Scientific Area: Biomedical Sciences
Project: ERC VALENCE
Supervisor: Ana João Rodrigues
Application Period: 8 October – 22 October 2025
The research group led by Ana João Rodrigues at ICVS is seeking expressions of interest for the position of Invited Assistant Researcher within the scope of the ERC-funded project VALENCE. The selected candidate will integrate a multidisciplinary team dedicated to understanding how the brain encodes reward and aversion, and how these processes influence motivated behaviours. Further information about the research team and its scientific objectives is available at: https://reward-aversion.org
Job Description
The researcher will be responsible for conducting ex vivo electrophysiological recordings (patch clamp) in brain regions such as the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, targeting distinct neuronal populations. The position also includes performing intracranial surgeries for viral-mediated expression of opsins, to enable optogenetic manipulation of specific neural circuits during recordings.
Mandatory Requirements
- PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, or related areas
- Certified course in laboratory animal experimentation
- Demonstrated experience in patch clamp recordings in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala
- Experience in the identification and purification of peptides/neuropeptides from biological tissues
Application Process
Applications must be submitted by email to Ana João Rodrigues (ajrodrigues@med.uminho.pt) and must include the following documents:
i) a motivation letter;
ii) a detailed curriculum vitae in the CienciaVitae format;
iii) the names and contact information of three references.
Only complete applications submitted within the deadline will be considered.
