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

Postdoc in neural modeling / optic flow at RPI

by Fajen, Brett

Please post on comp-neuro list… POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE OPTIC FLOW-BASED CONTROL IN HUMANS AND AERIAL ROBOTS Cognitive Science Department Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute A post-doctoral position is available in the Perception and Action (PandA) Lab at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study optic flow-based control. This is an ONR-funded project aimed at developing computational and mathematical models of visual perception and control in humans that can be adapted for use on board small aerial robots. The successful candidate will be expected to develop computational models, conduct psychophysical experiments, assist with robotic implementation, and present research at conferences and in journal articles. This is a one-year position with an anticipated start date in Fall 2019. The position could be extended beyond one year depending on performance and availability of funding. General information about the PandA Lab can be found at http://panda.cogsci.rpi.edu. The lab is situated within the Cognitive Science Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180. Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY is the nation’s oldest technological university, serving over 7,600 undergraduate and graduate students from 49 states and 63 countries. Guided by the Rensselaer Plan 2024, Rensselaer seeks to transform the delivery of pedagogical innovations, and to be a transformative agent in the 21st century and beyond. Minimum qualifications Candidates for the position must have a Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Computer Science, or a closely related field. All degree requirements must be completed by the time the appointment starts. In addition, candidates must have research experience in visual perception, a strong quantitative background, and excellent programming skills. Application information Applicants should submit a cover letter including a brief statement of research interests and accomplishments, current CV, and contact information for three references using the following link: https://rpijobs.rpi.edu/postings/8264. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Questions about the position should be directed to Brett Fajen at fajenb[at]rpi.edu. We welcome candidates who will bring diverse intellectual, geographical, gender and ethnic perspectives to Rensselaer’s work and campus communities. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity, Race/Gender/Veterans/Disability Employer.

Aug. 31, 2019

Post-doc position opportunity at Italian Institute of Technology

by Gabriella Panuccio

All, There is an open opportunity for a post-doc position in my lab at IIT. We are looking for an in vitro electrophysiologist with expertise in epilepsy models and brain slices for biohybrid experiments. The position is open within the context of the EU-funded FET Proactive project HERMES - Hybrid Enhanced Regenerative Medicine Systems (www.hermes-fet.eu<http://www.hermes-fet.eu/>). You may find the description and instructions to apply here: https://iit.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1900000Q Deadline for application is September 15th. You may contact me directly for any informal inquiry. Please circulate this email to those you think might be interested. Thank you! Gabriella ________________________________ Gabriella Panuccio, MD, PhD Enhanced Regenerative Medicine Dept. Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova - Italy email: gabriella.panuccio(a)iit.it<mailto:gabriella.panuccio@iit.it> office: +39 010 28 96 ext 493 mobile: +39 333 491 32 31 website url: www.hermes-fet.eu<about:blank> Twitter: @GabryPanu<https://twitter.com/GabryPanu> // @HERMES_FET<https://twitter.com/HERMES_FET>

Aug. 30, 2019

Assistant Professor position available in Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine

by Jeff Krichmar

Dear Colleagues, The Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for an assistant professor (tenure-track) position with an expected start date of July 1, 2020. We are seeking scientists who study learning, memory, decision making, and related topics with behavioral, developmental, computational, artificial intelligence, or neuroimaging methods. Of particular interest are cognitive scientists who combine an empirical research program with innovative quantitative analysis or computational modeling. The successful candidates will interact with a dynamic and growing community in cognitive, computational, and neural sciences within the department (http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/) and the broader campus. Interested candidates can find specific application requirements and the online application at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05668. To ensure full consideration, applications must be completed by December 1, 2019. The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. As a recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity, UCI understands the needs of dual career couples, supports work-life balance through an array of family-friendly policies, and is dedicated to broadening participation in higher education. As a Minority Serving Institution, UCI seeks future faculty who will contribute to our enduring commitment to inclusive excellence and serve as role models. Best regards, Jeff Krichmar Department of Cognitive Sciences 2328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100 jkrichma(a)uci.edu http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma

Aug. 29, 2019

Tenure Track Faculty Positions in Biomathematics

by Cheng Ly

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Position: Two faculty positions (9-month) as Assistant Professors of Mathematics to join the vibrant biomathematics group in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University beginning August 16, 2020. The Department and University web pages may be found at http://www.math.vcu.edu and http://www.vcu.edu. The Ph.D. program web page may be found at http://www.sysm.vcu.edu. Responsibilities of Position: Maintain a vigorous research program and a record of excellent teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Qualifications: A Ph.D. in Mathematics, or related field, is required at the time of the appointment. We are seeking candidates with a clearly defined research agenda and expertise in biomathematics research with an emphasis in one or more of the following fields: stochastic, computational, or multi-scale modeling, complex networks and/or systems, uncertainty quantification, and parameter identification. Preference will also be given to candidates with postdoctoral experience, and a demonstrated potential to secure external funding. Applicants must have a record of successful teaching, as well as experience with working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment, or the commitment to do so. The Department: The mission of the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics is to offer a strong undergraduate and graduate education, with an increasing focus on the development of cross-disciplinary efforts that will prepare our students for real-world applications and stimulating employment and career opportunities. Key current objectives of the department include the continued development of our Ph.D. program, which emphasizes applications of mathematics to the medical and biological sciences and research in both applied mathematics and theoretical discrete mathematics, the improvement of student outcomes in our lower level courses, the continued strengthening of our department's track in secondary education preparation and mathematics education outreach initiatives. We seek ambitious faculty members to help grow and strengthen the department by expanding teaching, research, and grant activity. How to Apply for the Position: To apply, candidates should submit electronically (https://www.vcujobs.com/postings/92989) the following: a cover letter that delineates how they meet the qualifications outlined above, a current curriculum vitae, contact information for each of the four references. In addition, candidates need to submit electronically ( https://www.mathjobs.org/ <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/14339>) the following: a cover letter, an AMS Standard Cover Sheet, a current curriculum vitae, and detailed statements about teaching and their current research activities. Applicants also should include four letters of recommendation. One of the letters of recommendation must address the applicant's effectiveness as a teacher. Letters should be submitted electronically through www.mathjobs.org <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/14339>. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.A. The deadline for applications is October 25, 2019. "Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity. Affirmative Action University providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veterans status, political affiliation or disability." Cheng Ly https://www.people.vcu.edu/~cly Associate Professor Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research Virginia Commonwealth University P.O. Box 843083 Richmond, Virginia 23284-3083

Aug. 29, 2019

LASCON 2020 - VIII Latin American School on Computational Neuroscience (Call for applications)

by Antonio Roque

**** Apologies for cross-posting **** VIII Latin American School on Computational Neuroscience - LASCON 2020 January 6-31, 2020, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil www.sisne.org/lascon LASCON Video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10FDmMw2IbM> APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 5, 2019 Dear Colleagues, Following the success of the previous editions of LASCON (Latin American School on Computational Neuroscience), I am pleased to announce the 8th LASCON, which will take place January 6-31, 2020 at the NeuroMat Center in the University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. LASCON aims at introducing young researchers and graduate and advanced undergraduate students to the use of computational and mathematical methods for modeling neurons and neural networks. The following topics will be covered: biophysically detailed single neuron models; reduced and simplified single neuron models; networks of biophysical and simplified neuron models; synaptic plasticity and learning; spike train analysis; statistical methods in neuroscience; models of extracellular fields; modeling of brain stimulation; predictive coding; dynamics of neuronal functional connectivity; and computational psychiatry. These subjects will be illustrated with the use of programs NEURON, neuroConstruct, XPP-AUTO, Matlab, NEST, Brian and the Virtual Brain. Students will have to work on small research projects (to be done in groups of two), which they will present orally at the end of the school. The following lecturers will be in charge of theoretical classes and tutorials: Aline Duarte, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Antonio Galves,University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Arnd Roth, University College, London, UK Christophe Pouzat, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France Demian Battaglia, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France Eli Shlizerman, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Emilio Kropf, Leloir Institute Foundation, Buenos Aires, Argentina Gaute Einevoll, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, As, Norway German Mato, Bariloche Atomic Center, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina Horacio Rotstein, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA John Murray, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA Marcelo Reyes, Federal University of ABC, Sao Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil Mauricio Girardi-Schappo, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil Mauro Copelli, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil Renan Shimoura, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil Risto Ilmoniemi, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland Rodrigo Cofre, University of Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile Sacha van Albada, Juelich Research Center, Juelich, Germany Salvador Durá-Bernal, State University of New York, New York, NY, USA Volker Steuber, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK William Lytton, State University of New York, New York, NY, USA The number of students is limited to 20 and applications should be made electronically via the application form in the school's web page ( www.sisne.org/lascon) Applicants are also requested to submit a detailed CV (in English) and to provide two letters of recommendation. The application deadline is October 5, 2019 (until midnight, US Pacific time). There is no registration fee for the school. Costs for accommodation will be covered by the school organization. Travel costs have to be covered by the students. Sao Paulo is the major transportation hub in South America, so it is possible to fly from basically anywhere in the world to its airports. In the selection procedure, priority will be given to Latin-American students, but students from other parts of the world are encouraged to apply as well. LASCON 2020 is an activity of the FAPESP Center for Neuromathematics (NeuroMat - http://neuromat.numec.prp.usp.br/) I am looking forward to see you in Sao Paulo. Best regards, Antonio Roque LASCON Director -- Dr. Antonio C. Roque Professor Associado Departamento de Fisica FFCLRP, Universidade de Sao Paulo 14040-901 Ribeirao Preto-SP Brazil - Brasil E-mails: antonior(a)usp.br <antonior(a)ffclrp.usp.br> aroquesilva(a)gmail.com URL: www.sisne.org Tels: +55 16 3315-3768 <+55%2016%203315-3768> (sala/office); +55 16 3315-3859 <+55%2016%203315-3859> (lab) FAX: +55 16 3315-4887 <+55%2016%203315-4887>

Aug. 28, 2019

3 year Research Fellow in Bio-Inspired Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sussex

by Thomas Nowotny

Dear all, Research Fellow in Bio-Inspired Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sussex Are you a talented and ambitious computer scientist, computational neuroscientist or machine learner? Are you looking for an opportunity to use cutting edge technology to gain new understanding of how small-brained insects learn so rapidly and robustly, and in turn develop novel active AI algorithms that are inspired by these insights? We have an opportunity for a Research Fellow to join the Brains on Board<http://brainsonboard.co.uk/> team at the Department of Informatics at the University of Sussex to join a collaboration with the University of Sheffield and world-leading neuroscientists in Australia through the EPSRC-funded ActiveAI project: active learning and selective attention for rapid, robust and efficient AI. You will 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 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. This will be achieved through extended visits to Australia, in which you will interact with biologists and shape novel insect experiments that in turn will inspire computational and robotic models and novel algorithms. In this way, we will both advance neuroscience and enable ActiveAI solutions which will be efficient in final network configuration, robust to real-world conditions and learn rapidly. This project includes significant scope for you to creatively shape and drive the project to your interests and to organise the timing and length of your visits to Australia. You will work under the supervision of Professors Andrew Philippides, Thomas Nowotny and Paul Graham at Sussex as well as the wider Brains on Board team and, together with a partner research fellow at Sheffield University, you will lead a new collaboration with world-leading Australian research partners through extended secondments. Closing date: midnight UK BST, 23 September 2019. For full details see: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs/rf-artifical-intellience-robotics-2091 -- Prof Thomas Nowotny Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange School of Engineering and Informatics University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK Phone: +441273678593 FAX: +441273877873

Aug. 28, 2019

CFP NeurIPS2019 AI↔Neuro Workshop: Real Neurons & Hidden Units

by Jessica Thompson

Call for Papers: NeurIPS2019 Workshop Real Neurons & Hidden Units: Future directions at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence Workshop website: https://sites.google.com/mila.quebec/neuroaiworkshop <https://sites.google.com/mila.quebec/neuroaiworkshop/home> Submission deadline: September 6, 2019 Contact: neuroaiworkshop(a)gmail.com We invite contributions at the intersection of neuroscience and AI. In particular, we encourage work that identifies novel questions about the brain, which are informed by the recent successes of AI, and that establish key brain mechanisms that hold promise for further advancement of AI. Topical areas include but are not limited to: - study of recurrent dynamics, - inductive biases to guide learning, - global versus local learning rules, - interpretability of network activity, - connectivity structure. A strict requirement for admission is that the topic must be at the intersection of AI and Neuroscience, in that the work must leverage findings from one field to advance the other or address important questions common to both. Submissions must be within four pages. Accepted contributions will be invited to present posters. A select number will be also invited to present short talks. Invited speakers: Ila Fiete (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Surya Ganguli (Stanford University) Tim Lillicrap (DeepMind/University College London) Doina Precup (McGill University/DeepMind) Blake Richards (McGill University) Cristina Savin (New York University) David Sussillo (Google Brain/Stanford University) Please see the workshop website <https://sites.google.com/mila.quebec/neuroaiworkshop/home> for further details. We look forward to receiving your submission! On behalf of the organizers, Guillaume Lajoie (UdeM/Mila) Eli Shlizerman (UW) Maximilian Puelma Touzel (UdeM/Mila) Konrad Kording (UPenn) Jessica Thompson (UdeM/Mila) and Advisors, Adrienne Fairhall (UW) Yoshua Bengio (UdeM/Mila)

Aug. 28, 2019

Academic Fellowship positions Computational Neuroscience, Nottingham

by Mark van Rossum

Academic Fellowship positions Computational Neuroscience, Nottingham (extended deadline) The University of Nottingham is a research intensive university ranked in the top 10 in the UK and in the top 30 of Europe. It has a strong tradition in Cognition, Perception, Mathematical Biology, and Imaging. To support further development across these areas, and stimulate new research opportunities, the University has recently made a major investment in Computational Neuroscience. As part of this investment we are inviting applications for two independent fellowships. The positions are for 3 years, after which the fellows are expected to be competitive candidates for permanent positions at the University. The positions are ideal for researchers with some postdoctoral experience and a strong vision who are planning to develop their own research group in a supportive, interdisciplinary environment with outstanding research facilities. We are interested in candidates working across a broad spectrum of research topics areas in Computational Neuroscience, including functional neuroimaging, neural networks, and models of cognition. Research methodologies could include numerical simulation, machine learning, theoretical neuroscience, and innovative data analysis. The Fellows will be based in the School of Psychology and/or Mathematical Sciences. These positions were advertised earlier. After a number of requests for a later deadline, the application process is now briefly opened again until Sept 3rd. For the online application form see http://jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/SCI215819 Please include a research proposal in your application. For informal inquiries contact Mark van Rossum, mark.vanrossum(a)nottingham.ac.uk, +44-115-7486851 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 contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

Aug. 28, 2019

[Job][Postdoc]: 4yrs senior researcher position and Phd scholarship on Modelling beliefs dynamics of social media users with machine learning methodologies at University of Essex funded by VolkswagenStiftung (Volkswagen Foundation)

by Dimitri Ognibene

** Apologies for cross-postings ** Dear Colleagues, I would be very grateful if you could forward this job advert to anybody who could be interested. The highlight is on machine learning for user interaction modelling. Here are some information for the positions. ** Application deadline 1st of September** To apply https://vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?… <https://vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?…> https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BTV423/senior-research-officer-in-social-media-m… <https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BTV423/senior-research-officer-in-social-media-m…> A PhD scholarship on the same topics is also out with deadline on the 30th of August Check <http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/jobs>http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/ <http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/>jobs Kind regards, Dimitri *Postdoc and Phd Positions in: Modelling beliefs dynamics of social media users with machine learning methodologies at University of Essex funded by VolkswagenStiftung (Volkswagen Foundation)* Project: Courage Applications are invited for a 4 years position of Senior Postdoctoral Research Officer and a PhD shcolarship on ht project “COURAGE: A Social Media Companion Safeguarding and Educating Students”. This project is an international collaboration funded by VolkswagenStiftung (Volkswagen Foundation) as part of the Artificial Intelligence and the Society of the Future funding initiative. The project partners include the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), the Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche of the National Council of Research ITD-CNR (Italy), Hochschule Ruhr West (Germany) and the Rhine-Ruhr Institute for System Innovation (Germany). The project aims to develop a Virtual Social Media Companion that educates and supports teenage school students facing the threats of social media such as discrimination and biases as well as hate speech, bullying, fake news and other toxic content. The project involves a substantial experimentation aspect in collaboration with multiple schools around Europe. It will thus provide a unique chance to perform interventions to test the validity of social interaction theories and governance methods. The Essex team will drive two strands of this work, the machine-learning-based user beliefs dynamics modelling aspect and the process of analysing visual and textual content. More specifically, we aim at developing Bayesian computational models of beliefs dynamics of social media users to support governance and educational strategies. These models will also be applied to evaluate socially relevant variables, such as trust and inclusion. We will build on and implement state-of-the-art CV, NLP & AI methods to provide measurements of sentiment, bias, hatefulness, veracity, polarization, and sensationalism of social media content. In addition, we will drive forward the state of the art in detecting hate speech and biased content. The companion will actively counteract this kind of content, balancing it with opposite perspectives and proposing specifically themed challenges adopting ideas used in games. The successful candidate will be based in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at Colchester Campus of The University of Essex. The post is available for four years with a start date from September 2019. To apply: https://vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?… <https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jobs.ac.uk%2Fjob%2FBSW396%2F…> For more information: https://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/jobs?authuser=0 <https://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/jobs?authuser=0> Applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Dimitri Ognibene <mailto:dimitri.ognibene@essex.ac.uk> (dimitri.ognibene(a)essex.ac.uk <mailto:dimitri.ognibene@essex.ac.uk>) for informal enquiries and further information on research objectives. -- Dimitri Ognibene, PhD Lecturer in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence 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

Aug. 27, 2019

post-doctoral position in computational neuroscience at Duke University

by Nicolas Brunel

A post-doctoral position is available in the group of Nicolas Brunel in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University (Durham, NC, USA), to work on theoretical models of learning in the cerebellum. The position is funded by a Brain Initiative NIH grant to a collaboration between Steve Lisberger (Duke), Court Hull (Duke), Javier Medina (Baylor), and Nicolas Brunel, whose goal is to infer learning rules used by the cerebellum using electrophysiological and imaging data of multiple cell types recorded in different animals and different motor tasks. Applicants should have a strong background in computational neuroscience, physics and/or applied mathematics. Prior experience with computational neuroscience is a plus, but it is not required. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. The ideal starting date is before the end of 2019. To apply, send a letter with a CV to nicolas.brunel(a)duke.edu, and ask three people send letters of recommendation to the same address. For more information about the lab, see https://www.neuro.duke.edu/research/faculty-labs/brunel-lab For more information about the position, and a link to apply, see https://careers.duke.edu/job/Durham-POSTDOCTORAL-ASSOCIATE-NEUROBIOLOGY-NC-…

Aug. 27, 2019