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

New INCF endorsement standard: MBF file format

by INCF

We are pleased to inform you that on January 25 2022, the INCF Standards and Best Practices (SBP) committee <https://incf.org/about/governance/SBP-subcommittee> endorsed the MBF file format as a standard, with the standard number INCFSN-22-01 <https://www.incf.org/mbf-file-format-v-40>. All INCF standards undergo re-review every two years. MBF Bioscience and INCF will work together to further improve the FAIRness of the standard until the next review, including implementation of the governance policy and modification of the standard’s license from the CC-BY-ND-NC to a CC-BY-ND. The committee is pleased to see an open format from a commercial entity go through the endorsement process, and applaud MBF Bioscience for taking this very important step in support of open and FAIR neuroscience. See the community review <https://f1000research.com/documents/10-712> Read the endorsement statement <https://f1000research.com/documents/11-336> *Why endorse community standards? * INCF (incf.org) has implemented a formal procedure for evaluating and endorsing community standards and best practices in support of the FAIR principles. Our mission is to make neuroscience more open and FAIR, to ensure that research funds and efforts are well invested, and that neuroscientific findings are robust and replicable. Open community review is a very important step in the process. Quality community standards are necessary to make FAIR resources and processes work, but too many neuroscience communities lack robust standards or have competing incompatible standards. The rapid development of new techniques also means that there is a continuous need for new and updated standards, and that old standards need an active developer and user community keeping them up to date. By endorsing standards, INCF wants to: - Make it easy to find the best, most reliable standard appropriate for your research - Ensure recognition for community members investing their time and effort in standards Similar to other standards, the review criteria <https://incf.org/incf-standards-review-criteria-v20> include: - Openness - FAIRness - Design, testing, and implementation - Governance - Adoption and use - Stability and support - Extensibility - Comparison (similarity to other standards)

March 21, 2022

2022 Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements Conference -- Final Agenda -- March 29-April 1 Virtual!

by Aimone, James Bradley

Dear colleagues, The final agenda for NICE 2022 has been published here https://flagship.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/jss/HBPm?mI=235&m=showAgenda This is the 9th annual NICE meeting, and we will be virtual again this year due to global travel considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. NICE covers the neuromorphic computing field with parallel considerations of the neuroscience inspiration and application drivers of brain-inspired computing technologies. Keynote talks Stefano Fusi (Columbia University) Jeff Clune (University of British Columbia) Please join us! Brad Aimone 2022 NICE Organizing Committee -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Cognitive and Emerging Computing Department Center for Computing Research Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728 http://neuroscience.sandia.gov

March 21, 2022

4-year postdoc in cognitive science

by Dominik Endres

The research group for Theoretical Cognitive Science of Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres at the Department of Psychology, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany, is currently accepting applications for a *** Postdoctoral Researcher **** We expect the successful applicant to independently develop, implement and execute virtual reality experiments for the validation of (deep) learning and Bayesian models of human behavior and perception and/or to develop, implement and analyze these models. Contributions to scientific publications and regular and active participation in the CRC’s scientific program are required. More details about the project's research directions can be found in these publications: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3355401 https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2678770 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7829376 https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/rev0000330 The position is offered for a period of 4 years, if no former times of qualification need to be considered. The starting date is as soon as possible. The position is full-time with salary and benefits commensurate with a public service position in the state Hesse, Germany (TV-H E 13). The position is a part of the project C6 (sensorimotor primitives, collaboratively supervised by Prof. D. Endres, Prof. A. Schütz and Prof. A. Schubö) of the DFG-funded *** Collaborative Research Center CRC/TRR 135 “Cardinal Mechanisms of Perception” *** More Information on the CRC can be found at http://www.allpsych.uni-giessen.de/sfb/index_en.html. Formal requirements are a qualified degree (diploma, master or equivalent) in psychology, cognitive science, computer science, engineering or physics (Master, Diploma, or comparable), a completed or nearly completed PhD as well as demonstrable programming experience in a high-level language, e.g. Python. We expect you to be interested in the topic of the project (to be documented in a motivation letter (1 page max), in which you may refer to prior experiences, for instance, a thematically pertinent thesis, student research assistant positions, etc.), developing virtual-reality scenarios and technology for research purposes as well as quantitative modelling. Advantageous qualifications are prior exposure to machine learning, Bayesian statistics, experience with human behavioral experiments as well as willingness to acquire basic German language skills. The full job advert can be found at https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/universitaet/administration/verwaltung/dezern… Please send your application (including a project-specific motivation letter in English, relevant diplomas, curriculum vitae and contact details of two potential referees) mentioning reference no. fb04-0010-wmz-2022 only as a single PDF file to dominik.endres(a)uni-marburg.de, before 15.04.2022. Feel free to contact Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres, mailto:dominik.endres@uni-marburg.de for more information. -- Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres Theoretische Kognitionswissenschaft - Theoretical Cognitive Science FB 04 Psychologie Tel: 06421-28 23818

March 21, 2022

PhD funded opportunity

by Eirini Mavritsaki

PhD funded opportunity (computational cognitive psychology) https://www.bcu.ac.uk/social-sciences/research/phd_opportunities Title: Covid-19 effects on Cognitive Health School: School of Social Sciences The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyday life and cognitive health including sustained attention and depression (Hampshire et al., 2021; Zhou et al., 2020 (a)(b)). However, little is known about whether depression is due to COVID-19 infection, or an effect of cognitive decline caused by the COVID-19, as depression is also linked to changes in attention and memory (Fossati, 2018; Dillon & Pizzagalli, 2018). Therefore, it is imperative to understand the interaction between cognition and depression, an area of research that is poorly understood in recent work related to COVID-19 and how this is progressing over time. Here, we propose to investigate the link between COVID-19 and cognitive health - depression, cognitive flexibility, and attention. We are using an interdisciplinary approach that combines online behavioural data with computational modelling using a computational approach developed by our team. Contact information: Name: Prof. Eirini Mavritsaki E-mail: eirini.mavritsaki(a)bcu.ac.uk<mailto:eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk> Tel: 0121 331 6361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prof. Eirini Mavritsaki, Ph.D., CPsychol , SFHEA, SEDA Recognised Supervisor Professor of Cognitive Psychology Director of Research for the School of Social Sciences Department of Psychology Faculty of Business Law and Social Sciences Birmingham City University The Curzon Building 4 Cardigan Street Birmingham B4 7BD eirini.mavritsaki(a)bcu.ac.uk<mailto:eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk> 0121 331 6361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 18, 2022

Postdoctoral position in the cognitive neuroscience of aging at UC Riverside and Irvine

by Aaron Seitz

A postdoctoral position in the cognitive neuroscience of aging is available at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) to work with a research team including Professors Xiaoping Hu, Aaron Seitz, Ilana Bennett, and Weiwei Zhang at UCR, and in collaboration with Megan Peters at UC Irvine. This opportunity will involve working on a NIA-funded project to understand how individual differences in the structure and function of the locus coeruleus moderate perception and memory in an older adult population. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to take a lead role in the project, including setting up experiments, collecting and analyzing data, training and supervising graduate students and undergraduate research assistants, and disseminating results at conferences and in research publications. https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/JPF01540 Successful candidates should have a strong background in fMRI data collection and analysis, advanced computational and statistical competencies, management skills, creativity and a high-level of conscientiousness. They should also have expertise in one or more of the following areas (and knowledge of the others): cognitive aging, brain aging, psychophysics, perception or memory processes, eye-tracking, metacognition, and the role of the locus coeruleus in cognition. Experience in programming psychophysical experiments, in either MATLAB or Python, is preferred. Researchers must possess a doctoral degree in Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, or a related field. The primary appointment will be either in the UCR Psychology or Bioengineering Departments, depending upon candidate interest and primary expertise. Working with our diverse research team will provide a unique interdisciplinary research and mentoring experience. Research will be conducted at the UCR Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, which features a 3T Prisma fMRI system with state of the art eye-tracking and psychophysical systems. Applications must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, 1-2 sample publications, statement of research interests, statement of past and/or planned future contributions to advancing diversity and inclusive excellence, and the names of three to five references with phone numbers and emails. Review of applications will begin on April 7, 2022 and may continue until the position is filled. Applications received by April 7, 2022 will receive full consideration. UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Best, -Aaron ************************************************** Aaron Seitz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Director of UCR Brain Game Center University of California, Riverside 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521 Ph: (951) 827-6422 Fax: (951) 827-3985 Email: aseitz(a)ucr.edu<mailto:aseitz@ucr.edu> Web: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/ BGC: http://braingamecenter.ucr.edu<http://braingamecenter.ucr.edu/> **************************************************

March 18, 2022

PhD studentships at University of Hertfordshire, UK

by Nada Yousif

Applications are invited by the Centre for Future Societies Research for three fully funded PhD studentships at the University of Hertfordshire. These research studentships will be part of the University Alliance (UA) Doctoral Training Alliance in Future Societies, and include the proposed project: "Low-cost, accessible neurostimulation, experiments and simulations" to be supervised by Dr Nada Yousif and Prof Volker Steuber. The PhD project will combine experimental cerebellar stimulation and computational modelling of the cerebellum to show the feasibility of low-cost, accessible non-invasive neurostimulation for treating movement disorders. Please see the Centre for Future Societies Research web page where project details are held on https://www.herts.ac.uk/research/centres/centre-for-future-societies-resear… and the external advert on https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CND466/three-fully-funded-phd-research-studentsh…. Closing date for applications: 22nd April 2022. Interviews will start soon after the closing date. Studentship start date: September 2022. For informal enquiries contact Dr Nada Yousif (n.yousif(a)herts.ac.uk<mailto:n.yousif@herts.ac.uk>) or Prof Volker Steuber (v.steuber(a)herts.ac.uk<mailto:v.steuber@herts.ac.uk>, biocomputation.herts.ac.uk<http://biocomputation.herts.ac.uk/>). Dr Nada Yousif School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science University of Hertfordshire +44 (0)1707 284129 n.yousif(a)herts.ac.uk<mailto:n.yousif@herts.ac.uk> go.herts.ac.uk/nada_yousif https://sites.google.com/view/nada-yousif/home

March 17, 2022

EBRAINS Brain Simulation School 2022, 30 May – 3 June 2022, REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 30 April 2022

by Luca Leonardo Bologna

We are glad to announce the *EBRAINS Brain Simulation School 2022* to be held in Palermo, Italy, from 30 May to 3 June, 2022. The EBRAINS Brain Simulation School 2022 aims at introducing the participants to the latest achievements and innovations of the *digital infrastructure for brain research EBRAINS* (ebrains.eu), created by the Human Brain Project. The School will offer tutorials on EBRAINS Tools and eServices. The students will be presented with the overview of the EBRAINS research platform, discussed by the leaders of the Human Brain Project, and gain practical skills in using EBRAINS resources to implement cellular and network level computational models, to use *EBRAINS Computing Services* configure and run simulations, and to visualise/analyse the results. Through tutorials, interactive sessions and hands-on activities, attendees will learn how to interact with EBRAINS to *carry out their own research*, to set up and manage a data-driven collaborative project, or to use the EBRAINS platform to interact with internal and external databases. The *target audience* of this school are advanced master students, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in biomedical and technology sciences, from medicine, biology, psychology, to mathematics, informatics, information technology, physics, chemistry, who would like to get an *introduction to the neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience tools available in the EBRAINS Infrastructure*. Registrations close on *30 April, 2022*. The event is limited to *40 participants*. Registration and Program are available on the School website: https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/education/BRAINSIM/ The School Scientific Chairs & Organizers Michele Migliore, Aušra Saudargienė, Francesca Spataro, Alessia Bonafede

March 17, 2022

Postdoc at Harvard (Drugowitsch Lab) in computational neuroscience

by Jan Drugowitsch

Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA Start: summer 2022 or after We are looking for a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work in the field of computational and systems neuroscience in the group of Jan Drugowitsch - Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School (https://drugowitschlab.hms.harvard.edu/) The group works on questions of decision-making and navigation under uncertainty, ranging from the level of neural populations to that of behavior. We have strong ties to, and frequently collaborate with, experimental labs. The postdoctoral fellow will develop state-of-the-art theories of neural computations using machine learning, neural networks, dynamical systems analysis, and reinforcement learning, and will analyze the neural data collected by experimental collaborators. The position starts in or after June 2022, and is funded for several years, with an initial one-year appointment and expectation of extension given satisfactory performance. Salary depends on experience and is at levels above the NIH scale. Expected background: Candidates should have a strong analytical background, such as in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, engineering, or related, and feature an interest in the role of computation in neural populations and in theoretical neuroscience in general. Experience or familiarity with related machine-learning fields is also desirable. Application: Candidates should send a single pdf file, consisting of a 1-page motivation letter, CV, and publication list to jan_drugowitsch(a)hms.harvard.edu. If they are considered suitable candidates, they will be requested to additionally organize two letters of reference. The position is open until filled. Dr. Drugowitsch will be available at the Computational and Systems Neuroscience Conference (Cosyne), to take place in Portugal, March 17-22, for questions and further information about the opening. Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Jan Drugowitsch Assistant Professor in Neurobiology Harvard Medical School https://drugowitschlab.hms.harvard.edu/

March 14, 2022

NeuroBridges 2022

by Ahmed El Hady

*NeuroBridges 2022* *A Mediterranean, Middle Eastern Summer School in Neuroscience* *Application opens March 15, 2022* *Website: **___http://decision-making-lab.com/NeuroBridges/neurobridges2022.html_* ** *NeuroBridges2022* is a summer school which will take place between September 4 and September 15, 2022 in Le Centre de Conferences Internationales de Cluny, France (CCIC) <https://streaklinks.com/A90svF509Dfx1gAIfQKAz1pX/https%3A%2F%2Fcollegecluny…>. The school will provide an overview of theoretical and experimental frameworks used to study a variety of *decision making* processes. It will cover a different model systems from rodents to humans and a plethora of decision making mechanisms. Another objective of Neurobridges is to bring together *Mediterranean and Middle Eastern scientists*, in order to promote scientific cooperation between young researchers from these countries. The organizers of NeuroBridges are convinced that such scientific collaborations can lead to personal relations, which eventually may alleviate the political distress in the Middle East. The school is intended for graduate students and postdocs, primarily (but not only) from the Middle East and the Mediterranean region either working in their home countries or abroad. Applicants should have some background in related fields in neuroscience or cognitive psychology. All costs of registration and accommodation will be covered by the organizers. For more information and application, visit our website:_http://decision-making-lab.com/NeuroBridges/neurobridges2022.html_ *NeuroBridges2022 Faculty:* Carlos Brody (Princeton), Ahmed El Hady (Princeton/Konstanz), David Hansel (CNRS), Ifat Levy (Yale), Yonatan Loewenstein (Hebrew U.), Najib Majaj (NYU), Mike Shadlen (Columbia U.), Eyal Winter (Hebrew U.) and Yoram Yovell (Hadassah Hebrew U. Medical Center) *NeuroBridges* is co-organized by Ahmed El Hady (Princeton Neuroscience Institute, USA), Yonatan Loewenstein (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) and David Hansel (CNRS, Paris, France). *NeuroBridges2022* is supported by the Simons Foundation (USA) and CNRS (France) and is in partnership with WWTNS (wwtns.online). *Contact us:*_neurobridges2022@gmail.com <mailto:neurobridges2022@gmail.com>_

March 13, 2022

job: machine learning research scientist at NIMH

by Francisco Pereira

## HIRING: machine learning research scientist The Machine Learning Team at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD, has an open position for a machine learning research scientist. The NIMH is the leading federal agency for research on mental disorders and neuroscience, and part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ## About the NIMH Machine Learning Team Our mission is to help NIMH scientists use machine learning methods to address research problems in clinical and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. These range from identifying biomarkers for aiding diagnoses to creating and testing models of mental processes in healthy subjects. Our overarching goal is to use machine learning to improve every aspect of the scientific effort, from helping discover or develop theories to generating actionable results. We work with many different data types, including very large brain imaging datasets from various imaging modalities, behavioral data, and picture and text corpora. We have excellent computational resources, both of our own (tens of high-end GPUs for deep learning, several large servers) and shared within the NIH (a cluster with hundreds of thousands of CPUs, and hundreds of GPUs). As a machine learning research group, we develop new methods and publish in the main machine learning conferences (e.g. NeurIPS and ICLR), as well as in psychology and neuroscience journals. Many of our problems require devising research approaches that combine imaging and non-imaging data, and leveraging structured knowledge resources (databases, scientific literature, etc) to generate explanations and hypotheses. You can find more about our work and recent publications at https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/mlt ## About the position We are seeking candidates who are capable of combining machine learning, statistical, and domain-specific computational tools to solve practical data analysis challenges (e.g. designing experiments, generating and testing statistical hypotheses, training and interpreting predictive models, and developing novel models and methods). Additionally, candidates should be capable of visualizing and communicating findings to a broad scientific audience, as well as explaining the details of relevant methods to researchers in a variety of domains. Required experience: - deep learning, using PyTorch or Tensorflow Desirable experience: - reinforcement learning - Bayesian statistical modelling - other types of modelling of human/animal learning and decision-making - neuroimaging data processing/ analysis (any MRI modality, MEG, or EEG) - other types of neural data (e.g. neural recording, calcium imaging) all in the context of substantial research projects, ideally having led to submitted or published articles. Finally, you should have demonstrable experience programming in languages currently used in data-intensive, scientific computing, such as Python, MATLAB or R. Experience with handling large datasets in high performance computing settings is also very valuable. Although this position requires a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline, we will consider applicants from a variety of backgrounds, as their research experience is the most important factor. Backgrounds of team members include computer science, statistics, mathematics, and biomedical engineering. This is an ideal position for someone who wants to establish a research career in method development and applications driven by scientific and clinical needs. Given our access to a variety of collaborators and large or unique datasets, there is ample opportunity to match research interests with novel research problems. We also maintain collaborations outside of the NIH, driven by our own research interests or community impact. If you would like to be considered for this position, please send francisco.pereira(a)nih.gov a CV, with your email serving as cover letter. We especially encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups in the machine learning research community. If you already have a research statement, please feel free to send that as well. There is no need for reference letters at this stage. Other inquiries are also welcome. Thank you for your attention and interest!

March 12, 2022