July 2019 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

3-year Research Associate in ActiveAI - University of Sheffield, UK

by Michael Mangan

Are you a talented and ambitious computer scientist, computational neuroscientist or machine learner? Are you looking for an opportunity to develop the next generation AI algorithms that are required to realise the third wave of AI? We have a rare opportunity for a Research Associate to work on this problem within the Dept of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield (a world top 100 university) and in collaboration with world-leading neuroscientists in Australia through the prestigious £1.2m EPSRC Centre to Centre project (ActiveAI: active learning and selective attention for rapid, robust and efficient AI). Your primary role will be to develop a new class of ActiveAI controllers for problems in which insects excel but deep learning methods struggle. These problems have one or more of the following characteristics: (i) learning must occur rapidly, (ii) learning samples are few or costly, (iii) computational resources are limited, and (iv) the learning problem changes over time. Insects deal with such complex tasks robustly despite limited computational power because learning is an active process emerging from the interaction of evolved brains, bodies and behaviours. Through a virtuous cycle of modelling and experiments, you will develop insect-inspired models, in which behavioural strategies and specialised sensors actively structure sensory input while selective attention drives learning to the most salient information, massively reducing the search space. In this way, we will both advance neuroscience and enable ActiveAI solutions which are efficient in learning and final network configuration, robust to real-world conditions and learn rapidly. You will work under the supervision of Dr Mike Mangan, and Professors Eleni Vasilaki and James Marshall, within the Department of Computer Science (top five in the UK in the most recent REF) in partnership with UK-based research collaborators in the £4.8m EPSRC Brains on Board Programme Grant. You will also lead a new collaboration with world-leading research partners in Australia (led by Prof Andrew Barron, Macquarie University) through extended secondments. You should be educated to PhD level (or be close to completion) in a related computational field (or equivalent industrial experience), with excellent skills in computational modelling, ideally the use of neural networks to either model biological systems or to solve complex tasks. Previous experience of GPU computing, embedding models onto robots, verification of models through neuroscientific or behavioural assays, are desirable although not essential, but candidates must have an aptitude for learning or improving these skills. The formal advert with application guidelines can be found here -> http://tiny.cc/gq268y -- Dr. Mike Mangan *Lecturer in Machine Learning & RoboticsSheffield Robotics & Dept of Computer ScienceUniversity of Sheffield* https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/dcs/people/academic/mmangan

July 11, 2019

Bristol workshop 9-13 September 2019 - The Neuroscience Data Challenge

by Conor Houghton

The Neuroscience Data Challenge is a collaborative workshop which will bring people together to apply modelling and data approaches to neuroscience. It will be a workshop and hackathon designed to give us the opportunity to work as colleagues to solve problems. The Neuroscience Data Challenge will be held in Bristol from 9-13 September 2019. All are welcome, there is no fee and there are some bursaries for students and postdocs. The format is based on the "study week" that is successful and popular in applied mathematics - there will be four neuroscience problems presented at the start of the week and we will self-organize around working on them together in groups. We are hoping for an informal, fun and productive week of collaborative research! For more information go to http://www.bristol.ac.uk/neural-dynamics/information/neuroscience-data-chal… All Welcome Conor on behalf of the organizing committee: Conor Houghton, Cian O'Donnell, Rui Ponte Costa, Amelia Burroughs. ________________________________________________________________________________ The Neuroscience Data Challenge is being supported by Reimagining Recruitment, a study funded by the EPSRC and hosted by Bath University, it aims to examine the success of collaborative workshops like this.

July 9, 2019

Postdoc position in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience - TU Dresden

by Dimitrije Markovic

Dear colleagues, We are looking for candidates for a four-year post-doctoral position in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience. The position is part of the newly established Transregio (TRR) 265 Funding Programme: "Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake: From Trajectories to Mechanisms to Interventions". The candidates should show strong interest in combining research in cognitive and computational neuroscience with research in clinical psychology and psychiatry. The position is an ideal opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary group of researchers, and contribute to projects investigating computational and neuronal underpinning of human behaviour. For further details and application instructions, please see https://www.uniklinikum-dresden.de/de/jobs-und-karriere/stellenangebote/wis… Note : the application deadline has been extended to 31 July 2019. Best wishes, Dimitrije Markovic ============================= Dr. Dimitrije Markovic Post-Doc at Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Psychology, Dresden, Germany Lab website: https://tu-dresden.de/mn/psychologie/ifap/ni Phone: +49-351-463-43146 Personal website: http://dimarkov.github.io/ =============================

July 9, 2019

Post doc at the NYU ECoG Lab

by Lucia Melloni

Are you looking for an ambiguous postdoc opportunitu? keep reading ... The NYU ECoG group has an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral fellow to contribute to a project aimed at unravelling laminar cortical computations and validating laminar resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans. Laminar fMRI is becoming increasingly popular as it enables the study of feedback and feedforward flow of information in the living human brain (e.g., Muckli, Current Biology 2015). Yet, the neurovascular and physiological computations underlying laminar signals are not well understood. Our group is part of an exciting international collaboration that aims to rigorously validate laminar fMRI against laminar electrophysiology and develop a proper neurovascular coupling model. The postdoctoral fellow would contribute to this team effort involving researchers at NYU Langone Health, the Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Minessotta (Essa Yacoub), and Maastrich University (Elia Formisano, Federico de Martino, Kamil Uludag). The project is funded by a BRAIN initiative RO1 grant. The role of the postdoc is to perform laminar electrophysiology in human subjects with epilepsy and as well as to conduct laminar fMRI in the same patients. We are seeking an enthusiastic and ambitious postdoc, with a strong background in human and/or animal electrophysiology and a desire to learn high-field MRI. No previous experience with MRI is required. A strong background in signal processing, and strong quantitative skills (e.g., Matlab, C++, Python) are required. The initial post is for 1 year with the opportunity to renew for up to 4 years. Postdoctoral researchers will be given the opportunity to participate in other lab research endeavors, and they are expected to make a strong contribution to the lab's overall research efforts. The research facilities at NYU are exceptional and include laminar electrophysiology setups as well as 7T MRI. The postdoc will join a vibrant community of researchers within NYU (NYU ECog, NYU Neuroscience Institute, and the NYU Center for Neural Science) and across the consortium of investigators at University of Minnesota and University of Maastricht. This is an excellent post for candidates who want to expand their research repertoire and learn new techniques, and to position themselves uniquely in the scientific landscape, leveraging laminar fMRI in humans to understand cortical computations. The possibility of dual training in electrophysiology and fMRI is unique. Interested individuals should apply by sending a cover letter, a CV and names of 2 referees who have agreed to provide recommendation letters to Lucia Melloni (lucia.melloni(a)nyulangone.org <mailto:lucia.melloni@nyulangone.org>) and Sasha Devore (sasha.devore(a)nyulangone.edu <mailto:sasha.devore@nyulangone.edu>). The post will be open until August 15, 2019. For any inquires please contact Lucia Melloni at lucia.melloni(a)nyulangone.org <mailto:lucia.melloni@nyulangone.org>

July 9, 2019

PhD Position / Computational Neuroscience / Bordeaux, France

by Nicolas Rougier

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Position: Phd in Computational Neuroscience Keywords: Basal Ganglia, Frontal Cortex, Decision Making, Planning Duration: 3 years, starting 01/09/2019 Location: Bordeaux, France Net salary: 1680 euros / month Contact: Fréderic Alexandre & Nicolas Rougier ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mnemosyne (https://team.inria.fr/mnemosyne/) is an Inria research team associated with Labri, Bordeaux's computer research laboratory, hosted at the Neurocampus in Bordeaux (https://www.bordeaux-neurocampus.fr/) We work closely with labs in Neurosciences and Medicine in order to understand executive functions such as decision, reasoning and planning, using computational models of the main structure involved (frontal cortex, basal ganglia and hippocampus). We are currently looking for a motivated doctoral student to join us on the theme of decision making modeling, considering in particular the integration of indices of a different nature. This work is part of a collaborative project with the city and the university of La Rochelle and the funding for the thesis is secured (salary of 1680 euros net per month). The candidate may come from different Masters (computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience) and must have experience in computational neuroscience and machine learning with an interest in a bio-inspired approach. In addition to the CV, a letter of motivation will be proposed before an interview. Application to be sent to Frederic.Alexandre(a)inria.fr and Nicolas.Rougier(a)inria.fr

July 5, 2019

15th Granada Seminar on Stochastic and Collective Effects in Neural Systems

by Prof. Dr. Joaquín J. Torres

Dear Computational Neuroscience community This is an official announcement of the next "15th Granada Seminar on Computational and Statistical Physics" that will be held in Granada Spain, next September 17-20, 2019 in the Science Faculty of the University of Granada, Spain. The Granada Seminar is a topical conference whose pedagogical power is especially channelled towards young researchers. In fact, one interesting aspect of this meeting is the opportunity given to young researchers to present their results and to discuss their problems with leading specialists. The Granada Seminar is Organized by the "Institute Carlos I for Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Granada, and it is Sponsored by: - Institute Carlos I, for theoretical and computational physics, University of Granada: http://ic1.ugr.es/home/ - European Physical Society This year edition the main topic of the conference is "Stochastic and Collective Effects in Neural Systems" including Biological aspects, Modeling, Dynamics, Networks, Function and Applications. The aim of this meeting is to bring together scientists interested in Neural Systems and their statistical and collective effects from real experiments, theoretical and computational models to applications. Confirmed Main Speakers: Roberto Barrio, Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain): Insect movement gaits: neuron model, CPG and patterns Ginestra Bianconi, Queen Mary University of London (UK) Jesús Cortés, Ikerbasque (Spain) Lucilla de Arcangelis, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (Italy) Jose Maria Delgado, Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain): Learning as a functional state of the brain Andrea Gabrielli, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi (Italy): Brain Network Topology Maps Schizophrenia Dysfunctional Substrates Andre Longtin, University of Ottawa (Canada): Detecting and Learning in Noisy Neurons: From Dendrites to Spontaneous Movements Joaquin Marro, Universidad de Granada (Spain):Is the Mind just an assembly of Phase Transitions? Jorge F. Mejías, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) Cyriel Pennartz, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands): Predictive representations and population coding in visual and multisensory systems Dietmar Plenz, NIH National Institute of Mental Health (USA) Ander Ramos, Tecnalia (Spain) Alex Roxin, CRM Barcelona (Spain):A network model of place-cell turnover in CA1 Mavi Sánchez-Vives, Institut d'investigacions Biomèdiques (Spain) Samir Suweis, Universita di Padova (Italy): Simple (but not too simple) models to investigate complex brain dynamics Yuhai Tu, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center (USA): Optimal coding strategies in the periferal olfactory systems: Compressed sensing for an array of nonlinear olfactory receptor neurons with and without spontaneous activity Pablo Varona, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain) People interested to attend the conference and present their contributions please follow the link below for further information: http://ergodic.ugr.es/cp/index.php Contributions to the conference will be invited to submit an original manuscript for a forthcomming "Special Issue on Emergent Effects in Stochastic Neural Networks with Application to Learning and Information Processing", in the Elsevier Journal Neurocomputing (Impact Factor: 4.072, Q1) -- Prof. Dr. Joaquín J. Torres Department of Electromagnetism and Physics of the Matter. Institute "Carlos I" for Theoretical and Computational Physics. University of Granada.

July 4, 2019

DEADLINE NEAR: IBRO-SIMONS COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE IMBIZO in CAPE TOWN

by Tim Vogels

Dear all, The DEADLINE for next year’s IMBIZO is approaching very quickly, with only 4 days left. Don’t let this opportunity slip by, if you are hoping to join the most diverse neuroscience summer school at the most beautiful beach in the world! We are very excited to announce that we have three new faculty this year, adding Prof. Eve Marder, of Brandeis University, Gruber and Kavli Prize winner, past president of SfN and generally awesome person in Neuroscience, coming with Prof Arthur Wingfield, also of Brandeis and also awesome person in neuroscience. And Prof. Henning Sprekeler, Technical University Berlin, Bernstein Award winner, and ALSO generally awesome person in neuroscience to our already great roster of lecturers. If you know anyone who would benefit from a diverse and extraordinary computational neuroscience summer school, please forward this information: IBRO-SIMONS COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE IMBIZO #isiCNI2020 5 - 26 January 2020, Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, South Africa http://imbizo.africa/ <http://imbizo.africa/> Application deadline: 8th July 2019 The #isiCNI2020 is a southern hemisphere summer school aiming to promote computational neuroscience in Africa. It will bring together international and local students under the tutelage of the world's leading experts in the field. Like its international sister courses, this three-week summer school aims to teach central ideas, methods, and practices of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Mornings will be devoted to lectures on topics across the breadth of experimental and computational neuroscience. The rest of the day will be spent working on research projects under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Individual research projects will focus on the modelling of neurons, neural systems, behaviour, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data, and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. Who should apply? This course is aimed at Masters and early-PhD level students though Honours or advanced undergraduates may also apply. Postdoctoral students who can motivate why the course would benefit them are also encouraged to apply, Students should have sufficient quantitative skills, (e.g. a background in mathematics, physics, computer science, statistics, engineering or related field). Some knowledge of neural biology will be useful but not essential. Experimental neuroscience students are encouraged to apply, but should ensure that they have a reasonable level of quantitative proficiency (i.e. at least second-year level mathematics or statistics and have done at least one course in computer programming). Please distribute this information as widely as you can. Essential details * Fee (which covers tuition, lodging, and meals): 1100 EUR Thanks to out generous sponsors, significant financial assistance is available to reduce and waiver fees for students, particlualry for African applicants. We also hope to provide some travel bursaries for interrnational students. If you are in need of financial assistance to attend the Imbizo, please state so clearly in the relevant section of your application. * Application deadline: 30th June 2019 * Notification of results: late August 2019 Information and application https://imbizo.africa/ <http://isicni.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/> Questions? isicn.imbizo(a)gmail.com <mailto:isicn.imbizo@gmail.com> What is an Imbizo? \ɪmˈbiːzɒ\ | Xhosa - Zulu A gathering of the people to share knowledge. CONFIRMED FACULTY Demba Ba - Harvard University Adrienne Fairhall - Washington University Peter Latham - University College London Timothy Lillicrap - Google DeepMind Eve Marder - Brandeis University Joseph Raimondo - University of Cape Town Srikanth Ramaswamy - EPFL Lausanne Athanassia Papoutsi - IMBB-FORTH Evan Schaffer - Columbia University Anna Schapiro - University of Pennsylvania Henning Sprekeler - Technical University of Berlin Thomas Tagoe - University of Ghana Misha Tsodyks - Weiszmann Institute of Science Tim Vogels - University of Oxford Arthur Wingfield - Brandeis University Byron Yu - Carnegie Mellon University Tutors Everton Agnes University of Oxford Annik Carson - McGill University Chris Currin - University of Cape Town Callie Federer - University of Colorado Grace Lindsay - University College London Richard Pang - University of Washington Organisers Christopher Currin (University of Cape Town, South Africa) Emma Vaughan (Conference Managemant Centre) DIRECTORS Peter Latham (Gatsby Unit for Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) Joseph Raimondo (University of Cape Town, South Africa) Tim Vogels (University of Oxford, UK) Sponsors The isiCNI is made possible by the generous support from the Simons Foundation (https://www.simonsfoundation.org <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/>) and the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) (http://ibro.info <http://ibro.info/>) Organizational Affiliates University of Cape Town, University College London, University of Oxford, TReND in Africa <http://trendinafrica.org/>, CNCB <http://www.cncb.ox.ac.uk/>, Gatsby Foundation <http://www.gatsby.org.uk/>, IBRO African Center for Advanced Training in Neurosciences at UCT

July 4, 2019

Available Slot for Intensive Talks at CNS 2019 Workshop (W9) on "Neural Multiplexed Coding, Coexistence of Multimodal Coding Strategies in Neural Systems"

by Milad Lankarany

Dear CNS-2019 attendees, Our workshop (*W9*) on "*Neural Multiplexed Coding*" will be held at CNS 2019 (Barcelona), on July 17th. Our workshop hosts 6 prestigious speakers (see our website: https://sites.google.com/view/cns-workshop-on-neural-mux/home) presenting their recent researches in 30-45 minutes, as well as a few number of intensive talks, each lasting 10-15 minutes. This is a new schedule for our workshop that we want to try, i.e., a workshop comprising larger talks (30-45 mins) + short intensive talks (10-15 mins). As the intensive talks are short, we would like to invite more speakers. So, any scientist (preference is given to Postdoc) that participates in CNS 2019 and is interested in our workshop can send me his/her request and the title of the presentation. Email: milad.lankarany(a)uhnresearch.ca or milad.lankarany(a)gmail.com Best Regards, Milad Lankarany, Ph.D. <https://sites.google.com/view/lnsbsp/home?authuser=0>

July 3, 2019

Two Postdoctoral Positions in Auditory Biophysics: Optics & Theory

by Kozlov, Andriy

We welcome applications for postdoctoral candidates with expertise in optics, instrument development, or theoretical modelling who want to apply their skills in the field of the biophysics of hearing. Two positions in Dr. Andrei Kozlov’s lab (www.kozlovlab.com<http://www.kozlovlab.com/>) in the Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London are supported by a five-year Wellcome Trust Investigator Award: one experimental and one theoretical. We investigate mechano-electrical transduction by hair cells, the receptor cells of the inner ear. These cells can detect and amplify atomic-scale vibrations at thousands of cycles per second. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying this extreme sensitivity. To achieve our goal, we combine novel experimental and theoretical approaches. The experimental position will focus on developing new optical methods, including laser interferometry, and combining them with electrophysiology. Practical knowledge of optics or optomechanics is essential for this work. For more information about this kind of research, see Kozlov et al., Nature, 2011. The theoretical position focuses on modelling mechano-electrical transduction, combining analytical and numerical techniques, and is in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Risler at Institut Curie in Paris. The successful candidate for this role will have a strong background and track record in Theoretical Soft Matter, Statistical Physics or a related discipline. For more information about this kind of research, see Gianoli, Risler and Kozlov, PNAS, 2017. The positions will start between September 2019 and January 2020. Please send the names of three references, a CV with a list of publications and preprints, and an application letter describing your interests and skills. Informal inquiries are welcome. Contact: Andrei Kozlov a.kozlov(a)imperial.ac.uk<mailto:a.kozlov@imperial.ac.uk>

July 3, 2019

PhD Position in Data Science and Modeling in Neuroimaging at Jülich Research Centre (Germany)

by Oleksandr Popovych

PhD Position in Data Science and Modeling in Neuroimaging at Jülich Research Centre and University of Düsseldorf, Germany One PhD position is available in data science and computational modeling with a focus on the data-driven analysis of neuroimaging data in the lab of Prof. Dr. Simon Eickhoff at Jülich Research Centre and University of Düsseldorf in Germany. The PhD candidate will work on projects aiming to study the effective connectivity of functional brain networks derived from task-based and resting-state fMRI data. In particular, applicability, reliability and limitations of the Dynamical Causal Modeling (DCM) approach will be investigated in various large samples of healthy subjects and patients and compared to other approaches. We are specifically looking for candidates with training in data science/computational neuroscience/applied mathematics/physics or related fields and skills in programming and big data analysis. The candidate will be responsible for the preparation and preprocessing of the necessary fMRI data, development and implementation of data analysis pipelines, as well as writing manuscripts for publication. The position provides a unique opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary environment and training in processing, analysis and modeling of neuroimaging data. More details on the lab: http://www.fz-juelich.de/inm/inm-7/EN/ Requirements: Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science or related fields. Experience with neuroimaging data processing and analysis and related software packages (FSL, SPM, MRtrix, etc.). Experience with programming languages such as Matlab/Python/Shell scripts/C/C++. Familiarity with mathematical data modeling, parallel programming and simulations on high-performance computational clusters will be a plus. Strong English-language writing & communication skills. To apply: Please send your CV, MA certificate, names of two referees, a one-page letter of motivation (emphasizing any related work/projects), up to 3 representative publications and/or examples of program code, if available, to Dr. Oleksandr Popovych via email (o.popovych(a)fz-juelich.de) Please mention “PhD application DCM” in the subject. -- --------------------------------------- PD Dr. Oleksandr Popovych Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour) Research Centre Jülich 52425 Jülich, Germany Tel: +49 2461 61 3332 eMail: o.popovych(a)fz-juelich.de http://www.fz-juelich.de/inm/inm-7/EN/Home/home_node.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Volker Rieke Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 3, 2019