Dear colleagues,
I’m looking for a talented postdoc to join our project on Auditory Predictions using intracranial EEG and single-unit recordings in humans.
Please spread the word!
Thanks,
Alejandro
Brief description of the position:
A postdoctoral research fellowship (SKO1352) in cognitive neuroscience is available at RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion at the University of Oslo.
The postdoctoral researcher will work on the project “Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Human Auditory Predictions: From population- to single neuron recordings”, and will have a primary affiliation with the Structure and cognition cluster at RITMO.
The overarching aim of the project is to identify the neurophysiological basis of auditory predictions . We will record electrical signals directly from the brains of patients with epilepsy (implanted with electrodes for clinical reasons) while they, for example, listen to streams of regular sounds that are occasionally replaced by unexpected events. We aim to delineate how distinct brain areas play different roles and interact in encoding auditory regularities, predicting upcoming sounds, and detecting unexpected sounds or silences.
The work of the postdoctoral fellow will have a particular focus on the role of neuronal populations during the prediction of regularities of auditory stimuli. The candidate will work with local field potentials (intracranial EEG/iEEG/SEEG/ECoG) and single- and multi-unit activity (SUA/MUA) obtained from patients with epilepsy. We aim to understand how “prediction” and “prediction error” signals are encoded in the human brain and how these signals are communicated between cortical and subcortical areas.
In collaboration with interdisciplinary research staff, the fellow will develop a subproject that addresses the core research questions of the overarching project. They are expected to be involved in all aspects of the research, including experimental design, data collection in a clinical setting, signal analysis, and publishing results related to the project aims.
The project will be conducted in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery at Oslo University Hospital, Norway, the Department of Psychology/Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley, USA, and the Neurosciences and Complex Systems Unit at El Cruce Hospital - CONICET, Argentina. Moreover, meetings with the project scientific advisory board are expected (Lucia Melloni, Karl Friston, Robert T. Knight, and Anne-Kristin Solbakk).
The appointment is for three years, starting April 1st, 2022. A 4th year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching requirements, depending on the qualifications of the recruited candidate, departments’ needs for teaching, and the centre’s need for assistance.
Qualification requirements
- A Ph.D. in neuroscience, biology, physics, biomedical engineering, medicine, or related field.
- Experience with a) signal processing of brain activity data, b) scientific programming in Matlab, Python, or any other programming languages, and c) statistics.
- Knowledge of cognitive experimental designs is an advantage.
- Prior experience with single-unit or multi-unit activity data analysis (human or animal research) is a significant advantage.
- Excellent skills in written and oral English.
- Personal suitability and motivation for the position
Deadline: November 1st, 2021
More information: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience (212857) | University of Oslo