- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Post-doctoral positions: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory in Health and Disease

by Annabelle Singer

Post-doctoral positions available: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory in Health and Disease Description Multiple postdoctoral positions are available in the Singer lab at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine studyinghow neural activity produces memories and how stimulating neural activity affects memory and immune function in health and Alzheimer’s disease. To find out more about the Singer Lab, see our lab website http://singer.gatech.edu/ with our recent publications. Major Responsibilities: The successful applicants will examine (a) how neural activity produces memories of experiences or (b) how novel forms of non-invasive neural stimulation affects neural circuits, immune responses, and learning and memory. These projects will focus on the hippocampal circuit and related structures in health and Alzheimer’s disease using a variety of advanced neuroscience techniques. One set of projects will utilize virtual reality behavior, in vivo recordings from many single cells, histological analysis, and innovative data analysis methods in rodents. Another set of projects will use MRI, PET imaging, histological analysis, and molecular signaling assays in both rodents and human patients. This research involves collaboration with other groups at Georgia Tech and Emory and therefore a successful applicant must work well in a collaborative environment. These projects are fully funded for 3-5 years, pending satisfactory annual performance review. The projects offer significant opportunities to perform pioneering research and be trained in cutting-edge neuroscience techniques. All lab members are actively trained in scientific methods and mentored in career development. Applicants will have extensive opportunities to interact with the dynamic, exciting, and collaborative neuroscience and neuroengineering communities at Georgia Tech and Emory University in one of the most affordable and livable major cities of the US. Qualifications The ideal candidates will have a PhD in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline and a record of leading scientific projects to completion. Previous experience with in related techniques including vivo experimentation, histology, behavior, electrophysiology, human or rodent MRI, and/or learning and memory is preferred. Candidates with experience performing advances data analysis or with quantitative backgrounds like signal processing, electrical engineering, and/or programming are encouraged to apply. Candidates should have excellent communication skills and the ability to both collaborate with a team and lead projects. How to Apply: If you meet these requirements and are interested in this position, please provide your detailed CV, a cover letter stating your research interests, and names and contact information for two or three references to Annabelle Singer: asinger(a)gatech.edu Department Description The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Techis part of a vibrant biomedical community in Atlanta that includes the Emory School of Medicine, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Winship Cancer Institute, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), Georgia ImmunoEngineering Consortium, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and more. This rich scientific environment provides unique and unparalleled research opportunities, including seminars given by leaders in science and engineering from throughout the U.S. and abroad, opportunities for collaborations, exposure to diverse research programs, and sophisticated core facilities. As such, we offer the best of internationally renowned institutions. The partnerships have created an outstanding undergraduate program and graduate program, now ranked No. 2 in the world. Georgia Tech is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Annabelle Singer Assistant Professor Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Tech & Emory University 313 Ferst Drive Atlanta, GA 30332 Web: http://singer.gatech.edu/ Email: asinger(a)bme.gatech.edu

Oct. 27, 2018

DPG Focus Session "Collective dynamics in neural networks"

by Johannes Zierenberg

Dear all, It is our pleasure to invite you to the focus session "Collective dynamics in neural networks" at the upcoming DPG (German Physical Society) spring meeting: 31 March - 05 April 2019 Regensburg, Germany The aim of the focus session is to provide a forum for discussions on the emergence of a rich set of collective dynamics in neural networks from a physicist perspective. We want to discuss principles that determine collective dynamics as well as the transitions between them, e.g., the role of local learning rules, topology and noise. The focus session consists of two invited talks (Moritz Helias and Anna Levina), selected contributed talks, and a poster session. If you are interested, we encourage you to contribute by submitting an abstract (http://regensburg19.dpg-tagungen.de/programm/abstract) until 01.12.2018 (Bereich: BP). In any case, we welcome you to attend the focus session. Of course, you are more than welcome to share this announcement with your colleagues. Best wishes, Johannes Zierenberg and Viola Priesemann -- Dr. Johannes Zierenberg Postdoctoral Researcher Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany https://zierenberg.github.io

Oct. 26, 2018

Doctoral Scholarships

by Christopher Laurie Buckley

Hi all, Our new round (2019) of Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships ‘From Sensation and Perception to Awareness’ at the University of Sussex are now online. See, https://www.sussex.ac.uk/sensation/applications <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/sensation/applications> Please have a look at all the great projects. Among the offered projects is one with me on the free energy principle, cognition and robotics so please get in touch if your interested. Best, Chris Dr Christopher L. Buckley Senior Lecturer in Neural Computation Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems Group Sussex Neuroscience Department of Informatics and Engineering University of Sussex Falmer Brighton, UK Twitter: @drclbuckley email: c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk <mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk>

Oct. 26, 2018

Open PhD and Postoc positions in Berlin: Learning in spiking neural networks

by Gütig, Robert

The newly formed research group "Mathematical modeling of neuronal learning", headed by Robert Gütig is seeking highly motivated researchers at the PhD and postdoctoral level to study information processing and learning in spiking neural networks. The group is funded by the Berlin Institute of Health and located at the Charité Medical School in the center of Berlin. Our close proximity to the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience facilitates close interactions between our group and Berlin’s vibrant and growing neuroscience community. We use analytical and numerical modeling techniques to identify the computational principles underlying spike based information processing and learning in the central nervous system and to understand how these principles are implemented by biological processes. Open projects center around, but are not limited to, the recently developed tempotron family of spiking neuronal network models (e.g. Gütig & Sompolinsky 2006; Gütig 2016). The positions are available immediately. Applicants should have a strong background in physics, mathematics, computer science, computational neuroscience or a related field and a keen interest in neurobiology and machine learning. Good programming skills (e.g. in C and/or Python) are important and experience with numerical simulations highly beneficial. Previous exposure to neuroscience is preferred but not required. Applications will be considered until all positions are filled. Please send your application or questions to Robert Gütig (robert.guetig at charite.de). When applying please include a detailed CV (including degrees, current academic transcripts, and publication record) and the names and contact information of two referees.

Oct. 25, 2018

PhD positions in the Neural Reckoning group at Imperial College

by Dan Goodman

One or more PhD positions in theoretical and computational neuroscience are available in the group of Dan Goodman at Imperial College London (http://neural-reckoning.org) I am interested in supervising students with a strong mathematical, computational or neuroscience background. Projects could be carried out in several possible areas relating to the work in the group. Some suggestions for topics that would be interesting to me are below, but I'm very happy to consider other possibilities. In addition to working within the group, studying at Imperial College provides excellent opportunities for interacting with other theoretical and experimental researchers, both at Imperial and in the many neuroscience groups in London. Suggested areas include: * Spiking neural networks * Auditory and other sensory systems * Machine learning and neuroscience * Simulation and data analysis For more detail, see: http://neural-reckoning.org/openings.html Applicants should initially send me a brief CV and cover letter with a description of research interests or a proposed project, and will eventually have to formally apply through the standard Imperial College mechanism (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/electrical-engineering/study/phd/) There are no strict deadlines, although chances of success are higher for earlier applications as I will consider them as they arrive. EU students from outside the UK are particularly encouraged to apply before Christmas. Funded offers made before Brexit day (March 29) will be honoured by Imperial no matter what happens in the Brexit negotiations, and the last funding panel meeting before that will probably be in early February. So, applying before Christmas means we will have time to process the application and arrange an interview before that meeting. Imperial College requirements: * General requirements: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/ * Country-specific minimum grades: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/requirements/pgacademic/ Dan Goodman

Oct. 25, 2018

SoAIR 2019: IEEE-RAS Spring School on "Social and Artificial Intelligence for User-Friendly Robots" in Japan

by Amir Aly

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS **Apologies for cross posting ** We are pleased to call for applications for the IEEE-RAS spring school on: "*Social and Artificial Intelligence for User-Friendly Robots*" * Which will be held from 17-24 March, 2019 in Shonan Village, Japan *after the Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) conference that will be held in the near South Korea. *Webpage: **https://inic8.bitbucket.io/SoAIR19/* <https://inic8.bitbucket.io/SoAIR19/> *I. Aim and Scope *Autonomous and intelligent systems are progressively moving into spaces, which have previously been predominantly shaped by human agency. Unlike in the past where machines obediently served their human operators, machines now increasingly act without the intervention of a human. Artificial intelligence is meeting new challenges in the world, though human-like intelligence may still be a distant goal. Robots in factories are coming out of their cages. Autonomous cars are being tested on streets with regular human-driven cars. The private household is changing with the appearance of not only robotic vacuum cleaners, but also with the first-generation of social robots and smart devices. The challenges that face both the robotics and artificial intelligence communities are how the necessary intelligence for such new environments can be created as well as how to make artificial agents capable of not only solving tasks at hand but also considering social environments around them during interaction with human users so as to behave appropriately. Within the school, we plan to address the tension created by the balance between task-specific artificial intelligence and the demands of sociability required to function effectively in human-centered environments. ** *This spring school is a Technical Education Program (TEP) endorsed and supported by IEEE-RAS*. ** *The school aims at bridging the gap between social and cognitive Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Autonomous Vehicles (AV) through high-level talks and hands-on workshops (the program will be announced soon).* *II. Keynote Speakers (More Speakers in HRI, AI, and Autonomous Vehicles will join the list soon): * 1. * Jun Tani *– Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan 2. *Daniele Magazzeni *– King's College London, UK 3. * Yukie Nagai *– National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan 4. * Tetsuya Ogata* – Waseda University, Japan 5. *Maya Cakmak *– University of Washington, USA 6. *Mohamed Chetouani *– University of Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC), France 7. *Agnieszka Wykowska *– Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Italy 8. *Tetsunari Inamura *– National Institute of Informatics (NII), Japan 9. *Amit Kumar Pandey *– SoftBank (Aldebaran) Robotics, France 10. *Francesco Maurelli *– Jacobs University, Germany (*A special talk about preparing funding proposals*) *III. Submission * The applications must include the following files (combined into one file). No other documents would be necessary (More information is available on the school's webpage). 1. *Curriculum vitae*: A two pages or less of CV detailing relevant aspects of the candidate's academic career that demonstrates her/his relevance to the school theme. 2. *Research abstract*: A 200 word research abstract that the candidate intends to present during the school. 3. *Letter of recommendation*: A short letter from the academic advisor or the employer of the candidate supporting her/his application. *Application submission*: Please use the following EasyChair web link:* Application Submission <https://easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?timeout=1;key=79456763.59XbW247MFR…>.* *IV. Important Dates * 1. Application submission: *20-December, 2018 * 2. Notification of acceptance: *28-December, 2018 * 3. Spring School: *17-24 March, 2019* *V. Organizers * 1. *Amir Aly *– Ritsumeikan University – Japan 2. *Franziska Kirstein *– Blue Ocean Robotics, Denmark 3. * Shashank Pathak *– Visteon Corporation, Germany --------------------- *Amir Aly, Ph.D.* Senior Researcher Emergent Systems Laboratory College of Information Science and Engineering Ritsumeikan University 1-1-1 Noji Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan

Oct. 25, 2018

Workshop application deadline extended: "Neuronal circuits in motor behavior" - OIST, Okinawa

by Marylka Yoe Uusisaari

Dear all, It is our pleasure to announce the workshop "Neuronal Circuits in Motor Behavior" (NCMB) that will take place at OIST, Okinawa, February 18 - 20th, 2019. Among the numerous functions performed by the brain, creating precise, efficient movements is the most fundamental one without which no behavior could be expressed. The importance of motor control is accentuated by the fact that multiple distinct brain systems are involved in it, and thus understanding the neuronal codes leading to the skilled animal or human movements critically depends on researching the systems in a synergistic manner. The workshop brings together established scientists and rising leaders from computational, systemic neuroscience and behavioural fields, to explore and portray the various aspects and constraints of animal movement and the neuronal circuits underlying their execution. The three days will comprise of talks, poster presentations as well as more free-form discussion sessions aiming to foster collaboration. We encourage applications from students, post docs and faculty across any related fields, and *will cover travel and accommodation *for 30 accepted attendees, based on the background and motivation statements. More information, including application webform, can be found at https://groups.oist.jp/ncmb. *Note:* application deadline has been extended to November 15th, 2019. Best wishes, Marylka Yoe Uusisaari & NCMB organizers

Oct. 24, 2018

Faculty position in neuroscience

by Keller, Asaf

The Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology<http://neurobiology.umaryland.edu/> is recruiting tenured/tenure-track faculty, at all ranks. We are interested in candidates with quantitative skills whose research complements existing strengths in the Department. Although we will consider all relevant research areas, we are particularly interested in research focusing on pain, neural circuits of motivated behaviors & addiction, sensory perception or neurodegeneration. Rank and tenure status is dependent on candidate’s qualifications. Candidates should have a strong record of scholarly activity. Highest priority will be given to candidates with an independent, funded research program. We offer an outstanding intellectual and collaborative environment with highly competitive salary and recruitment packages. All department faculty are members of the Graduate Program in Life Sciences<http://lifesciences.umaryland.edu/> interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience<http://lifesciences.umaryland.edu/neuroscience>. Candidates should submit, as a single PDF to ANfacsearch(a)som.umaryland.edu<mailto:ANfacsearch@som.umaryland.edu>: curriculum vitae, brief statement of research interests and vision, and contact information for three references. Candidates should submit their application to the attention of Asaf Keller, Chairs of Faculty Search Committee.

Oct. 23, 2018

workshop “Cortical models for visual perception and imaging applications” at the Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu - Paris Rive Gauche (IMJ-PRG)

by Benedetta Franceschiello

Dear all, It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the workshop “Cortical models for visual perception and imaging applications” (https://liftme.sciencesconf.org/) that we are organising at the Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu - Paris Rive Gauche (IMJ-PRG)(room 15-16-413) on November 22nd, in partnership with the workshop “Géométrie et représentation de la couleur” (link: http://www.gdr-isis.fr/index.php?page=reunion&idreunion=359) organised on November 21st by Edoardo Provenzi. The aim of the workshop is to gather people working in the field of mathematical and neurophysiological modelling of human brain, from a theoretical and applied point of view, with particular emphasis on imaging methods based on visual perception. An updated schedule will be provided at this page: https://liftme.sciencesconf.org/program The registration is free, but mandatory for organisation purposes, *by November 16*. To register you should log-in to the website with your HAL credentials (on the top right corner of the page https://liftme.sciencesconf.org/) If you encounter any problem in the registration process, please send an e-mail to liftme(a)sciencesconf.org Best wishes, The organisers Luca Calatroni, Valentina Franceschi, Benedetta Franceschiello, Dario Prandi, Mario Sigalotti

Oct. 23, 2018

[journals] CfP : Special Issue on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning

by Nguyen, Sao Mai

Dear Colleagues, IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems is currently running a Special Issue entitled " Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning" : http://projects.au.dk/socialrobotics/news-events/show/artikel/special-issue… We would like to invite you to prepare a research article or a comprehensive review to be published in this special issue. AIM AND SCOPE Although machine learning algorithms continue to improve at a rapid pace enabling technologies and products such as autonomous driving cars and sophisticated image and speech recognition, it is often forgotten that these applications represent tailored solutions to specific tasks. Thus it is not clear if or how these autonomous systems can pave the road to general purpose machines envisioned by many. The pursuit for higher levels of autonomy and versatility in robotics is arguably lead by two main factors. Firstly, as we push robots out of the labs and productions lines, it becomes increasingly difficult to design for all possible scenarios that a particular robot might encounter. Secondly, the cost of designing, manufacturing, and maintaining such systems becomes prohibitive. As the algorithms for learning single tasks in restricted environments are improving, new challenges have gained relevance in order to get more autonomous artificial systems. These challenges include multi-task learning, multimodal sensorimotor learning and lifelong adaptation to injury, growth and ageing. Addressing these challenges promise higher levels of autonomy and versatility of future robots. This special issue on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning is primarily concerned with the developmental processes involved in unsupervised sensorimotor learning in a life-long perspective, and in particular the emergence of representations of action and perception in humans and artificial agents in continual learning. These processes include action-perception cycle, active perception, continual sensory-motor learning, environmental-driven scaffolding, and intrinsic motivation. The special issue will highlight behavioural and neural data, and cognitive and developmental approaches to research in the areas of robotics, computer science, psychology, neuroscience, etc. Contributions might focus on mathematical and computational models to improve robot performance and/or attempt to unveil the underlying mechanisms that lead to continual adaptation to changing environment or embodiment and continual learning in open-ended environments. Contributions from multiple disciplines including cognitive systems, cognitive robotics, developmental and epigenetic robotics, autonomous and evolutionary robotics, social structures, multi-agent and artificial life systems, computational neuroscience, and developmental psychology, on theoretical, computational, application-oriented, and experimental studies as well as reviews in these areas are welcome. THEMES This special issue aims to report state-of-the-art approaches and recent advances on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning with a cross-disciplinary perspective. Topics relevant to this special issue include but are not limited to: Emergence of representations via continual interaction Continual sensory-motor learning Action-perception cycle Active perception Environmental-driven scaffolding Intrinsic motivation Neural substrates, neural circuits and neural plasticity Human and animal behaviour experiments and models Reinforcement learning and deep reinforcement learning for life-long learning Multisensory robot learning Multimodal sensorimotor learning Affordance learning Prediction learning SUBMISSION Manuscripts should be prepared according to the “Information for Authors” of the journal found at http://cis.ieee.org/component/content/article/7/131-ieee-transactions-on-au…. Submissions must be done through the IEEE TCDS Manuscript center: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tcds-ieee. During the submission process, please select the category “SI: Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning”. IMPORTANT DATES 6th January 2019 – Paper submission deadline 15th March 2019 – Notification for authors 31st May 2019 – Deadline revised papers submission 30th June 2019 – Final notification for authors 31st July 2019 – Deadline for camera-ready versions September 2019 – Expected publication date More information on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning http://projects.au.dk/socialrobotics/news-events/show/artikel/special-issue… GUEST EDITORS Nicolás Navarro-Gerrero Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark nng(a)eng.au.dk Sao Mai Nguyen IMT Atlantique, Francenguyensmai(a)gmail.com Erhan Öztop Özyeğin University, Turkeyerhan.oztop(a)ozyegin.edu.tr Junpei Zhong National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japanjoni.zhong(a)aist.go.jp ---- Nguyen Sao Mai nguyensmai(a)gmail.com Researcher in Cognitive Developmental Robotics http://nguyensmai.free.fr

Oct. 23, 2018