Ph.D. position: Animal navigation: electrophysiology in the bird retina
We offer 1 doctoral student position (E 13 TVL/2) in electrophysiology. The position is part of the newly granted “Forschergruppe: Dynamics and stability in retinal processing”. The aim is to study retinal processing of visual and magnetic input in birds. Night-migratory birds have a part of their brain that is highly active processing visual input at night. We suspect that this specialized night vision processing could be involved in magnetic compass detection and/or improved night-vision for night-time flying. In this project, we are going to test these two hypotheses.
The project will primarily involve electrophysiologica l recordings from bird retinae using multi-electrode arrays. This project is very intimately connected with other projects in my group and two other projects in the “Forschergruppe” . One focuses on visual processing in the retina of mice and turtles using the same standardized stimuli. The other project will develop algorithms and methods for effectively analysing electrophysiologica l data and to test which neuronal coding principles best explains the electrophysiologica l responses. These collaborations will also give us new, exciting possibilities, as a group, to investigate whether there are fundamental coding principles for coding of visual information across species.
We are looking for an excellent student being interested in the area of vertebrate vision and/or bird navigation mechanisms, and who has experience or would be willing to learn electrophysiologica l techniques. Reasonable English language skills are required. A masters or diploma level education in natural sciences is mandatory. Please send your application including CV, university certificates, and names and contact details for at least three references asap. to PD Dr. Henrik Mouritsen, IBU, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg or to email address: henrik.mouritsen@ uni-oldenburg. de
Selected recent publication from our lab:
Mouritsen, H. & Frost, B.J. (2002) Virtual migration in tethered flying monarch butterflies reveals orientation mechanisms. PNAS 99, 10162-10166.
Cochran, B., Mouritsen, H. & Wikelski, M. (2004) Free-flying migrating songbirds recalibrate their magnetic compass daily from sunset cues. Science 304, 405-408.
Mouritsen, H., Feenders, G., Liedvogel, M. & Kropp, W. (2004) Migratory birds use head scans to detect the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. Current Biology 14, 1946-1949.
Mouritsen, H., Janssen-Bienhold, U., Stalleicken, J., Feenders, G., Liedvogel, M., Dirks, P. & Weiler, R. (2004) Cryptochromes and activity markers co-localize in bird retina during magnetic orientation. PNAS 101, 14294-14299.
[See also Science 306, 432-434 and Nature Review Neuroscience 5, 827]
Mouritsen, H., Feenders, G., Liedvogel, M., Wada, K. & Jarvis, E. D. (2005) A Night Vision Brain Area in Migratory Songbirds. PNAS 102, 8339-8344.
Mouritsen, H. & Ritz, T. (2005) Magnetoreception and it use in bird navigation. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 15, 406-414.
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