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

2016 Nengo Summer School - Applications Open

by Peter Blouw

Hello! [All details about this school can be found online at http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is inviting applications for our 3rd annual summer school on large-scale brain modeling. This two-week school will teach participants how to use the Nengo software package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1], and provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems to run in simulated and real environments. We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals. No specific training in the use of modeling software is required, but we encourage applications from active researchers with a relevant background in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics, neuromorphic engineering, computer science, or a related field. For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/wy4dNC [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://nengo.ca/publications/spaunsciencepaper] ****Application Deadline: February 15, 2016**** *Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! *Topics Covered*: Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. SpiNNaker) - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more… *Date and Location*: June 5th to June 17th, 2016 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (pblouw(a)uwaterloo.ca) We look forward to hearing from you!

Nov. 10, 2015

REMINDER: the first NESTML community workshop

by Jochen Martin Eppler

Hi! This is just a reminder for our upcoming workshop. Best regards, Jochen! On 23.09.2015 16:25, Jochen Martin Eppler wrote: > Announcing the first community workshop on NESTML, the novel modelling > language to create neuron models for the NEST simulator for spiking > neuronal networks (nest-simulator.org) > > Abstract > ^^^^^^^^ > Currently, neuron and synapse models in NEST are written as C++ classes. > These classes implement the simulator API for updating the neuronal > dynamics, sending and receiving events, and auxiliary tasks such as > initialization, recording of internal variables, calibration and > handling of parameters. > > As the model code is hand-written and often created by copy and paste, > this method is prone to errors and hinders the programmatic re-use of > components such as neuronal dynamics, post-synaptic responses and > synaptic plasticity mechanisms. > > Moreover, as many neuroscientists are not experts in C++, the process of > creating models is often seen as complicated and in many cases the > resulting model implementations are not optimal with respect to > performance, consistency and testability. > > To ease writing models for NEST and improve the general quality of the > code, we have created the NEST Modelling Language. NESTML comprises a > language specification to describe neuron models in terms of > neuroscience concepts and a set of tools to generate efficient C++ code > for NEST from this description. > > During the workshop, we will give a general introduction to model > creation for NEST and an in-depth introduction to the concepts and > application of NESTML. In hands-on sessions the participants have the > opportunity to write their own models in NESTML with the assistance of > experienced tutors. The feedback collected in a dedicated session will > be used to shape the future design and development of NESTML. > > Target Audience > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > The workshop aims at students and researchers in computational > neuroscience who want to create their own neuron models in NEST. Some > understanding of programming and experience with one of the simulators > NEST, NEURON, or Brian will be helpful, but are not strictly required. > > Location and date > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > The workshop will take place at the Chair of Software Engineering > (se-rwth.de) of RWTH Aachen University from Monday, December 7 to > Wednesday, December 9, 2015. > Details and registration > > Workshop attendance is possible free of charge. However, in order to be > able to plan rooms, lunches and coffee breaks, we require registration. > For details and enrolment, visit www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/nestml-ws. > > > With best regards, > Jochen! > > -- Dr. Jochen Martin Eppler Phone: +49 2461 61-9471 ---------------------------------- Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience Jülich Supercomputing Centre Institute for Advanced Simulation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nov. 10, 2015

2x Postdoctoral Research Assistants in Knowledge Representation and Information Theory applied to fNIRS

by Felipe

*2x Postdoctoral Research Assistants in Knowledge Representation and Information Theory applied to fNIRS* Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) – Dept. of Computer Science *About the positions* The Department of Computer Science at INAOE in Puebla, Mexico, invites applications for 2 two years full-time postdoctoral research assistant positions in the field of functional optical neuroimaging interpretation. Initial contract will be short-term according to institutional internal regulations extensible up to 2 years as the candidate demonstrate his/her suitability for the position and maintains his performance and productivity. You will be working under the supervision of Dr. Felipe Orihuela-Espina. You will be expected to publish in high impact factor journals as well as in top conferences of the area. You will also be expected to contribute and help, not only to the project but also to the research and teaching carried out in the lab and the department in general. You will also help with PhD student supervision. You might further be asked to help with administrative tasks related to this or related projects including but not limited to report generation and generation of new grant applications. All the former has to be delivered punctually against tight deadlines. This description of tasks might not be exhaustive. Salary is regulated by CONACYT’s project administration manual <http://www.conacyt.mx/images/conacyt/fondos/sectoriales/Fondos_ManualAdmini…>. *About the project* Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging neuroimaging modality available for understanding brain behaviour for which current analysis and interpretation methods were often inherited and adapted from other neuroimaging modalities such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This migration of methods is never trivial or without compromises. This 3 years $2M MXN project explores alternative analysis and interpretation algorithms and techniques specifically developed for fNIRS which can answer complex questions about cognitive activity while considering and exploiting fNIRS specific particularities. More specifically, these positions aim at: (i)(/_Position Key: fNIRS-2016-01-KR_/) Exploring the use of knowledge representation techniques as a base for streamlining fNIRS experimentation, analysis and interpretation. Research tasks include, but are not limited to, the construction of conceptual maps defining experimental elements in fNIRS, the proposition of an initial ontology capturing fNIRS experimentation and the testing of different reasoning techniques over the ontology. (ii)(/_Position Key: fNIRS-2016-02-IT_/) Exploring the suitability of information theory metrics for expressing brain connectivity from fNIRS. Research tasks include, but are not limited to, developing semi-virtual registration approaches, strong validation proofs, mathematical development of metrics and pseudometrics for expressing brain connectivity. The solutions resulting from this project will be evaluated in applications of surgical neuroergonomics for the study of learning and training of new surgeons, as well as in virtual rehabilitation for the observation of neuroplastic changes associated to the therapy administration. To obtain further details of the project, please check contact details below. *About the candidate* Applications are sought in optical neuroimaging analysis and interpretation, with particular emphasis on the following topics: -Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) -Knowledge Representation -Information Theory -Mathematical Topology -Statistics and experimental design -Medical Physics Outstanding researchers in neuroimaging modalities other than fNIRS, but whose work is closely related with the current research project will be also considered. *Requisites*: ·Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (e.g. computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering) and have obtained this no more than 5 years before the starting date of the appointment. ·You will be fluent in English. Spanish is welcomed but not strictly necessary. ·You will have excellent communication skills (oral and written) linked with an excellent publication record. ·You must have the potential to do pioneering research and to teach effectively. ·You will have outstanding demonstrable coding expertise with numerical and symbolic packages (preferably Matlab) ·You will have to be able to carry out research without supervision, and being able carry out collaborative research. ·You will be able to deliver quality work following tight project deadlines. ·If not Mexican, you will need work permit according to Mexican laws. An conditional invitation letter can be produced upon offering the job to support your application for work permit. ·Other administrative and legal demands may have to be fulfilled to abide Mexican laws and institutional regulations. *About the institution, the department and the laboratory* INAOE is one of the top ranked research institutions in Mexico according to the international SCIMAGO institutions rankings. Created in 1971 following the research inheritance from the National Observatory of Astrophysics, INAOE is one of the national network of research centers from CONACYT. The Computer Science Department at INAOE is one of the leading research departments in computer science in Mexico with 23 full-time researchers; 95% recognized by the National Researchers System (SNI) in Mexico and over 40% on the top levels. We offer Master and PhD degrees and all our students benefit from a scholarship. The department has 7 strong research groups also called laboratories in robotics, machine learning, natural language processing, vision, high performance computing, ubiquitous computing and networks, and the biosignal and medical applications. The biosignal and medical applications laboratory develops several lines of research including neuroimaging processing and analysis, affective and persuasive computing, virtual neurorehabilitation and geomedicine. It is the proud pioneer in Mexico regarding emotion recognition from speech which generated the first spin up business from INAOE. It has recently been granted about $5M MXN infrastructure funds for strengthening the neuroimaging research line. *About the application process* To submit your application, please send by e-mail the following information in English to the contact below. ·CV in free style including academic trajectory and full publication record, and clear contact e-mail. ·A 5 pg maximum (11pt) statement explaining why you are the best candidate for the position and initial solution ideas. Please clearly indicate the position key (see above) for which you are applying for. ·2 reference letters and the corresponding contact for referees. Please note, they might be contact for further information about the candidate. The application process might involve one or more interviews, and demonstration of skills by means of a probatory task. Although we will try to answer all applications, if you haven’t heard from us within 3 weeks from your submission date please consider that your application has been unsuccessful. The positions are available as from the 3^rd of January 2016 but earlier or later incorporations might be considered. The positions will be opened until suitable candidates are found. *Contact*: For further details about the project and how to apply and latest updates about the job offer, please visit: http://ccc.inaoep.mx/~f.orihuela-espina/Src/Jobs.php You will be working under the supervision of Dr. Felipe Orihuela-Espina. e-mail: f.orihuela-espina(a)ccc.inaoep.mx

Nov. 10, 2015

Workshop on Cognitive Development for Friendly Robots and Rehabilitation

by Giulio Sandini

International Workshop on Cognitive Development for Friendly Robots and Rehabilitation International Symposium on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 30, Genoa (Italy) 2-3 December 2015 We are glad to invite you to a two-days workshop on human cognitive development and its implications for Robotics and Rehabilitation. The participation in the workshop is free of charge, but it requires a registration for organizational purposes. The detailed program and the registration form<https://www.codefror.eu/events> can be found at the workshop's website: https://www.codefror.eu/events. Deadline for registration and abstract's submission is 25th of November. The event is jointly organized by the European project CODEFROR: COgnitive Development for Friendly RObots and Rehabilitation and the "JSPS Core to Core program: Competitive Partnership on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics. CODEFROR is an EU project within the "International Research Staff Exchange Scheme" (FP7-MSCA-PIRSES-2013-612555), which investigates aspects of human cognitive development with the dual goal of developing robots able to interact with humans in a friendly way and of designing and testing protocols for rehabilitation of disabled children. Partners in the project are the Italian Institute of Technology, the Universities of Bielefeld in Germany, Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. The webpage of the project is: https://www.codefror.eu/. The program of the workshop consists of two days of presentations by invited speakers spanning from cognitive robotics, human cognition, human-robot interaction, robotic and sensory rehabilitation, prosthesis, surgical robotics, computational neuroscience. The impact of research and technological solutions on social needs and, more specifically, on rehabilitation and support of persons with disabilities will be central to the workshop. If you are interested in presenting your work at the poster session, please specify it in the registration form and submit a 300 words abstract. Deadline for registration and abstract's submission is 25th of November. You will be notified of poster acceptance soon after. Among the speakers:- Minoru Asada, Yukie Nagai and Takashi Fujikado (Osaka University), Jochen Steil and Friederike Eyssel (Bielefeld University), Rajesh Rao, (University of Washington), Gabriel Baud-Bovy, Cristina Becchio, Fabio Benfenati, Luca Brayda, Leonardo De Mattos, Monica Gori, Hagen Leman, Pietro Morasso, Giulio Sandini (IIT). For any enquiry or further information, please refer to the workshop webpage: https://www.codefror.eu/events or contact Maria Carmela Fierro (conference(a)codefror.eu<mailto:conference@codefror.eu> ).

Nov. 9, 2015

Journal track submission for ECML-PKDD 2016 is *open now*

by Olana Missura

The journal track submission for ECML-PKDD 2016 is open now. The journal track allows continuous submissions from the end of September 2015 to March 2016. There are two cutoffs per month on which we distribute papers to reviewers with the first one being the 27th of September 2015 and the last one being the 30th of March 2016. Details on the conference and the submission process are available at http://www.ecmlpkdd2016.org/submission.html Best regards, Olana Missura Publicity Chair of ECML-PKDD 2016

Nov. 9, 2015

CALL FOR PAPERS BigData4Healthcare, deadline: November 29.

by Youssef Iraqi

Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this message. ________________________________________________________________ CALL FOR PAPERS BigData4Healthcare, deadline: November 29. 1st International Workshop on Big Data Analytics for Healthcare and Well-being 2016 January 18, 2016, Hong Kong, China http://sigai.or.kr/workshop/bigcomp/2016/big-data-for-healthcare/ In conjunction with the 3rd International Conference on Big Data and Smart Computing (BigComp) 2016 http://conf2016.bigcomputing.org/main/ Purpose and Scope Healthcare and well-being is an important area of research in many countries as one of the emerging application domains for both big data and smart computing. This workshop aims to create opportunities to share on-going works and enhance collaboration among healthcare researchers related to big data or data science, and to foster new innovations of big data and smart computing in the areas of mobile healthcare, smart homes, digital cities, innovations in healthcare and sensing devices, and other related areas. Prospective authors are cordially invited to submit their original contributions covering completed or ongoing work related to the area of big data analytics for healthcare and well-being. The topics include but are not limited to: - Smart health and big data - Data mining, graph mining and data science for healthcare - Big data analytics and social media for healthcare - Smart devices and hardware for healthcare - Smart location-based services for healthcare - Models and tools for smart computing in healthcare - Innovations in healthcare and sensing devices - Security and privacy for big data in healthcare - Cloud and grid computing for healthcare - Standards for big data in healthcare PAPER SUBMISSION Perspective authors are invited to submit their papers, up to 8 pages each, in the IEEE paper template. Papers must be formatted in PDF according to the IEEE two-column format for conference proceedings and submitted through EasyChair, http://www.easychair.org/. The direct link for paper submission is https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=bigdata4healthcare IMPORTANT DATES Paper Submission Due: November 29, 2015 (23:59, HKT) Notification of Acceptance: December 6, 2015 Camera ready Papers: December 13, 2015 Workshop: January 18, 2016 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE Workshop Chairs: Youssef Iraqi, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Ho-Jin Choi, School of Computing, KAIST, Korea Min Song, Dept. of Library & Information, Yonsei University, Korea TPC Members: Ae Ran Kim, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea Amjad Gawanmeh, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Byeong-Soo Jeong, Dept. of Computer Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Korea Changseok Bae, SW.Content Research Laboratory, ETRI, Korea Ahsan Khandoker, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Hani Saleh, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Gwan-Su Yi, Dept. of Bio & Brain Engineering, KAIST, Korea Harish Bhaskar, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Hyeoun-Ae Park, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea Kyuchang Kang, SW.Content Research Laboratory, ETRI, Korea Tae-Min Song, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Korea Yong-Ik Yoon, Dept. of Multimedia Science, SookMyung Women’s University, Korea Yu-Chae Jung, Dept. of Multimedia Science, SookMyung Women’s University, Korea Nan Xiang, Dept. of Computer Science, Chongqing University of Technology, China Lingyun Zhu, Dept. of Internet of Things, Chongqing University of Technology, China Yong Wang, Dept. of Network Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, China Youssef Iraqi Associate Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR) PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, UAE T +971 (0)2 501 8323 F +971 (0)2 447 2441 Youssef.Iraqi(a)kustar.ac.ae

Nov. 9, 2015

Postdoctoral position - two photon imaging

by Simon Schultz

Please note that applications for this position close on Thursday 12th November Salary Range: £33,860 - £42,830 per annum South Kensington Campus Full time, fixed-term until the 30th November 2018 The Centre for Neurotechnology forms part of the cross-departmental Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London. The Centre, in association with the Department of Bioengineering, hosts world-class experimental facilities for research at the interface between neuroscience and engineering. The Centre has recently initiated a philanthropically funded project on the application of biomedical engineering principles to understand how the progression of Alzheimer's disease affects information processing in cortical circuits, and test new therapeutic interventions. Applications are invited for the above post to work with Dr Simon Schultz on in vivo two photon imaging of calcium signals in the dendrites of neocortical pyramidal cells. The aim of this work is to understand how synaptic integration changes during the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and to test the effects on dendrites of new therapeutic strategies being developed for the treatment of Alzheimer's. Candidates must have a doctoral degree or equivalent in neuroscience, physics, engineering, or similar. Prior experience with two photon imaging or whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology in a neuroscience context is a requirement. Preference will be given to candidates with both a strong experimental background, and experience in quantitative neurophysiological data analysis. This post will be based at the South Kensington Campus. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Simon Schultz, email: s.schultz(a)imperial.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted Please see the job advertisement here: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/jobs/553791-research-associate-two… or by searching for position EN20150347FH on the Imperial College jobs page: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/job-applicants/ -- Simon R Schultz Reader in Neurotechnology & Royal Society Industry Fellow Neural Coding Laboratory: http://www.schultzlab.org Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK Director, Imperial College Centre for Neurotechnology Administrator: Dr Kate Hobson, Phone: +44 207 594 5101 http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology EU Neural Engineering Marie Curie ITN: http://www.neural-engineering.eu

Nov. 9, 2015

[meetings] Living Machines V: First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors

by Nathan F Lepora

First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors Living Machines V: The 5th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems 18th to 22nd July 2015 http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines To be hosted at the: Dynamic Earth Edinburgh, Scotland In association with the Heriot-Watt University and University of Edinburgh Accepted papers will be published in: Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence Submission deadline March 11th, 2016 ______________________________________________________________ ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2016 The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. Biohybrid systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The theme of the conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis. The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at past conferences: • Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their environments. • Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair. • Nature-inspired designs and manufacturing processes. • Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for intelligent behaviour. • Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants. • Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and intelligent prostheses. • Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. ACTIVITIES The main conference will take the form of a three-day single-track oral and poster presentation program, 20th to 22nd July 2016, hosted at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, Scotland. The conference program will include five plenary lectures from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of Satellite Events hosted by the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2016 We invite both full papers and extended abstracts in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines 2016 proceedings which we expect to be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series. Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career and should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybid research. More preliminary work would be better suited for short papers submission (minimum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no more than three self-citations). Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal Connection Science. SATELLITE EVENTS Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for 1-day or 2-day tutorials, symposia or workshops on related themes to be held 18-19th July at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Events can be scheduled on either the 18th or the 19th or across both days. Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is a lot of flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event! EXPECTED DEADLINES March 11th, 2016 Paper submission deadline April 29th, 2016 Notification of acceptance May 16th, 2016 Camera ready copy July 18-22 2016 Conference SPONSORSHIP Living Machines 2016 is part-sponsored by the Convergent Science Network (CSN) for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN is an EU FP7 Future Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity that also organises two highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer School on Brain, Technology and Cognition (https://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt15) and the Capocaccia Neuromorphic Cognitive Engineering Workshop (https://capocaccia.ethz.ch/capo/wiki/2015) The 2016 Living Machines conference will also be hosted and co-sponsored by Heriot-Watt University. Call for Sponsors. Other organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products to through conference publications, the conference web-site, and conference publicity are encouraged to contact the conference organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We offer a number of attractive and good-value packages to potential sponsors. ABOUT THE VENUE Living Machines 2016 will be hosted at Dynamic Earth (http://www.dynamicearth.co.uk) a 5 star visitor attraction in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic old town, next door the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace. Dynamic Earth is a visitor experience that invites you to take a journey through time to witness the story of planet Earth. Through a series of interactive exhibits, state of the art technology and even a 4D encounter you will feel the heat of a bubbling volcano, face the chill of polar ice, fly across the globe before crash landing in a tropical rainforest. Attendees at the conference will receive a discount voucher to visit the Dynamic Earth exhibit. Workshops will be held at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics in George Square, a short walk from Edinburgh city centre. Organising Committee: Mark Desmulliez, Heriot Watt University (Co-chair) Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield (Co-chair) Nathan Lepora, University of Bristol (Programme Chair) Michael Mangar, University of Edinburgh (Satellite Events Chair) Anna Mura, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Communications) Paul Verschure, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (International Steering Committee) -- Dr N Lepora Phone: 07859 024565 Website: www.lepora.com Honorary Research Fellow, Sheffield Centre for Robotics (SCentRo) University of Sheffield S10 2TP Lecturer in Robotics, Department of Engineering Mathematics and Bristol Robotics Laboratory University of Bristol BS8 1UB

Nov. 9, 2015

joint faculty positions (1) neural engineering, 2) computational neuroscience and 3) health data science) at HKUST

by I-ming HSING

Dear Colleagues, The Division of Biomedical Engineering at HKUST has several joint appointment faculty positions at neural engineering and system neuroscience, computational neuroscience and health data science. Please refer to the job posting details as below. Best, I-Ming Job Posting Details The Division of Biomedical Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is looking for outstanding candidates for substantiation-track junior faculty positions in the following strategic areas: (1) Neural Engineering and System Level Neuroscience Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field. The ideal candidate should have an outstanding research experience in experimental measurements of the neural correlates of perception/action and/or decision-making in awake behaving organisms, e.g., small vertebrates or invertebrates. (2) Computational Neuroscience Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field with a demonstrated excellence in mathematical and computational analyses of the neural circuits, encoding strategies, or neural architectures underlying behavior. The ideal candidate is expected to build connections between empirical domains of neuroscience, neural engineering and autonomous systems. (3) Health Data Science Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field with demonstrated research strength of handling and interpreting large health/biological/chemical compound datasets, specializing in data analytics, computational immunology, or discovering vaccines and drugs. The successful candidates will be jointly appointed by the Division of Biomedical Engineering and an academic Department/Division in the School of Engineering or the School of Science. They are expected to lead an independent research group, produce high quality interdisciplinary research, attract external grants, and contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Information about the Division of Biomedical Engineering, the School of Engineering and the School of Science is available at http://bme.ust.hk/, http://www.seng.ust.hk/ & http://science.ust.hk/ respectively. Starting salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include annual leave, medical and dental benefits. Housing benefits will also be provided where applicable. Initial appointment will normally be made on a 3-year contract, renewable subject to mutual agreement. A gratuity will be payable upon successful completion of contract. Application Procedure =================== Interested candidates are invited to send their application packages (including an updated CV, teaching and research statements, plus names of three dependent referees) by email to bmehire(a)ust.hk<mailto:bmehire@ust.hk>. Review of applications will start immediately and suitable candidates will be contacted for interviews. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. (Information provided by applicants will only be used for recruitment and other employment-related purposes.) *************** I-Ming Hsing Head and Professor, Division of BioMedical Engineering (BME) Director, BioEngineering Graduate Program (BIEN) Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Voice: 852 2358 7131, Fax: 852 3106 4857 Email: kehsing(a)ust.hk<mailto:kehsing@ust.hk> BME URL: http://bme.ust.hk<http://bme.ust.hk/> Group URL: http://ihome.ust.hk/~kehsing

Nov. 9, 2015

IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016, Sept. 19-22th, Cergy-Pontoise/Paris, France (submission April 1st)

by Arnaud Blanchard

Call for Papers & Call for Tutorials and Special Sessions IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 The Sixth Joint IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning and on Epigenetic Robotics Cergy-Pontoise / Paris, France September 19-22th, 2016 http://www.icdl-epirob.org <http://www.icdl-epirob.org/> == Conference description The past decade has seen the emergence of a new scientific field that studies how intelligent biological and artificial systems develop sensorimotor, cognitive and social abilities, over extended periods of time, through dynamic interactions with their physical and social environments. This field lies at the intersection of a number of scientific and engineering disciplines including Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Computational Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Robotics. Various terms have been associated with this new field such as Autonomous Mental Development, Epigenetic Robotics, Developmental Robotics, etc., and several scientific meetings have been established. The two most prominent conference series of this field, the International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) and the International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics (EpiRob), are now joining forces for the sixth time and invite submissions for a joint conference in 2016, to explore and extend the interdisciplinary boundaries of this field. == Keynote speakers * Tamim Asfour (http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php <http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php>) * Karl Friston (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl <http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl>) * Julie Grezes (http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes… <http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes…>) Others to be confirmed. == Call for Submissions We invite submissions for this exciting window into the future of developmental sciences. Submissions which establish novel links between brain, behavior and computation are particularly encouraged. == Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * the development of perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, and communication skills in biological systems and robots; * embodiment; * general principles of development and learning; * interaction of nature and nurture; * sensitive/critical periods; * developmental stages; * grounding of knowledge and development of representations; * architectures for cognitive development and open-ended learning; * neural plasticity; * statistical learning; * reward and value systems; * intrinsic motivations, exploration and play; * interaction of development and evolution; * use of robots in applied settings such as autism therapy; * epistemological foundations and philosophical issues. Any of the topics above can be simultaneously studied from the neuroscience, psychology or modeling/robotic point of view. == Submissions will be accepted in several formats: 1. Full six-page paper submissions: Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings and will be selected for either an oral presentation or a featured poster presentation. Featured posters will have a 1 minute "teaser" presentation as part of the main conference session and will be showcased in the poster sessions. 2. Two-page poster abstract submissions: To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 2-page abstracts. These submissions will NOT be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during poster sessions. 3. Tutorials and workshops: We invite experts in different areas to organize either a tutorial or a workshop to be held on the first day of the conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submission format: two pages. == Call for Tutorials and Workshops We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial or workshop, which will be held on the first day of the conference. Participants in tutorials and workshops are asked to register for the main conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submissions (max. two pages) should be sent no later than April 1st, 2016 to: Sofiane Boucenna sofiane.boucenna(a)ensea.fr <mailto:sofiane.boucenna@ensea.fr> Alexandre Pitti alexandre.pitti(a)ensea.fr <mailto:alexandre.pitti@ensea.fr> including: * Title of tutorial or workshop; * Tutorial/workshop speaker(s), including short CVs/affiliations and other relevant information; * Concept of the tutorial/workshop; target audience or prerequisites. All proposals submitted will be subjected to a peer review process. == Important dates * April 1st, 2016, paper submission deadline * June 1st, 2016, author notification * July 1st, 2014, final version (camera ready) due * September 19th-22nd, 2014, conference == Program committee General chairs: * Minoru Asada Osaka (Japan). * Philippe Gaussier, Cergy-Pontoise (France). Program chairs: * Verena Hafner, Berlin (Germany) * Alexandre Pitti, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Bridge chairs: • David Cohen, Paris (France) • Mathew Schlesinger, Southern Illinois (USA) Publication chairs: * Sofiane Boucenna, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Publicity chairs: * Arnaud Blanchard, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Manuel Lopes, Bordeaux (France) * Yulia Sandamirskaya, Bochum (Germany) Local chairs: * Pierre Andry, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Nicolas Cuperlier, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Finance chairs: * Ghilès Mostafaoui, Cergy-Pontoise (France)

Nov. 7, 2015