Postdoctoral position mapping how brain chemistry shapes whole brain activity

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Commitment & contract: 1-year fixed-term contract, renewable for up to three years

Location: Rovereto, Italy

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future!

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural and multidisciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate across experimental neuroscience, functional neuroimaging, and computational analysis to understand the brain as an integrated network.

The successful candidate will join an international and multidisciplinary research environment at IIT in Rovereto, with access to advanced experimental platforms for preclinical brain imaging, circuit-level manipulations, and computational analysis of brain-wide activity.

The Functional Neuroimaging Research unit, coordinated by Prof. Alessandro Gozzi, investigates how the brain works as an integrated network in health and disease. The research combines causal neural manipulations in rodents with fMRI, functional ultrasound imaging, multimodal recordings, optical imaging, and cutting-edge neurocomputational approaches. This project examines how basal forebrain circuits control large-scale brain activity and functional network organisation in awake mice.

Within the research team, your main responsibilities will be:

• Design and perform experiments combining cell-type-specific manipulations with brain imaging; analyse imaging datasets to quantify changes in cortical activity, brain-wide dynamics, and functional connectivity.
• Integrate experimental, imaging, and computational approaches; collaborate with and help train junior laboratory members; and prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• A PhD in Neuroscience, Biology, Bioengineering, or a related discipline
• Documented experience in experimental neuroscience and rodent experiments
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex biological datasets
• Good command of spoken and written English, together with strong organisational skills, reliability, and a problem-solving attitude

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Experience with in vivo brain imaging and/or awake-mouse experiments
• Experience with circuit manipulations, viral/vector-based approaches, and/or large-scale neural datasets
• Knowledge of MATLAB, Python, R, or related analysis tools
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
• Scientific ambition, analytical reasoning skills, and a growth mindset

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary ranging between 30,000 and 32,000
• Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract
• Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years.

Please submit your application using the online form and include a detailed CV with publication list, a concise statement of research interests and fit for the project, and 2 reference letters.

Application deadline: 30 September 2026

To discover more about life at IIT, visit the dedicated section here: https://www.iit.it/en/work-at-iit