Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biocomputation at the University of Hertfordshire, UK

[Volker Steuber]

Post Title: Research Fellow in Biocomputation

SBU/Department: School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science

 

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FTE: 1 FTE (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term Contract (3 years)

Salary: UH7 £36,333 pa with potential to progress to £43,155 pa on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave:  35 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield, UK

Closing Date: 14th June 2023

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Reference Number: 048016

Date advert placed: 17th May 2023

 

Main duties and responsibilities

We are seeking a full-time Research Fellow to join the Biocomputation Research Group in the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire to conduct high-quality research in Computational Neuroscience. The successful candidate’s research will involve synergistic collaborations with a multidisciplinary team to investigate brain processes using methodologies such as computational modelling, machine learning and AI. Research to be conducted could, e.g., comprise modelling brain circuits like the olfactory bulb or the cerebellum and simulating and analysing their function. Additional impact could arise in machine learning, AI, data science, neurorobotics and neuromorphic computing.

 

The successful candidate will be expected to establish a programme of research in collaboration with colleagues at UH and partner organisations in the UK and abroad. Leading the preparation and publication of research manuscripts is a key aspect of the role. Contributions to the preparation of research proposals and applications for funding to external bodies, such as the European Commission and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are expected. The postholder will create opportunities to maximise research activities, capturing relevant evidence to support impact and engaging with external partners and stakeholders.

 

Skill and experience required

• Strong theoretical, computational and programming background in computational modelling and/or machine learning and/or data science and/or AI.
• Background and expertise in computational neuroscience (e.g. spiking neural networks, brain function and anatomy, analysis of brain data).
• Demonstrated experience to conduct independent research in computational neuroscience or a related field, e.g., through published research papers or monographs.
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English
• The applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.

Qualifications required

•       An undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Neuroscience, or a related discipline and a PhD (or expectation that one will soon be awarded) in a relevant discipline.

 

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

 

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries:

Professor Volker Steuber, v.st...@herts.ac.uk

Professor Michael Schmuker, m.sch...@herts.ac.uk

Apply through: https://www.jobs.herts.ac.uk/go/048016

 

Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. 

Volker Steuber

Professor of Computational Neuroscience

Biocomputation Research Group

School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science

University of Hertfordshire

College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK

biocomputation.herts.ac.uk

[Volker Steuber]

Research Fellows in Computational Neuroscience

Biocomputation Research Group

University of Hertfordshire

UK

https://www.jobs.herts.ac.uk/go/053215

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Application deadline: 14 January 2024

FTE: 1 FTE (working 37 hours per week)

Duration of Contract: Fixed term contract until 31/12/2024 (extension expected pending funding availability)

Salary: UH7 £37,099 to £44,263 pa commensurate with skills and experience

Annual Leave: 35 days plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield, UK

 

Main duties and responsibilities

We are seeking to employ two full-time research fellows to join the Biocomputation Group at the University of Hertfordshire to conduct high-quality research in Computational Neuroscience. The successful candidate’s research will involve synergistic collaborations within a team of 16 PI in the US, UK and Canada towards understanding how odorants shape the behaviour of animals (https://odor2action.org ). The candidate will apply computational methods from Computational Neuroscience, AI, Machine Learning and/or Data Science in close collaboration with internationally leading experimental researchers who investigate the neurophysiology of the sense of smell, the dynamics of turbulent odorant plumes, and the structural biology of odorant receptors. Funding for international travel for research secondments is available.

 

The successful candidate will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team of computational researchers whose expertise spans Neuroscience, Machine Learning, Information Theory, Cheminformatics, Software Engineering, and Neurorobotics, providing a unique opportunity to learn and create impactful research at the interface of these disciplines. The exact research topic is flexible within the opportunities provided through the Odor2Action research consortium.

 

The preparation and publication of research manuscripts is a key aspect of the role. Contributions to the preparation of research proposals to funding bodies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the European Commission are expected. The postholder will proactively create and exploit opportunities to maximise their research activity and engage with stakeholders to support impact.

 

Skills and Experience

The successful candidate will have a strong theoretical, computational and programming background in Computational Neuroscience and/or AI and/or Machine Learning and/or Data Science, evidenced e.g. by a degree in a relevant discipline or suitable professional experience. Will have demonstrated capability to apply computational methods for research discovery, e.g., through peer-reviewed research papers or monographs. The ability to conduct independent research, usually evidenced by a PhD or comparable research qualification. Proficiency in written and oral English. The candidate would ideally have experience in olfaction research and evidence of prior interdisciplinary research collaboration. Contribution to software packages and experience in releasing code are beneficial.

 

Qualifications Required

A minimum of an undergraduate honours degree in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Chemistry, Biology or a related discipline, and a PhD (or close to completion) in a relevant discipline.

 

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

 

Contact Details for Informal Enquiries

Professor Volker Steuber, v.st...@herts.ac.uk

 

Closing date: 14 January 2024

Interview date: TBC (Online)

Reference number: 053215

Date advert placed: 14 December 2023

 

Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts

 

Apply online at https://www.jobs.herts.ac.uk/go/053215

Volker Steuber

Professor of Computational Neuroscience

Biocomputation Research Group

School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science

University of Hertfordshire

College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK

biocomputation.herts.ac.uk

[Volker Steuber]

PhD Studentship in Computational Neuroscience

Biocomputation Research Group

Centre for AI and Robotics Research

School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science

University of Hertfordshire, UK

Informal enquiries: Prof Volker Steuber, UH (v.st...@herts.ac.uk); Dr Arnd Roth, UCL (arnd...@ucl.ac.uk)

Application deadline: 14 November 2025

Studentship: approximately £20,700 per annum bursary plus payment of the student fees. Applicants from inside and outside the UK are eligible.

Proposed Project: Reinforcement Learning and Microzones in the Cerebellum

The crystalline structure of the cerebellar cortex has inspired the development of  theories and computational models of learning in the cerebellum. In these computational models, learning is typically based on long-term depression (LTD) between parallel fibres and Purkinje cells in cerebellar cortex. More recently, however, plasticity has been shown to be present at different types of cerebellar synapses, and recent observations of reward signals conveyed by both mossy fibres and climbing fibres to the cerebellar cortex indicate that the roles of the instructive signals for cerebellar plasticity are more complex than assumed by classic theories. The presence of reward signals suggests that the cerebellum may be involved in reinforcement learning, by predicting the consequences of different actions. A further level of complexity arises from the existence of alternating cerebellar microzones that have been shown to contribute in different ways to cerebellar learning.

The proposed PhD project will extend a previously developed detailed network model of the cerebellum. Simulations of the network model will be used to investigate the implications of reward signals and microzones for cerebellar learning. The work will contribute to a better understanding of learning in the cerebellum with potential applications in machine learning and neurorobotics.

Applicants should have a keen interest in computational neuroscience and an excellent first degree or MSc in computer science, neuroscience, AI, machine learning, physics, maths, biology, medicine or a related discipline.

The project involves a collaboration between the Biocomputation Research Group in the Centre for AI and Robotics Research at the University of Hertfordshire (Volker Steuber) and the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at UCL (Arnd Roth) and will require regular visits to London. The Centre for AI and Robotics Research and the University of Hertfordshire provide a very stimulating environment, offering a large Doctoral School with many specialised and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training and researcher development opportunities. The University is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London.

Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognised as excellent in REF 2021, with 90% of the research submitted and all of the research impact rated as internationally excellent or world leading.

Information on the application procedure and an application form can be found at: https://www.herts.ac.uk/study/schools-of-study/physics-engineering-and-computer-science/engineering-and-computer-science/research-in-engineering-and-computer-science/the-phd-programme-in-computer-science