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Workshop announcement: HBP Hippocamp CA1
by Szabolcs Káli Feb. 26, 2015

Feb. 26, 2015

Dear Colleagues, Registration is now open for the workshop "HBP Hippocamp CA1: Collaborative and Integrative Modeling of Hippocampal Area CA1", to be held March 31st - April 1st, 2015 at UCL School of Pharmacy in London, supported by the Human Brain Project (www.humanbrainproject.eu) In short, the aims of the workshop are two-fold. First, to engage the larger community of experimentalists and modelers working on hippocampus, and highlight existing modeling efforts and strategic datasets for modeling hippocampal area CA1. Second, to define and bootstrap an inclusive community-driven model and data-integration process to achieve open pre-competitive reference models of area CA1 (and, ultimately, the rest of the hippocampus), which are well documented, validated, and released at regular intervals (supported in part by IT infrastructure funded by HBP). Involvement from the community interested in characterization and modeling of the hippocampus is highly encouraged. To keep the meeting focused on the task, participation will be limited to ~30 people, so registration is required. Please consult the meeting website at http://neuralensemble.org/meetings/HippocampCA1/ for registration and further details. Organizing committee: Jo Falck (UCL), Szabolcs Káli (Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Sigrun Lange (UCL), Audrey Mercer (UCL), Eilif Muller (EPFL), Armando Romani (EPFL) and Alex Thomson (UCL). Best regards, Szabolcs Káli Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Research Institute of Experimental Medicine Hungarian Academy of Sciences H-1083 Budapest Szigony utca 43. Phone: +36-1-2109413 Fax: +36-1-2109412 E-mail: kali.szabolcs(a)koki.mta.hu www.koki.mta.hu

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Tenth Advanced Statistics and Data Mining Summer School (Madrid, June 29th - July 10th, 2015)
by asdm＠fi.upm.es Feb. 26, 2015

Feb. 26, 2015

Dear colleagues, The Technical University of Madrid (UPM) will once more organize the 'Advanced Statistics and Data Mining' summer school. The summer school will be held in Boadilla del Monte, near Madrid, from June 29th to July 10th. This year's edition comprises 12 week-long courses (15 lecture hours each), given during two weeks (six courses each week). Attendees may register in each course independently. No restrictions, besides those imposed by timetables, apply on the number or choice of courses. Early registration is now *OPEN*. Extended information on course programmes, price, venue, accommodation and transport is available at the school's website: http://www.dia.fi.upm.es/ASDM Please, forward this information to your colleagues, students, and whoever you think may find it interesting. Best regards, Pedro Larranaga, Concha Bielza, Bojan Mihaljevic and Laura Anton-Sanchez. -- School coordinators. *** List of courses and brief description *** * Week 1 (June 29th - July 3rd, 2015) * 1st session: 9:45-12:45 Course 1: Bayesian Networks (15 h) Basics of Bayesian networks. Inference in Bayesian networks. Learning Bayesian networks from data. Real applications. Practical demonstration: GeNIe, Weka, Bayesia, R. Course 2: Time Series(15 h) Basic concepts in time series. Descriptive methods for time series. Linear models for time series. Extensions. Practical demonstration: R. 2nd session: 13:45-16:45 Course 3: Supervised Pattern Recognition (15 h) Introduction. Assessing the performance of supervised classification algorithms. Preprocessing. Classification techniques. Combining multiple classifiers. Comparing supervised classification algorithms. Course 4: Bayesian Inference (15 h) Introduction: Bayesian basics. Conjugate models. MCMC and other simulation methods. Regression and Hierarchical models. Model selection. Practical demonstration: R and WinBugs. 3rd session: 17:00 - 20:00 Course 5: Neural Networks and Deep Learning (15 h) Introduction. Training algorithms. Learning and Optimization. MLPs in practice. Deep Networks. Course 6: Unsupervised Pattern Recognition (15 h) Introduction to clustering. Data exploration and preparation. Prototype-based clustering. Density-based clustering. Graph-based clustering. Cluster evaluation. Miscellanea. Conclusions and final advise. Practical session: R. * Week 2 (July 6th - July 10th, 2015) * 1st session: 9:45-12:45 Course 7: Statistical Inference(15 h) Introduction. Some basic statistical test. Multiple testing. Introduction to bootstrap methods. Introduction to Robust Statistics. Practical demonstration: R. Course 8: Bayesian Classifiers (15 h) Discrete predictors. Gaussian Bayesian networks-based classifiers. Other Bayesian classifiers. Bayesian classifiers for: positive and unlabeled data, semi-supervised learning, data streams, temporal data. Practical session: R. 2nd session: 13:45-16:45 Course 9: Text Mining (15 h) Introduction. Fundamentals. Language Modeling. String Processing. Text Classification. Information Extraction. Practical session: GATE (optionally, python). Course 10: Feature Subset Selection (15 h) Introduction. Filter approaches. Embedded methods. Wrapper methods. Advanced topics. Practical session: R and Weka. 3rd session: 17:00-20:00 Course 11: Support Vector Machines and Convex Optimization (15 h) Introduction. SVM models. SVM learning algorithms. Convex non differentiable optimization. Course 12: Hidden Markov Models (15 h) Introduction. Discrete Hidden Markov Models. Basic algorithms for Hidden Markov Models. Semicontinuous Hidden Markov Models. Continuous Hidden Markov Models. Unit selection and clustering. Speaker and Environment Adaptation for HMMs. Other applications of HMMs. Practical session: HTK.

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Call for Papers ( Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience): Special Issue on Neuropsychology through the lenses of Computational Modelling
by Eirini Mavritsaki Feb. 26, 2015

Feb. 26, 2015

Call for Papers Special Issue in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 'Neuropsychology through the lenses of Computational Modelling' Extended Deadline for Abstract Submission 16th of March Computational modelling may provide an increasingly important tool for furthering neuropsychology and understanding brain impairments – but there remain many issues: how can different types of lesion be best modelled? What are the differences between damage to grey matter and to fibre tracts? What the effects of learning within damaged systems or systems where there is an imbalance in neurotransmitters? For this reason a special issue that brings together state-of-the-art papers on the computational modelling of neuropsychological disorders, with papers covering different levels of modelling (from spiking neurons to higher-level connectionist modelling), using imaging as well as behavioural data, and addressing a number of different disorders (attention, language, memory etc.) is expended to contribute significantly to the field of Neuropsychology and Computational Neuroscience. In collaboration with Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, we are organizing a Research Topic titled "Neuropsychology through the lenses of computational modelling”, hosted by Eirini Mavritsaki, Glyn Humphreys. As host editor, I would like to encourage you to contribute to this topic. Frontiers, a Swiss open-access publisher, recently partnered with Nature Publishing Group to expand its researcher-driven Open Science platform. Frontiers articles are rigorously peer-reviewed, can be disseminated freely and are widely read by your colleagues and by the broader scientific and medical research communities. The idea behind a research topic is to create an organized, comprehensive collection of several contributions, as well as a forum for discussion and debate. Contributions can be articles describing original research, methods, hypothesis & theory, opinions, etc. We have created a homepage on the Frontiers website (Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience) where all articles will appear after peer-review and where participants in the topic will be able to hold relevant discussions: http://www.frontiersin.org/Computational_Neuroscience/researchtopics/Neurop…. Frontiers will also compile an e-book, as soon as all contributing articles are published, that can be used in classes, be sent to foundations that fund your research, to journalists and press agencies, or to any number of other organizations. As such, a manuscript accepted for publication incurs a publishing fee, which varies depending on the article type. Research Topic manuscripts receive a significant discount on publishing fees. Please take a look at this fee table: http://www.frontiersin.org/about/PublishingFees. Once published, your articles will remain free to access for all readers, and will be indexed in PubMed and other academic archives. As an author in Frontiers, you retain the copyright to your own papers and figures. I would be delighted if you considered participating in this Research Topic. Should you choose to participate, please confirm by sending me a quick email and then your abstract no later than Feb 16, 2015 using the following link: http://www.frontiersin.org/Computational_Neuroscience/researchtopics/Neurop… Please note that the deadline for manuscript submission is on: Jun 30, 2015 Since I am using the Frontiers system to manage this topic, I would really appreciate if you could also please indicate your decision by clicking on one of the links below. <<Variable for accept/decline links – do not edit!>> With best regards, Eirini Mavritsaki Guest Associate Editor, Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience www.frontiersin.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eirini Mavritsaki, Ph.D., CPsychol Co-Director of the Centre for Applied Psychological Research (CAP Research) Business Development Coordinator for Social Sciences Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology Faculty of Business Law and Social Sciences Birmingham City University D 3.17 Dawson Building City North Campus Perry Bar, Birmingham B42 2SU eirini.mavritsaki(a)bcu.ac.uk<mailto:eirini.mavritsaki@bcu.ac.uk> 0121 331 6361 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Master's program Cognitive sciences and technologies: from neuron to cognition
by Alex Ossadtchi Feb. 25, 2015

Feb. 25, 2015

National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow invites applications for a 2-year Master's program Cognitive sciences and technologies: from neuron to cognition” The 2-year Master’s Program “Cognitive sciences and technologies: from neuron to cognition” invites highly-motivated students to apply. The English-speaking Master's Program is designed for students interested in connecting cognition, neuroscience and computer science. The earliest applications have the higher chances to get the total tuition fee exemption. Scholarships are also available. Leading European and Russian scientists form the HSE research center of excellence teach cognitive science, neuroimaging and modeling. Program’s Web site http://psy.hse.ru/cogito Application period for non-residents: January 1, 2015 - July 15, 2015. Early applications (before March 30) are encouraged. Location: The Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. Additional info: http://www.hse.ru/ma/cogito/announcement Email: cogito(a)hse.ru

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Job opportunity
by jose luis perez velazquez Feb. 25, 2015

Feb. 25, 2015

Please, post this job opportunity. Thanks Our group at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University Health Network in Toronto is offering a full-time research position for 2 years to work on the neurophysiological bases of hypnosis, starting around May 2015, with a stipend of $40,000/year. In this project we will investigate the neurophysical alterations that accompany hypnotic stages and simple memory tasks using intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) in individuals undergoing standard clinical assessment for their epilepsy. While several studies have advanced the view that hypnosis results in the dissociation, or “disconnection”, between frontal cortices and other brain areas, this evidence has been mainly obtained with non-invasive recordings such as functional neuroimaging. iEEG provides an exceptional opportunity to investigate with high spatial and temporal resolution changes in activity associated with alterations in cognitive states, thus overcoming typical problems that arise during source reconstruction from non-invasive recordings. The experimental procedures that the incumbent will carry out include the preparation and coding of the tasks to be presented to patients during control and mental imagery relaxation states. The incumbent will thus be taught how to administer mental imagery relaxation techniques and associated technicalities involved in such activities. Data analysis will require experience with typical digital signal processing for brain recordings such as power spectra and coherence, among others. Some scripts are already available in MATLAB and FieldTrip for signal processing, and the incumbent will have the chance, and would be encouraged to create his/her own codes, with the assistance of the members of the team. There are two *absolute requirements* for the incumbent: first, an excellent knowledge of coding in MATLAB and willingness to implement experimental tasks using Presentation, PsychoPy, or Psychtoolbox and, second, the ability to learn how to put patients at ease and coach them through the mental imagery relaxation technique that will be taught by one of the members of our team who practices this in his clinic. Specific knowledge of neurophysiology is not required but it will facilitate the project. Nevertheless, the incumbent will have plenty of opportunities to become familiar with neurophysiological techniques, concepts and analysis. The combined expertise of our team, that includes electrophysiological recordings, brain coordination dynamics and psychology, plus the several activities in our institutions, offer an excellent environment for a motivated student of the brain and behaviour. We think that this is a very interesting and innovative project and thus we are seeking a person who is not afraid of facing advanced brain recording methods and analysis of the psychophysics of altered states of consciousness. Those interested should contact and submit a CV to Jose Luis Perez Velazquez, jlpv(a)sickkids.ca, or jose-luis.perez-velazquez(a)sickkids.ca. A couple of potential references may be added to the CV.

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*** ICCM 2015 – Call for Participation ***
by ICCM 2015 Feb. 25, 2015

Feb. 25, 2015

Dear all, We would like to invite you to the 13th International Conference on Cognitive Modeling: the premier conference for research on computational models and computation-based theories of human cognition. ICCM 2015 will take place from April 9-11 in Groningen, the Netherlands, with tutorials on April 8. We are pleased to announce three world-class invited speakers: Pieter Roelfsema (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience), Mark Steyvers (University of California, Irvine), and John Anderson (Carnegie Mellon University). In addition to these keynotes, we will have three symposia, 27 research talks, and two poster sessions. A preliminary schedule is available on www.iccm2015.org/schedule, and registration is open. More information can be found on http://www.iccm2015.org. We hope to see you in Groningen! Niels Taatgen Marieke van Vugt Jelmer Borst Katja Mehlhorn

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Masterclass, rTMS and Neurofeedback training courses
by Martijn Arns Feb. 25, 2015

Feb. 25, 2015

Masterclass Neuromodulation, Neurofeedback and rTMS View this email in your browser<http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7edd46d&id=c068f6a6e8…> [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7edd46d/images/663f9d66-cd0…] * 2nd Masterclass Neuromodulation<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7e…> * 4-day Neurofeedback Training<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7e…> * 2-day rTMS course<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7ed…> Dear colleague, Due to a successful sold out Masterclass Neuromodulation and Personalized Medicine<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7ed…> last January, we have just planned a second edition of this Masterclass on September 25-26, 2015. So when interested in getting a full update on neuromodulation techniques such as rTMSand neurofeedback and imaging updates on QEEG, ERP's, Personalized medicine in ADHD and Depression and the default mode network: Sign-up now<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7e…>, there are only a limited number of places! Furthermore, there are still some places for the upcoming 4-day Neurofeedback in ADHD and Insomnia training course on April 21-24 and 2-day rTMS in Depression and OCD training course on June 11-12, also see our website<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7ed…>. These courses are intended for academics, researchers and clinicians who want to learn to apply these techniques in clinical practice and research settings, or who want to further specialize in these techniques or disorders. Kind regards, Martijn Arns, PhD Twitter: @Brainclinics Research Institute Brainclinics Brainclinics Education URL: www.brainclinics.com<http://brainclinics.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7ed…> [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/3bac2a7f26a60f0ffa7edd46d/images/9014488f-a41…]

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Brains, Minds and Machines Summer Course 2015 -- Deadline March 5, 2015
by Kreiman, Gabriel Feb. 23, 2015

Feb. 23, 2015

Brains, Minds and Machines Summer Course 2015 http://www.mbl.edu/education/special-topics-courses/brains-minds-and-machin… When: August 13 – September 3, 2015 Where: Woods Hole, Massachusetts (MBL) Directors: Gabriel Kreiman, Tomaso Poggio (L. Mahadevan, honorary director) Application deadline: March 5, 2015 This intensive three-week course will give advanced students a “deep end” introduction to the problem of intelligence – how the brain produces intelligent behavior and how we may be able to replicate intelligence in machines. Today’s AI technologies, such as Watson and Siri and Deep Learning, are impressive, but their domain specificity and reliance on vast numbers of labeled examples are obvious limitations; few view this as brain-like or human intelligence. The synergistic combination of cognitive science, neurobiology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science holds the promise to build much more robust and sophisticated algorithms implemented in intelligent machines *and* to begin understanding how the brain produces the mind. The goal of this course is to help produce a community of leaders that is equally knowledgeable in neuroscience, cognitive science, and computer science. The first half of the course will focus on the intersection between biological and computational aspects of learning and vision. The second half will focus on high-level social cognition and artificial intelligence, as well as audition, speech and language processing. Throughout the course, students will participate in tutorials to gain hands on experience with these topics. The course will include presentations by world leaders in the field, discussions with relevant industrial companies interested in AI, hands-on tutorials, evening debates and discussions. Additionally, students will be working on cutting-edge research projects directly guided and mentored by the faculty. This course is organized by the Center for Minds, Brains and Machines: https://cbmm.mit.edu/ Course instructors will include: Tomaso Poggio Gabriel Kreiman Nancy Kanwisher Winrich Freiwald Matt Wilson Josh Tenenbaum Liz Spelke Boris Katz L Mahadevan Jim DiCarlo Aude Oliva Josh McDermott Gabriel Kreiman klab.tch.harvard.edu Use "9265358979" anywhere in the message body to ensure that your message navigates through anti spam filters

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Junior faculty position in Computational Neuroscience at GSU
by Andrey Shilnikov Feb. 23, 2015

Feb. 23, 2015

Hello, please post this information on the forum. Thank you. Junior faculty position in Computational Neuroscience at GSU The Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University (GSU) invites applications for a tenure track position at the rank of Assistant Professor pending budgetary approval. The ideal candidate will establish a research program that synergizes with existing key strengths in the Neuroscience Institute in behavioral neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, and neuroplasticity. Preference will be given to researchers with expertise and a publication record using state-of-the art methodologies. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or M.D. in a discipline related to neuroscience and should demonstrate the ability to establish a vigorous, externally funded research program and to mentor Ph.D. graduate students. Excellence in teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels is also expected. Candidates should have an outstanding record of accomplishment and a strong desire for research collaboration. The successful candidate would become a core member of the Neuroscience Institute, which is a thriving department housed in the Petit Science Center that provides world-class facilities and an interdisciplinary and collaborative research environment (see http://neuroscience.gsu.edu) A highly competitive salary, start-up funds and laboratory space will be provided. Applications should include a full curriculum vita, names and contact information for three references, and statements of research interests and teaching philosophy. Applications can be submitted either electronically in PDF format to ni-selection-committee(a)gsu.edu<mailto:ni-selection-committee@gsu.edu> or in hard copy to: Chair of the Neuroscience Institute Faculty Search Committee, Neuroscience Institute, PO Box 5030, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-50310. Application processing will begin immediately and the search will remain open until the positions are filled. Georgia State University, a Research University of the University System of Georgia, is an EEO/AA employer and encourages applications from women and under-represented minority groups. Offers of employment will be conditional upon background verification. With best regards, Andrey Andrey Shilnikov, PhD Professor Neuroscience Institute Department of Mathematics & Statistics Georgia State University 100 Piedmont Ave Atlanta GA 30303 tel 404.413.6423 e-mail: ashilnikov(a)gsu.edu<mailto:ashilnikov@gsu.edu> http://www.ni.gsu.edu/~ashilnikov

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2nd CFP: Special Session on Quantifying Embodiment, ECAL 2015
by Keyan Ghazi-Zahedi Feb. 22, 2015

Feb. 22, 2015

*** 2nd CALL FOR PAPERS *** 13th European Conference on Artificial Life (ECAL 2015) Special Session on Quantifying Embodiment Session paper submission deadline: 2 March 2015 Notification of acceptance of papers: 17 April 2015 Paper Camera-Ready-Copy deadline: 18 May 2015 Conference convenes: 20-24 July 2015, York, United Kingdom Conference website: http://ecal2015.alife.org <http://ecal2015.alife.org/> Special Session website: http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/nature/ecal2015/embodiment.html <http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/nature/ecal2015/embodiment.html> There is a growing acknowledgement in the artificial life and artificial intelligence community that embodiment is a key for the understanding of cognitive systems. Despite the consensus about the importance of embodiment, there is no clear definition of what the agent’s embodiment actually is. We believe that a quantitative approach can help to answer this open question. This is inspired by Einstein’s answer to the question ”What is time?”, to which he replied ”Time is what clocks measure”. Although this seems to be a trivial answer, it reveals that what we mean by time depends on the way we measure it. We are interested in quantifications of embodiment from various view points and different fields. A non-exclusive list of examples is: • Quantifications of the embodiment’s effect on sensing • Quantifications of the embodiment’s effect on cognitive processes • Quantifications of the embodiment’s effect on acting • Quantifications of brain-body-environment separation We are open to quantifications from any formal approach. Examples are information theory and dynamical systems, but others are highly welcome too. The ideal outcome of the special session would be a good overview of different concepts and quantifications of embodiment and an understanding how they overlap and differ, thereby leading to a better understanding and a clearer picture of what embodiment actually is. Papers are submitted via the ECAL paper submission form and published in the conference proceedings. Special Session Chairs: Keyan Ghazi-Zahedi, Christoph Salge, Georg Martius, Daniel Polani

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