- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Postdoctoral positions in theoretical neuroscience

by Brent Doiron

Postdoctoral positions in theoretical neuroscience The Doiron group at the University of Pittsburgh is currently seeking up to two postdoctoral fellows to work on cutting edge problems in theoretical neuroscience. Research topics include: 1) The genesis and consequences of neuronal variability in cortical networks 2) Biologically realistic modeling of assembly formation in cortical circuits 3) Information transfer in the primary visual system 4) How learning and memory impact population codes All projects will involve heavy collaboration with several prominent experimental groups (primate and rodent) both in Pittsburgh as well as abroad. The positions are 3-year terms (contingent upon satisfactory progress) with competitive salary and benefits packages offered by the University of Pittsburgh. The successful candidate will join the Mathematics department at the University of Pittsburgh and will have strong ties to the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition in Pittsburgh (joint between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University). Candidates should have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience, mathematics, physics, or engineering and have an excellent track record of scholarship. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from under-represented groups. Interested persons should send their CV, a cover letter stating research interests and career goals, and names and contact information of two references to bdoiron(a)pitt.edu . The competition will remain open until the positions are filled. Reasons to move to Pittsburgh - one of 15 dynamic cities for 2016 (*Worth Magazine* <http://www.worth.com/destinations-2016/>*)* - 2016 Best Places to Live (Men’s Journal) - one of the most affordable places to live in the U.S (*US News* <http://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/slideshows/the-20-best-affordable-…> ) - #1 food city for 2015 (Zagat) - 3rd most affordable city for music lovers (Redfin <https://www.redfin.com/blog/2016/03/most-affordable-cities-for-music-lovers…> ) - among the cities that give the most bang for your buck (Forbes.com <http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http%3A//www.forbes.com/picture…> ) - 8th on list of most hipster U.S. cities (Infogroup <http://www.infogroup.com/defining-the-hippest-us-cities>) - third best U.S. city for stretching a dollar (CareerCast.com <http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/SM-Top-10/Top-10-Cities-for-Stre…> ) - top 10 cities where techies should consider moving (Huffington Post) - 5th best city for an active lifestyle (WallHub <https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-an-active-lifestyle/881…> ) - 7th Friendliest City in America, (Travel + Leisure*)* - 3rd most secure large city in the US <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/farmers-insurance-study-ranks-the-m…> (Farmers Insurance) - 0 steel mills and the most bridges, more trees/sq. mile, more park per capita in the US - www.fitt.co/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-best-city to read more reasons to move to Pittsburgh -- Associate Professor of Mathematics Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh 301 Thackeray Hall Pittsburgh, PA, 15260 www.math.pitt.edu/~bdoiron

April 15, 2017

Postdoctoral position on modelling and neural analysis of flexible perceptual decision-making at IDIBAPS / UPF (Barcelona)

by Alexandre Hyafil

A postdoctoral research position in computational neuroscience is available to work with Jaime de la Rocha at IDIBAPS (Barcelona) and Alexandre Hyafil at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). The postdoctoral fellow will be a vital member of the interdisciplinary research team led by Jaime de la Rocha that studies perception and cognition using combined theoretical and experimental approaches. More specifically, the fellow's work will be part of an ERC-funded project aiming to unravel the behavioural principles and the neural mechanisms underlying how recent experience shapes perception and guides decisions. The fellow will (1) characterize the behavioural influence of recent history onto perceptual choices in rats and humans performing acoustic discrimination tasks, (2) analyze population recordings from cortical neurons obtained from rats to uncover the traces of recent history decision biases and (3) build dynamical models of behaviour based on the population recordings using a variety of machine learning tools. Behavioural and neural data is currently being acquired by other researchers in the lab. The work will be co-supervised between Jaime de la Rocha, head of the Cortical Circuit Dynamics Group (http://neuro.fcrb.es/delaRochaLab/) and Alexandre Hyafil who is establishing his new laboratory in the nearby UPF, and has in the last years develop a set analysis techniques fitted for our data. Both groups are part of the vibrant computational neuroscience community of Barcelona, which promotes the interaction among groups by organizing multiple internal activities. Applicants should have a strong background in computational neuroscience or applied mathematics and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate modeling and experimental research. Programming proficiency (Matlab and/or Python) is required. Experience in machine learning methods, advanced statistics as well as nonlinear dynamical systems will be valued. Ability to collaborate in a pluridisciplinary team is essential. Initial appointment for this position is for two years. The salary is competitive and negotiable depending on the candidate's experience. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants, please send a resume, names and contact of 3 references and a cover letter explaining your interest and research experience to jrochav(a)clinic.cat and alexandre.hyafil(a)gmail.com.

April 13, 2017

CFP: ICACCI conference workshop on computational neuroscience

by Dr. Shyam Diwakar

Dear Colleagues, Apologies for cross-posting. I would like to invite you to participate at the Workshop on Bioinspired modeling and Computational Neuroscience - From neurons, circuits to models and devices ( BioCompNeuro'17 ) to be held at Manipal, India 13-16 September, 2017. The workshop is co-affiliated with Sixth International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics ( ICACCI-2017 ). Please see: http://icacci-conference.org/2017/biocompneuro Prospective authors are invited to submit their manuscripts reporting original work. Further guidelines for submission are posted at http://icacci-conference.org/2017/content/paper-submission-guidelines Key Dates Papers Due: May 30, 2017 Acceptance Notification: June 30, 2017 Final Paper Deadline: July 31, 2017 Accepted and presented papers will be published in the conference proceedings and submitted to IEEE Xplore as well as other Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases. Shyam -- Shyam Diwakar, Ph.D. Sir Visvesvaraya Faculty Fellow - MeitY, Govt of India Associate Professor and Lab Director- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Amrita School of Biotechnology Faculty Fellow - Amrita Center for International Programs Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) Amritapuri, Clappana P.O. Kollam, India. Pin: 690525 Ph:+91-476-2803116 Fax:+91-476-2899722 http://www.amrita.edu/compneuro Disclaimer : The information transmitted in this email, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. Any views expressed in any message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amrita University. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.

April 13, 2017

4 Available PhD Positions in Artificial Intelligence and Neuro/Cognitive Robotics, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

by Amir Aly

**Apologies for Cross Posting ** *4 Available PhD Positions in Artificial Intelligence and Neuro/Cognitive Robotics at the Emergent Systems Laboratory, Ritsumeikan University, Japan* The Emergent Systems Laboratory [Link <http://www.em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp/en>] at Ritsumeikan University in Japan (nearby Kyoto) announces 4 available PhD positions in artificial intelligence and neuro/cognitive robotics for the new projects: *R-GIRO* “AI and Semiotics” and* KAKEN* “AI and Brain”. *1-* *R-GIRO *“AI and Semiotics”: (3 Positions) *"**The Next-generation of Artificial Intelligence and Semiotics**"* The successful PhD candidates will be involved in a research about: *Developing AI Technologies for Enhancing Everyday Human-Robot Collaboration*, under the supervision of Tadahiro Taniguchi (Project Coordinator) [Link <http://www.tanichu.com/profile>]. *** Further details about the available positions and admission procedures are available on: * R-GIRO Project "AI and Semiotics" <http://www.em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp/info/call-for-funded-phd-candidates-researc…>* *2-* *KAKEN* “AI and Brain”: (1 Position) *"**Correspondence and Fusion of Artificial Intelligence and Brain Science* *"* The successful PhD candidate will be involved in a research about: *Understanding Neural Computation for Double Articulation Analysis Bridging Sensory-Motor Information and Natural Language in Human Brain*, under the supervision of Tadahiro Taniguchi [Link <http://www.tanichu.com/profile>]. *** Further details about the available position and admission procedures are available on: * KAKEN Project "AI and Brain" <http://www.em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp/info/call-for-a-funded-phd-candidate-for-ka…>* *I. Candidate Profile* - Good mathematical background. - English communication skills for daily discussion and writing papers: IELTS 6 (TOEIC 740). - Programming skills in C++, Python, Matlab for machine learning and intelligent robots. Knowledge about the related frameworks or libraries (e.g., tensorflow, scikit-learn, ROS, etc.) will be highly appreciated. - Applicants are expected to be interested in natural language, language acquisition, and the human neural system for cognition and social behavior [for the KAKEN Project] (preferably with an academic background). *II. Application* Please send your application to (adm(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp) no later than *10 May** 2017*, including (refer to the project applied for clearly at the top of the email): - Curriculum vitae. - List of publications. - Copies of major publications (Maximum 3). - Outline of past research (free format). - Motivation letter (free format). - Outline of prospective research (free format). - 2 Reference letters. Ritsumeikan University is a fast growing international research environment with interdisciplinary research areas, and is the biggest private university in the west of Japan. The College of Information Science and Engineering is the biggest college in the field of Information Science in Japan, and the Graduate School receives a large number of KAKENHI Japanese governmental research grants. *III. Related Papers* [1] Tadahiro Taniguchi, Takayuki Nagai, Tomoaki Nakamura, Naoto Iwahashi, Tetsuya Ogata, and Hideki Asoh, Symbol Emergence in Robotics: A Survey, Advanced Robotics, Vol.30, (11-12) pp. 706-728 .(2016) DOI:10.1080/01691864.2016.1164622 [2 Tadahiro Taniguchi, Ryo Nakashima, Hailong Liu and Shogo Nagasaka, Double Articulation Analyzer with Deep Sparse Autoencoder for Unsupervised Word Discovery from Speech Signals, Advanced Robotics, Vol.30 (), (11-12) pp. 770-783 .(2016) DOI:10.1080/01691864.2016.1159981 [3] Tadahiro Taniguchi, Shogo Nagasaka, Ryo Nakashima, Nonparametric Bayesian Double Articulation Analyzer for Direct Language Acquisition from Continuous Speech Signals, IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, Vol. PP (99) .(2016) DOI: 10.1109/TCDS.2016.2550591 -- Amir Aly, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Associate Ritsumeikan University Emergent Systems Laboratory College of Information Science and Engineering 1-1-1 Noji Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan

April 13, 2017

Exciting opportunity in data analysis at the Allen Institute for Brain Science

by Anton Arkhipov

Dear Colleague, A new Scientist position is open at the Allen Institute for Brain Science: https://alleninstitute.hrmdirect.com/employment/job-opening.php?req=498777&… (or, see the posting "Scientist I - Data Analysis in Experiments and Models" at http://www.alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/careers/job-search/) This is an exciting opportunity to join a large team of experimentalists and modelers working together to improve our understanding of the cortex. This scientist will be uniquely positioned to bridge our extensive, standardized experimental datasets (in vivo recordings as well as in vitro characterization of cortical cell types and connections) with datasets obtained from large-scale, data driven simulations of cortical activity and computations. We are collecting vast amounts of data, and this position will be essential for converting such data to knowledge. Please see the job description below. Potential applicants should feel free to email Nathan Gouwens (nathang(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:nathang@alleninstitute.org>) with any questions. Applications should be submitted at the link above. We are looking for excellent candidates! Job description. We are seeking a Scientist to be an essential team member in our ongoing efforts to investigate how the brain extracts and processes information. The core responsibility for this position will be the analysis of neural activity recorded in high-throughput electrophysiological and optophysiological experiments, as well as in large-scale, realistic simulations of the cortex. The major focus will be on characterizing detailed circuits in the visual cortex of the mouse, with a particular emphasis on bridging experimental and modeling work in a team setting. Job Responsibilities: * In a close collaboration between experimentalists and modelers, work as a team member to analyze massive amounts of multimodal data representing visual responses in the cortex. * Develop and maintain analysis techniques and associated software tools, and contribute scientific ideas based on the analysis results. * Work closely with other team members to gain insights on the structure-function relationships in the specific cortical circuits investigated in depth via experiments and modeling. * Publish/present findings in peer-reviewed journals/scientific conferences. * Present a periodic summary of progress to the research community in the organization. Basic Qualifications: * PhD degree in Neurobiology, Bioengineering, Biophysics or related discipline. * Strong computational/data analysis skills; in particular, substantial experience programming in Python and/or MATLAB. * Strong publication record. * Ability to meet aggressive timelines and deliverables in a collaborative environment. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills. * Extensive experience in systems neuroscience (especially, being involved in experimental work) is preferred. * Experience with modeling is a plus. Thank you! Anton. Anton Arkhipov Assistant Investigator T: 206.548.8414 [cid:image001.png@01D2B38E.6F4AD9B0] www.alleninstitute.org<http://www.alleninstitute.org/>

April 12, 2017

G-Node Short Course on Neural Data Analysis 2017

by Thomas Wachtler

G-Node Short Course on Neural Data Analysis 2017 July 31 - Aug 4, 2017 in Munich, Germany The German Neuroinformatics Node organizes its eighth international one-week course on neural data analysis (formerly known as the G-Node Winter Course) at the LMU in Munich. The course offers hands-on experience in state-of-the-art methods for analyzing complex neural data to PhD students and postdocs from both theoretical and experimental backgrounds. Applicants should have an elementary understanding of linear algebra and statistics, as well as basic programming knowledge in either Matlab or Python. Faculty: Jan Grewe · Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Jannis Hildebrandt · Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg Hendrikje Nienborg · Centre for Integrative Neuroscience Tübingen Fabian Sinz · Baylor College of Medicine Houston Topics: · Spectral analysis · Mutual information · Machine learning · Neural tuning and decoding · Signal Detection Theory · Multi-Channel Recording Analysis · Population Dynamics · Synchronization · Noise · Deadline for application: May 15, 2017 For more information visit http://www.g-node.org/dataanalysis-course-2017

April 12, 2017

Call for Participation: UCL Medical Image Computing Summer School (MedICSS) - 03-07 July 2017

by Andre Altmann

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the 3rd edition of University College London (UCL) Medical Image Computing Summer School (MedICSS) which will be between the 3rd and 7th of July this year. UCL MedICSS aims to offer young researchers from the international community an exciting opportunity to engage with world-renowned experts in a diverse range of medical image computing topics and learn about the state-of-the-art in the field. Overall, there is a strong neuroimaging theme. The programme will blend lectures by scientific and clinical leaders, with activity-based learning, such as interactive breakout sessions, to foster interaction among the participants and promote critical thinking and scientific discovery. A limited number of scholarships, to cover the registration fee, will be offered based on the submission of a CV and personal statement. The deadline for scholarship applicants is the 1st May 2017, and the final application deadline is 2nd June 2017. However, spaces are limited, so registration will close when the spaces are filled. UCL MedICSS is sponsored by the UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing and UCL's EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Imaging. Website: http://medicss.cs.ucl.ac.uk/ Kind Regards Andre Altmann and Matt Clarkson at UCL.

April 12, 2017

PhD studentship in EEG dynamics and dementia - Newcastle (UK)

by Luis Peraza

A PhD position is available at the Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK). The project will investigate the utility of quantitative EEG as a confirmatory biomarker of dementia with Lewy bodies versus Alzheimer's disease, and will also include multimodal neuroimaging with DTI and MRI. This is a 3-year PhD funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Newcastle University. The potential candidate will be based within the Lewy body Lab at the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (www.lewybodylab.org) with a strong collaboration with the Dynamic Connectome Lab ( http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/) The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr Luis R. Peraza, Dr John-Paul Taylor and Prof Marcus Kaiser. Information for interested researchers can be found here: https://www.findaphd.com/search/PhDDetails.aspx?CAID=3457 http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/sources/allstudents/brc01.html Best regards, Luis R. Peraza

April 11, 2017

MSc Neuroscience - University of Freiburg, Germany

by Carsten Mehring

MSc program in Neuroscience - University of Freiburg, Germany We are inviting applications for the interdisciplinary MSc program in Neuroscience at the University of Freiburg, Germany. The program provides theoretical and practical training in neuroscience, covering both the foundations and latest research in the field. It is taught by lecturers from an international scientific community from three faculties and two neuroscience research centres. The modular course structure caters to the specific backgrounds and research interests of each individual student and we offer specialisations in computational neuroscience, neuro-/optophysiology, neurotechnology and developmental neuroscience. All courses are taught in English. We welcome applications with a background in natural sciences, mathematics, behavioural sciences, computer science or engineering sciences. The deadline for applications for the October 2017 entry is the 31st of May 2017. Further details can be found on our homepage http://www.mscneuro.uni-freiburg.de <http://www.mscneuro.uni-freiburg.de/> Please contact mscneuro@uni-freiburg,de for further questions. With kind regards Carsten Mehring — Bernstein Center Freiburg & Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg

April 11, 2017

Conference: Coupling & Causality in Complex Systems

by Michael von Papen

============================================================== CALL FOR PAPERS (Deadline: June 01, 2017) http://c3s.uni-koeln.de ============================================================== INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: *Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems* September 25-27, 2017, Cologne, Germany -------------------------------------------------------------- The interdisciplinary conference Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems (C3S) is hosted by the Competence Area 3: Quantitative Modeling of Complex Systems of the University of Cologne (UoC), Germany. It is organized by the Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology, UoC, the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf and the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Research Center Juelich. -------------------------------------------------------------- *Abstract* Complex systems such as the human brain, Earth’s climate and economy are characterized by a multitude of coupled processes on different spatial and temporal scales. In order to better understand the dynamics of the system at hand each scientific area has developed specific tools to identify, model and quantify these processes. The conference Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems (C3S) will present a collection of these approaches with the aim to provide scientists with new analysis strategies for their field. The conference focuses on how to characterize a complex system and on the methods for estimating and modeling of statistical coupling (e.g. network coherence, creation and modulation of small networks and local or long-range synchronization by cross frequency phase-phase and phase-amplitude coupling) and causality (e.g. Granger causality, transfer entropy). Therefore, data analysts from different study fields including neuroscience, mathematics, physics, biology, and economy will present their approaches with a particular focus on the methods they use. The aim of this conference is to foster discussions and the transdisciplinary exchange of advanced techniques, methods, and algorithms, thereby stimulating potential future collaborations. -------------------------------------------------- *Invited Speakers* Elissa Aminoff - Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA Jörg Breitung - Macroeconomic Policy Institute, University of Cologne, Germany David Gross - Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, Germany Philip Holmes - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering / Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, USA Ankit Khambhati - Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, USA Laura Marzetti - Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti - Pescara Arkady Pikovsky - Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University Potsdam, Germany Michael Rosenblum - Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University Potsdam, Germany Jakob Runge - The Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London -------------------------------------------------- *Preliminary Session Program* We will have different sessions with differing topics and each session will be opened by one of the invited speakers. Here is a preliminary version of our program: Session 1 Synchronization I Arkady Pikovsky Session 2 Synchronization II Silvia Daun Session 3 Coupled oscillators I Phil Holmes Session 4 Coupled oscillators II Michael Rosenblum Session 5 Phase coupling Laura Marzetti Session 6 Network structures I Elissa Aminoff Session 7 Network structures II Ankit Khambati Session 8 Bayesian networks David Gross Session 9 Granger causality I Jörg Breitung Session 10 Granger causality II Esther Florin Session 11 Causal network measures Jakob Runge Further topics of interest for the conference include, amongst others, research and methods development on: functional connectivity, (partial directed) coherence, network topology, graph-theoretic measures, directed graphs, nonlinear dynamics of complex systems, complex spatio-temporal systems, mutual information and transfer entropy. -------------------------------------------------------------- *Scientific Organizing Committee* Silvia Daun - Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Germany Esther Florin - Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology, Düsseldorf, Germany Joachim Gross - Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Glasgow, UK Michael von Papen - Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology, Cologne, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Germany -------------------------------------------------------------- PAPER SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION Authors are invited to submit conference abstracts with up to 400 words. Authors of exceptional abstracts will be given the opportunity to present their research in a talk. However, poster sessions will be provided with ample time for discussions. For your submission, please use the conference website c3s.uni-koeln.de. To register, please send an email with the subject "registration" to c3s-conference(a)uni-koeln.de. Please be sure to include your full name, your affiliation and whether you qualify as student (also PhD candidates) or not. The registration fee will cover snacks and refreshments during coffee breaks, lunch and a dinner with all participants. Early-bird registration is available until July 10 with a reduced fee of 120 EUR (60 EUR for students), after July 10 the registration fee will be 240 EUR (120 EUR for students). -------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT DATES Paper Submission deadline: June 01, 2017 Author Notification: mid June, 2017 Early-bird registration: July 10, 2017 Conference: September 25-27, 2017 ============================================================== Please find the call for papers and more information at the conference website: http://c3s.uni-koeln.de. For questions regarding the conference feel free to contact us via c3s-conference(a)uni-koeln.de. -- ------------------------------------------ UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology Coordinator of Competence Area III: Quantitative Modeling of Complex Systems Dr. Michael von Papen Email: m.papen(a)uni-koeln.de http://www.uni-koeln.de/~vpapenm http://complexsystems.uni-koeln.de ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 11, 2017