Call for PhD Student Positions in Experimental Neurology (Berlin)

We are searching for two PhD students, interested in the field of translational neuroscience.

In recent years, the clinical symptoms of many brain disorders have been reinterpreted as dysfunction of brain circuits or “circuitopathies”. This paradigm shift from focal lesions to distributed brain networks allowed for the development of targeted neuromodulation therapies. One successful example is deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD), which can reverse the motor symptoms of PD. Despite its great clinical success for core motor symptoms, major clinical needs remain unsolved such as gait disturbances and freezing in PD, or hemiparetic gait after stroke. In the proposed projects, we want to investigate the pathological network oscillations that lead to gait deficits in animal models of PD and stroke. To investigate the underlying circuit mechanisms, we will combine neural recordings during free behavior with targeted neuromodulation interventions (i.e. electrical spinal cord stimulation, pharmacogenetic- and optogenetic stimulation). These investigations may inspire the design of future neuroprosthetic systems for the treatment of motor deficits in patients.

The PhD positions are part of a newly DFG-funded collaborative research center ‘RETUNE’, that will provide a dynamic environment for the exchange of ideas and interactions with other PhD students and experts in the field. Previous experience in working with animal models, performing neural recordings and neural signal analysis, are of advantage for the application.

Positions open from September 2020
Alternative starting dates can be discussed.
The salary is according to DFG standards, 40h per week.
If you are interested in the position, please send your CV and a statement of motivation to: nikolaus.wenger@charite.de

Project Lead
Dr. Nikolaus Wenger, Prof. Christoph Harms and Prof. Matthias Endres
Department of Neurology with experimental Neurology
Charite, Universtity Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte
Lab website: https://cutt.ly/Ey3rGrf