Sensory integration and decision making in insect groups

Supervisor: Einat Couzin-Fuchs, Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz

Description: 

Group-living animals have the potential to benefit from pooling their own acquired information with information from others. By monitoring the behaviour of conspecifics individuals may be able to make faster, more accurate assessments of their environment. Our lab is investigating the neural circuits underlying sensory integration and decision-making in dynamic social contexts by combining behavioral studies, functional imaging, and electrophysiology in group-living insects such as swarm-forming locusts and cockroaches.

We are looking for a Doctoral candidate to join our interdisciplinary team at the department of neurobiology and the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz.

The successful candidates will have the chance to implement new technologies developed at our centre for animal tracking, immersive virtual reality,
functional imaging techniques in widefield and 2 photon microscopy, and minimally-invasive electrophysiology.

Requirements:
• MSc in neuroscience or a related field.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (Matlab, Python), or willingness to learn one.
• Familiarity with multiphoton calcium imaging, electrophysiology and instrumentation control for behavioural
neuroscience is beneficial.

Start date: Spring 2022

The University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Society are equal opportunity employers that are committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. They seek to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourage women to apply  (Equal opportunity). Persons with disabilities are explicitly encouraged to apply.

They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact +49 7531 88 4016).