July 2020 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

NEURAL COMPUTATION - February 1, 2020
by Terry Sejnowski Oct. 2, 2020

Oct. 2, 2020

Neural Computation - Volume 32, Number 2 - February 1, 2020 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/32/2 http://cognet.mit.edu/content/neural-computation ----- Article Face Representations via Tensorfaces of Various Complexities Sidney Lehky, Anh-Huy Phan, Andrzej Cichocki, and Keiji Tanaka Letters Transition Scale-spaces: A Computational Theory for the Discretized Entorhinal Cortex Nicolai Waniek From Synaptic Interactions to Collective Dynamics in Random Neuronal Networks Models: Critical Role of Eigenvectors and Transient Behavior Ewa Gudowska-Nowak, Maciej A Nowak, Dante Chialvo, Jeremi K Ochab, and Wojciech Mateusz Tarnowskic Synaptic Scaling Improves the Stability of Neural Mass Models Capable of Simulating Brain Plasticity Jure Demsar, Rob Forsyth Scaled Coupled Norms and Coupled Higher Order Tensor Completion Kishan wimalawarne, Makoto Yamada, and Hiroshi Mamitsuka Improving Generalization via Attribute Selection on Out-of-the-box Data Xiaofeng Xu, Ivor W. Tsang, and Chuancai Liu ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp MIT Press Journals, One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1209 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-cs(a)mit.edu ------------

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postdocs with Peter Dayan in Tübingen
by Peter Dayan Sept. 28, 2020

Sept. 28, 2020

Postdoc(s) in Neural Reinforcement Learning / Computational Psychiatry (m/f/d) 100% Peter Dayan is looking to hire one or more postdocs (100%) to work in the areas of neural reinforcement learning, computational neuromodulation, and computational psychiatry. These positions will start in the Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, as part of an Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship award. There are also targeted positions on the computational anatomy of cortico-striatal connections (funded by a collaborative NIH grant with Professor Suzanne Haber) and with the International Brain Lab (a large collaboration with 20 other investigators, funded by the Simons Foundation). Peter Dayan has an affiliation with the University of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and collaboration is expected. The salary will be paid in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector (salary at E13 TV-L, commensurate to experience and qualifications). The positions are available immediately, and are initially limited to two years (with the possibility of extension). Please direct scientific inquiries to dayan(a)tue.mpg.de and administrative inquiries to susan.fischer(a)tue.mpg.de. Responsibilities include: • Planning and carrying out research projects, for instance building theories and computational models of data from human and animal experiments, conducting experiments, analysing behavioural and neural data, writing and editing scientific papers/reports. • Helping to mentor and supervise student projects. • Participating in scientific conferences. • Helping to organize and conduct collaborations in Tübingen as well as nationally and internationally • Helping with building and running an effective academic lab environment at the intersection between the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and the science and medical faculties at the University of Tübingen. The successful candidate(s) should have a PhD in computational neuroscience or related fields. Proficiency in a high level mathematical or statistically-oriented programming language such as python, R, Julia or matlab, and intimate familiarity with advanced data analysis are essential. The candidate(s) should be able to work independently and troubleshoot and should show good capacity and value for teamwork and communication skills. The University of Tübingen is one of the Excellence Universities in Germany. It is home to a vibrant research community, with very strong research activity in Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology / Psychiatry as well as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We offer an open research culture, where original thinking and academic merit are encouraged and nurtured, and encourage applications from all nationalities, backgrounds, and genders. The University of Tübingen is dedicated to increase the percentage of female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications should include a CV, a list of publications, summaries of scientific achievements and research plans, the position for which the application is intended, and the names and contact details of three referees. Applications should be sent in a single PDF to: susan.fischer(a)tue.mpg.de Applications arriving before June 30th 2020 will receive full consideration.

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PhD position: Machine learning to record and enhance sleep and lucid dreaming
by Martin Dresler Sept. 3, 2020

Sept. 3, 2020

Hi, Arenar B.V. and the Donders Institute offer a joint PhD position combining data science/AI and wearable EEG technology with sleep/dream research. In this project, the wearable sleep EEG headband iBand+ will be further developed and applied in several experimental studies. First, we will develop automatic sleep stage detection algorithms using machine learning strategies. We will then implement closed-loop acoustic stimulation procedures to enhance sleep slow oscillations to improve deep sleep. We will further develop combined acoustic and visual stimulation procedures which will allow to enhance self-awareness during sleep (i.e. lucid dreaming) and subsequent mood in the morning. The validity and efficacy of these procedures will be tested experimentally in large longitudinal studies in naturalistic home-based settings. The successful candidate will be centrally involved in the development, will lead different research projects within this general framework; will be closely involved in daily supervision of MSc students assisting the project; and will participate in the vibrant Donders Graduate School. Job details • 4 years at Donders, extension to permanent position at Arenar possible • Deadline: 31 August 2019 • Starting date: October/November, but somewhat flexible • Salary: starting with € 40000 gross per year Candidate profile • MSc-level background in Data Science, ML, AI, computer sciences, or adjacent field; • Proficiency in Python, C, C++, statistics • Interest in sleep, lucid dreaming, meditation • The capacity to participate in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, international research environment; • Fluency in written and spoken English. Candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless strongly encouraged to apply! Organization The PhD project is a collaboration between Arenar B.V. and the Donders Institute. Arenar B.V. is a Dutch technology start-up based in Nijmegen, founded in 2016 by a team of engineers/developers with a combined technical industry experience exceeding 40 years working at leading technology companies such as NXP, Philips, Texas Instruments. Work in Arenar’s small enthusiastic team offers plenty of flexibility, responsibility and lots of influence on the product development. In particular, Arenar develops the iBand+ ( http://www.ibandplus.com) and many more upcoming innovative products. The project is embedded in the infrastructure of the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, providing a unique and stimulating learning environment for young researchers, including a high-profile graduate school and in-house methodological expert courses. Sleep research is a vibrant and rapidly growing field at the Donders Institute, with several new research groups in human and animal sleep research. The project is further embedded in the Radboud University Medical Center. Radboud UMC strives to be a leading developer of sustainable, innovative and affordable healthcare to improve the health and wellbeing of people and society in the Netherlands and beyond. Application Please apply with a brief motivation letter explaining your interest and qualifications regarding the position, your prior research/work experience, a CV, and contact information of two professional references: https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/vacancies/70061-phd-candidate-machine-learning… For specific questions about this position, please contact martin.dresler(a)donders.ru.nl Cheers, Martin -- Donders Sleep & Memory Lab, Radboud University Medical Center Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, Netherlands https://dreslerlab.org

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DeepMath 2020: call for abstracts
by Kamesh Krishnamurthy July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020

Dear all, We are now accepting abstract submissions to the 2020 Conference on the mathematical theory of deep neural networks (DeepMath). DeepMath is a highly interdisciplinary conference focused on understand fundamental theory driving the empirical success of Deep Learning. We are excited for this year's diverse set of invited speakers (see https://deepmath-conference.com for more information) and invite additional contributions from the community. Due to ongoing concerns about Covid-19, this year’s DeepMath conference will be conducted virtually. We are presently working on finalizing an online format that will seek to capture the small, community-focused experience of past DeepMath events. Important updates related to submission and registration are included below: == Submissions == We are still accepting submissions for virtual “posters” consisting of a pre-recorded talk and Q&A session. Similarly to last year, a selected number of top posters will be invited to present their work live as contributed talks. == Registration == Participation in the conference will require registration costing a nominal fee. We are working to keep costs as low as we can given the online nature of the event. As with last year, all talks will be live-streamed for free. More information on submissions can be found at the DeepMath website at https://deepmath-conference.com/submissions Warmest regards, The DeepMath Organizing Committee

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Postdoctoral position to study the neural circuit of social behavior
by Hong, Weizhe July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020

The Hong Lab at UCLA (hong-lab.com) is looking for a new postdoc to study the neural circuit of social behavior in mice. We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in systems and/or computational neuroscience. Social interactions between individuals and among groups are a hallmark of human society as we know it and are critical to the physical and mental health of a wide variety of species including humans. Impairment of social function is a prominent feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Nonetheless, many fundamental questions regarding the neural mechanisms underlying social behavior remain unanswered. The central goal of Weizhe Hong’s laboratory is to study general principles of how social behavior is regulated in the brain. We take a multi-disciplinary approach and uses a variety of experimental and computational technologies across molecular, circuit, and behavioral levels. We are interested in how neural dynamics regulates social behavioral decisions within a single brain as well as how emergent inter-brain neural properties arise from social interactions between individuals. For more information, please visit hong-lab.com. Recent publications: 1. Kingsbury L, Hong W. (2020) A multi-brain framework for social interaction. Trends in Neurosciences. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.06.008. (Review) 2. Kingsbury L, Huang S, Raam T, Ye LS, Wei D, Hu R, Ye L, Hong W. (2020) Cortical representations of conspecific sex shape social behavior. Neuron. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.020. 3. Chen PB, Hu RK, Wu YE, Pan L, Huang S, Micevych PE, Hong W. (2019) Sexually dimorphic control of parenting behavior by the medial amygdala. Cell. 176, 1206-1221. 4. Kingsbury L, Huang S, Wang J, Gu K, Golshani P, Wu YE, Hong W. (2019) Correlated neural activity and encoding of behavior across brains of socially interacting animals. Cell. 178, 429-446. 5. Chen P, Hong W. (2018) Neural circuit mechanisms of social behavior. Neuron. 98, 16-30. (Review) 6. Wu YE, Pan L, Zuo Y, Li X, Hong W. (2017) Detecting activated cell populations using single-cell RNA-seq. Neuron. 96, 313-329. -- Weizhe Hong, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biological Chemistry Department of Neurobiology David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles Graduate Program Affiliations: Neuroscience PhD Program at UCLA Bioengineering PhD Program at UCLA Bioinformatics PhD Program at UCLA Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology PhD Program at UCLA ________________________________ UCLA HEALTH SCIENCES IMPORTANT WARNING: This email (and any attachments) is only intended for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. You, the recipient, are obligated to maintain it in a safe, secure and confidential manner. Unauthorized redisclosure or failure to maintain confidentiality may subject you to federal and state penalties. If you are not the intended recipient, please immediately notify us by return email, and delete this message from your computer.

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Online tutorial on Brian simulator: Aug 7th, 2-6pm BST
by Dan Goodman July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020

The Brian team will be running an online tutorial for Brian on August 7th, 2-6pm BST (=UTC+1). Please do come along or get your students/postdocs to come along. Registration is required but free (to prevent zoombombing), at the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brian-online-tutorial-tickets-115336320038 You'll get an email with a link to an 'event details' page with the Zoom URL. Please don't share this online to help prevent zoombombing. This is an experiment for us, if it's successful we might turn it into a regular thing. For the moment, the content of the tutorial is not decided. Have your say here: https://twitter.com/neuralreckoning/status/1288768229591207938 And, if you're an experienced Brian user and would like to volunteer to help - get in touch! Thanks, Dan

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PhD position in network neuroscience at University of Sussex
by Luc Berthouze July 29, 2020

July 29, 2020

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to undertake research in network neuroscience at the University of Sussex. A number of conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease, are referred to as ‘oscillopathies’ because there is evidence that some of their major symptoms are underpinned by pathological synchronisation of neurons in key networks. A promising form of treatment is that of online control of deep brain stimulation based on computational processing of brain signals. Therefore, new mathematical insights about how to detect and efficiently disrupt pathological processes can be rapidly translated to patient benefit. Using models of oscillations on networks, this project will seek to investigate the conditions (either on the oscillators themselves, or the connectivity, or factors that may frustrate the interplay between dynamics on and dynamics of the network) under which pathological oscillations in one small area of the brain can intermittently or otherwise ‘infect’ the wider network of the brain causing the pathological symptoms. This project will involve an active collaboration with Dr Simon Farmer at University College London (UCL). This 3-year studentship includes student fees and a tax-free stipend starting at £15,285 per annum. It also comes with a generous Research Training Support Grant. Start date is flexible. Eligibility All nationalities are eligible to apply for this studentship. You should have a first-class honour degree or equivalent, or an MSc degree (preferably), in Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics (or relevant disciplines). You will have (and enjoy using) strong analytical skills as well as excellent programming skills in at least one of C++, Python, Matlab. Applicants interested in the post, seeking further information or feedback on their suitability are encouraged to contact me. All applications must be made via http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply where you will find details of entry requirements. Please clearly state on your application form that you are applying for 'Dynamics on/of networks and oscillopathies'. Luc Berthouze Professor of Complex Systems University of Sussex

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2020 Big Data Neuroscience *free* Workshop Invitation
by Franco Pestilli July 29, 2020

July 29, 2020

Dear All. We are organizing the 2020 Big Data Neuroscience workshop as an online event. It will be a 1-day event with 4 keynote speakers, software demos, and a series of lightning talks. http://neurosciencenetwork.org/ACNN_Workshop_2020.html We would like to invite you to register for the FREE event and consider signing up for a lighting talk. You are welcome to share this announcement broadly. Best regards, Franco *FRANCO PESTILLI*, *Ph.D.* | *Associate Professor* he/him | pestilli(a)utexas.edu | web <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/fp4834> | github <https://github.com/francopestilli> | brainlife.io

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postdoc position in model-based fMRI at Harvard (Gershman/Buckner labs)
by Sam Gershman July 29, 2020

July 29, 2020

The Gershman (gershmanlab.webfactional.com) and Buckner ( https://cnl.rc.fas.harvard.edu/) labs at Harvard University are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to work on a longitudinal functional MRI project. The aim of this project is to understand how computationally defined phenotypes change across time, and how these changes map onto dynamic functional networks in the human brain. Candidates must have a strong background in fMRI research and statistical analysis. Experience with computational cognitive modeling is preferred but not required. The start date for this position is on or around February 1, 2021, but this can be flexibly adjusted as needed. The position is fully funded for 2 years, with a possible extension to a 3rd year contingent on funding. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law. Interested applicants should contact Sam Gershman (gershman(a)fas.harvard.edu) along with a CV and list of references.

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Tenure-track / tenure-eligible computational neuroscience PI position at NIMH
by Atlas, Lauren (NIH/NCCIH) [E] July 28, 2020

July 28, 2020

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/careers/job-vacancy-announcement-tenure-trac… Job Vacancy Announcement - Tenure-Track/Tenure Eligible Investigator, Computational Neuroscientist Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Institute of Mental Health Division of Intramural Research Programs Tenure-Track/Tenure Eligible Investigator Computational Neuroscientist The Division of Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites outstanding individuals to apply for a tenure-track/tenure eligible position in computational neuroscience. The NIMH DIRP has one of the largest systems and clinical neuroscience research communities in the world. Research groups work across species including drosophila, mice, rats, monkeys and humans. Facilities include a state-of-the-art high-performance computing facility as well as a rodent behavior core and high-field neuroimaging. The DIRP is a highly interactive research environment, and there are numerous opportunities for collaborative research within NIMH as well as with the broader NIH community. The successful individual will create and direct an independent research program on theoretical models of brain mechanisms of behavior. Example areas of research include but are not limited to -- reinforcement learning; decision making; theoretical accounts of neuromodulatory systems including dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine; nonlinear dynamical systems; and neural plasticity and learning. We are particularly interested in individuals who have a demonstrated interest in computational psychiatry, developing models of human psychopathology, and collaborations with clinical groups focused on mental illness within the DIRP and broader research community. Research programs should focus on theory development but may also include experimental work that tests theoretical models. The unique investigator-based DIRP research support package encourages the development of a coherent, long time-horizon scientific program focused on generating deep insights into complex problems. Candidates must have earned a Ph.D. or M.D. and will have demonstrated experience as an outstanding independent investigator. An individual selected for the position is expected to build a dynamic and productive research laboratory, mentor and train scientists, and make use of the excellent opportunities for collaborative, translational, and high-risk/high-reward science available at the NIH. Laboratory space and startup funds, access to shared research facilities, and on-going research support are competitive with premier academic institutions. Salary is commensurate with experience and accomplishments and a full Civil Service package of benefits (including retirement, health, life and long-term care insurance, and a Thrift Savings Plan) is available. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae (CV), bibliography, statement of research interests, and three letters of reference to: Susan G. Amara, Ph.D., National Institute of Mental Health, c/o Jane Schriver via email to Jane.Schriver(a)nih.gov<mailto:Jane.Schriver@nih.gov>, indicating “ Computational Neuroscientist Recruit” in the subject line. Please include in your CV a description of your mentoring and outreach activities, especially those involving women and persons from racial/ethnic or other groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research. Applications will begin to be reviewed in August 2020 and continue until the position is filled.

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