The way that neural computations give rise to behavior is shaped by ever-fluctuating internal states. These states (such as arousal, fear, stress, hunger, motivation, engagement, or drowsiness) are characterized by spontaneous neural dynamics that arise independent of task demands. Across subfields of neuroscience, internal states have been quantified using a variety of measurements and markers (based on physiology, brain activity or behavioral motifs), but these are rarely explicitly compared or integrated. It is thus unclear if such different state markers quantify the same, or even related underlying processes. Instead, the simplified concept of internal states likely obscures a multi-dimensional set of biologically relevant processes, which may affect behavior in distinct ways.

In this project, we will take an integrative approach to quantify the structure and dimensionality of internal states and their effects on decision-making behavior. We will apply several state-of-the-art methods to extract different markers of internal states from facial video data, pupillometry, and high-density neural recordings. We will then quantify the unique and shared dimensionality of internal states, and their relevance for predicting choice behavior. By combining existing, publicly available datasets in mice with additional experiments in humans, we will directly test the cross-species relevance of our findings. Lastly, we will investigate how internal states change over a range of timescales: from sub-second fluctuations relevant for choice behavior to the very slow changes that take place with aging.

This project is a collaboration between the Cognitive, Computational and Systems Neuroscience lab led by Dr. Anne Urai (daily supervisor) and the Temporal Attention Lab led by Prof. Sander Nieuwenhuis. We are based in Leiden University’s Cognitive Psychology Unit, and we participate in the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), an interfaculty center for interdisciplinary research on brain and cognition ( https://www.libc-leiden.nl ). There are further options for collaborating with the International Brain Laboratory ( https://www.internationalbrainlab.com ).

Leiden is a small, friendly town near the beach, with great public transport connections to larger cities nearby. The Netherlands has excellent support for families. The working language at the university is English, and you can comfortably get by with only minimal knowledge of Dutch.

Our team is small, and we value a collegial and supportive environment. Open science is a core value in our work, and we actively pursue ways to make academia a better place. We support postdocs in developing their own ideas and research line, and we offer opportunities to gain small-scale teaching and grant writing experience. More information on our groups’ research interests, scientific vision and working environment can be found at https://anneurai.net, https://anne-urai.github.io/lab_wiki/Vision.html and https://www.temporalattentionlab.com

If you like asking hard questions, making things work, and pursuing creative ideas in a collaborative team, then this position may be for you. Please do not be discouraged from applying if your current CV is not a ‘perfect fit’. This job could suit someone from a range of different career backgrounds, and there is great scope for the right applicant to develop the role and make it their own.

See the full listing and apply at: https://www.medewerkers.universiteitleiden.nl/vacatures/2022/kwartaal-2/22-25911465postdoc-in-cognitive-and-computational-neuroscience