- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Fwd: [seminar.wwtns] World wide VVTNS series (fifth season): Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 11:00 am EST| Lea Duncker, Standford
by David Hansel Feb. 9, 2025

Feb. 9, 2025

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.on…> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture given by Lea Duncker Stanford on the topic of Evaluating dynamical systems hypotheses for pattern generation in motor cortex The lecture will be held on zoom on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at *11:00 am EST * To receive the link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page *Abstract: * The rich repertoire of skilled mammalian behavior is the product of neural circuits that generate robust and flexible patterns of activity distributed across populations of neurons. Decades of associative studies have linked many behaviors to specific patterns of population activity, but association alone cannot reveal the dynamical mechanisms that shape those patterns. Are local neural circuits high-dimensional dynamical reservoirs able to generate arbitrary superpositions of patterns with appropriate excitation? Or might circuit dynamics be shaped in response to behavioral context so as to generate only the low-dimensional patterns needed for the task at hand? Here, we address these questions within the primate motor cortex by delivering optogenetic and electrical microstimulation perturbations during reaching behavior. We develop a novel analytic approach that relates measured activity to theoretically tractable, dynamical models of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Our computational modeling framework allows us to quantitatively evaluate different hypotheses about the dynamical mechanisms underlying pattern generation against perturbation responses. Our results demonstrate that motor cortical activity during reaching is shaped by a self-contained, low-dimensional dynamical system. The subspace containing task-relevant dynamics proves to be oriented so as to be robust to strong non-normal amplification within cortical circuits. This task dynamics space exhibits a privileged causal relationship with behavior, in that stimulation in motor cortex perturbs reach kinematics only to the extent that it alters neural states within this subspace. Our results resolve long-standing questions about the dynamical structure of cortical activity associated with movement, and illuminate the dynamical perturbation experiments needed to understand how neural circuits throughout the brain generate complex behavior. *About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.*

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postdoc positions in NeuroAI / sensorimotor control
by Gunnar Blohm Feb. 7, 2025

Feb. 7, 2025

Dear all, I'm looking for postdocs who'd like to apply for the Connected Minds PDFs with me and collaborators to work on the following potential projects: 1. explainable neuroAI for ANN / SNN models of motor control 2. neuromorphic robotic control 3. neurorobotic artistic performance 4. whole brain motor control networks identified through MEG and inverse optimal control If you're interested, please get in touch. You will need a solid quantitative background (coding, ML, signal processing) and neuroscience knowledge. More information about the 2-yr Connected Minds PDF application, including eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.yorku.ca/research/connected-minds/postdoctoral-fellowships/ I will of course help assembling the advisory team, writing the research project description and provide general guidance for the application. Feel free to check out my lab's website <http://compneurosci.com/> and WIKI <http://compneurosci.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page>to get a better sense of who we are and how we work... Next application deadline is March 21, 2025. Awards are $70k/yr+benefits and $8.5k/yr research allowance for 2 yrs + $10k for travel. Cheers, Gunnar -- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Vice-Director (Queen's) of Connected Minds Professor in Computational Neuroscience Queen's U, Kingston, ON, 18 Stuart Str, Botterell Hall Rm 229 http://www.compneurosci.com/ - Queen’s University is situated on the territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek -

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Summer school for young profs: Aug 23-30, 2025
by Gunnar Blohm Feb. 7, 2025

Feb. 7, 2025

Dear new professors, Konrad Körding and I have a special treat for you: We're hosting a new summer school teaching young prof in comp neuro and beyond how to start a successful career. * Dates: Aug 23-30, 2025 * Location: Kingston, ON, Canada * Details and application: http://compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/index.html * Application deadline: Mar 1, 2025 * Cost: free, but you need to cover your own travel to Kingston Sponsored by Community for Rigor <https://c4r.io/> and Connected Minds <https://www.yorku.ca/research/connected-minds/>, we have a terrific lineup of facilitators helping us to boost your career. We will talk about your research, the nature of your lab and what success and fun means to you. We will discuss principles of good science, writing abstracts, papers and grants, how to excel at lab management, acing mentorship, dealing with university administration and making your science accessible to all. But most importantly, we want to create a peer community for networking and mutual support. Cheers, Gunnar -- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Vice-Director (Queen's) of Connected Minds Professor in Computational Neuroscience Queen's U, Kingston, ON, 18 Stuart Str, Botterell Hall Rm 229 http://www.compneurosci.com/ - Queen’s University is situated on the territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek -

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INCF Virtual Town Hall Feb 11 & 12
by Helena Ledmyr Feb. 7, 2025

Feb. 7, 2025

[apologies for cross posting] At INCF we strive to serve the neuroscience community as best we can with resources that facilitate open science, data sharing, and data management. In order for us to be the most useful we can be, we need your input! Next week we're hosting a Town Hall for our community to give us input on what INCF should focus on in the coming years and we hope you will join us. 📅 We're hosting two time slots to accommodate for more time zones: - Feb 11, 8am CET - Feb 12, 8pm CET Register for the Town Hall here: bit.ly/3Q2UWKx If you're unable to join our virtual Town Halls we would very much appreciate feedback in this survey, which is based on input from an in-person Town Hall we organized during the INCF Assembly last year: bit.ly/40BlrvI All the best, Helena Ledmyr ----------------------------- Helena Ledmyr, PhD *Director* *Development and Communications* International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility Secretariat Karolinska Institutet. Nobels väg 15A, SE-171 77 Stockholm. Sweden Email: helena.ledmyr(a)incf.org Phone: +46 8 524 870 35 incf.org

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Postdoctoral position in data-driven cortical microcircuit modeling at Hay lab (CAMH, University of Toronto)
by Etay Hay Feb. 6, 2025

Feb. 6, 2025

Hay lab is looking for applicants for a postdoctoral position in modeling large-scale spiking activity (neuropixels) from prefrontal cortex in rodents in health and chronic stress in collaboration with Weizmann Institute of Science. Applicants should have experience in python, modeling, detailed conductance-based neuron and microcircuit models. The position is anticipated to start in spring-summer 2025, with duration of 2 years. Interested applicants should send their CV to Dr. Etay Hay, at: etay.hay(a)camh.ca<mailto:etay.hay@camh.ca> Hay lab is located at the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, within Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and Max Planck Institute in Toronto. The centre is located in downtown Toronto. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. AVIS DE CONFIDENTIALITÉ : Ce message électronique, ainsi que tout fichier qui y est joint, est reserve à l'usage exclusif du destinataire visé et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels et privilégiés. Toute lecture, utilisation, divulgation ou distribution non autorisée est interdite. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire visé, veuillez en aviser l'expéditeur par retour de courriel et détruire toutes les copies du message original.

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Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Essex (UK)
by De Feo, Vito Feb. 6, 2025

Feb. 6, 2025

Dear colleagues, We are looking for a candidate with a quantitative background who has completed (or is about to complete) a PhD in a quantitative field for a post-doctoral position within the RESTED (REbalancing circadian rhythms in Sleep and heart rate To Ease Dissociative symptoms) project in order to model the links between Mental Health and SCRD (sleep and other circadian rhythm disturbances). Underlying the project is evidence that feelings of dissociation are strongly associated with sleep disorders and are a transdiagnostic risk factor for the development of depression, anxiety and psychosis. However, no one has investigated the role of dissociative symptoms in the links between SCRD (sleep and other circadian rhythm disorders) and MH (mental health). We propose to model how fluctuations in sleep and heart rate are related to fluctuations in dissociation, depression, anxiety and psychosis. Based on this understanding, our vision is to prevent the clinical course of these symptoms with low-cost interventions that improve sleep and heart rate. Specifically, in RESTED we want to determine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sleep, heart rate and symptoms of dissociation, depression, anxiety and psychosis in adolescents and young adults. In addition, we want to develop novel circadian biomarkers, sleep detection technologies and analytical approaches to model bidirectional associations between sleep, autonomic function and daily fluctuations in cognition and emotion. To do this, we will use Mediation Analysis, Granger Causality and Directed Information. Finally, we will use Explainable AI methods, and Machine Learning models to predict mental health variables from circadian variables. The PostDoc will be based at the University of Essex School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE) although the candidate will join our entire interdisciplinary team working in collaboration with the University of Sussex, Birmingham and the NHS. The University of Essex houses the Centre for Brain Science and various BCI laboratories, with access to state-of-the-art EEG and EMG equipment, computer-controlled electrical and mechanical stimulators and other devices to optimally measure sensory, motor and associated cortical activity. CSEE, ranked 6th in the UK as research power in the last REF, has several laboratories including one of the best BCI laboratories in Europe and a Health AI laboratory, and international collaborations with prestigious foreign research institutes including the Biotech campus of EPFL Geneva and the Institute of Neuroinformatics at ETH Zurich. Duties of the role To analyse data collected in pre-existing databases using statistical analysis techniques such as mediation analysis. To organise the data collected from participants using health bands (actigraphy, ECG, etc.) To use statistical and AI techniques to model causal relationships between the phenomena described in the project description.• To implement a sleep stages classifier using machine learning and deep learning techniques. To summarise the results obtained and participate in the writing of scientific publications. To undertake or manage practical elements of research such as setting up and conducting experiments, developing questionnaires and conducting fieldwork, recording data and identifying trends or patterns. To produce research outputs for publication at acceptable levels of volume and academic excellence and disseminate the result of research and scholarship through appropriate Knowledge Exchange activities (such as at relevant national and international conferences and scholarly publications not intended for the REF). To contribute to the development and maintenance or research resources (examples of which include household surveys, databases, specialist equipment and infrastructure, software packages and computer models) used within the Department or wider user community external to the Department. To, supervise and/or mentor postgraduate research students into relevant communities of research at Essex as appropriate to the departmental context to generate meaningful connections between research and education at Essex. Skills and qualifications required Applicants are expected to hold a PhD in a relevant field (engineering, mathematics, computer science or physics), or be close to completion of PhD. You will have the ability and willingness to complement and enhance the research project/department/school’s education and research strengths and areas of planned development. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal are also essential for the post. Specific knowledge and skills are also required: - Strong mathematical and programming skills. - Wide and documented experience in Signal Processing, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Data Analysis - Experience with physiological signal analysis or expertise in computational neuroscience. - Proficiency in MATLAB or Python. - Demonstrated ability to work independently and overcome complex technical challenges. For more information about the position please contact Dr Vito De Feo vito.defeo(a)essex.ac.uk To apply: https://vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?… Best wishes, Vito Dr. Vito De Feo Lecturer in Health Artificial Intelligence for Brain and Mental Health Artificial Intelligence Team and Consumer Neuroscience Research Cluster Future Health Technology and Brain-Computer Interfaces laboratories, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK

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2025 School on Analytical Connectionism: Call for applications
by Lin, I-Chun Feb. 6, 2025

Feb. 6, 2025

Topical focus: Bias in learning 25 August - 5 September 2025, London www.analytical-connectionism.net/school/2025<http://www.analytical-connectionism.net/school/2025> Apply by 18 April 2025 We are delighted to announce the 3rd edition of the School on Analytical Connectionism. This 2-week course will focus on analytical tools, including methods from statistical physics and probability theory, for probing neural networks and higher-level cognition. This course is appropriate for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in fields from psychology and neuroscience, to physics, computer science, and mathematics. The course will bring together neuroscience, psychology, and machine-learning communities, introducing participants to connectionist theories of higher-level cognition and psychology as well as analytical methods for neural-network analysis. Participants will work in teams, mentored by course lecturers and organisers, to develop novel research projects on topics related to analytical connectionism. Participants will present the research proposals in Week 1 and interim results at the end of the course. Confirmed Faculty: * Rémi Monasson (CNRS/ENS) * Tim Rogers (University of Wisconsin-Madison) * Tali Sharot (UCL/MIT) * Merav Ahissar (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) * Xuechunzi Bai (University of Chicago) * Marco Baity-Jesi (Eawag) * Mathew Diamond (SISSA) * Lasana Harris (UCL) * Tiago Maia (University of Lisbon) * Angela Radulescu (Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai) * Levent Sagun (FAIR) * Fanny Yang (ETHZ)

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New Frontiers in Associative Memories workshop at ICLR 2025
by Dmitry Krotov Feb. 5, 2025

Feb. 5, 2025

Dear Friends and Colleagues, We would like to advertise the call for papers for the New Frontiers in Associative Memories workshop at ICLR 2025. New architectures and algorithms, memory-augmented LLMs, energy-based models, Hopfield networks, associative memory and diffusion, and many other exciting topics. Please consider sharing this information with your students, postdocs, and anyone who might be interested. Website: https://nfam.vizhub.ai Submissions via Open Review: https://openreview.net/group?id=ICLR.cc/2025/Workshop/NFAM Deadline: February 14, 2025 EOD AOE Best wishes, Julia Kempe, Dmitry Krotov, Hilde Kuehne, Dan Lee, Sara Solla

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Workshop on Themes across Control and Reinforcement Learning (24-25 March, 2025), at CWI, Amsterdam, Netherlands
by Aditya Gilra Feb. 5, 2025

Feb. 5, 2025

Dear all, We invite registrations for a workshop on Themes across Control and Reinforcement Learning: https://www.cwi.nl/en/events/cwi-research-semester-programmes/workshop-them… Control theory and reinforcement learning converge on a shared objective: facilitating autonomous, real-time decision-making to optimize dynamical processes. Historically, these disciplines have diverged in assumptions regarding available prior information and in analytical techniques applied. However, recent advances bridging the two domains are fostering collaborations. As part of a research semester on Control Theory and Reinforcement Learning at CWI, Amsterdam, NL, we have a workshop on broad themes across these topics.Date: 24-25 March 2025Venue: CWI (Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science), Amsterdam, Netherlands We have a line-up of renowned speakers:Ann Nowé, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BelgiumBert Kappen, Radboud Univ, Nijmegen, NetherlandsDavide Grossi, Univ of Amsterdam, University of Groningen, NetherlandsFrans Oliehoek, TU Delft, NetherlandsHarri Lähdesmäki, Aalto University, FinlandJens Kober, TU Delft, NetherlandsSean Meyn, Univ. of Florida, USASofie Haesert, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands Please register at the earliest!https://www.cwi.nl/en/events/cwi-research-semester-programmes/workshop-themes-across-control-and-reinforcement-learning/ Looking forward to seeing you!Organizers of the research semester programme. Download and advertise the poster.

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Save the Date! COMPLEX NETWORKS 2025 – December 9-11, Binghamton, New York, USA
by Hocine Cherifi Feb. 5, 2025

Feb. 5, 2025

The *14th International Conference on Complex Networks & Their Applications (COMPLEX NETWORKS 2025)* will take place in *Binghamton, New York, USA, from December 9 to 11, 2025*! This annual event brings together *leading researchers, practitioners, and industry experts* to discuss cutting-edge advances in *network science, graph machine learning, complex systems and computational social science*. *📌** Key Details* 📅 *Conference Dates:* December 9-11, 2025 🎓 *Tutorials:* December 8, 2025 📍 *Location:* Binghamton, New York, USA 📖 *Proceedings Published by Springer* Stay tuned! The *Call for Papers* will be officially launched soon, inviting submissions in *network science, graph learning, social networks, biological systems, smart cities, and more*. Mark your calendar, and don’t miss this exciting opportunity to share your research with the global community! 📩 *Want to stay updated?* visit https://complexnetworks.org/ Best regards, *COMPLEX NETWORKS 2025 Organizing Committee*

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