We welcome Undergraduate, Graduate, Postdoc, Associates and Collaborators to contact us if you would like work with us on solving fun and interesting biological questions related to cephalopods and flies.
Collaborators
If you can help us we would be grateful, if we can help you, just let us know.
Post-doctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral Position Vacancy – Electrophysiology studies of octopus behavior, arm use and prey capture.
Our Navy funded project is to understand octopus sensory inputs & neuromuscular control systems that coordinate arm movements. The Wardill group focuses down on visually evoked cephalopod behaviors, investigating the behavioral and neuroethological basis for prey capture, arm use and camouflage. The candidate will use newly developed techniques to implant tetrodes and neurologging devices within octopuses/cuttlefish/squid to see how control systems operate during behavior. Neuroanatomical experiments are also planned. For this, you will have access to cutting-edge multi-electrode recording and stimulation equipment, 2-photon microscopy and a variety of cephalopod species housed either at University of Minnesota or at the Marine Biological Lab. The project is a team effort with the laboratories of Melina Hale (U. Chicago) and Roger Hanlon (Marine Biological Lab). We will also have support from the cephalopod rearing initiative at the MBL, where many species of cephalopod are currently being reared over multiple generations. Thus, you will work as part of a team, and with collaborators. The three teams will coordinate efforts to conduct neuroanatomy, physiology and behavior experiments.
UMN Instructions to apply:
1) Visit https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs
2) Click the “External Candidates” link in the center
3) Search Job ID 350612
See also on HERC.
The Wardill group has recently shown that octopus use specific combinations of arms, and even specific arms depending on the prey being attacked (under review). These visually evoked behaviors have shown how octopus arm selection and recruitment can be quite stereotypical in lab conditions. We now seek to record from brain regions, which are part of the arm control system and determine how arm selection and recruitment decisions are made. We have demonstrated that recording from the octopus brain while they are doing prey capture is possible with long tetrodes that can be implanted for over two days (unpublished). Thus, we now need to expand our team to record from many more animals across several brain regions, simultaneously, to delve into the circuits that drive octopus arms. If you have electrophysiology experience, and working with octopus sounds interesting, we encourage you to apply even if you have not worked with cephalopods previously.
The initial contract is 18 months, with possible extension based on performance. Salary is based on experience, following UMN postdoctoral salary scales, starting at Researcher 5 minimum. Start date as soon as possible. This post is in the laboratory of Asst. Prof Trevor Wardill but also collaborates/shares space/joint lab meetings with Assoc. Prof Gonzalez-Bellido (Flysy Lab, see here), based at the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Department @ The University of Minnesota.
This project is built on our experience with cephalopod behavior, neuroanatomy, stereovision, anesthesia, skin / papillae electrophysiology, and neuroanatomy. We have three large automated seawater recirculating systems for keeping and rearing cephalopods and we have kept squids, cuttlefish and octopus at UMN. We are currently using high-speed videography, DeepLabCut automated feature detection and 3D tracking to analyze behavioral routines. The candidate does not need to have experience with cephalopods but this would be a considerable advantage if they also have electrophysiology experience.
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
------------------
When we do not have any vacancies and you want to work on a project similar to what you see here on our website, please do contact me. This will normally involve a conversation on what is the project, how and when we can get you funding and when you might like to start with us so we can coordinate the use of equipment.
PhD Students
1. Are we the right lab for you?
Give this plenty of consideration, we can provide equipment and support but you need to find a project that you are passionate about, and will take you to the next step of your career. Contact us to ask questions and formulate your successful project. To start with, please send me, (1) a cover letter describing why you wish to join our group, (2) your CV including Bachelors/Masters grades and a list of any scientific presentation, posters or publications and (3) contact details for 2 or more referees.
For example, check social media feeds from Jen Heemstra @jenheemstra like this one here
2. Is this the right university and will they accept you into their programs?
This is always dependent on funding being available. They look at transcripts and other evidence to ascertain the level of the applicant through their online PhD application system (see linked text).
3. You will need to find at least some funding to do your PhD
There are a variety of routes. e.g. FindaPhD .... PhDportal....etc. There are international schemes that allow those outside the United States to come to study in Minnesota, but they are extremely competitive.
Please contact me (twardill @ umn.edu) at least 6-12 months prior to your ideal start date. Occasionally we have internal funding to support positions however we strongly support those who obtain external funding. Note the graduate programs require applications in the year prior to starting.
Undergraduate Students
There are occasional opportunities for undergraduates to work and/or train in the lab during the year, but these will need to be organised directly with Trevor Wardill. We really appreciate your efforts, give us a shout and we will try to fit you in. The deal is we give you training on cutting edge equipment and in return you help collect exciting data (which you could be an author on!).
Collaborators
If you can help us we would be grateful, if we can help you, just let us know.
Post-doctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral Position Vacancy – Electrophysiology studies of octopus behavior, arm use and prey capture.
Our Navy funded project is to understand octopus sensory inputs & neuromuscular control systems that coordinate arm movements. The Wardill group focuses down on visually evoked cephalopod behaviors, investigating the behavioral and neuroethological basis for prey capture, arm use and camouflage. The candidate will use newly developed techniques to implant tetrodes and neurologging devices within octopuses/cuttlefish/squid to see how control systems operate during behavior. Neuroanatomical experiments are also planned. For this, you will have access to cutting-edge multi-electrode recording and stimulation equipment, 2-photon microscopy and a variety of cephalopod species housed either at University of Minnesota or at the Marine Biological Lab. The project is a team effort with the laboratories of Melina Hale (U. Chicago) and Roger Hanlon (Marine Biological Lab). We will also have support from the cephalopod rearing initiative at the MBL, where many species of cephalopod are currently being reared over multiple generations. Thus, you will work as part of a team, and with collaborators. The three teams will coordinate efforts to conduct neuroanatomy, physiology and behavior experiments.
UMN Instructions to apply:
1) Visit https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs
2) Click the “External Candidates” link in the center
3) Search Job ID 350612
See also on HERC.
The Wardill group has recently shown that octopus use specific combinations of arms, and even specific arms depending on the prey being attacked (under review). These visually evoked behaviors have shown how octopus arm selection and recruitment can be quite stereotypical in lab conditions. We now seek to record from brain regions, which are part of the arm control system and determine how arm selection and recruitment decisions are made. We have demonstrated that recording from the octopus brain while they are doing prey capture is possible with long tetrodes that can be implanted for over two days (unpublished). Thus, we now need to expand our team to record from many more animals across several brain regions, simultaneously, to delve into the circuits that drive octopus arms. If you have electrophysiology experience, and working with octopus sounds interesting, we encourage you to apply even if you have not worked with cephalopods previously.
The initial contract is 18 months, with possible extension based on performance. Salary is based on experience, following UMN postdoctoral salary scales, starting at Researcher 5 minimum. Start date as soon as possible. This post is in the laboratory of Asst. Prof Trevor Wardill but also collaborates/shares space/joint lab meetings with Assoc. Prof Gonzalez-Bellido (Flysy Lab, see here), based at the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Department @ The University of Minnesota.
This project is built on our experience with cephalopod behavior, neuroanatomy, stereovision, anesthesia, skin / papillae electrophysiology, and neuroanatomy. We have three large automated seawater recirculating systems for keeping and rearing cephalopods and we have kept squids, cuttlefish and octopus at UMN. We are currently using high-speed videography, DeepLabCut automated feature detection and 3D tracking to analyze behavioral routines. The candidate does not need to have experience with cephalopods but this would be a considerable advantage if they also have electrophysiology experience.
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
------------------
When we do not have any vacancies and you want to work on a project similar to what you see here on our website, please do contact me. This will normally involve a conversation on what is the project, how and when we can get you funding and when you might like to start with us so we can coordinate the use of equipment.
PhD Students
1. Are we the right lab for you?
Give this plenty of consideration, we can provide equipment and support but you need to find a project that you are passionate about, and will take you to the next step of your career. Contact us to ask questions and formulate your successful project. To start with, please send me, (1) a cover letter describing why you wish to join our group, (2) your CV including Bachelors/Masters grades and a list of any scientific presentation, posters or publications and (3) contact details for 2 or more referees.
For example, check social media feeds from Jen Heemstra @jenheemstra like this one here
2. Is this the right university and will they accept you into their programs?
This is always dependent on funding being available. They look at transcripts and other evidence to ascertain the level of the applicant through their online PhD application system (see linked text).
3. You will need to find at least some funding to do your PhD
There are a variety of routes. e.g. FindaPhD .... PhDportal....etc. There are international schemes that allow those outside the United States to come to study in Minnesota, but they are extremely competitive.
Please contact me (twardill @ umn.edu) at least 6-12 months prior to your ideal start date. Occasionally we have internal funding to support positions however we strongly support those who obtain external funding. Note the graduate programs require applications in the year prior to starting.
Undergraduate Students
There are occasional opportunities for undergraduates to work and/or train in the lab during the year, but these will need to be organised directly with Trevor Wardill. We really appreciate your efforts, give us a shout and we will try to fit you in. The deal is we give you training on cutting edge equipment and in return you help collect exciting data (which you could be an author on!).
