Postdoctoral Fellow – P Znamenskiy Lab

Postdoctoral Fellow – P Znamenskiy lab

Details of the role:

Salary: From £43,210 with benefits, subject to skills and experience

Application closing date: 2nd February 2025

About us…

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture.

About the role…

Using the primary visual cortex as a model, the Znamenskiy lab aims to understand how connections between different neuronal cell types are organized and how this organization enables the computations that they perform.

If you hold a PhD in Neuroscience or a related field or in the final stages of PhD submission, this may be the perfect opportunity to join the lab.

This role will offer you the chance to lead on your own projects, and also work in a team to contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis (both in the lab and with external collaborators) and this may also include guiding PhD students in their research.

What you will be doing…

We have recently discovered that a large fraction of neurons in the primary visual cortex are selective for depth from motion parallax. This selectivity is a consequence of integration of optic flow and locomotion-related signals. This project will build on these findings to understand how depth-selective responses are transformed across the visual cortical hierarchy and how they arise in early visual circuits.

To answer these questions, this project will use chronic two- and three-photon calcium imaging in mice navigating in three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) environments, pharmacological and optogenetic manipulation of neural activity, and high-density electrophysiological recordings in VR and in freely moving animals.

About you…

Essential

• PhD in Neuroscience or a related field or in the final stages of PhD submission
• Good knowledge and experience in in vivo calcium imaging or electrophysiology
• Experience in data analysis in Python or MATLAB
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in referred journals
• Evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings

Desirable

• Experience in stereotactic surgery in mice

What will you receive?

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development:

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Health & Well-being: 24/7 GP consultation services, occupational health services and mental health support programs, eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance: Back-up care for dependents, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options.
• Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts, subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.
• Development & Recognition: Comprehensive training, mentoring, and a pay structure with performance-linked progression.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, pregnancy, age, disability, or civil partnership, marital or family status.