October 2014 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Postdoctoral Researcher and Engineer Positions in Multi-scale Neural Modeling, OIST

by Kenji Doya

Postdoctoral Researcher and Engineer Positions in Multi-scale Neural Modeling Neural Computation Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology started a new project “Brain/MINDS” that aims to create structural and anatomical maps of the marmoset brain using innovative technologies. Within this project, the group lead by Prof. Kenji Doya at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) will develop computational frameworks for constructing multi-scale neural models that link cellular and network dynamics to behavioral and cognitive functions by utilizing large-scale anatomical and physiological data sets. Positions are available for postdoctoral researchers and engineers to work on one or more of the following subtopics: 1) Estimation of cellular and synaptic parameters from connectome, imaging, and electrode recording data. 2) Automated reduction of conductance-based models to integrate-and-fire models, and spiking neural network models to population firing rate models. 3) Application and validation of the above methods with the data being produced by the project. Candidates should have Ph.D. or masters degree in mathematics, computer science or relevant areas and must have strong skills in programming, data analysis, and simulation. Experience in statistical machine learning and/or computational neuroscience is desired. OIST offers an excellent interdisciplinary research environment, including high-performance computing, in its campus overlooking beautiful coastline and coral reefs. Researchers will have opportunities to closely collaborate with leading neuroscientists participating in the project. Initial appointment will be from October 2014 to March 2015, with a possibility of renewal till March 2017. Competitive salary is offered based on the candidate’s experience. OIST is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and provides strong support for its staff and family members coming from abroad. Applicants should send a CV, publication list, statement of research, and contact information of three referees to Prof. Kenji Doya <doya(a)oist.jp>. ---- Kenji Doya <doya(a)oist.jp> Neural Computation Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan Phone: +81-98-966-8594; Fax: +81-98-966-2891 https://groups.oist.jp/ncu

Oct. 2, 2014

Postdoctoral Position at NIH

by Carson C. Chow

NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship: Mathematical Modeling of Food Intake, Food Reward and Habit Formation Position Type: Postdoctoral Position at the NIH Position Title: Mathematical Modeling of Food Intake, Food Reward and Habit Formation Position Description: The successful candidate will develop mathematical models of the neurobiology underlying the regulation of food intake, food reward and habit formation in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Hall and Dr. Carson Chow in the Laboratory of Biological Modeling, NIDDK, NIH. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in Computational Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, or a related field. The successful candidate will have strong quantitative and mathematical abilities and an interest in studying the regulation of food intake, with a specific emphasis on food reward and habit formation. Salary will be commensurate with experience according to NIH guidelines. Please send your CV and a list of 3 references to: Kevin Hall, Ph. D. Laboratory of Biological Modeling National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases National Institutes of Health 12A South Drive, Room 4007 Bethesda, MD 20892-5621 Email: kevinh(a)niddk.nih.gov Employer Name: Laboratory of Biological Modeling at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases Position Location: Bethesda, Maryland. The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.

Oct. 2, 2014

MIT - BCS/PILM Tenure-Track Faculty Search

by Kate White

[s2_r_g] [cid:image002.png@01CFDBBF.FDE34440] [cid:image003.png@01CFDBBF.FDE34440] The Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences (BCS) (http://bcs.mit.edu) and The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory at MIT (http://picower.mit.edu/) are looking to hire up to three (3) tenure-track faculty at the assistant professor level who work in one or more of the following three (3) areas: i) Computational approaches to intelligence, cognition or neuroscience; an experimental component to the candidate's research would be viewed as a positive but is not necessary. An affiliation with Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), or other allied departments is possible. ii) Molecular & cellular: The Picower Institute is searching for a candidate studying development, function or plasticity of neuronal circuits at the cellular, circuit, and/or systems levels using a multi-faceted approach combining different methodologies and levels of analysis. Candidates with strong cellular/molecular training who are studying development of brain circuits or using stem cell technologies are particularly encouraged to apply. iii) Human cognition and/or cognitive neuroscience using behavioral methods, especially in the areas of language and/or cognitive development OR using fMRI/neuroscience methods. Successful applicants are expected to develop and lead independent, internationally competitive research programs and to share in our commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education by teaching courses and mentoring graduate and undergraduate research. PhD must be completed by start day of employment and some postdoctoral training is preferred. Please submit application materials - cover letter, CV, statement of research and teaching interests and representative reprints - online at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/4202. Please state research area in cover letter. To help direct the application, applicants should indicate which of the three areas listed above is their main research area by answering the mandatory questions included in the application. In addition, please arrange to have three letters of recommendation submitted online. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2014. MIT is an affirmative action employer, and we encourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities.

Oct. 1, 2014

RLDM2015: The 2nd Multidisciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making

by Yael Niv

====================================================== The 2nd Multidisciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making (RLDM 2015) www.rldm.org June 7-10, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ====================================================== Over the last few decades, reinforcement learning and decision making have been the focus of an incredible wealth of research spanning a wide variety of fields including psychology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, operations research, control theory, animal and human neuroscience, economics and ethology. Key to many developments in the field has been interdisciplinary sharing of ideas and findings. The goal of RLDM is to provide a platform for communication among all researchers interested in "learning and decision making over time to achieve a goal". The meeting is characterized by the multidisciplinarity of the presenters and attendees, with cross-disciplinary conversations and teaching and learning being central objectives along with the dissemination of novel theoretical and experimental results. The first meeting, RLDM2013, was a huge success, with over 300 attendees. The second meeting will be single-track, and will consist of a mixture of invited and contributed talks, tutorials, and poster sessions. See below for a list of confirmed speakers. Submissions of 1-4 page extended abstracts describing original research, coming from any discipline or disciplines, describing empirical results from human, animal, robot or artificial agent experiments, and/or theoretical work, simulations and modeling will be peer-reviewed for quality and interdisciplinary communication. This is an abstract-based meeting, with no published conference proceedings. As such, work that is intended for, or has been submitted to, other conferences or journals is also welcome, provided that the intent of communication to other disciplines is clear. More information will be posted at www.rldm.org Important dates: Meeting: 7-10 June 2015 (tutorials on 7th, meeting proper 8-10th) Submissions open: 15 December 2014 Submissions close: 7 February 2015, midnight EST Notification of acceptance: 21 March, 2015 (foreigners needing to request visas can fast-track poster acceptance by request to program chairs) Early registration: 21 April 2015 To ensure that you receive future announcements about RLDM2015 please join our mailing list at http://tinyurl.com/RLDMlist (you must log in to google to see the "join list" button, and choose 'all emails' in the options). Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to attend. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Timothy Behrens Emma Brunskill Alison Gopnik Ann Graybiel Charles Isbell Sridhar Mahadevan David Parkes Elizabeth Phelps Alexandre Pouget Peter Stone Peter Thall Andrea Thomaz Claire Tomlin Ben Van Roy Ilana Witten PROGRAM CHAIRS Joelle Pineau Peter Dayan LOCAL CHAIR Richard Sutton GENERAL CHAIR Yael Niv EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Peter Dayan (UCL) Susan Murphy (U Michigan) Yael Niv (Princeton) Nicholas Roy (MIT) Satinder Singh (U Michigan) Richard Sutton (Alberta)

Oct. 1, 2014