Three PhD positions for a collaborative project in human somatosensory neuroscience

This multidisciplinary human neuroscience project will explore how tactile mechanosensory, thermosensory and proprioceptive inputs integrate during tactile exploration and haptic manipulation. Specific aims will be (1) to characterize and model the biomechanical and thermal interactions between manipulated objects and the skin, (2) to evaluate the sensory encoding properties of tactile mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors and proprioceptors and (3) to probe the cortical processes involved in thermosensory, mechanosensory and proprioceptive integration using a combination of psychophysical experiments, microneurography studies and electroencephalography (EEG) experiments in healthy human volunteers. The project will have implications for the design of haptic interfaces, virtual reality setups and hand prostheses integrating haptic feedback.