- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

postdoc position: computational modeling of neurodegenerative disease (2nd call)

by Christina M. Weaver

*** Second announcement – submit by March 24, 2016 for full consideration *** POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW in Computational Neuroscience Job Description The interdisciplinary research team of Drs Christina Weaver (Mathematics, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA) and Jennifer Luebke (Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA) is launching a project to explore structural and functional abnormalities of neurons in two different mouse models of Huntington’s Disease, and how these abnormalities might contribute to system-level dysfunction. Computational modeling of cortical and striatal neurons (both spatially extended compartmental models and point neuron models) will be conducted in tandem with empirical studies of these same neurons using in vitro slice electrophysiology and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The neuron models developed in this project will be incorporated into models of local microcircuits and larger cortico-striatal networks, likely in collaboration with other research teams, and will be used to inform future experiments. As part of this project, one postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience is available, starting in April 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. Computational modeling of the empirically characterized neurons will use parameter optimization algorithms developed in the Weaver lab. For an overview of our interdisciplinary approach, see our joint publications including Luebke et al., *Cerebral Cortex* (2015), PMID 24323499 and Coskren et al., *J. Comput. Neuro*. (2015), PMID 25527184. The Weaver lab will have close, ongoing collaborations with the Luebke lab, including several visits to Boston where the empirical studies will take place. Initial appointment is for one year, and may be extended to a total of three years. The candidate will be hired by Franklin & Marshall College, though a remote employment arrangement may be possible. Applicants should have a strong background in computational neuroscience, and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience that integrate modeling, imaging, and physiological experiments. Review of applications will begin immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should send their CV, a brief statement of current and future research interests, and the contact information of three references to christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu. Required Skills Ph.D. or equivalent in computational neuroscience or a related field from an accredited institution Excellent written and verbal communication skills Experience with NEURON compartmental modeling software, conductance-based modeling of single neurons, and/or automated parameter optimization is preferred. Franklin & Marshall College is committed to having an inclusive campus community where all members are treated with dignity and respect. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, the College does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender, sex, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, family or marital status, sexual orientation, or any protected characteristic. Christina M. Weaver, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Franklin & Marshall College P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 17604-3003 Phone: (717) 291-3872 Fax: (717) 358-4507 Email: christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu

March 17, 2016

PhD position at LMU Munich, Germany

by Stefan Glasauer

We are looking for a PhD student with a strong interest in human movement sciences and motor learning. How is sensorimotor adaptation acquired and forgotten? Scientific background: Human movement control is highly efficient at minimizing sensorimotor errors and is forced to adjust its strategies to slow changes of a large variety of factors. The motor system is subject to growth, aging, or muscle weakness; the external mechanical environment may change its resistance against the movement; and the sensory system, providing the most important information to estimate the actual and desired state of the ensemble of body and environment, is also subject to systematic changes. Sensorimotor adaptation is often defined as the gradual change of the generated motor commands in response to such systematic changes, but it has been recently recognized that sensorimotor adaptation does not only involve the acquisition of gradual changes in stimulus-response mechanisms, but also different types of meta-learning reflected in 1) gradual changes in the processing of sensorimotor errors driving the adaptation (error sensitivity) and in 2) adjustments of the stability (retention) of the acquired adaptive change. Current project and methods: The current project will investigate dynamics of error sensitivity and retention across repeated sequences of sensorimotor adaptation and deadaptation. Of special interest is the dependence of error sensitivity and retention on error size and consistency. Adaptation experiments will be performed in reaching movements under distorted visual feedback of the hand and in saccadic eye movements to targets displaced during the movement. The data acquisition and analysis is centered on movement trajectories recorded in humans. Candidates should have a strong interest in motor control and learning mechanisms. Skills in mathematical analysis of dynamic systems and computer programming are desirable. The project involves cooperation with laboratories in Toronto (CA) and Seattle (USA). Contact: Dr. Ing. Thomas Eggert e-mail: eggert at lrz.uni-muenchen.de Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany Literature: Straube, A., Deubel, H., Ditterich, J., & Eggert, T. (2001). Cerebellar lesions impair rapid saccade amplitude adaptation. Neurology, 57 (11), 2105-2108. Krüger M, Borbely B, Eggert T, Straube A (2012) Synergistic control of joint angle variability: influence of target shape. Hum Mov Sci 31:1071-1089 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2011.12.002 Borbély BJ, Straube A, Eggert T (2014) Motor synergies during manual tracking differ between familiar and unfamiliar trajectories. Experimental Brain Research 232:889-901 Henriques, D.Y., Filippopulos, F., Straube, A., & Eggert, T. (2014). The cerebellum is not necessary for visually driven recalibration of hand proprioception. Neuropsychologia, 64C, 195-204.

March 16, 2016

Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics MSc

by Dietmar Heinke

We invite applications for our MSc program in Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The CNCR MSc course is highly interdisciplinary encompassing psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, computational modelling, neuroimaging, robotics, and patient rehabilitation. The course is designed for those who are interested in applying knowledge of neural systems, brain function, and modelling to research in human cognition, perception, sensory and motor systems as well as the design of bio-inspired and biologically plausible robotic systems. It has a strong research focus with hands-on modules and practical applications. The course is aimed both at students from psychology/neuroscience with a strong quantitative background and at students from computer science and physics who want to apply their knowledge to psychology/neuroscience. The course is organised jointly through the Schools of Psychology and Computer Science. Details about the MSc can be found on this web-page: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/psych/computation-n… Further enquires can be made via email: pg-psychology-admissions(a)contacts.bham.ac.uk<mailto:pg-psychology-admissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk> Application deadline: 30.June. Applications made after this deadline may be considered.

March 16, 2016

3 PhD studentships in London

by Alonso, Eduardo

Dear all, City University London is offering 3 fully-funded PhD studentships. Doctoral studentships will provide, for 3 years, an annual bursary of £16,000. They also include full tuition fees. The main focus is the development of computational models of learning and behaviour, with a particular interest in the application of Deep Learning architectures and algorithms. In addition, we want to explore how the resulting models could inform research in learning impairments associated with neurodevelopment disorders. Submission deadline is the 26th of May, with successful applicants starting in Oct 2016. If you are interested, please contact me. Dr Eduardo Alonso Reader in Computing Deputy Head of Department Department of Computer Science School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering City University London London EC1V 0HB United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 7040 4049 E: E.Alonso(a)city.ac.uk http://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/eduardo-alonso

March 16, 2016

A funding opportunity for Assistive Technology for ALS patients

by Neta Zach

The ALS Association and Prize4Life's are happy to anounce the launch of a new program to promote ALS technology development- *the ALS Assistive Technology Challenge* <http://www.alsa.org/research/als-assistive-technology-challenge-2.html>*- *a program focused around accelerating the development of communication technologies for locked in patients with development funds of over $500,000. *In the challenge, open until July 29, teams can participate in a $400,000 challenge to develop a prototype that will enable communication for ALS patients. The top finalists will be invited to present their prototype in December 2016 in Dublin where the award winner will be selected. *You can read about it more *here <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-als-association-and-prize4life-…>.*

March 15, 2016

Faculty Position in Neural Data and Imaging Sciences, Sabanci Univ., Istanbul

by Mujdat Cetin

*Faculty Position in Neural Data and Imaging Sciences at Sabancı University* http://ee.sabanciuniv.edu/en/full-time-faculty-position-neural-data-and-ima… The Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) at Sabancı University, İstanbul, Turkey invites applications for a full-time faculty position in the area of Neural Data and Imaging Sciences with a targeted start date of Fall 2016. The ideal candidate for this position would have a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering, computational neuroscience, or a related field, as well as a strong research and publication record in the area of information extraction from challenging neural data. Particular research areas of interest include but are not limited to neuroinformatics, big neural sensor data analytics, biomedical imaging, brain informatics, signal processing of neural activity, computational neuroimaging, neural image analysis, machine learning for understanding the brain, and connectomics. Sensing/imaging modalities of interest include but are not necessarily limited to MRI, fMRI, DTI, PET, EEG, MEG, ECoG, and several forms of microscopy. Application areas of interest include, but are not limited to healthcare, neurotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, neurorehabilitation, and neurorobotics. The faculty member will have a primary affiliation with the Electronics Engineering program but will be expected to conduct collaborative research with other programs in FENS as well. Applications from candidates at all ranks are encouraged. For candidates at the Assistant Professor level, post-doctoral research experience is a plus. Successful candidates are expected to develop externally-funded internationally-recognized research programs; teach undergraduate and graduate courses; advise and mentor graduate and undergraduate students; and undertake service responsibilities. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to benefit from the state-of-the-art infrastructure of the brand-new Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM), as well as to be involved in the Professional Master’s Program in Data Analytics. Sabancı University, a privately funded premier academic institution, established in 1996 in its state-of-the-art campus located in suburban İstanbul. The university offers 13 undergraduate programs and 38 graduate programs in three faculties (Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Management). The University aims to establish a high standard of academic excellence and a research-oriented atmosphere for its international faculty and students, while nurturing productive relationships particularly with the industries in the region which constitute the industrial heartland of Turkey. The medium of instruction is English. In 2015, Sabancı University ranked 13th globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking of the top 100 universities under 50 years old, and 21st in the THE Asia university rankings. In the recently announced THE ranking of the world’s best small universities in 2016, Sabancı University ranked 10th globally. It ranked first among all universities in Turkey in the University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Index of the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology in 2015. Detailed information about the Electronics Engineering Program at Sabancı University can be found at http://ee.sabanciuniv.edu/ Applicants should submit their applications online through https://crm.sabanciuniv.edu/acadcv/application.php and provide a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, statement of teaching interests, and at least three professional references. Review of applications will begin on May 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled. -- Mujdat Cetin Technical Program Co-chair, IVMSP 2016 -- http://ivmsp2016.org Technical Co-chair, FUSION 2016 -- http://fusion2016.org Faculty Member Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Sabanci University Orhanli, Tuzla 34956, Istanbul, Turkey Phone : +90 (216) 483-9594 Fax : +90 (216) 483-9550 E-mail : mcetin(a)sabanciuniv.edu Web : http://spis.sabanciuniv.edu

March 15, 2016

Fully funded postdoctoral position in Machine Learning and Computational Biology at Royal Holloway University of London

by Alberto Paccanaro

[Apologies for cross-posting] Application deadline: 10th April 2016 ==================================================== Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at the Department of Computer Science of Royal Holloway, University of London. The successful candidate will work with Prof Alberto Paccanaro on different projects in the area of Systems Biology and Network Medicine -- please see http://www.paccanarolab.org/ for a description of the research carried out in the lab. Candidates should have a PhD degree in a relevant quantitative field (e.g. Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering), a strong background in machine learning and a keen interest in computational biology. Previous experience in the area of graphical models would be an asset for this position. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with members of the interdisciplinary Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology (Computer Science and Biological Sciences) at Royal Holloway and collaborators at Imperial College, University of Tennessee and Yale University. The post is therefore ideal for someone with a computer science or maths background who is looking to move into computational biology. This post is based in the Department of Computer Science in Egham, Surrey where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London (see http://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/) This is a full time post, available immediately, or as soon as possible thereafter for a fixed term period of 30 months. The salary is in the range £33,789 to £39,902 per annum inclusive of London Allowance. The position is funded by a joint BBSRC/NSF grant. To apply go to: https://jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=0316-094 For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Prof Alberto Paccanaro, alberto(a)cs.rhul.ac.uk. The Human Resources Department can be contacted with queries by email at: recruitment(a)rhul.ac.uk. Please quote the reference: 0316-094. Closing Date: Midnight, 10th April 2016. Interview Date: To be confirmed. The College is committed to equality and diversity, and encourages applications from all sections of the community. -- ===================================== Prof. Alberto Paccanaro Department of Computer Science Royal Holloway, University of London Phone: +44 1784 414239 Homepage: http://www.cs.rhul.ac.uk/home/alberto/ Lab page: http://www.paccanarolab.org

March 15, 2016

ICLR 2016 Registration Open

by Hugo Larochelle

4th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) Website: http://www.iclr.cc/ Location: Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 Registration to ICLR 2016 is now open: http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=iclr2016:registration The lower early registration fees and hotel rates are available until April 1st. For more information on ICLR 2016, please visit http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=iclr2016:main. We look forward to seeing you in Puerto Rico! Yoshua Bengio, Université de Montreal, General Chair Yann LeCun, New York University and Facebook, General Chair Hugo Larochelle, Twitter and Université de Sherbrooke, Senior Program Chair Brian Kingsbury, IBM Watson Group, Program Chair Samy Bengio, Google, Program Chair

March 15, 2016

Funded vision science PhD opportunities at Royal Holloway, University of London

by Durant, Szonya

Please see opportunities below to work with me (Szonya Durant) as supervisor and Angelika Lingnau or Jonas Larsson in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. There are two main proposed areas: Investigating the neural representation of action recognition categories What are the neural sources and function of expectation signals in human visual processing? Both projects involve EEG and fMRI methods, but experience is not essential and training will be provided as part of the PhD. Please email szonya.durant(a)rhul.ac.uk<mailto:szonya.durant@rhul.ac.uk> for more detail on these projects and the application process. Strong students from Psychology/Neuroscience/Cognitive Science/Computer Science/Biological Science/Physics/Mathematics are encouraged to apply. Suitable candidates (in collaboration with the supervisor) will need to develop a PhD proposal, which the department will use to evaluate applications - the department deadline for proposals is the 15th of April (so please get in touch asap). There are 4 paid studentships available in the department for UK and EU students. ********************************************************************** Szonya Durant Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX 01784 276522

March 15, 2016

A new julia package for modelling spiking neural network

by Yao Lu

SpikingNetworks.jl <https://github.com/YaoLuCNS/SpikingNetworks.jl> is a julia package for computational neuroscientists to simulate large scale spiking neural network. It is inspired by Brain2 <http://briansimulator.org/>, and achieve most of the functionalities in Brian2 with faster speed, cleaner syntax and flexibility. Julia <http://julialang.org/> is a technical computing language, which relies on LLVM to achieve efficiency comparable to C. Julia has MATLAB-like syntax and is user-friendly to MATLAB users. This this package aims at experienced computational neuroscientists who want faster speed. Yao Lu

March 15, 2016