Postdoctoral Fellow opportunity - Computational Neuroscience at EMBL Rome
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We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to join new projects at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Rome (EMBL-Rome).
We will develop interpretable, normative computational models of animal behaviour and neural activity, with the aim of understanding adaptive brain-body-environment interactions (see Egocentric value maps of the near-body environment | Nature Neuroscience and https://www.embl.org/research/units/epigenetics-neurobiology/computational-models-of-adaptive-behaviour/ examples of recent work).
This position is ideal for candidates with a background in systems neuroscience, computational modelling, or machine learning. The fellow will have substantial freedom to design their own interdisciplinary research project, with close support and mentoring.
Potential research directions include (but are not limited to):
- Modelling adaptive escape and interception behaviour using Reinforcement Learning and Active Inference
- Interpreting subcortical electrophysiology in relation to defensive decision-making
- Inferring latent neural states from calcium imaging and pupillometry
- Creating normative models of cellular or epigenetic processes
The position offers the opportunity to collaborate with experimentalists at EMBL and an external partner lab, and to work with extensive existing EMBL datasets.
Our project is part of a vibrant and collaborative EMBL community spanning multiple European sites, with strong support for computational and systems neuroscience. Internal funding for collaborative research between our project and groups at or outside EMBL exists via the EIPOD LiNC programme (EIPOD-LinC Fellowship Programme – Postdoctoral Programme). A formal application will open in November 2025 and close in February 2026, but early conversations are strongly encouraged.
To discuss a potential project or find out more, please contact rory.b...@embl.it.