Research Scientist Computational Neuroscience
Astera Institute is an active nonprofit research institute and foundation that operates in-house neuroscience-informed AI research and funds, operates, and supports open-science programs and public goods.
About Astera Institute
Astera operates three divisions: Neuro-AI, Radial life-sciences research, and its Foundation. Its AI work pursues neuroscience-informed approaches to artificial general intelligence, while its foundation and Radial activities support open scientific infrastructure, datasets, research programs, and residencies.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will develop biologically plausible computational models of neural circuits, brain regions, and large-scale brain systems. You will analyze neuroscience literature and neural and behavioral datasets, compare model predictions with experimental data, develop biologically inspired algorithms, and document and present research findings.
Requirements
- Experience programming in Python
- Familiarity with scientific computing libraries such as Jax, Pytorch, NumPy, or SciPy
- Research experience in systems, computational, and theoretical neuroscience
- Experience with data analysis, statistics, or machine learning workflows
- Ability to work independently and communicate technical findings clearly
- Ph.D. or equivalent demonstrated expertise in a relevant discipline
Responsibilities
- Read, analyze, and synthesize neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational neuroscience literature
- Develop biologically plausible computational models of neural circuits, brain regions, and large-scale brain systems
- Compare model predictions with experimental data and refine models
- Develop novel algorithms inspired by biological neural computation
- Analyze large-scale neural and behavioral datasets
- Stay current with advances in neuroscience, machine learning, and computational modeling
- Propose and pursue original research directions
- Make scientific contributions through new theories and models
- Document findings and communicate results through reports, publications, and presentations