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.

The Neuro-Mechanical Modeling and Engineering Lab (NMLab) at the University of Twente invites applications for a 3-year postdoctoral position funded by the ERC Consolidator Grant ROBOREACTOR. This is an exciting opportunity to join a cutting-edge team at the intersection of neurophysiology, biomechanics, and rehabilitation robotics. As a postdoctoral researcher in this project, you will work on breakthrough technology for non-invasive biopsies of skeletal muscles, specifically targeting the lower limbs. You will employ high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) and ultrasonography, combined with advanced statistical and machine learning techniques, to characterize muscle properties at multiple scales. Key focuses include motor unit phenotype distribution, 3D muscle fascicle morphology, and muscle inflammation levels. You will validate these non-invasive measurements against invasive biopsy samples and advanced imaging techniques, working with both healthy individuals and post-stroke survivors in the context of rehabilitation robotics and regenerative robotics technologies.

This 4-year PhD position offers you the chance to work in an innovative interdisciplinary environment, collaborating on groundbreaking research at the frontier of healthcare and robotics. As a PhD fellow, you’ll play a central role in building a predictive, multi-scale model of human skeletal muscle. This model will simulate how motor units within muscles respond to neural signals discharged by spinal neurons and adapt structurally over time when subjected to specific physical strain regimens. Leveraging machine learning and statistical modeling, you’ll integrate data from in vivo and in vitro studies to accurately predict muscle remodelling. The model will be validated against data from both healthy participants and post-stroke patients following a targeted 12-week leg training protocol. Using advanced tools such as high-density electromyography, ultrasound, and robotic dynamometry, you'll bridge biomechanics, neurophysiology and robotics, driving novel insights in muscle modelling and rehabilitation.

The eye is a multi-component biological system, where mechanics, optics, transport phenomena and chemical reactions are strictly interlaced, characterized by the typical bio-variability in sizes and material properties. The eye’s response to external action is patient-specific and it can be predicted only by a customized approach, that accounts for the multiple physics and for the intrinsic microstructure of the tissues, developed with the aid of forefront means of computational biomechanics. Our activity in the last years has been devoted to the development of a comprehensive model of the cornea that aims at being entirely patient-specific. While the geometrical aspects are fully under control, given the sophisticated diagnostic machinery able to provide a fully three-dimensional images of the eye, the major difficulties are related to the characterization of the tissues, which require the setup of in-vivo tests to complement the well documented results of in-vitro tests. The interpretation of in-vivo tests is very complex, since the entire structure of the eye is involved and the characterization of the single tissue is not trivial. The availability of micromechanical models constructed from detailed images of the eye represents an important support for the characterization of the corneal tissues, especially in the case of pathologic conditions. In this presentation I will provide an overview of the research developed in our group in terms of computational models and experimental approaches developed for the human cornea.

The vertebrate retina is an important outpost of the central nervous system, responsible for the perception and transmission of visual information. It consists of five different types of neurons that reproducibly laminate into three layers, a process of crucial importance for the organ’s function. Unsurprisingly, impaired fate decisions as well as impaired neuronal migrations and lamination lead to impaired retinal function. However, how processes are coordinated at the cellular and tissue level and how variable or robust retinal formation is, is currently still underexplored. In my lab, we aim to shed light on these questions from different angles, studying on the one hand differentiation phenomena and their variability and on the other hand the downstream migration and lamination phenomena. We use zebrafish as our main model system due to its excellent possibilities for live imaging and quantitative developmental biology. More recently we also started to use human retinal organoids as a comparative system. We further employ cross disciplinary approaches to address these issues combining work of cell and developmental biology, biomechanics, theory and computer science. Together, this allows us to integrate cell with tissue-wide phenomena and generate an appreciation of the reproducibility and variability of events.

Hydra is an extraordinary creature. Continuously replacing itself, it can live indefinitely, performing a stable repertoire of reasonably sophisticated behaviors. This remarkable stability under plasticity may be due to the uniform nature of its nervous system, which consists of two apparently noncommunicating nerve net layers. We use modeling to understand the role of active muscles and biomechanics interact with neural activity to shape Hydra behaviour. We will discuss our findings and thoughts on how this simple nervous system may self-organize to produce purposeful behavior.

My research at the interface of neurobiology, biomechanics, and behavior seeks to understand how the timing precision of sensory input structures locomotor output. My lab studies the flight behavior of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, combining powerful genetic tools available for labeling and manipulating neural circuits with cutting-edge imaging in awake, behaving animals. This work has the potential to fundamentally reshape understanding of the evolution of insect flight, as well as highlight the tremendous importance of timing in the context of locomotion. Timing is crucial to the nervous system. The ability to rapidly detect and process subtle disturbances in the environment determines whether an animal can attain its next meal or successfully navigate complex, unpredictable terrain. While previous work on various animals has made tremendous strides uncovering the specialized neural circuits used to resolve timing differences with sub-microsecond resolution, it has focused on the detection of timing differences in sensory systems. Understanding of how the timing of motor output is structured by precise sensory input remains poor. My research focuses on an organ unique to fruit flies, called the haltere, that serves as a bridge for detecting and acting on subtle timing differences, helping flies execute rapid maneuvers. Understanding how this relatively simple insect canperform such impressive aerial feats demands an integrative approach that combines physics, muscle mechanics, neuroscience, and behavior. This unique, powerful approach will reveal the general principles that govern sensorimotor processing.