Our Vision Pain is one of the most fundamental experiences we have, yet chronic pain remains poorly understood and devastatingly undertreated. At the Brain Circuits for Sensory and Pain Processing Lab , led by Dr. Roberto de la Torre-Martínez at IDiBE, Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche, Spain, we believe that understanding the neural pathways the brain uses to transport, integrate, and encode pain, and how these processes become chronic, may allow us to hack the system and relieve or even prevent unnecessary suffering.

We are particularly interested in a newly emerging pathway in which the claustrum plays a key role. Our recent work (de la Torre-Martínez, R., et al., Current Biology 2025) reveals claustral circuitry that can powerfully modulate regions traditionally implicated in pain processing. This project will now unravel the unexplored claustro-cortical networks in the context of chronic pain , testing the hypothesis that the claustrum is a key player in chronic pain processing, with implications for how pain sensation is integrated and transmitted.

Combining optogenetics,



in vivo /ex vivo electrophysiology, circuit-tracing, and behavioral models , we aim to translate these circuit insights into real strategies for pain relief. The lab is supported by a “Ramón y Cajal fellowship ” and a recently awarded “Proyecto de Generación de Conocimiento ” from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI), providing a solid framework for ambitious, long-term research. This position is intended as pre-training for an eventual PhD if the candidate is suitable

More about the lab and our projects at delatorrelab.com.

Key Responsibilities

We are looking for a motivated Research Assistant to join our team and contribute directly to this line of research. You will work closely with Dr. de la Torre-Martínez and other lab members on projects that combine state-of-the-art techniques in circuit neuroscience.
· Contribute to in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiological experimen

📌 Phd Researcher Assistant (Comunidad Valenciana)
🏢 Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche
📍 Comunidad Valenciana