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Open position: Coordinator Scientific Computing at Research Center Juelich, Germany
by Martina Reske Dec. 19, 2017

Dec. 19, 2017

Dear Comp-Neuro community The Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) investigates the structure and function of the human brain on different spatial and temporal scales within the research program “Decoding the Human Brain”. The brain’s high complexity and plasticity over the lifespan of an individual, as well as changes during neuropsychiatric disorders, requires the use of innovative imaging methods and supercomputing technology. Basic neuroscience research heavily relies on modeling and simulation, which are necessary to approach the brain’s immense complexity, manage the huge amount of resulting data, and develop reliable control techniques. Acquired knowledge allows for the translation of basic findings into clinical applications to better understand neurological and psychiatric disorders, to refine diagnostic processes, and to develop therapy strategies – crucial tasks we have to face in ageing societies. The department INM-6, Computational and Systems Neuroscience, develops mathematical models of neuronal dynamics and function. We are active in neuromorphic computing and develop simulation technologies and analysis tools. We are looking to recruit a Coordinator Scientific Computing Your Job: * Design and continuous advancement of a roadmap for scientific computing with regard to hard- and software * Designing a cloud infrastructure and digitized workflows in theoretical neuroscience * Studying international developments in hard- and software in the fields of simulation and data science in neuroscience * Planning, purchasing, set-up and management of UNIX, Linux, Mac OS and Windows systems, communication systems and software * Support of institute’s databases and online tools (webdav, git, wordpress, website); user management * Further development of simulation and analysis codes with regard to system near aspects * Measurement of energy-to-solution and time-to-solution of simulations and analysis codes for scientific studies * Direct support of scientists * Participation in working group leaders’ meeting * Participation in relevant IT committees at Forschungszentrum Juelich * Participation in educating staff in HPC aspects Your Profile: * Completed study of informatics, mathematics or physics * Substantial expertise in C, C++ and Python * Substantial knowledge of UNIX, Windows and Mac OS * Experience with administration of HPC clusters, file, web and print servers as well as with parallel computing (ideally in neuroscience) * Beneficial: Basic knowledge of neuroscience concepts * Ability and willingness to work independently and proactively * Confident appearance and ability to work cooperatively in an interdisciplinary environment * Good interpersonal and communication skills * Structured and systematic working style * Fluent in English (spoken and written) Our Offer: * International, interdisciplinary working environment on an attractive research campus, ideally situated between the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Aachen * A comprehensive further training Programme * Flexible working hours and various opportunities to reconcile work and family life * Limited for 2 years with possible longer-term prospects * Salary and social benefits in conformity with the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service (TVöD) Forschungszentrum Jülich aims to employ more women in this area and therefore particulary welcomes applications from women. We also welcome applications from disabled persons. We look forward to receiving your application, preferably online<https://www.hrecruiting.de/obf2/bewerbermanagement.php?kunden_nr=t5ChjatkIf…> via our online recruitment system on our career site, quoting the reference number 2017-321. Contact Human Resource Development and Recruiting Kristin Lux Tel.:+49 2461 61 9700 -- Dr. Martina Reske Scientific Coordinator Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience Jülich Research Centre and JARA Jülich, Germany Work +49.2461.611916 Work Cell +49.151.26156918 Fax +49.2461.619460 www.csn.fz-juelich.de<http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Operations Research in Neuroscience, Special Issue of Annals of Operations Research
by Ruben A. Tikidji-Hamburyan Dec. 19, 2017

Dec. 19, 2017

Dear colleagues, [apologies for any crossposting] I would like to bring your attention to the special issue on applications of *Operations Research in Neuroscience* recently published in* Annals of Operations Research* Volume *258* Number 1 (Springer). ISSN: 0254-5330 (Print) 1572-9338 (Online) The volume is available online: https://link.springer.com/journal/10479/258/1?wt_mc=alerts.TOCjournals Please find the table of contents below. After a positive response from the journal and the publisher, we are planning to announce another special issue (SI) on the same topic in the same journal early next year. Please let me know if you are interested in contributing to this SI. Best Regards, Ruben ---- Ruben Tikidji-Hamburayn, Ph.D. =================================================================================== Preface *Operations research in neuroscience* Erik Kropat, Ruben A. Tikidji-Hamburyan… Pages 1-4 OR in Neuroscience *A bi-objective network design approach for discovering functional modules linking Golgi apparatus fragmentation and neuronal death* Eduardo Álvarez-Miranda, Hesso Farhan, Martin Luipersbeck… Pages 5-30 OR in Neuroscience *Voxel-MARS: a method for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease by classification of structural brain MRI* Alper Çevik, Gerhard-Wilhelm Weber, B. Murat Eyüboğlu… Pages 31-57 OR in Neuroscience *A semi-supervised inattention detection method using biological signal* Yerim Choi, Jonghun Park, Dongmin Shin Pages 59-78 OriginalPaper *Structure preserving integration and model order reduction of skew-gradient reaction–diffusion systems* Bülent Karasözen, Tuğba Küçükseyhan, Murat Uzunca Pages 79-106 OR in Neuroscience *Totally model-free actor-critic recurrent neural-network reinforcement learning in non-Markovian domains* Eiji Mizutani, Stuart Dreyfus Pages 107-131 OR in Neuroscience *A comparative stationarity analysis of EEG signals* V. Rasoulzadeh, E. C. Erkus, T. A. Yogurt, I. Ulusoy… Pages 133-157 OR in Neuroscience *Anti-periodic solutions for state-dependent impulsive recurrent neural networks with time-varying and continuously distributed delays* Mustafa Şaylı, Enes Yılmaz Pages 159-185

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Postdoc position in Bristol
by Cian O'Donnell Dec. 18, 2017

Dec. 18, 2017

A postdoctoral position is available to work on statistical analysis and computational modelling of large-scale two-photon imaging data of neural population activity from rodent neocortex. This work is part of a Simons Foundation-funded project that seeks to compare the fidelity and stability of neural coding of sensory stimuli between wild-type mice and Fragile-X Syndrome mouse models. The project is a collaboration between the computational neuroscience group of Cian O’Donnell at University of Bristol (http://seis.bris.ac.uk/~co15268) where you will be based, and the experimental neuroscience group of Carlos Portera-Cailliau at University of California, Los Angeles (https://porteralab.neurology.ucla.edu) You will be part of the growing Bristol Computational Neuroscience Unit (http://www.bris.ac.uk/engineering/research/computational-neuroscience; faculty Rui Costa, Conor Houghton, Nathan Lepora, Naoki Masuda, Rosalyn Moran, and Cian O'Donnell). You should ideally have a PhD in Computational Neuroscience or Machine Learning/Statistics, but we will also accept applications from candidates with PhDs in related disciplines such as Neuroscience, Physics, Mathematics, or Engineering. This post is offered on a full time, open-ended contract with funding for up to 18 months in the first instance. You should be able to start on or before April 2018. Please email Cian O’Donnell (cian.odonnell(a)bristol.ac.uk<mailto:cian.odonnell@bristol.ac.uk>) for informal enquires. More application details here: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BGN179/research-associate-senior-research-associa….

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Open letter: A commitment to open source in neuroscience
by Andrew Davison Dec. 18, 2017

Dec. 18, 2017

Dear colleagues, We would like to point the members of this list to an initiative which resulted from a workshop on collaborative model development <https://www.janelia.org/you-janelia/conferences/collaborative-development-d…> at Janelia Research Campus. A number of participants agreed to sign an open letter committing to releasing as open source all the software they develop for data analysis and modelling in their publications (whether or not the article is specifically about the software). The letter and current signatories can be found here: http://opensourceforneuroscience.org/ <http://opensourceforneuroscience.org/> A NeuroView article describing this initiative has just been published in Neuron: A Commitment to Open Source in Neuroscience <http://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(17)30981-9>. While many on this list are already sold on the idea of making their own code publicly available, there is another significant statement in the open letter: "If and when asked to serve as peer-reviewers, we will henceforth ask authors about the availability of any code they have developed for data analysis and modelling which is essential to reproducing the results of their paper and require that this be shared publicly upon acceptance." We hope that this public commitment will make it clear to the wider neuroscience community that trying to publish work on the assumption that they will not have to release their code will become more and more difficult, and that the sooner they plan to make it available the better for them and for the wider field. Regards, Padraig Gleeson Andrew P. Davison R. Angus Silver Giorgio A. Ascoli

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Open position at Institute of Neuroinformatics (Zürich) / Institute of Neuroscience Paris Saclay (Orsay)
by Nicolas Giret Dec. 18, 2017

Dec. 18, 2017

*PhD or Post-Doc for neuroscientist or engineer: neural population activity associated with a complex learned behavior* Dear all, We have an open position for a PhD student or Post-Doc at the interface of engineering and neuroscience. This is a collaborative effort between the Institute of Neuroinformatics (ETH Zurich, University of Zurich) and the Neuroscience Paris Saclay Institute (CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay). The goal of our collaboration is to study the principles of vocal learning and communication in songbirds. We combine diverse experimental and theoretical approaches to gain new insights into higher cognitive functions associated with complex vocal behaviors such as song learning. We are interested in decoding neural activity associated with song production and song learning in songbirds. We have recently developed a system for simultaneously recording from many neurons in freely behaving animals. Our miniature lightweight motorized 32-channel recording device incorporates novel carbon fiber electrodes, as described in (Guitchounts, Markowitz, Liberti, & Gardner, 2013). The project is to refine and put this technology to use to study the mysteries of neural population codes and to advance our understanding of how individual neurons contribute to forming a representation of motor plans and of sensory feedback. The engineering part of the work will be done in Zürich, Switzerland (~1/3) and the testing will be done in Orsay, France (~2/3). We are looking either for a PhD student (CHF 47040 starting salary, ~40 200€) or a Post-doc (CHF 80000 starting salary 100%, ~68 500€). Depending on the required training of the post-doc, the employment percentage is reduced to a value between 70 and 90%. Your Profile: You have a MSc degree in neuroscience, electrical engineering, physics, mathematics, biology, or computer science or you have a PhD in neuroscience or engineering. You are strongly interested in neuroscience. You have expertise in signal processing and machine learning. You like to collaborate with biologists and engineers in a nurturing environment. You can work independently and want to be part of a team that fosters flexibility and innovation. The ETH is an equal opportunity employer, we believe in people and their ability to innovate. If you want to apply for this position, feel inspired to send your application material to Prof. Richard Hahnloser (rich(a)ini.ethz.ch <mailto:rich@ini.ethz.ch>) and to Dr Nicolas Giret (nicolas.giret(a)u-psud.fr <mailto:nicolas.giret@u-psud.fr>). It would be great if you could circulate it around in your institute. Best regards, -Nicolas Giret- -- *Chargé de Recherche CNRS* Institut des Neurosciences Paris Saclay, UMR9197 <http://neuro-psi.cnrs.fr/> Université Paris Sud, Univ. Paris Saclay, bât. 446 Rue Claude Bernard 91405 Orsay cedex France 00331.69.15.49.75 Personal website <https://sites.google.com/site/nicolasgiret/>

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[jobs] Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in machine learning / robotics / computational neuroscience at QUT funded by Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD)
by Michael Milford Dec. 18, 2017

Dec. 18, 2017

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to continue research at QUT on the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD)-funded research project "An infinitely scalable learning and recognition network". The role involves developing neuroscience-based machine learning systems to create highly compressible and scalable learning and recall systems for autonomous systems. In particular, we are modelling the multi-scale, periodic encoding properties of grid cells found in the mammalian brain to create sub-linear scaling mapping and localization systems, and then expanding these systems into other sensory domains including sound. The project has collaborative partners at Harvard and Uni Notre Dame in neuroscience, computer vision and machine learning. The role requires strong mathematical, machine learning, computer vision and large dataset processing skills, as well as paper writing and oral presentation experience. This appointment will be offered on a fixed- term, full-time basis for 1 (one) year. Pending further funding outcomes, the appointment may be extendable by another year. Apply and Enquiries To express an interest in the role or for any enquiries, please e-mail michael.milford(a)qut.edu.au<mailto:michael.milford@qut.edu.au> with the subject line "infinitemapping" and include: - a one page cover letter detailing your interest in and experience for the role, and the earliest date you could feasibly start, - a detailed resume including details of past research, and - a link to your Google Scholar profile. Applications close January 15th 2018. Best regards, Michael Milford Professor of Robotics, Queensland University of Technology

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EPFL: faculty position in computational neuroscience
by Wulfram Gerstner Dec. 14, 2017

Dec. 14, 2017

The School of Life Sciences of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure track) position in Computational Neuroscience. In exceptional cases, appointment at the level of associate or full professor may also be considered. for details see: https://professeurs.epfl.ch/page-152604-fr.html Kind regards Wulfram Gerstner E-mail for enquiries regarding this position: bmi-search2(a)epfl.ch <mailto:bmi-search2@epfl.ch>

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CFP: Special Session on “Neural Models for Behavior IJCNN 2018
by Pablo Barros Dec. 14, 2017

Dec. 14, 2017

Call for papers: special session on “Neural Models for Behavior Recognition” at IJCNN 2018 - http://www.ecomp.poli.br/~wcci2018/ International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, hosted at IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (IEEE WCCI 2018) 8-13 July 2018, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Special Session on Neural Models for Behavior Recognition Organized by: Pablo Barros (Universität Hamburg, Germany), Bruno Fernandes (Universidade de Pernambuco, Brazil) and Stefan Wermter (Universität Hamburg, Germany) Categorizing and, to a certain degree, understanding human behavior is an important skill for autonomous systems. A robot able to identify whether a person needs help, an autonomous car to perceive whether a pedestrian is crossing the road, or a camera to localize someone in danger need a robust and reliable human behavior understanding. Although many different solutions have appeared in the past years, most of them do not take longer contextual information into consideration, usually only relying on instantaneous or short-context scenarios which limits the applicability of such systems in a real-world scenario. The potential of having neural models that take into consideration contextual information is substantial and it would be beneficial to develop this technology further for this field. To have a system which is capable of learning, understanding and generalizing human behavior within a longer contextual scene is a challenging task. With recent neural computing technologies, such as training and understanding deep neural networks, life-long learning and unsupervised approaches, to name a few, we believe that autonomous systems which are capable of learning from long-context human behavior are feasible. This kind of processing would provide contextual information which would be beneficial to understanding and acting in real-world scenarios. We invite papers on both practical and theoretical issues about neural learning for behavior recognition. In particular, topics of interest include, but are not limited to: - Gesture processing, recognition and/or generation - Models for emotional behavior analysis and/or understanding - Speech based sentiment analysis and/or dialog processing - Action recognition and/or generation - Crossmodal human behavior learning - Temporal architectures for human behavior learning - Emotional feedback and modulation in decision-making processes - Life-long learning for human behavior processing Submitted papers will be reviewed according to the IJCNN reviewing process and will be evaluated on their scientific value: originality, correctness, and writing style. More details: http://www.ecomp.poli.br/~wcci2018/submissions/#papersubmission IMPORTANT DATES: Paper submission: 15th January 2018 Paper acceptance: 15th March 2018 Final paper submission: 1st May 2018 Early registration: 1st May 2018 IEEE WCCI 2018 conference: 8-13 July 2018 Dr. rer. nat. Pablo Barros Knowledge Technology Department of Informatics University of Hamburg barros at informatik.uni-hamburg.de https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/people/barros.html https://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/wtm/ -- Dr.rer.nat. Pablo Barros Research Associate Knowledge Technology Department of Informatics University of Hamburg Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 40 42883 2535 Fax: +49 40 42883 2515 barros at informatik.uni-hamburg.de https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/people/barros.html www.knowledge-technology.info

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PhD studentship in Biocomputation Research Group, Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research, University of Hertfordshire
by Shabnam Kadir Dec. 14, 2017

Dec. 14, 2017

Applications are invited for a *PhD studentship* on *Computational frameworks for high-dimensional neural data* with *Dr. Shabnam Kadir *in the *Biocomputation Research Group* in the Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research, University of Hertfordshire, U.K. *Project Description* New developments in experimental technology have led to petabytes of raw data being produced by experimental neuroscientists, which are increasingly publicly available, e.g. Allen Institute data http://www.brain-map.org/. In particular, we are in the realm where population recordings of tens of thousands of neurons are feasible thanks to, e.g. a new generation of large dense probes for electrophysiological recordings, imaging using 2-photon microscopy coupled with calcium fluorescent sensors. Large scale neuronal recordings require novel approaches for both processing and quantitative analysis. As well as using techniques from high-dimensional statistics, machine learning, information theory, we aim to explore new approaches from mathematical fields outside statistics, such as algebraic topology. The study of networks is a particularly important topic in neuroscience: neurons communicate with each other electrically via synapses, forming intricate networks. These networks can be studied using techniques from computational topology (e.g. persistent homology, clique topology). These could be used to extract information about subnetworks and assemblies, both from large scale recordings, and via connectomics derived from simulations (Blue Brain Project). We aim in this project to go beyond spike sorting and develop new tools and computational frameworks which would help interpret high dimensional data and interrogate how information is being processed by the brain, e.g. How are sensory stimuli (location in environment, visual and auditory stimuli) encoded? How can we characterise the neural activity associated with memory, attention, decision making and motor control? We shall be collaborating with labs at Imperial, Pennsylvania State University and UCL. More information can be found here: http://www.herts.ac.uk/_ _data/assets/pdf_file/0003/187455/Dec2017-computational-frameworks-for-high- dimensional-neural-data.pdf *Requirements * We are looking for candidates with the following profile: - Strong first degree in a quantitative field such as mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, computational neuroscience. - Strong programming skills (e.g. Python, MATLAB, C++). - Interest in neuroscience and biology would be helpful. A studentship from the PhD Programme in Computer Science provides approximately £14,550 per annum bursary plus the payment of student fees. Applicants from outside the UK or EU are eligible. Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognised as excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework Assessment, with 50% of the research submitted rated as internationally excellent or world-leading. The Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research provides a very stimulating environment, offering a large number of specialised and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training and researcher development opportunities. The University is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London. Please contact *Dr Shabnam Kadir* (shabnam.kadir(a)imperial.ac.uk) for informal enquiries. Application forms are available under http://www.herts.ac.uk/apply/schools-of-study/computer-science/our-research/ the-phd-programme-in-computer-science and should be returned to Mrs Lorraine Nicholls and Mrs Emma Thorogood, Research Student Administrators, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, Tel: 01707 286083, doctoralcollegeadmissions(a)herts.ac.uk. The short-listing process will begin on 8 January 2018. The earliest start date will be mid-April 2018. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Shabnam Kadir Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London Royal School of Mines Exhibition Road London, SW7 2AZ United Kingdom ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Connectome to Behaviour Discussion Meeting, London January 29th-31st 2018
by Stephen Larson Dec. 13, 2017

Dec. 13, 2017

Hi all, The Royal Society is hosting a 2-day discussion meeting on the topic of *Connectome to behaviour: modelling C. elegans at cellular resolution*. The meeting is an interdisciplinary look at the future of data collection for and simulation of the only complete adult nervous system that has been mapped at EM resolution. Free registration is available on the website: https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2018/01/mind-of-a-worm/ Additional events related to the OpenWorm Foundation (http://openworm.org) will occur the day following the discussion meeting, also in London. More details available here: http://blog.openworm.org/post/168271424220/royal-society-meeting-open-house… Please register for any events you plan to attend so we can get a good head count. I hope to see you in London! Best, Stephen -- Stephen D. Larson, Ph.D OpenWorm Project Director http://openworm.org

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