MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship for Rui Rodrigues

Rui Rodrigues, INSERM postdoctoral researcher in the team of Giovanni Marsicano at Neurocentre Magendie, was recently awarded a 2-year Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Life Sciences category for his project “DefenCB1: Deciphering the role of striatal CB1 receptors in defensive behaviours”. This prestigious award marks a significant milestone in his career.

He is currently investigating what are the circuits in the brain responsible for adaptive behaviours in response to threats. In particular, DefenCB1 aims at understanding how the endocannabinoid system regulates defensive behaviours by determining how cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors control the active-passive balance during threat response. This project will provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders characterized by maladaptive coping.

A future in Neuropsychopharmacology and Science Communication

Rui Rodrigues has also recently received the “Junior Investigator Award” from the Global Stress and Resilience Network to showcase his work at the Stress and Resilience conference. Apart from science, he is the founder and managing director of “Fala-me Neuro”, a science communication project that fosters neuroscience literacy in Portuguese (more details: https://www.falameneuro.pt/). This project has been gaining traction by wining multiple awards (ESCI Science Communication and FENS/Dana Foundation BAW Awards in 2024) and has recently matured into a non-profit organization that will keep a commitment to (neuro)science outreach.

About MSCA

This year, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) awarded €260 million to postdoctoral research, with a total of 1,249 postdocs being selected for funding among 8,039 applicants. This will allow these researchers to develop a set of research and transferable skills and competences, ultimately leading to improved employability and career prospects within academia and beyond.