Post-doc position at University of Genova

We are seeking highly motivated candidates for a post-doctoral position (1 year) at the Neuroengineering and NeuroTechnology Lab, University of Genova, Genova, ITALY.

The candidate will be involved in the funded PNRR Italian Project Mnesys (https://mnesys.eu/), a large neuroscience and neuropharmacology consortium coordinated by University of Genova which involves 25 partners.

Among the topics of the project, the one which will involve the candidate deals with both computational and experimental staffs. In particular, the candidate will work with experimental models of brain-on-a-chip where different neuronal populations (e.g., cortical-hippocampal; cortical-thalamic; cortical-cerebellar, …) interact originating complex neuronal dynamics.
Depending on the candidate attitude, she/he will be involved in the development of large-scale computational models of interconnected neuronal networks or the development of advanced algorithms to infer functional and dynamical properties originated by the interactions of these ensembles.

Requirements:
Candidates must have: 1) a PhD in bioengineering, computational neuroscience, physics, engineering, mathematics or a related field; 2) Excellent programming skills in Python, Matlab, C++/C#, 3) a published record of research in the field of computational neuroscience and/or neuroengineering; 4) experience in electrophysiological data analysis and/or modeling.

Deadline for submitting the application is March 13th 2023. The selected candidates will be contacted for a further interview during the following week. The earliest possible starting date is April 1st 2023 and the position will last for 1 year (possible extension).

Our research group has a long tradition in studying the interactions between neuronal populations coupling to Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs). See for example the following papers:

1. F. Callegari, M. Brofiga, P. Massobrio. Modeling the three-dimensional connectivity of in vitro cortical ensembles coupled to Micro-Electrode Arrays. PLoS Computational Biology, 2023.
2. M. Brofiga, M. Pisano, M. Tedesco, A. Boccaccio, P. Massobrio. Functional inhibitory connections modulate the electrophysiological activity patterns of cortical-hippocampal ensembles, Cerebral Cortex, 2022.
3. P. Massobrio, V. Pasquale, S. Martinoia. Self-organized criticality in cortical assemblies occurs in concurrent scale-free and small-world networks, Scientific Reports, 2015.
4. T. Kanagasabapathi, P. Massobrio, R. A. Barone, M. Tedesco, S. Martinoia, W. J. Wadman, M. M. J. Decre. Functional connectivity and dynamics of cortical-thalamic networks co-cultured in a dual compartment device. Journal of Neural Engineering, 2012.

Applications must include an extended CV, a motivation letter, the most relevant papers and names and addresses of two references. If you are interested, please send your application to:

Paolo Massobrio
e-mail: paolo.massobrio@unige.it
Tel: +39-010-3352761