November 2022 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Gary Marcus speaking on November 17 in Developing Minds global online lecture series
by Jochen Triesch 13 Nov '22

13 Nov '22

Dear colleagues, On November 17, the Developing Minds global online lecture series will feature Gary Marcus: „Towards a Foundation for AGI“ https://sites.google.com/view/developing-minds-series/home The live event will take place via zoom at: 09:00 am PST (Pacific Standard Time) 17:00 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) 18:00 CET (Central European Time) 02:00 am, Friday Nov. 18, JST (Japan Standard Time) To participate please register here: https://sites.google.com/view/developing-minds-series/home Abstract Large pretrained language models like GPT-3 and PaLM have generated enormous enthusiasm, and are capable of producing remarkably fluent language. But they have also been criticized on many grounds, and described as "stochastic parrots." Are they adequate as a basis for artificial general intelligence [AGI], and if not, what would a better foundation for general intelligence look like? Bio GARY MARCUS is a leading voice in artificial intelligence. He is a scientist, best-selling author, and serial entrepreneur (Founder of Robust.AI and Geometric.AI, acquired by Uber). He is well-known for his challenges to contemporary AI, anticipating many of the current limitations decades in advance, and for his research in human language development and cognitive neuroscience. An Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU, he is the author of five books, including, The Algebraic Mind, Kluge, The Birth of the Mind, and the New York Times Bestseller Guitar Zero. He has often contributed to The New Yorker, Wired, and The New York Times. His most recent book, Rebooting AI, with Ernest Davis, is one of Forbes’s 7 Must Read Books in AI. You can follow him at garymarcus.substack.com and on Twitter, @garymarcus. The talk will also be recored and the recording made available via the web page: https://sites.google.com/view/developing-minds-series/home Stay healthy, Jochen Triesch -- Prof. Dr. Jochen Triesch Johanna Quandt Chair for Theoretical Life Sciences Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies and Goethe University Frankfurt http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~triesch/ Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47531 Fax: +49 (0)69 798-47611

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Postdoc and PhD position in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
by Christopher Laurie Buckley 11 Nov '22

11 Nov '22

Hi all, Hi all, A postdoc and a PhD position are available at the University of Sussex in my own group and the group of Prof. Anil K Seth (Department of Informatics and Centre for Consciousness Science) on the EU-funded project entitled “A metapredictive model of synthetic awareness for enabling tool invention (METATOOL)”. The METATOOL project is a ground-breaking international and multidisciplinary project that aims at developing a novel computational model of cognition based on the predictive processing of metacognition and validating its utility in real robots in the context of conditional sequential tasks, operationalised by tool use, as well as by the novel challenge of tool creation. This will suit those interested in predictive processing and generally work at the intersection of cognitive science and ML. To apply for the postdoc please see, https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs/research-fel-in-computational-cognitiv-… The closing date is 9th December 2022. For the PhD position, and all informal inquiries. please contact c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk. Professor Christopher L. Buckley Sussex AI Group Department of Informatics University of Sussex Falmer Brighton, UK

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Two postdoc positions in bio-inspired AI
by Thomas Nowotny 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Dear all, We are looking for two post-doctoral research fellows to join our team working on bio-inspired AI and robotics at the University of Sussex which will suit people with a range of backgrounds (from robotics, through computational neuroscience to Artificial Life). Deadline 22nd November. You will develop novel active AI algorithms that are inspired by the rapid and robust learning of insects within the. £1.2m EPSRC International Centre to Centre Collaboration project: “ActiveAI: active learning and selective attention for rapid, robust and efficient AI.” and will work in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and world-leading neuroscientists in Australia. Detailed information and how to apply can be found here: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs/research-fellow-in-bio-inspired-ai-rob-… https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs/research-fellow-in-bio-inspired-ai-rob-… Your primary role will be to develop a new class of ActiveAI controllers for problems in which insects excel but deep learning methods struggle. These problems have one or more of the following characteristics: (i) learning must occur rapidly, (ii) learning samples are few or costly, (iii) computational resources are limited, and (iv) the learning problem changes over time. Insects deal with such complex tasks robustly despite limited computational power because learning is an active process emerging from the interaction of evolved brains, bodies and behaviours. Through a virtuous cycle of modelling and experiments, you will develop insect-inspired models, in which behavioural strategies and specialised sensors actively structure sensory input while selective attention drives learning to the most salient information. The cycle of modelling and experiments will be achieved through field work in both Sussex and Australia. You will work under the supervision of Professors Andrew Philippides, Thomas Nowotny and Paul Graham within the Department of Informatics at Sussex and will join an active team of research fellows and PhD students working on similar topics at Sussex. Please contact Andrew Philippides (andrewop(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:andrewop@sussex.ac.uk>) for informal enquiries Kind regards, Thomas Nowotny -- Prof. Thomas Nowotny Head of AI Research Group CCNR, Sussex Neuroscience Phone: +44-1273-678593 Engineering and Informatics, Fax: +44-1273-877873 University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny<http://sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny> I support the University of Sussex Community Pledge, as I continue to help those around me during the pandemic. Small acts of collaboration, kindness and integrity can make a big difference. www.sussex.ac.uk/community-pledge<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/community-pledge>

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Software Engineering and PostDoc position at EPFL
by Mathis Alexander 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

My group has two openings: * Software engineer position in NeuroAI * SNSF-funded Postdoc position to model the sensorimotor system (see second half of the email) Thank you! Software engineer position in NeuroAI The Alexander Mathis Group of Computational Neuroscience & AI (UPAMATHIS, https://mathisgroup.org<https://mathisgroup.org/>) at EPFL (Lausanne & Geneva, Switzerland) is looking for a software engineer to support the research in Computer Vision, Machine Learning and modeling the Brain. Part (50% effort) of this position would also support our work collaboratively with the Mathis Laboratory<http://www.mackenziemathislab.org/> on DeepLabCut - a popular animal pose estimation system https://github.com/DeepLabCut/DeepLabCut EPFL<https://www.epfl.ch/de/> is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe and offers extremely competitive salaries and research infrastructure. Requirements: Candidates minimally should have a bachelor’s in Computer Science or related fields, and a masters degree or PhD is preferred. * Candidates without a PhD must be from Switzerland or the EU, PhD holders can be from anywhere in the world * Work is onsite at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland * Excellent English verbal and written communication skills and proven record of effective communication, both written and verbal, with scientists is required An ideal candidate would have prior experience in: * 3+ years of experience in Python & Machine Learning related technologies such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX. * 2+ years of professional software development experience * Experience building and scaling systems both on-premise and the cloud. * A record of experience working with scientists and other research engineers Deadline and starting date: Applications are requested starting from November 15 2022 and will then be processed as they arrive until the position is filled. The ideal starting date is winter or spring 2023. How to apply: Applications should consist of a motivation letter, a CV, two relevant GitHub repositories, and the email addresses of two or more referees. Please send your application and any inquiry by email to alexander.mathis(a)epfl.ch<mailto:alexander.mathis@epfl.ch>. Additional information about our research can be found at https://www.mathisgroup.org<https://www.mathislab.org/> Related work: Lauer, …, Mathis & Mathis Nature Methods<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01443-0> 2022 SNSF-funded Postdoc position to model the sensorimotor system The Alexander Mathis Group of Computational Neuroscience & AI (UPAMATHIS, https://mathisgroup.org<https://mathisgroup.org/>) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) has one open postdoc position in to model the sensorimotor system funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The goal is to build deep learning models of the sensorimotor system with a particular focus on proprioception based on known anatomical, pharmacological, lesion, behavioral and physiological data. We will then test predictions with our experimental collaborators. EPFL<https://www.epfl.ch/de/> is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe and offers extremely competitive salaries and research infrastructure. Related work: DMAP: a Distributed Morphological Attention Policy for Learning to Locomote with a Changing Body<https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.14218> Alberto Silvio Chiappa, Alessandro Marin Vargas, Alexander Mathis. NeurIPS (in press), 2022. Contrasting action and posture coding with hierarchical deep neural network models of proprioception <https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.06.081372v3> Kai J. Sandbrink*, Pranav Mamidanna*, Claudio Michaelis, Matthias Bethge, Mackenzie Weygandt Mathis**, Alexander Mathis**, BioRxiv, 2022. Requirements: Candidates should have a Ph.D. and a strong publication record in computational neuroscience or related fields. An ideal candidate would have prior experience in: * Reinforcement learning * Machine learning * Modeling neural data * Biomechanics * Fluency in oral and written English is required. Deadline and starting date: Applications are requested starting from November 15 2022 and will then be processed as they arrive until the position is filled. The ideal starting date is spring 2023. How to apply: Postdoctoral applications should consist of a motivation letter, a CV, two relevant publications, and the email addresses of two or more referees. Please send your application and any inquiry by email to alexander.mathis(a)epfl.ch<mailto:alexander.mathis@epfl.ch>. Additional information about our research can be found at https://www.mathislab.org<https://www.mathislab.org/> [cid:clip_image001.png] Alexander Mathis Tenure Track Assistant Professor people/alexander.mathis mathislab.org<http://mathislab.org>

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Open PhD and post-doc positions at the University of Bern
by Jean-Pascal Pfister 07 Nov '22

07 Nov '22

Applications are invited for two PhD student positions and one post-doc position at the University of Bern. The positions are funded by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation which is entitled “Why Spikes?”. This project aims at answering an almost 100 year old question in Neuroscience: “What are spikes good for?”. Indeed, since the discovery of action potentials by Lord Adrian in 1926, it has remained largely unknown what the benefits of spiking neurons are, when compared to analog neurons. Traditionally, it has been argued that spikes are good for long-distance communication or for temporally precise computation. However, there is no systematic study that quantitatively compares the communication as well as the computational benefits of spiking neuron w.r.t analog neurons. The aim of the project is to systematically quantify the benefits of spiking at various levels. The PhD students and post-doc will be supervised by Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister (Theoretical Neuroscience Group, Department of Physiology, University of Bern). The PhD candidates (resp. post-doc candidate) should hold a Master (resp. PhD) degree in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computational Neuroscience, Neuroscience or a related field. She/he should have keen interests in developing theories that can be tested experimentally. Preference will be given to candidates with strong mathematical and programming skills. Expertise in stochastic dynamical systems, point processes, control theory and nonlinear Bayesian filtering will be a plus. The applicant should submit a CV (including contacts of two referees), a statement of research interests, marks obtained for the Master to Jean-Pascal Pfister (jeanpascal.pfister(a)unibe.ch). The position is offered for a period of three years and can be extended. The preferred starting date is February 2023. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (http://www.snf.ch/SiteCollectionDocuments/allg_doktorierende_e.pdf). Deadline for application is the 30th of November 2022 or until the position is filled. --------------------------------- Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister Theoretical Neuroscience Group Physiology Department, University of Bern 5 Bühlplatz, CH-3012 Bern, CH e-mail: jeanpascal.pfister(a)unibe.ch URL: http://www.physio.unibe.ch/~pfister/

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Gatsby Unit PhD Programme in Theoretical Neuroscience and Machine Learning -- deadline 13 November
by Maneesh Sahani 04 Nov '22

04 Nov '22

Applications to the Gatsby Unit PhD programme close soon. See www.ucl.ac.uk/gatsby/study-and-work/phd-programme The Gatsby Unit is a leading research centre focused on theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. We study (un)supervised and reinforcement learning in brains and machines; inference, coding and neural dynamics; Bayesian and kernel methods, and deep learning; with applications to the analysis of perceptual processing and cognition, neural data, signal and image processing, machine vision, network data and nonparametric hypothesis testing. The unit provides a unique opportunity for a critical mass of theoreticians to interact closely with one another, with the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (SWC), the Centre for Computational Statistics and Machine Learning (CSML), other research groups in related UCL departments, and the nearby Alan Turing and Francis Crick Institutes. Students complete a 4-year PhD in either machine learning or theoretical neuroscience, with minor emphasis in the complementary field. Courses in the first year provide a comprehensive introduction to both fields and systems neuroscience. Students are encouraged to work and interact closely with researchers at the SWC and/or CSML to take advantage of this uniquely multidisciplinary research environment. Applicants should have a strong analytical and quantitative background, a keen interest in neuroscience, machine learning or both, and a relevant first degree, for example in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Neuroscience or Cognitive Psychology. Full funding is available regardless of nationality. The unit also welcomes applicants who have secured or are seeking funding from other sources. Applications should be submitted directly via our online portal. -- Maneesh Sahani, Ph.D. Professor of Theoretical Neuroscience and Machine Learning Director, Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL 25 Howland Street, London W1T 4JG

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IBI Data Governance Symposium at Neuroscience 2022 San Diego, Nov. 14, 18:30-
by Kenji Doya 04 Nov '22

04 Nov '22

If you are attending Neuroscience 2022 in San Diego, please come join the satellite symposium by International Brain Initiative (IBI) Data Standards and Sharing Working Group: Developing an International Data Governance Framework to Accelerate Global Neuroscience Research https://brainminds-beyond.jp/satelliteopen@sfn_2022_ibi_data_WG.html Monday, November 14th, 2022, 18:30 – 20:40 PST Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Level 4, Sapphire 400AB Opening: Jan Bjaalie, Kenji Doya Keynote: Open science at the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Karel Svoboda Flash talks on data sharing by brain initiatives around the world Updates from Data WG Task Forces Data Governance: Damian Eke, Franco Pestilli, Matthew Brown Data Catalog: Sean Hill, Tom Johnstone Training: Sharon Crook, Tina Kokan Open Discussion over drinks and snacks Closing: Maryann Martone Pre-registration is not required but attendance is limited to 100, first-come-first-served. If you are interested in joining, please leave a note here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IBI_data_interest For any question, please contact: ibidatawg(a)gmail.com See you in San Diego! Kenji ---- Kenji Doya <doya(a)oist.jp> Neural Computation Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan Phone: +81-98-966-8594; Fax: +81-98-966-2891 https://groups.oist.jp/ncu

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Post-doc on Spiking models for energy-efficient Continuous Learning AI
by Xavier Otazu Porter 04 Nov '22

04 Nov '22

We are seeking postdocs to join the Learning and Machine Perception (LAMP) team in beautiful Barcelona. The positions are for two years and will remain open until good candidates are found. The project focuses on research lines that explore the potential of Continual AI to address the challenges of sustainable-AI. Living allowance of 31-36k€/year (gross salary) depending on experience. More information on: http://wwwo.cvc.uab.es/lamp/?p=1389 Xavier Otazu Computer Vision Center<http://www.cvc.uab.cat> CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING<http://www.cvc.uab.es/?page_id=7475>

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Postdoctoral position in astrocyte modeling at EPFL, Switzerland
by Daniel Keller 04 Nov '22

04 Nov '22

The Blue Brain Project at EPFL in Switzerland has an open postdoctoral position for modeling of astrocyte signaling pathways within the context of large-scale brain simulations, using numerical solution of differential equations as well as other techniques. Qualified candidates should hold a doctorate in a science or technical domain. For more information or to apply, please see: https://recruiting.epfl.ch/Vacancies/2032/Description/2

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Job Opportunity at INCF!
by INCF 03 Nov '22

03 Nov '22

Job Opportunity at INCF! Stockholm, SE: Want to join a friendly, international group passionate about neuroinformatics and the FAIR scientific environment? We’re hiring! The role includes: - managing INCF's scientific committees & councils, - developing communications materials, - maintaining training & education content, - maintaining updates on working group activities, - managing mentorship programs, and - assisting with INCF events. Candidates should be highly organized and service-minded with excellent written and spoken English. We are looking for a self-motivated and independent neuroscientist, computer scientist, or data scientist, preferably with experience in community engagement, open science practices, and scientific communications. The candidate should have strong time management skills and be able to multitask. Interpersonal skills are essential and we emphasize the person’s ability to contribute to a friendly work environment. Skills required: - MSc or PhD in computational neuroscience, neuroscience, data science, or computer science - Fluency in English - Strong organizational skills - Ability to prioritize tasks - Excellent and proven team-working ability - Tactful and diplomatic verbal and written interpersonal communication skills - Proficiency in MS Office - Proficiency in scientific writing (blog-style) - Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (mainly InDesign and Photoshop) Skills desirable: - Knowledge of Google apps, Zoom, Doodle, and other similar web applications for office use - Familiarity with social media platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube) - Graphical/layout skills Learn more and apply by November 30: bit.ly/INCFjobad /The INCF Team

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