Research Assistant Positions: Circuit Mechanisms of Neural Coding and Visual Perception
Smirnakis Lab (http://smirnakislab.bwh.harvard.edu/), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
spring 2020

We are looking for students interested in studying how different types of neurons interact along the cortical column to form coordinated assemblies that encode sensory (visual) information. The position will start as volunteer with the potential of developing into a part-time paid position in the future. Duties: Students will gain experience in performing and analyzing in vivo two photon imaging & electrophysiology experiments in mice to study how neuronal populations encode visual information in a range of contexts, including during bi-stable visual perception, visual learning and others. Requirements: Strong interest, reliability and dedication are essential. Prior experience with animal experiments, rodent behavioral testing, 2-photon imaging and/or electrophysiology are desired but not strictly required; the student will be trained to perform such experiments. Facility with programming (MATLAB, python, or C++) and/or background in computational approaches to systems neuroscience would be very helpful, though training will be provided at the laboratory. Hours: Schedules will be determined on an individual basis but, at minimum, a 10-hr weekly commitment (on average) for at least one term is required (work may be done on site or remotely depending on task assigned). Mentoring: The student will work closely with a postdoctoral fellow (Ganna Palagina) and will meet at regular intervals (weekly) with the PI (Dr Smirnakis) for scientific discussions, teaching/feedback and overall guidance. Our goal is to guide dedicated students towards developing the abilities to perform and analyze high quality experiments, make sufficient contributions to co-author a publication, and become gradually able to lead their own project. Mentorship can include formal teaching for course credit as well as guidance with senior thesis writing and graduate/medical school applications. How to Apply: If interested, please send your CV and a brief statement of intent to gpalagina@bwh.harvard.edu & smsmirnakis@bwh.harvard.edu. (posted 1/2020)