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2017 Neural Inspired Computational Elements Workshop - San Jose CA 3/6/17-3/8/17

by Aimone, James Bradley

Dear Colleagues, The registration and abstract submissions are open for NICE 2017, which is going to be held at IBM Almaden Research Center, March 6-8, 2017. https://www.src.org/calendar/e006125/ With ever increasing interest and activity in AI and next generation computing systems, this event is again bringing together a unique and very strong cross section of experts across neuroscience, theory, algorithms, hardware and applications. We expect to have a larger number of attendees this year. Registration slots are limited due to venue logistics - we encourage you to register early to reserve your spot. Looking forward to seeing you in Almaden in March. Murat Murat Okandan, Ph.D. NICE Workshop Foundation mokandan(a)niceworkshop.org<mailto:mokandan@niceworkshop.org> http://niceworkshop.org -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Principal Member of Technical Staff Data-driven and Neural Computing Department Center for Computing Research Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728 http://neuroscience.sandia.gov

Nov. 14, 2016

[EAIS 2017] Call for Papers

by Teng Teck Hou

[Apologies for cross-postings] ################################################## CALL FOR PAPERS IEEE Conference on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems (EAIS 2017) May 31- June 2, 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia http://msc.fe.uni-lj.si/eais2017/ ################################################## The 2017 IEEE Conference on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems (EAIS 2017) will be held in Ljubljana (Slovenia), a beautiful medieval town. Ljubljana lies halfway between Vienna and Venice, at the crossroads of different cultures, geographical regions, and historical developments. Compared to other capitals, Ljubljana is very small, very green, and very walking-friendly town, which makes it a great place to explore on foot. It is in the center of Slovenia and enables exploring some of the most popular tourist sights of Slovenia in one day. Visit enchanting Bled, with its medieval castle perched upon the lake, explore mysterious Predjama castle and end the trip by visiting Postojna cave, Slovenia's number 1 attraction. EAIS 2017 will provide a working and friendly atmosphere and will be a leading international forum focusing on the discussion of recent advances, the exchange of recent innovations and the outline of open important future challenges in the area of Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems. Over the past decade, this area has emerged to play an important role on a broad international level in today's real-world applications, especially those ones with high complexity and dynamics change. Its embedded modelling and learning methodologies are able to cope with real-time demands, changing operation conditions, varying environmental influences, human behaviors, knowledge expansion scenarios and drifts in online data streams. EAIS 2017 is organized by the IEEE Technical Committee on Evolving and Adaptive Intelligent Systems, SMC Society. The conference series has a history starting in 2006 in Lake District (England). It was held after that in Witten-Bommerholz (Germany), Nashville (USA), Leicester (England), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Singapore, Linz (Austria), Douai (France), and Natal (Brasil). Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit extended versions for possible inclusion in a special issue of the Journal Evolving Systems (Springer). During EAIS 2017 the results of the new IEEE SMC Society sponsored competition on Autonomous Learning Machines (ALMA) will be announced. ##############################Important Dates############################## * Paper Submission December 24, 2016 * Paper Decision Notification February 24, 2017 * Camera-Ready Submission March 24, 2017 * Authors registration March 24, 2017 * Conference May 31 - June 2, 2017 ########################################################################### ##########################Keynote Speakers########################## * Plamen Angelov, Professor, Lancaster University, United Kingdom * Fernando Gomide, Professor, University of Campinas, Brazil * Nikola Kasabov, Professor of Computer Sience, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand #################################################################### ##########################Accepted Special Sessions########################## 1. Computational Intelligence in Control of Power Generating Systems, Transmission and Load Management, Session proposer: Horst Schulte, HTW Berlin Email: Horst.Schulte(a)HTW-Berlin.de ############################################################################ # ############Paper Submission and Publication############ * Papers for EAIS 2017 should be submitted electronically through the Conference website at http://msc.fe.uni-lj.si/eais2017. * Submitted papers will be refereed by experts in the fields and ranked based on the criteria of originality, significance, quality and clarity. ######################################################## ######################################################## IEEE Autonomous Learning Machines Competition ALMA Competition is organized by IEEE SMC Society. The goal of this competition is to increase the level of autonomy of the learning algorithms. Competition Tracks: 1. New data sets and streams that are suitable demonstrators for the topic of the competition. 2. New methods and algorithms for Autonomous Machine Learning in: . Clustering . Classification . Control . Prediction Awards: Track 1 - $1000 Track 2 - $1000 in each category ($4000). Important Dates: 31 January, 2017. Deadline for submitting the algorithms in open source GNU license format. The proposed methods and algorithms must be described in form of papers and submitted to the ALS Competition track of EAIS 2017 and presented at the conference (which will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia). May 31- June 2, 2017. Results will be announced during the conference EAIS 2017. ######################################################## ##################Topics and Areas of Interest################## This conference solicits papers addressing original works in topics and areas of interest including, but are not limited to: * Basic Methologies Evolving Soft Computing Techniques Evolving Fuzzy Systems Evolving Rule-Based Classifiers Evolving Neuro-Fuzzy Systems Adaptive Evolving Neural Networks Adaptive Evolving Fuzzy Systems Online Genetic and Evolutionary Algorithms Data Stream Mining Incremental and Evolving Clustering Approaches Adaptive Control Adaptive Pattern Recognition Computational Intelligence in Control and Estimation Incremental and Evolving ML Classifiers Adaptive Statistical Techniques Evolving Decision Systems Big Data Advanced Concepts * Problems and Methodologies in Data Streams Stability, Robustness, Convergence in Evolving Systems Online Feature Selection and Dimension Reduction Online Active and Semi-supervised Learning Online Complexity Reduction Computational Aspects Interpretability Issues Incremental Adaptive Ensemble Methods Online Bagging and Boosting Self-monitoring Evolving Systems Human-Machine Interaction Issues Hybrid Modeling Transfer Learning Reservoir Computing Real-world Applications * EIS for On-Line Modeling, System Identification, and Control EIS for Time Series Prediction EIS for Data Stream Mining and Adaptive Knowledge Discovery EIS in Robotics, Intelligent Transport and Advanced Manufacturing EIS in Advanced Communications and Multi-Media Applications EIS in Bioinformatics and Medicine EIS in Online Quality Control and Fault Diagnosis EIS in Condition Monitoring Systems EIS in Adaptive Evolving Controller Design EIS in User Activities Recognition EIS in Huge Database and Web Mining EIS in Visual Inspection and Image Classification EIS in Image Processing EIS in Cloud Computing EIS in Multiple Sensor Networks EIS in Query Systems and Social Networks EIS in Alternative Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches ################################################################ ##########################Organizing Committee########################## * Honorary Chairs Plamen Angelov, UK Dimitar Filev, USA Nikola Kasabov, New Zealand * Conference Chair Igor Škrjanc, chair, Slovenia Sašo Blažic, co-chair, Slovenia * Publication Chairs Edwin Lughofer, Austria Sašo Blažic, Slovenia * Local Arrangement Chairs Dejan Dovžan, Slovenia Milan Simcic, Slovenia * Web & Publicity Chair José A. Iglesias, Spain Teck-Hou Teng, Singapore * Special Session Chair: Radu-Emil Precup, Romania * Program Committee Chair: Igor Škrjanc, Slovenia * International Program Committe Cesare Alippi, Italy Plamen Angelov, UK Rosangela Ballini, Brazil Rashmi Dutta Baruah, India Abdelhamid Bouchachia, UK Jorge Cassillas, Spain Bruno Costa, Brazil Dejan Dovžan, Slovenia Alain Droniou, France Dimitar Filev, USA Nadine Gaertner, Germany Joao Gama, Portugal Fernando Gomide, Brazil Jose Antonio Iglesias Martínez, Spain Lazaros Iliadis, Greece Nik Kasabov, New Zealand Juš Kocijan, Slovenia Ana Kosareva, Germany Rudolf Kruse, Germany Agapito Ledezma, Spain Daniel Furtado Leite, Brazil Andre Lemos, Brazil Chin Teng Lin, Taiwan Edwin Lughofer, Austria Yannis Manolopoulos, Greece Trevor Martin, UK Moamar Sayed Mouchaweh, France Veronika Nesheva, UK Seiichi Ozawa, Japan Witold Pedrycz, Canada Radu-Emil Precup, Romania Jose de Jesus Rubio, Mexico Araceli Sanchis de Miguel, Spain Horst Schulte, Germany Olga Senyukova, Russia Teck Hou Teng, Singapore Marley Vellasco, Brazil Di Wang, UAE Wilson Wang, Canada Ronald Yager, USA ####################################################################### #########################Sponsoring Organizations######################### * IEEE * Laboratory of Modeling, Simulation and Control, University of Ljubljana * Laboratory of Autonomous Mobile Systems, University of Ljubljana ##########################################################################

Nov. 14, 2016

Workshop on Brain dynamics on multiple scales -- 19-23 June 2017, Dresden

by Thomas Wennekers

Call for participation Workshop on Brain dynamics on multiple scales – paradigms, their relations, and integrated approaches MSBDy 2017, 19-23 June, Dresden, Germany WORKSHOP WEBSITE: http://www.pks.mpg.de/msbdy17/ APPLICATION DEADLINE: 28 Feb 2017 ABSTRACT Previous research paradigms in the brain sciences have often focused on one spatial or temporal scale only, for instance defined by the experimental technique of choice or a specific set of cognitive phenomena. This workshop aims at exploring paradigms and concepts such as complexity, information, or dynamical systems that provide bridges, links, relations, or connections between two, three or more "elements of brain science" and link them to recent developments in mathematics, physics, and neurobiological experimental techniques. Workshop sessions 1. The Brain as a complex system complex networks, dynamics and criticality, understanding the interplay between structure, dynamics, and function. 2. Information Processing and Coding : what is the current state in using information-theoretic principles like infomax, complexity measures, evidence, or surprise as tools to understand the brain? 3. Brain Oscillations, Waves and Synchronisation : what are their functional roles? 4. Multiple scales and levels: what are proper "building blocks" of the brain or a brain theory? 5. Large scale cognitive brain systems: what are the best approaches to an understanding of high level cognitive and brain functions including consciousness? DETAILS The workshop takes place on the premises of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex systems in Dresden. Thanks to a generous grant by the MPIPKS participation in the event is free, with the exception of a modest fee of Euro 120 for social dinners, excursions and coffee breaks. The grant otherwise covers food and subsistence in the guest house of the MPIPKS for accepted participants. Posters can be hung for the duration of the meeting. To apply, please follow: http://www.pks.mpg.de/msbdy17/ IMPORTANT DATES: - Application Deadline: 28 Feb 2017 - Notification of acceptance: 31 Mar 2017 - Workshop Date: 19 Jun - 23 Jun 2017 SPEAKERS Nicolas Brunel (Univ Chicago, USA) Bruno Cessac (INRIA, Sophia Antipolis, France) Gustavo Deco (UPF Barcelona, Spain) Stanislas Dehaene (INSERM-CEA, College de France) Alain Destexhe (UNIC, CNRS, France) Markus Diesmann (Jülich Research Centre, Germany) Ole Jensen (Donders Institute, Nijmegen, NL) Mark A Kramer (Boston University, USA) Anders Lansner (Stockholm University and KTH, Sweden) Christoph Michel (Université de Genéve, Switzerland) Juergen Jost (MPI for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany) Guenther Palm (University of Ulm, Germany) Simon Schulz (Imperial College London, UK) Elad Schneidman (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel) Marc Timme (MPI für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation, Göttingen, Germany) Giulio Tononi (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, to be confirmed) Vlad Vyazovskiy (University of Oxford, UK) ORGANIZERS Peter Achermann (University of Zurich, Switzerland) Eckehard Olbrich (MPI for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany) Thomas Wennekers (University of Plymouth, UK) ACKNOWLEDGMENT: This workshop is supported by the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems. ________________________________ [http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/images/email_footer.gif]<http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/worldclass> This email and any files with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the recipient to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient then copying, distribution or other use of the information contained is strictly prohibited and you should not rely on it. If you have received this email in error please let the sender know immediately and delete it from your system(s). Internet emails are not necessarily secure. While we take every care, Plymouth University accepts no responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan emails and their attachments. Plymouth University does not accept responsibility for any changes made after it was sent. Nothing in this email or its attachments constitutes an order for goods or services unless accompanied by an official order form.

Nov. 14, 2016

Postdoc position in Amsterdam - http://herseninstituut.nl/en/about-us/vacancies/postdoctoral-researcher/

by Ingo Willuhn

A postdoctoral position in the Willuhn/Denys lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) in Amsterdam is available immediately. I am looking for somebody that comes from a computational angle and is analysis-savvy. The candidate should be interested in studying cortico-basal ganglia function (reward learning; behavioral flexibility; compulsivity due to dysfunction) with cutting-edge tools in behaving rats. Our team has a lot to offer and can teach the basic neuroscience-related skills to candidates inexperienced in that area: The pre-clinical group headed by Ingo Willuhn studies both the neurobiology of compulsive behavior and basic behavioral functions contributing to automation of behavior (http://herseninstituut.nl/en/research/researchgroups/denyswilluhn-group/) The team has close ties to clinical researchers studying such behaviors at the Department of Psychiatry of the Academic Medical Center (AMC; chaired by Damiaan Denys), providing optimal conditions for a translational, multidisciplinary approach. Current research in the lab includes rodent models of obsessive-compulsive disorder and drug addiction, but also aims at understanding basic behavioral function of cortico-basal ganglia circuits. Behavioral assays testing cognitive flexibility, emotion, and decision making in mice and rats are combined with simultaneous methods for neurostimulation (DBS, optogenetics, pharmacogenetics), neurochemical measurements (microdialysis, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry), electrophysiological recordings (single units, local field potentials), and fMRI. The latest addition to this tool set is in vivo calcium imaging in freely-moving animals. The primary focus of the successful applicant will be to investigate real-time neurobiological signals in the basal ganglia during operant behavior using in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and in vivo calcium imaging in freely-behaving transgenic rats. The goal of these studies is to better characterize neuronal mechanisms of cognitive flexibility and habit formation, and eventually compulsive behavior. The ideal candidate has a strong background in the analysis and modeling of complex data and is an expert in using Matlab and/or similar software packages (necessary). Experience in neuroeconomics, calcium imaging, or rodent behavioral testing in neuroscience is a bonus, but not necessary. Candidates should be enthusiastic, have excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and should be motivated to integrate well into a fun, creative, and collaborative team of international scientists that offers opportunities to cooperate with some of the best groups in the field worldwide. The fully funded position is for a period of four years (1 + 3 years), including competitive salary and excellent benefits. Highly motivated candidates are encouraged to contact Ingo Willuhn (i.willuhn(a)nin.knaw.nl<mailto:i.willuhn@nin.knaw.nl>). Your email should contain a CV, brief descriptions of past research experience, future research goals, and contact info for at least two people that could provide letters of reference. The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the prestigious Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), located in the South of beautiful Amsterdam, just a short train ride from the inner city. The institute’s operating language is English, as it is for many Amsterdam organizations. The NIN collaborates with the AMC Department of Psychiatry, part of the University of Amsterdam, conducting neurobiological and patient-centered research on compulsivity, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and addiction. The department aims at developing a better understanding of neuropsychopathology and at improving treatment options. Best, Ingo ----- Ingo Willuhn, PhD Group Leader & Associate Professor Team 'Neuromodulation and Behavior' Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) & Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (UvA) Meibergdreef 47 1105BA Amsterdam The Netherlands i.willuhn(a)nin.knaw.nl<mailto:i.willuhn@nin.knaw.nl> tel (31) 20 5665491 www.herseninstituut.nl/en/research/researchgroups/denyswilluhn-group/<http://www.herseninstituut.nl/en/research/researchgroups/denyswilluhn-group/> www.amc.nl/web/Research/Who-is-Who-in-Research/Who-is-Who-in-Research.htm?p…<http://www.amc.nl/web/Research/Who-is-Who-in-Research/Who-is-Who-in-Researc…>

Nov. 14, 2016

PhD position in computational neuroscience / neuro-robotics

by Claudius Gros

I would like to bring your attention to our PhD-program in Computational Neurosciences / Neuro-Robotics / Dynamical Systems At the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Goethe University Frankfurt Field(s): complex systems theory, computational neurosciences neural models and networks, dynamical systems Application deadline: January 7, 2017 Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros E-mail: cgr(a)itp.uni-frankfurt.de Address: Institute for Theoretical Physics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Project description: Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD position at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Frankfurt University. We are developing new models and generative principles for the brain using a range of toolsets from dynamical systems theory and computational neurosciences. Examples are new objective functions and generating functionals, attractor metadynamics, transient state dynamics and self-limiting Hebbian plasticity rules. Several subjects are available for the announced PhD thesis including studies of the autonomous brain dynamics and/or studies of new synaptic plasticity rules, like trace formulations of STDP and the interplay between short term synaptic plasticity and neural dynamics. The work will include analytical investigations and numerical simulations of neural models and neural networks, using the toolset of dynamical systems theory. The candidates should have a Diploma/Master in physics with an excellent academic track record and good computational skills. Experience or strong interest in the fields of complex systems, computational neurosciences, dynamical systems theory and/or artificial or biological cognitive systems is expected. The degree of scientific research experience is expected to be on the level of a German Diploma/Master. The appointments will start early 2017, for up to three years. Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and arrange for two letters of reference to be sent to the address below. Prof. Dr. C. Gros Institute for Theoretical Physics Goethe University Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Str. 1 60438 Frankfurt am Main Germany cgr(a)itp.uni-frankfurt.de http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros -------------------------------------- General information on the University of Frankfurt and its employment policy. With its around 46000 students and 4600 employees, the Goethe University in Frankfurt is the largest university in the state of Hessen and an internationally renowned, important regional employer. Numerous quality and performance oriented internal reforms have been initiated in the recent years. The reorganized campuses for natural sciences and humanities offer an ideal environment for research and education. Since 2008, the Goethe University is a foundation under public law and enjoys full administrative autonomy. The fixed-term employment of the academic staff is subject to the provisions of the Temporary Science Employment Law (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) and the Hessian Higher Education Act (Hessisches Hochschulgesetz). The University advocates gender equality and therefore strongly encourages women to apply. People with disabilities are given preference if equally qualified. ***************************************** *** Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros *** *** +49 (0)69 798 47818 *** *** http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros *** ***************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------- --- Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, A Primer --- --- A graduate-level textbook, Springer (2008/10/13/15) --- -----------------------------------------------------------

Nov. 14, 2016

PhD position, Neurocomputational Linguistics, Uni Bham / Google Research London

by Uta Noppeney

*PhD position in Neurocomputational Linguistics* *University of Birmingham in collaboration with Google Research London* Language comprehension is critical for effective interactions in our social world. In order to understand ‘who does what to whom’ in natural language processing, the brain needs to assign a syntactic structure to every sentence – a process coined ‘syntactic parsing’. This interdisciplinary project will combine expertise from human neuroscience (University of Birmingham) and computational linguistics (Google Research London) to determine the neural mechanisms underlying sentence comprehension in the human brain and advance parsing algorithms in machines. To study natural language processing and the underlying neural mechanisms in humans, we will measure eye movements, behavioural (psychophysics) and electrophysiological responses (EEG/fMRI) in participants reading natural sentences from syntactically annotated corpora. We will employ advanced machine learning algorithms to characterize the computational operations and neural mechanisms underlying syntactic processing in the human brain. Conversely, the insights obtained from human neuroimaging (EEG/fMRI) and eye tracking will provide critical constraints on the parameters and algorithms used in machine. The PhD position is designed to involve a 3 month internship at Google Research London. The Computational Cognitive Neuroimaging Group (Uta Noppeney) in collaboration with Google Research London (Bernd Bohnet, Ryan McDonald) is seeking an enthusiastic PhD candidate with strong analytical and quantitative abilities. Applicants should have a background in computational linguistics, neuroscience, computer science, psychology, physics or related areas. Prior experience in statistical analysis and/or machine learning would be an advantage. The Computational Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab is based at the Department of Psychology and the Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre of the University of Birmingham, UK. The centre provides an excellent multidisciplinary, interactive and collaborative research environment combining expertise in cognitive neuroimaging, psychophysics and computational neuroscience. The psychology department was rated 5th in the UK research assessment exercise. http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/psychology/research/labs/comp-cog-neuro… http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/cncr/index.aspx Applications will be considered until 8th January 2017. The starting date is Sept/Oct 2017. iCASE students must fulfil the MIBTP entry requirements and will join the MIBTP cohort for the taught modules and masterclasses during the first term. They will remain as an integral part of the MIBTP cohort and take part in the core networking activities and transferable skills training. For further information, please contact u.noppeney(a)bham.ac.uk <mailto:u.noppeney@bham.ac.uk>. Check eligibility and apply here: https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/pgstudy/phd_opportunities/ap… <https://www.findaphd.com/common/clickCount.aspx?theid=79324&type=184&DID=14…>

Nov. 13, 2016

Postdoctoral Position in Clinical Neuroengineering at University of Geneva, Switzerland

by Tomislav Milekovic

Postdoctoral Position in Clinical Neuroengineering at University of Geneva, Switzerland The lab of Prof. Christoph Michel at the University of Geneva is offering a postdoctoral position financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation for up to three years to work on clinical neuroengineering projects aimed at: 1. Restoring communication and independence of people with tetraplegia and locked-in syndrome. 2. Advance the analysis of scalp and intracranial EEG signals with functional connectivity tools and implement them in brain-computer interfaces. The position will be equally shared between Dr. Tomislav Milekovic and Prof. Christoph Michel. With Dr. Milekovic, the postdoc will work to develop and advance brain-computer interfaces based on electroencephalography (EEG) and intracortical microelectrode array recordings. These brain-computer interfaces will utilize adaptive decoders in order restore independence of people with locked-in syndrome. With Prof. Michel, the postdoc will use invasive and non-invasive brain recordings to study functional connectivity between brain areas in healthy volunteers and people with a range of neurological disorders. He will use the gained knowledge to improve brain-computer interfaces and closed-loop neurofeedback systems. The ideal candidate will have: 1. Background in computational/theoretical neuroscience, physics or mathematics 2. Experience in the analysis of electrophysiological signals (EEG, ECoG, LFP, spikes) 3. Experience in quantitative neural data analysis and Matlab 4. Experience in C/C++ software development 5. Experience in developing and using neural decoders The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a very dynamic and multidisciplinary group working at the interface of neuroscience, engineering and prosthetics. He will collaborate with several labs of the newly founded Campus Biotech in Geneva, and be strongly supported by the Wyss center for Bio and Neuroengineering led by Prof. John Donoghue. University of Geneva provides state-of-the-art facilities is one of the leading technical universities worldwide. In addition, University of Geneva offers competitive postdoctoral salaries ranking amongst the highest in the world. Applications including a CV, statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of two referees should be sent to tomislav.milekovic(a)epfl.ch.

Nov. 12, 2016

Postdoctoral Position in Neuroprosthetics at University of Geneva, Switzerland

by Tomislav Milekovic

Postdoctoral Position in Neuroprosthetics at University of Geneva, Switzerland The group of Dr. Milekovic at the University of Geneva is offering a postdoctoral position financed by the Parkinson Schweiz foundation for up to two years to take a lead role on a neuroprosthetics project aimed at alleviating gait deficits of Parkinson's disease. The postdoc will be involved in all stages of the project, including the analysis of intracortical neural signals, development of movement decoding algorithms and the development of a brain-spine interface system aimed to alleviate the Parkinson's disease motor deficits through brain-controlled spinal cord stimulation. The ideal candidate will have: 1. Background in computational/theoretical neuroscience, physics or mathematics 2. Experience in the analysis of electrophysiological signals (spikes, LFP, ECoG, EEG) 3. Experience in quantitative neural data analysis and Matlab 4. Experience in C/C++ software development 5. Experience in developing and using neural decoding algorithms 6. Experience in implanting intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates 7. Experience in working with non-human primates The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a very dynamic and multidisciplinary group working at the interface of neuroscience, engineering and prosthetics. He will closely collaborate with the groups of Profs. Gregoire Courtine, Stephanie Lacour and Silvestro Micera of EPFL, and enjoy a strong support of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) surgeons, led by Dr. Jocelyne Bloch. Furthermore, he stands to benefit from the unique working environment of the newly founded Campus Biotech in Geneva, which houses the basic and clinical neuroscientists of the University of Geneva, translational researchers of EPFL's Center for Neuroprosthetics, and the regulatory and engineering experts of the Wyss center for Bio and Neuroengineering led by Prof. John Donoghue. University of Geneva provides state-of-the-art facilities and is one of the leading technical universities worldwide. In addition, University of Geneva offers highly competitive postdoctoral salaries ranking amongst the highest in the world. Situated in Switzerland on the coast of lake Leman and surrounded by pristine mountains famous for both summer and winter sports, Geneva prides itself as a pleasant and safe living and working environment. Applications including a CV, statement of research interests, and two reference letters should be sent to <mailto:tomislav.milekovic@epfl.ch> tomislav.milekovic(a)epfl.ch.

Nov. 12, 2016

Neuroengineering postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Washington

by Alison S. Mehravari

We invite applications for the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Neuroengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. These fellowships are offered through the UW Institute for Neuroengineering (UWIN), which links advances in biology, computing, devices, data science, and computational neuroscience to solve some of today's greatest scientific challenges about neural system function. These highly selective fellowships fund research in computational and engineering approaches to neuroscience; joint mentoring between faculty in different disciplines is strongly encouraged. The fellowships provide two years of funding including a $65,000 annual salary and a $25,000 research stipend. Applications are due by January 16, 2017. Please see http://uwin.washington.edu/post-docs/ for more information. ------------------------- Alison Mehravari, Ph.D. Assistant Director of Operations University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering Air Force Center of Excellence: Nature Inspired Flight Technologies and Ideas Daniel Lab, Department of Biology University of Washington Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195 amehrava(a)uw.edu<mailto:amehrava@uw.edu>, 206-543-7335

Nov. 10, 2016

PhD position in the Blue Brain Project, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)

by Ramaswamy Srikanth

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PhD position in the Blue Brain Project - Department of In Silico Neuroscience ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project title: Digital Reconstruction of Cholinergic Neuromodulation of Neocortical Microcircuitry Supervisors: Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy, Prof. Henry Markram Keywords: Neocortex, microcircuits, simulation, neuromodulation, acetylcholine, dendrites, synaptic transmission, network activity Project description: Neuromodulators are chemical messengers - hormones, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters - that diffusely target neurons and synapses in specific brain regions. Distinct groups of neurons located in subcortical areas release neuromodulators such as acetylcholine (ACh), noradrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, and histamine. These neuromodulators directly control information processing in neocortical microcircuits by modulating shifts between activity states such as sleep and wakefulness, or distraction and attention. Neuromodulators are also directly implicated in a spectrum of debilitating disorders such as migraine, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Yet, despite their crucial role in physiology and pathology, we lack a detailed understanding of the way they regulate the function of dendrites, synapses, neurons, and network activity in neocortical microcircuitry. The objective of the proposed PhD project will be to devise, implement and study biophysical models of ACh neuromodulation of neocortical microcircuitry. The project will leverage the Blue Brain Project’s data-driven digital reconstruction of neocortical microcircuitry1, 2, and augment it with biophysical models of the anatomy and physiology of ACh neuromodulation of somatosensory cortex. Specifically, the project will implement and constrain cellular and synaptic models of ACh neuromodulation and study its regulation of cortical activity states. The project requires active collaboration with the Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry (LNMC), EPFL to design neurophysiological experiments in thenrodent somatosensory syetem and integrate relevant data into the digital reconstruction. Significant computing resources on a large high performance computing system will be made available for this project. 1. Markram, H.*, Muller, E.*, Ramaswamy, S.*, Reimann, M.* et al. (2015). Reconstruction and Simulation of Neocortical Microcircuitry. Cell 163:2, 456-495. * Co-first author. 2. Ramaswamy S.*, Courcol J-D.*, Abdellah M., Adaszewski S.R., Antille N. et al. (2015). The Neocortical Microcircuit Collaboration Portal: A Resource for Rat Somatosensory Cortex. Front. Neural Circuits 9:44. *Co-first author. Key collaborators: Dr. Rodrigo Perin (EPFL-LNMC), Ms. Ayah Khubieh (EPFL-LNMC), Dr. Eilif Muller (EPFL-BBP), Dr. Fabien Delalondre (EPFL-BBP), Prof. Felix Schürmann (EPFL-BBP), and Prof. Idan Segev (Hebrew University, Jerusalem). This project is offered in the context of the EPFL Doctoral School in Neuroscience (EDNE). Please visit http://phd.epfl.ch/neuroscience-openings for further details, and information on how to apply. Application Deadline: Nov 15th, 2016. For further details on the project contact: Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy <srikanth.ramaswamy(a)epfl.ch<mailto:srikanth.ramaswamy@epfl.ch>> ------------- Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy EPFL - Blue Brain Project Biotech Campus Chemin des Mines 9 1202 Geneva Switzerland Tel: +41 21 693 9633 Fax: +41 21 693 5350 www: https://people.epfl.ch/srikanth.ramaswamy

Nov. 10, 2016