We are looking for talented postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate students with independent drive and expertise in biology, physics, mathematics, or engineering. Projects are available in both computational neuroscience and quantitative microbiology. We emphasize a strong interdisciplinary atmosphere in the lab, where microbiologists, neuroscientists, molecular biologists, physicists and mathematicians can take risks and be creative.
Postdoctoral position to study emergent behavior in microbial communities.
Microbes dynamically shape their environment and assemble into complex spatial structures that provide function such as group migration and antibiotic resistance. We are seeking individuals interested in dissecting the functional role of non-genetic variations in these processes. We probe these systems at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels by combining molecular and biophysical experimental methods with predictions from theory and simulations. This approach enables us to understand how function at one scale (e.g. microbial population) emerges from interactions and coordinated behavior at the smaller scale (e.g. molecules, cells). Applicants should have expertise in experimental microbiology, biophysics, or molecular biology and should enjoy collaboration with theoreticians. Interested candidates should send an email to thierry.emonet@yale.edu with their CV, a short explanation of their scientific interests and the names and contact information of two references.
Postdoctoral positions to study olfactory coding and navigation
Which strategies insects use to navigate natural odor environments remains poorly understood. To address this central question, we designed the first assay capable of quantifying simultaneously a complex odor signal and the free walking behavior of flies. By combining this assay with optogenetic tools to silence neurons in the olfactory and central nervous system, our goal is to decipher the computations used by insects to navigate complex odor plumes, along with the neuronal mechanisms that implement them.
Another key question in olfaction is how to code odor identity amidst temporal variations in the intensity of the signal. This question has been studied mainly by examining the response of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) to odors presented on top of clean air. Recently we discovered that ORNs adapt their input-output gain according to both the mean and contrast of the input signal. The goal of this project is to examine how these properties affect the ability of the olfactory periphery to encode odors in the presence of potentially-confounding background odors. This project involves performing electrophysiology and optogenetics measurements of ORNs responses to precisely controlled odor signals and by manipulating the system using CRISPR.
We are seeking individuals with recent or upcoming PhDs in experimental neuroscience, engineering, or physics, or individuals with theory backgrounds who are interested in performing experiments. Interested candidates should send an email to Thierry.Emonet@yale.edu with their CV, a short explanation of their scientific interests, and the name and contact information of two references.
Graduate and undergraduiate student positions
Graduate and undergraduate students: if you are interested in the lab please send to Thierry by email your CV, a summary of past research, a description of why you are interested in the lab. Postdoc applicants: please send also the contact info for 3 references.
For those of you who are thinking of applying to the Yale graduate school, we recommend checking out the Physics, Engineering, and Biology (PEB) program, which is an umbrella program available to all graduate students interested in the interface between biology and physics. You can join the PEB by first joining either the Physics Graduate program or the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program, which encompasses tracks like the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP); Computational Biology and Bioinformatics(CBB); Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics, and Structural Biology (BQBS); and Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Development (MCGD).