PhD or Postdoc Position on Computational and Systems Neuroscience

Project Title: 

Quantitative models of human motor control in healthy and clinical populations

Project Description:
The laboratory recruits highly motivated people to work in a dynamic environment on motor control and systems neuroscience. This research project aims to build models of human sensorimotor coordination based on current theories of motor control, and extend them to explore new hypotheses on how these models can integrate contextual factors linked to adaptation, memory, perception, and decision-making. The project will also investigate how these models can explain abnormal movements in clinical populations. The project will draw on a broad range of motor systems, including locomotion, reaching control, object manipulation and eye movements. We will combine theoretical models, behavioral experiments in healthy and clinical populations and electrophysiological recordings. Applications for a doctoral program (4 years, fully funded) or postdoctoral training (2 years) are encouraged. In both cases, opportunities to attract individual funding will be explored.

Host Institution and Supervision

The successful candidate will be appointed with the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM, division of Applied Mathematics, https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/icteam ) and corss-appointed with the Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS, division Systems and Cognition https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ions ). The research will be supervised by F. Crevecoeur (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=fr&user=-EEfvcEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works )

Requirements

For applications to a PhD position:

• Master’s degree in engineering (closer fields include but are not limited to: applied mathematics, biomedical, data science, computer science, mechanical, electrical), neuroscience, physics, or equivalent. 

For an application to a postdoc position:

• PhD in neuroscience with a component in computational modeling of behavioural and neural data.  

For both:

• Ability to work in a laboratory environment with strong technical skills or willingness to learn (use of equipment, preparation of experiments, data collection)
• Oral and written communication skills, proficiency in English is an asset
• Critical thinking, leadership and ability to work sometimes independently, sometimes within a team
• Coding skills in Python and R for data analysis, processing and simulations are an asset, or will be part of the training program
• Curiosity, willingness to learn new topics, and creativity

Applications

Applications should be sent to F. Crevecoeur: frederic.crevecoeur@uclouvain.be as a single PDF document with a letter of motivation, a CV and one (doctoral) or two (postdoctoral) letters of recommendation. The tentative application deadline is July 17 with an anticipated start in fall 2024, please send any requests for additional information to: frederic.crevecoeur@uclouvain.be.