Dr. Melissa Caras

We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow to study neuromodulatory mechanisms supporting auditory perceptual learning in Mongolian gerbils. The successful applicant will measure and manipulate neuromodulatory release, and assess its impact on cortical activity in freely-moving animals engaged in auditory detection tasks. A variety of techniques will be used, including in vivo multichannel electrophysiology and pharmacology, fiber photometry, novel genetically-encoded fluorescent biosensors, chemogenetics and/or optogenetics. The candidate will be highly involved in all aspects of the research, from design to publication, and will additionally have the opportunity to mentor graduate and undergraduate students.