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

Applications for prestigious La Caixa Junior Leader Fellowships

by Serafim Rodrigues

To experienced postdocs, We are looking for candidates who have an interest in being hosted within our research group Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Neuroscience (MCEN) at BCAM (Basque Centre for Applied Mathematics): http://www.bcamath.org/en/ The La Caixa Foundation has announced 45 very competitive Junior Leader Fellowships.The Postdoctoral Junior Leader fellowships programme is aimed at hiring excellent researchers, of any nationality, who wish to continue their research career in Spain or Portugal in the STEM area (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The objectives of this programme are to foster high-quality, innovative research in Spain and Portugal and to support the best scientific talent by providing them with an attractive, competitive environment in which to conduct excellent research. The fellows can carry their research at any university or research centre in Spain or Portugal. For details please refer to the links below: https://fundacionlacaixa.org/en/investigacion-y-becas/becas-de-la-caixa/pos… Programme Rules: https://fundacionlacaixa.org/documents/10280/675659/programme-rules-junior-… If you are interested, please contact: srodrigues(a)bcamath.org regards Serafim -- Serafim Rodrigues Group Leader *BCAM - *Basque Center for Applied Mathematics Alameda de Mazarredo, 14 E-48009 Bilbao, Basque Country - Spain Tel. +34 946 567 842 srodrigues(a)bcamath.org | www.bcamath.org/srodrigues *(**matematika mugaz bestalde)*

July 27, 2020

2 postoc positions

by German Sumbre

July 27, 2020

Open Position Computational Neuroscientist / Algorithm Engineer (100%) at MaxWell Biosystems

by david.jaeckel＠mxwbio.com

Dear all I would like to announce the following open position at MaxWell Biosystems AG in Zürich, Switzerland: Computational Neuroscientist / Algorithm Engineer (100%) Our technology, which consists of a custom designed integrated circuit, an FPGA-based data acquisition platform and our software suite MaxLab Live, generates vast amounts of data while electrically imaging neuronal tissue. Such data needs to be processed, analyzed and visualized online during operation. At the same time, our customers in drug discovery and neuroscience want to focus on their pharmaceutical and scientific questions, which requires to abstract and hide most of the technical complexity, while still providing sufficient flexibility to adapt the application to specific needs. We are constantly innovating and improving algorithms to extract novel and more accurate multiparametric electrophysiology metrics, which enable faster and more reliable drug discovery. To strengthen our R&D team and to drive and implement this challenging task, we are now seeking for a highly motivated computational neuroscientist. Your Responsibilities * Develop and support our performance critical data acquisition and analysis software platform * Contribute to our Python toolboxes for data analysis and visualization * Develop and validate analysis methods to extract multiparametric electrophysiology metrics * Understand customer needs and continuously improve user experience Your Profile * PhD in computational neuroscience or related (awarded after December 31st, 2016) * Proven strong scientific achievements in the form of first-author peer-reviewed publications in computational neuroscience or related * Strong experience in Python and competency working in a Linux/Unix environment * Proficiency in other languages, e.g., R, MATLAB, C++ is a plus * Knowledge of neuron physiology and electrophysiology * Proficiency in multiparametric pharmacological assays is a plus * Experience in microelectrode array (MEA) technology data analysis is a plus * Skilled in analysis of large-scale dataset * Enjoy solving complex problems and working in a team * Excellent English language skills * The applicant must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity for more than a total of 12 months over the last three years in Switzerland Are you motivated, innovative and committed to delivering first-rate performance? Have you ever wanted to work with cutting-edge technology involving both engineering and biology? Do you enjoy working in an international, multidisciplinary, and interactive team? Then we might have a position for you. Join MaxWell Biosystems in innovating the future of electrophysiology for drug discovery and basic research. Michele Fiscella looks forward to receiving your application documents (cover letter, resume, letter of recommendation and degrees including transcripts) by email at <mailto:hr@mxwbio.com> hr(a)mxwbio.com. - Best Regards, David -- David Jäckel Ph.D. | Senior Product Manager MaxWell Biosystems AG | Albisriederstrasse 253 | CH-8047 Zurich | Switzerland main: +41 44 244 24 24 | direct: +41 44 244 24 16 | <https://mxwbio-ch.3cx.net/join/davidjaeckel> click2meet e: <mailto:%20david.jaeckel@mxwbio.com> david.jaeckel(a)mxwbio.com | w: <http://www.mxwbio.com/> www.mxwbio.com Meet us | at <https://www.isscr.org/meetings-events/annual-meetings/isscr-annual-meeting-…> ISSCR, Boston, USA, Jun 24 – 27 | at <http://www.isscr.org/meetings-events/international-symposia/shanghai-2020-s…> ISSCR Symp., Shanghai, China, Sep 11 – 13 | at <https://www.safetypharmacology.org/AM2020/index.asp> SPS 2020, Montreal, Canada, Sep 14 – 16 Follow us on <https://twitter.com/mxwbio> Twitter and <https://www.linkedin.com/company/maxwell-biosystems> LinkedIn The information contained in this email and any attached files is legally privileged and confidential intended only for the use of the addressee. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and promptly delete this email and any attachments. Thank you.

July 27, 2020

PhD position in theoretical and experimental neuroscience

by Nicolas P. Rougier

PhD position in theoretical and experimental neuroscience Application deadline: 15/08/2020 What: PhD position in theoretical and experimental neuroscience Where: Bordeaux, France When: October 2020 (3 years duration) Who: Nicolas Rougier (Inria) & Arthur Leblois (CNRS) A PhD position is available at Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest center and the Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease in Bordeaux, France. Candidate profile ================= The future PhD candidate must have a strong experience at both the theoretical and experimental level. In particular, the following qualities and skills will be highly valued, if not required: * Solid bases in maths and/or physics; * Previous experience in experimental neuroscience; * Programming experience (Python or similar coding language); * Experience in machine learning or data mining is a plus; * Good English reading/speaking skills. How to apply ============ Please send your application (CV, letter of motivation, and the names and email addresses of one or two persons who can provide recommendation letters) to Dr. Nicolas Rougier (nicolas.rougier(a)inria.fr) and Arthur Leblois (arthur.leblois(a)u-bordeaux.fr) before the 15/08/2020. Proposed research ================= Temporally precise movement patterns underlie many motor skills and innate actions, yet the origin of temporal control in motor behaviors remains unclear. While cortical motor regions traditionally have been viewed as encoding features of motor gestures, these models do not address how sequences of motor gestures are produced or appropriately timed. Recently, a number of studies have suggested that, beyond just representing features of motor output, motor regions may have intrinsic oscillatory dynamics or sequential dynamics to act as their own pattern generators. However, in the order of milliseconds, the neural and anatomical correlates of time processing are still largely unknown because the dominant model, which is based on internal clock fails at giving account on experimental data. Understanding the neural dynamics underlying the acquisition and performance of complex sensorimotor tasks has been hindered by the complexity of the underlying brain networks in common animal models used in neuroscience (e.g. rodents or primates). In particular, the complex interactions between cortical areas (primary and secondary motor cortex in rodents, motor, premotor and supplementary motor areas in primates) related to many different sensorimotor associations and motor skills is daunting. Conversely, in birds, the sensorimotor skill of song production and its learning has a dedicated set of interconnected brain nuclei known as the “song system”, making them an outstanding model to study the neural mechanisms of vocal learning and more generally, of sensorimotor learning. Songbirds indeed rely on learned vocalizations to communicate during courtship or aggressive behaviours. Just as speech learning in humans, vocal learning in young birds requires the coordination of vocal muscles to reproduce previously experienced adult vocalizations. Song learning is also limited to a critical period during development and heavily relies on auditory feedback. The proposed research lies at the interface of neurophysiology, cognitive science, applied mathematics, and theoretical physics. The concepts and methods that will be used will draw on single neuron physiology, electrophysiological studies in behaving animals, statistical mechanics, dynamical system theory, and stochastic differential equations. To this end, we will combine a theoretical approach (development of a mathematical model of the timing system) and an experimental one (chronic neural recording in awake birds, behavioural manipulations). Therefore, a collaboration with a team of physiologists at the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, and in particular with Arthur Leblois who has a long-established expertise in the neural mechanisms underlying vocal learning in songbirds. The model will be designed under the supervision of Nicolas Rougier who has extensive experience in computational modelling. Predictions of the model will then be tested experimentally by measuring neuronal activity in the brain areas controlling song timing in songbirds under the supervision of Arthur Leblois. Chronic electrophysiological recordings in singing birds are routinely performed in the lab of Arthur Leblois, and will be implemented in a protocol allowing the induction of plasticity in the duration of song syllables in young adult birds over short periods of time.

July 24, 2020

PhD position: stimulation of the visual cortex

by Pieter Roelfsema

The Vision & cognition group (Roelfsema lab) at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience has an exciting opportunity for a PhD student position to investigate circuit mechanisms of brain stimulation and its perception Project description Circuit mechanisms of brain stimulation and its perception The rapidly emerging field of neurotechnology is bringing a surge of new technological possibilities for transferring information to the brain for patients with neurological disabilities. To successfully apply these technological advances to clinical applications, a deep understanding of stimulation-based information transfer and its processing at the level of neurons and neuronal circuits is essential. In this project, we will combine novel intracortical neural interfaces devices with electrical microstimulation, optical stimulation, 2-photon calcium imaging, electrophysiology, and behavior to investigate this in the mouse visual cortex. Ultimately, we aim to develop next-generation intracortical stimulation strategies for high-fidelity information transfer into the visual cortex for a visual prosthesis. We expect from you: You are a highly motivated, self-driven candidate. You have an MSc degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience or a related discipline; or an MSc degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. physics/biophysics, mathematics, engineering) with strong interest and experience in neuroscience. A high level of written and spoken English and good programming skills are essential. An ideal candidate would additionally possess practical experience in collecting and analyzing neurophysiological data from awake, behaving animals. You should expect from us: • Mentoring, supervision and training • Access to state-of-the art infrastructure • A stimulating international research environment Environment The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (www.nin.nl) is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute, in the international and progressive city of Amsterdam. It provides a critical mass of scientists (spanning more than 27 nationalities) and neuroscience facilities, in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language. Appointment We offer an exciting job at a dynamic research institute and an attractive package of fringe benefits. The position is for a period of 4 years in total for a PhD student. The first appointment is for one year with the option for an extension for the remaining period pending on an evaluation. Salary The salary will be commensurate with experience and institutional guidelines based on the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities; CAO NU). Full-time monthly salary for a PhD student is € 2.395,- in the 1st year to € 3.061,- in the 4th year before taxes. In addition, an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus are provided. We offer travel expenses, paid parental leave, flexible working hours, 30 days paid leave per year and assistance in finding an accommodation. Starting date The position is available from September 2020, but the starting date can be later. To apply Please send your application to s.wolff(a)nin.knaw.nl including: 1. A Curriculum Vitae 2. An application letter 3. Two reference letters Evaluation of candidates will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. We aim to fill the position in the autumn of 2020. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Any acquisition further to this advertisement will not be appreciated.

July 22, 2020

Virtual Telluride Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop Postponed (Aug 3-7)

by Emre Neftci

Dear all, The Virtual Telluride Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop has been postponed to Aug 3-7 (8am to 10am PDT, or 17:00 to 19:00 CET) due to conflicts with other workshops. Please visit the website for more information (https://sites.google.com/view/telluride2020/home) Regards, The Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering 2020 (Virtual) Organizing Team On Mon, Jul 6, 2020, at 20:04, Emre Neftci wrote: > We are happy to announce a Virtual Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition > Engineering Workshop 2020 (https://tellurideneuromorphic.org/) this > year in replacement of our usual Workshop in Telluride. The workshop > will take place from July 27 to July 31 (8am to 10am PDT, or 17:00 to > 19:00 CET). > > The format will be a week of lectures and tutorials on current topics > in neuromorphic engineering (two hours per day) followed by four > hands-on, collaborative challenges which will be carried out in the > month of August. The results of the challenges will be presented on > September 10 and 11. > > More up-to-date information on the list of speakers and the challenges > can be found at the 2020 Neuromorphic Workshop website > (https://sites.google.com/view/telluride2020/home) The workshop is > free to attend and is open to everyone upon registration. > > Please pass this announcement to other interested parties. > > Regards, > > The Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering 2020 Organizing Committee > > -- > Emre Neftci, PhD, > Assistant Professor, Neuromorphic Machine Intelligence Lab > (http://nmi-lab.org/) > Department of Cognitive Sciences, > 2308 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway Building, > UC Irvine 92697-5100 -- Emre Neftci, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuromorphic Machine Intelligence Lab (http://nmi-lab.org/) Department of Cognitive Sciences, 2308 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway Building, UC Irvine 92697-5100

July 22, 2020

[BCI-UC] Final program online

by Moritz Grosse-Wentrup

Dear colleagues: The final program of the 1st BCI Un-Conference is now online: https://bciunconference.univie.ac.at/program/ In addition to the keynotes by Mariska J Vansteensel and Christian Herff, the BCI-UC features nine contributed talks. These talks were selected from 31 submissions by 190 registered participants casting a total of 427 votes. All lectures will be streamed free of charge via Crowdcast this Thursday, July 23rd, from 3 pm to 9:15 pm (CEST) under the following URL: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/1st-brain-computer-interface-unconference/ If you would like to receive future updates about the BCI-UC series, please sign up to the mailing list: https://lists.univie.ac.at/mailman/listinfo/bciuc You are very welcome to also use this mailing list for any announcements that are of interest to the BCI community at large. Best regards, The BCI-UC Organizing Committee: Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Anja Meunier Philipp Raggam Anita Resch Jiachen Xu -- Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Research Group Neuroinformatics Faculty of Computer Science University of Vienna Hörlgasse 6, A-1090 Wien, Austria moritz.grosse-wentrup(a)univie.ac.at +43-1-4277-79610 http://neural.engineering/

July 21, 2020

Post-doc position: Visual control

by Fajen, Brett

Please post the job ad below on the computational neuroscience email list. POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE VISUAL 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. The aims of the project are to develop computational and mathematical models of visual perception and control in humans and adapt these models for use on board small aerial robots. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct experiments, develop models, and present research at conferences and in journal articles. This is a one-year position with an anticipated start date in September 2020. The position could be extended beyond one year depending on performance and availability of funding. The PI’s lab is situated within the Cognitive Science Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Minimum qualifications Candidates for the position must have a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, or a related field. All degree requirements must be completed by the time the appointment starts. In addition, candidates should have research experience in vision science, a strong quantitative background, and good programming skills. Experience with virtual reality, motion capture, and/or eye tracking is also desirable, although not required. Application information Please contact Brett Fajen at fajenb[at]rpi.edu for information about the application process or with any questions about the position. 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.

July 21, 2020

Postdoc position at International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), the University of Tokyo

by Yukie Nagai

Dear colleagues, Nagai, Yazaki and Tsuji labs at the International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), the University of Tokyo are seeking a postdoctoral candidate for the transdisciplinary project “The Development of Social Intelligence”. The goal of this project is to identify the neuronal and biological basis of social effects on learning. The successful candidate will be involved in developing experiments in songbirds and human infants in interaction with robots, including the recording and analysis of behavioral, auditory, and physiological measures. The candidate will primarily be supervised by Dr. Nagai, and co-supervised by Dr. Yazaki and Dr. Tsuji. https://ircn.jp/en/careers/20200720-socialintelligence If you are interested in being considered, please send the required documents to yukie(a)ircn.jp. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Job title Project Researcher (Postdoctoral Fellow) 2. Starting Date Negotiable 3. Term The first contract will be ended on March 31, 2021. The contract is renewable on a fiscal year basis (from April 1 to March 31; every year) according to research budget, research activity, and research achievements. Contract can be extended for up to 3 years. 4. Place of Work International Research Center for Neurointelligence The University of Tokyo, Institutes for Advanced Study 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo, 113-0033 JAPAN *This can be changed due to work circumstances. 5. Qualifications (Required) - Ph.D. or equivalent in a related field - Good communication skill in English (Preferred) - Experiences in computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and/or psychology will be preferred. 6. Compensation & Benefits - Salary: To be determined in accordance with the University of Tokyo Regulations - Commuter allowance: JPY55,000 per month at maximum - Social Insurance: Eligible for MEXT Mutual Aid Association membership, employees’ pension, employment insurance, and workers’ accident compensation insurance. - Vacation: Annual paid vacation, Sick leave (paid), Special vacation (paid) 7. Working Hours Discretionary labor system, based on 7 hours, 45 minutes per day, or 38 hours 45 minutes per week 8. Holidays Saturdays and Sundays; Statutory public holidays of Japan; Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 through January 3); Summer holidays 9. Applications and Selection Process - Applications deadline: When the position is filled - Application documents: (a) Cover letter in English (b) Curriculum vita in English (c) Publication list (d) Name and contact address for two references, one of which should be a previous employer - Submission: Interested applicants should send application materials to: yukie(a)ircn.jp with a subject "Application for Project Researcher in Social Intelligence”. - Selection Process: All applications will be screened, and only those qualified will be scheduled for an interview. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- — Yukie Nagai, Ph.D. Project Professor, The University of Tokyo nagai.yukie(a)mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp | http://developmental-robotics.jp CREST Cognitive Mirroring: http://cognitive-mirroring.org

July 21, 2020

International Brain Laboratory postdoc position at UCLA

by Hannah M Bayer

The Churchland lab at UCLA has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience who will be part of the International Brain Laboratory (IBL). The IBL (https://www.internationalbrainlab.com/) is a large-scale international collaboration in brain research, which combines the efforts of approximately 50 scientists in 22 laboratories toward understanding the brain-wide basis of a complex behavior. Now in its third year, the IBL has already achieved standardization and replication of the mouse behavioral paradigm across labs and the effort to map the entire mouse brain at single neuron resolution is now underway. Postdocs in the IBL contribute to collecting datasets and building collaborative infrastructure in addition to developing and leading their own personal projects, which are accelerated and enhanced by taking advantage of the IBL experimental and computational tools and by mentoring from the other members of the collaboration. It is expected therefore that IBL postdocs will publish multiple impactful first-author papers in addition to being part of consortium-wide papers. For more information about the advantages of postdoctoral research at IBL, see www.internationalbrainlab.com/postdocs/. The ideal candidate for this position has experience in rodent physiology experiments and in data analysis (ideally using Python). They will have a record of rigorous and creative scientific work, and are excited about the possibility of joining a large, innovative collaboration at the forefront of modern neuroscience. The International Brain Laboratory is committed to opposing all forms of discrimination, raising awareness and tackling the causes and consequences of discrimination. We pledge to provide a learning and working environment in which the rights and dignity of all members are respected and which is free from discrimination, prejudice, intimidation and all forms of harassment including bullying; to making a diverse mix of talented people feel valued, motivated and enabled to do their best work; and to creating a safe, welcoming working environment accessible to all. We encourage individuals who will contribute to achieving these aims to apply. Please send CV and cover letter to Anne.Churchland(a)internationalbrainlab.org

July 20, 2020