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

Calls open for 2 PhD positions, SAPIENCE Project, University of Bologna

by Silvia Ferrara

Dear All, The SAPIENCE Project (2025–2028), funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research [FIS Grant no. FIS-2023-00821], invites applications for 2 PhD positions in: 1. Cognitive neuroscience applied to study of Palaeolithic and Neolithic signs and symbols from a cognitive and computational perspective 2. Computational linguistics and computer science applied to prehistoric signs and graphic code formation. Full details and application instructions: https://www.sapience-fis.com/jobs/ Deadline: Jul 01, 2025 at 11:59 PM SAPIENCE Symbols, Preliteracy and Code Evolution is a 3 year project that delves into the evolution of graphic codes, from prehistoric times to the invention of writing. The project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Research through the FIS funding scheme (€2 million). SAPIENCE aims to illuminate our preliterate past and the ways in which we communicate today, through a highly interdisciplinary approach combining computer science, cognitive studies, linguistics and anthropology. Join our team today and bring the past to life with cutting-edge research approaches! For any further information, you can contact s.ferrara(a)unibo.it directly. Thank you and all best wishes Professor Silvia Ferrara Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 32, 40126 Bologna https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/s.ferrara Latest publications Trends in Cognitive Science https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tops.12768 Antiquity https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/seals-and-signs-t… Cretan Hieroglyphic<https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cretan-hieroglyphic/3881257EA7E2FB5041…>, Cambridge University Press (2024)<https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cretan-hieroglyphic/3881257EA7E2FB5041…> Writing, from Invention to Decipherment<https://global.oup.com/academic/product/writing-from-invention-to-decipherm…>, Oxford University Press (2024)<https://global.oup.com/academic/product/writing-from-invention-to-decipherm…> Talking Images, the Interface between Drawing and Writing,<https://www.routledge.com/Talking-Images-The-Interface-between-Drawing-and-…> Routledge (2024)<https://www.routledge.com/Talking-Images-The-Interface-between-Drawing-and-…>

May 31, 2025

Postdoc/Faculty -- Seeking Neuromatch Project Mentors

by Bonnen, Kathryn

Dear Colleagues, We are seeking volunteer Project Mentors for Neuromatch Summer courses. It’s a fantastic opportunity to mentor students, network with other researchers globally, and share your expertise. The commitment is 3-5, 30-minute meetings in July. If you're interested in being a volunteer Project Mentor or want to learn more, the details and the mentor application can be found here: https://airtable.com/app55efILsjdRZlcd/pagQSQCw4CH9W7wjX/form Thanks, Kate What is Neuromatch? A program that helps emerging researchers develop their skills in computational science. Each year, they train 1000+ students from 100+ countries. -- Kathryn Bonnen Assistant Professor, School of Optometry Indiana University kbonnen(a)iu.edu<mailto:kbonnen@iu.edu> https://bonnenlab.github.io

May 30, 2025

ANEIS: Applied Neurosciences EBRAINS-Italy School - Sept. 13-19, 2025 (Ventotene Island, Italy)

by Mattia Maurizio

Dear Colleague, This is to announce the forthcoming ANEIS 2025 - APPLIED NEUROSCIENCES SCHOOL: LINKING NEUROTECHNOLOGY TO CLINICS (Ventotene – LT – Italy - September 13-19, 2025) In the framework of EBRAINS-Italy<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ebrains-italy.eu/&source=gmail-imap&us…> (https://ebrains-italy.eu/) training initiatives. ANEIS 2025 offers up to 40 students an immersive experience at the forefront of neuroscience research and its applications, covering a broad range of themes, including theoretical, computational, and systems neuroscience, data analysis, neuroinformatics, and clinical applications. The deadline for application is June 15, 2025 Visit: https://www.aneis.eu<https://www.aneis.eu/> Applicants can be junior scientists (PhD students and post-doc fellows or residency students) beginning their careers in the broad field of Neuroscience. Registration is limited to 40 participants. Admission to ANEIS 2025 will be on a selection based on the provided CV, a Motivation letter, and the sponsorship of a senior researcher. Applicants excluded from the list of attendees of ANEIS 2025 will be included in the priority list for the ANEIS 2026. The registration fee is € 300, covering * tuition fee * lodging for 6 nights (from September 13 to September 19, 2025) * 6 lunches, 12 coffee breaks, and one social dinner * social and tourist programme We are looking forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Stefano Ferraina (UNIROMA1), Michele Giugliano (SISSA and UNIMORE), Maurizio Mattia (ISS) [https://www.iss.it/o/iss/images/ISS.png] Scegli l'Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Dona il 5x1000 alla Ricerca Sanitaria Firma e inserisci il Codice Fiscale 80211730587 ________________________________ Per saperne di più clicca qui<[https://www.iss.it/-/l-iss-sostiene-i-giovani-ricercatori-con-il-5x1000-1]>

May 30, 2025

5-Minute Survey on Language Properties and Brain Responses

by Suna Guo

Fellow recipients of OCNS mailing list, Hello, I am a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin in the Huth Lab. Our lab builds computational models of how the brain processes and understands natural language. We are interested in experts' perspectives on the functional organization in the brain with respect to language. Any adult researcher who is actively conducting research in language neuroscience or relevant fields is welcome to participate in the study. You will be asked to fill out a 5-minute survey that asks about your opinion on potential properties of language stimuli, and how important they are for understanding language processing in the brain. You will not be compensated for participating in the study, and no further correspondence will be made. The survey results will be included in future publications. This study has been approved by the Microsoft Research Institutional Review Board. Link to survey: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3CP4D6gUlTOkGF0 If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Dr. Alex Huth at (805) 798-4044 or via email at huth(a)cs.utexas.edu. Thank you for your time, Suna Guo

May 28, 2025

Hands-on tutorial on Multiscale Modeling with MOOSE at CNS*2025

by Subhasis Ray

Dear Colleagues, (Apologies for cross posting) We are conducting a full-day tutorial entitled "Multiscale Modeling with MOOSE", on July 5, 2025 at CNS*2025 in Florence, Italy ( https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2025) The objective of this tutorial is to familiarize participants with MOOSE ( https://mooseneuro.github.io/) a comprehensive simulation platform designed for computational modeling in neuroscience and systems biology. In addition to tutorials on biophysical and biochemical models, we shall showcase new features of MOOSE, including "*jardesigner*", a new web-based frontend for multiscale modeling. We will illustrate the use of jardesigner and MOOSE to build and run spiking neuron models incorporating chemical signaling for neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity on spines. If you are at CNS*2025, feel free to join the tutorial. Organizers: - Subhasis Ray (CHINTA and IAI, TCG Crest, Kolkata) - Upinder S. Bhalla (NCBS, TIFR, Bangalore) Speakers/Instructors: - Bhanu Priya Somashekar (NCBS, TIFR, Bangalore) - Subhasis Ray (CHINTA and IAI, TCG Crest, Kolkata) - Upinder S. Bhalla (NCBS, TIFR, Bangalore) Funding: The Kavli Foundation under CZI/EOSS Cycle 6. Best regards, Subha on behalf of the MOOSE Team --- Subhasis Ray, PhD Associate Professor CHINTA and IAI, TCG CREST Bengal Eco Intelligent Park Block EM, Sector V Salt Lake, Kolkata 700091 India Webpage: https://www.tcgcrest.org/people/subhasis-ray/ Lab website: https://rayslab.github.io

May 28, 2025

Virtual MathNeuro Mini-Conference (June 12-13, 2025)

by CHITARANJAN MAHAPATRA

Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is our pleasure to announce the *Virtual SMB MathNeuro Mini-Confenence*, taking place *June 12-13, 2025, via Zoom*. This event is part of the SMB MathNeuro subgroup’s ongoing efforts to promote cutting-edge research in mathematical neuroscience. For further details, please visit our website at https://sites.google.com/brandeis.edu/smb-mathneuro-2025/home?authuser=1 We cordially invite you to participate in this stimulating event, and *especially encourage early- and mid-career researchers to submit a contributed talk*. Please use this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8WOkzfvFRTGYfLJ2E4-1nIJu491Tvna_…> to register to receive the Zoom link. To be considered for a contributed talk, please submit your abstract through the same form by* June 6, 2025*. Slots for contributed talks are limited. For any questions, please contact us at smbmathneuro2025(a)gmail.com Please kindly share this invitation with anyone who might be interested. We look forward to welcoming you to the event! Warm regards, Hammed Fatoyinbo, Chitaranjan Mahapatra, Cheng Ly, and Yangyang Wang Organizing Committee, SMB MathNeuro Mini-Conference 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chitaranjan Mahapatra

May 28, 2025

Sattelite event Biologically Plausible Learning at CCN’2025 in Amsterdam

by Sander Bohte

We invite participation and contributed posters to the sattelite event Biologically Plausible Learning at CCN’2025. Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. What: talks, posters, discussions, drinks When: August 11th, 15:00-18:00h local time. Link for registration: https://sites.google.com/bohte.com/ccn25-biolearning-satevent/home While the brain clearly is able to apply credit assignment, optimizing the wiring and neural properties to better behave in an ever-changing world, the underlying mechanism is an active topic of research. This workshop aims to bring together researchers working on neural learning algorithms that have increased biological plausibility, such as local approximations of error-backpropagation and/or alternative learning schemes that are compatible with what is known about learning in the brain. A select set of invited speakers will present their work, in addition to contributed posters. The aim is to highlight current developments and state-of-the-art, and also limitations, targeting both computational and theoretical neuroscientists working on the edge of AI, and vice versa. Speakers: Guillaume Bellec (TU Wien) Johanni Brea (EPFL) Bojian Yin (TU Eindhoven) Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer (U. Bonn). Contributed posters are sollicited with deadline June 8th, sent by email to ccn2025(a)bohte.com <mailto:ccn2025@bohte.com>. The organizers: Marcel van Gerven (Radboud University Nijmegen) Sander M Bohté (CWI and University of Amsterdam) For more information: see https://sites.google.com/bohte.com/ccn25-biolearning-satevent/home

May 27, 2025

Comp-Neuro/Neurotech/NeuroAI summer school in Northern Ireland

by O'Donnell, Cian

We are delighted to invite you to apply for the 5th Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI (CN³) Summer School, taking place from 25 August to 1 September 2025 at Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, UK. A hybrid format is available, allowing participation either in-person or online. This summer school offers a unique, immersive experience for students, early-career researchers, and professionals interested in the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and neurotechnology. Organised by the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) at Derry~Londonderry, this summer school provides interdisciplinary training at the intersection of neuroscience and AI. The programme is designed to equip participants with both theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in emerging neurotechnologies. Key Highlights: * Lectures by international experts in computational neuroscience and AI * Practical workshops in Python, MATLAB, and neuro-modelling tools * Sessions on brain-computer interfaces, cognitive robotics, neuromorphic computing, and more * Opportunities to present and discuss research * Networking with global peers and experts * Exposure to entrepreneurship in neurotechnology and translational research The summer school is ideal for: * Final-year undergraduate students * MSc and PhD students * Postdoctoral researchers * Industry professionals seeking cross-disciplinary knowledge Application Deadlines: * In-person (visa-required): 15 June 2025 * In-person (non-visa): 15 July 2025 * Online participation: 31 July 2025 Details and registration instructions can be found at: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/conference/isrc-cn3-summer-school Best, Cian O’Donnell, KongFatt Wong-Lin, Saugat Bhattacharyya This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

May 27, 2025

PhD opportunity at Health Data Science, Swansea, UK

by Vesna Vuksanovic

Dear all I have a PhD position open in Swansea, UK. The student will be working at the intersection of computational neuroimaging and clinical applications. The focus is on how to integrate multiple sources of data to model brain networks in a medical condition that affects the central nervous system. Please see more details here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/medical-stdavi… Feel free to get in contact informally, and please share with those who might be interested. Best wishes, Vesna ____________________________ Vesna Vuksanovic, PhD Programme Lead, MSc Health Data Science Senior Lecturer Health Data Science _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Swansea University Medical School Data Science Building Office DS04 1st Floor Tel. +44(0)1792 60 2212 Web: vesna-vuksanovic<https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/vesna.vuksanovic/>

May 27, 2025

Python Package Release: Echo State Network 1.0.0

by Fabrizio Damicelli

Dear Community, I'd like to announce the new release (version 1.0.0) of the Python Package "echoes": Machine Learning with Echo State Networks, a scikit-learn compatible package. Code Repository: https://github.com/fabridamicelli/echoes Especially in the realms of "Biologically-inspired Neural Networks", "Shallow Learning" and "Recurrent Neural Networks" in general. A few interesting features: - Installation and getting started is easy: `pip install echoes` * API follows scikit-learn standard (eg fit/predict). - It is light-weight and fast (`numba` accelerated), run your experiments on a laptop - Flexible and customizable, e.g. use arbitrary connectivity, add custom activations, visualize neurons activity, etc. * Example notebooks: https://github.com/fabridamicelli/echoes/tree/master/examples/notebooks - Documentation: https://fabridamicelli.github.io/echoes/ As of today the package registers already ~40K total downloads, ~600/month (pypi.org) and has been used already in a few research projects: - Hadaeghi et. al. (2021) Spatio-temporal feature learning with reservoir computing for T-cell segmentation in live-cell Ca2+ fluorescence microscopy: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-87607-y#Sec4 - Fakhar et. al. (2022) Causal Influences Decouple From Their Underlying Network Structure In Echo State Networks: arxiv.org/abs/2205.11947 - Damicelli et.al. (2021) Brain Connectivity meets Reservoir Computing: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.22.427750v1.abstract<http://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.22.427750v1.abstract> Check it out and any feedback/suggestions/bug reports are more than welcome (simply open an issue: https://github.com/fabridamicelli/echoes/issues) All the best, Fabrizio

May 26, 2025