The Neurofunctional Imaging Group (GIN) is a CNRS-CEA joint research unit of the Bordeaux University (UMR 5296, dir. Bernard Mazoyer) and a core member of the TRAIL Laboratory of Excellence. The GIN is a multidisciplinary research unit gathering scientists with initial training in mathematics and instrumentation, cognitive neurosciences, signal processing and databasing.

One objective of the current GIN research project is to develop new tools to characterize and describe the gray matter anatomical connectivity networks. Within this area we have a position for a 2 years Post Doc.

Description of the position

Recent work on brain connectivity modeling revealed that the topographic organization of this connectivity is not limited to large-scale anatomical pathways generally observable in diffusion MRI, thus reinforcing the interest of studies focusing on the characterization of cortical structural connectivity and its variability. Therefore, the estimation of relevant grey matter connectomes strongly relies on the choice of an ad'hoc cerebral parcellisation.

 We propose a post doc project to first implement a probabilistic cortical atlas derived from cortical parcellisations defined individually to optimally extract cortical thickness and volume of each individual. The second aim of the post doc project is to compute cortical structural connectivity to quantify the inter-individual variability of brain organization together with the effects of specific factors such as gender, manual preference, functional lateralization or cognitive skills. The strength of the present project is that it will benefits from the already acquired BIL&GIN database composed of 453 healthy volunteers balanced for gender and handedness. Hence, the first probabilistic cortical atlas will be operated over a large sample, the 453 participants having been previously pre-processed.

Qualification and experience

The qualified applicant should have a PhD in neuro-image analysis, cognitive neuroscience, computer science or related field and a background in neuroimage processing. Applicants should have experience with existing tools for analysis of neuroimaging data (SPM, FSL, Freesurfer.) and a relevant programming experience (MATLAB).

For further information, please contact Dr. Fabrice Crivello (fabrice.crivello@u-bordeaux2.fr).

Employment and payment are determined by Bordeaux University (2 400 € per month, net salary). Job location is in Bordeaux, France. Interested candidates should send their applications including CV with full publication list, the names and contact information and a summary of research interests to fabrice.crivello@u-bordeaux2.fr.