Postdoctoral Fellow in Systems Neuroscience Generation -Density Neurophysiology and Predictive Processing

Department Psychology

Full Description The Bastos Lab at Vanderbilt University is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to investigate the circuit mechanisms of predictive processing using next-generation high-density electrophysiology in non-human primates. Our laboratory develops Ma De La Ne  (Multi-Area, high-Density, Laminar Neurophysiology) approaches that enable simultaneous recordings across cortical areas and layers. Building on this work, we are developing a new generation of large-scale electrophysiological technology that extends Ma De La Ne  to the full circuit—from cortex to subcortex—including thalamus, basal ganglia, and hippocampus.

The project will scale high-density Deep Array technology from 128 to 512-1024+ channels, with the goal of interrogating distributed cortical-subcortical circuits at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.
The postdoctoral fellow will lead experiments using these technologies to determine how predictions and prediction errors are represented and routed across cortical layers, areas, and subcortical structures; how feed forward and feedback signaling organizes cortical computation; and how oscillatory and population dynamics coordinate distributed brain networks. The position provides opportunities to combine behaving-macaque electrophysiology with neural population analysis, computational modeling, and neurotechnology development in a highly collaborative environment spanning Vanderbilt and external partners.

The broader program is designed to establish new experimental capabilities for studying healthy cognition while creating a pathway toward understanding circuit dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. We seek candidates with a PhD in neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neuroengineering, cognitive neuroscience, or a related field. Experience with electrophysiology, neural data analysis, computational modeling, signal processing, Python/MATLAB, or neurotechnology is desirable; prior non-human-primate experience is advantageous but not required.

Candidates with skills and/or interest in developing agentic AI systems for computational data analysis are also encouraged. We particularly encourage applicants interested in combining ambitious experimental neuroscience with fundamental questions about neural computation.