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

Tutorial on NEURON and NetPyNE at CNS*2021
by McDougal, Robert June 28, 2021

June 28, 2021

(Apologies for cross-posts.) Interested in learning how to build biophysically detailed neuronal models with NEURON and NetPyNE? Join us for a tutorial at CNS*2021 on Saturday, July 3rd starting at 10am EDT: Time (New York City / EDT) Presenter Subject 10:00 - 10:30 Bill Lytton Overview: implementing the conceptual model 10:30 - 11:50 Robert McDougal NEURON scripting basics 11:50 - 12:00 coffee break 12:00 - 1:00 Adam Newton Reaction-Diffusion 1:00 - 1:30 lunch break 1:30 - 2:50 Salvador Dura-Bernal NetPyNE GUI-based tutorials 2:50 - 3:00 coffee break 3:00 - 4:00 Salvador Dura-Bernal NetPyNE programming tutorial For more information, see: https://neuron.yale.edu/neuron/courses/2021-cns-neuron-netpyne-tutorial Register for CNS*2021 to attend; see https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-registration-fees

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PhD position with Prof. Laurenz Wiskott at the Institute for Neural Computation, Bochum, Germany
by Laurenz Wiskott June 28, 2021

June 28, 2021

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of the leading research universities. The university draws its strengths from both the diversity and the proximity of scientific and engineering disciplines on a single, coherent campus. This highly dynamic setting enables students and researchers to work across traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. One particular strength of RUB is interdisciplinary research in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, see https://ml-ai.rub.de/. The Institute for Neural Computation is a central research institute, see https://www.ini.rub.de/. It focuses on the dynamics and learning of perception and behavior on a functional level but is otherwise very diverse, ranging from neurophysiology and psychophysics over computational neuroscience to machine learning and technical applications. There is an open position for a research assistant / Phd-student in the group „Theory of Neural Systems“ of Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott to be filled at 15th of September. The appointment will be for three years. Salary is 75% of salary scale TV-L E13. Task: • Develop a cognitive system that learns to behave reasonably in new situations based on few episodic experiences. Central to the system shall be an episodic and a semantic memory. The application domain will be navigation. The candidate is free to put the focus on machine learning techniques or on the modeling of natural cognition. We offer: • An interesting interdisciplinary environment in the field of Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence / Computational Neuroscience. • Room to develop your own ideas in the project. • Infrastructure to integrate well into the institute and the group. • Opportunity to do a PhD (Dr). Requirements: • Very good Master in mathematics, computer science, engineering, or a related field. • Good programming and mathematical skills. • Interest in interdisciplinary research questions and cooperations. Advantageous: • Experience in Machine Learning and/or Computational Neuroscience. • Good communication and teamwork skills. • Experience in interdisciplinary projects. • Programming skills in Python. Applications (CV, transcript of records for MSc and BSc, statement of purpose) should be sent as a single pdf file to laurenz.wiskott(a)rub.de. Travel expenses for interviews will not be refunded. Ruhr-University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity in employment and gender equality in its working environment. We therefore look forward to applications from qualified women. Applications from appropriately qualified handicapped persons are also encouraged.

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Bernstein Conference 2021 - Deadline for Contributed Talks extended until July 7
by Anja Dorrn June 28, 2021

June 28, 2021

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 will be held online. <www.bernstein-conference.de>www.bernstein-conference.de ____ IMPORTANT DATES & NEWS * Bernstein Conference: September 21-23, 2021 * Abstract submission open: * Deadline for submission of abstracts to be considered for Contributed Talks: extended to July 7, 2021, 1 pm CEST * Deadline for abstract submission: August 3, 2021 * Selected Satellite Workshops are now online<https://bit.ly/BC21_workshops> * Registration will open soon and be free of charge ____ ABSTRACTS We invite the computational neuroscience community to submit their abstracts: Submitted abstracts can either be considered as contributed talks or posters. All accepted abstracts will be published online and will be citable via Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). Abstract submission is open. Further information can be found here: https://bit.ly/BC21_abstracts ____ INVITED SPEAKERS Keynote Timothy Behrens (University of Oxford, UK) Invited Talks Athena Akrami (University College London, UK) Nadine Gogolla (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany) Guillaume Hennequin (University of Cambridge, UK) Jennifer Li & Drew Robson (Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany) Scott Lindermann (Stanford University, USA) Ashok Litwin-Kumar (Columbia University, New York City, USA) Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research, New York City, USA) Cristina Savin (New York University, USA) Marion Silies (Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany) Daniela Vallentin (Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany) ____ CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Christian Leibold (Conference Chair) Julijana Gjiorgjieva (Program Chair) Christian Machens (Program Vice Chair) Marion Silies (Workshop Chair) Moritz Helias (Workshop Vice Chair) & Matthew Botvinick, Megan Carey, Peter Dayan, Brent Doiron, Rainer Friedrich, Ann Hermundstad, Srdjan Ostojic, Nathalie Rochefort, Nicole Rust, Gasper Tkacik ____ For any further questions, please contact: <bernstein.conference(a)fz-juelich.de> bernstein.conference(a)fz-juelich.de -- 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), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Dr. Astrid Lambrecht, Prof. Dr. Frauke Melchior ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Program and preliminary schedule for CNS*2021 Online
by Martin Zapotocky June 28, 2021

June 28, 2021

**Organization for Computational Neurosciences 2885 Sanford Ave SW #15359 Grandville, MI 49418 USA*** Program and preliminary schedule available for 30th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2021 Online, **July 3-7)***** The program of the CNS*2021 Meeting can now be viewed at https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-calendar <https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-calendar> Please note that this year, the main days of the meeting (*July 3-7*) are preceded by software tutorials on *J**une 28-29*, and satellite tutorials on *June 30 - July 2*. For registration information, please visit https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-registration-fees <https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-registration-fees> Following registration, the attendees can use the conference Sched page to access detailed information for each session and to assemble a personalized schedule. Instructions are sent upon registration. Please follow the Sched page for up-to-date information on the event schedule. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OCNS is the international member-based society for computational neuroscientists. Become a member to be eligible for awards and other benefits. Visit our website for more information: https://www.cnsorg.org <https://www.cnsorg.org> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Open postdoctoral position in Niv lab at Princeton University
by Angela Langdon June 25, 2021

June 25, 2021

The lab of Dr Yael Niv in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology at Princeton University is looking for a talented and motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team to study the neural mechanisms of reward prediction and learning in animals. This position is to work primarily with Dr Angela Langdon on a NIDA-funded project modeling behavior and neural recording data from rodents in a reward learning task (start date: as soon as possible). The ideal candidate will 1) have experience in computational or theoretical modeling, such as reinforcement learning, Bayesian inference, machine learning and/or neural circuit modeling; 2) be excited about mapping theories of learning and decision making onto behavior and its neural basis; 3) be keen to work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific environment. More broadly, members of the lab study the behavioral and neural computations that support learning and decision making, and their interaction with attention and memory mechanisms. Our research spans a diverse set of theoretical tools from reinforcement learning, Bayesian inference and machine learning alongside various empirical techniques, including targeted behavioral experiments, eye tracking and fMRI. In addition, we work closely with our collaborators on model-guided analysis of animal behavior and neural activity across a number of learning paradigms – the current position is for a project in this domain, working with existing neural and behavioral data from rodents. We have a particular interest in research that can shed light on the changes to learning and decision making that are prevalent in a range of clinical disorders. The Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Psychology Department at Princeton are highly interdisciplinary and collaborative, and provide excellent support for career development. You will be joining a vibrant and international research group, and will have opportunities to interact with and learn from a large number of researchers in cognitive and computational neuroscience. To apply, send your CV and statement of research interests to Yael Niv: yael(a)princeton.edu <mailto:yael@princeton.edu> and Angela Langdon: alangdon(a)princeton.edu <mailto:alangdon@princeton.edu>.

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Workshop on Clinical Computational Neuroscience at OCNS*2021
by Laure Buhry June 25, 2021

June 25, 2021

Dear all, We would like to announce the Workshop on *“Clinical computational neuroscience: How computational neuroscience can solve problems from the clinic”,* which will be held on *July 7th* during the OCNS annual meeting from 9:30 am to 5:45 am (Paris time) / 3:30 am to 11:45 am (NY time)/ 5:30 pm to 1:45 am (Sydney time). Please keep in mind that for workshop attendance a registration at the main conference (https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-registration-fees) is necessary. More information here: https://xenia-kobeleva.com/CNS2021/ We would love to see you there! Organizing Committee: Laure Buhry (co-chair) Xenia Kobeleva -- Dr Laure Buhry Associate Professor LORIA UMR CNRS 7503 - INRIA - University of Lorraine, France

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Postdoc position in neuronal network modelling and simulation
by Andrew Davison June 24, 2021

June 24, 2021

Dear colleagues, A postdoc position in neuronal network modelling and simulation is available within the Neuroinformatics research group of the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, as part of the Human Brain Project (https://neuropsi.cnrs.fr/en/departments/icn/group-leader-andrew-davison/) The large number of different simulation environments in neuroscience presents both a problem and an opportunity. Since each simulator has its own programming interface and output data format, reproducing, reusing, or combining models written for different simulators typically presents considerable difficulty. On the other hand, since each simulation environment has a different balance between efficiency, flexibility, scalability and user-friendliness, we can choose the most appropriate one for a given problem, or cross-check the results obtained with different tools. Simulator-agnostic model representation languages such as NeuroML and PyNN allow us to preserve the advantages of simulator diversity while reducing or eliminating the disadvantages, thereby making reproducibility and reuse much easier. Such languages let us take a single model description and simulate it in different environments without having to reimplement the model each time. The aim of this project is to expand the scope of PyNN from networks of simplified neuron models, such as integrate-and-fire, to networks consisting of biophysically- and morphologically-detailed neuron models, targeting the NEURON and Arbor simulators, the SpiNNaker and BrainScaleS neuromorphic computing systems, and interoperability with NeuroML and the SONATA format. We offer a flexible and collaborative working environment, including remote working up to two days per week. For more details and to apply, see https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/UMR9197-ANDDAV-007/Default.aspx?lang=EN Informal enquiries are welcome, contact andrew.davison(a)cnrs.fr Andrew Davison, PhD Group leader, Neuroinformatics Department for Integrative and Computational Neuroscience (ICN) NeuroPSI - Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience CNRS - Université Paris-Saclay 1, avenue de la Terrasse 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette France Tel: +33 1 69 82 34 51 Twitter: @apdavison https://neuropsi.cnrs.fr/en/departments/icn/group-leader-andrew-davison/

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Tutorial on "Understanding early visual receptive fields from efficient coding principles"
by Zhaoping Li June 24, 2021

June 24, 2021

Understanding principles of efficient coding can enable you to answer questions such as: why should the input contrast response function of a neuron take its particular form? Why do retinal ganglion cells have center-surround receptive fields? How correlated or uncorrelated should the visual responses from different retinal ganglion cells be? Why do receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells increase their sizes in dim light? How could visual coding depend on animal species? Why are color selective V1 neurons less sensitive to visual motion signals? How can one predict the ocular dominance properties of V1 neurons from developmental conditions? How should neurons adapt to changes in visual environment? This tutorial guides you on how to answer such questions. It contains: (1) A list of 45 short video lecture clips (about 10 minutes each on average) on YouTube, see http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/EfficientVisualCoding_Playlist.html (2) In addition to (1), you can join CNS *2021 (see https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021-tutorials#T3 ), which enables social interactions with the lecturer and other students via Discord, and on July 3rd (the tutorial day) for highlights, Q&As, and discussions. best, Li Zhaoping -- Li Zhaoping Ph.D. Prof. of Cognitive Science, University of Tuebingen Head of Dept of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems, Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics Author of "Understanding vision: theory, models, and data", Oxford University Press, 2014 www.lizhaoping.org

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CNS*2021 Workshop: Computational approaches for studying astrocyte dynamics and astrocyte-neuron communication (July 6-7, Online)
by Marsa Taheri June 23, 2021

June 23, 2021

Dear all, We are pleased to announce a workshop on “*Computational approaches for studying astrocyte dynamics and astrocyte-neuron communication*” at this year’s Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2021). This workshop will run over 2 half-days: July 6-7 (9 am – 12:30 pm UTC-7). ------------------- *Brief Description*: Exciting experimental studies in the last decade have led to an entirely new body of work on the participation of astrocytes in normal and pathological brain function. However, the development of a solid theoretical framework to support and quantify some of the pathways has been somewhat limited, first, due to the lack of intensive collaboration between experimentalists and theorists, and second, due to a persistent neurocentrist view of brain function. Please join us to hear from an incredible lineup of speakers, bringing together specialists, theorists, and experimentalists in the field of astrocyte-neuron signaling: Yukiko Goda, Riken, Japan Alla Borisyuk, University of Utah, USA Jennifer Shih, MIT, USA Annalisa Scimemi, University of Albany, USA Guoqiang Yu, Virginia Tech, USA Laszlo Heja, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary Anup Pillai, University of Ottawa, Canada Renaud Jolivet, Université de Genève, Switzerland Max Collard, UCSF, USA Audrey Denizot, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan Ron Refaeli, The Hebrew University, Israel Kerstin Lenk, Graz University of Technology, Austria ------------------- More information on the workshop at: https://astrocytenet.org/cns2021-online-workshop/ Register and gain access to all CNS*2021 presentations, tutorials, and workshops at: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021 We look forward to your participation! *On behalf of the workshop organizers:* *Kerstin Lenk*, Institute for Neural Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria *Audrey Denizot*, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Computational Neuroscience Unit, Onna-Son, Japan *Barbara Genocchi*, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, BioMediTech, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland *Suhita Nadkarni*, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER Pune), Pune, India *Marsa Taheri*, Department of Neurobiology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA Contact information: cns2021.astro.workshop(a)gmail.com

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Software WG satellite tutorials at CNS*2021 on Bash, Git, and Python: June 28, 29 2021
by Ankur Sinha June 23, 2021

June 23, 2021

Dear all, Apologies for the cross-posts. The INCF/OCNS Software Working Group is running three beginner/intermediate level satellite tutorials on Bash, Git, and Python at CNS*2021. These tutorials are on Monday and Tuesday (28/29 June). They are intended for both complete beginners and occasional/regular users who are looking to expand and refresh their skills. More information on these, including topics that we will cover can be seen on our website: https://ocns.github.io/SoftwareWG/2021/06/09/software-wg-tutorials-at-cns-2… - Effective use of Bash (Felix B. Kern): 28 June, 2021 1200 UTC - Effective use of Git (Ankur Sinha): June 28, 2021 1700 UTC - Python for beginners (Joe Graham, Shailesh Appukuttan, Ankur Sinha): 29 June, 2021 1300 UTC One can register for CNS*2021 here to gain access to excellent set of tutorials/workshops/posters and oral presentations that are being organised this year: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2021 More information on the Software working group, our work, how you can contact us, and how you can join us (it is open to all) is here: https://ocns.github.io/SoftwareWG/index.html On behalf of the Software 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

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