Project Associate I

Job Description 

Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR (Shiv Nadar IoE) invites applications from bright and motivated individuals for the position of Project Associate I in the Spatial Navigation Laboratory led by Dr Sachin Deshmukh. The Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence strongly supports the national imperative for increasing female representation in STEM, and accordingly female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The lab is interested in understanding hippocampal function. We perform in vivo recordings of neuronal activity in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex in freely behaving rodents to understand how they create representation of space, and how this representation is used to navigate in familiar and novel environments.Please see the lab publications listed at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6eKwOWcAAAAJ&hl=en for further details.

The work involves hardware design and manufacture, writing software (for experiment control and quantitative analysis) as well as performing actual implantation surgeries, neural recordings and behavioral experiments followed by histology to localize electrodes. People working in the lab get trained in these techniques.

The project associate will be involved in an ANRF/CRG sponsored project recording hippocampal activity along the septotemporal and proximodistal axes of the hippocampus. Their responsibilities will include designing recording implants, upgrading the current multi-camera video tracking system (see description of the current system using a camera system based on raspberry Pi 2  designed for tracking rats in large, open 2D spaces: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00215.2018), recording and analyzing neural activity.

Qualifications:

Four years Bachelors’ or a masters’ degree with training in a quantitative field (engineering/computer science/ physics/ mathematics etc.) or life sciences and ability to program (python/ C/ C++/ matlab or any other language).

Willingness to work with rodents (rats) is a must, though you are not expected to have previously worked with animals of any kind.

Tenure:

The duration of the contract shall be for one year, to be extended based on continuation of the project as well as satisfactory assessment of progress.

Compensation:

The position offers a salary of Rs 37,000 (For those who have qualified CSIR-UGC NET or GATE) or Rs 30,000 per month (for those who have not qualified CSIR-UGC NET or GATE) for the duration of the contract + HRA (if not availing the campus accommodation). The position is not eligible for any other benefits.

How to apply:

Please email the following documents to Dr Sachin Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences at [email protected]

• Resume
• Any other relevant information, including projects, dissertations, references etc.

If you have any specific queries in relation to this position, please contact Dr Sachin Deshmukh, Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences at [email protected]

Application Deadline: 31^st August, 2025