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

Postdoc position in Theoretical/Computational Neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis

by Tavoni, Gaia

POSTDOC POSITION IN THE TAVONI LAB Applications for a postdoc position at the interface between physics and neuroscience are open at the newly set up Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience lab at Washington University in St. Louis. The selected candidate will work on one or more computational problems, involving models of plasticity and learning, memory and decision-making. A brief description of the projects can be found at http://neurosci.wustl.edu/People/Faculty/Gaia-Tavoni. <http://neurosci.wustl.edu/People/Faculty/Gaia-Tavoni>The underlying research theme in the lab is the search for optimal principles of information representation and processing in the brain that underpin the flexibility of animal behavior. A range of approaches are used, including methods from statistical physics, information theory and dynamical systems. Washington University in St. Louis is ranked in the top 10 globally for Neuroscience and Behavior, and offers an outstanding intellectual environment for neuroscience research. This includes a strong interest in computational neuroscience (see https://sites.wustl.edu/compneuro) The lab is based at the Medical School in the Department of Neuroscience and the Institute for Informatics, and expects to develop strong links with the Departments of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics. Job Requirements: Candidates with backgrounds in physics, mathematics, engineering or computer science, good programming skills, familiarity with neuroscience topics or a keen interest in computational neuroscience, proficiency in English, intellectual curiosity and drive are welcome to apply. How to Apply: For further information and applications please contact Dr Gaia Tavoni (gaia.tavoni(a)wustl.edu) including a detailed CV, a brief statement of research experience and interests (max 2 pages), names and email addresses of 2 references. Please indicate "Post-doc application" as the subject of your email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled. Gaia Tavoni Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience Washington University School of Medicine East McDonnell Medical Sciences, 312B St. Louis, MO 63110 email: gaia.tavoni(a)wustl.edu

March 9, 2021

New book: "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds"

by Mark Humphries

For anyone interested in how neurons do what they do, my new book “The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds” from Princeton University Press is available now from your favourite bookseller in hardback, ebook, and audiobook. It’s a rollercoaster ride through your brain, from eye to hand and everywhere in between, that sweeps through 30 years of the deepest neuroscience to the frontiers of what we know about how neurons work. >From the blurb: “We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips “spikes.” Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In The Spike, Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction. In vivid language, Humphries tells the story of what happens in our brain, what we know about spikes, and what we still have left to understand about them.” Watch the animated introduction: https://youtu.be/Rn-FAvM6wbE Read the reviews and details: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691195889/the-spike Listen to a sample from the audiobook: https://soundcloud.com/user-671277267/the-spike-by-mark-humphries?in=user-6… Thanks! Mark Humphries This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

March 9, 2021

Online Bernstein Conference 2021 - Call for Satellite Workshop Proposals

by a.dorrn＠fz-juelich.de

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience<https://bit.ly/BN_welcome> invites proposals for Satellite Workshops at the online Bernstein Conference 2021 ____ BERNSTEIN CONFERENCE Each year the Bernstein Network invites the international computational neuroscience community to the annual Bernstein Conference for intensive scientific exchange. It has established itself as one of the most renown conferences worldwide in this field, attracting students, postdocs and PIs from around the world to meet and discuss new scientific discoveries. Due to the ongoing pandemic the Bernstein Conference<https://bit.ly/BC21_online> will be held online, from Sep 21 – 23, 2021. ____ IM IMPORTANT DATES - Satellite Workshops: September 21, 2021, 2 pm – 10 pm CEST - Main Conference: September 22 – 23, 2021 - Deadline for Satellite Workshop proposal submission: May 10, 2021 - Notification of workshop acceptance: planned in June 2021 ____ WORKSHOP PROPOSALS Satellite Workshops of the Bernstein Conference provide a stage to discuss topical research questions, novel scientific approaches and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged. The format should be designed to foster debate, rather than a series of talks. The Workshop Selection Committee will take scientific excellence, topical relevance gender diversity and variety of career levels into account as their selection criteria. Workshop proposals are welcome as flexible formats of 4-8 hours (all workshops will start at 2 pm CEST, but will end based on individual schedules) Workshop Proposal Forms can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/BC21_workshops Please submit the completed form to bernstein.conference(a)fz-juelich.de Deadline: May 10, 2021 – not to be extended Workshop organizers and all speakers will receive a waiver for the online conference. ____ WORKSHOP SELECTION COMMITTEE Marion Silies (Workshop Chair) Moritz Helias (Workshop Vice Chair) Matthew Botvinick Megan Carey Peter Dayan Brent Doiron Rainer Friedrich Julijana Gjiorgjieva (Program Chair) Ann Hermundstad Christian Machens (Program Vice Chair) Srdjan Ostojic Nathalie Rochefort Nicole Rust Gasper Tkacik ____ For any further questions, please contact: bernstein.conference(a)fz-juelich.de -- Dr. Anja Dorrn Scientific Coordinator Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Juelich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9589 email: a.dorrn(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.dorrn@fz-juelich.de> 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), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 9, 2021

CfP: Special Issue on Probabilistic Inference in Goal-Directed Human and Animal Decision-Making - Entropy by MDPI. *Deadline is approaching*

by Domenico Maisto

Dear Colleagues, You are cordially invited to submit a manuscript to the Entropy Special Issue "Probabilistic Inference in Goal-Directed Human and Animal Decision-Making" https://www.mdpi.com/journal/entropy/special_issues/probabilistic_inference\ The firm deadline for manuscript submissions is 21 March 2021. Please find further information below. With best regards, Domenico Maisto ================================================================ Open Access Journal ENTROPY by MDPI Special Issue on Probabilistic Inference in Goal-Directed Human and Animal Decision-Making ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Special Issue aims to focus on recent advances in probabilistic inference in goal-directed human and animal decision making, and we welcome submissions that: - Shed light on the computations of neuronal circuits involved in goal-directed decision making, with a focus on the inferential mechanisms involved; - Propose novel probabilistic models and methods in decision making including (but not limited to) information-theory approaches, statistical and free- energy minimization, hierarchical models, and deep networks; - Introduce decision-making applications in ethological, social, psychological, psychiatric, robotics, and computer science research. Guest Editors Dr Francesco Donnarumma Dr Domenico Maisto Dr Ivilin Stoianov Entropy is an Open Access Journal by MDPI with high visibility (indexed within Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), MathSciNet, Inspec, PubMed, PMC, and many other databases), excellent citescore (IF: 2.494; 2019 Scopus data: 3.7, which equals rank 8/62 (Q1) in 'Mathematical Physics', 14/54 (Q2) in 'Physics and Astronomy', 210/670 (Q2) in 'Electrical and Electronic Engineering', and 104/300 (Q2) in 'Information Systems'), and rapid publication. -- Domenico Maisto, PhD Institute for High-Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR), Italian National Research Council (CNR) Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Napoli Italy Phone: +39 0644595208 (Rome), +39 0816139507 (Naples) Fax: +39 0644595243 (Rome), +39 0816139531 (Naples) e-mail: domenico.maisto(a)icar.cnr.it

March 8, 2021

Teaching-focused job opportunity at UCL

by Andre Altmann

Hi everyone: We are looking for a postdoc who is interested in teaching and curriculum design to help us run a new training program primarily aimed at UK researchers who want to gain more confidence in working with medical image data in their research. The program will consist of a series of various short courses, online and in-person, that combine image analysis, software development, and data management. The post holder will be responsible for day-to-day leadership of the curriculum design, as well as the content development and delivery. The job advert, description and how to apply can be found at the link below: https://bit.ly/ucl-ideas-job If people have any questions or want to find out more, they can send them to healthbioscienceideas(a)ucl.ac.uk Kind regards, Andre

March 8, 2021

postdoctoral position: computational cognitive science of economic behavior

by Michael Woodford

The Cognitive and Behavioral Economics Initiative at Columbia University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the fields of Behavioral Economics, Neuroeconomics, or Computational Cognitive Science to begin July 1, 2021 or after (start date negotiable). Columbia University's Cognitive and Behavioral Economics Initiative is looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a team under the direction of Prof. Michael Woodford, that studies the cognitive foundations of economic decision making, using behavioral experiments and computational modeling. The program is especially interested in research that explores parallels between the cognitive mechanisms involved in perceptual judgments and in economic decisions. Projects may involve the perception of probability, value or risk; learning to forecast or categorize; the role of imprecise perception or memory in learning the values of actions; endogenous allocation of attention; sources of randomness in decisions; or context effects in choice behavior. Representative recent publications by our group include: Polania et al., Nature Neuroscience, 2019; Kobayashi et al., Nature Human Behavior, 2019; Heng et al., eLife, 2020; Woodford, Ann. Rev. Econ., 2020; Prat-Carrabin and Woodford, bioRXiv, 2020; Aridor et al., bioRXiv, 2020; and Khaw et al., Rev. Econ. Studies, forthcoming. *Minimum Qualifications:* a PhD in economics, psychology, computational neuroscience, computer science, or related field. A strong background in computational modeling is essential; prior experience running behavioral experiments is desirable. Familiarity with models of efficient coding and approximate Bayesian inference will be particularly useful. Columbia is an equal-opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from women or groups that have been under-represented in science. *To apply, please send a 1-2 page statement of research interests, a CV, copies of (or links to) one or two representative publications or preprints, and contact information for at least two references **to * *iserp-hiring(a)columbia.edu* <iserp-hiring(a)columbia.edu>*. Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2021, or until the position is filled.* Michael Woodford Columbia University

March 6, 2021

Researcher (Joint Position with NYU CNS), Center for Computational Neuroscience

by Serena Fuccillo

Researcher (Joint Position with NYU CNS), Center for Computational Neuroscience The Center for Neural Science (https://www.cns.nyu.edu/) at New York University (NYU), jointly with the Center for Computational Neuroscience (CCN) at the Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation, invites applications for an open rank joint position, with a preference for junior or mid-career candidates. We seek exceptional candidates that use computational frameworks and methods to develop concepts, models, and tools for understanding brain function. Areas of interest include sensory representation and perception, memory, decision-making, adaptation and learning, and motor control. During the academic year 2021-2022, the position will initially be a full-time position at NYU. Beginning academic year 2022-2023, the position will become a joint appointment between NYU and CCN, with the appointee spending half time in each location (both in lower Manhattan). The NYU position is a tenure-line faculty position at the Assistant, Associate, or full Professor level depending on the candidate’s background and experience. The holder of an Assistant level appointment will be considered for promotion to a tenured Associate professorship according to NYU's standard policies and procedures. The corresponding position at CCN may be Associate or Full Research Scientist, or Group Leader, again depending on candidate experience. The initial appointment is for three years, and is renewable, subject to satisfactory progress in research. A Ph.D. in a relevant field, such as neuroscience, engineering, physics or applied mathematics, is required. The responsibilities for this joint position include but are not limited to: establishing a research program with a significant computational component; participating in the international neuroscience research community; teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at NYU; contributing to the scientific culture and activities at the Flatiron Institute by collaborating with other researchers, hiring and supervising junior researchers, and assisting with the organization of CCN-related conferences, workshops, group seminars and summer programs. Review of applications will begin 28 March 2021. Important: in order to be considered for this joint appointment, candidates must submit their application in two places: To NYU at: https://apply.interfolio.com/83845 To CCN at: https://simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simonsfoundationcareer… Application materials should include a brief cover letter, a statement describing current and planned research and teaching activities, a curriculum vitae including a list of publications, and names and contact information for three references. Because diversity and inclusion are an important part of the NYU mission, candidates should include a paragraph in their cover letter indicating how diversity and inclusion figure into their past, present, and future teaching, research, and community engagement. (Additional information can be found here: http://as.nyu.edu/departments/facultydiversity/recruitment/diversity-statem… ). All applications will be reviewed by a joint committee consisting of members from CNS and CCN. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education A successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in neuroscience, physics, engineering, applied mathematics or a related discipline. One or more years of postdoctoral research experience is desirable. Experience - Demonstrated abilities in establishing a neuroscience-related research program, embracing the opportunities offered by a joint position between NYU CNS and CCN. The research program must include a significant computational component. - A record of excellence in scientific publication. - Ability to teach effectively at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. - Strong oral and written communication skills, supporting collaboration and cooperation across traditional disciplinary boundaries. - Knowledge of software development and dissemination, either for scientific simulation, model fitting, experimental design, or analysis of modern high-throughput experimental data acquisition, is desirable. About NYU More information about NYU Center for Neural Science can be found at https://as.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/as/departments/cns.html. The Faculty of Arts and Science at NYU is at the heart of a leading research university that spans the globe. We seek scholars of the highest caliber, who embody the diversity of the United States as well as the global society in which we live. We strongly encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other individuals who are under-represented in the profession, across color, creed, race, ethnic and national origin, physical ability, gender and sexual identity, or any other legally protected basis. NYU affirms the value of differing perspectives on the world as we strive to build the strongest possible university with the widest reach. To learn more about the FAS commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, please read here. ( http://as.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/as/administrative-resources/office/dean/di… <http://as.nyu.edu/administrative-resources/office/dean/diversity-initiative…>). EOE/Affirmative Action/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity. About the Flatiron Institute The Flatiron Institute (https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron) is a major, new internal scientific unit of the Simons Foundation. It consists of five Centers – Astrophysics, Quantum Physics, Mathematics, Biology, and Neuroscience) each focused on the computational aspects of a particular area of basic science. It aims to generate original scientific discoveries, along with new computational infrastructure supporting and enabling such discoveries by the community at large. The newly formed Center for Computational Neuroscience aims to develop models, principles and conceptual frameworks that deepen our knowledge of brain function — both in health and in disease. CCN takes a “systems" neuroscience approach, building models that are motivated by fundamental principles, that are constrained by properties of neural circuits and responses, and that provide insights into perception, cognition and behavior. This cross-disciplinary approach not only leads to the design of new model-driven scientific experiments, but also encapsulates current functional descriptions of the brain that can spur the development of new engineered computational systems, especially in the realm of machine learning. Simons Foundation Diversity Commitment Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. Warm Regards, *Serena Fuccillo* Coordinator, Center Administration Center for Computational Neuroscience *FLATIRON INSTITUTE* 162 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10010

March 5, 2021

Postdoc in machine learning at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland)

by Milekovic Tomislav

Postdoc position in the lab of Prof. Gregoire Courtine at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) Machine learning techniques to develop and enhance clinical treatments based on electrical stimulation of the spinal cord Location: The laboratory of Prof. Gregoire Courtine at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, is looking to fill a fully funded postdoc position. The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a very dynamic and multidisciplinary group working at the interface of computational neuroscience, neuroengineering, prosthetics and biology. EPFL provides state-of-the-art facilities and is one of the leading technical universities worldwide. Postdoc salaries at EPFL rank the highest in the world. Opportunity: The offered position will be based at the Defitech Center for interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore) - a research and innovation center joining EPFL’s lab of Prof. Gregoire Courtine and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) lab of Prof. Jocelyne Bloch. NeuroRestore conceives, develops and applies medical therapies aimed to restore neurological functions. To this end, NeuroRestore integrates implantable neurotechnologies with innovative treatments developed through rigorous preclinical and clinical studies. By working with our network of vibrant high-tech start-ups and established medical technology companies, NeuroRestore is committed to validate our medical therapy concepts. The overarching goal of NeuroRestore is to see our medical therapies used every day in hospitals and rehabilitation clinics worldwide. Description: Therapies based on epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the spinal cord can restore the ability to walk to people paralyzed by spinal cord injury, and alleviate gait deficits of people with Parkinson’s disease. EES does this by recruiting sensory axons within dorsal spinal roots that enter the spinal cord between the vertebrae to increase the activation of the spinal motor pools that, in turn, move the muscles. Yet, the efficacy of the EES-based therapies relies on synchronizing users’ movement intentions with the spatiotemporal stimulation protocols that reliably and accurately generate paralyzed movements. Due to the large state space of all the stimulation parameters (location, amplitude, frequency, etc.) efficacy of the therapy depends on the fast and accurate initialization of the stimulation protocols. As the patients use the stimulation, small movements of the array, as well as changes in spine position due to users’ posture can reduce the usability of the stimulation. Stimulation efficacy can be enhanced by dynamically adjusting the stimulation protocols to changes to the way how to users’ spinal cord reacts to stimulation. Finally, the functional use of the stimulation largely depends on the accurate timing of stimulation delivery. Machine learning approaches that infer users’ intentions based on behavioral, physiological or neural recordings can vastly improve the synchronization between intended and therapy-supported movements and, therefore, play a critical role in achieving functional recovery of patients. While the current medical devices mostly support block-based stimulation protocols that remain constant for hundreds of milliseconds, upcoming devices will enable changes of stimulation at a millisecond resolution, thus opening a new field for machine learning approaches that exploit these capabilities. The successful candidate will work to develop, implement and apply machine learning algorithms and approaches to enhance EES-based therapies. Specifically, he will: * Design the mapping procedures for the generation of transfer functions that relate the continuously-controlled stimulation to the evoked muscle activity. * Develop algorithms that automatically adjust these transfer functions as the interaction between patients and their EES-based therapy evolves. * Implement machine learning techniques that utilize users’ behavioral, physiological and neural signals to continuously synchronize the delivery of stimulation with the users’ movement intentions. * Lead the team that develops machine learning methods to initialize and adjust block-based EES protocols. * Assist and oversee the development and implementation of machine learning methods that use inference of discrete motor events to synchronize block-based EES protocols with the users’ intentions. By integrating well-equipped and expertly staffed rodent, non-human primate and clinical research facilities, NeuroRestore provides an ideal substrate for rapidly developing, integrating and clinically validating cutting-edge machine learning concepts within medical therapies, with the capacity to push successfully proven concepts into the technology transition phase. The successful candidate will have access to these animal platforms and will work within the framework of multiple NeuroRestore clinical trials with people with spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease. They will benefit from the possibility of validating their concepts in animal experiments and implementing them within the therapies being tested in the clinical trials. Prerequisites: · Doctoral degree (PhD) · Proficiency in Python, Matlab and C++ · Strong background in quantitative data analysis · Experience with applying multiple machine learning techniques to behavioral, physiological, biological and/or neural datasets · Good written and verbal skills in English Contact: Applications including a CV and a cover letter describing your background and interest should be sent to tomislav.milekovic(a)epfl.ch<mailto:tomislav.milekovic@epfl.ch>. Informal inquiries are welcome.

March 5, 2021

INCF Assembly 2021: abstract submission open!

by Helena Ledmyr

Join us virtually for the 2021 INCF Assembly on April 19-27, with an exciting program <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/2021/program> covering different aspects of FAIR neuroscience! Abstract submission <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/abstract-submission> is open until March 31, and registration <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/2021/registration> will open in late March. Members of INCF enjoy heavily discounted registration fees, which are already lowered due to the meeting being virtual this year. You can sign up for membership and see the other benefits here <https://www.incf.org/join-incf/individuals> - one year costs 20 USD for students and postdocs, and 50 USD for regular members. The INCF Assembly 2021 aims to provide the neuroscience community with approaches that can be used today to implement the FAIR principles in their research. It also aims to provide tool developers and infrastructure providers with an opportunity to interact with the user community and to interact with other practitioners to advance the field of neuroinformatics. The 2021 INCF Assembly will address topics around FAIR neuroscience such as: - FAIR approaches for neuroscience in general, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and computational neuroscience - Electrophysiology and computational neuroscience - Data science - Showcase of tools and infrastructures - Open innovation and intellectual property - Information about ongoing work in INCF councils and committees - Funders and publishers roundtable - Workshops on developing standards and a roadmap for FAIR neuroscience The INCF Assembly is the only international meeting that focuses on providing researchers with hands-on training experiences and enabling interaction with software developers and infrastructure providers. We hope to see you online in April! ----------------------------- Helena Ledmyr, PhD *Director* *Development and Communications* International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility Secretariat Karolinska Institutet. Nobels väg 15A, SE-171 77 Stockholm. Sweden Email: helena.ledmyr(a)incf.org Phone: +46 8 524 870 35 incf.org neuroinformatics.incf.org

March 4, 2021

INCF/OCNS Software WG: Dev session on GeNN (9th March)

by Ankur Sinha

Hello everyone, Apologies for the cross-posts. The INCF/OCNS Software Working Group (WG)[1] is happy to announce the next "Dev session" on GeNN[2] where James Knight and Thomas Nowotny will introduce the software and then discuss its *development* pipeline. The session will be held on March 9 at 1700 UTC. Zoom link: https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/j/97956408800?pwd=by9yVnhCZTJlenY0bVI4OE… The aim of these sessions is to stimulate discussion of the development practices and tools used by different teams to improve the software we use while also improving our knowledge of these practices and tools. We also hope to encourage more users of these tools to contribute to their development to ensure their longevity. The abstract of the session is below: ----- Large-scale numerical simulations of brain circuit models are important for identifying hypotheses on brain functions and testing their consistency and plausibility. Similarly, spiking neural networks are also gaining traction in machine learning with the promise that neuromorphic hardware will eventually make them much more energy efficient than classical ANNs. In this dev session, we will present the GeNN (GPU-enhanced Neuronal Networks) framework [1], which aims to facilitate the use of graphics accelerators for computational models of large-scale spiking neuronal networks to address the challenge of efficient simulations. GeNN is an open source library that generates code to accelerate the execution of network simulations on NVIDIA GPUs through a flexible and extensible interface, which does not require in-depth technical knowledge from the users. GeNN was originally developed as a pure C++ and CUDA library but, subsequently, we have added a Python interface and OpenCL backend. The Python interface has enabled us to develop a PyNN [2] frontend and we are also working on a Keras-inspired frontend for spike-based machine learning [3]. In the session we will briefly cover the history and basic philosophy of GeNN and show some simple examples of how it is used and how it works inside. We will then talk in more depth about its development with a focus on testing for GPU dependent software and some of the further developments such as Brian2GeNN [4]. [1] https://github.com/genn-team/genn [2] https://github.com/genn-team/pynn_genn [3] https://github.com/genn-team/ml_genn [4] https://github.com/brian-team/brian2genn ----- If you develop software for neuroscience, we would love to hear about your development pipeline. Please get in touch with the Software WG either on INCF's Neurostars platform[4] or on our GitHub repository[5]. The WG is a community based group that is open to everyone at all levels of their careers (academic or otherwise). Please introduce yourself to the community on our channels to get involved. [1] https://ocns.github.io/SoftwareWG/pages/about.html [2] http://genn-team.github.io/genn/ [3] https://ocns.github.io/SoftwareWG/2021/02/26/dev-session-james-knight-thoma… [4] https://neurostars.org/t/ocns-infrastructure-software-tools-sig-meet-and-gr… [5] https://github.com/OCNS/SoftwareWG/discussions/12 On behalf of the WG, -- Thanks, Regards, Ankur Sinha (He / Him / His) Research Fellow at the Silver Lab | http://silverlab.org/ Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, & Pharmacology University College London, London, UK Time zone: Europe/London

March 4, 2021