Author: Julie

Postdoctoral Position on Astrocyte-Inhibitory Interneuron Interactions – Robitaille & Lacaille laboratories, Université de Montréal

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Postdoctoral position
Dept Neurosciences
Université de Montréal
Montreal, Canada

A postdoctoral position is immediately available in the laboratory of Dr Richard Robitaille at Université de Montréal to study the role of astrocytes in the regulation of inhibitory synaptic circuits and hippocampal function. The project is funded by a NSERC Discovery grant and involves a collaboration with the laboratory of Dr Jean-Claude Lacaille.

The research focuses on the mechanisms of astrocyte regulation of inhibitory interneurons and their impact on hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Our multidisciplinary approach uses brain slices and in vivo transgenic mice, and combines state-of-the-art molecular biology, synaptic physiology, 2-photon imaging, opto- and chemogenetics and behavioral assays.

Requirements are PhD in Neuroscience or related discipline, with expertise in single cell electrophysiology. Experience is also desirable with any of the following techniques: patch-clamp, optogenetics and calcium imaging. Successful candidates will be highly motivated, have strong work ethics, and ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Interested applicants should submit a statement of research experience and career goals, a current CV and the names of three references to:

Contact information

Dr Richard Robitaille
richard.robitaille@umontreal.ca

Postdoctoral Researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Beverley Orser, University of Toronto

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A Postdoctoral Researcher position funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is available in the laboratory of Dr. Beverley Orser (www.orserlab.com). The lab is located in the Department of Physiology at the downtown campus of the University of Toronto.

The goal of the research is to understand physiologic and pathological processes underlying learning and memory, and to identify the mechanisms that contribute to a decline in brain function after anesthesia and surgery. Studies will focus on neurons and glia in the hippocampus and cortex. The long-term goal is to develop novel treatments that target subtypes of inhibitory receptors for cognitive disorders after anesthesia and surgery, as well as for inflammation-induced cognitive dysfunction and mood disorders.

Qualifications:
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following skills and experience:

  • Ph.D. in Chemistry/Biochemistry/Biophysics/Molecular Cell Biology.
  • Strong background in molecular biology, protein chemistry, and biochemistry.
  • Highly experienced in DNA, RNA and protein handling and analysis techniques.
  • Technical proficiency in the areas of protein biochemistry, including: protein expression, purification and characterization using SDS-PAGE, HPLC/FPLC; characterizing protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions using affinity chromatography.
  • Ability to work independently with strong problem-solving skills.
  • Must demonstrate a good understanding of scientific principles, experimental design, and proper laboratory techniques.

Desirable experience and skills:

  • Carry out assays such as Bradford, ELISA’s and cell-based assays.
  • Knowledge in protein biophysical analysis.
  • Basic knowledge in structural biology (X-ray crystallography/Cryo-EM/NMR spectroscopy).
  • Basic knowledge of bioinformatics tools and site-directed mutagenesis.
  • Knowledge in basic tissues culture techniques is a plus.
  • Prior experiences with animal behavioral assays, electrophysiology, and optogenetics are assets.
  • Design and execute experiments to support research activities and projects in the lab.

The laboratory provides an excellent training environment and we are strongly committed to training high-quality researchers who are interested in advancing translational neuroscience. The laboratory is also strongly committed to diversity within the communities and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of color, women, indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

Contact information

Please send your application (a Cover Letter, a CV and the names of three references) to Dr. Dianshi Wang (dianshi.wang@utoronto.ca).

Sodium found to regulate the biological clock of mice

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Charles BourqueNew study published in Nature by Claire Gizowski and Charles Bourque is first to establish physiological signals influence circadian rhythms

A new study from McGill University shows that increases in the concentrations of blood sodium can have an influence on the biological clock of mice, opening new research avenues for potentially treating the negative effects associated with long distance travel or shift work. Continue reading →

Hugh Green Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroscience

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  • Lead the development of a collaborative Translational Neuroscience research programme in the Centre for Brain Research to improve the health of all people in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region
  • Teach exceptional students and collaborate with world leading colleagues across the top-ranked university in New Zealand
  • If a practicing clinician, undertake clinical duties up to 0.5 FTE with local District Health Board(s) or in private practice

The Centre for Brain Research (CBR) – under the guidance of Distinguished Professor Sir Richard Faull – is one of the leading brain research institutes in the world, acknowledged locally and internationally for its ground-breaking work in advancing neuroscience and healthcare. The CBR is a large and diverse university research centre spanning multiple faculties, which is engaged with over 400 staff and students encompassing disciplines and academic activities that focus on the prevention and treatment of brain health and wellbeing through research ranging from basic and laboratory science to clinical care and disorders and the promotion of population health and through engagement with communities.

The Chair in Translational Neuroscience will provide leadership in neuroscience research, clinical translation, education and knowledge exchange in order to improve patient outcomes in New Zealand and around the world. This new role will build upon the existing clinical and research strengths of the CBR to develop a vibrant academic research programme harnessing existing research excellence within the CBR and contributing to further research development across the neuroscience community.

The Professor would develop and lead a programme of internationally recognised study, which results in the discovery, integration, and application of new and existing knowledge, and facilitate the translation of latest innovations made in the laboratory into effective and sustainable clinical interventions and improved preventative measures in the community. The position would bridge the gap between basic and clinical research oriented towards translational opportunities, by creating stronger ties among scientists, engineers, clinicians, and the community, and by training the next generation of leaders in the field.

The opportunities afforded by a Chair are many and varied and include the development of new and innovative areas of research in the CBR and the University of Auckland and the development of linkages across New Zealand and in particular with the Brain Research New Zealand-Centre of Research Excellence and the Ageing Well-National Science Challenge. The role will also take advantage of existing linkages between the CBR’s world-class research and other research centres and universities in Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.

This appointment will be for a fixed term (renewable) of five years. The substantive academic appointment will be made according to the successful candidate’s research profile and academic experience, ideally at Full Professor level.

The candidate will demonstrate a collaborative, inclusive, leadership style, role-modelling cultural sensitivity and commitment to equity. Those not already familiar with our cultural context will demonstrate their commitment to developing their understanding of Māori and Pacific development, te Tiriti o Waitangi and our place in the Pacific. Interpersonal strengths including excellent communication, an ability to lead strategically, advocate and influence will be appreciated.

Candidates will be internationally leading senior academics or clinical academics with significant records of peer-reviewed (preferably translational) neuroscience research and research income generation; commitment to innovative teaching, curriculum development, digital pedagogies and postgraduate supervision. She/he will also be experienced in developing and mentoring junior academics, able to create a positive and supportive collaborative environment in which they will thrive.

The University of Auckland is Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent research-led University, and an international centre of learning and academic excellence. Based in the largest city, CBR is located in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (Ranked in the top 100 universities in the world in the medical disciplines) located on the Grafton Campus adjacent to Auckland City Hospital, but the chair could be held in any suitable faculty of the university.

The Hugh Green Foundation (HGF) is a charitable trust set up in 1998, with the aim of improving the health and wealth of local communities, inspired by Hugh’s own experiences of poverty during his childhood in Ireland. The HGF is a longstanding funder to the University and is committed to its continuing support to the CBR. The Chair of Translational Neuroscience is a new position funded by the Hugh Green Foundation in addition to their generous support of the Hugh Green Foundation Chair in Addiction Research and the endowed Hugh Green Biobank.

The University of Auckland is Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent research-led University. Established in 1883, it is an international centre of learning and academic excellence. The university has an academic presence in seven other sites across the upper North Island. FMHS is adjacent to Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand’s largest public hospital and clinical research facility serving a central Auckland population of about 550,000, as well as regional services for Northland and Greater Auckland and specialist national services for the whole of New Zealand (more than 1 million patient contacts per year).

For a confidential discussion or further information about the role, including the position description please contact the University of Auckland as below:

Applications should be submitted via the University website www.jobs.auckland.ac.nz by Sunday, 2 August 2020.

Position Reference: REF4112F

The University is committed to meeting its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equity outcomes for staff and students in a safe, inclusive and equitable environment. For further information on services for Māori, Pacific, women, LGBTQITakatāpui+, people with disabilities, parenting support, flexible work and other equity issues go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz

Contact information

Clare Litten, Email: c.litten@auckland.ac.nz

Dr Kathrin Soehnel, Email: k.soehnel@auckland.ac.nz

Posting end date

2020/08/02

 

BC Leadership Chair in Neuroscience and Technology Translation Across the Lifespan – Simon Fraser University

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Simon Fraser University (SFU) acknowledges the Squamish, Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, Katzie and Kwikwetlem peoples on whose traditional territories our three campuses stand.

For the sixth consecutive year, SFU has been ranked by the Maclean’s University Ranking Guide as Canada’s leading comprehensive university and it has held first or second place for nearly a decade. SFU is also ranked 13th in Canada by the QS World University Ranking. With unique campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, SFU has deep roots in partner communities throughout the Province of British Columbia and around the world. SFU aims to become Canada’s leading engaged university through innovative education, cutting-edge research and community outreach.

Answers to critical questions in neuroscience lie at a pivotal intersection between biology, psychology, computer science, philosophy, statistics and engineering. These solutions also require the engagement of end users and stakeholders in all stages of research. In order to tackle these challenges, SFU now seeks to appoint the BC Leadership Chair in Neuroscience and Technology Translation Across the Lifespan. This Chair is supported by the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) program, a multi-million endowment established by the Government of British Columbia (BC) to assist a total of 20 permanent BC Leadership Chairs at Research Universities in the province. The Chairs are designed to attract world-class faculty, strengthen the province’s capacity for innovative research, promote British Columbia as a centre for cutting-edge research, enhance economic development and position the province as a leader in the knowledge-based economy.

SFU is investing in, and building upon, its considerable expertise in brain imaging, neurobiology of development and disease, neuro-diagnostics, technology development, social behavioral research, youth mental health, addiction, aging and philosophy of mind. SFU has invested in a number of assets in the area of neuroscience and has a partnership with Surrey Memorial Hospital. Key amongst these are two new facilities embedded at Surrey Memorial Hospital – ImageTech an Imaging Research Center with MRI, MEG, and EEG and the Centre for Engineering-Led Brain Research (eBrain Lab). SFU hosts two Network Centers of Excellence – Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) and AGE-WELL along with the recently launched $3.5M Digital Health Circle Innovation Hub, and WearBioTech a $8M CFI funded facility for wearable technologies. The leadership chair is expected to bring a vision for neuroscience excellence and the skills to build a collaborative team to maximize these significant infrastructure investments. SFU has further committed to a number of additional neuroscience hires including two Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs with additional Research Chairs to be considered with input from the Leadership Chair.

SFU is seeking a renowned scientific leader with a proven record of accomplishment in neuroscience research to work across Faculties and disciplines to address neurological issues across the lifespan. Special consideration will be given to senior scientists with a track record of leadership in neuroimaging including TMS, MRI and/or MEG. This position offers the potential to play a transformational leadership role in creating and implementing a vision for the next phase of engaged and impactful imaging and neuroscience research at SFU. SFU’s new Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (INN) will serve as a hub for research, training and community engagement. The Institute will serve as a focal point, bringing together researchers from a broad range of disciplinary areas. The focus of SFU’s neuroscience effort is translational, addressing neurological conditions from developmental to degenerative.

The successful candidate will have a strong scholarly track record and possess considerable experience developing and leading research teams in multidisciplinary contexts and working with external stakeholders. While senior academic leaders in any related area will be considered, experienced leaders in neuroimaging will be given special consideration. The successful candidate will be appointed to a Faculty or Faculties appropriate for their research. They will have a PhD in a relevant discipline and be eligible for appointment to a full-time tenured Full Professor position. Applicants must be based outside of British Columbia to be eligible for the LEEF Chair.

For further information, a full position description and application details, please visit www.perrettlaver.com/candidates quoting reference 4655. Interested applicants should submit a full curriculum vitae and a covering letter outlining their vision for the Chair. The closing date for applications is 12 noon (Pacific Time) on Friday, July 3, 2020.

To assist SFU with mandatory reporting requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, please advise if you are a Canadian Citizen or Canadian Permanent Resident in your CV or Cover Letter.

Simon Fraser University is an institution whose strength is based on our shared commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. Diversity is an underlying principle of our Strategic Vision, which pledges SFU to “foster a culture of inclusion and mutual respect, celebrating the diversity reflected among its students, faculty staff and our community.” SFU is committed to ensuring no individual is denied access to employment opportunities for reasons unrelated to ability or qualifications. Consistent with this principle, SFU will advance the interests of underrepresented members of the workforce, specifically Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized persons and women; embrace gender and sexual diversity; ensure that equal opportunity is afforded to all who seek employment at the University; and treat all employees equitably. Candidates that belong to underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Under the authority of the University Act personal information that is required by the University for academic appointment competitions will be collected. For further details see: http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Faculty_Openings/Collection_Notice.html

Perrett Laver is a Data Controller and a Data Processor, as defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any information obtained by our trading divisions is held and processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation. The data you provide us with is securely stored on our computerized database and transferred to our clients for the purposes of presenting you as a candidate and/or considering your suitability for a role you have registered interest in. Our legal basis for much of our data processing activity is ‘Legitimate Interests’. You have the right to object to us processing your data in this way. For more information about this, your rights, and our approach to Data Protection and Privacy, please visit our website http://www.perrettlaver.com/information/privacy-policy/
Contact information https://www.perrettlaver.com/candidates

Download a PDF version of this advertisement: BC Leadership Chair in Neuroscience and Technology Translation Across the Lifespan – Simon Fraser University – PDF

CAN Statement on Racism, Discrimination and Violence

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This is a tragic and painful time for the Black community all over the world, including here in Canada. The Canadian Association for Neuroscience condemns racism in all its forms. The tragic death of George Floyd and many others obligate all of us to reflect on important questions about systemic forms of racism present in our society today. Continue reading →

McGill Researchers provide real-time evidence that neurons that fire out of sync, lose their link, exploring the mechanisms underlying “Stentian plasticity”

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Ruthazer lab image
Ruthazer lab image

It has long been appreciated that sensory experience helps to refine the connectivity of the brain during development.  In 1949, Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb proposed that when different brain cells were consistently active at the same time as one another and acted in synchrony, the connections they formed would be strengthened as a result of their cooperation.  This so-called “Hebb rule” for circuit remodeling is sometimes restated as “cells that fire together, wire together.”, and helps explain how the wiring of the brain could be fine-tuned in response to sensory input. Fast forward 70 years and many of the artificial neural networks we rely on today to make accurate predictions from large datasets rely on digital implementations of various learning rules, including variants of Hebb’s rule, that underlie their ability to learn associations.  Continue reading →

Postdoctoral Position in Neural Circuits – Topolnik Lab, Université Laval

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Laboratory of Lisa Topolnik, Neuroscience Axis, CRCHU-CHUL, Laval University, Quebec-city, Canada

A postdoctoral position is available in the lab of Dr. Lisa Topolnik to work on the functional organization of hippocampal inhibitory and disinhibitory circuits. The laboratory conducts both basic and translational neuroscience research in the areas of neural circuits, synaptic plasticity, and intracellular signalling. Our current research program is focusing on the cellular diversity and function of cortical disinhibitory circuits formed by the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and somatostatin-expressing interneurons as well as interneuron dendritic integration and synaptic plasticity. Our research strategy is based on combination of transcriptomic, physiological, optogenetic, pharmacogenetic and imaging approaches applied to in vitro and in vivo animal models.

A current PDF project will be focusing on exploring the molecular and cellular basis of dendritic integration in GABAergic neurons. We will study the role of inhibition in dendritic input integration in specific types of interneurons in brain slices obtained from transgenic mice in vitro. A novel optogenetic approach based on a combinatorial targeting of specific cell types for selective manipulations will be developed. The data obtained in vitro will then be integrated for in vivo investigation of the network-state dependent recruitment of specific cell types and their functional role in behaving animals. For this part, we will use cognitive and behavioral animal models in combination with calcium imaging and optogenetic cell type-specific interventions.
Candidates should have a PhD in Neurobiology or a related discipline (with a graduation date within the last 4 years), and at least two first-author papers (published or accepted). Prior experience with patch clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics or 2ph imaging in vitro or in behaving animals will be an asset. Full funding provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is available for up to 4 years. Salary will be commensurate with experience and will include standard benefits as per Laval University regulations.

Contact information To apply: email your CV and cover letter to Prof. Lisa Topolnik. Lisa.Topolnik@bcm.ulaval.ca

PDF version of this advertisement

Specific brain cells are critical for linking stress controllability and future behaviour

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Jaideep Bains
Jaideep Bains

UCalgary researchers discover that a group of ancient cells may play a key role in controlling stress

Stress is ubiquitous, and at no time in recent memory has this been more evident than right now — on a global scale. Our survival depends on our ability to continually adjust and respond to ever-evolving challenges in our world.

Interestingly, how we manage stress now has implications for how we will manage stress in the future. It is not necessarily about the actions we take now, but rather whether we feel our actions give us some control over the outcome during a difficult time. Psychologists and neuroscientists have pondered this ‘stress control’ theory for decades, but how the brain intertwines the perception of controllability of one situation into decisions and actions for future situations has not been well understood. Continue reading →