Postdoctoral Scientist - Dennis Lab

Howard Hughes Medical Institute • Ashburn, VA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

In this position, you will work towards understanding how auditory or frontal brain regions and circuits support flexible, sensory-guided decision-making and strategies as mice hunt for prey in a large environment using ambiguous sensory cues. You will build on the foundation of an established but flexible behavioral task and arena ready for tetrode, silicone probe, and/or one-photon miniscope recordings. This position is ideal for a collaborative person who is interested in combining both experiments and computation, with some experience and comfort with both animal behavior and neural data. The details of the project(s) are flexible, and extensions into further circuit, molecular, evolutionary, or behavioral mechanisms are available depending on interest. The Dennis Lab is a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary team studying the behavioral, neural, molecular, and evolutionary mechanisms of “hunting in the dark” in Mus mice. In the wild, mice often need to forage in low-light conditions and complex environments. Inspired by this, we have created a rich, flexible behavioral paradigm where mice search for hidden food items in a large, dark arena, guided by hard-to-locate sounds. We are using this assay to ask: how do animals use ambiguous sensory cues to perform this flexible behavior? What strategies do mice use under changing environmental conditions and uncertainty? What motivates our mice to solve this difficult problem? How does the brain support flexible behavior and strategy-switching? Learn more about the Dennis lab here What we provide: A collaborative lab environment with strong support for your research and development. Access to state-of-the-art equipment and core facilities. Opportunities to collaborate across disciplines and learn new methods. Strong administrative support. A competitive compensation package, with comprehensive health and welfare benefits. Amenities that enhance work-life balance such as on-site childcare, free gyms, available on-campus housing, social and dining spaces, and convenient shuttle bus service to Janelia from the Washington D.C. metro area.

Requirements

• A PhD in neuroscience or related field.
• Experience analyzing, and ideally acquiring, both neural and behavioral data.
• A willingness to work with mice.
• An interest in publishing pre-prints and publicly releasing all code and data gathered for all projects.
• Problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to work within a team and discuss findings.
• A flexible and adaptive approach, with the ability to pivot as needed, learn new techniques, share knowledge, and contribute to the collective success of a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the acquisition and analysis of neural data as mice hunt for prey using ambiguous information in a large arena.
• Analyze results and present research findings at lab meetings, seminars, and conferences.
• Read and discuss the scientific literature relevant to your project and the lab’s work more broadly, including foraging and systems neuroscience.

Benefits

• competitive pay
• exceptional health benefits
• retirement plans
• time off
• a range of recognition and wellness programs
• on-site childcare
• free gyms
• available on-campus housing
• social and dining spaces
• convenient shuttle bus service to Janelia from the Washington D.C. metro area

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees