PhD or Postdoctoral Position in Honey Bee Visual Navigation University of Freiburg in Germany

The Straw Lab in the Faculty of Biology at the University of Freiburg, Germany, is recruiting for a PhD or postdoctoral position on honey bee visual navigation. The lab studies visual navigation in insects with a strong emphasis on computational neuroethology, and also develops technical tools such as virtual reality and insect tracking systems.

This opening is genuinely open across two profiles: Profile 1 is a PhD project focused on reinforcement learning and computational modeling of honey bee navigation; Profile 2 is a postdoctoral project focused on the neurophysiology of honey bee visual navigation, including in vivo two-photon imaging in behaving bees. The successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment with experimental neurophysiology, behavioral experiments, computational modeling, environmental reconstruction, and computerized systems development.

Research themes and keywords: honey bee visual navigation, insect neuroscience, computational neuroethology, reinforcement learning, machine learning, computer vision, 3D reconstruction, neurophysiology, two-photon microscopy, calcium imaging, electrophysiology, animal navigation.

Eligibility highlights: PhD applicants should have a master's degree in Computer Science, Informatics, Physics, Computational Neuroscience, or a related field, plus experience in machine learning/reinforcement learning and modeling. Postdoctoral applicants should have a doctoral degree in Neuroscience or a related field, plus experience analyzing neural imaging or electrophysiological data and experience in at least one of in vivo imaging, two-photon microscopy, calcium imaging, neurobiology, electrophysiology, or insect neuroscience. For both profiles, strong analytical skills, independence, teamwork, scientific communication, and English proficiency are required.

Funding and conditions: The position is full-time for three years, with salary according to TV-L E13, standard German public service benefits, paid annual leave, and an occupational pension. The post also includes access to two-photon microscopy, insect virtual reality systems, computing resources, mentoring, and structured training/career-development programs. German language skills are not required.

Application deadline: 2026-09-30. Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV with publications, transcripts, degree certificates, and contact details for 2–3 referees. Applications must be submitted through the online portal and cite reference number 00005148.