PhD position: Modulating bursting activity in silicon neurons to control plasticity and attention
As part of a new EU MSCA Doctoral Network ELEVATE (101227453), we are offering a PhD Position on “Modulating bursting activity in silicon neurons to control plasticity and attention”.
Location
Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Earliest starting date
January 1st 2026.
The NCS group (https://www.ini.uzh.ch/en/research/groups/ncs.html) of the Institute of Neuroinformatics (http://www.ini.uzh.ch/) invites applications for PhD student position to work at the intersection of Neuroscience and Electrical Engineering to study neural dynamics and plasticity mechanisms that drive learning and attention in biological processing systems.
Working environment
the NCS group, it’s working ethics and spirit is fully described in the group’s “lab manual” (https://ncs-group.pages.uzh.ch/lab-manual/)
Project background
Recent neuroscience findings show that neurons can be conditioned to change their firing properties depending on their inputs. We will use this insight to increase robustness and efficiency of adaptation, specifically to (i) implement always-on online plasticity circuits that stop changing the weights when learning is not necessary anymore and (ii) implement selective attention that use bursting to amplify the signals that are relevant for the task at hand. These mechanisms circuits will be mapped to the available neuromorphic chips in our group and implemented by designing to new neuromorphic circuits with enhanced modulation properties, for real-time processing and learning of sensory processing tasks such as biomedical signal processing and adaptive sensorimotor behaviors.
Expected Results
The result of the project will be the implementation of selective attention and stop learning on neuromorphic chips in a robustly controlled fashion. The learning and attention mechanisms developed will be validated in signal processing tasks for edge computing. Performance will be assessed in wearable domains and biomedical applications, with quantitative comparisons to conventional state-of-the-art approaches.
Eligibility
The project is part of the ELEVATE grant under Marie Curie Sadowska (MSCA) training network, where PhD students get to work in collaboration between 10 academic and 10 industrial partners:
https://www.elevate-dn.eu/index.php/about/
Applicants must comply with the MSCA mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the last 36 months.
Expected profile
The student is expected to have read the NCS lab-manual and to know its details very well. In addition, the student is therefore expect to have experience in at least one of these interdisciplinary areas:
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1. Neuroscience and/or VLSI basic device physics.
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2. Spike-based computing paradigms: theory and modeling.
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3. Neuromorphic VLSI implementation.
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4. Asynchronous multi-chip communication infrastructure.
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5. Learning and state-dependent computation in autonomous behaving robotic platforms.
Salary and conditions
The salary and benefits will follow the standards https://www.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:7f653019-f1ab-47ea-bb38-10b159e17564/SNF_salary_scale_doctoral_students_2017_e.pdf set by the University of Zurich for PhD students. PhD students will receive their degree from both the University of Zurich and the ETH Zurich.
Application process
Interested candidates should submit a detailed CV, a cover letter explaining their interest in the position (1 or 2 pages long), a transcript for your BSc and MSc degrees, and the contact information of 2 references to giacomo@ini.uzh.ch with subject line: “ELEVATE PhD Application”.
We strive to build a diverse work environment and encourage applications from all qualified individuals irrespective of their gender, age, cultural background, and disability status. Only candidates shortlisted for this position will be contacted for an interview.
Contact:
Giacomo Indiveri,
e-mail: giacomo@ini.uzh.ch