3 Postdoctoral positions at Carnegie Mellon University

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:24:00 -0400
academic-enrichment, advice-for-students, advising, agep, development, gradschool, gradstudents, learning, maryland, nsf, ph-d-completion, postdoc, postdoctoral-affairs, professor, professoriate, promise, support, teaching

1. Postdoctoral position at CMU in experiments on novel Acousto-optic Techniques for Brain Recording

A postdoc position is available in Optics as part of an interdisciplinary project on designing new optical techniques for non-invasive interfacing with the brain.

The position is available in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) department at CMU. The postdoctoral fellow will be advised by Prof. Chamanzar in the Neurophotonics group (ECE) and will work with the Biophotonics lab in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) department, led by Prof. Jana Kainerstorfer at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA). The project is focused on developing novel optical techniques based on a combination of ultrasound and light for recording neural activity in the brain.

The project builds on a new technique recently developed in Chamanzar lab for acousto-optic confinement and beam steering in biological tissue. The role of the postdoc will be to design and build an optical setup integrated with an ultrasonic phased array to demonstrate the acousto-optic beam forming in tissue phantoms and brain tissue. The validation will be conducted using imaging techniques such as Fluorescence and Calcium imaging as well as intrinsic optical contrast measurements.

The overarching goal of the team is to develop advanced non-surgical non-invasive techniques for brain imaging and stimulation for designing next generation brain-computer interfaces. The project spans studies on optical phantoms all the way to human translation.

This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem in a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant environment. The postdoc will get the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from various disciplines ranging from ECE, BME, and Biological Sciences at CMU as well as clinicians at University of Pittsburgh.

Requirements: PhD in a related discipline (ECE, Physics, or Biomedical Engineering) with a strong experimental research record in optics and photonics. While the project involves designing an ultrasonic phased array using commercially available components, prior experience in ultrasonics is not required, but it would be a plus. Experience in biophotonics research is also an advantage, especially experience with optical (light scattering, intrinsic optics, 1-photon or 2-photon) imaging techniques. The lab is committed to the professional development of the members, making this position a valuable preparation for those interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties.

The ideal start date is Jan 2019, but it can be sooner. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience. CMU has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to mchamanzar@cmu.edu or jkainers@andrew.cmu.edu with the subject line “Photonics Postdoc”. Application review will proceed until the position is filled.

2. Postdoctoral position at CMU in experiments on instrumentation and engineering techniques to develop novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

A postdoc position is available in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) department at CMU for designing and implementing a novel electrical neurostimulation system. The postdoctoral fellow will be advised by Prof. Chamanzar and co-advised by Prof. Grover at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA). The postdoc will also be working with the group of Prof. Alison Barth in Biological Sciences.

The team’s goal is to develop novel experimental techniques for invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation for next generation brain-computer interfaces as well as advancing treatment of disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and brain injuries. The research project will exploit previously unknown or unexploited biological and physical phenomena that arise from examining the neural system from a combined biological, physical, and information-theoretic/control perspective. The project spans studies on optical phantoms all the way to human translation.

The role of the postdoc will be to design and build a high-density system using off the shelf components for performing neurostimulation experiments on brain slices with novel as well as existing instruments. The postdoc will be responsible to design and implement the system, testing the concepts in conductive tissue phantoms that mimic the brain tissue, and finally demonstrating the technology in live brain tissue, for which

she/he can interface with researchers in the Biological Sciences department. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem in a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant environment. The postdoc will be affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute, and will get the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from various disciplines ranging from Biological Sciences, ECE, BME at CMU as well as clinicians at University of Pittsburgh.

Requirements: PhD in a related discipline (ECE or Biomedical Engineering) with a strong experimental research record on electronic instrumentation. Experience in invasive electrophysical recordings and/or stimulation in mice or non-human primates is a plus. Prior experience with patch clamp recording and slice electrophysiology would be helpful but not required. The labs are committed to the professional development of

the members, making this position a valuable preparation for those interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties.

The ideal start date is Jan 2019 or it can be earlier. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience. CMU has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to mchamanz@andrew.cmu.edu and pulkit@cmu.edu with the subject line “Neural Stimulation Postdoc”. Application review will proceed until the position is filled.

3. Postdoctoral position in Grover/Chamanzar/Barth labs at CMU in experiments on novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

A postdoc position at the intersection of experimental and computational neuroscience is available working jointly with the labs of Pulkit Grover, Maysam Chamanzar, and Alison Barth at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA). The team’s goal is to develop advanced theoretical techniques, closely with experimental validation, for invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation for advancing treatment of disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and brain injuries. The research project will exploit previously unknown or unexploited biological and physical phenomena that arise from examining the neural system from a combined biological, physical, and information-theoretic/control perspective. The project spans studies on rodents, monkeys, and eventually humans. The role of the postdoc will be to conduct and lead electrophysiology experiments on rodents with novel as well as existing instruments. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem in a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant environment. The postdoc will be affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute, and will get the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from various disciplines ranging from Biological Sciences, ECE, BME at CMU as well as clinicians at University of Pittsburgh.

Requirements: PhD in a related discipline (Neuroscience or Biomedical Engineering) with a strong experimental research record. Experience in invasive electrophysical recordings and/or stimulation in mice or non-human primates. Prior experience with patch clamp recording and slice electrophysiology. Experience with in-vivo recording and stimulation will be helpful. Experience with optical (1-photon or 2-photon) calcium imaging is also a plus. The labs are committed to the professional development of the members, making this position a valuable preparation for those interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties.

The ideal start date is Jan 2019. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be competitive, and commensurate with relevant experience. CMU has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to pulkit@cmu.edu and mchamanz@andrew.cmu.edu with the subject line “Neuro-Stimulation Postdoc”. Application review will proceed until the position is filled.