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Primary work address: 19700 helix drive, ashburn, va, 20147
Janelia research campus is a pioneering research center in ashburn, virginia, where scientists pursue fundamental questions in neuroscience and imagingThe howard hughes medical institute (hhmi) launched janelia in 2006, establishing an intellectually distinctive environment for scientists to do creative, collaborative, hands-on workOur integrated teams of biologists, computational scientists, and tool-builders pursue a small number of scientific questions with potential for transformative impactWe share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific communityIt is a uniquely innovative and collaborative atmosphere that reflects hhmi’s reputation for excellenceScientific background aggression is a social behavior important for gaining access to resources and is exhibited by both sexes across a range of speciesSensory stimuli, including visual cues from the other individual and surroundings, significantly influence aggressive behaviorHowever, understanding the neuronal mechanisms by which such stimuli influence aggression, and the persistence of aggressive behaviors has been hindered by a lack of knowledge about the structure of the underlying neuronal circuits, particularly in femalesIn addition to identifying neuronal circuits in the brain of the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster that, when activated, can promote female aggression (schretter et al2020), we have developed genetic tools that allow us to manipulate the activity of individual cell types within these circuitsCurrently, we are testing the behavioral effects of activating and silencing these neurons using optogenetics as well as employing machine vision and learning algorithms to analyze videos of pairs or groups of fliesHowever, this task is difficult for the algorithms developed as individuals often occlude one another or switch locations rapidly and therefore human annotation is needed to fix these errorsSome of the questions that may be addressed include: does activation of certain neurons within the circuit produce persistent aggressive behaviors? does activation of certain downstream partners generate female-specific behaviors? learn more about the rubin lab here project use computer vision software to track and analyze the behavior of freely moving fliesEvaluate the accuracy of automated software as part of a team that aims to improve and develop new methods of behavioral analysesRequired skills keen observational abilities and attention to detailExperience with computer programming desirable but not essentialProject period we are looking for an individual who is able to work full time over the summerApplicants who would consider continuing work part time during the next academic year preferredThis is a remote positionCompensation and benefits our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programsVisit our benefits at hhmi site to learn moreHhmi is an equal opportunity employer
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Posted 8 days ago