Congratulations to Bohan Yao for receiving his U of T Excellence Award (UTEA) which funds him to conduct research in Lin’s lab over the summer of 2023!

He is a year-3 undergraduate in Cell and Molecular Biology at UofT, and he will be conducting research on the effects of fasting versus fed conditions on the social behaviour of Zebrafish.

Congratulations and welcome!

Our incoming summer student Michelle Sun has been awarded an ESROP fellowship and a CSB Undergraduate Research Award!

She is a year-2 undergraduate in Engineering Science at UofT, and she will be developing a virtual reality platform for neural imaging of behaving zebrafish by working closely with other lab members.

Congratulations and welcome!

Neural computation of cognitive behaviors by whole-brain single-neuron recording of zebrafish behaving in virtual reality

The central question of Lin Lab is – how does the brain produce adaptive, flexible behavior?

We take a multi-disciplinary and holistic (systems) approach to answer this question. We combine whole-brain neural imaging and computational tools on behaving animal models in virtual realities to study the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and behaviors at the systems level. To access the whole brain with single-cell resolution at a high speed, we work with the zebrafish model and state-of-art optical neurotechnology. Our approach is to develop data-driven computational models (such as machine learning & dynamical systems) that can explain and predict behaviors from neural activity.

Position

1. Build VR and behavioral devices for zebrafish using Python, Unity, or other tools
2. Perform behavioral assays and multi-photon neural imaging of zebrafish
3. Record, analyze, and model brain-wide neuronal time series

Qualifications

1. Highly motivated and goal-driven, with a strong passion/curiosity for neuroscience
2. Bachelor’s degree in electrical/mechanical/bio engineering, physics, or computer science; hands-on experience with optics is a big plus.
3. Programming skills (such as MATLAB, Python, C, C#, or Java, …) with hardware (such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or National Instrument DAQ, …)

How to Apply

Potential candidates should contact Qian Lin at neuroqian.lin@utoronto.ca ASAP before 2023/4/25 with these materials:

• a cover letter explaining what is your interest and why you are a good fit;
• a CV highlighting relevant courses, experience, and skills;
• transcripts;
• contact information for two reference letters (if available).
• a clear title stating the application for the graduate student position

This is my favorite incubator to house baby zebrafish. Small and handy.

We are happy to learn that our CFI just got approved! Thank you for everyone who helped us during this process!

Recycle, reuse…

Thank you for the kind donations from my colleagues!

We look forward to building more fun behavioral devices for zebrafish!

Let us test this espresso machine and see how it behaves. : )

Thank you for everyone’s help!

Please see details in Positions.

More details will be updated soon!