms underlying such reprogramming remain unknown. With a focus on the cerebral cortex, the team tackles this question through a combination of wet and dry analyses using mouse and human research models. The lab is also testing novel drugs and devices to improve behavioral problems in the offspring after in utero exposure to harmful agents.

If interested, please send a statement of your research interests and career goals, along with your CV and contact information of two references to mtorii@childrensnational.org and khtorii@childrensnational.org.

Lab HP:
https://hashimototorii.org/

Recent publications:
https://hashimototorii.org/publications/

Masaaki Torii, Ph.D.
Kazue Hashimoto-Torii, Ph.D.
Principal Investigators, Center for Neuroscience Research
Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System
Assistant Professors, Department of Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Physiology
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

111 Michigan Avenue, N.W.,
Washington DC, 20010-2970
Ph: 202-476-4279 (Torii), 4449 (Hashimoto-Torii)

1. Mouse behaviour and its modelling. Optical and electrical interrogation of cortical dynamics during learning and sleep.
2. Understanding regulation of adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus using 2-photon calcium imaging in virtual reality (in collaboration with Tashiro lab).

1. Ph.D. in the field of Neuroscience, Behavioral Science, or Life Science.
2. Exoerience of behavioural experiments, basic knowledge of behavioral nueroendocrinology and strong commitment to this research field.
3. Strong background and research experience in molecular biology, neurophysiology, or neuroanatomy is preferable.

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. List of publication
3. Summary of previous research activities (A4 1page)
4. Names and contact information of two references
5. Reprints of significant original articles

1. Via snail male: Send document to the Contact Mailing Address.
2. Via e-mail: Send an email with attached document to the Contact Email Address.
   Mail title should be "Application for Postdoctoral Position"