A Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate position is available in Dr. Simon Danner’s laboratory at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine to study the spinal locomotor circuitry and its interactions with the musculoskeletal system and afferent feedback. The qualified postdoc will work on several collaborative, interdisciplinary, NIH-funded projects to uncover the connectivity and function of somatosensory afferents and various genetically or anatomically identified interneurons. The studies involve the development of computer models of mouse, rat, and cat biomechanics connected with models of the spinal locomotor circuitry. The successful candidate will closely collaborate with other computational and experimental neuroscientists: they will use experimental data to implement and refine the model, and use the model to derive predictions that will then be tested experimentally by our collaborators.

Essential Functions:
• Work with existing and develop new biomechanical models of the mouse, rat and cat
• Develop neural network models of the spinal locomotor circuits
• Integrate the neural network and biomechanical models to simulate locomotor behavior
• Use numerical optimization to optimize the neuromechanical models
• Apply machine learning/reinforcement learning
• Use the models to derive experimentally testable predictions
• Closely collaborate with experimental neuroscientists
• Analyze kinematic and electrophysiological data
• Write and submit research manuscripts
• Present novel findings at national and international conferences

The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a well-funded research group that works in a dynamic, collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. The highly collegial Danner lab is a member of the Neuroengineering Program, the Theoretical & Computational Neuroscience group, and the Spinal Cord Research Center within Drexel University College of Medicine’s Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy (http://drexel.edu/medicine/About/Departments/Neurobiology-Anatomy/) in Philadelphia, PA. The Department provides an outstanding scientific environment for multidisciplinary training. Interactions and collaborations between labs and between other departments are encouraged.

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