January 2021 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

survey for a standardized format for model exchange
by Nichol W. Killian 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Hello Colleagues, We recently received funding, as part of the NSF Convergence Accelerator Program (https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/convergence-accelerator/) for a multi-investigator project that aims to develop a standardized format for exchanging and executing computational models developed by researchers in cognitive science, neuroscience, and machine learning. As part of the project, we have constructed a brief survey to gauge the computational model usages from various domains/communities, and the value that such an exchange format would have. We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few moments to provide us with information regarding the modeling environments you use frequently, and the benefits and/or challenges you would see for developing such an exchange format. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOZSyoWL4J_MfHTIq5Jx0dnJSVHNFH7UP… [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fPzuVxv5E-g2xfDpxYbODDYX68AiT6zcn5yTW4XB-…]<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOZSyoWL4J_MfHTIq5Jx0dnJSVHNFH7UP…> Computational modeling survey<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOZSyoWL4J_MfHTIq5Jx0dnJSVHNFH7UP…> docs.google.com Data from this survey will only be used for informational query and will not be shared with outside sources/marketing companies. The survey is anonymous, unless you chose to add an email address for follow-up correspondence. Please also feel free to convey the link to this survey to others (in your lab or other colleagues) who you believe could provide useful feedback. Thank you for contributing to our project and to furthering the science. - Jonathan Cohen, Princeton Neuroscience Institute Nichol Killian Research Project Coordinator Princeton Neuroscience Institute Princeton University

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Virtual Event Announcement: Symposium on Explanation in Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence (SENAI)
by Jessica Thompson 19 Jan '21

19 Jan '21

Symposium on Explanation in Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence (SENAI) Join us on *Wednesday February 10th, 2021* for a virtual symposium on philosophical and scientific approaches to Explanation in Neuroscience and Artificial IntelligenceSpeakers: - Ida Mommenejad, Microsoft Research - John Krakauer, Johns Hopkins University - Andrew Saxe, Oxford University - Lotem Elber-Dorozko, Hebrew University - Rosa Cao, Stanford University - Cameron Buckner, University of Houston Themes: - Reductionism & emergence - Representation & computation - Explanation & understanding Details online: https://sites.google.com/mila.quebec/senai/homeRegister for free and view the event: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/senai2021/register

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ikerbasque postdoctoral fellows: track towards permanent position
by Serafim Rodrigues 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Dear all, Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science, has launched a new international call to reinforce research and scientific careers in the Basque Country. In particular it announces the following: - 20 positions for experienced postdoctoral researchers Ikerbasque Research Fellows (see link <https://calls.ikerbasque.net/?_mrMailingList=132&_mrSubscriber=65&utm_campa…> ) - 5-year contracts, during the last year the researcher can be assessed to obtain a permanent contract - PhD degree between Jan2010 - Dec2018 As leader of the Mathematical Computational and Experimental Neuroscience (MCEN) research line I would like to support candidates for these positions Potential candidates: Please send before Feb 9th 2021 the following information: - updated CV and two reference letters to: srodrigues(a)bcamath.org With kind 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)*

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Postdoc in Neural Data Science @ Tübingen for 3 years
by Philipp Berens 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Dear all, we, the “Data Science for Vision Research” group at the Institute for Ophthalmic Research at the University of Tübingen (www.berenslab.org) is offering a position for a postdoctoral researcher (100%, TV-L E13) in Neural data science for initially three years to start as soon as possible. We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic person with a PhD in computational neuroscience, machine learning or related fields with a strong interest in applying modern machine learning approaches for deciphering the neural circuits of the retina. The ideal candidate should be interested in working on combining detailed simulations of neurons with machine learning techniques, e.g. for parameter inference, methods for processing two-photon calcium or voltage imaging data, the analysis of spatial transcriptomics data of neural tissues or related topics. Further topics of interest in the lab include machine learning techniques for analyzing single-cell transcriptomics data as well as machine learning for medical image analysis. Applications should include a CV and a motivation letter – let us know why you are excited about your previous research and how you would want to work with us. Members of underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply – currently, we are a diverse team from eight different countries with a reasonable gender ratio, and we are excited to receive your application! Please send your application materials as a single pdf to philipp.berens(a)uni-tuebingen.de. The application deadline is February 15th and applications will be evaluated until the position is filled. https://jobrxiv.org/job/data-science-for-vision-research-lab-university-of-… -- Professor of Data Science for Vision Research Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen Cluster of Excellence "Machine Learning - New Perspectives for Science" www.berenslab.org

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Tutorial on Modeling Tools: BMTK and SONATA
by Anton Arkhipov 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Dear colleagues, Please join us for an online tutorial at the Allen Institute. Tools for modeling: The Brain Modeling Toolkit and SONATA data format January 28, 2021 | 10:00-11:00am PT Please register here: https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/events-training/open-fo… The Brain Modeling Toolkit is a Python-based open software package for building, simulating, and analyzing large-scale neural network models. It supports the building and simulation of models at various scales. Dai et al., PLOS Comp. Bio., 2020a<https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008386> The Brain Modeling Toolkit is linked to SONATA, a standardized data format for storing networks and simulations. Dai et al., PLOS Comp. Bio., 2020b<https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007696> These are the software tools we used to build, simulate, and share our multi-scale models of mouse V1, which are freely available to the community. Billeh et al., Neuron, 2020<https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.040> https://portal.brain-map.org/explore/models We are looking forward to seeing you there. Anton Arkhipov Associate Investigator T: 206.548.8414 [cidimage001.png(a)01D5B043.A5662590] www.alleninstitute.org<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alleni…>

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PhD position in decision-making at University of Balearic Islands
by Catalina Vich Llompart 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

A 3 year PhD student position starting on March-April 2021 is offered to work with Dr. Catalina Vich at Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), together with Dr. Jonathan Rubin at University of Pittsburgh (UPitt), and Dr. Tim Verstynen and Dr. Eric Yttri at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The PhD student will be involved in an international project between USA and Spain to investigate circuit-level mechanisms of adaptive decision-making. They will engage in research on learning algorithms in spiking networks with an emphasis on cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic networks and the role of dopamine, as well as on the relation between spiking dynamics and abstract decision-making frameworks. Required skills from the PhD student: We are looking for highly motivated and self-driven candidate with strong interest and experience in computational neuroscience and significant computational expertise. To be accepted in the PhD program, a MSc degree is required preferably in mathematical biology, computational biology or related disciplines. Students who do not hold a MSc degree but hold an undergraduate degree of 300ECTS are also encouraged to apply. A high level of written and spoken English and good programming skills (python and C) are essential. The accepted candidate will be mentored, supervised and trained by C.Vich, J. Rubin and T.Verstynen, and they will have to occasionally visit the USA team (when pandemic safety restrictions are lifted). Environment The Universitat de les Illes Balears (https://www.uib.eu <https://www.uib.eu/>) is located in Mallorca, the highest island of the Balearic Islands, at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains, an area declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, as well as being just a few kilometres from Mallorca’s finest beaches. It is also ranked among the top 5 Spanish universities in innovation and technological development and in research quality. The university is well connected with the main city, Palma, and other villages. It has good transport links to the whole of the archipelago. In fact, it has a bus and underground service with good timetables and frequencies. The accepted student will be a member of the group of Dynamical Systems (SSDD, http://www.ssdd.uib.es <http://www.ssdd.uib.es/>) and the institute of Applied Computing and Community Code (IAC3, http://iac3.uib.es <http://iac3.uib.es/>), with ample opportunities to interact with other young researchers in the fields of physics and mathematics in a highly interactive, dynamic, and multi-cultural environment. Salary Salary will be arranged in accordance to the University salaries for this purpose, which is around 16.000€/year (before TAX). To apply All applicants have to send their Curriculum Vitae, two letters of recommendation and an application letter expressing their interest to Dr. Catalina Vich at catalina.vich(a)uib.es <mailto:catalina.vich@uib.es> with subject “Phd position”. An interview may take place during the selection process. Documents can be written in either English, Catalan or Spanish. Applications will be accepted until the 15th of February. An objective rubric system will be used to score applications for the position, to avoid implicit bias. An online interview might be request. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Demographic and cultural diversity will be considered in the selection of the trainee. __________________________ Dr. Catalina Vich Llompart Universitat de les Iles Balears

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Postdoc position: Modeling age-related cognitive decline in rhesus monkeys (Boston, MA)
by Christina M. Weaver 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

*Computational Neuroscience postdoc position: Modeling mechanisms of age-related cognitive decline in rhesus monkeys* A postdoctoral research fellowship in computational neuroscience is available immediately with the interdisciplinary research team led jointly by Dr. Jennifer Luebke (Dept of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA), Dr. Christina Weaver (Dept of Mathematics, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA), and Dr. Patrick Hof (Dept of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York NY). The central goal of the NIH-funded project is to characterize changes in the prefrontal cortex and visual cortex during normal aging in the rhesus monkey, to gain insight into mechanisms that contribute to age-related cognitive decline. The successful candidate will build computational models of cortical networks that incorporate age-related changes to individual neurons, and explore mechanisms of network dysfunction. The models will be constrained by our morphology, physiology, and behavior studies in rhesus monkeys, including new multiplexing data in collaboration with GE Healthcare. Our joint publications related to this project include Ibañez et al. *Front. Comput. Neurosci.* (2020), PMID 32009920; Rumbell et al., *J. Comput. Neuro*. (2016), PMID 27106692; and Amatrudo et al., *J. Neurosci.* (2012), PMID 23035077. The appointment as a Boston University School of Medicine research fellow will be for at least 1 year with possibility for extension based on performance. Applicants should have a strong background or interest in computational neuroscience and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate modeling and empirical data in neuroscience research. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should attach the following: - A cover letter, - A current CV, - A brief statement of current and future research interests, - The contact information of three references. Please be aware that references may be contacted anytime after receipt of your application. *Requirements:* - PhD or equivalent in computational neuroscience, applied mathematics, or a related field from an accredited institution is *required. * - Experience with NEURON compartmental modeling software and/or MATLAB scientific computing software is *required.* - Experience with differential equations-based mathematical models is *required.* - Excellent written and verbal communication skills is *required*. - Experience with conductance-based modeling of single neurons and/or excitatory-inhibitory networks is *preferred.* Please send inquiries and application materials to Dr. Christina Weaver, christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu . Christina M. Weaver, Ph.D. Department Chair, Mathematics Associate Professor Franklin & Marshall College P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 17604-3003 Email: christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu

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Funded PhD and Data scientist positions
by Abhishek Banerjee 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

Dear colleagues, Two funded *Ph.D. positions* are available in the newly established Adaptive Decision-making lab as a part of Neuroscience, Neurodisability and Neurological Disorders research theme, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK. The research carried out as part of th Ph.D fellowship will investigate the role of behaviourally relevant neural circuits in decision-making and its dysfunctions in neurological disorders using experimental and theoretical approaches (PNAS 2016; BRAIN 2019; bioRxiv 2020). Exciting local and international collaborations will ensure a high standard of training and mentorship. The position is funded (UK/EU rate) for up to 3.5 years and the application deadline is *6th January 2020*. Application details can be found here or by email provided below: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/mrc-dimen-doctoral-training-partnersh… . Additionally, the Banerjee Lab is also hiring a *Data Scientist* to be involved in projects that focus on understanding cortical computation during behaviour by combining large-scale recordings and imaging of neuronal populations. This person will be involved in analysing experimental data, developing software tools, and helping with data infrastructure. The application deadline is *31st January 2020*. Qualifications for the Data scientist position: - M.Sc. degree (or exceptional B.Sc.) in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or related technical field. - Programming experience in MATLAB is required, and additional experience in Python and LABView is preferred. - Background in computational neuroscience, image analysis, or machine learning is a plus. For informal inquiry, or if interested in applying for the Data scientist position, please submit a CV along with names of 3 referees to: Dr. Abhi Banerjee <abhi.banerjee(a)newcastle.ac.uk>. More details here: https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/11499/overview and http://neuronic.mit.edu/ Best wishes, Abhi -- Abhishek Banerjee Senior Lecturer Head, Adaptive Decision-making Lab Biosciences Institute Newcastle University United Kingdom I neuronic.mit.edu Skype: amiappu I @abhii_mit

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Post-doctoral position in Washington DC
by Rebekah Evans 13 Jan '21

13 Jan '21

Post-doctoral position in cellular and systems neuroscience The Evans Lab at Georgetown University is looking for an enthusiastic post-doctoral fellow for cellular and systems neuroscience research in an NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded position. This post-doc will use two-photon calcium imaging with simultaneous optogenetics to probe dendritic integration and circuitry of the extended basal ganglia including brainstem and dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. In addition, in vivo optogenetics and fiber photometry will be used to probe these circuits during behavior. Experience in electrophysiology and/or microscopy is a plus, but we can train a highly-motivated person on these techniques. Start date is flexible, but summer/fall 2021 would be ideal. Please see the Evans lab website: https://sites.google.com/view/evans-lab/home and contact Dr. Evans at re285(a)georgetown.edu with a letter of interest and CV. Rebekah Evans M.Ed., Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience Georgetown University 3970 Reservoir Rd. NW, NRB EG31 Washington DC RebekahColemanEvans(a)gmail.com

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PhD position “Whole brain dynamics underlying flexible decision making in rodent” at Donders Centre for Neuroscience at Radboud University, the Netherlands
by Paul Tiesinga 13 Jan '21

13 Jan '21

PhD position "Whole brain dynamics underlying flexible decision making in rodent" at Donders Centre for Neuroscience at Radboud University, the Netherlands We are looking for A PhD candidate for a collaborative project in the groups of Liya Ma and Paul Tiesinga at the Donders Institute utilizing approaches from both experimental and computational neuroscience. You will study Reinforcement Learning (RL) processes in animal models using experimental and computational approaches. The experiments will establish a mathematical model for RL behaviour in mice, identify neural correlates for value-related parameters in the model using in vivo high-density electrophysiology, manipulate the neural correlates, and measure corresponding changes in RL-guided behaviour. The overall aim of the project is to investigate the neural mechanism by which value signals guide decision making. This will inform state-of-the-art deep learning approaches and shed light on novel interventions for psychiatric diseases. Guided and supported by our supervisory team, you will design and perform experiments in mice, analyse data, conduct computational modelling, and prepare manuscripts. You will also have the opportunity to write grants, peer-review journal articles, and contribute to teaching and event organization. We ask * A dedicated, reliable, detail-oriented, and well-organised team player. * Experience in animal behaviour preferred. * Experience in electrophysiology preferred. * Experience with MATLAB or Python preferred. * Good communication and writing skills in English. We are The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. State-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as excellent and recognised as a 'very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent'. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute. Paul Tiesinga's group aims to understand how information is processed in the brain by building computational models of the brain and developing methods to analyse signals recorded from the brain. Liya Ma's group studies how cognitive control processes are supported by cortical microcircuits and network-level long-range communications. You will be supported by the two teams' extensive expertise in high-density electrophysiology in behaving rodents, advanced data analyses and computational modelling. To help PhD candidates achieve their ambitions within and beyond academia, Radboud University provides various career training courses and coaching opportunities. Our groups are deeply committed to the professional development of doctoral candidates. PhD candidates at Radboud University receive a competitive salary with holiday pay, year-end bonus and other benefits. Their partners have access to Radboud University's Dual Career and Family Care Services. Please apply via the link in https://www.academictransfer.com/nl/296962/phd-candidate-in-neuroinformatic… before February 12th to receive full consideration. Best regards, Paul Tiesinga Professor of Neuroinformatics Donders Institute/Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands

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