“Neuronal Fundaments of Cognition and Brain Asymmetries in Birds”
Our lab has importantly contributed to a new understanding of the organization of the non-cortical bird forebrain. There is cognition without cortex and we want to understand its neurocognitive architecture. Within the framework of the Leibniz-award 2013, we plan a major, long-term project to find answers to one of the following questions:
- What are the coding properties of single forebrain neurons of visual and “prefrontal” structures in freely moving pigeons that participate in cognitive tasks? In this electrophysiological project we plan to test birds in complex tasks that tap their cognitive and lateralized visual functions.
- Which areas are activated in awake pigeons that perform visual discrimination tasks within a 7-Tesla animal scanner? For this project we are seeking a postdoc with imaging experience in small animals.
- What is the canonical circuit of the avian forebrain? In this study we are looking for an experienced neuroanatomist to conduct in vivo and in vitro injections of neural tracers in the avian forebrain.
- What are the behavioral and lateralized mechanisms of visual category learning in birds? We are a looking for a person with broad knowledge in animal cognition who seeks to establish novel paradigms for electrophysiology and optogenetics.
The postdoctoral researcher will join the group of Prof. Onur Güntürkün.
The post-doc salary will be according to German TV-L E13 standard.
Requirements:
- PhD degree in psychology, neuroscience, or related fields
- strong track record of neuroscientific publications
- be able to work both independently and within a research team
Please send your CV, a two page description of your current research, names of references, a description of scientific interests"
Contact Information
Professor Dr Onur Güntürkün
Ruhr University Bochum
Biopsychology
Universitätsstraße 150
44780 Bochum
Germany
Phone: +49-234-3224634
Fax: +49-234-3214377
E-mail: onur.guentuerkuen@rub.de
Website: http://www.bio.psy.rub.de
Closing date: 2013-05-15