PhD STUDENT POSITIONS TO INVESTIGATE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

We are looking for students to a collaborative project funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. This is a multidisciplinary project, which uses modern genetic, physiological, and imaging methods in a novel integrated fashion to reveal biological pathways involved in the regulation of anxiety. We will concentrate on one specific neurotransmitter system, the kainate-type glutamate receptors (KARs), which provides an attractive target for development of better treatments for anxiety disorders.

We are looking for independent individuals with high motivation and strong communication skills in English.

Positions are available in the following groups:

Iiris Hovatta’s (University of Helsinki, Department of Biosciences) group will investigate the involvement of genetic variation in the KAR system genes on susceptibility to human anxiety disorders. In addition, they will use transgenic mouse models of the KAR system to study the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the anxiety phenotype of these models. For additional information, please visit our website http://www.helsinki.fi/neurogenomics , email iiris.hovatta (at) helsinki.fi, or call +358-50-4484509.

Jesper Ekelund’s (University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry) group will perform functional imaging studies in human subjects to investigate how the kainate system affects emotional processing in subjects with high and low anxiety traits. Suitable background can be in psychology, cognitive science, medicine or technology. No previous imaging experience is required, as long as the applicant has a strong interest in functional imaging (fMRI) and willingness to become proficient in imaging techniques and basic stimulus presentation programming. For more information contact Jesper.Ekelund (at) helsinki.fi or +358-50-3317987

Sari Lauri’s/TomiTaira’s groups (University of Helsinki, Neuroscience Center and Department of Veterinary Biosciences) will study the role of KARs in the regulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal activity patterns associated with anxiety. The main experimental approaches will be state-of-art electrophysiology in brain slices in combination with genetic and molecular biological tools. For more information contact sari.lauri (at) helsinki.fi or call +358-9-19159865, or tomi.taira (at) helsinki.fi  or +358-50-5986995

To apply, please send a CV with a publication list, statement of research interest and skills, and contact information of at least 2 references as a single pdf document to the corresponding group leader.