The new Bernstein research group "Functional adaptation of the visual cortex" funded by the BMBF has been established at the Center for Cognitive Sciences/University of Bremen. This interdisciplinary research group works on selected topics in Computational Neuroscience, joining theory and experiment to understand information processing in the brain. The following institutes participate in the Bernstein group:

Institute for Theoretical Neurophysics    
Brain Research Institute III (Theoretical Neurobiology)   
Brain Research Institute IV (Human Neurobiology)    

The aim of this Bernstein Group is to investigate neuronal mechanisms underlying functional adaptations in the visual system by theoretical and experimental approaches. The research program will comprise four projects, investigating (1) theoretical concepts encompassing putative neuronal mechanisms and structures enabling adaptive, selective information processing in the cortex (Prof. Dr. Pawelzik), (2) adaptive mechanisms integrating contextual information, prior knowledge, and on-going cortical activity into coherent percepts (NN), (3) adaptive, task- and stimulus-specific routing of information flow in visual cortex (Prof. Dr.
Kreiter), and (4) dynamic integration of temporal signals, and fast control and adaptive learning under closed loop conditions (Prof. Dr. Fahle).
Our integrative approach encompasses theoretical investigations and modelling studies on different levels, tightly linked to experimental investigations combining psychophysical experiments with electrophysiological recordings of attentional modulation and inter-areal communication in awake and behaving monkeys, and complemented by psychophysical and fMRI experiments in humans.

Positions are offered for:

Project 1: Mechanisms and structures of adaptive neural information processing
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) will primarily use theoretical approaches to investigate mechanisms of adaptive computation in spiking neuronal networks.
The candidate should have a strong background in neural network theory, and be also interested in testing newly developed paradigms in biophysically realistic settings with large-scale computer simulations running on our Linux cluster.

Project 2: Adaptive integration of contextual information and prior knowledge into coherent percepts
1 Post-Doc (E 14 TVöD) will lead and shape the research activities in this project. In parallel, this experienced candidate is expected to coordinate the exchange between experimental studies and theoretical work within the whole research group, hereby structuring the collaboration between the different projects, as well as organizing the exchange of ideas with external partners at the Bernstein centers.
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) will perform psychophysical experiments (in Prof.
Fahle's Lab) on feature integration in visual cortex, guided by theoretical work of the Post-Doc.

Project 3: Adaptive routing of information flow in the visual cortex
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) will investigate attention-dependent signal selection and dynamic routing of information in the visual cortex by electrophysiological multi-electrode recordings in trained monkeys.
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) with a comprehensive background in theory and data analysis will identify basic neuronal mechanisms of signal selection and dynamic routing of information. The candidate is expected to study realistic models of cortical microcircuits based on constraints from monkey experiments and psychophysical studies performed within the Bernstein group.

Project 4: Dynamic integration of temporal signals and adaptive learning
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) with a background in psychophysics will investigate temporal factors in figure-ground segregation, object representation and closed loop eye-hand coordination with psychophysical methods in humans.
1 PhD student (E13/2 TVöD) will study multi-modal adaptation on different time scales with spiking neuronal network models. The candidate should be interested in identifying putative mechanisms of fast adaptation and learning, and in establishing cross-links between experimental work, learning theory, up to control problems in technical applications.

Ideal candidates would be interested in pursuing research with a strong emphasis on computational questions and their experimental investigation in a tight interdisciplinary network. We also expect and encourage candidates to contribute own ideas in shaping the project. Basis for application is a successful graduation at a university in the field of natural studies.
The University of Bremen desires to increase the number of women in research and thus explicitly solicits applications from qualified women. Handicapped applicants will be treated preferentially if their personal and professional qualifications are equivalent. For additional information, contact or see http://www.bernstein.uni-bremen.de.


The project will start from April 2007 onwards.