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CSC-Tübingen PhD Program: Project 09/2024: Visual ecology of mice probed with unsupervised behavioral paradigms.
Topic Description:
In recent years, mice became a prominent model for studying vision – not because they are the most visual species, but largely because of easy experimental access and the breadth of knowledge about the animal’s neuroanatomy and -physiology. Still, mice live in different visual environ
ments than us and, hence, meet different behavioral challenges. That they employ vision for complex tasks is nicely illustrated by their cricket hunting behavior. Yet only few such paradigms for studying visual behavior in mice have so far been established. The aim of this project is to identify interesting new mouse behaviors. To his end, we will develop a cage with a built-in mouse cinema that allows us to display diverse natural visual scenes while tracking gaze direction of freely roaming mice behaviorally interacting with these stimuli. With this project, we expect to advance our understanding of the visual ecology of mice.

Faculty: Faculty of Medicine
Institute/Section/Subject: Institute for Ophthalmic Research / Center for Integrative Neuroscience / Ophthalmic Research
Supervising Professors: Prof. Dr. Thomas Euler

About the Supervisors: Our lab investigates how neural circuits in the retina process information and, specifically, what feature representations are extracted from the incoming visual scene and forwarded to higher visual areas in the brain. To this end, the lab pioneered two-photon imaging techniques that allow us to present visual stimuli while optically recording neural activity in all layers of the isolated retina with subcellular resolution. Yielding data from thousands of neurons, our experimental approach is complemented by large-scale data analysis and computational modelling. Dr. Euler received his PhD at the University of Mainz / MPI for Brain Research, Frankfurt/M. After postdoc positions at Harvard Medical School / MGH (Boston), and the MPI for Medical Research (Heidelberg), he started his lab in 2009 at the University of Tübingen.
For more information, see https://eulerlab.de/; for our publications, see https://tinyurl.com/eulerlab.
Degree: Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Neuroscience from the international Graduate Training Centre (GTC) of Tübingen University https://www.neuroschool-tuebingen.de/phd/

Requirements for the application:
Required Degrees: Master of Science in Neurobiology or a similar discipline (e.g., Biology, Bio
medical Engineering, Computational Neuroscience)
Language Requirements: Fluent English, verbally and in writing (IELTS 6,5 or TOEFL equivalent); German is a benefit, but not required.
Notes: Programming skills (i.e., Python, Jupyter lab) are required.



For further instructions on how to apply, more information on the program and contact details please see below.

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CSC-Tübingen PhD Program
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the University of Tübingen have established a PhD Program which supports Chinese nationals inside and outside of China wishing to carry out all or part of their PhD study in Tübingen.

Aims:

• providing high quality research training to qualified students from Chinese universities
• developing education and research collaborations between the University of Tübingen and Chinese universities and research institutions

Target group:
Excellent postgraduate and doctoral students from the People's Republic of China.

Funding line A - Full time fellowship:

• postgraduate students who want to carry out their complete doctoral studies at the University of Tübingen
• up to 48 months
• degree conferred by the University of Tübingen
• Annual living allowance as prescribed by the Chinese Government (which includes Overseas Student Health Cover)

Funding Line B - Part time fellowship (sandwich model):

• doctoral students who want to carry out their research and studies alternatively at their home universities and the University of Tübingen. They follow a schedule set in advance by both the Chinese supervisors and supervisors at the University of Tübingen
• 6-24 months in Tübingen
• degree conferred by the Chinese home university
• Annual living allowance as prescribed by the Chinese Government (which includes Overseas Student Health Cover) for 6-24 months

Funding for both Funding lines includes:

• Return airfare to Germany
• Visa application fees
• Support for the attendance of international conferences during the second and third year (up to 1000€ granted to successful applicants)

Benefits for both funding lines:

• Tuition waiver
• Option to take German language classes provided by the University of Tübingen during the first year
• Accommodation offered in Tübingen student dormitories depending on availability
• Opportunities to gain additional teaching and research experience as well as economic benefits from the University of Tübingen from the second year onward (depending on the ability of the applicant and the situation of the respective institute)

Application Process:

• Jan 15: Application deadline. Applications must be handed in through the online application system of the University of Tübingen
• by March 10: Successful applicants will be officially informed
• by March 31: Invited applicants have to register with the CSC according to the regulations of the CSC.
• by May 31: Final decisions about the allocation of scholarships will be made by the CSC
• by Oct 1: Program participants arrive in Tübingen
• Successful candidates must return to China upon completion of their studies.

How to Apply:
In order to apply you need to upload the following documents combined in 1 PDF

• Cover/Motivation letter
• CV
• Research proposal (3-5 pages)
• Academic transcripts* (if you have not yet completed your Master's studies, please submit a confirmation of studies and an up-to-date transcript of records)
• Proof of proficient English language skills (i.e. comprehension of a wide range of demanding, longer texts as well as fluent and spontaneous expression allowing a flexible and effective language use for social, academic and professional purposes.) - TOEFL iBT 95 or IELTS 6.5 or equivalent

*List of required Academic transcripts (including official translation into German or English for documents issued in Chinese)
1) Bachelor’s Degree Award Certificate / Bachelor Gradverleihungsurkunde (学士学位证书 xueshi xuewei zhengshu)
2) Bachelor's Degree Certificate/ Abschlusszeugnis (毕业证书 biye zhengshu) für das Bachelorstudium (本科 benke)
3) Transcript of the subjects and marks / Fächer- und Notenübersicht (成绩表 chengjibiao) for your Bachelor’s degree/ für das Bachelorstudium (本科 benke)
4) Master’s Degree Award Certificate / Master-Gradverleihungsurkunde (硕士学位证书 shuoshi xuewei zhengshu)
5) Master’s Degree Certificate/ Abschlusszeugnis für das Masterstudium (硕士研究生毕业证书 shuoshi yanjiusheng biye zhengshu)
6) Transcript of the subjects and marks for your Master’s Degree / Fächer- und Notenübersicht für das Masterstudium (硕士研究生成绩表 shuoshi yanjiusheng chengjibiao)

For questions please contact:
(Ms) Tetyana Tonkoshkur
Dezernat II – Forschung
Internationale Forschungskooperation
+49 7071 29-750005
international.research@uni-tuebingen.de
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