Coordinating Postdoc ‘Computational Neuroscience of Controlling Stress Responses’

Job description

Are you interested in how the brain works? Then this Postdoc is for you! The goal of the projects is to unravel the brain mechanisms of the motivational and cognitive control of stress responses. We are looking for a coordinating postdoctoral researcher with an interest in the computational neuroscience of human behavior, cognition and emotion.

The project will involve designing critical experimental paradigms, amenable to computational modeling, to quantify the control of neural, physiological and emotional responses to stressful outcomes. The design of these experiments will be guided by a theoretical framework, according to which the brain prioritizes distinct behavioral control strategies depending on fluctuations in stressor controllability, utility and volatility. Computational modeling of behavior will be combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging, physiological recording and ecological momentary assessments.

In addition to being responsible for this project, you will also play a key role in the coordination of the overarching ERC Advanced CHEMCONTROL program. In this context, 2 PhD students and 1 other postdoc will be recruited. Together with a clinical trial manager, the CHEMCONTROL team will integrate computational modeling, pharmacological fMRI, chemical PET imaging, and focused transcranial ultrasound stimulation to unravel the brain mechanisms by which we adapt flexibly to the many stressors around us.

You will be embedded in the research group of Roshan Cools at the Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) and interact closely with the groups of Hanneke den Ouden and Erno Hermans also at the Donders. In addition, there will be an opportunity to collaborate closely with key international players in the field of computational neuroscience, including Romain Ligneul at INSERM, Lyon.

Details are here: https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/vacancies/127021-coordinating-postdoc-computational-neuroscience-of-controlling-stress-responses

Postdoc @ Radboud/Donders with Roshan Cools