I’m a fan of it because it is an open-access journal featuring a “tiered system” and more.  From their website:

The Frontiers Journal Series is not just another journal. It is a new approach to scientific publishing. As service to scientists, it is driven by researchers for researchers but it also serves the interests of the general public. Frontiers disseminates research in a tiered system that begins with original articles submitted to Specialty Journals. It evaluates research truly democratically and objectively based on the reading activity of the scientific communities and the public. And it drives the most outstanding and relevant research up to the next tier journals, the Field Journals.

I’m a big fan of the variety of specialty journals they have:

• Aging Neuroscience
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Cellular Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Enteric Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Neuroscience
• Human Neuroscience
• Integrative Neuroscience
• Molecular Neuroscience
• Neural Circuits
• Neuroanatomy
• Neuroenergetics
• Neuroengineering
• Neurogenesis
• Neurogenomics
• Neuroinformatics
• Neuromethods
• Neuropharamacology
• Neuroprosthetics
• Neurorobotics
• Synaptic Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience

Although the shift away from liberalism amongst faculty is interesting, this graphic caught my attention:

Should we take this to mean that there should be more faculty jobs as the avg age increases? (Or is this negated by the fact that people are living longer and working longer?)

A team of three academics at MIT and the University of Hong Kong is launching an international collaboration to create a set of novel courses to address this need. The first one, Neurotechnology Ventures, is being taught in Spring 2007 and focuses on neurotechnologies that are close to solving major human problems. The class explores the problems that neurotechnologists encounter when envisioning, planning, and building startups to bring neuroengineering innovations to the world.

Emphasizing the global nature of any modern neurotechnology, Neurotechnology Ventures will be videoconferenced between the U.S. and China, which is increasingly becoming a major neurotechnology player (including some very daring and scientifically interesting developments in fields such as human spinal cord regenerative medicine). Information will be posted online as the class evolves dynamically, to the web site HTTP://Neuroven.Media.MIT.edu. The goal is to open up this new field to the world, and see if we can solve the major problems of the brain in an open and efficient way.

Ed

The postdoctoral researchers will be involved in designing and conducting quantitative behavior experiments. The work will include a significant component of data analysis, which will require a creative application of a variety of techniques. Over the course of the appointment, the project will proceed to an investigation of the neuronal circuits controlling identified multisensory processing using molecular-genetic tools and imaging.

Candidates for the first position should have a strong background in biology, with a focus on Drosophila genetics, electrophysiology, biological imaging, and/or quantitative behavior. The second position will emphasize computational approaches and the design of laboratory instrumentation. Those with a technical background in Engineering/Physics/Mathematics and a keen interest in Neuroscience are especially encouraged to apply. A strong applicant should have some experience in several of the following areas: signal processing, control theory, machine learning, computer vision, embedded system design, laboratory instrumentation, and/or scientific computer programming (especially MATLAB experience).

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Biology/Engineering or a related field. Interested applicants should contact me by email. Please include your curriculum vitae and a letter of research interests, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to:

Michael Reiser
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Janelia Farm Research Campus
19700 Helix Drive
Ashburn, VA 20147
Email: reiserm at janelia dot hhmi dot org

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY is seeking a faculty member in the area of Computational Neuroscience. The appointment will be a joint tenure- track position in the Departments of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics (www.esam.northwestern.edu) and in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (www.smpp.northwestern.edu) at the rank of assistant professor.

Possible areas of research include, but are not limited to, modeling and simulation of large scale neural systems and circuits relevant to human function and disease, computational approaches towards cellular and molecular factors underlying neuronal behavior, modeling and simulation of the structure and function of neurons and networks of neurons, genetic mechanism of disease, novel approaches towards brain imaging, and areas of computational neuroscience relevant to human neuromotor functions, broadly defined.

The faculty member will have extensive contact with the research and clinical personnel at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), a leading research hospital and a longtime partner of Engineering Sciences at Northwestern. Faculty members from the Northwestern University Neuroscience Program, and from the Department of Physiology in the Feinberg School of Medicine are also available for collaboration.

The research laboratories for the new appointee will be housed within the Sensory Motor performance Program, a multidisciplinary research group in the RIC, working in themes related to human motor function in normal and neurologically impaired human subjects.

The candidate must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and a solid background in applied mathematics, engineering science, or related quantitative disciplines, as well as prior research experience in computational neuroscience. Applicants should also have the ability to establish an independently funded research program and have a strong commitment to teaching. The starting date for the position is September 1, 2007.

For full consideration, application materials consisting of a resume, a statement of research and teaching interests, and at least three letters of recommendation should be submitted by January 15, 2007. Applications will be accepted on-line:

http://facsearch.mccormick.northwestern.edu/esam/apply.php?id=3

or by mail:

Neuroscience Search Committee Chair Dept. of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics 2145 Sheridan Road Northwestern University Evanston, IL 60208

Northwestern University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women and under-represented minorities are encouraged. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.

….take a look at http://mitralab.org/main/jobs.html for full details on the positions and how to apply. Below are short summaries.

The first position is for a postdoc to work on an integrative theoretical study of memory formation in Drosophila. The work is part of the DART Neurogenomic Alliance at CSHL headed by Tim Tully and Josh Dubnau.

The three remaining positions are for two postdocs and one programmer to join the Brain Architecture project, a new collaboration to study human brain anatomy and connectivity. One postdoc will integrate information from the scientific literature into a project database and may have opportunities for experimental neuroanatomy research related to project goals. The second postdoc will work on the analysis and visualization of graphs corresponding to neuroanatomical connectivity matrices. The scientific programmer will provide general computer support and will code specialized tools for the project.

Though my queries may seem a bit ameteuristic, it is very important for me to get clarity on these doubts.
Hope my queries will be answered.
Thanking all of you in advance,
sudhi