(Fixed Term) - Understanding cognition and social behaviour in sheep

Salary: £24,289-£27,318

Reference: PM03025

Closing date: 27 April 2014

We are looking for a highly motivated research assistant to join a research team led by Professor Jenny Morton.  The team is based in Cambridge; the work is conducted in Cambridge and South Australia. The purpose of this project is to develop objective measures for understanding the mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction, abnormalities in social interactions and sleep disorder in Huntington's disease (HD). 

This post is part of a project funded by CHDI Inc, a charitable foundation based in the USA that funds research into HD. HD is an incurable neurodegenerative genetic disorder that causes progressive deterioration of movement and cognitive function, as well as changes in psychiatric domains such as anxiety and depression.  Recently, sleep abnormalities have also been identified in HD patients.  The study is part of a larger project led by Professor Jenny Morton studying the effects of neurodegeneration in HD. Our aim is to facilitate development of interventions to prevent progression of the disease. The results will also have broad relevance to fields of animal behavior and cognitive and systems neuroscience.

The successful applicant will be using in vivo electrophysiological recording from neuronal networks in normal behaving sheep, focusing on hippocampus, striatum and connected regions of neocortex to understand behavioral changes in HD. These EEG, local field potential and multiple signal neuron recording methods are well established in humans and rodents.  The experimental program will include use of telemetric recording systems for long-range recordings in naturalistic environments.

You will be part of a research team pioneering novel methods for investigating behavior in normal and transgenic sheep models of HD. You will work closely with post-doctoral researchers and research assistants to provide experimental and field trip assistance for the project as necessary. There may be an opportunity to travel to Australia to take part in a field study.

Applicants must have a BSc degree in an appropriate subject. Familiarity with EEG analysis techniques, particularly in Matlab, is desirable.  The post will require some weekend work and a flexible approach to working hours.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/3539 or click on the 'Apply' button below.

This will take you to the role on the University?s Job Opportunities pages. There you will need to click on the 'Apply online' button and register an account with the University's Web Recruitment System (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a covering letter in the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please quote reference PM03025 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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