Postdoctoral Fellow

About us  

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. 

To learn more about the Crick, click here.

About the role

The Chandra lab studies the evolution of brains and behaviour, using acoels as a model to ask how diffuse nerve nets transitioned into centralised brains and to understand its consequences.

The lab has developed the acoel Hofstenia miamia as a new neuroscience model.

Find more about the Chandra lab here

We are looking for an ambitious Postdoctoral Fellow to lead an exciting research project aimed at uncovering organising principles of Hofstenia's unique diffuse brain.

This role offers a rare opportunity to tackle fundamental questions in neuroscience and evolution by investigating how distributed neural circuits give rise to computation and behaviour.

Working at the forefront of an emerging model system, you will combine innovative experimental and computational approaches to explore how nervous systems process information in the absence of a conventional centralised brain.

What you will be doing 

You will: 

• lead an ambitious project focused on systems neuroscience in Hofstenia, seeking to understand how a distributed circuit generates adaptive behaviour
• develop and apply experimental and analysis methods to visualise circuit architecture, record neural activity, and study the effects of neural perturbations on behaviour
• ensure that your findings are reproducible and well-documented
• collaborate with other lab members, and potentially with colleagues within and outside the Crick
• contribute to mentoring graduate students where appropriate
• report your findings at lab meetings, seminars, and conferences
• contribute to and lead the writing of articles for peer-reviewed journals
• contribute to the growth of the lab’s research programme

Please see full job description here

About you 

You will bring 

• PhD in neuroscience or a related field*
• a strong quantitative background*
• expertise in neural recordings, writing code, and analysis of high-dimensional data*
• familiarity with genetic methods to label, record from, and perturb specific cell populations*
• a track record of writing papers that tell a rigorous and creative story*
• familiarity with state-of-the-art methods to study behaviour (desirable)
• familiarity with marine invertebrates or other non-model species (desirable)

Minimum criteria*

To apply please click the 'Apply' button above.

About Working at the Crick 

Our values  

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. 
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. 
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. 

At the Crick, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. If you need assistance with your application, please contact karen.au@crick.ac.uk.

To read more about our EDI approach, click here.  

What will you receive?  

We value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development. You can find out more about what we offer here.