November 2024 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Looking for a lead designer at Thinking About Thinking (educational neuroAI non-profit that organizes conferences)
by Ruairidh Battleday Nov. 26, 2024

Nov. 26, 2024

Dear Mind, Brain, and AI researchers, We very much enjoyed meeting many of you at Thinking About Thinking <http://www.thinkingaboutthinking.org/> events this past year, with some still to come in Boston <http://www.algopreneurship.ai/>! We are an educational non-profit that holds open-access research conferences and Summits on foundational computational questions in cognitive science, neuroscience, and machine learning / AI. At Thinking About Thinking we are scaling up, aiming to run more, larger open-access events and beginning to produce extra content---podcasts, blogs, interviews, etc. As part of that process, we are looking for a lead designer (who would be paid on a per-hour basis, but be a full part of the ThAT team). It is very important to us to have someone that understands cognitive science, neuroscience, and AI to do the design work, as we are very keen on keeping these sets of concepts at our core. If you think you are that person, want to join an extremely fun team working at the cutting-edge of science and society, or know anyone that might, please do reach out! Many thanks for the attention, and all the best! Ruairidh and the Team -- Dr Ruairidh McLennan Battleday BMBCh (Oxon) PhD President Thinking About Thinking (www.thinkingaboutthinking.org) Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT

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CFP - 2025 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Its Social Impacts (ARSO 2025)
by nagai.yukie＠mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp Nov. 26, 2024

Nov. 26, 2024

Dear colleagues, 2025 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics and Its Social Impacts (ARSO 2025) July 17th-19th, 2025, Osaka, Japan https://ieee-arso.org Advanced robots are expected to enter in promising applications in our future society and bring substantial impacts. The increasing implementation of AI-based components even broaden their fields of application. To ensure that these impacts are positively reflected, today, we need to extend views not only on technical aspects but also on social challenges that we might face, including safety, regulation, ethics, human factors, and philosophy. The topics of ARSO 2025 include, but are not limited to the following: • Human-robot interaction in physical & psychological aspects • Safety standards for advanced robots & autonomous systems • Legal and ethical issues for advanced robots • Impact of robotics on society, e.g. robot business, marketing & economic impact • Robotics for sustainability, climate change or civil aid • Advanced industrial robots for future manufacturing • Healthcare & medical applications • Rehabilitation and transfer robotics • Service & assistance applications • Entertainment & education robotics • Robotics & autonomous driving • Bio-inspired robotics • Soft and wearable robotics Important Dates: Submission of Organized Session Proposal: Jan. 15, 2025 Initial Paper Submission: Feb. 28, 2025 Workshop Proposal Submission: Feb. 28, 2025 Notification of Paper Acceptance: Apr. 28, 2025 Final Paper Submission: May 30, 2025 General Chairs: Minoru Asada, Japan Silvia Rossi, Italy Program Chairs: Kensuke Harada, Japan Emel Demircan, USA Astrid Weiss, Austria Best regards, Yuji Kawai and Yukie Nagai, Publicity Chairs of ARSO2025 — Yukie Nagai, Ph.D. Project Professor, The University of Tokyo nagai.yukie(a)mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp | https://developmental-robotics.jp CREST Cognitive Feelings: https://cognitive-feeling.jp CREST Cognitive Mirroring: https://cognitive-mirroring.org

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PhD Opportunity: Machine Learning Methods for Invariant Representations
by Georgios Exarchakis Nov. 25, 2024

Nov. 25, 2024

Dear all, The *University of Bath* invites applications for a fully-funded PhD position in *Machine Learning*, as part of the prestigious *URSA competition*. This project focuses on developing *interpretable machine learning methods* for high-dimensional data, with an emphasis on recognizing symmetries and incorporating them into efficient, flexible algorithms. *Key Details* * *Supervisory Team*: Dr. Georgios Exarchakis & Prof. Michael Tipping * *Research Focus*: Interpretable and deep learning methods, feature learning, and invariant representations * *Applications*: Astronomy, quantum chemistry, medical imaging, computer vision, and more This PhD position offers the opportunity to work within a leading research environment, using state-of-the-art tools such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Scikit-Learn. The research outcomes have potential applications in diverse fields, and students are encouraged to bring creative and interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving. *Eligibility* Applicants should have a strong academic background in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or related fields (First Class or Upper Second Honours or equivalent). A master’s degree is advantageous. Non-UK applicants must meet the English language requirements. *Funding* The studentship covers tuition fees, a stipend of *£19,237 p.a.*, and access to a training support budget for 3.5 years. For more information and details on how to apply, visit UniversityofBathPhDOpportunities <https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/faculty-of-science-ursa-phd-project-m…>, or send an email to Georgios Exarchakis at ge394(a)bath.ac.uk. Applications close on *December 6, 2024.* Best, Georgios* *

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Post-doc position at EPFL on Computational Visual Neuroscience
by Dimitri Van De Ville Nov. 24, 2024

Nov. 24, 2024

Dear Comp-Neuro community, Kindly find a job ad for a post-doc position at EPFL on Computational Visual Neuroscience below. Best wishes, Dimitri — Post-Doctoral Researcher at EPFL on Computational Visual Neuroscience – start date ASAP Position Description We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher for a one-year (renewable) project within the MIP:Lab of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) located at the Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. The project is at the interface between an industrial partner (Dandelion Science) and the MIP:Lab headed by Prof. Dimitri Van De Ville. Start date is as soon as possible (date may be negotiable) and will last for approximately 15 months. At the end of the postdoc, there will be an opportunity to join the company as an employee. The post-doctoral researcher will join a team of academic and industrial group members to work on new computational modeling frameworks for rapidly time-varying functional networks in late sensory and non-sensory cortex in the context of biofeedback-influenced video viewing. A mix of theoretical, algorithmic, and empirical work is expected, in collaboration with an industrial partner in the healthcare technology/AI field providing behavioral and neural (streaming M/EEG) data. Some first-hand behavioral and neural data (M/EEG) is also expected to be acquired in the M/EEG Platform at the Campus Biotech. We are interested in maintaining the rich diversity in our work teams and encourage applications from all interested candidates. The salary range at EPFL is competitive and the quality of living in Switzerland is outstanding. Qualifications The ideal candidate will have a PhD, strong quantitative, signal processing, and machine learning skills, data analytic expertise (Python and Matlab), and enthusiasm for broadly advancing the treatment of neurological disorders. Experience with neuroimaging is required, preferably with human subjects. The candidate should be creative, enjoy problem solving, and be prepared to collaborate within a larger team with diverse expertise. Experience in commercial biomedical development is also preferred. Appropriate background/training includes systems or engineering, physics, machine learning and data science, as well as cognitive neuroscience. Application Instructions Please send your motivation letter, CV with publication list, one-page personal research statement, and contact information of three referees, to with subject line “[CV-POSTDOC] <Your Name>” to dimitri.vandeville(a)epfl.ch Job Type: 100% Work Location: In person — Dimitri Van De Ville Professor, Fellow IEEE & EURASIP Neuro-X Institute EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Professor, Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics University of Geneva Switzerland URL: http://miplab.epfl.ch/ Twitter: @dvdevill

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apply to ITCN at Penn
by Maria Neimark Geffen Nov. 22, 2024

Nov. 22, 2024

The Computational Neuroscience Initiative <https://www.cni.upenn.edu/> at the University of Pennsylvania offers a new program for Interdisciplinary Training in Computational Neuroscience (ITCN) at the doctoral level. The goal of the ITCN is to train a new generation of scientists who will make quantitative links between properties of the brain and properties of the mind. ITCN trainees will learn to use computational methodology to interpret experimental results, build predictive models of brain function that inform the design of the experiments, and support an ever-growing list of applications from brain-machine interfaces in the clinic to cutting-edge forms of artificial intelligence. The ITCN brings together students and faculty <https://www.cni.upenn.edu/people> from Penn’s PhD programs in Neuroscience <https://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/> (Biomedical Graduate Studies, Perelman School of Medicine), Bioengineering <https://be.seas.upenn.edu/doctoral/> (School of Engineering and Applied Science), Physics <https://www.physics.upenn.edu/graduate/> (School of Arts and Sciences), and Psychology <https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/graduate> (School of Arts and Sciences). To join the ITCN, students first apply to one of those "home" PhD programs. Once admitted, students then typically apply to the ITCN before starting classes in their first year. Those selected meet with the ITCN Advisory Committee, both individually and as a group, to develop individualized training plans that meet the goals and requirements of the ITCN and each student’s home program. These plans include coursework, research, and other activities that aim to build both expertise in computational neuroscience and a sense of community in the ITCN. Details are provided below. The ITCN embraces diversity and inclusion in their many forms, including welcoming students with a broad range of personal, professional, and academic backgrounds into both our training program and the field of computational neuroscience as a whole. *Application. *The application deadline is Dec. 1 for the Penn PhD programs! Prospective PhD students must first apply and be accepted into one of our participating graduate programs: Neuroscience <https://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/>, Bioengineering <https://be.seas.upenn.edu/doctoral/>, Physics <https://www.physics.upenn.edu/graduate/>, or Psychology <https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/graduate> (PhD students admitted to other PhD programs at Penn may also be considered; see below for additional requirements). Students typically apply to the ITCN before starting classes in their first PhD year, although we will also consider applications from students in more advanced years who believe they will be able to meet our academic requirements. Selection into the ITCN does not require a background in computational neuroscience. Instead, we require: 1) a brief (~½ page) essay describing why you want to join the ITCN and how it would fit into your training and career plans; 2) written permission from your Graduate Chair (and, for MD-PhD or VMD-PhD students, the Director of your Combined Degree Program); and 3) if you are not in one of our four participating programs, descriptions of the funding source(s) and course and research requirements for your home PhD program. Please send your application materials, and/or any questions, to Vijay Balasubramanian <vijay(a)physics.upenn.edu>, Maria Geffen <mgeffen(a)pennmedicine.upenn.edu>, and/or Joshua Gold <jigold(a)pennmedicine.upenn.edu>.

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Allen Institute Modeling Software Workshop 2025 - and a brief survey
by Anton Arkhipov Nov. 22, 2024

Nov. 22, 2024

Dear Colleagues, Join us at the Allen Institute Modeling Software Workshop<https://alleninstitute.org/events/2025-modeling-software-workshop/> on July 28-30, 2025 at the Allen Institute in Seattle, WA! And whether applying to the Workshop or not, please help us understand what the field needs by filling out this brief survey<https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=1pxmMn9zOUuL3daVESDT_M4…>. That will be very helpful to guide our work. About the Workshop This hands-on workshop focuses on building and simulating complex and heterogeneous network models grounded in real biological data. Participants will learn to use BMTK, SONATA, VND, our data, and models for simulating brain circuits. Applications<https://alleninstitute.submittable.com/submit/306603/2025-allen-institute-m…> are due March 15th, 2025! Selected applicants will be notified by May 1, 2025. Limited travel funding is available. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Anton. Anton Arkhipov Investigator, Allen Institute antona(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:antona@alleninstitute.org> alleninstitute.org<https://alleninstitute.org/> brain-map.org<https://portal.brain-map.org/>

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IMPRS for Language Sciences PhD Fellowships 2025
by Lam, Kevin Nov. 21, 2024

Nov. 21, 2024

** IMPRS for Language Sciences PhD Fellowships 2025 ** The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Language Sciences is offering two fully-funded PhD Fellowship for four years (2025-2029) with a preferred start-date in September or October, 2025. The goal of the scheme is to enable young researchers to pursue interdisciplinary research projects in the language sciences, supervised by leading scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and its partner institutes at the Radboud University -- the Centre for Language Studies and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. https://www.mpi.nl/ | https://www.ru.nl/cls | https://www.ru.nl/donders Find out more about the Fellowships and read first-hand accounts of our members: https://www.mpi.nl/imprs-phd-fellowships-2025 | https://www.mpi.nl/imprs The application deadline is 6 January, 2025. Thanks in advance. Best wishes from Nijmegen, Dr. Kevin Lam, Graduate School Coordinator http://www.mpi.nl/imprs | https://www.mpi.nl/people/lam-kevin

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Global Summit on Open Problems for AI. Museum of Science, Boston, 4-6th December.
by Battleday, Ruairidh Nov. 20, 2024

Nov. 20, 2024

Global Summit on Open Problems for AI. Museum of Science, Boston, 4-6th December. What are the next set of challenges for AI algorithms? What are the open problems in regulation & application? We are most excited to announce the Algorithmic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Summit on Open Problems for AI <http://www.algopreneurship.ai>. Join the USA’s leading AI researchers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs in this global Summit over three days of keynote talks, panels, and breakout sessions. Day 1 - Algorithms We ask what the fundamental challenges for developing AI algorithms are, as well as promising avenues for overcoming them. We’ll be hearing from Professor Aaron Courville (MILA), Professor Hidenori Tanaka (NTT & Harvard), Dr James Whittington (Oxford & Stanford & Zyphra), Dr Jonathan Richard Schwarz (Thomson Reuters), Dr Zi Wang (Google DeepMind) Panel on “Is this the end of Scale?” (Stanford, MIT, Kempner Institute Harvard, DeepMind, MosaicML, PillarVC) Panel on “How Should We Fund AI Research?” (Harvard Kempner Institute, Convergent Research, DeSciNYC, Advaita Capital, Flagship Pioneering) Day 2 - Ethics We ask what the fundamental ethical challenges and opportunities are for AI. Professor David Duvenaud (Toronto & Anthropic), Professor Alex "Sandy" Pentland (MIT), Dr William Casey King (Yale & Microsoft), Patricia Thaine (Private AI), Jurgita Miseviciute (Proton), Dr Aleks Jakulin (data.flowers) & Han Sheng Chia (Center for Global Development) Panel: Micro Ethics - What Can Individual Researchers Do for Ethical AI? Chair: Nicolay Hagen (NTNU) Panel institutions: Toronto, MIT, Harvard, Private AI, Anthropic, Context Fund Panel: Meso Ethics - What Can Organizations Do for Ethical AI? Chair: Professor Skyler Wang (McGill) Panel institutions: Microsoft Research, Northeastern University, Proton, Data.Flowers Panel: Macro Ethics - If AI is the answer, what is the question? Chair: Saima Fancy (Women in AI Ethics & Women in AI Governance) Panel institutions: McKinsey, Operation Hope AI Ethics Council, Center for Global Development, Academy Day 3 - Applications We ask what the fundamental challenges and opportunities are in applications for social good. Keynotes: AI for Science team (OpenAI), Dennis R. Mortensen (LaunchBrightly), Samuel Colvin (Pydantic), Professor Andreea Bobu (MIT), Professor Agata Lapedriza (Institute for Experiential AI), Dr Anna Litvak-Hinenzon (AL-Tech AI) Lightning talks: David Rose (LookOut), Albert Chen (Anago), Trevor Keith (Codapt), Waleed Atallah (Maco), Kachina Studer (Harvard/MIT), Dr Mireia Torello (AIKreate), Tanay Wakhare (Stealth) Expert session: AI & Medicine Professor Marzyeh Ghassemi (MIT), Professor Dan Nicolau Jr (Kings College London), Dr Alex Oshmyansky (Cost Price Drugs), Dr Clara-Lea Bonzel (Harvard), Anna Marie Wagner (DARPA & BOLD Corporation), Dr Salim Afshar (Harvard & RevealHealthtech), Thiri Shwesin Aung (Global Impact Assessment), Grigori Guitchounts (Flagship Pioneering) This should be an exciting and productive event, and we expect an audience of 400 of the USA’s best AI researchers and entrepreneurs, at student, early-stage, and full career levels. Student day tickets: $10 Early bird day: $20 Ruairidh <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruairidh-battleday-648a2b65/>, James <https://www.jcrwhittington.com/>, and Dan <https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dan-nicolau> Thinking About Thinking <https://www.thinkingaboutthinking.org/> -- Dr Ruairidh McLennan Battleday BMBCh (Oxon) PhD President Thinking About Thinking, Inc <https://thinkingaboutthinking.org> Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT

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PhD position - Memory - Neural Computation Group - Max Planck Institute CBS, Leipzig
by Andrej Bicanski Nov. 19, 2024

Nov. 19, 2024

Dear colleagues, I am advertising a PhD position in computational neuroscience in my group (Neural Computation) - fully funded (3 years) - at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. The position is part of an international collaborative effort (4 labs) to test and develop further computational models of episodic and spatial memory by combining human intracranial electrophysiology and computational models. Specifically, the project will explore computational/neural mechanisms underlying cognitive maps, spatial (and episodic) memory, and navigation. The candidate will have two main tasks: 1. develop new and improve existing models, 2. co-develop an analysis pipeline for human single units. Prerequisites are outstanding records in an area relevant to neuroscience. A strong quantitative background in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science or engineering is also suitable (e.g., physics, mathematics, electrical engineering etc.). Excellent programming skills (Python, Matlab) are required. This project is part of an international collaboration with the Universities of Bonn (Prof. Lukas Kunz), Berlin (Prof. Richard Kempter), and Columbia (Prof. Josh Jacobs). Please direct potential candidates to the ad at: https://www.cbs.mpg.de/stellenmarkt/stellenangebote Reference: PhD17/24 The intended starting dates are as early as possible in 2025. Applications will be considered as long as the above advert is up. You can read more on the group here: https://www.cbs.mpg.de/psychology/neural-computation Best wishes, Andrej Bicanski -- Dr. Andrej Bicanski Neural Computation Group Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Stephanstrasse 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Email: bicanski(a)cbs.mpg.de <mailto:bicanski@cbs.mpg.de> Tel.: +49 (0)341 9940197

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Fwd: AI Cluster Hiring of UT System Research Excellence Regents' Professorships at UTSA
by Dhireesha Kudithipudi Nov. 18, 2024

Nov. 18, 2024

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), MATRIX AI Consortium, invites applications for the position of Full Professor / Associate Professor, to be appointed as a University of Texas System (UT System) Research Excellence Regents' Professor. Successful candidates will be part of a strategic Clustered & Connected Hiring Program (CCP) <https://www.utsa.edu/strategicplan/initiatives/research/strategic-hiring/cc…> focused on Artificial Intelligence, with an anticipated start date in the Fall of the 2025-26 academic year. The University of Texas System recently approved the creation of the Regents’ Research Excellence Program across its four Emerging Research Universities (ERUs), including UTSA. UT System has allocated $55 million across all four ERUs to fund the recruitment of research-active faculty to dramatically grow its national research prominence and federal funding opportunities. The positions open are in areas: 1. *Trustworthy AI/ML Algorithms (eg: neuro-inspired algorithms)* 2. *Neuromorphic AI Accelerators/Chips* 3. *Human-Centered AI* 4. *AI Ethics* The Regents Professors will be core members of the MATRIX Consortium, which is a central hub for 87 AI scientists, facilitating transdisciplinary research, fostering high-impact collaborations, and offering thought leadership and domain expertise to address the most challenging and complex problems in AI. Areas of interest include Trustworthy AI/ML Algorithms, Neuromorphic AI Accelerators, Human-centered AI, AI Ethics, all of which advance the research thrusts in the MATRIX. MATRIX strives for scientific excellence in developing holistic solutions for human well-being. The team has a successful track record in securing large collaborative grants that generated multiple centers, such as the NSF AI Partner Institute, two NSF EFRI BRAIDs, AFOSR COE in neuro-inspired AI, along with large collaborative projects in AI for healthcare. Apply here: https://zahr-prd-candidate-ada.utshare.utsystem.edu/psc/ZAHRPRDADA/EMPLOYEE… Best Regards Dhireesha Founding Director| MATRIX <https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fai.utsa.e…> AI Consortium & NUAI <https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nuail…> Research Lab Professor| McDermott Endowed Chair| ECE/CS| UTSA

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