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

PhD position - Inverse Reinforcement Learning
by Constantin Rothkopf 21 Aug '19

21 Aug '19

The Centre for Cognitive Science at Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Germany invites applications for a Ph.D. Position in Inverse Reinforcement Learning initially limited to a period of three years. Research area The Ph.D. student is expected to work in the domain of inverse reinforcement learning with the particular focus of elucidating human decision making and collective human decision making in the wild, i.e. under real world conditions. The research project is a joint venture between the Bioinspired Communication Lab and the Psychology of Information Processing Lab, both members of the Centre of Cognitive Science at TU Darmstadt. Accordingly, the student will be advised by Prof. Heinz Koeppl, Department of Electrical Engineering and Prof. Constantin Rothkopf, Institute of Psychology. Work will involve methodological research in machine learning, design of dedicated human behavioral experiments, and the analysis and further processing of gathered data. What we offer We offer a unique interdisciplinary environment to perform cutting-edge research at one of Germany’s leading universities in the domain of computer science and engineering. The student will be embedded in the ongoing research activities within the Centre for Cognitive Science and will hence have the opportunity to interact with many other cognitive science researchers. The conducted research is expected to culminate in a Ph.D. degree. We offer comprehensive support for dissemination of results through leading scientific journals and through participation in leading international conferences and workshops. Your profile Candidates should have a M.Sc. degree in one of the following fields: computer science, physics, mathematics, engineering, or cognitive science. Candidates are required to have a sincere interest in interdisciplinary research at the crossroad of psychology and computer science. Application We look forward to receiving your application, consisting of a cover letter in which you lay out your interest in the indicated research area, curriculum vitae, copies of certificates and contact details of at least two academic references. Please send your application package as a single PDF file to application(a)bcs.tu-darmstadt.de. Code No. 487. The position is initially advertised till September 9th 2019, but later applications will be considered until the position is filled. -- Constantin A. Rothkopf, PhD http://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/ http://www.cogsci.tu-darmstadt.de/ http://www.ai-da.tu-darmstadt.de/

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Biomax offers PhD position within EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Project TranSYS
by Markus Butz-Ostendorf 21 Aug '19

21 Aug '19

*Post-graduate position/fellow-ship at Biomax Informatics AG, Munich, Germany* TranSYS, is an European Training Network for post-graduate (PhD) studies which will recruit 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the new area of Systems Health to develop tools and approaches to exploit large and complex datasets and advance Precision (Personalised) Medicine in several disease areas. One position (ESR 11) is available at Biomax in close collaboration with the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich for the identification of biological subtypes related to treatment resistant depression. Eligibility : TranSYS wishes to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background. Recruitment targets ESR backgrounds in 1) Lifesciences; 2) Engineering sciences and (3) Maths and Computational Modelling. We expect that applicants hold a university degree that qualifies them for doctoral studies at their recruiting organization. Applications at: https://lnkd.in/e-xuQkB Don't hesitate to contact me with further questions. Kind regards, Markus -- Dr. rer. nat. Markus Butz-Ostendorf Innovation Manager Brain Science Senior Product Manager Biomax Informatics AG Robert-Koch-Str. 2, 82152 Planegg, Germany Registergericht: Amtsgericht München, HRB 134442 Vorstand: Dr. Klaus Heumann Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrates: Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Mewes Tel: +49 89 895574-862 Fax: +49 89 895574-825 Email: markus.butz-ostendorf(a)biomax.com Website: http://www.biomax.com PGP: https://ssl.biomax.de/pgp/

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Faculty positions at University of Miami
by Odelia Schwartz 21 Aug '19

21 Aug '19

The Department of Computer Science at University of Miami has openings for faculty positions in the broad areas of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, including Computational Neuroscience and Computational Cognitive Science (see ad below). Odelia --------- Link for ad and application: https://umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMFaculty/job/Coral-Gables-FL/Fa… The University of Miami (UM) is considered among the top tier institutions of higher education in the U.S. for its academic excellence, superior medical care, and cutting-edge research. At the U, we are committed to attracting a talented workforce to support our common purpose of transforming lives through teaching, research, and service. Through our values of Diversity, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence, Compassion, Creativity and Teamwork (DIRECCT) we strive to create an environment where everyone contributes in making UM a great place to work. We are one of the largest private employers in Miami-Dade County; home to more than 13,400 faculty and staff from all over the world. The Department of Computer Science at the University of Miami invites applications for various level Professor positions. Candidates must possess a PhD in Computer Science or a closely related discipline. These positions require teaching and research expertise in Artificial Intelligence/Data Science, including areas such as Data Extraction, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Cognitive Intelligence, and Intelligent Actuators. Faculty are expected to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and to develop and maintain an internationally recognized research program. The department encourages innovative interdisciplinary work with other units in the university. Applicants should submit five PDF documents: 1. A cover letter, including the names and contact information for at least three references. 2. Curriculum vitae. 3. Research plan. 4. Teaching philosophy, with results of all teaching evaluations from the last two years. 5. Up to three representative papers (concatenated into a single PDF). Submissions must be made online at https://umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UMFaculty. Review of applications will begin on 1st September 2019, and will continue until the positions are filled. Enquiries may be directed to search(a)cs.miami.edu. The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

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Postdoc positions available at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
by Wey, Hsiao-Ying 16 Aug '19

16 Aug '19

Research Fellow in Simultaneous PET/MR Neuroimaging Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Position We are seeking TWO postdoctoral fellows to join our team to pursue research in simultaneous PET/MR imaging in neuroscience applications. The area of research will be developing and applying novel PET/MRI methods to investigate (1) in vivo neuroreceptor dynamics and function and (2) the impacts of neurovascular function on PET radiotracer kinetics. Our research programs are highly translational spanning from animal models, first-in-human studies, to clinical applications. The appointment as a Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School research fellow will be for 2 years with possibility for extension based on performance and the availability of funding. The positions are available immediately. The successful candidate will be a highly motivated researcher with a desire to begin an independent career related to or involving neuroimaging. The position requires a Ph.D. degree in Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Neuroscience or a related field. However, we will consider candidates of any scientific background. This position requires experience in the acquisition and analysis of functional MRI and/or PET data. Extremely strong candidates with neuroscience backgrounds and minimal imaging experience are still encouraged to apply. Strong written and oral English communication skills are required. Additional Skills/Abilities/Competencies The job requires a candidate who is mature, responsible and flexible with excellent organizational and people skills. S/He must be able to work with in a fast-paced environment and should be able to problem-solve/troubleshoot, juggle and prioritize multiple tasks and seek assistance when appropriate. Application Interested applicants should send a cover letter describing research interests and experience, an updated CV, and names and contact information of three references to: Hsiao-Ying (Monica) Wey, Ph.D. (E-mail: hsiaoying.wey(a)mgh.harvard.edu). Please contain “Research Fellow Application: Your Name” in the e-mail subject line. The Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. Best, Hsiao-Ying (Monica) ------ Hsiao-Ying (Monica) Wey, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Institute for Innovation in Imaging (i3) Massachusetts General Hospital 149 Thirteenth Street, Room 10.110 Charlestown, MA 02129 Phone: (617) 724-1384 Email: hsiaoying.wey(a)mgh.harvard.edu The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Partners Compliance HelpLine at http://www.partners.org/complianceline . If the e-mail was sent to you in error but does not contain patient information, please contact the sender and properly dispose of the e-mail.

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Postdoc at Bristol
by Cian O'Donnell 15 Aug '19

15 Aug '19

A postdoctoral position is available in the group of Cian O'Donnell at University of Bristol, UK (https://seis.bristol.ac.uk/~co15268). You would work on understanding learning and memory using computational/mathematical modelling of synaptic plasticity, bringing in ideas from the fields of systems biology and machine learning/statistics. Local collaborators on the project will be Nick Whiteley (Mathematics; https://sites.google.com/view/nickwhiteley/) and Tom Gorochowski (Life Sciences; https://biocomputelab.github.io). You would also be joining our lively Bristol Computational Neuroscience Unit: https://bristolcnu.github.io The position is funded for up to three years by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust titled "Generalisable neural learning using noisy synapses". Ideal starting date would be Nov/Dec 2019. Application deadline is 5th Sept 2019, please apply online here: https://bit.ly/2L0LSEr Please contact me directly for informal enquiries: cian.odonnell(a)bristol.ac.uk

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Postdoctoral Position in Neuroimaging at Columbia University
by Ramphal, Bruce (NYSPI) 14 Aug '19

14 Aug '19

T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship Available at Columbia University We are currently seeking applicants with EEG or MRI experience for a postdoctoral position in our Interdisciplinary Training in Life Course Environmental Epidemiology T32 program administered by the Department of Epidemiology. Continued funding will be available contingent on candidate making acceptable progress. Candidate should have an interest in using neuroimaging to study the effects of environmental exposures on brain structure, function, and neurodevelopment (https://www.ebblab.com). The candidate will work with investigators in the departments of psychiatry - division of child and adolescent psychiatry, environmental health sciences and epidemiology, and the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH, https://ccceh.org). The position is intended to foster a research career fusing interests in brain development and adverse environmental exposures. Possible areas of study include but are not limited to: effects of early life stress (ELS) on the neural correlates of language and bilingualism, effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke or nicotine on infant brain development and attention function, or associations between environmental exposures, mother-infant interactions, and child neurodevelopmental outcomes. The position is open now for one year of funding through 6/2020, with the possibility for continued funding with adequate progress. Please contact Dr. Amy Margolis for more information, and send CV and brief letter of interest to amy.margolis(a)nyspi.columbia.edu.

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Project Manager opening @ the Max Planck Institute (Frankfurt, Germany)
by Lucia Melloni 14 Aug '19

14 Aug '19

Dear all, Please help us spread the word and to reach out to potential candidates! We have an opening for a Project Manager position in my group at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. The prospective candidate will be in charge of managing a very exciting large-scale international collaboration involving 11 institutions across Europe, the US and China running an adversarial collaboration project aimed at understanding the neural foundations of consciousness. This is an ideal opportunity for someone willing to take challenges, with a keen interest in organisational and managerial aspects of science and who wants to gain insight into large scale projects including handling of subcontracts. Prior experience in an academic research institution is a big plus.This is a full-time position for 3 years with a possibility for extension. More information on the job requirements and the position can be found here: https://www.aesthetics.mpg.de/institut/jobs/project-manager-research-group-… <https://www.aesthetics.mpg.de/institut/jobs/project-manager-research-group-…> For enquiries concerning this job opportunity please contact Dr. Lucia Melloni: lucia.melloni(a)ae.mpg.de <mailto:lucia.melloni@ae.mpg.de>. Please submit your application - preferably online in a single pdf - including a CV and a cover letter describing your background, experience and motivation as well as the names of two references, who have previously agreed to be contacted, no later than September 6, 2019 to: job(a)ae.mpg.de <mailto:job@ae.mpg.de> Looking forward to the applications! Best wishes, Lucia Melloni

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Call for Papers: NeurIPS2019 Workshop on Biological and Artificial Reinforcement Learning
by Sara Zannone 13 Aug '19

13 Aug '19

Call for Papers NeurIPS2019 Workshop Biological and Artificial Reinforcement Learning Workshop website: https://sites.google.com/view/biologicalandartificialrl Submission deadline: September 7, 11:59 PM Pacific Time, 2019 Contact: BiologicalArtificialRL(a)gmail.com We invite you to submit papers (up to 5 pages, excluding references and appendix) in the NeurIPS 2019 format. The focus of the work should relate to biological and/or artificial reinforcement learning. Potential topics include but are not limited to: - Benchmark tasks that can compare/contrast capabilities of artificial vs biological agents - Hierarchical RL/ skill learning - Inductive biases and priors - Representations for RL - Model-based/ Model-free learning - Lifelong learning - Intrinsic motivation/ learning in absence of extrinsic rewards - Role of memory in learning In line with the guidelines defined by the NeurIPS organising committee, we can only accept original work that is not published in the main NeurIPS conference. However, we welcome published work from other non-machine learning focused venues, particularly work that has previously appeared in Neuroscience or Cognitive Science venues such as Cosyne, RLDM, CogSci and CCN. Submission link: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/NeurIPSWSBARL2019/ For any enquiries please reach out to us at BiologicalArtificalRL(a)gmail.com . On behalf of the organizers, Raymond Chua, Feryal Behbahani, Sara Zannone, Rui Ponte Costa, Claudia Clopath, Blake Richards, Doina Precup

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Luminous Workshop on Consciousness - University of Oxford - Call for Abstracts
by Aureli Soria Frisch 08 Aug '19

08 Aug '19

————————————————— Luminous Workshop on Consciousness ————————————————— Dear Group members, If you are interested in research about the mind, and particularly on consciousness and how to measure and alter it, please read further. In the framework of the Luminous Project (http://www.luminous-project.eu/ <http://www.luminous-project.eu/>), a workshop will take place in November at the University of Oxford, around the following axes: consciousness, its measurement and modification, computational modelling of consciousness, and the related ethical issues and dilemmas arising from these matters. Book 21st November in your agenda now. To read more, find here the main page of the event with additional details: http://www.luminous-project.eu/index.php/workshop-studying-measuring-and-al… <http://www.luminous-project.eu/index.php/workshop-studying-measuring-and-al…> A Call for Abstracts has been issued requesting for contributions, see the specific information at: http://www.luminous-project.eu/index.php/call-for-abstracts-workshop-studyi… <http://www.luminous-project.eu/index.php/call-for-abstracts-workshop-studyi…> Note also that the day before the workshop itself, an open public lecture on these same subjects will take place in the evening (registration details for this lecture are to be provided as they become available). Hoping to see you in Oxford, we send you in the meantime our kindest greetings, Organising Committee: Katie Warnaby & Jostein Holmgren, University of Oxford; Aureli Soria-Frisch & Eleni Kroupi, Starlab; Julia Moser & Hubert Preissl, University of Tubingen ________________________________________ Aureli Soria-Frisch (Dr.-Ing.) Director of Neuroscience Starlab Consulting Division Barcelona Offices: Av. Tibidabo, 47 bis - 08035 Barcelona - Spain tel. +34 93 254 03 70, +34 93 254 03 66, Ext -02 skype aureli.soria-frisch twitter @aurelisofr linkedin es.linkedin.com/pub/aurelisoriafrisch <http://es.linkedin.com/pub/aureli-soria-frisch/6/b93/294/>________________________________________ Starlab, Living Science http://starlab.es <http://starlab.es/> Click here <http://www.starlab.es/email_confidentiality_and_data_protection_policy> to read our e-mail confidentiality and data protection policy

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call for papers: NeurIPS 2019 Workshop on ‘Context and Compositionality in biological and artificial neural systems’
by Alexander Huth 07 Aug '19

07 Aug '19

(Apologies for cross-post) NeurIPS 2019 - Workshop on ‘Context and Compositionality in biological and artificial neural systems’ Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver CANADA Fri Dec 13th or Sat Dec 14th https://context-composition.github.io <https://context-composition.github.io/> Workshop abstract: The ability to integrate semantic information across narratives is fundamental to language understanding in both biological and artificial cognitive systems. There have been enormous strides in NLP and Machine Learning to develop architectures and techniques that effectively capture these effects. We have moved away from traditional bag-of-words approaches that ignore temporal ordering to RNNs, Temporal CNNs and Transformers that incorporate contextual information at varying timescales. While these architectures have lead to SoTA performance on many difficult language understanding tasks, it is unclear what representations these networks learn and how exactly they incorporate context. Interpreting these networks, systematically analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of different elements, such as gating or attention, and reflecting on the capacity of the networks across various timescales are open and important questions. On the biological side, recent work in neuroscience suggests that areas in the brain are organized into a temporal hierarchy in which different areas are not only sensitive to specific semantic information but also to the composition of information at different timescales. Computational neuroscience has moved in the direction of leveraging deep learning to gain insights about the brain. By answering questions on the underlying mechanisms and representational interpretability of these artificial networks, we can also expand our understanding of temporal hierarchies, memory and capacity effects in the brain. In this workshop we aim to bring together researchers from machine learning, NLP, and neuroscience to explore and discuss how computational models should effectively capture the multi-timescale, context-dependent effects that seem essential for processes such as language understanding. We believe that this will not only lead to a deeper understanding of biological language systems but also better artificial systems that can leverage these insights and understand language better. Call For Papers Paper submission deadline: Mon September 9th, 2019 22:00 PM UTC Decision Notification: Sun September 29th, 2019 22:00 PM UTC Submit at: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/CNTXTCOMP2019/ <https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/CNTXTCOMP2019/> The site will start accepting submissions on August 7th. We invite paper submissions on the following topics, or any related or relevant work: • Contextual sequence processing in the human brain • Compositional representations in the human brain • Systematic generalization in deep learning • Compositionality in human intelligence • Compositionality in natural language • Understanding composition and temporal processing in neural network models • New approaches to compositionality and temporal processing in language • Hierarchical representations of temporal information • Datasets for contextual sequence processing • Applications of compositional neural networks to real-world problems Formatting Instructions: All submissions must be in PDF format. Submissions are limited to four content pages, including all figures and tables; additional pages containing only references are allowed. You must format your submission using the NeurIPS 2019 LaTeX style file. Submissions that violate the NeurIPS style (e.g., by decreasing margins or font sizes) or page limits may be rejected without further review. All submissions should be anonymous. Accepted papers will be presented during a poster session, with spotlight oral presentations for exceptional submissions. The accepted papers will be made publicly available as non-archival reports, allowing future submissions to archival conferences or journals. The review process is double-blind. We also welcome published papers that are within the scope of the workshop (without re-formatting, if the paper is already 4 pages or shorter). Already-published papers do not need to be anonymous. They are eligible for poster sessions and will only have a very light review process. Please redirect questions and all future correspondence to shaileejain(a)utexas.edu <mailto:shaileejain@utexas.edu>. Workshop Organizing Committee Javier Turek, Alexander Huth, Shailee Jain, Christopher Honey, Tal Linzen, Leila Wehbe, Emma Strubell, Kyunghyun Cho and Alan Yuille -- ALEXANDER G. HUTH, PhD | Assistant Professor The University of Texas at Austin Departments of Computer Science & Neuroscience

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