Postdoctoral Scholars in Machine Learning, Neural Engineering, Computational Neuroscience
Summary: The Shanechi Lab is recruiting postdoctoral scholars to work on multi-institutional NIH and DoD grants at the interface of machine learning, control theory and neuroscience. The projects will (i) develop novel methods for modeling and decoding brain network activity, and for controlling this activity with electrical or optogenetic stimulation, (ii) study brain network dynamics underlying movements in nonhuman primates and mood states in humans, and (iii) develop closed-loop neurotechnology in humans.
Who we are: Our lab is in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Viterbi School of Engineering, and also part of Neuroscience Graduate Program and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). We develop neurotechnology and study the brain by modeling, decoding, and control of neural dynamics. Through extensive collaborations with human and nonhuman primate neurophysiology labs, we also collect neural data using cutting-edge probes and perform electrical or optogenetic stimulation to demonstrate our technologies and study the brain. More information about our lab is at https://nseip.usc.edu/
Position details: The postdoctoral scholars will have a unique opportunity to lead a highly interdisciplinary effort and interact with renowned experts in electrical engineering, computer science, and neuroscience across multiple academic institutions as part of an NIH R01 grant, an NIH New Innovator DP2 grant, and joint US/UK multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) and bilateral academic research initiative (BARI) DoD grants.
- The new NIH R01 grant will develop a system for model-based neural control of electrical brain stimulation in mood and mental disorders and will test the system in human patients with intracranial electrodes in collaboration with Edward Chang’s Lab at UCSF.
- The new NIH New Innovator Award (DP2) will develop geometric nonlinear dynamical models and decoders of neural population activity to study neural dynamics during motor and cognitive tasks in human and nonhuman primate datasets.
- The multi-institutional MURI/BARI DoD grants led by the Shanechi lab include collaborators at UC Berkeley, Duke, Harvard, NYU, UCLA, Imperial, UCL, and Essex and develop machine learning methods for modeling multiscale neural recordings as well as non-invasive EEG BCIs for enhanced decision accuracy.
Applicant qualifications: Applicants should have a PhD in electrical engineering, computer science, applied math, statistics, physics, or a related field. Some background in neuroscience is helpful, but not required. The duration of postdoc is negotiable, but a minimum of two years is preferred. The positions are available now, but the start date is flexible.
How to apply: Interested applicants should contact Professor Shanechi at shanechi@usc.edu and include a CV.
Graduate Student Openings
We are recruiting PhD students with strong mathematical background who are interested in developing machine learning, signal processing and control-theoretic algorithms for neural engineering and neuroscience applications. Interested candidates should contact shanechi@usc.edu.