New Max-Planck Center with the Hebrew University Jerusalem

October 24, 2012

Max Planck-Hebrew University Center: Sensory Processing of the Brain in Action

Partners

The Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany and The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Principal Investigators

Profs. Tobias Bonhoeffer, Idan Segev (Directors), Alexander Borst, Bert Sakmann, Adi Mizrahi, Haim Sompolinsky.

Mission

The new Center will embark on new and innovative collaborative research projects on the organization and function of brain sensory processing, focusing on unraveling the causal relationships between neuronal mechanisms and perception, cognition and behavior, at the neuronal circuit level. A central goal of the Center is to understand at what stage and how sensory processing changes and is changed by the behavioral state of the animal. This will be achieved by studying sensory processing in behaving animals, utilizing state of the art experimental, computational and theoretical approaches across different model systems (fly and mouse) and different sensory systems (vision, somatosensation, audition). Research at the Center will shed light on the dynamic nature of sensory processing of the brain in action.

Max Planck Junior Fellows

The Max Planck Junior Fellowship is a non-tenure track position. Recipients of this fellowship will be exceptionally talented researchers at the postdoctoral level. Each fellow will join one of the labs of the center, but will work largely independently with his/her own research budget and possibly research assistants / PhD students. The term of the appointment is for 3-5 years. Fellows will spend part of their time at the HU and part at the Max Planck Institute, which will guarantee the creation of concrete and visible joint research programs. A joint selection committee will select the fellows.

Other Collaborative Activities

The Center will fund Members’ students and postdocs that work on joint research between the two partners, as well as visits of junior and senior researchers to their partner’s labs. The Center will hold joint seminars and journal clubs using modern video conferencing facilities, and an annual retreat. In addition, it will sponsor workshops and conferences in line with its research goals and interests.

Applications

Applications for Max Planck Junior Fellows should be sent to both Prof. Tobias Bonhoeffer (tobias.bonhoeffer@neuro.mpg.de) and Prof. Idan Segev (idan@lobster.ls.huji.ac.il)

Go to Editor View