PhD in translational fMRI research-Aachen/Jülich

The research alliance JARA-Brain between the University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen
University and the Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine at the Research Center Jülich investigates the structure and function of the human brain in health and neuro-psychiatric disorders in order to develop new diagnostic or therapeutic approaches.

As part of the growth of JARA-Brain, a three-year PhD position has become available in the "Neuropsychiatric Systems Biology" group (head: Prof. Dr. Simon Eickhoff) at the Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Aachen (head: Prof. Dr. Dr. Frank Schneider). Working at the interface between basic neuroscience and its clinical application, this research group addresses the following questions: How are the processes underlying motor, cognitive and affective functions organised in the human brain? How do their different components interact to form physiological networks? How is this regional organisation or its functional integration disturbed in patients suffering from neurological or psychiatric disorders? Which models for the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms can be derived from these findings?

Methods that will be learned and applied during the course of the PhD project include the performance of neuroimaging experiments using fMRI, the analysis of effective connectivity between brain regions by Dynamic Causal Modelling und quantitative Meta-Analyses of published functional imaging results.

We are now looking for a PhD student with a strong interest in this multidisciplinary research. Applicants should have a degree in Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine, Informatics, Biology or related areas. A background in neuroanatomy, statistics and/or fMRI analysis techniques (SPM, FSL, MATLAB etc) would be of advantage, readiness to learn new methods in an interdisciplinary environment a necessary requirement.

The position is available immediately and search will continue until a candidate has been selected. For further information or informal inquiries, please contact Simon Eickhoff (seickhoff@ukaachen. de). If this position has raised you interest, please sent your application preferentially by email (seickhoff@ukaachen. de) or alternatively by letter to: Prof. Dr. Simon Eickhoff, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074 Aachen

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Simon B. Eickhoff

AG Neuropsychiatrische Systembiologie

Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Universitätsklinikum Aachen
Telefon: +49 241 80 80523
Fax: +49 2461 61 2820
eMail: SEickhoff@ukaachen. de

und

Institut für Neurowissenschaften und Medizin
Forschungszentrum Juelich

Telefon: +49 2461 61 8609
Fax: +49 2461 61 2820
eMail: S.Eickhoff@fz- juelich.de