January 2016 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation - University of Zurich and ETH Zurich

by Michael Pfeiffer

We are inviting applications for the MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation, an interdisciplinary program offered as a Joint Master Program by the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The program offers a theoretical and laboratory training in neural computation and systems neuroscience. It offers hands-on knowledge of data gathering, analysis and scientific presentation. Students join an international and interdisciplinary research community with expertise in neuroinformatics, advanced experimental techniques and neuromorphic engineering. Further information can be found on our homepage http://www.nsc.uzh.ch. We offer a specialized full-time Masters program open to students with a Bachelor’s degree in the following disciplines: neurosciences, information technology, electrical engineering, biology, physics, computer sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and mechanical/chemical/control engineering. The core courses (all offered in English) provide a common foundation for students with different educational backgrounds, and cover the following: 1. Systems Neurosciences 2. Neural Computation and Theoretical Neuroscience 3. Neurotechnologies and Neuromorphic Engineering The application deadline for students starting in Fall Semester 2016 is *February 15th 2016*. Details about the application process and required documents can be found here: http://www.nsc.uzh.ch/?page_id=10 Mentors of the program are Richard Hahnloser, Kevan Martin, Klaas Enno Stephan, Giacomo Indiveri, Jean-Pascal Pfister, Mehmet Fatih Yanik, Bruno Weber, Fritjof Helmchen, Valerio Mante, Ruedi Stoop, Tobi Delbruck, Daniel Kiper, Shih-Chii Liu, Michael Pfeiffer, Matthew Cook, Arko Ghosh, and Wolfger von der Behrens. The program is affiliated with the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty (MNF) at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Department (D-ITET) of the ETH Zurich. All applications are handled by the University of Zurich. Application documents should be sent by email to nsc(a)ini.uzh.ch. Best regards, Michael Pfeiffer -- ========================================= Dr. Michael Pfeiffer Postdoc, Program coordinator NSC Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland Tel. +41 44 635 30 45 Fax +41 44 635 30 53 pfeiffer (at) ini.phys.ethz.ch http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/ =========================================

Jan. 25, 2016

SSNR2016: Second Announcement

by Jaime Ibánez Pereda

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this announcement ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *This year the Summer School of Neurorehabilitation and the Demove symposium come together !!!* *2016 School and Symposium in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (SSNR2016)* Baiona, Spain June 6-10 http://www.ssnr2016.org info(a)ssnr2016.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear colleagues, On behalf of all the organizers it is our pleasure to invite you to the *2016 School and Symposium in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (SSNR2016)* that will take place in Baiona (Spain) from June 6-10, 2016. SSNR2016 will provide in depth education on advanced procedures for neurorehabilitation of motor dysfunction, covering -at the basic and advanced levels- practical applications based on innovative neuroprosthetic systems, robotic interfaces and other combinational approaches. This year the Summer School of Neurorehabilitation and the Demove Symposium meet in an intense week to offer you exceptional opportunities to increase your skills and knowledge in the astonishing field of Neural Engineering and Rehabilitation. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Baiona (Spain) on June 2016! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *- Registration -* *Prospective applicants to the School* must fill in the Application Form by March 15, 2016. The admission to the School will be decided upon a selection made by the Steering Committee and until the maximum number of registrations is reached. Earlier registrations will be given priority. Notification of the acceptance will be made by April 1, 2016. The School will begin with a welcome cocktail in the evening of the 5th of June (2016) and it will end on Friday, 10th June 2016. *Participants to the Symposium* can send their contributions by March 15, 2016. After a selection process, accepted articles will be announced to authors by April 1, 2016. The Symposium will take place on the 9th and 10th of June (2016). This Symposium is an integral part of the School, thus School applicants are encouraged to submit their contributions. *- Important Deadlines and Registration Fees-* *School deadlines:* Application: 15/3/2016 Notification: 1/4/2016 Payment: 1/5/2016 Fee (School + Symposium + Half-board accommodation + Welcome Reception + Gala dinner + Social program): 1090 € *Symposium deadlines:* Submission: 15/3/2016 Notification: 1/4/2016 Final submission & payment: 1/5/2016 General fee (Symposium + Lunch + Gala dinner + Social program): 450 € Students fee (Symposium + Lunch + Gala dinner + Social program): 300 € *- Confirmed Plenary speakers-* Prof. Thomas Sinkjaer, Aalborg University (Symposium Keynote Speaker) Prof. John Rothwell, University College London (Symposium Keynote Speaker) Prof. José Principe. University of Florida, USA (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Zev Rymer. Northwestern University, USA(School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Walter Paulus, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany (School Plenary Speaker) Dr. Francesco Lacquaniti, Fondazione Santa Lucia – Rome, Italy (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. David Lloyd, Griffith University – Brisbane, Australia (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Herman van der Kooij, University of Twente, The Netherlands (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Eric Perreault, Northwestern University, USA (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Etienne Burdet, Imperial College, UK (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Dominique Durand, Case Western University, USA (School Plenary Speaker) *-Confirmed Workshops-* WS1 - Neural interfaces and Wearable robotics in rehabilitation: a clinical perspective Organizer: Jose L. Pons, CSIC. WS2 - Muscle synergies: Looking into the CNS Organizer: Diego Torricelli, CSIC WS3 - Human neuromusculoskeletal modeling Organizers: Massimo Sartori, University Medical Center Goettingen, and Monica Reggiani, University of Padova WS4 - Brain Computer Interfaces: principles and applications in neurorehabilitation Organizer: Arnau Espinosa, Guger Technologies OG WS5 - Virtual Reality and Gaming in Rehabilitation Organizer: A. Gil-Agudo (Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos de Toledo) & Iris Dimbwadyo (La Salle University, Madrid) WS6 – DEMOVE Workshop on ‘Advanced EMG Processing for Man-Machine Interfacing in Neurorehabilitation’ Organizer: Silvia Muceli, Francesco Negro and Utku S. Yavuz. University Medical Center Goettingen, Germany For further and up-to-date information, please visit the conference website: http://www.ssnr2016.org Prof. D. Farina & Prof. José L. Pons Co-Chairs SSNR2016 http://www.ssnr2016.org

Jan. 25, 2016

Postdoctoral Research Associate Position in Infant Brain Mapping at UNC-Chapel Hill

by gangli

A postdoctoral research associate position is available at the Infant Brain Mapping Lab of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Our current focuses are to better understand the dynamic and critical early brain development in both health and disease, via multimodal neuroimaging analysis. The successful candidate will support our efforts either in advancing neuroimaging analysis technologies or in neuroscience applications. We are seeking highly motivated individuals who have extensive research experience in neuroimaging analysis (e.g., structural, diffusion or functional MRI) and demonstrated academic excellence, including publications in first-class journals and conferences. The candidate should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields. Good command of programming tools including Matlab, C++, Linux, and scripting are necessary to carry out the research work in this group. The successful candidate will be part of a diverse group including neuroscientists, radiologists, psychologists, physicists, biostatistician, and computer scientists, and will build upon the group's extensive foundation on neuroimaging analysis. If interested, please email resume to Dr. Gang Li (gang_li(a)med.unc.edu <https://outlook.unc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=r-ilRGXKGkv6jOyzGz3FjAPbDG9VNfM…> ). For more information, please visit: http://www.unc.edu/~gangl/contact.html <https://outlook.unc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=HcVZFV_dUot9RdWseT8XGNDO-UYKJHN…> .

Jan. 24, 2016

ANNPR 2016: Call for Papers

by Dr. Schwenker

**** Please apologize cross-postings. Call for Papers IAPR TC3 International Workshop on Artificial Neural Networks in Pattern Recognition (ANNPR 2016) September 28-30, 2016 Ulm University, Ulm, Germany ANNPR 2016 invites papers that present original work in areas of neural networks, machine learning and pattern recognition, focusing on both theoretical and applied aspects. Topics of interest include, but not limited to: Methodological Issues - Supervised learning - Unsupervised learning - Combination of supervised and unsupervised learning - Feed-forward, recurrent, and competitive neural nets - Kernel machines - Hierarchical modular architectures and hybrid systems - Combination of neural networks and Hidden Markov models - Multiple classifier systems and ensemble methods - Probabilistic graphical models - Kernel methods - Deep architectures Applications in Pattern Recognition - Image processing and segmentation - Handwritten recognition and Document analysis - Sensor-fusion and multi-modal processing - Feature extraction, dimension reduction - Clustering and vector quantization - Speech and speaker recognition - Data, text, and web mining - Bioinformatics/Cheminformatics Important Dates Paper submission: May 4, 2016 Notification of acceptance: June 22, 2016 Camera ready due: July 6, 2016 Workshop: September 28-30, 2016 General Chairs Friedhelm Schwenker, Ulm University, Germany Hazem Abbas, German University of Cairo, Egypt Neamat El Gayar, Cairo University, Egypt Edmondo Trentin, University of Siena, Italy For more information, please visit us: http://neuro.informatik.uni-ulm.de/ANNPR2016/ -- Dr. Friedhelm Schwenker University of Ulm Institute of Neural Information Processing D-89069 Ulm, Germany phone: +49-731-50-24159 fax: +49-731-50-24156 email: friedhelm.schwenker(a)uni-ulm.de www: http://www.uni-ulm.de/in/neuroinformatik/mitarbeiter/f-schwenker.html

Jan. 24, 2016

Postdocs integrated into the Human brain Project – specifically data-driven modeling at the subcellular or network levels, or tool development/support

by Jeanette Hällgren Kotaleski

Dear Colleagues, dear all, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, is currently recruiting postdocs to be working within the Human Brain Project. 1) Postdoc/application expert – specifically development of brain modeling tools: Specifically for the current position software applications providing user-friendly interface to cellular-level modelling tools will be developed, supported and used. These will include an optimization framework (for fitting electrical models of neurons to their observed electrical behaviour) and also a morphology pipeline (the tool used to analyse and validate neuron morphologies). More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… 2) Postdoc in computational systems (neuro)biology – specifically synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation: Specifically for the above position data-driven modeling of receptor induced cascades such as GPCR dependent cascades involved in neuromodulation and synaptic signaling will be done. More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… 3) Postdoc in brain simulations - specifically motor control and selection of behaviour: Specifically for the position, modeling of motor control and learning with basal ganglia as important components will be done. The modeling tools are mainly Nest and Neuron. More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… All the best, Jeanette Hellgren Kotaleski Prof, School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

Jan. 23, 2016

Intensive summer course at Princeton

by Carlos Brody

Announcing a 4-week Intensive Summer Course at Princeton Neurotechnologies for Analysis of Neural Dynamics Directors: David W. Tank and Michael Berry, Princeton University, Dates: June 12 – July 9, 2016. Application Form and Course Schedule: NAND.princeton.edu <http://nand.princeton.edu/> Application Deadline: Rolling admissions starting February 1, 2016. This course is designed to emphasize the major ways that scientists trained in the physical and information sciences contribute to the advance of neuroscience. It will introduce students with quantitative training in the physical sciences, mathematics or engineering to the concepts and research methodologies of modern neuroscience. Topics covered will range from cellular biophysics to systems neuroscience, including particularly imaging methods for the study of single neurons, networks of neurons and human brain dynamics during execution of behavioral computations. The course will be unique in its focus on neural dynamics at several scales of complexity – cells, circuits, intact brains – and the combination of didactic lectures and laboratory exercises, including cellular biophysics, synaptic interactions and plasticity in neuronal networks, and fMRI imaging of targeted brain regions in human subjects. The course includes substantive instruction in neurotechnologies, ranging from large-scale multi- electrode and optical recording, optogenetic stimulation and mathematical analysis of neural dynamics within the datasets produced by these methods. The capstone of this course will be one-week student-designed research projects integrating concepts and methodologies encountered during the initial formal lectures and laboratory exercises. Women and under-represented minorities are encouraged to apply.

Jan. 22, 2016

CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: VECPAR 2016 - High Performance Computing for Computational Science

by Carlos Ferreira

As part of the 12th VECPAR International Meeting on High Performance Computing for Computational Science, we are seeking proposals for affiliated workshops. The workshops should be focused in fresh topics related to parallel and distributed computational science, from theory to practice, where new ideas, subjects, open problems and works on progress can be discussed and explored. The accepted workshops will be held on 1st of July 2016 and may be organized as half- or full-day. IMPORTANT DATES Deadline for workshop proposals: February 15th, 2016 Notification of acceptance: February 19th, 2016 Deadline for paper submission: To be defined by the chairs Author notification: To be defined by the chairs Camera-ready version of papers: May 15th, 2016 PROPOSALS GUIDELINES Workshop title and acronym; Workshop description (150-200 words) to be included in the VECPAR website; Name and short bio of the workshop proponents; A list of the tentative program committee. Responsibilities of the Workshop Chairs: Prepare a dedicated call for papers; Maintain the workshop website; Define the workshop program committee; Select the papers by a peer review process. PROCEEDINGS The papers of the workshops will be published under the Springer LNCS series. The authors may be asked to revise the paper after the conference in order to meet the series requirements. BUDGET VECPAR 2016 will not pay for travel or other arrangements for workshop organizers or any of their invited guests. HOW TO SUBMIT The workshop proposals should be sent by email to the Workshops Chair: João Manuel R. S. Tavares Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal tavares(a)fe.up.pt Carlos Ferreira [http://www2.isep.ipp.pt/assinatura_email/EMAIL_ISEP.png] ISEP | Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto - PORTUGAL tel. +351 228 340 500 | fax +351 228 321 159 mail(a)isep.ipp.pt | www.isep.ipp.pt<http://www.isep.ipp.pt>

Jan. 22, 2016

2 comp neuro PhD studentships in the Clopath lab

by Claudia Clopath

We are pleased to advertise 2 PhD studentships at Imperial College London. They are both collaborative and consist of a main computational part and a small experimental part. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology/cdt/projects/computation_for_moto… http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology/cdt/projects/hear_with_plasticity/ Application deadline: 29th of January Best, Claudia Clopath http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/ ****** Biologically inspired computation for real-time motor learning Supervisors: Paul Chadderton Claudia Clopath An important area of robotics research is focused on developing machines that can learn and adapt to changing environments as efficiently as animals. Biological principles underlying the acquisition of motor skills are likely to inspire these new technologies. The aim of our project is to characterise computational principles of motor learning in real time using novel neurophysiological data from a uniquely tractable and well-controlled system, the whisker circuitry of the cerebellar cortex. Neural recordings will reveal how the brain adapts during learning, and will then be used to develop and apply a biologically constrained computational model in an actively sensing robot. ****** Learning to hear with plasticity across multiple timescales Supervisors: Dan Goodman Claudia Clopath Paul Chadderton Humans have a remarkable ability to understand speech in noisy environments such as a crowded pub. Despite advances in speech recognition, the question of how we do this remains largely unsolved. This project aims at understanding how the brain adapts and learns to cope with these difficult listening situations, with the goal of developing better technology for speech processing. It will involve (1) developing mathematical and computational models of hearing and neural adaptation and plasticity, (2) experimental testing (including training in animal electrophysiology and human psychoacoustics), and (3) technology development for speech recognition, hearing aids and cochlear implants. The candidate should be willing to learn experimental techniques (animal electrophysiology and/or human psychophysics), but is not required to have any previous experience.

Jan. 21, 2016

PhD positions at NJIT (Fall 2016)

by Victor Matveev

Dear colleagues, The Department of Mathematical Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is inviting strong candidates to apply to one of our graduate Ph.D. program tracks: (1) Applied Mathematics, or (2) Applied Probability & Statistics. The Department's research areas span Mathematical Biology & Computational Neuroscience, Fluid Dynamics & Materials Science, Wave Propagation, Scientific Computing, and Applied Probability and Statistics, including Biostatistics. Teaching and research assistantships are available, and include a tuition waiver and a competitive stipend. For more information, please email us (math(a)njit.edu, CC to: matveev(a)njit.edu, kondic(a)njit.edu) and visit the following pages: http://catalog.njit.edu/graduate/science-liberal-arts/mathematical-sciences… http://catalog.njit.edu/graduate/admissions-financial-support/admissions/ http://math.njit.edu https://web.njit.edu/~matveev/NJIT_DMS_PhD_flyer.pdf Although the NJIT Admissions site lists December 15 2015 as the deadline, applications for Fall 2016 are still considered; we recommend submitting all application materials by February 8, 2016. Sincerely -- Victor Matveev -- _________________________________________________ Victor Matveev, Associate Professor Applied Math, Biophysics & Computational Neuroscience Department of Mathematical Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102-1982 Office: Cullimore Hall 616 E-mail:matveev@njit.edu http://web.njit.edu/~matveev/

Jan. 21, 2016

NEURAL COMPUTATION - February 1, 2016

by Terry Sejnowski

Neural Computation - Volume 28, Number 2 - February 1, 2016 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/28/2 ----- Article Correlational Neural Networks Sarath Chandar, Mitesh M Khapra, Hugo Larochelle, and Balaraman Ravindran Letters Timing of Cortical Events Preceding Voluntary Movement Victor L. Vvedensky, Andrey O. Prokofyev Mutual Information, Fisher Information, and Efficient Coding Xue-Xin Wei, Alan A Stocker Memory Stacking in Hierarchical Networks Johan Westok, Patrick J. C. May, and Hannu Tiitinen Infinite Continuous Feature Model for Psychiatric Comorbidity Analysis Isabel Valera, Francisco J. R. Ruiz, Pablo M. Olmos, Carlos Blanco, and Fernando Perez-Cruz Filtering With State-Observation Examples via Kernel Monte Carlo Filter Motonobu Kanagawa, Yu Nishiyama, Arthur Gretton, and Kenji Fukumizu ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp SUBSCRIPTIONS - 2016 - VOLUME 28 - 12 ISSUES Student/Retired $78 Individual $138 Institution $1,108 MIT Press Journals, One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1209 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-cs(a)mit.edu ------------

Jan. 21, 2016