The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) unites the Medical Faculty of the Georg-August University and the University Hospital in an integration model. With around 9,700 employees, the UMG and its subsidiaries are one of the largest employers in the region. Our clinics and institutes stand for high-quality patient care, excellent research, modern teaching and transfer of innovative technology.

Göttingen as a city of science is located in the center of Germany and the University Medical Center Göttingen is integrated into an attractive network of university and non-university scientific institutions.

The Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies (EKFZ) of the University Medical Center Göttingen is looking for a new position for the earliest start date

PhD position (f/m/d) Optogenetic Brain-Computer Interface for Vision Restoration

part time, limited to a period of 36 months
Remuneration according to TV-L

The Visual Circuits & Interfaces group at the German Primate Center (DPZ) in Göttingen is seeking a

PhD position: Optogenetic Brain-Computer Interface for Vision Restoration

for a project on optogenetic stimulation of the visual cortex to generate artificial visual perception for vision restoration. The project is part of the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies, a collaborative research center dedicated to developing optogenetic therapies for clinical use, and is associated with the University Medical Center Göttingen.

Your tasks

This project will investigate how optogenetic stimulation of visual cortical circuits can evoke visual percepts. The work will include optogenetic and electrical stimulation, large-scale neural recordings with Neuropixels and ECoG, and behavioral experiments in non-human primates (marmosets). A central aim is to determine how stimulation of cortical circuits can reproduce visual percepts that resemble those evoked by natural vision.

Your qualifications

Master’s degree, equivalent degree, or close to completion, in a relevant field such as neuroscience, physics, biology, medicine, engineering, psychology, or another relevant field.

Experience or strong interest in:

Neural circuits and visual perception
Electrophysiology
Optogenetics
Systems neuroscienceData analysis / programming, for example MATLAB or Python; some experience required

We offer

Salary according to TV-L
A highly interdisciplinary environment at the interface of neuroscience and neurotechnology
Access to state-of-the-art experimental toolsIntegration into the Göttingen neuroscience community

Please send:

CV and academic transcripts
Short motivation letterContact information for references

To: pjendritza@dpz.eu

Our goal as University Medical Center Göttingen is professional equality for all genders. We strive to equalize the gender ratio in areas where there is underrepresentation. The University Medical Center Göttingen is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled people and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal suitability, applications from severely disabled persons will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the relevant regulations. We kindly ask you to indicate a disability/equal status in your letter of application in order to safeguard your interests.

We look forward to receiving your application!