Prof. Dr. Denis Burdakov

Research area

*Fully-funded PhD positions currently available in Neurobehavioural Dynamics Lab*

Denis Burdakov directs a research lab (part of ETH Neurobehavioural Dynamics Lab) focussing on functional deconstruction of neural circuitry mediating body-state sensing and behavioral control, using neuron-specific optogenetic, chemogenetic, and activity recording approaches. The Burdakov lab asks big cross-disciplinary questions, overlapping with both engineering (what control algorithms are best for performance in an uncertain world? what are their strengths and weaknesses?), and medicine (how can we target specific brain signals to treat common diseases?). Their experimental entry-points to these questions are genetically-defined "brain government" neurons of the hypothalamus. Such neurons - such as orexin/hypocretin neurons - which project CNS-wide, track internal body variables, and orchestrate fundamental aspects of energy balance, sleep-wake, voluntary movement, mood, and cognition. Appetite and arousal control, and their links to nutrition, have long been a key focus of the lab.

Joining Burdakov lab:  Denis Burdakov is happy to discuss joining the lab with decisive and motivated candidates who 1) want to obtain world-class training in systems neuroscience [optogenetics; chemogenetics; 2-photon and miniscope calcium imaging of neural circuit dynamics; fiber photometry; psychological, physiological and behavioural metrics at high temporal resolution in vivo; data time-series and other relevant analyses and coding in Matlab/Python] ; 2) are interested in our research focus as summarised here and in our publications - for lay overviews, see ETH press releases (e.g.  eyes as windows into brain,  neural basisof some"irrational" behaviour,  tuning behaviour with diet); 3) possess excellent writing and coding skills, and insatiable curiosity and initiative to find and consume scientific information.

PhD positions: In addition to above, you need a masters (or equivalent) degree, and fit intellectually and socially into our lab. Please note that we do not usually specify precise plans of investitations at application stage, and instead decide the focus of PhD towards the second PhD year. In the first PhD year, we train the student in all our technologies and analyses, determine their ability within the latter, collect preliminary data, and based on this (and latest literature!) identify specific hypotheses to test. Our PhD projects last 3-6 years.

Masters: If you are registered as a master student at ETH or another Swiss or European university, you could join us for a long (ca 6 months) full-time project. This will be typically be part of a larger, already-established research study. 

Postdoc positions: Something is usually available, please contact Denis Burdakov if you are interested and satisfy our general conditions above.