Postdoctoral studies in Experimental Systems Neuroscience - Stagkourakis Lab (scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research? 

The Stagkourakis Lab is recruiting for a highly independent postdoctoral researcher that can integrate within our existing team pursuing systems neuroscience projects. The lab is based at SciLifeLab (Sweden’s national center for advanced life science infrastructure) and the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute. Our research focuses on the neural control of survival and homeostatic behaviors (including aggression, fear, and feeding), using large-scale neural recordings, advanced imaging, causal perturbations, and quantitative analysis in freely moving mice. For an overview of the lab’s research program and publications see here: https://www.scilifelab.se/researchers/stefanos-stagkourakis/

Essential technical expertise (Required)

This position is intended for candidates who can immediately operate at a high experimental level. Applicants must have demonstrated, hands-on experience in at least one of the following core domains, and strong familiarity with the others:

- Stereotaxic surgery in mice, including viral injections and/or implantations.

- Large-scale electrophysiology, preferably Neuropixels or high-channel silicon probes, in vivo.

- In vivo imaging, including miniscope and/or two-photon microscopy.

- RNA sequencing or spatial transcriptomics.

Candidates without substantial practical experience in stereotaxic surgery combined with neural recording or imaging will not be competitive for this position.

Duties

Research in our lab integrates a variety of approaches, making us open to individuals from diverse backgrounds. A foundation in quantitative fields (e.g., mathematics, engineering, computer science, physics) or prior experience in experimental techniques (e.g., molecular biology, high-channel density silicon probe electrophysiology in vivo or in vitro, advanced animal behavior designs and analysis, miniscope or two-photon imaging) is advantageous. Candidates are expected to demonstrate previous productivity, often by publications, but not exclusively. A combination of at least some of the following skills is essential:

• A high degree of independence
• Ability to construct/maintain and use complex experimental setups
• Proficiency in “big” data analysis (using MATLAB or Python), or

Candidates with demonstrated expertise in at least one, but ideally more, of the following domains are invited to apply:

• Design of novel, custom behavioral paradigms in mice.
• Use of hardware and (custom) software to interface and synchronize behavioral and neural recording setups.
• Familiarity with Arduino, Bonsai, DataJoint, and/or neural data recording platforms.
• Assembly, maintenance and use of complex electrophysiology or imaging systems.
• Combination of behavior with large-scale neural recordings using silicon probes, miniscope, or 2P imaging.
• Ability to explore and analyze large datasets using modern machine learning methods and a data-centered approach.
• Previous participation in collaborative projects with computational or experimental researchers.
• scRNA sequencing.
• Expertise in non-traditional animal models.

Entry requirements

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their merit in Sweden. A foreign researcher is a person living in another country who comes to Sweden with the intention of only staying in Sweden for all or part of their postdoctoral education at KI. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent.

A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four-year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.

To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate, or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the post-doctoral education.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

What we provide

The Stagkourakis Lab offers a highly ambitious and technically advanced systems neuroscience environment, purpose-built for studying neural population dynamics and causal control of behavior in vivo. Experimental infrastructure in the lab includes:

•  Large-scale in vivo electrophysiology, including Neuropixels and custom high-channel silicon probes for brain-wide recordings in freely moving mice.
• In vitro and in vivo imaging platforms, including miniscope imaging and two-photon microscopy.
• An SLM-enabled two-photon system allowing optical holography and patterned photostimulation for causal, ensemble-level manipulation of neural activity.
• Fully equipped stereotaxic surgery and viral injection pipelines, including AAV-based circuit targeting.
• Advanced behavioral setups for studying aggression, fear, feeding, and other survival behaviors, with precise synchronization to neural and physiological recordings.

Computational and analytical support includes:

• Established pipelines for handling large-scale neural and behavioral datasets.
• Support for MATLAB- and Python-based analysis, including population-level and data-driven approaches.
• Close integration with computational collaborators and SciLifeLab data science expertise.

Training and mentorship:

•  Hands-on mentorship in experimental strategy, technical execution, and troubleshooting.
• Structured guidance in data analysis, figure generation, scientific writing, and grant development
• Opportunities to supervise students and contribute to building experimental and analytical pipelines

Research environment and support:

•  Access to world-class infrastructure and core facilities at Karolinska Institute and SciLifeLab, including microscopy, sequencing, bioinformatics, and animal facilities.
• Administrative and technical support enabling researchers to focus on science.
• Exposure to a vibrant international neuroscience community through seminars, collaborations, and conferences.

Our lab provides an environment for postdoctoral researchers who want to work at the technical frontier of systems neuroscience, take ownership of ambitious projects, and build a strong trajectory toward scientific independence.

Location: Solna

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process

An application must contain the following documents in English:

• A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
•  A cover letter explaining your interest in working at our group. 
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)
• Two or more letters of reference. 

The application is to be submitted on the Varbi recruitment system. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all