March 2017 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Time Dimension new research topic on Frontiers

by dipanjan roy

Dear Colleague,Our sincere apology for cross-posting. We would like to invite you to consider contributing an article to the Frontiers research topic “Temporal Structure of Neural Processes Coupling Sensory, Motor and Cognitive Functions of the Brain”. The research topic is hosted by: Daya Gupta, Arpan Banerjee, Dipanjan Roy, and Federica Piras *The overarching goal of this research topic is trying to address the role of time-dimension in cognitive functions. So far, the emphasis in past years has been only to directly study temporal structure of neuronal data at various scales of brain organization from single neurons at microscopic level, LFP at mesoscopic level, and EEG/MEG at macroscopic level. However, the mechanisms by which timing relationship of environment is entangled with the corresponding temporal structure of neural signals are not entirely clear. Important insights can be acquired and specific predictions about timing can be made by developing computational models of the brain dynamics and relating them to empirical observations. In this Research Topic, we invite contributions based on clinical, experimental and theoretical evidence to support the hypothesis that time-dimension is an important bridge to integrate multi-scale observations of behaviour and brain information processing where temporal patterns of activity in neural networks are critical to understanding the execution of sensory, motor and cognitive processes*. *Concretely, our hope is that this research topic will further converge on a consensus that deficits of timing and specific alteration of rhythmicity are an important part of the spectrum of cognitive dysfunctions seen in a variety of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, which provides indirect, but crucial evidence that time-dimension is an integral component of information processing in the brain underlying cognitive functions.* Frontiers research topics initially require the submission of an abstract of your work, which will be considered by the topic editors to determine if it falls within the goals of the research topic. Approved abstracts will then be invited to submit a complete manuscript. Link to the research topic is provided below http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/5972/temporal-structure-of-neu… Depending on the article type, Frontiers has article processing charges (APCs). They range from free to 2490$ for original research articles or reviews (please see http://home.frontiersin.org/about/publishing-fees) If submitted to a Research Topic within the deadline there is a 15% reduction for some article types. Frontiers also has a waiver program so that APCs do not stand in the way of science. Key dates for this research topic are as follows: 1. Abstract submission deadline – 09 June 2017 2. Manuscript submission deadline – 05 January 2018 We very much hope to include your valuable work in this area within this research topic to help make it a key reference and a new resource for brain dynamics, time perception research. Yours in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Behaviour, Daya Gupta, Arpan Banerjee, Dipanjan Roy, and Federica Piras

March 26, 2017

Special issue: Information Decomposition of Target Effects from Multi-Source Interactions

by Joseph Lizier

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the following special issue in Entropy on information decompositions. We hope that you will consider submitting a new research paper or review, etc., on this topic. If you are planning to submit, we would appreciate it if you could let us know in advance. Special Issue: "Information Decomposition of Target Effects from Multi-Source Interactions" http://www.mdpi.com/journal/entropy/special_issues/Information_Decompositio… Submission Deadline: May 31, 2017 (open for submission now!) Editors: * Dr. Joseph Lizier; Centre for Complex Systems, Faculty of Engineering and IT, The University of Sydney, Australia * Dr. Nils Bertschinger; Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt, Germany * Prof. Juergen Jost; Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany and Santa Fe Institute, NM, USA * Prof. Michael Wibral; MEG Unit, Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany Shannon information theory has provided rigorous ways to capture our intuitive notions regarding uncertainty and information, and made an enormous impact in doing so. One of the fundamental measures here is mutual information, which captures the average information contained in one variable about another, and vice versa. If we have two source variables and a target, for example, we can measure the information held by one source about the target, the information held by the other source about the target, and the information held by those sources together about the target. Any other notion about the directed information relationship between these variables, which can be captured by classical information-theoretic measures (e.g., conditional mutual information terms) is linearly redundant with those three quantities. However, intuitively, there is strong desire to measure further notions of how this directed information interaction may be decomposed, e.g., how much information the two source variables hold redundantly about the target, how much each source variable holds uniquely, and how much information can only be discerned by synergistically examining the two sources together. These notions go beyond the traditional information-theoretic view of a channel serving the purpose of reliable communication, considering now the situation of multiple communication streams converging on a single target. This is a common situation in biology, and in particular in neuroscience, where, say, the ability of a target to synergistically fuse multiple information sources in a non-trivial fashion is likely to have its own intrinsic value, independently of reliability of communication. The absence of measures for such decompositions into redundant, unique and synergistic information is arguably the most fundamental missing piece in classical information theory. Triggered by the formulation of the Partial Information Decomposition framework by Williams and Beer in 2010, the past few years have witnessed a concentration of work by the community in proposing, contrasting, and investigating new measures to capture these notions of information decomposition. Other theoretical developments consider how these measures relate to concepts of information processing in terms of storage, transfer and modification. Meanwhile, computational neuroscience has emerged as a primary application area due to significant interest in questions surrounding how target neurons integrate information from large numbers of sources, as well as the availability of data sets to investigate these questions on. This Special Issue seeks to bring together these efforts, to capture a snapshot of the current research, as well as to provide impetus for and focused scrutiny on newer work. We also seek to present progress to the wider community and attract further research. We welcome research articles proposing new measures or pointing out future directions, review articles on existing approaches, commentary on properties and limitations of such approaches, philosophical contributions on how such measures may be used or interpreted, applications to empirical data (e.g., neural imaging data), and more. Submission information Please see the special issue website for full details. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on the website. Entropy is an open access journal which maintains a rigorous and fast peer-review system and accepted papers are immediately published online. The Impact Factor in 2015 for Entropy is 1.743 and it is fully covered by the leading indexing and abstracting services, including Google Scholar, MathSciNet, Scopus and Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science). The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Regards, Joe, Nils, Michael and Juergen -- -- Dr. JOSEPH LIZIER | ARC DECRA Fellow | Senior Lecturer Complex Systems Research Group Faculty of Engineering and IT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Rm 338A, Building J05 | The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006 T+61 2 9351 3208 | F+61 2 9351 3343 | M+61 408 186 901 E joseph.lizier(a)sydney.edu.au | W sydney.edu.au TW @jlizier | W lizier.me/joseph CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. Please think of our environment and only print this e-mail if necessary.

March 24, 2017

Two Ph. D. positions in Ottawa, Canada (Naud Lab)

by Richard Naud

Applications are invited for two Ph. D. candidate positions starting immediately at the University of Ottawa to investigate features of dendritic integration and inhibitory microcircuit function using statistical and computational approaches. The researcher will join a collaborative group with expertise in cellular electrophysiology, two-photon imaging/uncaging, optogenetics, advanced computational modelling and statistical processing (Dr Jean-Claude Béique, Dr. Simon Chen, Dr. André Longtin, Dr. Len Maler, main supervisor: Dr. Richard Naud). The research opportunity will focus on statistical analysis of neural data and computational modelling of neural systems. This fully funded position is available immediately, with attractive conditions. The candidate is expected to be competitive for external fellowships. The researcher will join uOttawa’s Brain and Mind Research Institute’s Center for Neural Dynamics (Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Faculty of Medicine). uOttawa’s Neuroscience community is fast expanding, highly dynamic and offers a rich array of collaborative opportunities. Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is a green, multi-cultural city that offers the highest standard of living in the country and is second worldwide for quality of life (Numbeo index, 2015). The city has many parks including the Unesco World Heritage Rideau Canal and is surrounded by an extensive greenbelt. This bilingual, culturally-rich city lies along the border between the province of Quebec and Ontario and is within driving distance to Montréal and Toronto. To apply, please send CV with reference contacts and s short description of your interests to rnaud(a)uottawa.ca. Only selected applicatants will be contacted. Employer Profile The University of Ottawa is a bilingual research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The university offers a wide variety of academic programs, administered by ten faculties. It is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. In the Maclean’s 2015 Canadian University rankings, the University of Ottawa ranked 2nd for Medical/Science Grants, 2nd for Scholarships & Bursaries and 1st for Student Services in the Medical/Doctoral University category. These rankings reflect the increased competitiveness of UofO's research both nationally and internationally.

March 22, 2017

3.5 years PhD position: Neurogeometry of Vision, deadline 30th of March (Daniele Avitabile)

by Daniele Avitabile

A PhD scholarship in mathematical and computational neuroscience on The neurogeometry of vision is available at the University of Nottingham, within the Modelling and Analytics for Medicine and Life sciences Doctoral Training Centre (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mathematics/prospective/research/maml.aspx) This 3.5 year PhD scholarships starts in September 2017. Successful applicants will receive a stipend (£14,553 per annum for 2017/8) for up to 3.5 years, tuition fees and a Research Training Support Grant. Fully funded studentships are available for UK applicants. EU applicants who are able to confirm that they have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 years prior to the start date of the programme may be eligible for a full award, and may apply for a fees-only award otherwise. Applications: Please apply via the Training Centre website. Applicants for the MAML programme should have at least a 2:1 degree in mathematics, statistics or a similarly quantitative discipline (such as physics, engineering, or computer science). Completed applications should be submitted by Midnight GMT Thursday, 30 March<http://airmail.calendar/2017-03-31%2001:00:00%20BST> 2017. Supervisors: Dr Daniele Avitabile (School of Mathematical Sciences) Professor Alan Johnston (School of Psychology), Professor Stephen Coombes (School of Mathematical Sciences) Project description: Neural field models are now in common usage in mathematical neuroscience to describe the coarse-grained activity of cortical tissue [1]. For mathematical convenience they often assume that anatomical connectivity is homogenous. However, this is far from the truth. For example, in the primary visual cortex (V1) it is known that there are maps reflecting the fact that neurons respond preferentially to stimuli with particular features. The classic example is that of orientation preference (OP), whereby cells respond preferentially to lines and edges of a particular orientation. The OP map changes continuously as a function of cortical location, except at singularities or pinwheels. The underlying periodicity in the microstructure of V1 is approximately 1mm, the domain of which corresponds to the so-called cortical hypercolumn. Other anatomical evidence suggests that longer-range, patchy horizontal connections link neurons in different hypercolumns provided that they have similar orientation preferences. This project will consider a field of hypercolumns that respects this biological reality. The mathematical model will be that of an integro-differential equation for V1 activity, with V1 viewed as a fiber bundle that associates to every point of the cortex (or retina by the retino-cortical map) a copy of the unit circle [2]. The project will focus on combining realistic retino-cortical maps [3] with next generation neural field models [4] and state-of the art numerical methods [5] to understand not only mechanisms for visual illusions, but also basic notions of how biological tissue can perform visual computations for image completion. The project will involve a mix of high performance scientific computation, nonlinear dynamics, differential geometry, and an enthusaism for learning about visual neuroscience. References 1. S Coombes, P beim Graben and R Potthast, 2014. Tutorial on Neural Field Theory, Neural Fields, Ed. S Coombes, P beim Graben, R Potthast and J J Wright, Springer Verlag 2. P C Bressloff and J D Cowan, 2003. The functional geometry of local and horizontal connections in a model of V1. Journal of Physiology-Paris, 97:221TH236. 3. A Johnston 1989 The geometry of the topographic map in striate cortex. Vision Research, 29, 1493-1500 4. A Byrne, D Avitabile and S Coombes, 2017. A next generation neural field model: The evolution of synchrony within patterns and waves, preprint 5. J Rankin, D Avitabile, J Baladron, G Faye, DJB Lloyd, 2014. Continuation of localized coherent structures in nonlocal neural field equations. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing 36 (1), B70-B93. This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.

March 22, 2017

3.5 years PhD position: The impact of gyrification on cortical activity, deadline 30th of March (Daniele Avitabile)

by Daniele Avitabile

A PhD scholarship in mathematical and computational neuroscience on The impact of gyrification on cortical activity is available at the University of Nottingham, within the Modelling and Analytics for Medicine and Life sciences Doctoral Training Centre (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/mathematics/prospective/research/maml.aspx) This 3.5 year PhD scholarships starts in September 2017. Successful applicants will receive a stipend (£14,553 per annum for 2017/8) for up to 3.5 years, tuition fees and a Research Training Support Grant. Fully funded studentships are available for UK applicants. EU applicants who are able to confirm that they have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 years prior to the start date of the programme may be eligible for a full award, and may apply for a fees-only award otherwise. Applications: Please apply via the Training Centre website. Applicants for the MAML programme should have at least a 2:1 degree in mathematics, statistics or a similarly quantitative discipline (such as physics, engineering, or computer science). Completed applications should be submitted by Midnight GMT Thursday, 30 March 2017. Supervisors: Dr Daniele Avitabile (School of Mathematical Sciences), Dr Stamatios Sotiropoulos (School of medicine), Professor Stephen Coombes (School of Mathematical Sciences), Professor Paul Houston (School of Mathematical Sciences) Project description: The large number of neurons forming the cortex are intricately connected and, to a first approximation, can be modelled as a continuum in space. Neural field models, which make this assumption, have been used to model large-scale neural activity observed in electroencephalogram and magnetoencephalogram neuroimaging studies. Spatio-temporal patterns in these models are relevant to understand epileptic seizures, visual hallucinations and short-term working memory (see [1,2] and references therein). When neural fields are posed on flat surfaces, analytical progress can be made to understand the origin of a wide variety of activity patterns (stripes, localised spots, hexagons, travelling waves, spiral waves). Our brain, however, is not flat. Sculped on the cortical surface are characteristic bumps and grooves, known as gyri and sulci, respectively. This heterogeneity is not only geometrical: neurons have a heterogeneous density and a heterogeneous synaptic wiring (see image above, where densely connected regions are coloured in red). This project will use methods from dynamical systems and computational science to develop a theory for the evolution of synaptic activity on folded brains. We will address the following questions: Tractography and neuroimaging techniques provide us with a detailed map of gyri, sulci and neural wiring. Can we incorporate heterogeneities into neural fields? We expect that curvature plays an important role in pattern selection [3]. What is the effect of the gyrification on neural activity? If a pattern of cortical activity is observed in a model of a "flat brain", will it persist on a "curved brain"? Are cortical waves accelerated/decelerated by curvature and heterogeneities? The analytical techniques used to study patterns in flat cortices have a numerical counterpart on curved surfaces [4]. Owing to recent developments in neural field theory, it has now become possible to track and analyse patterns numerically and predict whether they will be observable in experiments [5]. Can we develop robust and efficient algorithms to perform bifurcation analysis on generic folded cortices? References 1. S Coombes, P beim Graben and R Potthast (2014) Tutorial on Neural Field Theory, Neural Fields, Ed. S Coombes, P beim Graben, R Potthast and J J Wright, Springer Verlag. 2. P C Bressloff (2012). Spatiotemporal dynamics of continuum neural fields. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 45(3), 033001. 3. S Visser, R Nicks, O Faugeras and S Coombes (2017) Standing and travelling waves in a spherical brain model: the Nunez model revisited, Physica D, to appear. 4. D Avitabile, P Matthews, R Nicks, O Smith (2017). Patterns of cortical activity in neural fields posed on spherical domains. Preprint. 5. J Rankin, D Avitabile, J Baladron, G Faye, D J B Lloyd (2014) Continuation of localized coherent structures in nonlocal neural field equations. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing 36 (1), B70-B93. This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.

March 22, 2017

Postdoc Position at the University of Goettingen in Computational Neuroscience / Retinal Neurophysiology

by Gollisch, Tim

Three postdoc positions are available in the lab of Tim Gollisch at the University Medical Center Goettingen, Germany. Information about the lab can be found at http://www.retina.uni-goettingen.de/. The positions are funded by the ERC Consolidator Grant "CODE4Vision", which will start in June 2017 and run for five years. The project revolves around analyzing the functional connectivity in the neural network of the retina by means of electrophysiological recordings from mouse retina, application of machine learning for data analysis, computational modeling of retinal signal processing, and development of closed-loop physiology experiments. The goals include the development of computational models that capture how the retina encodes natural visual stimuli. Furthermore, we will apply these models to explore optogenetic vision restoration therapies, which we will test with originally blind, optogenetically treated mice. The three postdocs to be hired will focus on different aspects of the CODE4Vision project, such as 1) computational and machine learning-based analysis of large-scale multielectrode array recordings from the retina (up to several thousand electrodes), classification of cell types, statistical inference to extract the layout of presynaptic inputs, and development of computational models; 2) development of closed-loop physiology experiments to extract relevant response characteristics of recorded ganglion cells during the experiment and optimize stimulus presentation "on the fly" to obtain detailed computational models; 3) direct assessment of functional connectivity in the retina by dual recordings (multielectrode arrays plus intracellular electrodes) and comparing responses to current injection and visual stimulation. What will be expected of the applicants? - PhD in neuroscience, computer science, biology, physics, math, engineering or something equivalent - Track record (e.g. publications) showing the candidate's ability to pursue high-quality research - Strong motivation to perform neuroscience research and to integrate experimental and computational approaches - Experience with either electrophysiological methods or computational analyses and computer programming - Ability to integrate into a team - Ability to think independently and advance the project by developing and pursuing own ideas for experiments and analyses - Good command of English (which is the working language in the lab) The positions are for 2 years initially with possibility for renewal. Potential starting dates are from June 2017 onwards, and applications will be considered until the positions are filled. Please send your application to Tim Gollisch (tim.gollisch(a)med.uni-goettingen.de<mailto:tim.gollisch@med.uni-goettingen.de>), including a CV as well as names and contact details for at least two references. Also make sure to include a statement of why this project interests you and how you think you could contribute, based on your scientific background. The University Medical Center Goettingen is an equal opportunities employer, and women are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants with disabilities and equal qualifications will be given preferential treatment. -- Prof. Dr. Tim Gollisch University Medical Center Goettingen, Dept. of Ophthalmology Waldweg 33, 37073 Goettingen Tel. +49 (0)551 39-13542 tim.gollisch(a)med.uni-goettingen.de<mailto:tim.gollisch@med.uni-goettingen.de> www.retina.uni-goettingen.de<http://www.retina.uni-goettingen.de>

March 22, 2017

Call for participation in the Frontiers Research Topic "Machine Learning in Imaging Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration"

by Budhachandra Khundrakpam

Hi, We would like to invite you to consider contributing an article to the Frontiers research topic “Machine Learning in Imaging Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration”. Here is the link http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/5986/ machine-learning-in-imaging-neurodevelopment-and-neurodegeneration This research topic intends to help advance the scientific research within the field of machine learning in neuroimaging so as to realize the potential of machine learning to translate neuroimaging data into tools that can directly aid clinicians in diagnosis and therapy for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, amongst others. For such purposes, this Research Topic welcomes original research and review articles that highlight major trends and challenges in the field and aim to identify new cutting-edge machine learning approaches and their applications in imaging neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. Potential topics of interests include, but are not limited to: • Machine learning analyses using large-scale neuroimaging data • Computer-aided diagnosis/prognosis for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders • Analytical tools and software for computer-aided diagnosis/prognosis • Multimodal fusion for outcome prediction, diagnosis/prognosis, image analysis • Computer-aided lesion detection for neurodegeneration • Machine learning analyses combining neuroimaging and genetics You can submit your work on our Special Issue to one of the journals - Frontiers in Neuroscience, Frontiers In Neurology, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers in Pediatrics, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience or Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Cheers, Budha -- Budhachandra Khundrakpam Research Associate McConnell Brain Imaging Centre Montreal Neurological Institute McGill University Montreal, Canada - H3A 2B4 Phone # 5143986174

March 22, 2017

Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience In Paris

by Juergen Reingruber

Job Offer: A postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience is available to analyze and model the spiking response of olfactory receptor neurons to odorant stimuli. The project is in collaboration with the experimental research group of Philippe Lucas at INRA Versailles (http://ieesparis.ufr918.upmc.fr/spip.php?article244&lang=en) and Jürgen Reingruber at Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris (http://www.biologie.ens.fr/~reingrub/index.html) Duration: 2 years. After this period, successful candidates are given a promising opportunity to apply for a permanent INRA position. Location: Shared between INRA Center in Versailles and Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. Project description: Binding of odorants to their cognate receptors on olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) initiates a signal transduction cascade that leads to the opening of both cationic and anionic ion channels in the dendritic membrane. The subsequent transduction current entails a sequence of action potentials in the soma. The overall goal of the project is to analyze electrophysiological recordings of action potentials obtained in the lab of Philippe Lucas (from moths and Drosophila), and, using a molecular model for the transduction current developed by Jürgen Reingruber, to derive a Hodgkin-Huxley type of model that explains how the stimulus dependent transduction current is transformed into a sequence of action potential firings. Ultimately, this will unravel how an ORN encodes the intensitive and temporal properties of odorant stimuli into sequences of action potentials transmitted to subsequent neuronal layers. Application and starting date: INRA provides basic funding for the project. However, to ensure a high quality, INRA additionally requires that candidates successfully apply for an AgreenSkills+ incoming fellowship (https://www.agreenskills.eu) an international postdoctoral fellowship program co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by INRA. During the past years the application success rate was around 36%. With the fellowship the postdoc will be endowed with exceptional financial conditions including monthly gross salaries ranging from 3,500 to 4,800 €. In addition, successful candidates are given a promising chance to apply for a permanent INRA position after the postdoc. The next call for AgreenSkills+ submissions is 28 April 2017. Subsequent starting date is flexible. Candidate Profile: We are looking for a highly motivated post-doc with interest in sensory transduction and computational neuroscience. Applicants should have solid foundations in physics, applied mathematics and computer simulations. A background in neuroscience would be welcome. Furthermore, the candidate should be interested in working in an interdisciplinary environment, analyzing electrophysiological data and interacting with experimentalists. Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills are desired. Speaking French is not mandatory. Interested candidates should send a cover letter summarizing their expertise and research interests, a CV with publications and 2 recommendation letters to Philippe Lucas (philippe.lucas(a)inra.fr) and Jürgen Reingruber (reingrub(a)ens.fr) -- Jürgen Reingruber, PhD Institute of Biology (IBENS) École Normale Supérieure 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France Tel: +33 (0)1 4432 3662 Fax: +33 (0)1 4432 8887

March 21, 2017

[job] Call for postdoc application in Intrinsically Motivated Deep Reinforcement Learning, at Flowers Lab, Inria (Bordeaux, France)

by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer

[We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this message] Call for postdoc application in Intrinsically Motivated Deep Reinforcement Learning, at Flowers Lab, Inria (Bordeaux, France) Deadline: 30th march Eligibility: candidates should have obtained their PhD diploma after 1st september 2015 https://flowers.inria.fr We are searching outstanding candidates for a postdoc (16 months) who will be working on algorithms for lifelong Deep Learning for robotics, and in particular: - unsupervised or self-supervised deep learning - generative networks such as GANs and/or variational auto-encoders - deep reinforcement learning for robotic control - Intrinsic motivation and curiosity - multi-task reinforcement learning, auxiliary tasks Selected candidates will have the opportunity to work with one of the robotics platforms of the Flowers lab, including several Poppy Humanoid robots and starting from the experimental setup that was runner up for the NIPS 2016 demonstration award, and showing intrinsically motivated multi-task reinforcement learning in real-time on real robots, with interaction with humans (http://goo.gl/03FW4k) or the Baxter humanoid robot (http://goo.gl/nSS7Yp) Candidates should already have shown very strong experience and achievements, shown by publications in top-tier AI/machine learning conferences and journals (e.g. NIPS, ICML, ICLR) in either: - deep learning (both theory and practical implementations) - Reinforcement learning for policy learning of parameterized skills in robotics How to apply =========== CVs and letters of motivation should be sent to Pierre-Yves Oudeyer (pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr) before 30th march. The successful candidate would begin to work in september 2017. Deadline: 30th march Eligibility: candidates should have obtained their PhD diploma after 1st september 2015 Pierre-Yves Oudeyer Research director, Inria Head of Flowers Lab Inria and Ensta ParisTech http://www.pyoudeyer.com https://flowers.inria.fr More info: The Flowers Lab: developmental robotics and lifelong multitask machine learning =================================================================== The Flowers Lab, headed by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, gathers a team of ~20 members and has been one of the pioneers of developmental robotics and lifelong machine learning and artificial intelligence in the last decade, in particular through developping models of intrinsically motivated learning of repertoires of skills that have both contributed to advance understanding of human curiosity and development, and to advance incremental online multitask machine learning techniques in difficult high-dimensional robotic spaces. This work in the Flowers lab is conducted in the context of large international projects (e.g. ERC grant, European projects 3rdHand and DREAM, HFSP project Neurocuriosity), with interdisicplinary collaborations with other labs in neuroscience, psychology, machine learning and robotics. The successful candidates would be directly involved in these international collaborations. The Flowers lab has recently spin-off the Pollen Robotics startup company, and is involved in multiple collaborations with industrials through Inria's strong support towards impacting both science and industry. Inria and EnstaParistech =================== The lab is within Inria, which is a prestigious, and also the largest, public European research insitution focused on computer science, mathematics and their applications. Inria's teams and researchers (> 2800 employees) have received prestigious awards, coordinate many international projects, and have created strong innovations now used in many parts of industry. Inria research center in Bordeaux gathers around 300 researchers. The Flowers Lab is also associated to EnstaParisTech, which is a prestigious French engineering school (university). Bordeaux ======== The Flowers lab in Bordeaux is located in a great building on the border of one of the world most famous vineyard, and 10mn by tram from Bordeaux town center (and 2 hours from Paris through high-speed trains): https://www.inria.fr/en/centre/bordeaux Bordeaux has been recently rated by Lonely Planet as the world's best city to visit: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/best-cities-in-the-worl…

March 20, 2017

Call for participation in the Frontiers Research Topic “Neuromodulation of Circuits in Brain Health and Disease”

by Ramaswamy Srikanth

We would like to invite you to consider contributing an article to the Frontiers research topic “Neuromodulation of Circuits in Brain Health and Disease”. The research topic is hosted by: Srikanth Ramaswamy, Henry Markram, Mriganka Sur, Anita Disney, Menahem Segal, Michael E Hasselmo, Seung-Hee Lee, Alexander Thiele, and Amy F T Arnsten. The overarching goal of this research topic is to rekindle the field of neuromodulation by providing a state-of-the-art and unifying view of the mechanisms by which a diversity of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators such as acetylcholine (ACh), dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NE), serotonin (5-HT) and histamine (HA) - the master switches - control genes, proteins, neurons and glia, dendrites, synapses, and emergent states in neural circuits across different brain regions in health and disease. Concretely, our hope is that this research topic will a) establish an up to date view of neuromodulatory control of brain states by ACh, DA, NE, 5-HT, and HA that is encyclopedic in breadth and depth, and b) establish future research directions. Additionally, we also plan to organize a conference to discuss the state-of-the-art and future of neuromodulation research. Contributing authors to this research topic will be invited to present at the conference. The conference will be held at the EPFL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland in September 2017 and further details will be sent out in due course. Frontiers research topics initially require the submission of an abstract of your work, which will be considered by the topic editors to determine if it falls within the goals of the research topic. Approved abstracts will then be invited to submit a complete manuscript. Depending on the article type, Frontiers has article processing charges (APCs). They range from free to 2490$ for original research articles or reviews (please see http://home.frontiersin.org/about/publishing-fees) If submitted to a Research Topic within the deadline there is a 15% reduction for some article types. Frontiers also has a waiver program so that APCs do not stand in the way of science. Key dates for this research topic are as follows: 1. Abstract submission deadline – 1st May 2017 2. Manuscript submission deadline – 1st July 2017 We very much hope to include your valuable work in this area within this research topic to help make it a key reference and a new resource for neuromodulation research. Yours in Neuroscience, Srikanth Ramaswamy Henry Markram Mriganka Sur Anita Disney Menahem Segal Michael Hasselmo Seung-Hee Lee Alexander Thiele Amy Arnsten

March 20, 2017