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In memoriam Jean-Marie Cabelguen, January 30 2018.
by Auke Ijspeert Feb. 14, 2018

Feb. 14, 2018

[apologies in case of multiple copies] Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is with a great sadness that we heard that Professor Jean-Marie Cabelguen passed away on January 30, 2018 after battling cancer. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. As a researcher and lecturer in neurophysiology, he made profound contributions towards understanding the neural circuits underlying locomotion in vertebrate animals. A warm and passionate person, Jean-Marie was greatly appreciated by the scientific community to which he belonged. We created a website https://biorob2.epfl.ch/pages/cabelguen/ to allow his colleagues and friends to share some thoughts and memories about him. If you would like to do so, please write your messages (short or long, in any language) as an email to inmemoriam.jmc(a)epfl.ch <mailto:inmemoriam.jmc@epfl.ch>, and they will be posted here. Thank you. Best wishes, Auke Ijspeert, Vanessa Charrier, Dimitri Ryczko, Alessandro Crespi -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Auke Jan Ijspeert Biorobotics Laboratory EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB, ME D1 1226, Station 9 EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Office: ME D1 1226 Tel: +41 21 693 2658 Fax: +41 21 693 3705 www:http://biorob.epfl.ch Email:Auke.Ijspeert@epfl.ch -----------------------------------------------------------------

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Funded PhD: Causality and complexity in human neural dynamics during natural vision
by Anil Seth Feb. 13, 2018

Feb. 13, 2018

A funded PhD position is available at the University of Sussex, UK, application deadline Feb 16 2018. Causality and complexity in human neural dynamics during natural vision A PhD studentship in the area of computational neuroscience is available at the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, within Prof Anil Seth's group based in the Department of Informatics. It is a collaborative project with the group of Prof. Rafael Malach at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and Prof. Ashesh Mehta from the Feinstein Institute in New York. The position is co-funded by the University of Sussex and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). This project offers an exciting opportunity to apply leading-edge analytical methods to unique sources of data, in order to unravel the neural basis of conscious vision. The successful candidate will develop and apply dynamical complexity measures and functional connectivity analysis to detailed intracranial recordings obtained from humans during unconstrained real-world movement, with simultaneous video. A key advantage of this set-up is the availability of extensive high-resolution coverage of the entire (human) visual brain, acquired during ecologically valid visual behaviour. Other sources of data may also be analysed during the project. The overall goal is to work towards an explanatory bridge from network-level neural dynamics to large-scale theories of perception and consciousness (e.g., global workspace theory, predictive processing). More details, including how to apply, are here: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships/view/8… (please note funding is sufficient to cover fees and living expenses for UK/EU students only). Additional details are here: https://www.findaphd.com/search/projectdetails.aspx?PJID=92986 --------------------------------------------- Anil K. Seth, D.Phil. University of Sussex, UK Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Co-Director, Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science Editor-in-Chief, Neuroscience of Consciousness www.anilseth.com<http://www.anilseth.com> @anilkseth

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[meetings] [LM2018] 2nd call for papers
by Vasiliki Vouloutsi Feb. 13, 2018

Feb. 13, 2018

Dear colleagues, Please find below the second call for participation to the 7th edition of Living Machines. Apologies for cross-posting but please share this announcement with your colleagues. Looking forward to seeing you in Paris! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /Second Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors/ *Living Machines VII: The 7th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems* *16 – 19 July 2018*** To be hosted at the Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle, Grand Amphitéâtre du Museum,and UPMC, Paris, France, EU Accepted papers will be published in Springer/Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence/ Submission deadline: March 12th, 2018 http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2018 <http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2018> _____________________________________________________________________________ ** *ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2018* The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. *Biomimetics*is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems.The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. *Biohybrid*systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The theme of the conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis. The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at past conferences: •Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can interact with their physical and social environments. •Biomimetic computers and architectures —neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for complex adaptive behaviour. •Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair. •Nature-based designs and manufacturing processes. •Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neuronal implants and neuroprosthetics. •Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and advanced prostheses and cyber-physical systems. •Organism-level biohybrids and symbiosis such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. ** *ACTIVITIES* The main conference will take the form of a*three-day single-track oral*and*poster presentation programme*, 17th to 19th July 2018,Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle,Grand Amphitéâtre du Museum,and UPMC,Paris, France, EU. The conference programme will include*five plenary lectures*from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies. The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of*Satellite Events*hosted atÉcole Normale Supérieure, Paris. *SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2018* We invite both*full papers*and*extended abstracts*in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed, and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines Proceedings, published in the*Springer-Verlag/Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence/.* Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career and should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybrid research. More preliminary work is better suited for short paper submission (minimum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no more than three self-citations).Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation with a short podium preview. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal*Connection Science*. *Satellite events* Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for full or half-day*tutorials, symposia*or*workshops*on related themes to be held on the 16^th July atthe École Normale Supérieure in Paris (http://www.ens.fr/en <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.ens.fr_en&d=DwMDaQ&…>). Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event! ** *EXPECTED DEADLINES* March 12th, 2018 Paper submission deadline April 28th, 2018 Notification of acceptance May 15th, 2018 Camera-ready copy July 16th – 19th, 2018 Workshops and Conference ** *SPONSORSHIP* Organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products through conference publications, conference events, and conference publicity areencouraged to contact the organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We also offer a number of attractive options to potential sponsors. *VENUE* Consistent with the Living Machines’ tradition of choosing historical venues at the crossroads between life and human sciences, this year the conference will take place at theMuseum National D’Histoire Naturelle(http://www.mnhn.fr/fr <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.mnhn.fr_fr&d=DwMDaQ…>) a historical museum located in the heart of Paris that for almost 400 years has focused on nature and its relationship with humans. The museum is immersed in history, yet at the heart of current affairs, and is also working to be projected towards the future. Poster sessions will be organized at UPMC. ** *Organising Committee:* *Jose Halloy*,Université Paris Diderot(Local Organizing Chair) *Paul Verschure*, IBEC-BIST (Co-Chair) *Tony Prescott*, University of Sheffield (Steering Committee) *Vicky Vouloutsi,*IBEC-BIST, Barcelona (Programme Chair) *Michael Mangan*, University of Lincoln (Programme Co-Chair) *Nathan Lepora*, University of Bristol (Communications) *Anna Mura*, IBEC-BIST, Barcelona (Web and Communications) *Local**Organising Committee:* *Stéphane Doncieux*, Prof. UMPC, ISIR *Benoît Girard*, DR CNRS, UPMC, ISIR *Emmanuelle Pouydebat*, DR CNRS, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle *Vincent Bels*, Prof. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle -- Vicky Vouloutsi, PhD Postdoc Researcher at the laboratory for Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems (SPECS <http://specs-lab.com/>) mail: vvouloutsi(a)ibecbarcelona.eu <mailto:vvouloutsi@ibecbarcelona.eu> LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-vouloutsi-28496133/> researchgate <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vasiliki_Vouloutsi>

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2 Funded PhD Interdisciplinary Scholarships on Robotics and Brain Science
by Dimitri Ognibene Feb. 12, 2018

Feb. 12, 2018

The Faculty of Science and Health of the University of Essex is pleased to invite applications for 2 Funded PhD positions that will work on the following topics combining Psychology and Robotics (CSEE): 1)http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-transferring-social-skills-from-humans-to-robots <http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-tran…> (deadline 12th March 2018 <http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-tran…>.) 2)http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-companion-for-carehomes-and-hospitals/ <http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-com…> (deadline 23rd February 2018 <http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-com…>) The post holder will have the opportunity to a) develop new advanced methods for cognitive robots based on machine learning, signal processing and information theory, b) design and perform behavioural experiments with human subjects and c) analyze experimental data in collaboration with experimental neuroscience laboratories. This is part of the Faculty plan to strengthen its interdisciplinary research at the boundaries between Natural and Artificial Intelligence (BCI, ML, AI, Robotics, Psychology and Neuroscience). Other new PhD positions can be found here: https://www1.essex.ac.uk/csee/pg/studentships.aspx <https://www1.essex.ac.uk/csee/pg/studentships.aspx> Additional questions and queries about the studentship can be addressed by contacting the supervisors specified in the call. -- Dimitri Ognibene, PhD School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, UK http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/ <http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/> Skype: dimitri.ognibene

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postdoc opening in data analysis for depression DBS at Georgia Tech
by Christopher Rozell Feb. 11, 2018

Feb. 11, 2018

A postdoc position at the intersection of computational neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry and data analysis is available working jointly with the labs of Christopher Rozell and Robert Butera at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA). This BRAIN Initiative research project seeks to develop electrophysiological biomarkers to characterize disease progression and optimize deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant depression. This clinically-focused project (clinical lead is Dr. Helen Mayberg) is a collaboration with Emory University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai that is providing access to one-of-a-kind human electrophysiology data recorded by implanted DBS devices *during therapy* in an experimental trial. The role of our computational team is to develop analysis and modeling approaches to identify electrophysiological signatures that correlate with treatment response and optimize stimulation parameters. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem with real impact on a sick patient population. Applicants should hold a PhD in a related discipline with a strong research record. Experience in advanced techniques for analyzing time-series data (e.g., signal processing and machine learning) is desirable, additional experience in computational neuroscience modeling and working with neurophysiology data is helpful . The labs are committed to the professional development of the members, making it valuable preparation for people who are interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties. Excellent (written and oral) communication skills in English are required. The ideal start date is May 2018. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience. Georgia Tech has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer. Georgia Tech's campus in the heart of midtown Atlanta, which is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas (and entrepreneurial communities) in the United States. Atlanta boasts a wide range of opportunities for recreation, culture, and easy access to domestic and international transportation. Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to christopher.thomas(a)ece.gatech.edu with the subject line "Neuro DBS postdoc". Application review will proceed until the position is filled and should be received by February 19, 2018 for full consideration.

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cosyne workshop on closed-loop stimulation
by Christopher Rozell Feb. 11, 2018

Feb. 11, 2018

We would like to invite you to an upcoming COSYNE workshop that is very relevant for the computational neuroscience community! Title: Closed-loop control of neural systems and circuits for scientific discovery Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Organizers: Christopher Rozell, Garrett Stanley With the advent of new technologies for interfacing with neural systems, there are exciting opportunities emerging that enable us to manipulate neural systems and circuits while simultaneously monitoring their activity. These new sensing and actuation strategies hold the promise of more powerful techniques for functionally dissecting complex neural circuits to uncover their operating principles and potentially develop novel clinical therapies. With a common goal of neural control, a variety of researchers ranging from theorists to experimentalists are currently developing techniques for estimating system states from recorded data and making real-time updates to stimulation. This topic is particularly timely because of the confluence of technological advances in recording, stimulation, and algorithms that enable closed-loop stimulation studies in circuits, and for increasing government and private support for research in these and related areas. Such closed-loop techniques will enable an entirely new class of experimental manipulations that promise new insight into circuit function in health as well as disease. Given that the first papers using closed-loop stimulation of neural circuits have only recently appeared in the literature and there is finally a critical mass of people working on these exciting problems, now is the perfect time to bring a community together around this emerging area. The overarching goal of this workshop is to foster a discussion to illuminate a set of community research goals to accelerate the impact of closed-loop stimulation techniques in neuroscience. This workshop will provide a venue for researchers building the components of these closed-loop stimulation systems and researchers using these tools for scientific discovery and clinical treatments. Specifically, the target audience includes neuroscience researchers who are using (or want to be using) closed-loop stimulation of neural circuits in scientific studies or treatment for disorders, computational neuroscientists developing the foundations for analysis and design of algorithms necessary for closed-loop control (include modeling and state estimation), and neuroengineering researchers building elements of experimental systems (interfaces, algorithms and hardware). Morning session 8:00-8:15a Introduction and opening remarks by organizers and representatives from BRAIN Initiative and IEEE Brain 8:15-8:40a Maryam Shanechi, Dynamic modeling of brain network response to stimulation: a computational framework with binary-noise modulated waveforms 8:40-9:05a Memming Park, Myopic control of neural dynamics 9:05-9:35a Coffee break 9:35-10:00a Danielle Bassett, Perturbation and control of human brain networks 10:00-10:25a Hillel Adesnik, Precise control of neural ensemble activity with multiphoton holographic optogenetics 10:25-11:00a Christopher Rozell & Garrett Stanley, Closed-loop optogenetic control in vivo: tracking dynamics and states Afternoon session 4:30-4:55p Jeanne Paz, Optogenetic Closed loop control of thalamocortical seizures in animal models of genetic and acquired epilepsies 4:55-5:20p Sridevi Sarma, Suppressing seizures via closed-loop stimulation of the epileptogenic zone 5:20-5:50p Coffee break 5:50-6:15p ShiNung Ching, Controlling the Meaning of Spikes: Strategies for Extrinsic Manipulation of Neural Information Processing 6:15-6:40p Chethan Pandarinath, LFADS: a deep learning method to infer latent states and dynamics from neural population activity 6:40-7:30 Panel discussion and concluding remarks

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2 x Tenure track position at Monash University, Psychology, Assistant / Associate Professor
by Naotsugu Tsuchiya Feb. 9, 2018

Feb. 9, 2018

[Apologies for cross-posting] Dear colleagues, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia are opening two tenure-track positions in Psychology at the level of Assistant / Associate Professor. For the details, please see http://careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/job/572474/ senior-lecturer-and-associate-professor-psychology Monash is full of thinkers and doers who are looking for their next challenge. So if you’ve forged a rewarding career so far, this role provides the perfect platform to join us. You’ll have access to quality research facilities, infrastructure and teaching spaces to do exciting work, along with opportunities to collaborate internationally. You’ll be part of a university that’s made up of inspirational, challenging thinkers and doers – and continue doing work that makes a lasting impact. The Opportunity The Monash School of Psychological Sciences is ranked among the best in the world. Our School’s mission is to develop students and research outcomes that make significant contributions to improving the lives of others globally. Our overarching vision is to make significant and long-lasting impact that changes the world around us, beginning in infancy and across the lifespan. Drawing on the expertise of our staff and the University' unique research platforms and technology, our mission is to sustain and build on Monash's position with world-class research and teaching in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. The newly established Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences (MICCN; housed within the School of Psychological Sciences) will provide an exceptional research environment for discoveries that change of our understanding of the brain. Through excellent research and training, a wide network of international partners, and strong industry engagement MICCN will lay the foundation for a pipeline of discovery in areas of critical importance of the human brain and see that knowledge translated into the clinic, the workplace and the community. MICCN has four core integrated research programs: Addiction, Attention and Memory, Computational Neuroscience and Sleep. For these 2 important roles we are seeking the following: *Level C:* The Senior Lecturer will be expected to contribute to a world-class program of research that focuses on psychological science specifically in one of MICCN’s core integrated research programs, and will lead a national and emerging internationally competitive research group. The Senior Lecturer will also be expected to teach into the discipline of Psychology at the undergraduate level and supervise Honours and PhD students. As the ideal candidate you will have: - A doctoral qualification in Psychology or Cognate Discipline - Emerging track record of peer reviewed (competitive) grants, and a strong publication record in world-class journals as lead author, preferably aligned with one of MICCN’s integrated research programs. - Successful track record of high quality teaching *Level D:* The Associate Professor will be expected to have an established world-class program of research that focuses on psychological science specifically in one of MICCN’s core integrated research programs, and will lead an internationally competitive research group. The Associate Professor will also be expected to teach into the discipline of Psychology at the undergraduate level and supervise Honours and PhD students. As the ideal candidate you will have: - A doctoral qualification in Psychology or Cognate Discipline - Sustained track record of peer reviewed (competitive) grants, and publications in world-class journals as lead author, preferably aligned with one of MICCN’s integrated research programs. - Ability to be an effective leader of a research team and a successful track record in PhD supervision. - Successful track record of high quality teaching and education innovation These roles are full-time positions. Regards Nao Tsuchiya -- -- *Nao (Naotsugu) Tsuchiya* Associate Professor *Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences* Attention and Memory Program School of Psychological Sciences Monash University 770 Blackburn Monash Brain Imaging facility, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia T: +61 3 9905 4564 E: naotsugu.tsuchiya(a)monash.edu W: homepage: http://users.monash.edu.au/~naotsugt/Tsuchiya_Labs_Homepage http://med.monash.edu.au/psych/email-sig/miccn-email-sig.jpg <http://www.monash.edu/neuro-institute/> 2. Visiting Researcher at Department of Dynamic Brain Imaging, Advanced Telecommunications Research (ATR), Japan 3. Visiting Researcher at CiNet, Osaka University, Japan orcid.org/0000-0003-4216-8701

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2nd Brain Twitter Conference 2018 #brainTC
by Sheraz Khan Feb. 9, 2018

Feb. 9, 2018

Dear colleagues, The poster abstract submission for the 2nd Brain Twitter Conference 2018 #brainTC is now open! This year the keynote tweeters include Aina Puce, Matti Hämäläinen, Aude Oliva, OHBM, Rebecca Saxe and Sophie Scott! For more information about the conference and how to submit an abstract, please visit our website https://brain.tc and follow "*@RealBrainTC*". What is Twitter Conference? A Twitter conference is meant for scientists to present and discuss their research on social media. During the conference presenters will be allocated a 15 min time slot, during which they will present a series of 6 tweets or less, marked with the #brainTC tag and an ordinal number of the tweet. This is a great opportunity to practice condensing your message and getting word of your research out there. Last year the The Brain Twitter Conference (#brainTC) had a reach of ~ 0.6 million Twitter users! Best wishes, On behalf of the organizing committee, best wishes, Sheraz Khan @dr_sheraz ---------------------------------------- Sheraz Khan, M.Eng, Ph.D. Instructor in Radiology Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging Massachusetts General Hospital Tel: +1 617-643-5634 Fax: +1 617-948-5966 Email: sheraz(a)nmr.mgh.harvard.edu <https://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/webmail/src/compose.php?send_to=sheraz%40n…> sheraz(a)mit.edu <https://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/webmail/src/compose.php?send_to=sheraz%40m…> Web: http://sheraz.mit.edu GitHub:http://github.com/SherazKhan

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multiple posts in MEG and cog neuro at different levels
by Alex Ossadtchi Feb. 9, 2018

Feb. 9, 2018

Dear colleagues – we have an exciting new opportunity for both senior and budding MEG scientists to develop their research in a new environment. Could you please forward the advert below to your departmental lists and job board, as well as any people who may potentially be interested? Best and thanks! Alex Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the opening of a new MEG group in one of the most exciting cities on the planet. The Centre for Cognition & Decision Making (CCDM, https://www.hse.ru/en/cdm-centre/) is a young, dynamic and ambitious research centre based at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) - a modern, international and rapidly developing research-intensive university in Moscow, which invests heavily in both fundamental and applied research. CCDM is looking for a PI and postdocs for the newly established MEG group. We offer highly competitive salary, excellent research infrastructure with comprehensive neuroimaging facilities, research and travel support funds, possibilities for multidisciplinary collaborations (including access to patients and other special groups, as well as methods and instrumentation development), and a friendly and international team. This is a perfect opportunity to define and develop your own independent research programme in collaboration with international experts in various fields.Moscow is an exciting international metropolis with unlimited opportunities, very high living standards, rich cultural life, vibrant 24/7 atmosphere, legendary restaurant and nightlife scene, excellent public services and urban infrastructure, etc. etc. We invite applications for: 1) A full-time tenure-track position to head the newly established MEG group. The position is open-ranked at Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level, depending on experience. To apply, go to https://iri.hse.ru/Meg2018 2) Postdoctoral posts associated with the new MEG research group: https://iri.hse.ru/post_<https://iri.hse.ru/post_meg2018 <https://iri.hse.ru/post_%3chttps:/iri.hse.ru/post_meg2018>> 3) Further post-doc fellowships in various fields of cognitive neuroscience: https://iri.hse.ru//<https://iri.hse.ru/fellowships <https://iri.hse.ru/%3chttps:/iri.hse.ru/fellowships>> May we kindly ask you to circulate this exciting news to your mailing lists, and to any potentially interested researchers? Thank you very much in advance and Happy MEGging in 2018! Centre for Cognition & Decision Making Higher School of Economics -- Alexei Ossadtchi,Ph.D., Director, Bioelectric Interfaces Laboratory Leading Research Fellow, Center for Cognition and Decision Making Professor, Computer Science Department National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow

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Feb 15 Application Deadline - 2018 Nengo Summer School
by Peter Blouw Feb. 8, 2018

Feb. 8, 2018

[All details about this school can be found online at https://www.nengo.ai/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce a special version of our annual Nengo summer school that will host the* first public access* to *Braindrop*, a new mixed analog-digital neuromorphic chip developed in collaboration with Stanford and Yale. In addition to introducing Braindrop, this two-week school will teach participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems, and has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1]. Nengo is also being used to program a variety of state-of-the-art neuromorphic chips, including Braindrop! For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/4tVUkQ We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/files/publications/eliasmith.2012.pdf] Application Deadline: February 15, 2018 *Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware - build perceptual, motor, and cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more... *Date and Location:* June 3th to June 15th, 2018 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (peter.blouw(a)appliedbrainresearch.com) We look forward to hearing from you!

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