From: Henrik Mouritsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Exciting postdoc position available Our research group carries out multidisciplinary studies on the behavioural and physiological mechanisms of animal navigation. Recently, we have identified some areas in the bird brain, which are involved in processing navigational information. This is new and has opened a highway of new exciting possibilities. The postdoctoral position in our lab, therefore, provides ample possibilities for making ground-breaking research. I seek a postdoc, who is a real specialist in neurophysiological techniques (single cell recordings), neoroanatomical techniques (in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry) and neuronal tracers. To be considered, you must have published significant work using some of these techniques, and you must have previous doctoral and/or postdoctoral experience from a true expert lab, so that you can independently take responsibility for your own methodological approaches. In return, I can offer a well-paid (BAT IIa) postdoc position for one year, extendable to at least three years based on the success of your work. If you are interested in the position, please send an application to Dr. Henrik Mouritsen, Institute of Biology, Universität Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany or by email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your application must include reprints of previous publications and at least three references to senior scientists knowing you well. Background information about our group: On 1 January 2002, a Volkswagen Nachwuchsgruppe (young research group) focusing on the behavioral and physiological mechanisms of animal navigation was established at Oldenburg University, Germany. Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying the impressive navigational abilities of long-distance migrants. The long-distance navigational abilities of animals have fascinated humans for centuries and challenged scientists for decades. How is a butterfly with a brain weighing less than 0.02 grams able to find its way to a very specific wintering site thousands of kilometers away, even though it has never been there before? And, how does a migratory bird circumnavigate the globe with a precision unobtainable by human navigators before the emergence of GPS satellites? To answer these questions, multi-disciplinary approaches are needed. A very good example of such an approach on shorter distance navigation is the classical ongoing studies on foraging trips of Cataglyphis desert ants. My Nachwuchsgruppe intends to use mathematical modeling, molecular biology, neurobiology, computer simulations and newly developed laboratory equipment in combination with behavioral experiments and analyses of field data to achieve a better understanding of the behavioral and physiological mechanisms of long distance navigation in insects and birds. The group will be located at the University of Oldenburg, Germany and will have close connections/collaboration with these excellent local research groups: the neurobiology group of Prof. Reto Weiler, the newly established zoophysiology group of Prof. Georg Klump, and the ornithology group of Prof. Franz Bairlein at Institut für Vogelforschung in Wilhelmshaven. In addition, we have close collaborations with several expert groups in the USA, Canada, and the rest of Europe. These collaborations give our group access to a very wide range of superb modern equipment, techniques and expertise. Best wishes, Dr. Henrik Mouritsen, group leader [EMAIL PROTECTED]
