Open PhD positions in Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Neuroscience

Deadline: Jan. 26, 2023, 11 p.m.
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Up to 11 PhD positions are open at BCAM - Basque Centre for Applied Mathematics, Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) under the Severo Ochoa program. We invite students in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics (or Biophysics), Computer Science, Neuroscience or related fields to apply for projects within the Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Neuroscience (MCEN) research group led by Ikerbasque Professor Serafim Rodrigues.

MCEN was created with the mission to bridge the gap between mathematics and experimental neuroscience and to crucially enable mathematicians to come closer to neuroscientific experiments and understand the mathematical challenges in neuroscience. We are an interdisciplinary research group that also includes an experimental lab named NeuroMath. It is equipped with state-of-the-art electrophysiology and a setup for the design and implementation of neuromorphic analog circuits.

MCEN promotes multidisciplinary projects combining insights from neuroscience, mathematics, physics and computation. The PhD candidate will work in one of our research lines, namely:

  • Developing mathematics for neuroscience to explain neurophysiological observations of both normal and pathological brain states (e.g. epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease), as well as, determining brain’s computational principles [1,2].
  • Developing models at the interface between statistical physics and computer science to determine theoretical principles of intelligent agents' perception and behavior in complex environments [3,4].
  • Developing advanced data-science methods based on topological and geometrical data analysis to determine invariants of neuroscientific data [4].
  • Developing closed-loop machine-brain interfaces for alternative clinical therapies (e.g. deep-brain stimulators for epilepsy) and analog neuromorphic circuits [5].
  • Finding drug targets via molecular simulations of protein complexes [6]. This involves understanding protein interfaces, and docking of small therapeutic molecules.

The Candidate will be co-supervised by Prof. Serafim Rodrigues, Dr. Miguel Aguilera and Dr. Rodrigo Azevedo. Contracts will be 4-year long and will also cover doctoral course tuition fees and predoctoral mobility (up to 6,860€ in total). The candidate will profit from MCEN’s large network of collaborators in Europe (to name a few: France, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, UK) and also outside of Europe (to name a few: Brazil, Canada, Japan, Turkey, USA).

Applications are open until 26 January 2023 and incorporation is possible between Sept 2023 and Sept 2024 (more information here). Interested candidates, who have already completed their MSc degree or are in the process of completing it, should contact Prof. Rodrigues:[email protected], Dr. Aguilera [email protected] or Dr. Azevedo: [email protected]

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