Institution
Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND) of the Medical Faculty at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.

Location
University Hospital Magdeburg, DZNE building, Magdeburg, Germany.

Supervisors
Dr. Davide Ciliberti and Prof. Dr. med. Emrah Düzel.

Duration
2-4 years.

Overview
The Cognitive Electrophysiology and Neurotechnology (CEN) group at IKND led by Dr. Davide Ciliberti (iknd.med.ovgu.de/AG+Dr_+Ciliberti.html) invites applications from highly motivated candidates to fill in a postdoctoral researcher position. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary research in human neuroscience and neurotechnology. In particular, he/she will investigate the dynamics of formation, consolidation and retrieval of human memory using intracranial single-unit electrophysiological recordings, high resolution 7-Tesla imaging and invasive closed-loop electrical brain stimulation in neurosurgical epilepsy patients.

Project Description
The aim of the project is to characterize the effect of open-loop and closed-loop electrical deep-brain stimulation (DBS) in the frontal and entorhinal cortices during the formation, consolidation and retrieval of episodic memory. The research will involve:

• designing cognitive tasks for investigating dynamics of mnemonic discrimination;
• recording local field potentials and single-unit activity from intracranial electrodes in neurosurgical epilepsy patients during the execution of cognitive tasks;
• stimulating the frontal or entorhinal cortex using DBS in open-loop or closed-loop fashion;
• applying existing analysis techniques and developing new ones for understanding how individual neurons encode episodic memory;
• applying image segmentation techniques on 7-T MRI data to localize intracranial electrodes with high-resolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Interacting with patients and record intracranial electrophysiological data.
• Conduct high-quality research in cognitive electrophysiology and neuroengineering, by validating or disproving current theories about human episodic memory formation and maintenance.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including PhD students, postdocs, medical technicians and doctors.
• Present research findings at national and international meetings, and publish results in high-visibility scientific journals.

Requirements

• A PhD degree (or equivalent) in Cognitive Neuroscience, Physics, Cognitive Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Neuroscience or a closely related field. If at the moment of the start the PhD degree has not been awarded yet, the thesis should at least have been handed in.
• Proficiency in programming languages (at least one among: Python, Matlab, C/C++).
• Experience with either electrophysiology or neuroimaging (animal or human).
• Knowledge in at least three of the following areas:

o human neuroanatomy,
o clinical neurophysiology,
o analysis of single-unit activity,
o analysis of local field potentials,
o theories of episodic memory formation and consolidation,
o design of cognitive tasks for humans,
o brain-computer interfaces.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Strongly inquisitive mindset and critical thinking.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications in high-visibility journals is highly appreciated (but not required).
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of German language is highly appreciated (but not required).

Benefits

• Opportunity to work in a leading research institution with access to state-of-the-art facilities.
• Collaborative environment with experts in neuroimaging, electrophysiology, clinical neurophysiology, data analysis, AI, aging research.
• Competitive salary (100% TVL E13) and funding for conference travel.
• Comprehensive training and career development support (through the OvGU graduate academy).

How to apply
Please send your CV, motivational letter and the contacts of three referees to Dr. Davide
Ciliberti (). Informal inquiries or preliminary applications
(without referees) are welcome.