- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Computational & Cognitive Neuroscience Summer School application open!

by Chengcheng Huang

Applications are open for the 11th Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience Summer School (CCNSS), which will be held from *June 26 to July 17, 2022*, at *Suzhou, China*. Online application: https://www.csh-asia.org/?content/1239 Application deadline: *April 30, 2022* About CCNSS: Designed to emphasize computational principles and neural circuit mechanisms of higher cognitive functions, the course aims at training talented and highly motivated students and postdoctoral fellows from Asia and around the world. We welcome both applicants with quantitative backgrounds (including Physics, Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science) and those with experimental backgrounds. The lectures will introduce the basic concepts and methods, as well as cutting-edge research on higher brain functions such as decision-making, attention, learning and memory. Modeling will be taught at multiple levels, ranging from single neuron computation and microcircuits up to large-scale brain systems and artificial intelligence and psychiatric disorders. Python-based programming labs coordinated with the lectures will provide practical training in important computational methods. More details can be found at the course website https://www.ccnss.org. Organizers: Dora Angelaki, New York University Christopher Honey, Johns Hopkins University Chengcheng Huang, University of Pittsburgh Xiao-Jing Wang, New York University Guangyu Robert Yang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Faculty: Dani Bassett, University of Pennsylvania Carlos Brody, Princeton University Bob Desimone, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Angela Langdon, National Institute of Mental Health Songting Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Yunzhe Liu, Chinese Institute for Brain Research Yuanyuan Mi, Chongqing University Tirin Moore, Stanford University Srdjan Ostojic, École normale supérieure Anna Schapiro, University of Pennsylvania Kim Stachenfeld, DeepMind

March 24, 2022

Support for Ukrainian doctoral students in computer science at the University of Vienna

by Moritz Grosse-Wentrup

Dear all, The Doctoral School for Computer Science (DoCS) at the University of Vienna (https://docs.univie.ac.at/) supports Ukrainian doctoral students in computer science (who are currently enrolled in a Ukrainian university) with 6-month stipends to continue their doctoral studies in Vienna. If you would like to apply for such a stipend, please send an email to uadocs2022(a)univie.ac.at including a CV and a brief description of your dissertation topic. We will then contact you asap regarding further details. We ask for your understanding though that our funds may not cover stipends for all applicants. For other initiatives, please also see https://scienceforukraine.eu/ On behalf of the DoCS and the Faculty of Computer Science, Moritz Grosse-Wentrup -- Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Research Group Neuroinformatics Faculty of Computer Science University of Vienna Kolingasse 14-16, Room 02.49 A-1090 Wien, Austria moritz.grosse-wentrup(a)univie.ac.at +43-1-4277-79610 http://neural.engineering/

March 23, 2022

3 Postdoctoral Positions at the University of Calgary

by Wilten Nicola

We are currently looking for 3 postdoctoral positions in the Nicola Computational Neuroscience Lab ( http://www.nicolacomputationalneurosciencelab.com) at the University of Calgary, in Alberta Canada: *Postdoctoral Position 1* We are currently looking for a postdoctoral researcher for a 2-year position investigating the interplay between hippocampal and cortical dynamics in memory consolidation. The project will involve both simulating spiking neural networks, and analyzing real spiking data. The ideal postdoctoral researcher will have a PhD in mathematics, physics, or engineering, and will have a proven track-record in working with spiking neural networks. A knowledge of neuroscience is beneficial, but not strictly necessary. Familiarity with multi-unit recordings is also beneficial, but not strictly necessary. Interested candidates should submit their application package including a cover letter, their CV with a list of publications, a brief statement of research interests, and their possible start dates in PDF format to Dr. Wilten Nicola. Applicants should arrange for at least two letters of reference to be sent as well. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. For additional information and informal inquiries, please contact Dr. Nicola. ------------------------------ *Postdoctoral Position 2* We are currently looking for a postdoctoral researcher for a 2 year position investigating how networks of neurons can learn to create abstraction and semantic definitions from a few stimuli. In short, how do networks of neurons learn and know how to generalize in a meaningful way? The ideal postdoctoral researcher will have a PhD in mathematics, physics or engineering and will have extensive experience in working with feedforward or recurrent neural networks, either artificial or spiking. Interested candidates should submit their application package including a cover letter, their CV with a list of publications, a brief statement of research interests, and their possible start dates in PDF format to Dr. Wilten Nicola. Applicants should arrange for at least two letters of reference to be sent as well. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. For additional information and informal inquiries, please contact Dr. Nicola. ------------------------------ *Postdoctoral Position 3 * We are currently looking for a postdoctoral research for a 2 year position in commercializing spiking neural network technologies. This is a joint postdoc with Dr. Aaron Gruber, as part of an ongoing initiative on commercializing spiking neural networks for both edge computing, and big-data applications. The ideal postdoctoral researcher will have a strong background in hardware and software engineering, specifically with Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other neuromorphic-like platforms capable of spiking network emulation. Interested candidates should submit their application package including a cover letter, their CV with a list of publications, a brief statement of research interests, and their possible start dates in PDF format to Dr. Wilten Nicola. Applicants should arrange for at least two letters of reference to be sent as well. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. For additional information and informal inquiries, please contact Dr. Nicola. The University of Calgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. In our spirited, high-quality learning environment, students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. Our strategy drives us to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, engaging the communities we both serve and lead. This strategy is called Eyes High, inspired by the university's Gaelic motto, which translates as 'I will lift up my eyes.' For more information, visit ucalgary.ca/eyeshigh.

March 22, 2022

Cajal Computational Neuroscience Course, Application deadline 28 March, 2022

by Gjorgjieva, Julijana

Dear Students and Postdocs, There is still time to apply to the Cajal Computational Neuroscience course 2022! Application deadline: 28 March 2022 Apply here: http://cajal-training.org/on-site/ccn2022/ Stipends are available. Date and Location: 17 July - 6 August 2022 Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Portugal Course directors: Brent Doiron, University of Chicago, US Maria Geffen, University of Pennsylvania, US Julijana Gjorgjieva, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Joe Paton, Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal About the Cajal Computational Neuroscience Course The course teaches the central ideas, methods, and practices of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. During the course’s mornings, distinguished international faculty deliver lectures on topics across the entire breadth of experimental and computational neuroscience. For the remainder of the time, students work on research projects in teams of 2 to 3 people under close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Research projects are proposed by faculty before the course and include the modeling of neurons, neural systems, and behavior, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data (behavioral data, multi-electrode recordings, calcium imaging data, connectomics data, etc.), and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Megan Carey – Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal Alex Cayco-Gajic – École Normale Supérieure, France John Krakauer – Johns Hopkins University, USA Gilles Laurent – Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Máté Lengyel – Cambridge University, UK Ashok Litwin-Kumar – Columbia University, USA Christian Machens – Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal Olivier Marre – Vision Institute, France Ken Miller – Columbia University, USA Srdjan Ostojic – École Normale Supérieure, France Anne-Marie Oswald – University of Pittsburgh, USA Alfonso Renart – Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal Tim Vogels – IST Austria, Austria And others! CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Programme is funded by FENS, IBRO and The Gatsby Foundation. For more information on the CAJAL programme: www.cajal-training.org<http://www.cajal-training.org> ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Research Group Leader Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Max-von-Laue-Str. 4, Frankfurt Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich office: +49 69 850033 3600 https://www1.ls.tum.de/compneuro

March 22, 2022

Call for Symposia - NEURONUS 2022 IBRO Neuroscience Forum (15-17 October 2022, Krakow, Poland)

by Michał Zaręba

*On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to invite you to **submit symposia proposals for NEURONUS 2022 IBRO Neuroscience Forum, **which takes place on 15-17 October 2022 in Krakow, Poland. We await your proposals until 1 April 2022. More information can be found here: https://neuronusforum.pl/page/40,call-for-symposia <https://neuronusforum.pl/page/40,call-for-symposia>**.* With prominent speakers and unique atmosphere of one of the oldest and most beautiful Polish cities, NEURONUS IBRO Neuroscience Forums have established themselves in the European calendar of scientific events as a platform for communication between scientists from different fields of neuroscience. The program of the conference consists of numerous sessions on biological, cognitive, computational and medical aspects of neuroscience, creating a dynamic environment for sharing knowledge. The schedule of the meeting is further complemented with lectures by invited guests, and we invest a lot of effort to attract as influential neuroscientists as possible. This year we will host 6 keynote speakers including Lauri Nummenmaa (University of Turku, Finland), Florian Engert (Harvard University, Cambridge, USA) and Marina Bedny (Johns Hopkins University, USA). The remaining names will be announced soon. During the upcoming 12th edition of the conference, we will continue to put* emphasis on development of early-career researchers*. The main purpose of this event is to provide means for both young and experienced neuroscientists to share the latest discoveries, knowledge and experience in neuroscience, as well as make valuable contacts with scientists representing various fields of neurobiology. We actively promote young scientists through preferentially allocating oral presentations of their experimental results. To help us achieve this goal, we have opened the *call for symposia*. A symposium should last approximately 90 minutes and be composed of a talk by the Invited Speaker (of post-doc status or higher) and 3-4 talks given by early-career researchers. Early-career speakers may be proposed by the Symposium Organizer. At least two of the early-career speakers must be at pre-doctoral level. The general focus of the symposium should fall within the scope of biological and cognitive neuroscience. Please contact us if more information is needed. We strongly encourage you to join this special initiative and hope to see you in the beautiful scenery of Krakow! On behalf of my colleagues, Michal Zareba Organizing Committee Neuronus 2022 IBRO Neuroscience Forum

March 21, 2022

Postdoctoral position in "Multiphysics Brain Aging Modeling" at Stevens Institute of Technology, New York City, USA

by Johannes Weickenmeier

Dear all. A postdoctoral position in “Multiphysics Brain Aging Modeling” is available in the group of Prof. Johannes Weickenmeier (www.weickenmeierlab.com<http://www.weickenmeierlab.com>). The Matter Biomechanics Lab combines experimental methods to biomechanically characterize brain tissue properties and various computational modeling techniques (e.g. finite element analysis, multiphysics modeling, medical image analysis) with the ultimate goal to better understand healthy brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Our constitutive aging and Alzheimer’s disease models couple neurobiology and mechanics (i.e. morphological shape changes and tissue loading) in order to identify abnormal aging patterns and brain regions at risk of developing secondary damage, such as white matter hyperintensities, hypoperfusion, traumatic injury, and vascular degeneration. We validate our models against longitudinal imaging data from databases such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). We are looking for applications with prior experience in advanced medical image analysis, data analysis, and modeling. Knowledge in the biology of aging is a significant advantage. The research will be performed at the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology right outside of New York. The position is funded through a grant from the NIH. The position is available now until filled. To apply, please send a motivation letter, CV, and contact information for 2-3 references to Prof. Johannes Weickenmeier (johannes.weickenmeier (at) stevens.edu) Stay well, Johannes Weickenmeier _______________________________________ Johannes Weickenmeier, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Neuromechanics Stevens Institute of Technology | Department of Mechanical Engineering |phone: 201-216-5527 | pronouns: he/him/his | Soft Matter Biomechanics: www.weickenmeierlab.com<https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weicke…>

March 21, 2022

New INCF endorsement standard: MBF file format

by INCF

We are pleased to inform you that on January 25 2022, the INCF Standards and Best Practices (SBP) committee <https://incf.org/about/governance/SBP-subcommittee> endorsed the MBF file format as a standard, with the standard number INCFSN-22-01 <https://www.incf.org/mbf-file-format-v-40>. All INCF standards undergo re-review every two years. MBF Bioscience and INCF will work together to further improve the FAIRness of the standard until the next review, including implementation of the governance policy and modification of the standard’s license from the CC-BY-ND-NC to a CC-BY-ND. The committee is pleased to see an open format from a commercial entity go through the endorsement process, and applaud MBF Bioscience for taking this very important step in support of open and FAIR neuroscience. See the community review <https://f1000research.com/documents/10-712> Read the endorsement statement <https://f1000research.com/documents/11-336> *Why endorse community standards? * INCF (incf.org) has implemented a formal procedure for evaluating and endorsing community standards and best practices in support of the FAIR principles. Our mission is to make neuroscience more open and FAIR, to ensure that research funds and efforts are well invested, and that neuroscientific findings are robust and replicable. Open community review is a very important step in the process. Quality community standards are necessary to make FAIR resources and processes work, but too many neuroscience communities lack robust standards or have competing incompatible standards. The rapid development of new techniques also means that there is a continuous need for new and updated standards, and that old standards need an active developer and user community keeping them up to date. By endorsing standards, INCF wants to: - Make it easy to find the best, most reliable standard appropriate for your research - Ensure recognition for community members investing their time and effort in standards Similar to other standards, the review criteria <https://incf.org/incf-standards-review-criteria-v20> include: - Openness - FAIRness - Design, testing, and implementation - Governance - Adoption and use - Stability and support - Extensibility - Comparison (similarity to other standards)

March 21, 2022

2022 Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements Conference -- Final Agenda -- March 29-April 1 Virtual!

by Aimone, James Bradley

Dear colleagues, The final agenda for NICE 2022 has been published here https://flagship.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/jss/HBPm?mI=235&m=showAgenda This is the 9th annual NICE meeting, and we will be virtual again this year due to global travel considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. NICE covers the neuromorphic computing field with parallel considerations of the neuroscience inspiration and application drivers of brain-inspired computing technologies. Keynote talks Stefano Fusi (Columbia University) Jeff Clune (University of British Columbia) Please join us! Brad Aimone 2022 NICE Organizing Committee -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Cognitive and Emerging Computing Department Center for Computing Research Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728 http://neuroscience.sandia.gov

March 21, 2022

4-year postdoc in cognitive science

by Dominik Endres

The research group for Theoretical Cognitive Science of Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres at the Department of Psychology, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany, is currently accepting applications for a *** Postdoctoral Researcher **** We expect the successful applicant to independently develop, implement and execute virtual reality experiments for the validation of (deep) learning and Bayesian models of human behavior and perception and/or to develop, implement and analyze these models. Contributions to scientific publications and regular and active participation in the CRC’s scientific program are required. More details about the project's research directions can be found in these publications: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3355401 https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2678770 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7829376 https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/rev0000330 The position is offered for a period of 4 years, if no former times of qualification need to be considered. The starting date is as soon as possible. The position is full-time with salary and benefits commensurate with a public service position in the state Hesse, Germany (TV-H E 13). The position is a part of the project C6 (sensorimotor primitives, collaboratively supervised by Prof. D. Endres, Prof. A. Schütz and Prof. A. Schubö) of the DFG-funded *** Collaborative Research Center CRC/TRR 135 “Cardinal Mechanisms of Perception” *** More Information on the CRC can be found at http://www.allpsych.uni-giessen.de/sfb/index_en.html. Formal requirements are a qualified degree (diploma, master or equivalent) in psychology, cognitive science, computer science, engineering or physics (Master, Diploma, or comparable), a completed or nearly completed PhD as well as demonstrable programming experience in a high-level language, e.g. Python. We expect you to be interested in the topic of the project (to be documented in a motivation letter (1 page max), in which you may refer to prior experiences, for instance, a thematically pertinent thesis, student research assistant positions, etc.), developing virtual-reality scenarios and technology for research purposes as well as quantitative modelling. Advantageous qualifications are prior exposure to machine learning, Bayesian statistics, experience with human behavioral experiments as well as willingness to acquire basic German language skills. The full job advert can be found at https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/universitaet/administration/verwaltung/dezern… Please send your application (including a project-specific motivation letter in English, relevant diplomas, curriculum vitae and contact details of two potential referees) mentioning reference no. fb04-0010-wmz-2022 only as a single PDF file to dominik.endres(a)uni-marburg.de, before 15.04.2022. Feel free to contact Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres, mailto:dominik.endres@uni-marburg.de for more information. -- Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres Theoretische Kognitionswissenschaft - Theoretical Cognitive Science FB 04 Psychologie Tel: 06421-28 23818

March 21, 2022

PhD funded opportunity

by Eirini Mavritsaki

PhD funded opportunity (computational cognitive psychology) https://www.bcu.ac.uk/social-sciences/research/phd_opportunities Title: Covid-19 effects on Cognitive Health School: School of Social Sciences The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyday life and cognitive health including sustained attention and depression (Hampshire et al., 2021; Zhou et al., 2020 (a)(b)). However, little is known about whether depression is due to COVID-19 infection, or an effect of cognitive decline caused by the COVID-19, as depression is also linked to changes in attention and memory (Fossati, 2018; Dillon & Pizzagalli, 2018). Therefore, it is imperative to understand the interaction between cognition and depression, an area of research that is poorly understood in recent work related to COVID-19 and how this is progressing over time. Here, we propose to investigate the link between COVID-19 and cognitive health - depression, cognitive flexibility, and attention. We are using an interdisciplinary approach that combines online behavioural data with computational modelling using a computational approach developed by our team. Contact information: Name: Prof. Eirini Mavritsaki E-mail: eirini.mavritsaki(a)bcu.ac.uk<mailto:eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk> Tel: 0121 331 6361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prof. Eirini Mavritsaki, Ph.D., CPsychol , SFHEA, SEDA Recognised Supervisor Professor of Cognitive Psychology Director of Research for the School of Social Sciences Department of Psychology Faculty of Business Law and Social Sciences Birmingham City University The Curzon Building 4 Cardigan Street Birmingham B4 7BD eirini.mavritsaki(a)bcu.ac.uk<mailto:eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk> 0121 331 6361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 18, 2022