

Maastricht University (UM)
PhD position: Creating a probabilistic retinotopic laminar atlas of the LGN as a target for a visual prosthesis.
Are you interested to investigate the detailed organization of the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) using ultra-high field MRI? Do you want to contribute to the creation of a novel visual prosthesis for the late blind? Then join the ZonMw-funded project ‘EVISIION’ as a PhD student.
JOB DESCRIPTION
While there is progress in developing visual prostheses for the blind in the visual pathways, especially in primary visual cortex, coverage of large parts of the visual field remains a challenge. The ZonMw project “EVISION: Electronic neuroprosthesis for VISION restoration ” aims to overcome this issue by targeting the LGN, the deep brain structure that provides input to the visual cortex. The LGN has full coverage of the contralateral hemifield in a small volume (~120 mm3 ), making it a promising target for a visual prosthesis. Before implanting a visual LGN prosthesis in humans, high-resolution LGN data is needed to optimally guide the surgical placement of electrodes. EVISION consists of two parts: 1) the development of a high-resolution laminar retinotopic fMRI atlas of the human LGN headed by Prof. Rainer Goebel, and 2) the development and implantation of the actual prosthesis in animals and later humans headed by Prof. Pieter Roelfsema (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam). The available position is for part 1. Your work in this sub-project involves mapping the laminar and retinotopic organization of the LGN in about 30 people using anatomical and functional 7 Tesla MRI. Your data will be used to create a probabilistic LGN atlas. Besides of its value for the neuroimaging community, the created porbabilistic atlas will serve as guidance for the implantation of a future LGN prosthesis in humans.
You will join the “Vision” lab (also known as the ‘computational architecture of visual processing streams’ section) led by Rainer Goebel, embedded in the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University. You will work with a very open minded group of PhDs, postdocs and PI’s working in the spirit of team science, in a very cooperative, collegial, and interdisciplinary work climate. We value and actively engage in local, national and international collaborations. With our empirical, theoretical and computational expertise we aim to contribute to our understanding of the psychological and neural mechanisms of the mind.
You will have the following responsibilities:
REQUIREMENTS
The ideal candidate has successfully completed a master’s degree (or equivalent) in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, cognitive psychology or related disciplines. You are enthusiastic to start a 4-year PhD journey investigating retinotopic representations in layers of the LGN using sub-millimetre fMRI and quantitative MRI.
Background:
What we offer
As a PhD at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience , you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:
The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply.