1. Destination Europe Virginie van Wassenhove, PhD
Exec Dir, NeuroSpin MEG
Group leader, Brain dynamics
CEA.I2BM.DSV. NeuroSpin
INSERM Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit

2. WHO AM I?
Cognitive Neuroscientist interested in the dynamic architecture of the brain for the purpose of Human perception and cognition. multisensory integration supramodal processing temporal logistics of neural operations time perception temporal cognition Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
cell assembly
human brain
coronal section
pyramidal cells
EEG
ref + -
MEG
LFP INPUT
action potentials spikes
OUTPUT

3. BIOSKETCH
2013 Habilitation, UPMC Group leader, Brain Dynamics . INSERM Executive Director, NeuroSpin MEG . CEA Postdoc . CALTECH . USA Postdoc . UCLA . USA Postdoc . UCSF . USA PhD in Neuroscience & Cognitive Sciences, UMCP, USA B.S. Neurophysiology, University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), USA pre-97 University Rennes, France …

4. PROS Europe? France? FUNDING opportunities
European + Country-level funding
Individual + consortium level funding
Europe? France?

5. FUNDING . A RESEARCHER’S PATH TO SCIENTIFIC INDEPENDENCE
Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant
PredictiveNeuroSens . 100k€
Agence Nationale pour la Recherche
Jeunes Chercheurs Jeunes Chercheurs
BrainTime . ~450 k€
European Research Council
Junior Starting Grant
MindTime . ~1.5 m€

6. FUNDING . BUILDING MOMENTUM AROUND A RESEARCH GOAL
– FP7
Human Brain Project
Implicates around 90 laboratories across Europe !
1 B€
(I’m part of it … starting in 2016)
Academics and researchers of diverse horizons interested in time
(I’m part of it …
Training schools and workshops, allowed the start of several collaborative work! )

7. PROS WORK ENVIRONMENT - permanent positions
- health and social benefits (Europe is VERY family friendly)
- office space can/should have windows!! : )

8. 17.7 T
(rodents)
7 T
(humans)
11.7 T
(humans)
3 T
(humans)
MEEG

9. WORK ENVIRONMENT . NEUROSPIN
a very impressive neuroimaging center (MRI: 3T, 7T, 11.5T(!) for humans + 17T for small animals; MEG; EEG; eyetracking; electrophysiology; genetics; etc)
Neuroscience =
several neuroscience teams with an additional building being created
Paris-Saclay campus = leading universities are joining forces!
Excellent tracking and communication on funding opportunities
Exceptional help in handling financial matters once funded
Permanent positions and promotions

10. PROS TEACHING CAN BE OPTIONAL
INSERM, CNRS, CEA are research institutes not universities.

11. PROS
EUROPE
density and diversity of research within small distances!

12. PROS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WORK ENVIRONMENT / BENEFITS package
TEACHING CAN BE OPTIONAL
EUROPE

13. CONS |PROS?
BUREAUCRACY + HIERARCHY US
France

14. TRANSLATION BUREAUCRACY + HIERARCHY
reflected in affiliations : Exec Dir, NeuroSpin MEG - Group leader, Brain dynamics
CEA.I2BM.DSV. NeuroSpin - INSERM Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit
TRANSLATION
CEA Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
DSV      Direction des Sciences du Vivant
I2BM     Institut d'Imagerie BioMédicale
NeuroSpin
Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale
Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit
… I am also affiliated with Paris XI University but teach at Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris Descartes, Paris V) and Polytechnique…

15. CONS |PROS?
WORKING STYLES
less pragmatic
formalities

16. CONS |PROS?
HABILITATION
necessary to officially mentor phd students

17. THANKS ….. & …QUESTIONS? FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
WORK ENVIRONMENT / BENEFITS package
TEACHING CAN BE OPTIONAL
EUROPE
BUREAUCRACY + HIERARCHY
WORKING STYLES
HABILITATION
THANKS …..
&
…QUESTIONS?