[visionlist] Ph.D. position: electrophysiology in the bird retina

[Jutta Kretzberg]

Sent on behalf of Prof. Henrik Mouritsen:

Ph.D. position: Animal navigation: electrophysiology in the bird retina
University of Oldenburg, Germany


We offer 1 doctoral student position (BAT IIa/2) in electrophysiology. 
The position is part of the newly granted "Research unit: 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 electrophysiological 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 research unit. 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 electrophysiological data and to test which neuronal coding 
principles best explains the electrophysiological 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 electrophysiological 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 at uni-oldenburg.de 
<mailto:henrik.mouritsen at uni-oldenburg.de>

For more information on the research unit and the animal navigation 
group please see
http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/fg-retina/en/
http://www.member.uni-oldenburg.de/henrik.mouritsen/

Selected recent publications from the animal navigation 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.