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Fully funded Postdoc + PhD positions Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) and ERC ACTOR

by Constantin Rothkopf

The lab of Constantin Rothkopf (https://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/) at the Centre for Cognitive Science @ TU Darmstadt has several open positions at the PhD and Postdoc levels. Research in the laboratory focuses on explaining human sequential visuomotor decisions and behavior under the influence of the world's uncertainties and ambiguities through computational modeling. Using the reverse-engineering approach, we devise algorithms for inferring individuals' internal models of the world, tracking their subjective beliefs over time during behavior and learning, as well as their internal subjective costs and benefits, including effort. We investigate naturalistic sequential tasks, including navigation and object manipulation, active learning and active sensing, sequential decision-making under uncertainty, and intuitive physics. The lab has state-of-the-art equipment for eye and body tracking, VR, naturalistic task monitoring, psychophysics, and access to one of the most generous computing infrastructures in Germany. A large-scale tracking lab will be available in 2026. The Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) (https://www.simonsfoundation.org/neuroscience/simons-collaboration-on-ecolo…) is an exciting 10-year initiative spanning a powerful international network of labs working across species and disciplines - uniting experimental and computational cognitive science, neuroscience, machine learning, and Al to understand real-world behavior and how it shapes neural representations. The ERC ACTOR aims to utilize both human behavioral experiments and computational modeling to understand human sequential behavior in tasks, including continuous psychophysics, sensorimotor control involving intuitive physics, navigation, and food preparation, in the framework of sequential decision-making/planning/optimal control/RL. Our group is part of the Centre for Cognitive Science and the AI Center at TU Darmstadt, which are home to an internationally outstanding group of PIs and junior researchers working in the areas of computational cognitive science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. We are part of the two Excellence Clusters, “The Adaptive Mind” and “Reasonable AI”, and engage in multiple fruitful research collaborations. Our lab fosters an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative environment driven by scientific curiosity and mutual respect. We maintain close interactions with other research groups, including joint lab meetings. For informal inquiries, please reach out to constantin.rothkopf(a)tu-darmstadt.de. Please apply through the central application portal at https://www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/tu-darmstadt/jobs. The Frankfurt-Darmstadt metropolitan area is located in the heart of Europe and is one of the most international regions in Germany, with a diverse community and rich culture, repeatedly earning high rankings in worldwide surveys of quality of living. Frankfurt has recently achieved a top worldwide ranking of attractiveness according to The Economist, and Darmstadt has consistently ranked among the top innovation-driving cities in Germany. Finally, to get a better idea about some of our work, here are some publications by our group: - Kessler, F., Frankenstein, J., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2024). Human navigation strategies and their errors result from dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties. Nature Communications, 15(1), 5677. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49722-y - Straub, D., Niehues, T. F., Peters, J., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2025). Inverse decision-making using neural amortized Bayesian actors. In The Thirteenth International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). https://openreview.net/forum?id=zxO4WuVGns - Straub, D., Schultheis, M., Koeppl, H., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2023). Probabilistic inverse optimal control for non-linear partially observable systems disentangles perceptual uncertainty and behavioral costs. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 36 (NeurIPS): 7065-7092. https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2023/hash/16347f6e665376fd… - Schultheis, M., Straub, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2021). Inverse optimal control adapted to the noise characteristics of the human sensorimotor system. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 34 (NeurIPS), 9429-9442. https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper/2021/hash/4e55139e019a58e0084f194f758f… - Straub, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2022). Putting perception into action with inverse optimal control for continuous psychophysics, eLife 11, e76635. https://elifesciences.org/articles/76635 - Hoppe, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2019). Multi-step planning of eye movements in visual search. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37536-0 - Hoppe, D., & Rothkopf, C. A. (2016). Learning rational temporal eye movement strategies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(29), 8332-8337. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601305113 -- Prof. Constantin A. Rothkopf, PhD Technical University of Darmstadt, Alexanderstr. 10, 64283 Darmstadt phone: +49 6151 16-23367 https://tu-darmstadt.zoom-x.de/my/crothkopf Psychology of Information Processing Group https://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/ Centre for Cognitive Science http://www.cogsci.tu-darmstadt.de/ Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence https://hessian.ai/ Institute of Psychology https://www.psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de/

Dec. 11, 2025

PhD opportunity in affective neuroscience and reinforcement learning at ETIS lab, CY Cergy Paris University

by Elisa MASSI

Dear comp-neuro community, as part of the Paris Region (Île-de-France) DIM C-BRAINS 2025-2026 International PhD studentship program, we are looking for excellent international candidates who would wish to work on the following topic: Stress-Based Modulation of Hippocampal Replay-Inspired Techniques in Reinforcement Learning (SMaRT-RL) Supervisors: Elisa Massi (elisa.massi [@] cyu.fr, https://www.etis-lab.fr/2024/01/11/massi-elisa/ ) and Lola Cañamero (lola.canamero [@] cyu.fr, www.etis-lab.fr/canamero-lola/ ), ETIS Lab UMR8051, CY Cergy Paris University, France Summary of the PhD project : ====================== Animals and humans process vast amounts of information but retain only the most relevant experiences, with emotions playing a key role in memory consolidation. Emotions, particularly stress, enhancing attention and arousal, influence brain regions like the hippocampus. In neuroscience, it is known that hippocampal reactivations help recall and consolidate experiences. In artificial intelligence (AI), strategies inspired by these reactivations, especially in reinforcement learning, have been shown to accelerate learning. When it comes to emotionally charged circumstances, the relationship between stress, its most prominent hormone, cortisol, and memory functions in the hippocampus, is complex. This project aims to explore the link between stress and hippocampal reactivations via a computational model, and test it in artificial agents. This bio-inspired approach could (a) reveal new insights into the generation of hippocampal replay mechanisms and (b) improve AI's learning efficiency. Keywords : stress modelling, reinforcement learning, hippocampal replay, computational modeling, cognitive and affective neuroscience For a detailed description of the project, please visit: https://dim-cbrains.fr/en/phd-program/dim-cbrains?search=lola+canamero Further information: =============== - Eligibility criteria: https://dim-cbrains.fr/api/1.0/editorjs/7c5b1e85-a681-4eff-9382-dcb70bed681… - About the DIM C-BRAIN International PhD studentship program: https://dim-cbrains.fr/api/1.0/editorjs/c035c5d8-3f2b-4745-86c2-dadf9077141… - TO APPLY: https://dim-cbrains.fr/en/platform/login Applications close on the 30th of January 2026. Best regards, -- Elisa MASSI Assistant professor ETIS Lab -- CY Cergy Paris Université, France

Dec. 10, 2025

2y postdoc in whole brain modelling of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Paris, France

by Dmitrii Todorov

Hello everyone, We are seeking a two-year postdoc position in whole brain modelling (The Virtual Brain) of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, starting in May 2026 at The Biomedical Imaging Laboratory (LIB). The successful candidate will be based in the centre of Paris, working in collaboration with clinicians who have collected a large dataset of multimodal data from ALS patients. The Virtual Brain (TVB) models will be fitted to the data from ALS patients and controls and subsequently used for patient stratification. The project’s focus is not on the development of new parts of TVB, but rather the use of the existing tools in a new applied setting (ALS). This requires working directly with human neuroimaging data (MRI, DTI, fMRI, EEG). A high level of autonomy is expected. The main PI is an expert in computational neuroscience, and the wider supervising team will include an ALS expert in Paris and a TVB expert in Marseille. If you are interested (or know someone else who might be), the details can be found here https://sdrive.cnrs.fr/s/Lcp3L3Xb2ZQ2xpm Best regards, Dmitrii Todorov, PhD Junior Professor Chair (assistant professor) Neural Connectivity and Plasticity team Biomedical Imaging Laboratory ( INSERM U1146 / CNRS UMR 7371 / Sorbonne University ) 15 rue de l'École de Médecine 75006 Paris

Dec. 10, 2025

Assistant/Associate Professor of Data Science/Mathematics/Computer Science

by Erin Munro Krull

Dear colleagues, Our department is now doing a faculty search for someone who specializes in Data Science: "The Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences at Ripon College is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time position as tenure-track Associate Professor or Assistant Professor, or as non-tenure-track Professor of Practice in the areas of Data Science, Mathematics, or Computer Science, with preference for specialties or strong interest in A.I. or cybersecurity. The candidate must be willing to lead the development of a Data Science major. The initial term of the position begins in August 2026.” Further information can be found at Mathjobs.org <http://mathjobs.org/>. Currently, our department has one computational neuroscientist with a background in dynamical systems and some data analysis (myself), a mathematician who specialized in discrete math and mathematics education, and a computer scientist who specialized in education but also has some background in data analysis. We would love to have applicants who can complement our offerings! Best, Erin -- Erin Munro Krull Associate Professor of Mathematics and the Mark and Janice Franzen Professor in Applied Mathematics Ripon College 300 W. Seward St. Ripon, WI 54971 (p) 920-748-8368 Visit us at ripon.edu <http://ripon.edu/>

Dec. 9, 2025

Funded PhD Studentship on motor cortex control of arm movements

by Mark Humphries (staff)

We seek applicants for a fully-funded MRC PhD studentship project "Leveraging population activity trajectories to optimise Brain-computer interfaces for arm movement" with Mark Humphries (Nottingham) and Katja Kornysheva (Birmingham) for October 2026 start This project will develop a new approach to brain-computer interfaces, by leveraging our new understanding<https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1777-23.2024> of how the neural activity in the motor cortex encodes an intended arm movement. We will test this theory in multiple datasets of cortical recordings during arm movements, and we will develop new brain-computer interfaces that directly translate the encodings of motor cortex into intended movements. Application deadline: Jan 9th 2026, midday (GMT) How to apply for this project: https://more.bham.ac.uk/mrc-aim/phd-opportunities/ Submit your application to: mrc-aim-dtp(a)nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:mrc-aim-dtp@nottingham.ac.uk> Professor Mark Humphries | Professor of Computational Neuroscience Office hours: Calendar<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=a2twY2xkYXNvazVnYnA3ODM2bmFwZ2…> Lab: humphries-lab.org<https://www.humphries-lab.org/> Connect: Bluesky<https://bsky.app/profile/markdhumphries.bsky.social> / LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-humphries-65a460212/> / X<https://x.com/markdhumphries> Essays on the brain and science: drmdhumphries.medium.com<https://drmdhumphries.medium.com/> Book: "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds" (Princeton UP) in hardback<https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691195889/the-spike?_gl=1*h…..>, paperback<https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691241487/the-spike>, ebook<https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9780691213514/the-spike-0?_gl=1*1uf…..> & audiobook<https://press.princeton.edu/books/audio/9780691224091/the-spike?_gl=1*37xz7…..> <https://press.princeton.edu/books/audio/9780691224091/the-spike?_gl=1*37xz7…..> read by Anand Jagatia This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

Dec. 9, 2025

1st Call for Papers: RaPID-6@MENTAL.ai @ LREC-2026

by Dim X

************************************************************************************ The 6th workshop on: "*Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from **people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric/developme**ntal impairments*" *in collaboration with the MENTAL.ai -consortium* *Workshop*: co-located with LREC 2026 | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | *May 12th, 2026* *RaPID-6(a)MENTAL.ai *serves as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers to exchange insights, methods, and experiences related to collecting and processing data from individuals with *mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments*. The workshop focuses on creating, processing, and applying such data resources from individuals at different stages and severity levels of these impairments. The ultimate goal of RaPID-6(a)MENTAL.ai is to facilitate the study of relationships among linguistic, paralinguistic, and extra-linguistic observations, with applications ranging from aiding diagnosis to enhancing monitoring and predicting individuals at higher risk, ultimately promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across clinical/medical, language technology, computational linguistics, and computer science communities. *Workshop date: *Tue., 12th of May 2026 *Submission deadlin**e*: Sun., 22nd of February, 2026 (anywhere on earth) *Paper submission*: <SOFTCONF-TBA> *Invited Speakers: *Prof. *Brian MacWhinney*, Carnegie Mellon University, USA; and Assoc Prof, MD, *Sunny X. Tan*g, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, USA. *Website and details*: https://spraakbanken.gu.se/en/rapid-2026 *Contact*: Dimitrios Kokkinakis *Contact email*: dimitrios.kokkinakis(a)gu.se *Organizing committee*: - Dimitrios Kokkinakis, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Charalambos Themistocleous, University of Oslo, Norway - Gaël Dias, University of Caen Normandie, France - Kathleen C. Fraser, University of Ottawa, Canada - Fredrik Öhman, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden - Sebastião Pais, University of Beira Interior, Portugal **************************************************************************************

Dec. 8, 2025

Postdoc Position at Inria Lyon – Computational Neuroscience / Neural Learning

by Elif Köksal

Dear all, We are hiring a post-doctoral researcher within the COPHY (Computation, Cognition & Neurophysiology) team at the Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (CRNL), an excellent environment for scientists eager to access state-of-the-art facilities and a vibrant interdisciplinary community. The position is part of the LENGA project on Neural Gain and Adaptive Learning. *Project overview* The postdoc will develop and analyze computational models explaining how the brain rapidly adapts its learning mechanisms. This includes work with recurrent neural networks (rate-based or spiking), numerical simulations, and analysis of behavioral or electrophysiological data. *Candidate profile* • Strong background in recurrent neural networks, learning, and dynamical systems • Solid programming skills in Python and relevant scientific libraries; experience with experimental data is a plus *Conditions* • 2-year fixed-term contract starting in April 2026 • Competitive salary and benefits (subsidized meals, transport reimbursement, teleworking options, generous vacation policy) *Application deadline:* January 31, 2026 Full details and application portal: https://recrutement.inria.fr/public/classic/fr/offres/2025-09545 <https://recrutement.inria.fr/public/classic/fr/offres/2025-09545?utm_source…> Best regards, Elif Köksal-Ersöz *Elif Köksal-Ersöz* Scientific researcher https://elifkoksal.github.io/ Centre Inria de Lyon & CRNL CH Le Vinatier Bâtiment 452 95 boulevard Pinel 69500 Bron, France

Dec. 8, 2025

World wide VVTNS series (6th season): Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 11:00 am ET - Markus Diesman | Jülich Research Center

by David Hansel

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.on…> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture Markus Diesman Jülich Research Center on the topic of *Building on cortical models* The lecture will be held on zoom on December 10, 2025, at *11:00 am ET * > To receive the link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page > > *Abstract: *Over the past decade our community has made substantial progress in the construction of anatomically detailed network models of the cortical tissue. Thanks to advances in computer hardware and simulation technology, researchers can now routinely work with these models at the natural density of neurons and synapses. Moreover, the availability of cloud services means that such investigations can be carried out without having to install either the model or the simulation software. A recent workshop analyzed the impact of a specific model of the cortical microcircuit, published ten years ago . The model has been reused in multiple contexts: for reproduction studies, validation of mean-field approaches, exploration of methods of model sharing, and as a building block for larger models. Although the model was less successful in inspiring further neuroscientific studies than the authors of the original work had hoped, it became a de facto benchmark for neuromorphic computing systems. It sparked a constructive race for ever shorter simulation times and lower energy consumption. The quantitative comparison of different platforms reveals qualitative differences between conventional and neuromorphic hardware and limits of speed-up. The structure of the model is based on light microscopy because these were the data available at the time. Guided by simulation results and physiological evidence, the original publication hypothesized a preference of excitatory neurons for inhibitory targets. Modern electron microscopy data of cortical volumes combined with AI based reconstruction techniques is capable of resolving individual synaptic connections. This advances the concept of digital twins of the cortical network to a new level of precision, and has already enabled us to confirm the assumption of target type specificity underlying earlier models. Maybe with the progress sketched here, our community is at a transition point where it becomes easier to cooperatively and incrementally work on models with a larger explanatory scope. *About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ

Dec. 7, 2025

MODVIS 2026 - Call for Papers

by Tim Oleskiw

The 2026 VSS satellite workshop on computational and mathematical models in vision (MODVIS) will be held May 13-14 in St. Pete Beach, FL, the two days immediately preceding the main meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS). This year marks a departure for MODVIS: VSS will replace Purdue University in administering the workshop. MODVIS registration will be conducted through the VSS website, and the registration deadlines will align with those of VSS. The program consists of contributed oral presentations, which are longer and more interactive than a regular VSS talk, and the schedule is designed to provide many opportunities for discussions during coffee breaks and a generous lunch break. The workshop will conclude on Thursday with a keynote lecture by Jonathan Victor (Weill Cornell Medical College). As in the past, submission deadlines will be later than those for VSS, and post-deadline submissions will be accepted on a space-available basis. Abstract submissions will be made through the VSS website, with submissions opening in the coming weeks. MODVIS welcomes submissions covering the modelling of any area of vision. More information can be found on the (new) MODVIS website: https://www.modvis.org. On behalf of the MODVIS organizing committee, -Tim Oleskiw Assistant Professor University of Regina

Dec. 6, 2025

AREADNE 2026 Call for Abstracts

by John Pezaris

****** CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ****** AREADNE 2026 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles 23-27 June 2026 Eliopoulos Conference Center Milos, Greece Celebrating 20 Years of AREADNE Conferences http://areadne.org info(a)areadne.org INTRODUCTION A fundamental problem in neuroscience is to understand how the activation of neuronal populations gives rise to higher order functions including learning, memory, cognition, perception, action and ultimately conscious awareness. Electrophysiological recordings have revealed considerable information about the firing patterns of single neurons, but it remains largely a mystery how collections of individual neurons interact to perform these functions. Understanding ensemble activity is critical to understanding the brain. CONFERENCE MISSION The AREADNE Conferences have been created to gather global scientific leaders who work on neural ensembles and establish a touch-point for the widely disparate and hybrid field. With a beautiful setting on Milos, the conferences have been carefully planned to foster discussion and interaction between attendees to encourage the establishment of lasting professional relationships. The meetings continue our efforts to promote systems neuroscience in Greece through creating a world-class forum for cutting-edge research. For 2026, we will be Celebrating Twenty Years of AREADNE Conferences! FORMAT AND SPEAKERS The conference will span four days, in morning and early evening sessions. Confirmed speakers include experts in the field of multi-neuron experiment, theory, and analysis (in alphabetic order): Jaideep Bains Farran Briggs Mark Cembrowski SueYeon Chung Brent Doiron Manolis Froudarakis Julijana Gjiorgjieva Michael Hauser Michele Insanally Viren Jain Mehrdad Jazayeri Sheena Josselyn Caleb Kemere Jennifer Linden Atila Losonczy Mackenzie Mathis Nina Miolane Bence Olveczky Stephanie Palmer Kanaka Rajan Jennifer Raymond CALL FOR ABSTRACTS We are currently soliciting abstracts for poster presentation. Submissions will be accepted electronically, and must be received by 30 January 2026. Automated email acknowledgment of submission will be provided, and manual verification will be made a few days after submission. Notification of acceptance will be provided by 3 March 2026. Please see our Call for Abstracts page for additional details and submission templates: http://areadne.org/call-for-abstracts ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Dora Angelaki Kenny Blum Nicholas Hatsopoulos, co-chair John Pezaris, co-chair Panayiota Poirazi Thanos Siapas Jiannis Taxidis Andreas Tolias FURTHER INFORMATION For further information on AREADNE 2026 please see the conference web site http://areadne.org or send email to info(a)areadne.org. -- Dr. J. S. Pezaris AREADNE 2026 Co-Chair Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114, USA john(a)areadne.org

Dec. 5, 2025