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
4 years.

Overview
The Cognitive Electrophysiology and Neurotechnology (CEN) group at IKND led by Dr. Davide Ciliberti invites applications from highly motivated candidates to fill in a position for a PhD student salary. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary research in human neuroscience and neurotechnology. In particular, the successful candidate will investigate the dynamics of formation of human memory using intracranial single-unit electrophysiological recordings, high resolution 7-Tesla imaging and invasive electrical brain stimulation in neurosurgical epilepsy patients.

Project Description
The aim of the main project is to characterize the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) in the entorhinal cortex during the formation of spatial and non-spatial 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;
• applying DBS to the entorhinal cortex during the execution of cognitive tasks;
• applying existing analysis techniques and developing new ones for understanding DBS alters mnemonic discrimination;
• 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 Master degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Physics, Cognitive Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Neuroscience or a closely related field.
• Proficiency in programming languages (at least one among: Python, Matlab, C/C++).
• Expertise in at least two of the following areas (unless moving from a nonneuroscientificfield):
• brain stimulation,
• human neuroanatomy and neuroimaging,
• clinical neurophysiology,
• analysis of single-unit activity,
• analysis of local field potentials,
• theories of episodic memory,
• design of cognitive tasks for humans,
•  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.
• Good command of written and spoken English.
• 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-artfacilities.
• Collaborative environment with experts in neuroimaging, electrophysiology, clinical
• neurophysiology, data analysis, AI, aging research.
• Competitive salary (65% TVL E13) and funding for conference travels.
• 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.