June 2018 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

[jobs][phd]PhD Studentship: Being in the Other's Shoes - Social Cognition in Babies and Robots'

by Dimitri Ognibene

We are looking for the perfect interdisciplinary PhD candidate to find out how humans learn to observe others, how they learn that they are not alone. Are you curious about this? Apply! https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BKG746/phd-studentship-being-in-the-others-shoes… The Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex has an interdisciplinary PhD studentship available focusing on the theme ‘Being in the other’s shoes – Social cognition in babies and robots’. This studentship commences from 14 January 2019, the successful applicant will receive a scholarship for three years (subject to satisfactory progression). The studentship includes: a fee waiver equal to the Home/EU fee (for 2018/19, £ £4,410). International students will need to pay the balance of their fees. a stipend of £14,777 in 2018-19 adjusted according to the directives of the Research Councils UK. In a highly interdisciplinary environment, the PhD student will investigate the role of embodiment in social cognitive development by formulating computational theories, testing them through experimental studies with infants, and closing the loop by re-enacting the experiments with state of the art robots available in the Essex robotics lab. The applicant will also have the opportunity to perform empirical studies and computational modelling on social intelligence to examine disorders of social cognition (lack of engagement, inability to adopt others perspective) and validate the architecture in end user environments (for example robotic companions in homes, hospitals etc.). The University’s centre for Brain Science accounts for one of the most comprehensive and equipped laboratories for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in the UK’s, which has been featured in media <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-suffolk-26574823/university-of-esse…>. The successful applicant will be part of The Centre for Computational Intelligence, supervised by Dr Mohan and Dr Ognibene and also part of The Centre for Brain Science (Psychology), supervised by Dr Filippetti and Dr Rigato. Address additional questions to: Dr Mohan, (CSEE) vishwanathan.mohan(a)essex.ac.uk <mailto:vishwanathan.mohan@essex.ac.uk> (PI), Dr Ognibene (CSEE) dimitri.ognibene(a)essex.ac.uk <mailto:dimitri.ognibene@essex.ac.uk>, Dr Filippetti (PSYCH) m.filippetti(a)essex.ac.uk <mailto:m.filippetti@essex.ac.uk>, Dr Rigato (PSYCH) srigato(a)essex.ac.uk <mailto:srigato@essex.ac.uk>. -- Dimitri Ognibene, PhD Department of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, UK http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/ <http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/> Skype: dimitri.ognibene -- Dimitri Ognibene, PhD Department of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, UK http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/ Skype: dimitri.ognibene

June 19, 2018

Tenure-track position in Data Analytics and Modeling in Frankfurt, Germany

by Matthias Kaschube

The Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at the Goethe University Frankfurt invites applications for a tenure-track position in Data Analytics and Modeling at the rank of Assistant Professor. Fields of interest include computational neuroscience, machine learning, data mining, and computer vision. We expect the candidate to possess an excellent scientific track record. Experiences with interdisciplinary and/or international collaborations and actively acquiring third-party support are advantageous. The professorship is embedded in the attractive research landscape in the Frankfurt area within and outside of the university, e.g.: https://www.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de/index.php/en/forschung-en <https://www.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de/index.php/en/forschung-en> https://fias.institute/en/ <https://fias.institute/en/> http://www.rmn2.de <http://www.rmn2.de/> The initial tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor is for six years. The invitation to apply aims to reach early-stage researchers, who have finished their doctorate within the past four years at the date of application. Upon positive evaluation, the incumbent will be promoted to a permanent position at a higher level (W2, corresponding to Associate Professor). The designated salary for the position is initially based on “W1” of the German university scale or equivalent. Goethe University aims at increasing the number of women in research and teaching and therefore particularly encourages qualified female scientists to apply. Applications of scientists from abroad are explicitly requested. Severely disabled applicants with equal qualification and aptitude will be given preferential consideration. Qualified academics with an excellent, internationally recognized research record are invited to submit their application with curriculum vitae (scientific and professional experience), a list of publications (including conference proceedings), a record of teaching activities (including tutor work), a draft of three pages at most on present and planned research, a record of actively acquired third-party funding (including prizes and fellowships), certificates and documents until 23 July 2018 in electronic form (as a single pdf-file) to the Dean of the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, e-mail: bewerbung(a)fb12.uni-frankfurt.de <mailto:bewerbung@fb12.uni-frankfurt.de> For further details on the position see http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/45303044/fb12#DAM_eng <http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/45303044/fb12#DAM_eng> If you have questions about the position please contact Matthias Kaschube, kaschube(a)fias.uni-frankfurt.de <mailto:kaschube@fias.uni-frankfurt.de>

June 19, 2018

Post-doc in event-driven perception for robots

by Chiara Bartolozzi

The Event-driven perception for robotics (EDPR) laboratory (https://edpr.iit.it/ ) with the iCub Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is seeking to appoint a postdoctoral fellow, under the supervision of Dr. Chiara Bartolozzi. The selected candidate will join the interdisciplinary team of the iCub project. She/he will contribute to the development of new skills of the iCub robot, based on event-driven sensing. We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic postdoc who will join our team to develop models and architectures capable of interpreting and learning from spatio-temporal information, to extract relevant information and plan appropriate behavior. In particular, the candidate will be in a unique position to exploit recent advances in machine learning, in combination with novel biologically inspired sensors and the accompanying biological-grounded learning models. For full details: https://edpr.iit.it/openings/771:post-doc-position-in-event-driven-percepti… For even more details write to chiara.bartolozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:chiara.bartolozzi@iit.it>

June 19, 2018

Research Associate in Data Science - Dementia

by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt

A new Research Associate post in Data Science is available at Ulster University, UK. The post will be available from 1st August 2018 to 31st January 2019. The successful applicant will join an existing interdisciplinary research team that consists of computer scientists, biomedical scientists and clinicians, and will focus on predictive analytics and modelling of dementia data. For more info, please see: https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTczNDIyNyZ2dF90… or contact me. The closing date for the application is 27th June 2018. Best, KongFatt Wong-Lin ----------- E-mail: k.wong-lin(a)ulster.ac.uk https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/k-wong-lin This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

June 18, 2018

Postdoctoral Position: Wireless optogenetics and electrophysiology in rats.

by Fellous, Jean-Marc - (fellous)

Dear List Members The Computational and Experimental Neuroscience Laboratory is looking to a postdoctoral fellow to work on understanding the computational roles of the multiple levels of the rat hippocampal longitudinal axis. The work will involve state-of-the-art wireless optogenetic manipulations and high-density tetrode recordings in the behaving animal. While some background in experimental neuroscience using these techniques is preferred, the position may be suitable for a motivated computational neuroscientist wanting to learn experimental neuroscience techniques. The project is multi-disciplinary and will involve collaborations with other researchers in the US and abroad, therefore good communication skills are required. Applicant should send a cover letter (email is ok), a CV and the names/contact information of at least two references to Dr. Jean-Marc Fellous (fellous at email.arizona.edu) The search is ongoing and is projected to be completed by October 1st, 2018. Applications will be processed as they are received. More information about the laboratory can be found at: http://amygdala.psychdept.arizona.edu/lab.html The CENL and the University of Arizona are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment and women and minorities are encouraged to apply. The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Jean-Marc

June 17, 2018

Postdoctoral and doctoral studies in the neuroscience of spatial motion estimation and motor planning

by Andrea Green

POSTDOCTORAL AND DOCTORAL STUDIES IN THE NEUROSCIENCE OF SPATIAL MOTION ESTIMATION AND MOTOR PLANNING Departement de neurosciences, Universite de Montreal Applications are invited for postdoctoral and doctoral studies in systems neuroscience in the laboratory of Dr. Andrea Green. Successful applicants will join a multidisciplinary research group studying how the brain integrates multisensory cues to create estimates of our spatial motion and how such estimates are used in motor planning and control. Research in our group involves computational models of the nervous system, behavioral and neural recording experiments in non-human primates as well as human behavioral studies. Successful applicants will investigate the computation of spatial motion estimates and/or their contribution to voluntary reaching through neural recordings within brainstem-cerebellar circuits or motor cortical regions of non-human primates. All students with a strong background in biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, computer science, physics or psychology and an interest in system-level study of the brain are encouraged to apply. However, prior experience in neurophysiology and/or computational modeling of neural systems is highly desirable. Depending on the applicant's qualifications and interests, they will help to design and conduct behavioral and neurophysiological experiments, analyze data, develop theoretical models of neural systems, prepare manuscripts for publication, and participate in international conferences. For further information, please contact Dr. Andrea Green (andrea.green(a)umontreal.ca) Applicants are asked to send a curriculum vita, copies of academic transcripts, a statement of research interests and the names and contact information for two references, to: Dr. Andrea Green Departement de neurosciences, Universite de Montréal C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-ville Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, CANADA Tel: 514-343-6111 x3301 Email: andrea.green(a)umontreal.ca Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

June 15, 2018

Professorship in Artificial Intelligence

by Steuber, Volker

Professor of Artificial Intelligence University of Hertfordshire, UK School of Computer Science, College Lane Campus, Hatfield Salary £58,293 to £64,397 pa dependent on skills and experience FTE: Full time position working 37 hours per week (1.0FTE) Duration of Contract: Permanent position Closing date: 3 September 2018 Applications are invited for an exceptionally well qualified Professor of Artificial Intelligence of international standing who shares our commitment to research-informed teaching, embraces the research impact agenda, and values collegiality. Applicants will strengthen existing activity within the School and develop it further, enhancing the research strengths and external reputation of the School of Computer Science and contributing significantly to its performance in future research assessments and collaborations with public and commercial partners. The successful applicant will connect to and complement the research conducted by the Adaptive Systems Research Group within the Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research. The School hosts the University of Hertfordshire Robot House, a facility ubiquitously equipped with low-cost sensors providing a realistic environment for experiments with robotics in a smart home; a fully-fledged RoboCup lab for development of humanoid robots participating in international competitions, and a large variety of different robotic platforms, including iCub and Baxter. We encourage applications from researchers across a wide spectrum of AI, and particularly encourage applications from researchers working on emerging topics in AI. Possible fields include, but are not limited to: • Machine learning: reinforcement learning, Deep Methods, statistical methods, large scale data modelling/intelligent processing and high-performance learning algorithms • Robotics: embodied and/or cognitive robotics, HRI, robot safety, emotional/social robots, smart homes and sensors, sensor fusion, assistive robotics • Complex Systems: collective intelligence, adaptive, autonomous and multi-agent/robot systems, collective and swarm intelligence, social and market modelling, adaptive, evolutionary and unconventional computation • Mathematical Modelling: statistical modelling, information-theoretic methods, compressive sensing, intelligent data visualization, multiscale models, optimization • Emerging Topics in AI: computer algebra and AI, topological methods (e.g. persistent homology), modern topics in games and AI • AI and applications: financial modelling, AI and biology/physics/cognitive sciences • Foundations: fundamental questions of intelligence and computation, emergence of life/intelligence, Artificial Life As well as providing research supervision at PhD and MSc level, the School of Computer Science offers modules in Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, neural and evolutionary computing, as well as Artificial Life on the BSc and MSc programmes. Applicants will be committed to a strong research and research-informed teaching agenda, and will actively contribute to increase research impact of the School, in the enthusiastic, welcoming and collegiate environment of the school. Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, possess excellent communication skills in English, an internationally excellent research record and reputation, including publications of the highest quality suitable for submission to the REF (UK Research Excellence Framework). Applicants are expected to show evidence of experience and success in research/commercial income generation, engagement with the research impact agenda, engagement with key stakeholders in the relevant Artificial Intelligence community and management and leadership ability. The professor will have opportunity to contribute actively to interdisciplinary research projects at the school and university level. Applications must be made online https://www.herts.ac.uk/contact-us/jobs-and-vacancies/academic-vacancies?, reference 016194?. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Volker Steuber (Associate Dean Research, v.steuber(a)herts.ac.uk) or Professor William Clocksin (Dean of School, w.clocksin(a)herts.ac.uk) Please note that applications sent directly by email will not be accepted.

June 15, 2018

Tenure-track position at Tufts University

by John Rinzel

Dear computational neuroscience list, The Department of Psychology at Tufts University is seeking applicants at the assistant professor level for a tenure-track position in computational clinical neuroscience to begin September 1, 2019. Further information is here: https://apply.interfolio.com/51438 Inquiries should be emailed to Department Manager Jessica Storozuk ( Jessica.Storozuk(a)tufts.edu) Regards, Ani Patel Aniruddh D. Patel Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Tufts University Senior Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Azrieli Program in Brain, Mind, & Consciousness http://ase.tufts.edu/psychology/people/patel/

June 15, 2018

[CFP] IROS-2018 Workshop: Towards Intelligent Social Robots: From Naive Robots to Robot Sapiens

by Amir Aly

CALL FOR PAPERS **Apologies for cross posting ** We are pleased to call for papers for the IROS-2018 workshop: "*Towards Intelligent Social Robots: From Naive Robots to Robot Sapiens*" In conjunction with the *IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)** - Madrid - Spain - October * *5th, 2018* *Webpage: **http://intelligent-social-robots-ws.com/* <http://intelligent-social-robots-ws.com/> *I. Aim and Scope *Robots that cook creatively, clean up our rooms dutifully, entertain our guests wittily and keep us company loyally. Robots that assist human users in their daily chores and provide support in times of need. Researchers around the world have envisioned such robot companions for a long time. Thanks to numerous innovations in sensor technology and software development, robots are now increasingly able to plan complex tasks in unknown environments, learn from experience and adapt to changes in the environment. The greatest challenges in robotics now lie in the development of robot skills and high-level AI-based functionalities that enable robots to work effectively in close collaboration with humans. Aside from the numerous technical challenges, which must be overcome before this vision can become a reality, multi-disciplinary research efforts are also invested into the social engineering of robots. In order to engineer “smart” robots that we accept, trust and welcome into our homes, it is paramount that we identify and investigate the factors that affect social interactions between humans and robots. For this purpose, computer scientists, AI researchers, engineers and psychologists tackle important questions that will determine whether robots will be perceived as helpful and reliable companions or as irritating nuisances. How should robots look, behave and communicate with us? What are our expectations of robot behavior in a social context? How can robots learn using the capabilities of their environments to achieve tasks and to address the needs of their human co-inhabitants? What kind of robot intelligence is required for what kind of tasks? In this workshop, participants will discuss with seasoned experts and young researchers what defines social and artificial intelligence for “smart” robots and how modern technological advances can equip robots with such intelligence. As such, this workshop aims to shed light on the intersection between cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and robotics research both from the theoretical and technical perspectives. Recent advances and possible avenues for future research in the field of “smart” robotics are principal topics of discussion during the workshop. ** *This workshop is endorsed by the IEEE Technical Committees*: *Human-Robot Interaction and Coordination, Cognitive Robotics, and Robot Learning*. *II. Keynote Speakers * 1. * Angelo Cangelosi *– University of Manchester/Plymouth – UK 2. *Yiannis Aloimonos *– University of Maryland – USA 3. * Selma Sabanovic *– Indiana University – USA 4. *Michael Beetz* – University of Bremen – Germany 5. *Matthias Scheutz *– Tufts University – USA *III. Submission * 1. For paper submission, use the following EasyChair web link: *Paper Submission <https://easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?key=72898427.c11B4hAVw0ZMhuaQ>* . 2. Use the IEEE style (two-column format – US letter): *IEEE Templates <https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html>*. 3. Submitted papers should be limited to 2-6 pages maximum. The primary list of topics covers the following points (but not limited to): - Multimodal human robot interaction - Cognitive modeling of human behavior - Cognitive architectures and strategies for intelligent interaction with the environment - AI and machine learning approaches applied to human-robot-environment interaction - Cloud robotics and ubiquitous computing - Ambient assisted living - Human intention recognition and prediction - Robot acceptance - Social engineering - Language learning, embodiment, and social intelligence - Computational modeling for high-level human cognitive functions - Predictive learning from sensorimotor information - Multimodal interaction and concept formulation - Language and action development - Learning, reasoning, and adaptation in collaborative human-robot tasks - Affordance learning - Learning by demonstration and imitation - Language and grammar induction in robots * IV. Important Dates * 1. Paper submission: *20-August-2018 * 2. Notification of acceptance: *30-August-2018* 3. Camera-ready version:* 7-September-2018 * 4. Workshop: *5-October-2018* *V. Organizers * 1. *Amir Aly *– Ritsumeikan University – Japan 2. *Sascha Griffiths *– Hamburg University – Germany 3. * Verena Nitsch *– Bundeswehr University – Germany 4. *Katerina Pastra* – Cognitive Systems Research Institute – Greece 5. *Tadahiro Taniguchi* – Ritsumeikan University – Japan -------------------- *Amir Aly, Ph.D.* Senior Researcher Emergent Systems Laboratory College of Information Science and Engineering Ritsumeikan University 1-1-1 Noji Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan

June 15, 2018

Call for Applications: Symposium and Summer School on the Logistics of Neuronal Function

by Jochen Triesch

We invite applications from PhD students and post-docs to participate in a two-week summer course on the Logistics of Neuronal Function in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from August 28 to September 7. Neurons face a variety of logistics challenges. They need to organize the production, transport, storage, and recycling of various molecules such as neurotransmitters, mRNA, and proteins to fill their extensive dendritic and axonal arbors. For example, most proteins have turnover rates of several days, which implies that neurons must organize the production and transport of vast numbers of proteins to maintain their structure and function. Due to their large size compared to other cells of the body, these problems are particularly severe for neurons. It is likely that evolution has driven neurons to find robust and efficient solutions to these challenges. So how do they organize production, transport, delivery, storage, and recycling processes and how are logistic failures related to nervous system disorders? This first workshop and summer school on the logistics of neuronal function bring together leading experimentalists, theoreticians, and method developers to exchange ideas on these fundamental questions. Organizers: Jochen Triesch, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies Erin Schuman, MPI Brain Research, Frankfurt Tatjana Tchumatchenko, MPI Brain Research, Frankfurt Christian Tetzlaff, Georg-August University, Göttingen Confirmed Speakers of the Giersch International Symposium (August 28 - September 1): Maarten Altelaar, Utrecht, Netherlands Peter W. Baas, Drexel U., USA Upinder S. Bhalla, TIFR, India Long Cai, Caltech, USA Daniel Choquet, Bordeaux, France Guillame Drion, Liege, Belgium Seth Grant, University of Edinburgh, Scotland Kristian Franze, U. of Cambridge, UK Lukas Kapitein, Utrecht, Netherlands Ken Kosik, UC Santa Barbara, USA Timothy O’Leary, Cambridge University, UK William W. Lytton, SUNY Downstate, USA Jeremy Niven, U. of Sussex, UK Marianne Renner, Institut du Fer a Moulin, France Erik De Schutter, OIST, Japan Antoine Triller, École Normale Superièure, France Noam Ziv, Technion, Israel Confirmed Giersch Summer School Lecturers (September 3 - 7): Eric Hosy, U Bordeaux, France Timothy O’Leary, Cambridge University, UK William W. Lytton, SUNY Downstate, USA Marianne Renner, Institut du Fer a Moulin, France Christian Tetzlaff, U. Göttingen, Germany Jochen Triesch, FIAS, Germany Special Public Talk by: Nobel Laureate Edvard Moser The third "Giersch International Symposium", will take place at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. The conference series, funded by STIFTUNG GIERSCH gives young scientists the opportunity to learn from well known, exceptional researchers and to expand their networks. Accommodation and meals are provided free of charge. To apply visit: https://indico.fias.uni-frankfurt.de/event/11/overview and see the instructions there. Required materials include: CV, letter of recommendation from supervisor, poster abstract, and short text specifying the reason for participation. Application Deadline: June 30 Contact: gis2018(a)fias.uni-frankfurt.de -- Prof. Dr. Jochen Triesch Johanna Quandt Research Professor Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~triesch/ Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47531 Fax: +49 (0)69 798-47611

June 14, 2018