International fellowships to integrative biology postdocs in omics 2013 Belgium

VIB offers international fellowships to integrative biology postdocs who have advanced skills in omics technologies.

The omics@vib postdoc program offers a highly stimulating and multicultural environment. Embedded in excellent research groups, you will be working on breakthrough science, with access to cutting-edge technologies, three years secured funding and personal career assistance.

For the current omics@vib call, VIB provides 5 positions for integrative biology postdocs. Many VIB laboratories are suggesting an integrative biology topic for this program as indicated in the list below. You are free to select the topic of your own choice from the list and to design a 3 years postdoctoral project addressing this topic.

• Bioinformatics / Genomics / Proteomics / Structural Biology
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Research
• Immunity / Inflammation
• Microbiology
• Neuroscience
• Plant Biology

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

Nationality
VIB International Postdoc program “OMICS@vib” is open to applicants from all nationalities.
Applicants should not have been carrying out research in Belgium for more than 12 months during the last 3 years before the deadline of the program on 15/9/2013.
Postdocs selected for this program should be able to start their postdoc project before 1/6/2014.

University degree
Applicants must hold a PhD degree before the start of the fellowship, but not necessary when applying.

Publication record
Applicants must have a proven record of research accomplishments and at least one original first author publication (including joint authorship), either published or accepted in an international peer-reviewed journal with high recognition in the field.

Age
Candidates should not have more than 5 years of postdoc experience at the moment of the deadline 15/9/2013.

Career Break
One additional year will be taken into account for every childbirth or any other officially stated career break reason (caring for sick children or parents, additional studies…)

Language
English is used in all VIB laboratories for oral and written scientific communication. Candidates must deliver proof of a solid English working knowledge. Adding TOEFL test results in your cv is recommended.

Please go to www.vib.be/omics and follow carefully the different steps during the preparation stage and final submission stage of your project application. Use English during all stages of this application.

Postdoc position to study Awake Rodent Neurophysiology 2013 at Belgium

Postdoc in Awake Rodent Neurophysiology

We are looking for a postdoc to study the cortical basis of vision in awake rodents through extracellular recordings. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Biomedical sciences, or a related field. The ideal candidate has experience with in vivo electrophysiology in awake rodents, visual neuroscience, a quantitative and computational background including expertise with Matlab, and a publication record including first-author peer-reviewed publications.

The position fits in our current work on visual neuroscience in rodents. This line of research is implemented by PIs Hans Op de Beeck and Gert Van den Bergh, and one other postdoc and a PhD student. Recent publications include:
Vermaercke, B., & Op de Beeck, H.P. (2012). A multivariate approach reveals the behavioral templates underlying visual discrimination in rats. Current Biology, 22, 50-55.
Vreysen, S., Zhang, B., Chino, Y.M., Arckens, L., Van den Bergh, G. (2012). Dynamics of spatial frequency tuning in mouse visual cortex. Journal of Neurophysiology,107, 2937-2949.

The research will be implemented in the Laboratory of Biological Psychology at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium). Current studies and expertise in the laboratory include behavioural tests in rodents (mice and rats), psychopharmacology, in vitro cellular neuroscience, in vivo extracellular recordings, lesioning studies in rodents, optogenetics, as well as functional imaging (fMRI) in humans. Many members of the lab come from countries outside Belgium, and the professional language in the lab is English.

The city of Leuven is an old, medieval city with a large student population (see http://www.kuleuven.be/english/living.html). Leuven is at 25 km from Brussels, with frequent direct train connections, also to the international airport of Brussels. The university is one of the oldest in the Low Countries (founded in 1425) and ranked amongst the best in Europe

Closing date: 2013-06-15

Prof. Hans Op de Beeck
KU Leuven
Biological Psychology
Tiensestraat 102
3000 Leuven
Belgium
Phone:     ++32-(0)16 326039
E-mail:     hans.opdebeeck@ppw.kuleuven.be
Website:     http://ppw.kuleuven.be/lbp

Molecular neurobiology/ Developmental biology - Postodoctoral Position 2013 Belgium

A post-doctoral position is available to study synaptic and neuronal development and function in Drosophila models of primary dystonia.

Movement is central to behavior and movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or dystonia, are major clinical problems. Dystonia is the third most common neurological movement disorder and is characterized by abnormal postures, involuntary or stereotyped movements. Primary dystonia lacks neurodegeneration and these symptoms arise because of abnormal neuronal development, connectivity or physiology. Dystonia has higher frequency in individuals who undergo long-term fine motor skill training, such as musicians, and this relationship associates dystonia with plasticity or over training of neuronal circuits. There are also monogenic forms of dystonia and potentially genetic components for all forms of dystonia. However, genetic and clinical advances in dystonia research have not yet translated into understanding the molecular or cellular basis of dystonia and this is the aim of this post-doctoral project.

Several dystonia-causing genes are evolutionarily conserved and highly expressed in the Drosophila nervous system. They are relatively unstudied and their neurobiological functions and importance are largely unknown. This post-doctoral project will explore how Drosophila homologs of human dystonia genes contribute to nervous system and synaptic development.

The project is based in the Laboratory for Dystonia Research in the VIB Center for the Biology of Disease in Leuven, Belgium. The successful candidate is expected to collaborate, present findings and intellectually interact with the community of Drosophila researchers in the VIB center (Hassan, Verstreken, Callaerts and Halder labs) and, as well as the dystonia-focused group.

The successful candidate must have past experience using Drosophila and preferably in Drosophila molecular neurobiology or developmental biology. Funding is available, although candidates will develop fellowship applications. The preferred start date is June 1st to October 1st 2013, although later start dates will be considered.

Please contact Dr. Rose Goodchild rose.goodchild@cme.vib-kuleuven.be for more information, or to apply for this position with a CV and short description of career goals and scientific interests.

More Information

Belgium : Postdoc position: Molecular Mechanisms of Specific Synapse Formation at University of Leuven

"Postdoc position: Molecular Mechanisms of Specific Synapse Formation


The Center for Human Genetics at the University of Leuven (Belgium) is a vibrant and international research center where key issues relevant to major human health challenges are investigated. Within this Center, a Postdoc position is available in the Laboratory of Synapse Biology (Joris de Wit Lab).


The aim of this project is to investigate the role of synaptic adhesion molecules in synapse formation in neural circuits. You will use a combination of molecular and cell biological techniques to manipulate the expression of synaptic adhesion molecules in vivo in specific cell types and at specific synapses, and analyze the effects on synapse structure and function. You will apply these methods to unravel the role of synaptic adhesion molecules in establishing precise synaptic connectivity under normal and pathological conditions.


We are seeking a highly motivated candidate who wants to make exciting new discoveries in the field of synapse biology. The successful candidate should have a PhD degree in Life Sciences, obtained in the last 5 years, and should have a strong interest in developmental neurobiology. Candidates should be fluent in English and have prior experience with electrophysiology and/or in vivo techniques such as viral vector injections and in utero electroporation.


Links:

Joris de Wit Lab: http://www.vib.be/en/research/scientists/Pages/Joris-de-Wit-Lab.aspx

Center for Human Genetics: http://med.kuleuven.be/cme/index.html?en


Highly motivated candidates can apply by sending a CV and a motivation letter describing research interests and previous research experience to Joris.DeWit@cme.vib-kuleuven.be. Please include the names and contact information of 3 references."

Postdoc position in neuronal stem cell biology at Belgium

"Postdoc Research position in in vivo fluorescence microscopic imaging or intravital microscopy
The IMIR programme (http:/www.kuleuven.be/imir/) aims to develop novel approaches in small animal molecular imaging to advance understanding and monitoring of specific molecular processes related to human diseases. Within this programme we are developing optic fiber-based in vivo fluorescence imaging methods in rodent brain. We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher to further develop this optical imaging modality with applications to neuronal stem cell biology and neurodegeneration in mouse models

The successful candidate will support, lead and further expand ongoing research projects and initiate new research projects which aim to further develop this optical imaging modality with applications for neuronal stem cell biology and neurodegeneration in mouse models. The candidate will cooperate with an international and multidisciplinary team of lab technicians, PhD students and postdocs. He/she will perform in vivo imaging experiments combined with behavioral tests and histological analysis, interpret the obtained results, report to the involved partners and disseminate results in oral presentations, peer reviewed publications and patent applications. The candidate is expected to help recruit funds to further drive this research.

Profile
Interested candidates should hold a Ph.D. degree in biomedical sciences, biology, biotechnology, medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, biochemistry or similar. Advanced knowledge of in vivo optical imaging, microscopy, neuronal stem cell biology and neurodegeneration is an asset.

You can apply for this job via the online application tool
http://icts.kuleuven.be/apps/jobsite/domein/9067/9001

Closing date:     2013-05-04
Employment start date:     2013-09-02
Contract length:     1 year with possible extension
Institution:     KU Leuven
Department:     Neurosciences
Contact Information
Prof. Dr. Veerle Baekelandt
KU Leuven
Neurosciences
Kapucijnenvoer 33
3000 Leuven
Belgium
Phone:     +32 16 336332
Fax:     +32 16 336336
E-mail:     Veerle.Baekelandt@med.kuleuven.be
Website:     http://www.kuleuven.be/molmed/