Research and training

Our lab spans numerous experimental approaches and techniques, and as a result, we need all kinds of expertise. The core of our lab comprises neuroscientists with interests including developmental neuroscience, circuit function, and behaviour, and we are always looking to add motivated researchers of this type. Increasingly, experience with coding (Matlab and Python) is desirable, but for the right candidate, this can be learned after arriving in the lab.

Our whole-brain imaging experiments require that we custom build our light-sheet microscopes with unique capabilities.  Additionally, our optogenetics experiments require bespoke holograms within the brains of our live animals. Finally, our vestibular experiments require the optical trapping of large objects in vivo during calcium imaging. We are constantly developing and refining innovative optical physics approaches, and are always looking to recruit skilled physicists and engineers to our team.

With our light-sheet microscopes, we produce vast datasets containing activity from hundreds of thousands or millions of neurons. This leaves us with a great need for people who can code solutions for image analysis, data mining, and the detection of salient patterns among these vast data. Our mathematical and neuroinformatic approaches have grown more sophisticated over the years (see the progression from Thompson et al, 2016 to Vanwalleghem et al, 2017, Favre-Bulle et al, 2018, and Marquez-Legorreta et al, 2019), but we are constantly seeking new and better ways to make sense of brain-wide neural function from a computational standpoint. We welcome applications from researchers interested in explaining neural activity mathematically or in developing testable mathematical models for sensory processing.

Lab positions

Positions are available across our research program for undergraduates, honours students, PhD students, and postdocs, and we are happy to entertain new ideas. If you are interested in joining the lab, please contact Ethan, providing a CV and ideas for the type of project that you would like to carry out.