Exciting postdoc position available
Our research group carries out multidisciplinary studies on the behavioural
and physiological mechanisms of animal navigation. Recently, we have
identified some areas in the bird brain, which are involved in processing
navigational information. This is new and has opened a highway of new
exciting possibilities. The postdoctoral position in our lab, therefore,
provides ample possibilities for making ground-breaking research.
I seek a postdoc, who is a real specialist in neurophysiological techniques
(single cell recordings), neoroanatomical techniques (in-situ hybridization
and immunohistochemistry) and neuronal tracers. To be considered, you must
have published significant work using some of these techniques, and you
must have previous doctoral and/or postdoctoral experience from a true
expert lab, so that you can independently take responsibility for your own
methodological approaches. In return, I can offer a well-paid (BAT IIa)
postdoc position for one year, extendable to at least three years based on
the success of your work.
If you are interested in the position, please send an application to Dr.
Henrik Mouritsen, Institute of Biology, Universität Oldenburg, D-26111
Oldenburg, Germany or by email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your application must include reprints of previous publications and at
least three references to senior scientists knowing you well.
Background information about our group:
On 1 January 2002, a Volkswagen Nachwuchsgruppe (young research group)
focusing on the behavioral and physiological mechanisms of animal
navigation was established at Oldenburg University, Germany. Our research
focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying the impressive
navigational abilities of long-distance migrants. The long-distance
navigational abilities of animals have fascinated humans for centuries and
challenged scientists for decades. How is a butterfly with a brain weighing
less than 0.02 grams able to find its way to a very specific wintering site
thousands of kilometers away, even though it has never been there before?
And, how does a migratory bird circumnavigate the globe with a precision
unobtainable by human navigators before the emergence of GPS satellites? To
answer these questions, multi-disciplinary approaches are needed. A very
good example of such an approach on shorter distance navigation is the
classical ongoing studies on foraging trips of Cataglyphis desert ants. My
Nachwuchsgruppe intends to use mathematical modeling, molecular biology,
neurobiology, computer simulations and newly developed laboratory equipment
in combination with behavioral experiments and analyses of field data to
achieve a better understanding of the behavioral and physiological
mechanisms of long distance navigation in insects and birds. The group will
be located at the University of Oldenburg, Germany and will have close
connections/collaboration with these excellent local research groups: the
neurobiology group of Prof. Reto Weiler, the newly established
zoophysiology group of Prof. Georg Klump, and the ornithology group of
Prof. Franz Bairlein at Institut für Vogelforschung in Wilhelmshaven. In
addition, we have close collaborations with several expert groups in the
USA, Canada, and the rest of Europe. These collaborations give our group
access to a very wide range of superb modern equipment, techniques and
expertise.
Best wishes,
Dr. Henrik Mouritsen, group leader
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|