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

DeepMath Conference 2021 (Nov 4 - 5)

by Ahmed El Hady

Registration is open for the conference on Deep Learning theory. Details below: Dear Community, We are happy to announce that registration is live for*DeepMath 2021* (https://deepmath-conference.com/) Please register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deepmath-2021-registration-172453000567and see below for important information about this year’s DeepMath conference. This year we are excited to have speaking at DeepMath: Becca Willet - U Chicago Stephane Mallat - College de France Caroline Uhler - MIT Yannis Kevrekidis - Johns Hopkins Aarti Singh - Carnegie Mellon University Raman Arora - Johns Hopkins Kamalika Chaudhuri - UCSD DeepMath 2021 will be a fully online event. Like last year, we will use Gather to create a virtual DeepMath experience that brings online some of the spontaneous interaction and discussion that we all enjoyed before the pandemic. Gather is an online gathering space that combines a 2d map with seamless drop-in / drop-out video chats to make something a bit more interactive than a single giant video call. Gather worked smoothly the last time, and we feel confident that this is the right choice for DeepMath 2021 as well. Our plenary talks will still be streamed over a Zoom webinar and re-streamed for free to YouTube, but the remainder of the event will be held entirely over Gather. We will soon be opening up registration, and look forward to seeing you there! How to register: Click on the registration link (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deepmath-2021-registration-172453000567) This will bring you to eventbrite. Make an eventbrite account if you don't already have one. Buy a ticket for the conference. Once you have purchased a ticket, an account with the same email will be propagated to both Zoom and Gather. Note that this process may take some time, so your accounts may not be available immediately. Upon registration, you will also be granted access to the EventBrite conference website, which will include a link to enter our Gather conference venue. The venue will open 2 days ahead of the main conference so you can familiarize yourself with its features if you would like. Our Zoom webinar link will be available in the Gather main conference hall. You will arrive in our gather.town conference venue. This space will open 2 days ahead for you to explore. All conference events will be linked to from this space. Talks will be held on zoom, but can be accessed through the auditorium. There is another room for posters, one for talking with virtual whiteboards, and several spaces for socializing. Some features of our conference map. Gather is a 2d interactive space you can move around in using your arrow keys or the WASD keys on your keyboard. When you come within a few squares of another avatar, a video chat automatically opens between you. Moving your avatar away disengages the video chat. Occasionally you will be able to interact with objects by pressing ‘x’, for example to view a poster PDF or open a whiteboard or Zoom link. Main room: There will be an information desk, as well as a pamphlet describing how to navigate Gather. Press x to interact with either. Volunteers will be available in this space for the duration of the conference to address any questions or concerns you may have. Auditorium Enter this room to access the zoom link for talks. Clicking on the link will automatically turn off your audio and video on ather, eliminating feedback issues. You can also access the zoom talks directly, but be careful of feedback issues. Poster rooms Posters will be displayed here. The poster browsing radius is set slightly larger than the video-call interaction radius, so you will be able to browse posters and decide which one you would like to “walk up” to. Press x to display the poster. Talk to the author and others at the poster. Whiteboard rooms Meet and talk at a numbered whiteboard. Writing persists at the boards, is not erased when you leave. So if you return to the same board, you can continue where you left off. (Unless the next person erases the board! Just like in real life. :) ) Private areas In the rooms, look for areas demarcated by potted trees or carpeting. In these areas, only the people within the demarcated space can see and hear each other. If you step over the line, even if you're within the interaction radius, you will no longer see anyone in the demarcated space. Thanks! DeepMath committee

Oct. 15, 2021

Hands-on workshop on High Performance Computing in Jan 2022 - registration is now open

by Anja Dorrn

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience<https://bernstein-network.de/en/> & Bernstein Facility for High Performance Simulation and Data Analysis<https://bernstein-network.de/en/network/research-infrastructure/high-perfor…> invite for a 2,5 day hands-on workshop in a hybrid format: "Advancing your neuroscientific research to the next level - How to use high performance computing and cloud services to answer your scientific questions" Dates: January 18-20, 2022 Registration deadline: November 25, 2021 On-site: Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, (limited to 25 participants) & Online: Zoom (Link will be sent prior to the event) Neuroscientific research comes along with a multitude of highly complex data. Using high performance computing (HPC) and cloud services can help to better process and understand your data and to get the maximum benefit for your personal research. This is why the Bernstein Facility for High Performance Simulation and Data Analysis is the central port of call for Bernstein members to access the facilities of the high-performance computers at Forschungszentrum Jülich. This hands-on workshop will help you understand how to access the resources of the Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC) and make the most of this opportunity for your specific research. Get inspired by professional use cases and benefit from the one-on-one exchange with the experts in high performance simulation and data analysis from Jülich. Participation in the 2,5 day event is open to early career researchers (PhD and early Post-docs), regardless of their affiliation with the Bernstein Network. Currently, the event is planned as a hybrid workshop enabling both online and on-site participation. Yet, the global Covid-19 situation might call for a change of plan. In this case, the organizers will inform registered participants straight away. More information and registration: https://bit.ly/3mVW6bS -- Dr. Anja Dorrn Scientific Coordinator Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9589 web: www.bernstein-network.de<http://www.bernstein-network.de> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Volker Rieke Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Dr. Astrid Lambrecht, Prof. Dr. Frauke Melchior ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct. 14, 2021

2 Senior Lecturer/Reader (Associates Professor equivalent) positions at Lancaster University, UK

by Westermann, Gert

This email originated outside the University. Check before clicking links or attachments. Dear colleagues, We are currently advertising two positions at Senior Lecturer/Reader level (US equivalent: Associate Professor) to join our Psychology department at Lancaster University, UK. The search area is broad, including neuroscience (and developmental cognitive neuroscience) and computational approaches. Deadline for applications: 13 December, 2021 We have fantastic shared research facilities for developmental cognitive neuroscience (see http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/babylab/) with several Tobii eye trackers, 4 EGI EEG systems, fNIRS, head mounted eye tracking, motion capture, BioPac, and an observation room, plus excellent technical support. Our facilities for adult neuroscience comprise diverse EEG systems, TMS as well as several eye trackers. Please see our research pages for more details: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/research/<https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/research/early-development/> Lancaster University is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the main UK league tables, and Lancaster has a high quality of life with beautiful surrounding countryside, good schools, and excellent transport links (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow 2.5h , Manchester airport 1.5h, all by direct train). Full details are here: https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=A3553 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gert Westermann Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK Contact me on Teams<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…> Phone: +44 (0)1524 592 942 g.westermann(a)lancaster.ac.uk<mailto:g.westermann@lancaster.ac.uk> https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/people-profiles/gert-westermann

Oct. 14, 2021

5-Year MSc/PhD program in Computational Neuroscience in Tuebingen

by Peter Dayan

International Max Planck Research School: The Mechanisms of Mental Function and Dysfunction 5-Year combined MSc/PhD program The Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and the University of Tübingen invite students from all over the world to apply for their interdisciplinary 5-year combined MSc/PhD program leading to a PhD in Neuroscience. Full funding is available for top-ranked applicants. We are seeking talented, curious and open-minded scientists with strong backgrounds in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, computational science, applied mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence, or engineering. Successful candidates will possess a burning aspiration to shape the future of neuroscience and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary, environment. The application deadline is 30th November 2021. Please visit: https://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/imprs-mmfd https://www.neuroschool-tuebingen.de/about-imprs/ for more details and information about applying. The MSc/PhD program is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and the University of Tübingen. It is closely affiliated with the renowned Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, the centerpiece of neuroscience training in Tübingen. Students (who should have been awarded a Bachelor's degree by September 2022) will receive a broad interdisciplinary training in neuroscience, including expert teaching by international renowned scientists and individual and intensive mentoring. Potential research topics cover a variety of fields in systems neuroscience, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, computational neuroscience, translational and clinical neuroscience as well as cellular and molecular neuroscience. Teaching and research are conducted in English.

Oct. 14, 2021

Independent postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Applied Mathematics

by Cengiz Pehlevan

Dear colleagues, We have an independent postdoctoral position at Harvard Applied Math. Possible applicant interests are very broad including neuroscience and machine learning. Details are here: https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/10698 <https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/10698> Please feel free to reach out to me with questions. Best wishes, Cengiz — Cengiz Pehlevan SEAS, Harvard University, pehlevan.seas.harvard.edu <http://pehlevan.seas.harvard.edu/>

Oct. 13, 2021

Canadian Symposium for Computational Neuroscience

by Wilten Nicola

*Campus Alberta Neuroscience is pleased to announce the first ever Canadian Symposium for Computational Neuroscience, being held October 26-27 2021. This national symposium will be held virtually and will connect trainees, researchers, and industry representatives from across the country to share knowledge, research, and innovation. The major themes of the symposium will be: Biological Computation, Network Neuroscience, Dimensionality Reduction, and Information Decoding from Neural Networks. These topics will be supplemented with a workshop on machine learning provided by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute and a keynote from Geoffrey Hinton. You can find more information here: https://www.albertaneuro.ca/education/#CSCN <https://www.albertaneuro.ca/education/#CSCN>*

Oct. 12, 2021

Post-doctoral Research Associate in Computational Neuroscience (Computational Modelling of Decision Making)

by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt

Applications are invited for a US/NIH-Ireland funded Post-doctoral Research Associate post at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre in Ulster University, UK. The successful candidate will develop and apply advanced computational modelling techniques to understand brain and behavioural data across primate species, and to apply biologically based neural network modelling to elucidate the mechanisms underlying various forms of decision making. The duration of the post is 27 months, with possible extension. The personnel will work with Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin at Ulster University, while collaborating closely with international collaborators in the USA and the Republic of Ireland, namely, Prof. Michael Shadlen at Columbia University (USA), Prof. Stephan Bickel at Northwell-Hofstra School of Medicine (USA), Prof. Redmond O'Connell at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), and Prof. Simon Kelly at University College Dublin (Ireland). All applicants should hold a degree in in Computational Neuroscience, Computational Biology, Neuroscience, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, Physical Sciences, Biology, or a cognate area. Apply online: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CJU115/research-associate-in-computational-neuro… Closing date for receipt of completed applications: 24th October 2021. Job Ref: 008566. If you have questions regarding this post, please contact: Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin, email: k.wong-lin(a)ulster.ac.uk . ------------------- Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin Reader Intelligent Systems Research Centre School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems Ulster University, UK https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/k-wong-lin This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

Oct. 12, 2021

Postdoctoral Positions at UT Austin

by Franco Pestilli

Dear Colleagues, I would appreciate sharing the announcement below. Postdoctoral positions are available in the Laboratory of Dr. Franco Pestilli <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/fp4834> in the Department of Psychology <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/>, Center for Perceptual Systems <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/cps/> and Center for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience <https://ctcn.utexas.edu/> at the University of Texas at Austin <https://www.utexas.edu/>. The positions are funded by NIH and NSF awards and associated with projects integrating the Brain Imaging Data Structure <https://bids.neuroimaging.io/>, brainlife.io, OpenNeuro.org with EEG, MEG and MRI data. The projects are in collaboration with: - Russ Poldrack, Stanford University <https://profiles.stanford.edu/russell-poldrack> - Ted Satterthwaite, University of Pennsylvania <https://www.med.upenn.edu/bbl/faculty-tsatterthwaithe.html> - Ariel Rokem, The University of Washington, Seattle <https://escience.washington.edu/people/ariel-rokem/> - Oscar Esteban, University of Lausanne <https://wp.unil.ch/connectomics/team/oscar-esteban/> - Cyril Pernet, Copenhagen University Hospital <https://cpernet.github.io/> - Robert Smith, Florey Institute of Neuroscience <https://florey.edu.au/science-research/scientist-directory/dr-robert-smith> - Eugene Duff, Imperial College London <https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.duff> - Aina Puce, Indiana University <https://psych.indiana.edu/directory/faculty/puce-aina.html> - Nathalie George, Sorbonne Université <https://institutducerveau-icm.org/fr/george-nathalie/> - Guiomar Niso, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid <https://guiomarniso.com/> A few words describing the projects: - *The Brain Imaging Data Structure for Connectivity.* Expanding the usability of the Brain Imaging Data Structure standard by developing the formats necessary to describe advanced data derivatives related to brain connections (diffusion imaging, tractography, tract-profiles, tractometry, functional networks, and network models). - *Integrating EEG and MEG data-processing Apps on brainlife.io <http://brainlife.io>. *Develop powerful web services to Integrate EEG and MEG data on brainlife.io so to allow standardization, reutilization and automated visualization of data. - *Deep and Shallow Machine-Learning for neuroimaging data analysis and augmentation using brainlife.io <http://brainlife.io>. *Work on projects related to the application of Machine-Learning algorithms to validate data and process open datasets from OpenNeuro.org using *software-as-service* reproducible processing pipelines on brainlife.io For more information please email: pestilli(a)utexas.edu Best regards, *FRANCO PESTILLI*, *Ph.D.* | *Associate Professor* Department of Psychology <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/index.php> | College of Liberal Arts <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/> | The University of Texas at Austin <https://www.utexas.edu/> he/him | pestilli(a)utexas.edu | web <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/fp4834> | GitHub <https://github.com/francopestilli> | brainlife.io

Oct. 11, 2021

New Approaches to 3D Vision, 1st-4th Nov 2021, Royal Society online meeting

by Linton, Paul

New Approaches to 3D Vision, 1st-4th November 2021, hosted by the Royal Society This Royal Society online meeting brings together researchers from computer vision, animal vision, and human vision to explore recent developments in 3D vision. Speakers reflect both academia and industry, with representatives from DeepMind, Facebook Reality Labs, Google, and Microsoft Research. Date/Time: 1st-4th November 2021, 3-6pm (3-6:30pm on the 4th), UK Time Please note that the USA/UK time difference is 1hr less than usual Website: https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2021/11/3d-vision/ Registration (Free): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-approaches-to-3d-vision-registration-165… DAY ONE (1st Nov) - Seeing Beyond SLAM Chair: Andrew Fitzgibbon (Microsoft) Session One: Neural Scene Representation SM Ali Eslami (DeepMind): “Neural priors, neural encoders and neural renderers” Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research): “Multi-scale predictive representations and human-like RL” Session Two: Perception-Action Loop Sergey Levine (UC Berkeley and Google): TBC Andrew Glennerster (University of Reading): “Understanding 3D vision as a policy network” DAY TWO (2nd Nov) - Animals in Action Chair: Matteo Carandini (University College London) Session One: Locating Prey and Rewards Jenny Read (Newcastle University): “Stupid stereoscopic algorithms that still work” Aman Saleem (University College London): “Visual processing in the brain during navigation” Session Two: Navigation in 3D Space Kate Jeffery (University College London): “The cognitive map of 3D space: not as metric as we thought?” Gily Ginosar (Weizmann Institute of Science): “Locally ordered representation of 3D space in the entorhinal cortex” DAY THREE (3rd Nov) - Experiencing Space Chair: Mar Gonzalez-Franco (Microsoft Research) Session One: Theories of Visual Space Dhanraj Vishwanath (University of St Andrews): “Tripartite encoding of visual 3D space” Paul Linton (City, University of London): “New approaches to visual scale and visual shape” Session Two: Challenges for Virtual Reality Sarah Creem-Regehr (University of Utah): “Perception and Action in Virtual and Augmented Reality” Douglas Lanman (Facebook Reality Labs): TBC DAY FOUR (4th Nov) - Grasping the World Chair: Jody Culham (Western University) Session One: One Visual Stream or Two? Fulvio Domini (Brown University): “A novel non-probabilistic model of 3D cue integration explains both perception and action” Irene Sperandio (University of Trento): “Dissociations between perception and action in size-distance scaling” Session Two: 3D Space and Visual Impairment Ione Fine (University of Washington): “Do you hear what I see? How do early blind individuals experience object motion?” Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo (University of Waterloo): “The role of binocular vision in the development of visuomotor control and performance of fine motor skills” Session Three: Panel Discussion Andrew Fitzgibbon (Microsoft), Matteo Carandini (University College London), Mar Gonzalez-Franco (Microsoft Research), and Jody Culham (Western University), share their thoughts on future directions for 3D vision. Organisers: Michael Morgan FRS (City, University of London), Paul Linton (City, University of London), Jenny Read (Newcastle University), Dhanraj Vishwanath (University of St Andrews), Sarah Creem-Regehr (University of Utah), Fulvio Domini (Brown University)

Oct. 11, 2021

Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate Position in Computational Neuroscience at Drexel University College of Medicine

by Ilya Rybak

Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate Position in Computational Neuroscience at Drexel University College of Medicine Two Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate positions are available in the Computational Neuroscience Center (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/research…) and the lab for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/research…) at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/) The qualified postdoc/research associate will join a team of computational neuroscientists focusing on studying and modeling different aspects of neural control of locomotion, including the organization and operation of spinal and supraspinal/brainstem neural circuits and their interactions with animal biomechanics during locomotion and steering. The modeling studies are performed in close, interactive collaboration with several leading laboratories in the USA, Canada, and France focusing on complementary experimental studies. The projects are supported by several grants from NIH and NSF. The studies involve the development of realistic computer models of neural circuits in the mammalian spinal cord and brainstem involved in control of locomotion and steering. The models will be integrated with biomechanical models of animals (mouse, rat, cat) and used (tested) for the control of quadrupedal robots imitating animal locomotion in open space. The successful candidate will closely collaborate with other computational and experimental neuroscientists: they will use experimental data to implement and refine the model and use the model to derive predictions that will then be tested experimentally by our collaborators. Essential Functions: * Work with existing and develop new computational models of spinal locomotor circuits * Integrate the neural and biomechanical models to simulate locomotor behavior * Use numerical optimization to optimize the integrated neuromechanical models * Use the models to derive experimentally testable predictions * Closely collaborate with experimental neuroscientists * Analyze kinematic and electrophysiological data * Write and submit research manuscripts * Present novel findings at national and international conferences Required Qualification include: * PhD in computer science, computational neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field * Excellent programming skills (e.g., Python, C++) * Good written and verbal skills in English Previous experience in either (a) modeling of biological neurons and neural networks (spiking and/or rate based), and/or (b) modeling of biomechanics, and/or (c) machine learning is desirable. The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a well-funded research group that works in a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment within the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. The Department provides an outstanding scientific environment for multidisciplinary training. Interactions and collaborations between labs and centers and between other departments are encouraged. Each position will be initially for one year with possible extension to 3-4 years. Salary will be commensurate with experience. To apply, please email a current CV and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Ilya Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu<mailto:rybak@drexel.edu>) The positions will remain posted until filled. ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA http://rybak-et-al.net

Oct. 7, 2021