Current Officials
- President: Jonathon Crystal (contact)
- President-Elect:
- Treasurer: Michael Brown (contact)
- Secretary/Conference Organizer: Jeff Katz, Debbie Kelly (contact)
Jobs are sorted chronologically by deadline.
Position at: Bucknell University
We have Masters degree (M.S.) programs at Bucknell University in both Psychology and Animal Behavior. I have a special interest in recruiting a student who has a background/interests in animal learning (esp. Pavlovian conditioning) to work with me on studies of animal learning, appetite and meal patterning.
Applications are also welcome from students interested in working with faculty in other areas, either in the Psychology department and/or the Animal Behavior program.
Our Masters program is primarily designed for students who are potentially interested in going on for the PhD or working in a research environment, but who may benefit from additional research experience & coursework before applying onward.
Psychology Department: http://www.bucknell.edu/x1266.xml
Animal Behavior Program:
http://www.bucknell.edu/x647.xml
Potential applicants interested in my lab are very welcome to contact me via email (kmyers@bucknell.edu)
Deadline: 2009-02-30
For more information, please contact:
Kevin Myers
kmyers@bucknell.edu
570-577-3493
Position at: University of the Basque Country
Our research group may have the opportunity of hiring two full-time post-docs for a 6 month period.
At this time this post is only to assess whether there would be any interest in this opportunity.
The positions would be at the Department of Psychology (Procesos Basicos y su Desarrollo) at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain beginning no later than July 1. The funds are more than adequate for an individual to live very comfortably in one of Europe?s finest cities.
We have three lines of research involving both rats and humans. People filling the positions would generally focus their work in one area, but can also be involved in the other two.
One line is under the guidance of Gumersinda Alonso and is concerned with perceptual learning from an associative learning perspective. She conducts investigations of perceptual learning in both humans and in rats (e.g., Lombas, Alonso, & Rodriguez, 2008; Rodriguez & Alonso, 2008).
Another is under the direction of Byron Nelson and investigates the emergence of contextual control from general associative learning processes. This line is with both rats (e.g. Nelson, 2009) and humans (e.g., Nelson & Sanjuan, 2006). The human research is also also concerned, from a methodological standpoint, with the development and use of different computer techniques for the study of associative learning.
A third line is under Gabriela Chotro and is concerned with the effects of alcohol exposure on learning and memory through development (e.g., Chotro et al., 2007a,b). This work is conducted with rats.
Interested people should have a background in learning, or neuroscience with a strong comprehension of associative learning, and have one of two minimal skill sets.
One skill set involves experience working with rats in standard operant chambers (Colburn instruments / MED Associates).
The other skill set involves above average knowledge of the computer, an understanding of general programming principles, and a working knowledge of Eprime.
An ability to converse in Spanish would be helpful, but is not necessary.
*People interested from outside Spain and the EU should be aware that a work visa will be necessary and their degree must be reviewed and approved by the University. Each of these processes will involve a degree of time and paperwork.
Interested parties should contact Byron Nelson, (jamesbyron.nelson@ehu.es), Gumersinda Alonso (g.alonso@ehu.es) or Gabriela Chotro (g.chotro@ehu.es).
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Chotro, M. Gabriela, Arias, Carlos, Laviola, Giovanni. 2007 Increased ethanol intake after prenatal ethanol exposure: Studies with animals. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Vol 31(2), 181-191
Chotro, M. Gabriela, Arias, Carlos. 2007 Ontogenetic difference in ethanol reinforcing properties: The role of the opioid system. Behavioural Pharmacology. Vol 18(7), 661-666.
Lombas, Andres S, Alonso, Gumersinda, Rodriguez, Gabriel. 2008 The influence of comparison between similar stimuli on the effectiveness of their unique features. Behavioural Processes. Vol 78(1), 112-116.
Nelson, James Byron. 2009. Contextual control of first- and second-learned excitation and inhibition in equally ambiguous stimuli, Learning & Behavior Vol 37, 95-106,
Nelson, James Byron, Sanjuan, Maria del Carmen. 2006 A context-specific latent inhibition effect in a human conditioned suppression task. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. Vol 59(6) 1003-1020
Rodriguez, Gabriel, Alonso, Gumersinda. Stimulus comparison in perceptual learning: Roles of sensory preconditioning and latent inhibition. 2008 Behavioural Processes. Vol 77(3), 400-404.
Deadline: 2009-04-25
For more information, please contact:
Byron Nelson
jamesbyron.nelson@ehu.es
Position at: New York Univerisity
Positions for Post-Docs or Technicians to participate in two projects. One is focused on individual differences in fear and the other on aversive instrumental behavior and especially on Pavlovian/instrumental interactions. Background in behavioral research desirable for both positions. Training in neuroscience methods also helpful. The positions are available starting Sept 1. Please send CV and have letters of reference emailed to ledoux@cns.nyu.edu.
Deadline: 2009-08-01
For more information, please contact:
Joseph LeDoux
ledoux@cns.nyu.edu
Position at: Macquarie University
A PhD scholarship opportunity is available at the Department of Brain, Behaviour & Evolution (http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~bbe/) on a project investigating virtual ecology in artificial flowers under selection by honeybees in semi-natural conditions.
The project is based in the laboratory of Ken Cheng (http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~ken/), to whom expressions of interest, including CV and academic transcripts, should be directed (ken.cheng@mq.edu.au) before 15 August 2009.
Deadline: 2009-08-15
For more information, please contact:
Ken Cheng
ken.cheng@mq.edu.au
61 2 98508613
Full Ad: scholarship_BBE.pdf
Position at: Dolphin Research Center
Dolphin Research Center (DRC) is currently accepting applications for Research Interns for the Winter/Spring term. DRC is a not-for-profit education and research facility, home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions. DRC is located on Grassy Key, in the heart of the Florida Keys.
Internships at DRC are an exciting way to develop career skills as well as an opportunity to get "behind the scenes" to see how a marine mammal facility operates. Research interns participate in DRC's ongoing research projects, giving them broad exposure to a variety of research methodologies. Interns receive extensive on-the-job training in observing marine mammal behavior, collecting observational data, working with research equipment, and assisting with experimental research sessions.
Internships require a minimum of a 16-week commitment, 40 hours per week. The internship is unpaid, and interns are responsible for providing their own housing. DRC will provide assistance in locating housing and/or matching up interns and volunteers desiring roommates. Successful candidates will be ready and willing to learn, self-motivated, and flexible. Prior research experience is recommended but not required.
The deadline to apply is October 1st. To apply, download the application available at www.dolphins.org. Click "Help DRC", and then "Volunteer / Intern Opportunities".
The application, and all associated materials (resume, transcript, and letters of recc.) must be mailed to DRC.
Deadline: 2009-10-01
For more information, please contact:
Emily Guarino
emily@dolphins.org
305-289-1121
Position at: Kansas State University
The Behavioral Neursocience program in the Psychology Department at Kansas State University is seeking multiple students for the upcoming academic year (2009-2010). The Department of Psychology at Kansas State University is a student-centered research department, committed to helping graduate students acquire knowledge of psychological theories, research, and methods used by both basic and applied psychologists. Our laboratories are equipped to study behavior of several forms, including locomotor activity, Pavlovian and operant conditioning, as well as specialized techniques such as drug self-administration, place conditioning, and intracranial microinfusions . We are also equipped with histological, immunochemical, and stereotaxic equipment for investigating brain/behavior relationships. We have several active research programs with faculty that regularly interact and collaborate. Research programs for faculty actively seeking new graduate students are described below.
Dr. Palmatier is seeking graduate students who are interested in pre-clinical study of nicotine/tobacco dependence in rodent models. The laboratory has ongoing research projects investigating the dual reinforcing effects of nicotine in rat self-administration. We currently have one NIDA funded project investigating pharmacotherapies for tobacco dependence and their ability to replace the reinforcement enhancing/primary reinforcing effects of nicotine. Additional projects include the investigation of individual differences in the reinforcement-related effects of nicotine as well as studies investigating nicotine's effects on ethanol self-administration.
Dr. Cain is seeking graduate students interested in examining individual difference and environmental factors that contribute to drug use in rodent models. We examine the potential neural mechanisms for the ability of these factors to contribute to differences in drug use and sensitivity to drug related cues. In addition, we have recently begun to examine the ability of environmental enrichment to enhance the extinction of fear associated cues.
Dr. Kirkpatrick is looking to recruit graduate students who are interested in time perception and/or impulsivity in rats. We are currently undertaking a project examining the genetic basis of impulsivity and are also planning future studies looking at the role of deficits in timing and/or reward processing as risk factors in the development of impulsive behavior. In addition, I also run a small pigeon visual cognition laboratory and would like to take on a student interested in visual perception and/or concept formation. We are currently conducting studies of scene gist perception and rapid categorization abilities in pigeons. Interested students should feel free to contact Dr. Kirkpatrick directly for more information about research projects.
See http://www.k-state.edu/psych/research/research_biological.htm for additional information. The deadline for applications is January 15th, 2010.
Deadline: 2010-01-15
For more information, please contact:
Matt Palmatier, Mary Cain, Kim Kirkpatrick
mattyp@ksu.edu; mecain@ksu.edu; kirkpatr@ksu.edu
785-532-6851
Position at: University of Toledo
The research in this laboratory is directed toward basic areas in the discipline, such as reinforcement and conditioned reinforcement; the effect of response effort on learning; conflict and frustration; and the investigation of learning in both rats and primitive, simple organisms (paramecia). A word (or more than one) about the last of these. I have been long intrigued by the question of the generality of learning. While the little research that has been done does not support the possibility of learning in certain non-animals (plants)*, there has been some indication that other non-animals may be capable of learning. To this end, my students and I have carried out a number of studies that have shown that paramecia, one-celled organisms without a nervous system, can learn. We are currently trying to determine how similar this learning is to the learning exhibited by more typical research subjects. Be warned, however, if you are interested in this, that it is a tedious and often frustrating research area.
*Note: I did explore this a long time ago, using Mimosa plants. The positive results that were found were, unfortunately, the result of error in procedure, but I still think that this might be a worthwhile area to investigate further.
If you are interested in joining the Learning & Behavioral Microbiology Lab it would be helpful to send me an e-mail, letting me know of your interest. To apply to the graduate program, send your graduate application to the Experimental PsychologyProgram, indicating your interest in my work and the Learning Lab. The deadline for applications is January 15.
Deadline: 2010-01-15
For more information, please contact:
H. L. Armus
harvard.armus@utoledo.edu
419-530-2714
Position at: Villanova University
Villanova University offers a full-time, research oriented M.S. program in general psychology. An emphasis in comparative cognition is possible in the laboratories of Dr. Michael Brown (spatial cognition) and Dr. Matthew Matell (temporal cognition and neural mechanisms of timing). Graduate assistanships are available on a competitive basis. Information available at
http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/psychology/
Deadline: 2010-04-15
For more information, please contact:
Michael Brown
michael.brown@villanova.edu
Position at: University of Rochester
Professor Jessica Cantlon is seeking a full-time lab manager/research assistant for her Concepts, Actions, and Objects Lab at the University of Rochester (New York). The position will offer the opportunity to engage in a wide array of research methods converging on the topic of conceptual thought. The RA position will focus on the organization of concepts and categories (e.g., faces, numbers, living things) in non-human primates (rhesus macaques) and humans. Techniques will include neuroimaging (functional and structural MRI) and behavioral testing with non-human primates and humans.
Responsibilities will include protocol maintenance, designing and programming stimulus materials, and data collection and analysis. Desired skills include behavioral, neurophysiological, or MRI training with non-human primates, and stimulus programming experience (e.g. E-Prime, RealBasic, MatLab, etc.). Bachelor's degree required.
The position start date is no later than August 2010. Salary is approximately $30K, depending on experience, plus full benefits. To apply, please send your CV to caoslaboratory@gmail.com.
Lab website: http://caoslab.bcs.rochester.edu/
Deadline: 2010-04-30
For more information, please contact:
Rosa Li
caoslaboratory@gmail.com
585-276-5099
