- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Fully funded PhD Position Panzeri Lab- Computational approaches to study the neural code

by Stefano Panzeri

*Fully funded PhD Position Panzeri Lab - Computational approaches to study the neural code* I am seeking candidates for a PhD position fully funded (including a full stipend) for 4 years in my laboratory. The PhD project can focus on any of the research topics about neural information processing that are of interest to both the candidate and my lab, including: developing mathematical analysis methods and neural network models for studying large scale neural population coding during cognitive tasks, for studying the neural bases of sensory perception and decision making, for linking functional to anatomical connectivity with cellular resolution at the neural population level, and for determining the best theoretical framework to combine recording of neural activity (calcium imaging, electrophysiology, EEG) and intervention on it (optogenetics, TMS). My computational neuroscience lab has developed long-term collaboration with many experimental laboratories including Christopher Harvey (Harvard Medical School), Tobias Donner (UKE), Tommaso Fellin (IIT), Mathew Diamond (SISSA), Alex Thiele (Newcastle), Cristina Becchio (IIT), Alessandro Gozzi (IIT), Mike Lombardo (IIT) and others. The PhD project will likely involve collaborations with one or more experimental lab. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in numerate sciences, and have a strong propensity for interdisciplinary research. No extensive previous experience in neuroscience is needed. However, a keen interest in understanding the brain is essential. The deadline for the formal application is set to *May 21th 2021*, but quite a bit of paperwork is needed. Thus, interested candidates are invited to contact me informally by email (*stefano.panzeri(a)gmail.com <stefano.panzeri(a)gmail.com>*) *as soon as possible,* by attaching their CV and briefly explaining their interest in this position, to initiate discussion about potential PhD projects of interest and to discuss the details of the formal application process. For recent representative publications please see: Runyan, C.A., Piasini, E., Panzeri, S., and Harvey, C.D. (2017). Distinct timescales of population coding across cortex. *Nature* 548, 92-96. Panzeri S., Harvey, C.D. Piasini, E., Latham, P.E. , Fellin, T. (2017) Cracking the neural code for sensory perception by combining statistics, intervention and behaviour. *Neuron* 93: 491-507 G. Pica, E. Piasini, H. Safaai, C.A. Runyan, M.E. Diamond, T. Fellin, C. Kayser, C.D. Harvey, S. Panzeri, (2017) Quantifying how much sensory information in a neural code is relevant for behavior, *Neural Information Processing Systems* (NIPS) 30, 2017, available online H. Safaai, A. Onken, C.D. Harvey, S. Panzeri (2018) Information estimation using nonparametric copulas. *Phys. Rev. E* 98, 053302 E. Chong, M. Moroni, S. Shoham, S. Panzeri, D. Rinberg (2020) Manipulating synthetic optogenetic odors reveals the coding logic of olfactory perception. *Science* 368, 1329. S. Pashkovski, G. Iurilli, D. Brann, D. Chicharro, K. Drummey, K. Franks, S. Panzeri, S.R. Datta (2020). Structure and flexibility in cortical representations of odour space. *Nature*: 583: 253-258 doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2451-1 J-F Patri, A. Cavallo, K. Pullar, M. Soriano, M. Valente, A. Koul, A. Avenanti, S. Panzeri*, C. Becchio* (2020) Transient disruption of the inferior parietal lobule impairs the ability to attribute intention to action. *Current Biology* 30: 4594-4605 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.104 S. Trakoshis, P. Martínez-Cañada, … A. Gozzi, S. Panzeri, and M.V. Lombardo (2020) Intrinsic excitation-inhibition imbalance affects medial prefrontal cortex differently in autistic men versus women. eLIFE 9: e55684. doi.org/10.7554/eLife.55684 D. Ferro, J. van Kempen, M. Boyd, S. Panzeri*, A. Thiele* (2021) Directed information exchange between cortical layers in macaque V1 and V4 and its modulation by selective attention. *PNAS* 118 (12), e2022097118, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022097118 Valente, A., Pica, G., Bondanelli, G., Moroni, M., Runyan, C.A., Morcos, A., Harvey, C.D., and Panzeri, S. (2021). Correlations enhance the behavioral readout of neural population activity in association cortex. *Nature Neuroscience*, in press, early preprint available at: https://t.co/QJ3aHlTFad Stefano Panzeri

April 25, 2021

NIH BRAIN postdoc: Computational neuroscience, machine learning & vision

by Michael Beyeler

Assistant Professor Michael Beyeler and his Bionic Vision Lab ( https://bionicvisionlab.org) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) invite applications for a fully funded postdoctoral position at the intersection of computational neuroscience and machine learning. Funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative, the goal of this project is to determine how the mouse brain extracts relevant visual features from the rich, dynamic visual input that typifies active exploration, and to investigate how the neural representations of these features can support visual navigation. Under the guidance of Michael Beyeler, and in consultation with Bing Brunton (University of Washington), the role of the candidate is to perform data-driven statistical analyses and develop (deep) predictive models of brain activity based on visual input and several behavioral variables. The data includes one-of-a-kind measures of neural activity in mice navigating through real-world and virtual environments, collected using 2-photon imaging and electrophysiology by our collaborators Spencer Smith (UCSB), Michael Goard (UCSB), and Cris Niell (University of Oregon). This is an opportunity to work on an impactful real-world problem within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment. The successful candidate should have a strong quantitative background with a PhD in computer science, computational neuroscience, cognitive sciences, statistics, or a closely related field. To work effectively in this highly collaborative environment, superior communication, language, and writing skills are required. Expertise in programming and statistical analysis is required as well; previous background in vision, neuroscience or deep learning would be highly beneficial. Candidates should send their CV, expected date of availability, and contact information for 2-3 references to Michael Beyeler (mbeyeler(a)ucsb.edu) Further information: - Position Title: Postdoctoral Fellow - Job Duration: 2 years, full-time - Start Date: asap / negotiable - Required Travel: 0-10% (possibility of interning with our collaborators) -- Michael Beyeler Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences University of California, Santa Barbara bionicvisionlab.org

April 23, 2021

SCGB Global Postdoc/Student Meeting: Tuesday, April 27th by C. Ann Duan

by Laura Long

The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) hosts postdoc/student meetings to bring together trainees interested in neural coding and dynamics to discuss ideas and data. In addition to regional meetings in New York, Boston, and the Bay Area, SCGB holds a Global virtual series to connect systems and computational neuroscientists across the world. We would love to see you at this month's Global meeting! Please see event details and Zoom link below. SCGB Global Postdoc/Student Meeting: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scgb-global-postdocstudent-meeting-tickets-146… Tuesday, April 27th, 9am Eastern Time https://simonsfoundation.zoom.us/j/93633603374?pwd=LytrcVp6MWlPY1dkb2UvbUJW… Passcode: 989252 C. Ann Duan SCGB Postdoctoral Fellow, Chinese Academy of Sciences Incoming Group Leader, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre *Cortical and collicular contributions to decision making in rats and mice* A central goal of behavioral neuroscience is to expose general principles of neural computation that give rise to cognition. Until recently, cognitive functions were thought to mainly rely on cortical areas such as the frontal cortex, while “old” subcortical areas, such as the midbrain superior colliculus (SC), have mostly been associated with sensorimotor processing. Based on these earlier work, we expected the SC to be passively inhibited while animals avoided unwanted reflexive actions. We were surprised to find that the SC played an active and pivotal role in suppressing context-inappropriate behaviors. Since then, my research has focused on understanding how the SC, in coordination with cortex, implements flexible decision making. My talk will cover work in two different decision-making tasks: flexible sensorimotor routing in freely-moving rats and motor planning in head-fixed mice. Using electrophysiology, optogenetics, pathway-specific two-photon calcium imaging, and computational modeling, we found that the SC is particularly important during the memory period in both tasks, when the context information or motor planning signals need to be maintained in the brain in the absence of sensory input and motor output. The participation of SC seems to increase as cognitive demand increases in both behaviors. Together, our experimental and computational work reveal the SC as a key node in the distributed cortico-subcortical network underlying flexible behaviors, and make surprising predictions for how decision making is implemented in brain circuits. *Please note that this meeting is open to all neuroscience postdocs and PhD students, regardless of location or SCGB affiliation (sorry, no PIs). *After Q&A with the speaker, we will open breakout rooms for anyone interested in staying to chat, network, or further discuss the talk. In addition to these breakouts, SCGB Scientific Staff will be available for "office hours" to chat and answer questions about SCGB programs and support. Registration on EventBrite is encouraged but not required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scgb-global-postdocstudent-meeting-tickets-146… Please contact Laura Long at llong(a)simonsfoundation.org with any questions.

April 22, 2021

Postdoc / Research Fellow positions - Prague, Czech Republic - Institute of Computer Science CAS

by pokornam

POSTDOC / RESEARCH FELLOW POSITION IN BRAIN SIGNAL PROCESSING: VISUAL INFORMATION FLOWS is available to join the Complex Networks and Brain Dynamics group [1] for the project: "Timing of the spatial scene processing in the dorsal and ventral visual stream of the human brain" funded by the Czech Science Foundation. More information and application at: HTTPS://WWW.CS.CAS.CZ/JOB-OFFER/IEEG-POSTDOC-POSITIONS-HLINKA2/EN ___ POSTDOC /RESEARCH FELLOW POSITION IN COMPLEX NETWORK ANALYSIS: CRITICAL EVENTS DETECTION is available to join the Complex Networks and Brain Dynamics group [1] for the project: “MODELLING AND ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS FOR SAFETY OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES“ as part of the National Center of Competence - Cybernetics and Artificial Intelligence funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, and related projects. More information and application at: HTTPS://WWW.CS.CAS.CZ/JOB-OFFER/NCK-POSTDOC-POSITIONS-HLINKA1/EN Institute of Computer Science Czech Academy of Sciences Pod Vodarenskou vezi 2 Prague 8, 182 07, Czech Republic Links: ------ [1] http://cobra.cs.cas.cz/

April 22, 2021

12 PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at Unipd

by Samir Suweis

The Padova Neuroscience Center (http://pnc.unipd.it/ <http://pnc.unipd.it/>) is delighted to announce its second call for at least 12 fully funded PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at the University of Padova. The multidisciplinary PhD program includes research lines and methods from Multimodal Imaging, Molecular-Cellular-System, Cognitive-Affective-Behavioral, Translational-Clinical and Computational Neuroscience. The time-frame for the application is 8th of April-12th of May 2021 (at 1 pm). The details for the application are published at http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/ <http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/>. Interested candidates can also contact us (pnc.generalinfo(a)gmail.com <mailto:pnc.generalinfo@gmail.com>) for further information. Please forward this message to collaborators and students. Thanks **** Padova University <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6ksrtGO-aI> is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe - established in 1222. The University of Padova invests significantly in research activities and projects. Padova, is a small and beautiful town, shaped around the University <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHz98-ERwTs&t=243s>. Low living costs, great food, and you can bike everywhere! Samir Suweis, Ph.D. - - - - - - - - Assistant Professor, LIPh Lab - www.liphlab.com <http://www.liphlab.com/>, Physics & Astronomy Dept. Padova Neuroscience Center University of Padova Tel: +39 049 827 71 74 @SamirSuweis https://suweis.github.io/ <https://suweis.github.io/> Why don't you join the next generation publishing experiment with "Peer Community In" - publish and read at no cost and inject more money into research! Check us out @ https://peercommunityin.org <https://peercommunityin.org/> https://youtu.be/4PZhpnc8wwo <https://youtu.be/4PZhpnc8wwo> @PeerCommunityIn

April 22, 2021

FENS Regional Meeting 2021 - August 25-27 - ONLINE

by Michał Zaręba

*On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to invite you to participate in this year's FENS Regional Meeting (FRM), which takes place online on August 25-27, 2021. Abstracts can be submitted until May 10.* The FRM 2021 <https://fensfrm2021.pl/en> is organized jointly by the Polish Neuroscience Society (PNS) and the Lithuanian Neuroscience Association (LNA) under the auspices and with support from the Federation of the European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), and also with support from the International Brain Research Organization Pan-Europe Regional Committee (IBRO PERC). The FRM 2021 original city venue was Krakow, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Organizing Committee decided to hold the event on-line to ensure all attendees may meet safely. The conference will present the latest developments in neuroscience research and host panel discussions on topics ranging from directions for future development to diversity issues in the academia. The presidential and keynotes lecture of the meeting will be given by: - *Wolfram Schultz *(University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) - *Fiona Doetsch *(University of Basel, Switzerland) - *Virginijus Šikšnys* (Vilnius University, Lithuania) - *Naomi Anne Fineberg* (University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom) - *Jürgen Knoblich* (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology OAW, Vienna, Austria) - *Riita Hari* (Aalto University, Helsinki, Finnland) - *Arturas Petronis *(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada) - *Amita Sehgal *(University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA) - *Gábor Nyiri *(Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary) More information regarding the conference can be found on the website. <https://fensfrm2021.pl/en>

April 21, 2021

postdoc on psychophysics and modelling of perceptual inference (CRM, Barcelona)

by Alexandre Hyafil

A postdoc position is available under the supervision of Alexandre Hyafil in the group of Computational Neuroscience at the *Center for Research in Mathematics (CRM),* Barcelona, Spain ( http://www.crm.cat/research-group/5/computational-neuroscience/ <http://www.crm.cat/en/Research/ResearchGroups/Neuroscience/Pages/default.as…>). The project will combine modelling and psychophysics (possibly neuroimaging) to study the computational mechanisms underlying human perception. The candidate will benefit from the stimulating environment of Barcelona area in Theoretical and Systems Neuroscience and will have the opportunity of enjoying a lively city (should the pandemics permit). Our lab forms part of a larger interacting network of neuroscience labs in Barcelona ( http://www.barccsyn.org) Candidates should have a PhD in computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience or a related field. Prior experience with psychophysics, neuroimaging, machine learning and/or computational modelling will be valued. Financial support is provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science. Initial appointment: two years. *APPLICATION:* Send a curriculum and motivation letter with a list of two contacts for recommendation letter to alexandre.hyafil(a)gmail.com. Informal enquiries are welcome. *DEADLINE:* until the position is filled

April 21, 2021

Postdoctoral associate positions in Decision Neuroscience and/or Computational Psychiatry (Virginia Tech)

by Pearl Chiu

Dear All, We are seeking talented postdocs at Virginia Tech! Please see the description below for more information. Apologies for cross-posting; please feel free to distribute broadly. Thanks for considering, Pearl --- Postdoctoral Associate Positions in Decision Neuroscience and/or Computational Psychiatry Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion Roanoke, Virginia Multiple openings are available immediately in the labs of Dr. Pearl Chiu and Dr. Brooks King-Casas at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion (http://research.vtc.vt.edu/) Projects in the labs use a variety of human neuroscience methods (fMRI, electrochemistry, MEG) to examine motivated behavior and social influences on decision-making with additional methods adapted from behavioral & computational neuroscience, experimental economics, computational psychiatry, and psychology. Ongoing projects focus on processes in individuals with and without psychopathology. Qualified candidates with basic science backgrounds are welcome, and training in applied science will be provided; a subset of projects also involve multi-dimensional biomarker development. For interested candidates, the labs provide plentiful opportunities to examine how neurobehavioral anomalies may be quantified and rehabilitated in depression, substance dependence, post-traumatic stress, personality disorders, and at-risk adolescents. The labs are located in the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion in Roanoke, VA, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The FBRI provides full access to outstanding infrastructure, including three research-dedicated Siemens 3T scanners and a high-throughput computing cluster. The successful candidate will play a lead role in highly collaborative multidisciplinary scientific efforts. Minimum requirements for the position include: 1) a PhD in computational or cognitive neuroscience, engineering, psychology, experimental economics, or a related field; 2) facility with computational neuroscience, signal processing, Bayesian inference, or machine learning; and 3) demonstrated potential for excellence. Please forward a statement of interest and CV. Three letters of recommendation will be required of candidates under final consideration. Consideration of applications will begin immediately and will end when the positions are filled. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. Virginia Tech Carilion is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and is committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Send inquiries and materials to: Pearl Chiu, PhD and Brooks King-Casas, PhD chiup(a)vtc.vt.edu and bkcasas(a)vtc.vt.edu -- Pearl Chiu, PhD Associate Professor Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech VTC School of Medicine Salem VA Medical Center 2 Riverside Circle, R1110 Roanoke VA 24016 +1 540-526-2019 chiup(a)vtc.vt.edu

April 20, 2021

Call for Participation - The Chef's Hat Cup @ IJCAI2021

by Pablo Vinicius Alves De Barros

Call For Participation - The Chef's Hat Cup @ IJCAI2021 I. Aim and Scope Most of the current Reinforcement-Learning solutions, although having real-world-inspired scenarios, focus on a direct space-action-reward mapping between the agent's actions and the environment’s state. That translates to agents that can adapt to dynamic scenarios, but, when applied to competitive and/or cooperative cases, fail to assess and deal with the impact of their opponents. In most cases, when these agents choose an action, they do not take into consideration how other agents can affect the state of the scenario. In competitive scenarios, the agents have to learn decisions that a) maximize their chances of winning the game, and b) minimize their adversaries' goals, while in cooperative scenarios b) is inverted. Besides dealing with complex scenarios, such solutions would have to deal with the dynamics between the agents themselves. In this regard, social reinforcement learning is still behind the mainstream applications and demonstrations of the last years. We introduce here the Chef's Hat Cup, a competition that aims at the development of the most challenging artificial players! The competition is separated into two tracks: a competitive and a cooperative scenario. In the first track, the participants will use the already available simulation environment to develop the most effective agents to play the Chef’s Hat card game and be the winner. In the second track, they will have to develop an agent that can increase the chances of a dummy agent winning the game. More information: https://www.whisperproject.eu/chefshat#competition II. Deadlines Starting Date: April 20, 2021 Final submission: June 15, 2021 Winners Announcement: July 06, 2021 III. Team Registration Teams of up to five persons are invited to participate in the competition. You can register by sending the following information: Team name Participant Names and affiliation to this email: pablo.alvesdebarros(a)iit.it IV. Organizers Pablo Barros, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Italy Leandro Honorato, University of Pernambuco, Brazil Marco Matarese, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Italy Alessandra Sciutti, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Italy ---------------------------------------- Dr. Pablo Barros Postdoctoral Researcher - CONTACT Unit Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia – Center for Human Technologies Via Enrico Melen 83, Building B 16152 Genova, Italy email: pablo.alvesdebarros(a)iit.it website: https://www.pablobarros.net<http://www.pablobarros.net><https://www.p> twitter: @PBarros_br

April 20, 2021

2 postdoc positions in new SPIKEFERENCE project at AI department Donders Institute

by Justus H?botter

The AI department at the Donders Institute has two postdoc positions available for the new SPIKEFERENCE project. The application deadline is 9 May 2021. The SPIKEFERENCE project, co-funded by the Human Brain Project (HBP), aims to control industrial robots with neuroscience-inspired algorithms providing adaptation and conditional hierarchical problem-solving. You will work in close collaboration with the supervisors (Pablo Lanillos, Serge Thill and Marcel van Gerven), other postdocs and a PhD student. You will join an exciting and vibrant young team of experts in ML, AI and neuromorphic computing, and profit from the newly created ELLIS unit in Nijmegen and the HBP community. Postdoc 1. Deep Learning profile - https://solliciteren.ru.nl/cgi-bin/share/og_pxs.pl?target=LI&recid=1148428 This postdoctoral researcher position is framed in a new promising line of research within neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence linked to adaptation and improvisation. Starting from our current deep active inference models, you will develop novel algorithms for robot perception and action by combining ideas from state representation learning, variational inference and functional models of the brain. Postdoc 2. SpikingNN robot control profile - https://solliciteren.ru.nl/cgi-bin/share/og_pxs.pl?target=LI&recid=1148452 This postdoctoral researcher position will develop SNN models for robot control, inspired by our current deep active inference algorithms and SNN controllers, assess and validate them against current predictive coding SNNs models, and demonstrate the networks on the Neurorobotics platform, from a simple proof of concept in basic environments to initial control of a UR5e. Do you want to shape the future of robot AI? Join Us. Soon the SPIKEFERENCE website will be available with more info. The project will have two amazing external advisors: Karl Friston and Chris Eliasmith Link to the recently awarded project: https://www.ru.nl/donders/news/news/@1309322/ai-scientists-join-human-brain… Pablo Lanillos, Serge Thill, Marcel van Gerven. Dr. Pablo Lanillos www.therobotdecision.com<http://www.therobotdecision.com> Assistant professor in Cognitive Artificial Intelligence | AI Robotics Lab ELLIS Nijmegen Unit Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, the Netherlands p.lanillos @ donders.ru.nl

April 20, 2021