PhD in Neurosciences

The Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany, is seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. candidate (f/m/d) to join a research project investigating the interplay between cognitive flexibility and uncertainty in laboratory mice./nThe project is led by the PIs Daniela Dieterich, Markus Fendt, and Thomas Nickl-Jockschat and is part of the Halle–Jena–Magdeburg site of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), within the Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive Brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C)./nThe successful candidate should have a strong interest in the neural basis of neuropsychiatric disorders and the factors affecting susceptibility and resilience, as well as a solid practical background in neurobiology./nExperience in behavioral neuroscience — such as animal paradigms of emotion, executive functions, operant conditioning, and/or methods to assess brain activity or connectivity — is desirable and preferably documented by publications./nA willingness to learn script-based configuration of experimental protocols and analysis of experimental data is expected./nExperience in stereotaxic surgery and/or a certificate in laboratory animal science (Function A or FELASA B) is an advantage./nFluency in English and the ability to work in an international research environment are required./nWe offer working in a multidisciplinary and international team, with a research focus on the neuropharmacological basis of cognition and emotions./nOur institute is located on the university hospital campus with several world-leading research centers and institutes, including the SFB 1436 and the Center of Behavioral Brain Research (CBBS)./nThe position (TVL E13 65%) will become available in July 2026 and needs to be filled as soon as possible. The position is limited until August 2030.