December 2025 - Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Postdoc or technician position in simulator software development

by Erik De Schutter

The Computational Neuroscience unit (https://www.oist.jp/research/research-units/cnu) at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology has an opening for software developers to contribute to further expansion of our nanoscale simulation package STEPS. Initial duration is two years with option to extend. We have been spearheading the development of efficient computational tools to simulate electrophysiological, molecular and cell biology processes in neurons at the nanoscale (STEPS http://steps.sourceforge.net) The hired postdoctoral researcher or technician is expected to make valuable contributions to the STEPS project by implementing novel techniques for accurate computational modeling and contributing to software maintenance. In performing these tasks, the candidate is expected to co-author publications that are either based on theory and computational techniques, or geared more towards answering real biological questions through computational modeling. As such, the ideal candidate will have a scientific background but also possess excellent programming skills. Competences: For the postdoctoral position a recent PhD is required in a relevant discipline such as computer science, neuroscience, molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, and for the technician position a masters degree is required in computer science or related disciplines. For either position, we require a talented programmer with experience in C++ and Python who can work in a team. Ideally, the candidate has some experience of modeling neuronal or other biological processes computationally, but this is not essential if the candidate is motivated to move into the field. Fluent English conversation and writing skills are required. Benefits / Offer: Standard salary and relocation package are offered. Medical insurance and housing allowance are included. This an ideal position to gain experience in advanced scientific software development and take part in our international collaborations. Please contact Prof. Erik De Schutter (erik(a)oist.jp) for inquiries.

Dec. 15, 2025

Professor / Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wollongong, Australia

by Manish Sreenivasa

*Professor, Biomedical Engineering* *Wollongong, NSW, Australia* *Job Description* - Permanent/Continuing, full-time appointment - Level D: $179,439 - $192,572 + 17% superannuation - Level E: $223,260 + 17% superannuation - Visa sponsorship may be available for this position *Join UOW as the Professor of Biomedical Engineering* Shape a discipline. Lead a team. Accelerate impact. Ready to build and lead a cutting‑edge Biomedical Engineering program at a globally ranked university—while living by some of Australia’s most beautiful beaches? The University of Wollongong (UOW) invites applications from exceptional, rising academic leaders for a new Professorship in Biomedical Engineering within our School of Engineering—one of Australia’s top engineering faculties (THE World Rankings by Subject 2025: 8th in Australia; top 125-150th globally). Depending on experience and expertise the appointment will be as Full Professor (Level E) or Associate Professor (Level D). *Why UOW and Wollongong?* - Live and work in a vibrant coastal city with a relaxed lifestyle, outstanding schools, a safe community, and quick access to Sydney. - Join a School renowned for research and teaching excellence across sustainable manufacturing, green power, robotics, and medical devices—offering rich opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration. - Leverage our strong industry partnerships and deep links with leading national and international universities and institutes to accelerate translation and secure competitive funding. *About The Opportunity* As Professor and Discipline Lead for Biomedical Engineering, you will: - Define and drive the strategic direction of Biomedical Engineering at UOW. - Build an ambitious, collaborative research ecosystem spanning fundamental discovery to clinical and industry translation. - Mentor emerging academics and HDR candidates, and shape innovative curriculum across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. - Forge partnerships with hospitals, medtech companies, and government to deliver real healthcare impact. *Focus Areas* We welcome applications from scholars whose research aligns with one or more of the following areas: - Bionics and neuroengineering - Brain–computer/machine interfaces - Rehabilitation engineering - Biosensing and instrumentation - Tissue/cell biomechanics and mechanotransduction - Artificial organs and implants - Musculoskeletal and physiological modelling - Electroceuticals - Prosthetics and orthotics - Orthopaedic engineering (especially orthopaedic biomechanics) *What We’re Looking For* - A strong, upward research trajectory with a record of high-impact publications, competitive grants, and translation or industry engagement. - Experience leading teams and shaping academic programs. - A collaborative mindset and a passion for mentoring the next generation of biomedical engineers. - Commitment to excellence in both research and teaching. *What You’ll Find Here* - A collegial, high-performance culture with outstanding facilities and technical support. - Deep connections to clinicians and industry to accelerate device development and deployment. - A platform to grow a flagship discipline and leave a lasting legacy. UOW is very committed to supporting diversity and gender balance. The Engineering & Information Sciences (EIS) Faculty at the University of Wollongong proudly offers: - Leadership mentoring for emerging women researchers and providing opportunities for them to be a part of UOW’s Leadership Program Senior Academic Women (LPSAW) - A ‘Return to work after maternity leave’ fellowship program, which provides funding to academic women returning from maternity leave to kick-start their research career - Heads of School who support staff that have a career interruption - Commitment to flexible work practices including consideration of meeting times to allow for greater staff attendance; online and face-to-face meeting options meeting recordings for staff that cannot attend; scheduling meetings with sufficient advance notice for arrangements around caregiving - An Associate Dean EDI (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) and an EDI Champion in every School, ensuring women and other underrepresented groups are welcomed & celebrated and form a key part of our fabric & culture - University on-site childcare *Contact* To have a confidential discussion about this opportunity please contact Senior Professor Geoff Spinks at gspinks(a)uow.edu.au or +61 2 4221 3010 or Senior Professor Gursel Alici (Executive Dean) at gursel(a)uow.edu.au or +61 2 4221 4145. *How to Apply* Candidates must contact Grant Jacobs at gjacobs(a)uow.edu.au or +61 2 4239 2104 to receive a candidate information pack prior to applying. After receiving the candidate information pack, please submit a concise expression of interest (maximum 3 pages) describing your suitability for this position including reference to the selection criteria located in the position description and attach a copy of your current CV to your online application. *Closing Date: Sunday 1 February 2026, 11:59pm* At UOW, we value and acknowledge the importance of our people’s diverse experiences, talents and cultures that they bring to work with them each day. Embracing diversity and creating inclusion is a key component of attracting and retaining talent in our workforce. The creation of a diverse and inclusive workforce is central to our ability to unlock potential, enhance our success and achieving our vision of being in the Top 1% of universities globally.” *About Us* The University of Wollongong was born with a mission to transform our region: to educate and empower the people of the Illawarra. Our commitment to a better future has shaped our direction and impact since our inception. Over the years, we have grown to be a global diverse and inclusive civic university, working to solve global challenges and promoting harmony and social cohesion.We are proud to be a globally recognised and respected university, opening doors for our students, staff and partners.

Dec. 15, 2025

World wide VVTNS series (6th season): Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 11:00 am ET - Jakob Macke Tubingen University

by David Hansel

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.on…> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture Jakob Macke Tubingen University on the topic of *Learning mechanistic models that link cells, circuits, and computations* The lecture will be held on zoom on December 17, 2025, at *11:00 am ET * > To receive the link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page > *Abstract: *Modern experimental techniques now reveal the structure and function of neural circuits at unprecedented scale and resolution. How can we use this wealth of data to understand how cells and circuits implement computations underlying behaviour? Achieving this goal requires models that are consistent with biophysical mechanisms and circuit dynamics, yet flexible enough to capture behaviourally relevant computations. We develop simulation-based machine learning methods that address this challenge. I will show how these approaches—in combination with connectomic measurements—make it possible to build large-scale mechanistic models of the fruit fly visual system. Our methods generalize across systems and scales, defining a new way to study biological systems by algorithmically learning interpretable models that reveal how structure and dynamics gives rise to behaviour. *About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ

Dec. 14, 2025

PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience at Ulster University

by Bronac Flanagan

The Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) at Ulster University is advertising a funded PhD position for a project titled “Computational Modelling of Astrocytes in Brain Health and Disease”. This PhD will develop computational models of astrocyte-neuron interactions, with potential focus areas including calcium signalling, neurotransmitter dynamics, and metabolic coupling, depending on the candidate's interests and emerging research priorities. Research directions (flexible to candidate interests): • Astrocytic regulation in disease states (epilepsy, neurodegeneration) • Contributions to learning and memory • NeuroAI applications: translating astrocyte mechanisms into bio-inspired architectures The project includes collaboration with experimental groups for model validation. What's Offered • 3-year full PhD funding • Collaborative opportunities with experimental and clinical researchers • Publication and conference support • Training in computational neuroscience and NeuroAI methods More details about this position are available at https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/11b-intelligent-systems… For more information about the research environment at ISRC, visit https://www.ulster.ac.uk/research/topic/computer-science/intelligent-system… The PhD position is at Ulster University's Derry~Londonderry campus, one of the UK's top 10 research institutions. Recently named 'University of the Year 2024' by Times Higher Education, Ulster University is now the highest-ranked higher education institution in the UK and Ireland. The historic city of Derry, situated on the River Foyle in Northwest Northern Ireland, offers an ideal location between the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coast. Its rich cultural heritage, vibrant atmosphere, and numerous family activities make it an excellent place to live. Please contact Bronac (b.flanagan(a)ulster.ac.uk) if you are interested or have questions.

Dec. 12, 2025

Pearson Fellowship in Applied Mathematics

by Eric Shea-Brown

Warmly inviting those in the comp-neuro community interested in mathematical neuroscience research and teaching broadly in applied math to apply to the Pearson Fellowship at the University of Washington, Seattle Department of Applied Mathematics, by Jan. 1! Please see more details here, and -- thank you very much!! https://apply.interfolio.com/172527 <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apply.interfolio.com/172527__;!!K-Hz7m0…> Yours, Eric

Dec. 12, 2025

Call for tutorials and workshops at the 35th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting CNS*2026

by Rubchinsky, Leonid L

Dear Colleagues, We are requesting proposals for workshops and tutorials at the 35th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting, CNS*2026 (Halifax, Canada, 11-15 July 2026). Proposals from all levels of faculty as well as advanced postdoctoral fellows are welcome. Tutorials are to be held on the first day and workshops on the last two days of the CNS*2025 Meeting. This is an excellent opportunity to reach international audience of computational neuroscientists participating in this meeting. CALL FOR WORKSHOPS: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2026-call-for-workshops Priority Deadline for proposals: February 2, 2026. Contact: workshops(a)cnsorg.org CALL FOR TUTORIALS: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2026-call-for-tutorials Deadline for proposals: February 2, 2026. Contact: tutorials(a)cnsorg.org INFORMATION ABOUT CNS*2026: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2026 With kind regards, Leonid Rubchinsky OCNS Vice President, on behalf of the OCNS Board of Directors *********************** Leonid Rubchinsky, PhD Professor Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indiana University Indianapolis Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine 402 N. Blackford St Indianapolis, IN 46202-3216 lrubchin(a)iu.edu math.indianapolis.iu.edu/~lrubchin/ ***********************

Dec. 11, 2025

Fully funded Postdoc + PhD positions Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) and ERC ACTOR

by Constantin Rothkopf

The lab of Constantin Rothkopf (https://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/) at the Centre for Cognitive Science @ TU Darmstadt has several open positions at the PhD and Postdoc levels. Research in the laboratory focuses on explaining human sequential visuomotor decisions and behavior under the influence of the world's uncertainties and ambiguities through computational modeling. Using the reverse-engineering approach, we devise algorithms for inferring individuals' internal models of the world, tracking their subjective beliefs over time during behavior and learning, as well as their internal subjective costs and benefits, including effort. We investigate naturalistic sequential tasks, including navigation and object manipulation, active learning and active sensing, sequential decision-making under uncertainty, and intuitive physics. The lab has state-of-the-art equipment for eye and body tracking, VR, naturalistic task monitoring, psychophysics, and access to one of the most generous computing infrastructures in Germany. A large-scale tracking lab will be available in 2026. The Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) (https://www.simonsfoundation.org/neuroscience/simons-collaboration-on-ecolo…) is an exciting 10-year initiative spanning a powerful international network of labs working across species and disciplines - uniting experimental and computational cognitive science, neuroscience, machine learning, and Al to understand real-world behavior and how it shapes neural representations. The ERC ACTOR aims to utilize both human behavioral experiments and computational modeling to understand human sequential behavior in tasks, including continuous psychophysics, sensorimotor control involving intuitive physics, navigation, and food preparation, in the framework of sequential decision-making/planning/optimal control/RL. Our group is part of the Centre for Cognitive Science and the AI Center at TU Darmstadt, which are home to an internationally outstanding group of PIs and junior researchers working in the areas of computational cognitive science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. We are part of the two Excellence Clusters, “The Adaptive Mind” and “Reasonable AI”, and engage in multiple fruitful research collaborations. Our lab fosters an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative environment driven by scientific curiosity and mutual respect. We maintain close interactions with other research groups, including joint lab meetings. For informal inquiries, please reach out to constantin.rothkopf(a)tu-darmstadt.de. Please apply through the central application portal at https://www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/tu-darmstadt/jobs. The Frankfurt-Darmstadt metropolitan area is located in the heart of Europe and is one of the most international regions in Germany, with a diverse community and rich culture, repeatedly earning high rankings in worldwide surveys of quality of living. Frankfurt has recently achieved a top worldwide ranking of attractiveness according to The Economist, and Darmstadt has consistently ranked among the top innovation-driving cities in Germany. Finally, to get a better idea about some of our work, here are some publications by our group: - Kessler, F., Frankenstein, J., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2024). Human navigation strategies and their errors result from dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties. Nature Communications, 15(1), 5677. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49722-y - Straub, D., Niehues, T. F., Peters, J., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2025). Inverse decision-making using neural amortized Bayesian actors. In The Thirteenth International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). https://openreview.net/forum?id=zxO4WuVGns - Straub, D., Schultheis, M., Koeppl, H., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2023). Probabilistic inverse optimal control for non-linear partially observable systems disentangles perceptual uncertainty and behavioral costs. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 36 (NeurIPS): 7065-7092. https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2023/hash/16347f6e665376fd… - Schultheis, M., Straub, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2021). Inverse optimal control adapted to the noise characteristics of the human sensorimotor system. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 34 (NeurIPS), 9429-9442. https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper/2021/hash/4e55139e019a58e0084f194f758f… - Straub, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2022). Putting perception into action with inverse optimal control for continuous psychophysics, eLife 11, e76635. https://elifesciences.org/articles/76635 - Hoppe, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2019). Multi-step planning of eye movements in visual search. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37536-0 - Hoppe, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2016). Learning rational temporal eye movement strategies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(29), 8332-8337. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601305113 -- Prof. Constantin A. Rothkopf, PhD Technical University of Darmstadt, Alexanderstr. 10, 64283 Darmstadt phone: +49 6151 16-23367 https://tu-darmstadt.zoom-x.de/my/crothkopf Psychology of Information Processing Group https://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/ Centre for Cognitive Science http://www.cogsci.tu-darmstadt.de/ Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence https://hessian.ai/ Institute of Psychology https://www.psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de/

Dec. 11, 2025

PhD opportunity in affective neuroscience and reinforcement learning at ETIS lab, CY Cergy Paris University

by Elisa MASSI

Dear comp-neuro community, as part of the Paris Region (Île-de-France) DIM C-BRAINS 2025-2026 International PhD studentship program, we are looking for excellent international candidates who would wish to work on the following topic: Stress-Based Modulation of Hippocampal Replay-Inspired Techniques in Reinforcement Learning (SMaRT-RL) Supervisors: Elisa Massi (elisa.massi [@] cyu.fr, https://www.etis-lab.fr/2024/01/11/massi-elisa/ ) and Lola Cañamero (lola.canamero [@] cyu.fr, www.etis-lab.fr/canamero-lola/ ), ETIS Lab UMR8051, CY Cergy Paris University, France Summary of the PhD project : ====================== Animals and humans process vast amounts of information but retain only the most relevant experiences, with emotions playing a key role in memory consolidation. Emotions, particularly stress, enhancing attention and arousal, influence brain regions like the hippocampus. In neuroscience, it is known that hippocampal reactivations help recall and consolidate experiences. In artificial intelligence (AI), strategies inspired by these reactivations, especially in reinforcement learning, have been shown to accelerate learning. When it comes to emotionally charged circumstances, the relationship between stress, its most prominent hormone, cortisol, and memory functions in the hippocampus, is complex. This project aims to explore the link between stress and hippocampal reactivations via a computational model, and test it in artificial agents. This bio-inspired approach could (a) reveal new insights into the generation of hippocampal replay mechanisms and (b) improve AI's learning efficiency. Keywords : stress modelling, reinforcement learning, hippocampal replay, computational modeling, cognitive and affective neuroscience For a detailed description of the project, please visit: https://dim-cbrains.fr/en/phd-program/dim-cbrains?search=lola+canamero Further information: =============== - Eligibility criteria: https://dim-cbrains.fr/api/1.0/editorjs/7c5b1e85-a681-4eff-9382-dcb70bed681… - About the DIM C-BRAIN International PhD studentship program: https://dim-cbrains.fr/api/1.0/editorjs/c035c5d8-3f2b-4745-86c2-dadf9077141… - TO APPLY: https://dim-cbrains.fr/en/platform/login Applications close on the 30th of January 2026. Best regards, -- Elisa MASSI Assistant professor ETIS Lab -- CY Cergy Paris Université, France

Dec. 10, 2025

2y postdoc in whole brain modelling of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Paris, France

by Dmitrii Todorov

Hello everyone, We are seeking a two-year postdoc position in whole brain modelling (The Virtual Brain) of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, starting in May 2026 at The Biomedical Imaging Laboratory (LIB). The successful candidate will be based in the centre of Paris, working in collaboration with clinicians who have collected a large dataset of multimodal data from ALS patients. The Virtual Brain (TVB) models will be fitted to the data from ALS patients and controls and subsequently used for patient stratification. The project’s focus is not on the development of new parts of TVB, but rather the use of the existing tools in a new applied setting (ALS). This requires working directly with human neuroimaging data (MRI, DTI, fMRI, EEG). A high level of autonomy is expected. The main PI is an expert in computational neuroscience, and the wider supervising team will include an ALS expert in Paris and a TVB expert in Marseille. If you are interested (or know someone else who might be), the details can be found here https://sdrive.cnrs.fr/s/Lcp3L3Xb2ZQ2xpm Best regards, Dmitrii Todorov, PhD Junior Professor Chair (assistant professor) Neural Connectivity and Plasticity team Biomedical Imaging Laboratory ( INSERM U1146 / CNRS UMR 7371 / Sorbonne University ) 15 rue de l'École de Médecine 75006 Paris

Dec. 10, 2025

Assistant/Associate Professor of Data Science/Mathematics/Computer Science

by Erin Munro Krull

Dear colleagues, Our department is now doing a faculty search for someone who specializes in Data Science: "The Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences at Ripon College is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time position as tenure-track Associate Professor or Assistant Professor, or as non-tenure-track Professor of Practice in the areas of Data Science, Mathematics, or Computer Science, with preference for specialties or strong interest in A.I. or cybersecurity. The candidate must be willing to lead the development of a Data Science major. The initial term of the position begins in August 2026.” Further information can be found at Mathjobs.org <http://mathjobs.org/>. Currently, our department has one computational neuroscientist with a background in dynamical systems and some data analysis (myself), a mathematician who specialized in discrete math and mathematics education, and a computer scientist who specialized in education but also has some background in data analysis. We would love to have applicants who can complement our offerings! Best, Erin -- Erin Munro Krull Associate Professor of Mathematics and the Mark and Janice Franzen Professor in Applied Mathematics Ripon College 300 W. Seward St. Ripon, WI 54971 (p) 920-748-8368 Visit us at ripon.edu <http://ripon.edu/>

Dec. 9, 2025