October 2015 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

2nd Monash Brain Function Workshop --- Multi-modal approaches to understand brain functions

by Naotsugu Tsuchiya

2nd Monash Brain Function Workshop --- Multi-modal approaches to understand brain functions *- Deadline for poster abstracts and early registration: 15 Nov 2015* *- Registration - http://ecommerce.med.monash.edu.au/product.asp?pID=626&cID=2 <http://ecommerce.med.monash.edu.au/product.asp?pID=626&cID=2> * *Date:* Dec 14 (Mon) 2015 *Venue:* Auditorium, Monash Biomedical imaging, 770 Blackburn Rd, Clayton *Overview* The goal of this workshop is to offer an opportunity for neuroscientists from different backgrounds to interact and exchange ideas. Specifically, we encourage participation of neuroscientists who are interested in understanding neural systems involved in perception and behaviour, and those who combine multiple methodologies, such as electrophysiology, advanced signal processing, computational modelling and cognitive neuroscience. Registration: $50 AUD ($25 AUD for students & postdocs or those who are affiliated with ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function) Organizers: Nao Tsuchiya, Nic Price, Alex Fornito, Jeroen van Boxtel, Gary Egan (Monash University) Contact: for questions about this event, please contact Nao Tsuchiya ( naotsugu.tsuchiya(a)monash.edu) Keynote Speakers: Peter Dayan (computational neuroscience, - UCL, UK) Zhaoping Li (computational neuroscience, psychophysics - UCL, UK) *Speakers:* 1. Lucy Palmer (Florey Institute, Neurophysiology) 2. Andrew Zalesky (University of Melbourne, Neuroimaging/Connectome) 3. Masafumi Oizumi (RIKEN BSI, Japan & Monash University, Computational Neuroscience) 4. Peter Bossarts (University of Melbourne, Neuroeconomics) 5. Pascal Molenberghs (Monash University, Social Neuroscience) 6. Jennifer Windt (Monash University, Philosophy/Cognitive Neuroscience) or 7. Maureen Hagan (Monash University, physiology, Neurophysiology) Supported by Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nao (Naotsugu) Tsuchiya, Ph.D. homepage: http://users.monash.edu.au/~naotsugt/Tsuchiya_Labs_Homepage 1. ARC Future Fellow 2. Associate Professor - School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Biomedical and Psychological Sciences, Monash University - Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University http://med.monash.edu.au/psych/email-sig/miccn-email-sig.jpg <http://www.monash.edu/neuro-institute/> orcid.org/0000-0003-4216-8701

Oct. 28, 2015

4 Year Lecturer Position at QUT Across Robotics, Neuroscience and Computer Vision

by Michael Milford

We have a 4 year Lecturer Position available at QUT to work closely with my research group at the boundary between robotics, neuroscience and computer vision, developing Frankenstein models of visual and spatial intelligence that combine the best performing and best understood parts of human, animal and insect brains. Here's the ad: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Some of the highlights: * You'll get to push the boundaries of our understanding of the brain and how we can model it to create new technologies and capabilities for robotics and AI * Minimize that start-up lag: you'll land in the middle of a large research group and have the opportunity to immediately get involved in the supervision of several PhD students working in the area - in fact, your ability to effectively lead and supervise PhD students is critical to this role * Tap into collaborations with some of the world's top roboticists, neuroscientists and computer vision researchers at leading international institutions including David Cox at Harvard University, Michael Hasselmo at Boston University, Andrew Davison at Imperial College London, Barbara Webb at Edinburgh University and many more. * Get access to top local researchers and major projects including the $19,000,000 Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, the $676,000 project this position is associated with, as well as multiple other projects including a $3,000,000 Strategic Investment in Farm Robotics. * You'll have the opportunity to teach into some of the most fun, engaging and fulfilling robotics-related units at our university. Videos of some of the units we teach can be found at https://youtu.be/FBEINbpovBE and https://youtu.be/_2mp98Sk6fQ. * Work in the heart of Brisbane, a modern bustling city of 2 million people, located near to amazing beaches and vast swathes of untouched wilderness. If you love hiking / running / cycling / swimming / surfing / parasailing, you can find it here. Catch a short flight and you're on the Great Barrier Reef or in the Barossa Valley. * Be immersed in a large, very successful and sociable robotics group of more than a hundred academics, postdocs and students, in a brand new building space. Here's the ad again: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Best regards, Michael Michael Milford Associate Professor | ARC Future Fellow | Microsoft Faculty Fellow | Chief Investigator, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision Australian Centre for Robotic Vision | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science School Science and Engineering Faculty | Queensland University of Technology [banner_tedxqut]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_U7qIjvMJw> S Block, Room S1110, Gardens Point Campus ph 3138 9969 | email michael.milford(a)qut.edu.au<mailto:c.degroot@qut.edu.au> CRICOS No 00213J More information available at: https://wiki.qut.edu.au/display/cyphy/Michael+Milford Google Scholar Profile: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TDSmCKgAAAAJ&hl=en MilfordRobotics Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/milfordrobotics * Highlighted Publications * * Review of Robotics and Biological Navigation Principles- "Principles of goal-directed spatial robot navigation in biomimetic models", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, link http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1655/20130484 * Visual Place Recognition Under Extreme Perceptual Change - "SeqSLAM: Visual route-based navigation for sunny summer days and stormy winter nights", International Conference on Robotics and Automation, link http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6224623 * Navigating without GPS, using only a web camera - "Mapping a Suburb with a Single Camera using a Biologically Inspired SLAM System", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, link http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4627450 * Continual mapping and navigation over a 2 week office delivery robot experiment - "Persistent Navigation and Mapping using a Biologically Inspired SLAM System", International Journal of Robotics Research, http://ijr.sagepub.com/content/29/9/1131.abstract * Combining robotics, neuroscience and animal navigation to manage uncertainty when navigating - "Solving Navigational Uncertainty Using Grid Cells on Robots", PLoS Computational Biology, http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000995

Oct. 28, 2015

CORRECTION: Neural network modelling of motor control: 30 week postdoctoral position in New Zealand

by Alistair Knott

We are seeking applications for a short-term postdoctoral researcher, to develop a neural network model of the learning and execution of actions that move an effector or controlled target object along a prespecified trajectory. The project will focus on movements that bring an agent’s hand into a goal location, or that transport an object carried by the hand to a goal place: for instance, the kinds of movement described by the sentences ‘John put his hand on the table’ or ‘Mary put the cup onto the table’. In such actions, there is evidence that the controlled object’s trajectory is defined in a coordinate system centred on the environment: for instance, that the hand or the cup moves in a relatively straight line in Cartesian space in simple point-to-point actions (see e.g. Cisek, 2005). The focus of the project is to model the mechanism that learns to map motor actions, defined in motor coordinates, onto environment-centred trajectories. The modelling work will contribute to an ongoing project modelling the interface between sensorimotor mechanisms and natural language, and will extend an existing model of the learning and control of motor actions. Cisek, P (2005). Neural representations of motor plans, desired trajectories, and controlled objects. Cognitive Processes 6:15–24. The fixed-term position is for 30 weeks, starting in February or March 2016, on the Postdoctoral Fellow salary scale ($74,046 per annum). It is based at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Otago in New Zealand, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Alistair Knott. The department has an active neural networks programme with five academic staff working in this area, and two more working in related areas of computer vision. If you have questions about the project, please contact Alistair Knott (alik(a)cs.otago.ac.nz) See here for more information about this position, including details about how to apply. The deadline for applications is November 22nd 2015. Otago University is in Dunedin, a university town on the South-East coast of New Zealand's South Island. Dunedin sits on a spectacular harbour, with unspoiled beaches for wildlife and surfing, and lies within a few hours' drive of Queenstown and Wanaka in the Southern Alps.

Oct. 28, 2015

Postdoctoral position: theoretical and computational neuroscience (Fiete group)

by Ila Fiete

Postdoctoral position in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience ----------------------------------------------------------- The neural coding and dynamics group at the University of Texas at Austin, led by Ila Fiete, has an open postdoctoral position. We are looking for candidates trained in quantitative fields whose interest has turned to the study of neural circuits. Interests in the group range from cortical codes to short-term memory, circuit dynamics that underlie non-trivial cognitive computations, the effects of noise on neural computation, error-correcting codes, spatial navigation, quantitative data analysis, and the self-organization of circuits through unsupervised and reinforcement learning. For more information, please visit http://clm.utexas.edu/fietelab/. The initial appointment will be for 1 year with a possibility of extension for a total of 3 years. Environment: The Center for Learning and Memory and the Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin consist of an energetic mix of junior and senior faculty who use imaging, electrophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, psychology, physics, and computer science techniques to study the brain. UT Austin has top-ranked programs in computer science, engineering, non-linear dynamical systems, mathematics and the sciences, and the Fiete group enjoys collaborative interactions with members from several of these departments. Austin is the 11th-largest and 1st fastest-growing US city, home to a high density of technology and Fortune 500 corporations. It supports a thriving live-music scene, extensive outdoor facilities for sports and a year-round climate conducive to their pursuit. To Apply: Candidates with strong quantitative training (e.g. a Ph.D. or expected Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, or Engineering by the start date of the position) and evidence of scientific achievement are invited to apply. Knowledge of neuroscience is a plus. Please send 1) a CV or resume, 2) a statement of past research, 3) a statement of future research interests/plans, and 4) arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be directly sent by the writers to ilafiete(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu <mailto:ilafiete@mail.clm.utexas.edu>. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; applications received by November 15 are guaranteed to receive full consideration.

Oct. 27, 2015

tenure track position in Stochastic Processes & Applications at Tufts

by Borgers, Christoph

This is not a position in computational neuroscience, but may be a good match for some subscribers to this list. Christoph Börgers Tufts University, Department of Mathematics Probability, Stochastic Processes, and their Applications Tenure Track Assistant Professor Applications are invited for a tenure-track Assistant Professorship, to begin July 1, 2016. A Ph.D. in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field; promise of strong teaching; and evidence of strong research are required. A research focus on Probability, Stochastic Processes, and their applications is required. Experience in areas of research of specific interest to departmental members, such as stochastic differential equations or uncertainty quantification, is a plus. The successful candidate will be expected to interact with other researchers in the department, to have a desire and willingness to collaborate with Tufts researchers outside the department, and to teach four courses a year, which may include our upper level/graduate courses in probability, statistics, and real analysis. Applicants should submit a cover letter that includes short statements on the focus of their research as well as their ability and interest in collaborating with Tufts researchers both inside and outside the department, a curriculum vitae, a research statement, and a teaching statement. These documents should be submitted electronically through http://www.mathjobs.org<http://www.mathjobs.org/>. In addition, applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted electronically on their behalf through http://www.mathjobs.org<http://www.mathjobs.org/>. If a recommender cannot submit online, we will also accept signed PDF attachments sent to Misha.Kilmer(a)tufts.edu<mailto:Misha.Kilmer@tufts.edu> or paper letters mailed to the Probability/Stochastic Processes Search Committee Chair, Department of Mathematics, Bromfield-Pearson Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2015, and will continue until the position is filled. Tufts University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty. Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Oct. 27, 2015

Post-Doc Opening in Biosignal Analysis for Assistive Technologies

by Giacinto Barresi

===> Post-Doc Opening in Biosignal Analysis for Assistive Technologies Info: http://iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/advanced-robotics-openings/3… The Biomedical Robotics Lab at the Department of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), (http://www.iit.it/en/advr-labs/biomedical-robotics-lab-new.html ), an English-speaking research Institute, is looking for a highly motivated, full-time postdoctoral research fellow to work in the area of biosignal analysis for assistive technologies. This position is dedicated to research and development of novel solutions for the processing and analysis of biosignals in the context of the project TEEP-SLA, funding by Fondazione Roma. This is a new project that proposes the creation of novel assistive technologies for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients. We are especially looking into satisfying the patients’ social interaction and communication needs with innovative patient interfaces and associated robotic technologies. We are looking for an outstanding scientist with a PhD in biomedical engineering, robotics, or other fields related to brain-computer interfaces or biomedical signal processing. The successful candidate will mainly focus on EEG signal processing techniques for BCI, but the work shall also consider the contribution of other indices of patient internal conditions (like temperature and skin conductance) as integrative sources of information for interaction with technological devices. The scientist will work in a multidisciplinary team including roboticists, biomedical engineers, interaction researchers and healthcare professionals. Field studies (involving patients, their relatives, and healthcare professionals) will be an integral part of the work, serving both to refine system specifications and to assess new technologies. This research will advance the state of the art in biosignal analysis for BCIs, enabling greatly enhanced patient experience during the use of assistive communication and social interaction systems. The position includes theoretical and hands-on research, supervision of PhD students, and support with the general activities of the lab. Desired qualifications: - PhD degree in biomedical engineering, robotics, or related fields. - Experience in biosignal analysis, preferably EEG signal processing for BCI applications. - Excellent publication record in biomedical signal processing. - Experience with tools for real-time data acquisition and online feature extraction. - Experience with machine learning techniques. - Experience interfacing computer systems and technological (e.g. robotic) devices. - Strong interest in assistive technologies and in field studies. - Creativity and proactive attitude. - Strong communication and English language skills (written and spoken) - Independent and persistent personality, strong team player The salary will depend on qualifications and experience and will include additional health benefits. To apply, please send electronically (1) your detailed CV with list of publications, (2) university transcripts, (3) your best first-author paper, (4) a cover letter outlining motivation and statement of research interests/plan and (5) contact information of at least two references to leonardo.mattos(a)iit.it by November 15th, 2015 stating “TEEP-SLA Post-Doc” in the subject of the e-mail. Only complete applications will be evaluated. Please note that this position is contingent on the signature of the relevant Grant agreement. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), with its headquarters in Genova, Italy, is a non-profit institution with the primary goal of creating and disseminating scientific knowledge and strengthening Italy’s technological competitiveness. The institute offers state-of-the-art equipment and a top-level interdisciplinary research environment focused on robotics and computer vision, neuroscience, drug discovery, nanoscience and technology. In order to comply with Italian law (art. 23 of Privacy Law of the Italian Legislative Decree n. 196/03), the candidate is kindly asked to give his/her consent to allow IIT to process his/her personal data. We inform you that the information you provide will be solely used for the purpose of assessing your professional profile to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, with its headquarters in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as the Data Holder, using computer and paper-based means, observing the rules on the protection of personal data, including those relating to the security of data. Please also note that, pursuant to art. 7 of Legislative Decree 196/2003, you may exercise your rights at any time as a party concerned by contacting the Data Manager. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Info: http://iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/advanced-robotics-openings/3… Giacinto Barresi, PhD Research Fellow Biomedical Robotics Laboratory Advanced Robotics (ADVR) Department Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova (Italy) Mobile: +39 331 9835396 Email: giacinto.barresi(a)iit.it Webpage: http://www.iit.it/en/people/giacinto-barresi

Oct. 27, 2015

Deadline extension: FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 || March 20 - 24, 2016 - Rome, Italy

by Cristina Pascual

INVITATION: ================= Please consider to contribute to and/or forward to the appropriate groups the following opportunity to submit and publish original scientific results to: - FUTURE COMPUTING 2016, The Eighth International Conference on Future Computational Technologies and Applications The submission deadline is November 17, 2015. Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit extended article versions to one of the IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org ================= ============== FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 | Call for Papers =============== CALL FOR PAPERS, TUTORIALS, PANELS FUTURE COMPUTING 2016, The Eighth International Conference on Future Computational Technologies and Applications General page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/FUTURECOMPUTING16.html Submission page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/SubmitFUTURECOMPUTING16.html Events schedule: March 20 - 24, 2016 - Rome, Italy Contributions: - regular papers [in the proceedings, digital library] - short papers (work in progress) [in the proceedings, digital library] - ideas: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - extended abstracts: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - presentations: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - demos: two pages [posted at www.iaria.org] - doctoral forum submissions: [in the proceedings, digital library] Proposals for: - mini symposia: see http://www.iaria.org/symposium.html - workshops: see http://www.iaria.org/workshop.html - tutorials: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] - panels: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] Submission deadline: November 17, 2015 Sponsored by IARIA, www.iaria.org Extended versions of selected papers will be published in IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org Print proceedings will be available via Curran Associates, Inc.: http://www.proceedings.com/9769.html Articles will be archived in the free access ThinkMind Digital Library: http://www.thinkmind.org The topics suggested by the conference can be discussed in term of concepts, state of the art, research, standards, implementations, running experiments, applications, and industrial case studies. Authors are invited to submit complete unpublished papers, which are not under review in any other conference or journal in the following, but not limited to, topic areas. All tracks are open to both research and industry contributions, in terms of Regular papers, Posters, Work in progress, Technical/marketing/business presentations, Demos, Tutorials, and Panels. Before submission, please check and comply with the editorial rules: http://www.iaria.org/editorialrules.html FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 Topics (for topics and submission details: see CfP on the site) Call for Papers: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/CfPFUTURECOMPUTING16.html ============================================================ Special sessions: Special sessions on "Memristor-based Computation and Technologies" Special sessions on "Quantum Computing" General tracks Computational intelligence strategies Cognitive computing; Intelligent computation; Ambient computing; Unconventional computing; Indeterminist computing; Adaptive computation; Autonomic computation; Computation under uncertainty; Chaotic computation; Intentional computing; Anticipative computing; Evolutionary computing Mechanism-oriented computing Spatial computation; Elastic computing; Human-centered computing; Embedded computing; Entertainment computing; Time-sensitive/temporal computing; Soft computing (fuzzy logic, neural computing, evolutionary computation, machine learning, and probabilistic reasoning + belief networks, + chaos theory + learning theory) Large-scale computing strategies Distributed computing; Parallel computing; Macro- and micro-computing; Activity-based computing; Data intensive computing; Resource-constraint computing; Grid computing; Cloud computing; Cluster computing; On-demand computing; Ubiquitous/pervasive computing; Memristor Computing; Unconventional computing; Evolutionary computing Computing technologies Quantum computing; Optical computing; DNA (genetic) computing; Molecular computing; Reversible computing; Billiard Ball computing; Neuronal computing; Magnetic computing; Gloopware computing; Moldy computing; Water wave-based computing; Graphene-based computing Quantum Computing Quantum computing models; Quantum complexity theory; Qubits; Non-deterministic and Probabilistic Computers; Quantum algorithms; Quantum computational operations; Scalable quantum computing; Quantum teleportation; Quantum cryptography; Quantum simulation; Quantum decoherence; Quantum gravity; Physical implementation of quantum computers Technology-oriented computing Peer-to-Peer computing; Mobile computing; Sensor-based computing; Wireless computing; Trusted computing; Financial computing; Genetic computation ------------------------ FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 Committee: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/ComFUTURECOMPUTING16.html ========================

Oct. 27, 2015

Comp-neuro: Postdoc/Assistant Professor & visiting professor positions

by Maro Machizawa

Dear potential applicants on the Comp-neuro mailing list, Please see below for an announcement for: A position of postdoc/assistant professor (research) and visiting opportunities for associate/full professors at the Center for KANSEI Innovation at Hiroshima University, Japan. Looking forward to hearing from motivated candidates. Best Wishes, --- The Center for KANSEI Innovation, newly launched in 2013 at the Hiroshima University (one of top ten Japanese universities), is seeking computational/mathematical neuroscientists from overseas. Under the new, exciting scheme of government-funded project, COI STREAM, our mission is to innovate research developments foreseeing 10 years in the future. The center’s mission is to drive radical innovation on KANSEI— a Japanese term corresponding to emergent properties of our feelings, sensations, or emotions that are expressed and embedded in our complex neural and physiological responses. One of our primary missions is to create brain emotion interfaces, which is to bridge mental gaps amongst people, enriching our mental quality of life. The center is fully equipped with our own MRI scanner (Siemens Verio 3T) with EEG, eye-tracker, TMS, and tACS/tDCS facilities, as well as several physiological-measurement equipments, plus a shared access to an MEG facility. Full-time research lecturer (assistant professor)/Postdoc: The successful candidate for the full-time positions has expertise in mathematical models on data collected from multimodal environment (i.e., fMRI and EEG as well as various physiological responses). Expertise in machine learning, computational engineering, and/or brain computer interface is necessary. High interpersonal skills are expected as well to interact with a large group of talented, interdisciplinary colleagues from universities and industries with various backgrounds in a friendly, open-minded environment. Contract will be updated annually. The position is available now. Visiting professor (on sabbatical): We are also seeking visiting professors on a sabbatical with background including but not limited to computational/mathematical neurosciences. Expertise in other fields related to neuroscience and engineering are welcome. A period to visit is negotiable, but until year 2020. For both positions, salaries are depending on your experiences and a regulation set by the Hiroshima University Faculty Members employed under annual salary system. About Hiroshima: The center is located at the heart of a beautiful city of Hiroshima, which is the biggest city around the Chugoku region on the main island in Japan. Hiroshima is well known for its fruitful resources for activities, nature, and high-quality cuisines. Our website: http://coikansei.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/ For more details, or to apply (with your CV), send an email to: recruit(a)coikansei.hiroshima-u.ac.jp --- Maro Machizawa, PhD (Neurology) Assistant Professor Dept. Psychiatry & Neurosciences Center for KANSEI Innovation TEL: +81(0)82-257-1722; FAX: +81(0)82-257-1723

Oct. 27, 2015

CfP: ICLR 2016 - Conference Track (updated)

by Hugo Larochelle

Update: Submissions and the review process, with a single round of reviewing, will again this year be supported by CMT rather than OpenReview.net<http://OpenReview.net>. We hope to use OpenReview.net<http://OpenReview.net> in the near future. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Website: http://www.iclr.cc/ Submission deadline for title and abstract: November 12th, 2:00pm Pacific Standard Time, 2015 Submission deadline for arXiv paper ID: November 19th, 2:00pm Pacific Standard Time, 2015 Location: Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 Overview -------- It is well understood that the performance of machine learning methods is heavily dependent on the choice of data representation (or features) on which they are applied. The rapidly developing field of representation learning is concerned with questions surrounding how we can best learn meaningful and useful representations of data. We take a broad view of the field, and include in it topics such as deep learning and feature learning, metric learning, kernel learning, compositional models, non-linear structured prediction, and issues regarding non-convex optimization. Despite the importance of representation learning to machine learning and to application areas such as vision, speech, audio and NLP, there was no venue for researchers who share a common interest in this topic. The goal of ICLR has been to help fill this void. A non-exhaustive list of relevant topics: - unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised representation learning - metric learning and kernel learning - dimensionality expansion - sparse modeling - hierarchical models - optimization for representation learning - learning representations of outputs or states - implementation issues, parallelization, software platforms, hardware - applications in vision, audio, speech, natural language processing, robotics, neuroscience, or any other field The program will include keynote presentations from invited speakers, oral presentations, and posters. As usual, ICLR will feature two tracks: a Conference Track and a Workshop Track. However, this year, conference and workshop submissions will be reviewed separately, in two different periods. This call for paper is thus only for conference contributions. Workshop submissions will be received a few months before the conference and be subject to a lighter review. A future call for papers will be sent with more details on the Workshop Track. Note that some of the submitted papers that are not accepted to the Conference Track will be invited to be presented under the Workshop Track. ICLR Submission Instructions ---------------------------- 1. By November 12th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) authors are asked to submit through CMT the title, abstract, author list, subject areas and a draft of their paper: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/ICLR2016Conference/ 2. Then, as soon as possible, authors must post on arXiv their submission: http://arxiv.org<http://arxiv.org/> . 3. Finally, by November 19th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time), authors must update their submission in CMT with the arXiv ID of their finalized paper. They must also update their PDF submission within CMT. Note that there can be up to 3 days of delay between sending a manuscript on arXiv and receiving your arXiv ID. It is thus important to post your submission on arXiv early. Note also that you can always update your submission on arXiv later on. Submissions without an arXiv ID after November 19th will be automatically removed from CMT. For more information on paper preparation, including the mandatory style files, please see http://www.iclr.cc/ . Submission deadline: November 12th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) for title, abstract and preliminary draft, November 19th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) for arXiv ID and final submission PDF. Notes: i. Regarding the conference submission's 6-9 page limits, these are really meant as guidelines and will not be strictly enforced. For example, figures should not be shrunk to illegible size to fit within the page limit. However, in order to ensure a reasonable workload for our reviewers, papers that go beyond the 9 pages should be formatted to include a 9 page submission, with supplementary material appended at the end of the manuscript and clearly marked as an appendix, which will be optionally reviewed. ii. Paper revisions will be permitted, and in fact are encouraged, in response to comments from and discussions with the reviewers (see "An Open Reviewing Paradigm" below). An Open Reviewing Paradigm -------------------------- 1. Submissions to ICLR are posted on arXiv prior to being submitted to the conference. 2. Authors submit their paper to the ICLR conference track via the CMT ICLR 2016 conference track website. 3. After the authors have submitted their papers via CMT, the ICLR program committee designates anonymous reviewers as usual. 4. The submitted reviews are published without the name of the reviewer, but with an indication that they are the designated reviews. 5. Anyone can openly (non-anonymously) write and publish comments on the paper. Anyone can ask the program chairs for permission to become an anonymous designated reviewer (open bidding). The program chairs have ultimate control over the publication of each anonymous review. Open commenters will have to use their real names. 6. Authors can post comments in response to reviews and comments. They can revise the paper as many times as they want, possibly citing some of the reviews. Reviewers are expected to revise their reviews in light of paper revisions. 7. The review calendar includes a generous amount of time for discussion between the authors, anonymous reviewers, and open commentators. The goal is to improve the quality of the final submissions. 8. The ICLR program and area chairs will consider all submitted papers, comments, and reviews and will decide which papers are to be presented in the conference track, which will be invited to be presented in the workshop track, and which will not appear at ICLR. 9. Papers that are presented in the workshop track or are not accepted will be considered non-archival, and may be submitted elsewhere (modified or not), although the ICLR site will maintain the reviews, the comments, and the links to the arXiv versions. Organizers ---------- Yoshua Bengio, Université de Montreal, General Chair Yann LeCun, New York University and Facebook, General Chair Hugo Larochelle, Twitter and Université de Sherbrooke, Senior Program Chair Brian Kingsbury, IBM Watson Group, Program Chair Samy Bengio, Google, Program Chair Contact ------- The organizers can be contacted at iclr2016.programchairs(a)gmail.com<mailto:iclr2016.programchairs@gmail.com>

Oct. 26, 2015

PDF Job: Computational Modeling of Neural Population Dynamics

by Andrew Pruszynski

Postdoctoral Fellow: Computational Modeling of Neural Population Dynamics We are looking for one full-time postdoctoral fellow for a collaborative project between Dr. Andrew Pruszynski, Dr. Jörn Diedrichsen and Dr. Martinez-Trujillo. This position offers the unique opportunity to analyze and model data from both multi-unit electrophysiological recordings and high-resolution functional imaging studies. The project is primarily computational in nature, involving multivariate analysis and modeling of large-scale neural networks during sensory-motor, decision, and navigation tasks. Our labs use a broad range of methods, including single-unit and multi-unit recordings, behavioural experiments, high-resolution functional imaging at 7T, and computational modelling. Applicants must have a strong mathematical and/or technical background and should have previous publications in computational neuroscience broadly defined. Our laboratories are located at the Brain and Mind Institute and Robarts Research Institute, both at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Systems and cognitive neuroscience are key areas of research strength at Western University with more than 25 Principal Investigators and nearly 200 trainees. A PhD degree in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, engineering, kinesiology, or related fields is required. Annual salary depends on the level of experience but will be no less than $42,000. Initial appointments will be for a period of 1 year, with possibility for renewal. Further inquiries and applications including a CV and a statement of research interest should be sent by email to: andrew.pruszynski(a)uwo.ca. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Oct. 26, 2015