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CNS*2025 Tutorial "Building Intuitive and Efficient Biophysical Models with Jaxley and DendroTweaks - Schedule
by Spiros Chavlis June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

Dear friends and colleagues, We are pleased to announce that this Saturday, July 5, in Florence, Italy, we will be hosting a full-day tutorial at CNS*2025 on "Building Intuitive and Efficient Biophysical Models with Jaxley and DendroTweaks". This tutorial will introduce two new software tools, Jaxley and DendroTweaks, which provide complementary approaches for developing detailed biophysical models. The tutorial will feature interactive, hands-on sessions using Jupyter notebooks, where participants will learn how to: - Build neuronal models with realistic dendritic morphology and ion channels - Understand the role of each model parameter through interactive visualizations - Refine data and standardize models - Speed up simulations using a GPU-based simulator - Optimize model parameters automatically using gradient-based approaches - Train networks of biologically realistic neurons to solve complex tasks, bridging the gap between neuroscience and AI This tutorial is open to researchers and students of all levels interested in computational neuroscience. No prior experience with biophysical modeling is required. A basic familiarity with Python is helpful but not necessary. Software tools: Jaxley: https://jaxley.readthedocs.io/ DendroTweaks: https://dendrotweaks.dendrites.gr/ Speakers and organizers: Spyridon Chavlis, Michael Deistler, Kyra L Kadhim, Roman Makarov Schedule: 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome and general introduction 09:15 – 10:10 Building single-neuron models with DendroTweaks 10:10 – 10:40 Coffee break 10:40 – 12:00 Exploring models in DendroTweaks GUI 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break 13:00 – 14:30 Building single-cell and network models in Jaxley 14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break 15:00 – 16:00 Optimizing biophysical models with Jaxley See more here: https://cns2025florence.sched.com/event/25kVa/building-intuitive-and-effici… We are looking forward to seeing you in Florence. On behalf of the organizers, Spiros Chavlis

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Workshop online streaming - "Collective dynamics and information processing in neural systems" | Venice 30/06 - 02/07
by Fabrizio Lombardi June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Dear All, We invite you to join us online for the coming workshop "Collective Dynamics and Information Processing in Neural Systems <https://liphlab.github.io/NeuroStatPhys_Satellite/>". The workshop will take place* in Venice, Italy, on 30 June - 02 July 2025* at the European Center for Living Technology (ECLT). Here the zoom link https://unipd.zoom.us/j/89751980137 *No registration is required.* *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *About the workshop* A longstanding question is how populations of neurons cooperate and coordinate to perform function and maintain an “optimal” state for information processing and computation. While electrophysiological recordings in behaving animals have provided considerable information about what the firing patterns of single neurons encode in isolation, it remains largely a mystery how populations of neurons interact to perform brain functions. How do emergent collective behaviors, such as neuronal oscillations, waves, or avalanches, support function? And what is the nature of the brain’s internal state and how that affects function? With the aim of further strengthening the connection between neuroscience and statistical physics, this satellite workshop is intended to gather neuroscientists, physicists, and mathematicians who work on collective dynamics, cognition and behavior, and provide an interdisciplinary stage to discuss recent theoretical/computational and experimental advances on the role of neural ensembles for brain function. The workshop will be carefully planned to foster discussion and interaction between attendees, and to encourage the establishment of professional relationships. Particular emphasis will be given to participation of young PI’s and scholars and to the diversity in the pool of participants, with a good balance between physicists, mathematicians, theoretical and experimental neuroscientists. *Topics that will be covered in this workshop include (but are not limited to):* - Dynamics of neuronal ensembles: theory and models - Encoding and decoding of neural ensembles - Learning and memory - Control theory and behavior - Statistical inference - Modeling of brain dynamics in health and disease - Criticality in neural systems *Invited speakers:* - Stefano Fusi (Columbia University) - Gašper Tkačik (IST Austria) - Dietmar Plenz (NIH) - Gianluigi Mongillo (Institut de la Vision) - Raffaella Burioni (University of Parma) - Henrik J. Jensen (Imperial College) - Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (Champalimaud Foundation) - Gaia Tavoni (Washington University in St Louis) - Luca Mazzucato (University of Oregon) - Carlotta Martelli (University Mainz) - Athena Akrami (University College London) - Federico Stella (Donders Institute) - Johannes Felsenberg (FMI Basel) - Ana Paula Millán Vidal (University of Granada) - Michele Allegra (University of Padova) - Nima Dehghani (MIT) - Olivier Marre (Institut de la Vision) - Brice Bathellier (Institut de l'Audition) For further information please check the workshop website https://liphlab.github.io/NeuroStatPhys_Satellite/ The organizing committee, Fabrizio Lombardi, Lucilla de Arcangelis, Serena Di Santo, Samir Suweis, Ulisse Ferrari, Elisa Tentori, Achille Giacometti, Guido Caldarelli

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Two Postdoctoral Research Positions at Ghent University
by Clay Holroyd June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

The Learning and Cognitive Control Laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium) is recruiting two highly motivated postdoctoral fellows to apply a control-theoretic approach to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms of cognitive effort ( https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000467 ). The positions are funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant ( https://www.ugent.be/en/news-events/six-erc-advanced-grants.htm ), are for 3 years with an opportunity to renew, and are available to start January 2026. Position 1: The successful candidate will apply linear control theory to investigate the energy demands of existing artificial neural network models of working memory, task switching, and brain computer interface tasks. A Ph.D. and background in computational modeling, engineering or a related discipline is required; expertise with linear control theory and dynamical systems theory are preferred but not necessary. Position 2: The successful candidate will train recurrent neural networks to learn the generative structure of existing behavioral, EEG and MEG data sets (dynamical system reconstruction), and apply linear control theory to investigate the energy demands of the resulting network architectures. A Ph.D. and background in computational modeling, engineering or a related discipline is required; expertise with linear control theory and dynamical systems theory are preferred but not necessary. Interested candidates should email their CV, a statement of research interests, and have three letters of reference forwarded to Clay Holroyd at clay.holroyd(a)ugent.be. Inquiries may be directed to him at this email address. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

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[REMINDER] Apply now for the Computational Neuroscience Imbizo 2026 - application form closes July 1, 2025
by Spiros Chavlis June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Dear friends and colleagues, Student applications for the next Imbizo are OPEN. Apply before it’s too late. Don’t let this opportunity slip by if you are hoping to join the most diverse neuroscience summer school at the most beautiful beach in the world! If you know anyone who would benefit from an extraordinary computational neuroscience summer school, please distribute this information as widely as you can: SIMONS COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE IMBIZO (#Imbizo2026) 11 January - 1 February 2026, Noordhoek Beach, Cape Town, South Africa https://imbizo.africa/ Application deadline: 1st July 2025 at 20:00 UTC The Imbizo is a southern hemisphere summer school aiming to promote computational neuroscience in Africa. It will bring together international and local students under the tutelage of the world's leading experts in the field. Like its international sister courses, this three-week summer school aims to teach central ideas, methods, and practices of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Mornings will be devoted to lectures on topics across the breadth of computational neuroscience, including experimental underpinnings and machine learning analogues. The rest of the day will be spent working on research projects under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Individual research projects will focus on the modeling of neurons, neural systems, behavior, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data, and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. It also includes a week focused on neuroscience-inspired machine learning! Who should apply? This course is aimed at Masters and early-PhD level students, though Honors or advanced Undergraduates may also apply. Postdoctoral students who can motivate why the course would benefit them are also encouraged to apply. Students should have sufficient quantitative skills (e.g., a background in mathematics, physics, computer science, statistics, engineering, or related fields). Some knowledge of neural biology will be useful, but not essential. Experimental neuroscience students are encouraged to apply, but should ensure that they have a reasonable level of quantitative proficiency (i.e., at least second-year level mathematics or statistics and have done at least one course in computer programming). Course fees and Scholarships: Course Fee: €1,550 includes all accommodation, meals, social activities, and ground transport in Cape Town. Thanks to our generous sponsors, significant financial assistance is available to reduce and waive fees for students, particularly for African applicants. We also hope to provide some limited travel bursaries for international students. If you need financial assistance to attend Imbizo, please state so clearly in the relevant section of your application. Scholarships on offer: (a) Full Scholarship includes a waived course fee (€1,550) and your economy class travel to Cape Town, which will be booked by the Imbizo. (b) Partial Scholarship includes a waived course fee (€1,550) and a set financial contribution towards your travel costs (paid after arrival in Cape Town). The amount will vary on a case-by-case basis. (c) Course Scholarship includes a waived course fee (€1,550), but you will be responsible for booking and paying for your own travel costs to Cape Town. Note: (a) You must ensure you have a valid passport until at least the 31st of July 2026 when applying. (b) Visa application and related costs remain the responsibility of all accepted students. Important dates: Applications CLOSE: 1st July 2025 at 20:00 UTC References SUBMITTED: 7th July 2025 at 20:00 UTC Outcomes NOTIFIED: mid-August 2025 Accept BY: 1 week after notifications Imbizo STARTS: 11 January 2026 Imbizo ENDS: 1 February 2026 Information and application https://imbizo.africa/ Questions? isicn.imbizo.planning [AT] gmail.com What is an Imbizo? \ɪmˈbiːzɒ\ | Xhosa - Zulu A gathering of the people to share knowledge. View our past FACULTY and TAs: https://imbizo.africa/people/ Imbizo 2026 Organizing Committee Arif Hamid (University of Minnesota) Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington) Xaq Pitkow (Carnegie Mellon University) Emma Vaughan (Imbizo Logistics) Spiros Chavlis (IMBB-FORTH) Sponsors The Imbizo is made possible by the generous support from the Simons Foundation (https://www.simonsfoundation.org/) the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) (https://ibro.org/) as well as DeepMind, Meta, and others.

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CNS*2025 workshop "Brain-Inspired Computing"
by Guozhang Chen June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Dear Colleagues, We are excited to announce the "Brain-Inspired Computing" workshop at CNS2025, taking place on July 8th, 2025 (9:00 AM–12:30 PM) in Florence, Italy. This workshop will explore the intersection of neural computation and artificial intelligence, featuring cutting-edge research on self-supervised learning in cortical circuits, biologically validated AI models, and energy-efficient neuromorphic hardware. The workshop will bridge neuroscience and AI, discussing: Self-supervised learning mechanisms in the neocortex Biological validation of AI models via optogenetic perturbation Energy-efficient computing inspired by neural circuit architecture Neuromorphic hardware for rapid, low-power learning Confirmed Speakers Rui Ponte Costa (University of Oxford, UK) Guillaume Bellec (Vienna University of Technology, Austria) Guozhang Chen (Peking University, China) Robert Legenstein (Graz University of Technology, Austria): Shogo Ohmae (Chinese Institute for Brain Research, China) Yuliang Zang (Tianjin University, China) Details available on our workshop page: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ChEKLctgh7j3Q5pmRLYEEBp-U0G9akuMTehfTBf… Who Should Attend? Researchers in computational neuroscience, AI, and machine learning Engineers in neuromorphic hardware and brain-inspired computing Students and professionals interested in biological-computational convergence Please share this invitation with colleagues who may be interested. We look forward to exploring the frontiers of brain-inspired computing in Florence with you! Regards, Guozhang Chen & Yunliang Zang

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NeuroAI workshop at CNS2025 (9 July, 2925)
by Chen, Zhe June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Dear Colleagues, We are excited to announce the upcoming CNS*2025 Workshop "BRAIN 2.0: Emerging Topics in NeuroAI”, to be held on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Florence, Italy. https://cns2025florence.sched.com/event/f85c99dfa3e704f591b8c17bfb732e86 This workshop is inspired by the goal of the NIH BRAIN (Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative to develop theories, models, and methods to understand brain functions and their causal links to behaviors. The modern advances in neuroscience and AI have generated growing interests in NeuroAI, as witnessed by the feedback from the recent NIH BRAIN NeuroAI workshop (Nov. 12-13, 2024). Briefly, NeuroAI is aimed to, first, use AI to understand and improve the brain and behaviors, and second, to develop brain-inspired AI systems for robust, faster and more efficient operations and performances. Motivated by the new wave and developments in NeuroAI, this workshop invites leading experts and new investigators from various research backgrounds to discuss many emerging research topics. The goal of this full-day workshop is to focus on building the bridge between AI and neuroscience, to discuss new research directions and outstanding questions, and to foster team collaborations and open science. Research topics of interest include but not limited to neural transformers and foundation models, new neural network architectures, distributional or meta reinforcement learning, structural reasoning and inference, large language models (LLMs), and digital twins brain. The format of the workshop will consist of both overview-like and research-oriented lecture presentations as well as panel discussions. Below is the list of speakers (in alphabetical order) and titles: Z. Sage Chen (NYU), Multiplicative couplings facilitate learning and flexibility in recurrent neural circuits Rui Ponte Costa (Oxford), Learning across the brain: a NeuroAI perspective Tatiana Engel (Princeton), Closing the discovery loop with digital twins and causal perturbations Michael M. Halassa (Tufts), Thalamocortical architectures for cognitive control and flexibility Daniel Levenstein (MIla/McGill), NeuroAI as a platform for theory development: lessons from hippocampal representation and replay Kevin Miller (Google Deepmind), Automatically discovering neuroscience theories from data Gaspard Oliviers (Oxford), Bidirectional predictive coding: Towards robust inference and versatile learning in the brain Seng Song (Tsinghua), Brain inspired learning rules and evolutionary computing Naoshige Uchida (Harvard), Distributional reinforcement learning in the brain We are looking forward to your participation and discussion. Zhe Sage Chen, PhD ------------------------------------------------------------ This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. =================================

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Abstract submission open for the UK Neural Computation meeting July 9-11, Imperial College London
by Mark Humphries June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Abstract submission is now open for the UK Neural Computation meeting 2025 at Imperial College on 9-11th July 2025. Submit here: https://forms.gle/kg5xaSfBX3sN7tUN9 Deadline of 12th May 2025 4 submitted abstracts will be selected for main meeting talks. Please spread the word! Conference information: https://neuralcomputation.uk/ Sponsors: ARIA Scalable Neural Interfaces program<https://www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/scalable-neural-interfaces> Francis Crick Institute<https://www.crick.ac.uk/> Organisers: Danyal Akarca (Imperial) Dan Goodman (Imperial) Mark Humphries (Nottingham) Professor Mark Humphries | Professor of Computational Neuroscience Lab: humphries-lab.org<https://www.humphries-lab.org/> Connect: Bluesky<https://bsky.app/profile/markdhumphries.bsky.social> / LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-humphries-65a460212/> / X<https://x.com/markdhumphries> Essays on the brain and science: drmdhumphries.medium.com<https://drmdhumphries.medium.com/> Book: "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds" (Princeton UP) in hardback<https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691195889/the-spike?_gl=1*h…..>, paperback<https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691241487/the-spike>, ebook<https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9780691213514/the-spike-0?_gl=1*1uf…..> & audiobook<https://press.princeton.edu/books/audio/9780691224091/the-spike?_gl=1*37xz7…..> <https://press.princeton.edu/books/audio/9780691224091/the-spike?_gl=1*37xz7…..> read by Anand Jagatia This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

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CNS*2025 workshop 'The computational logic of predictive processes'
by aurelio cortese June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Dear Colleagues, We are excited to announce the workshop "The computational logic of predictive processes: a 25-year perspective" at *CNS*2025*, which will take place on *July 9* in *Florence*, Italy. This workshop will provide a platform to discuss new data and theories on adaptive decision-making and learning. Talks will cover the neurobiological and computational basis of learning and flexible behaviours in humans, non-human primates and rodents, as well as work using artificial neural networks to gain deeper insight into these novel mechanisms. Details about the program can be found on our workshop page <https://docs.google.com/document/d/113IeafkwqqYiOSHTyFNfY80v2ObbOzwOvL3uUvS…> . Below is the list of *confirmed speakers*: Abhishek Banerjee (Oxford University / Queen Mary University of London, UK) Andrea Benucci (Queen Mary University of London, UK) Aurelio Cortese (ATR Institute International, Japan) Armin Lak (Oxford University, UK) Silvia Maggi (University of Nottingham, UK) Rohan Rao (Newcastle University / Oxford University, UK) Erin Rich (New York University, USA) Matthias Tsai (Bern University, Switzerland) Please feel free to share this with anyone you think may be interested. We are looking forward to seeing you soon in Florence! Best wishes from Oxford, Kyoto, Nottingham, and New York, Abhi, Aurelio, Silvia, and Erin

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Summer School on Computational Decision Sciences – 8-12 September 2025, London
by Sidarus, Nura June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Dear all, It’s my pleasure to announce the Summer School on Computational Decision Sciences (SS-CDS)––the first summer school of the Center for Decision Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London. https://center-decision-sciences.com/cds-summer-school/ What SS-CDS will bring together an interdisciplinary audience tackling decision making in different scientific fields. The focus is on mathematical and computational modelling, integrating concepts and methods from mathematical psychology, computational psychiatry, computational neuroscience, computational social sciences, machine learning, and cultural evolution. Attendees will benefit from content talks from international leading researchers and practical hands-on sessions. Attendees will also have the opportunity to deliver presentations, receive career advice during social networking events, and reflect critically about research practices in EDI sessions. Where and When SS-CDS will take place at Stewart House, within Senate House, in Central London, on September 8th-12th . Target audience SS-CDS is targeted towards attendees from diverse fields (e.g., psychology, neuroscience, social sciences, computer science, etc.) and career stages (masters, PhD, postdoc, and junior PI). Prerequisite A basic background knowledge in elementary statistics (e.g., probability theory) and programming in Python/R is highly recommended to master the technical skills, but no prior experience with computational modelling is required. Registration Thanks to generous funding provided by the British Academy and the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway attendance to SS-CDS is free of charge. However, places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. To sign up, fill out this form<https://qualtricsxm4dv86z4fr.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6RpfZELVTnSDzH8> by Monday, August 11th, at 10am UK time. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think might be interested in participating. Looking forward to seeing you all in September. Best wishes, Gabriele, Andreu, Nura, Anand This email, its contents and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. In certain circumstances, it may also be subject to legal privilege. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted. If you have received this email in error, please notify us and immediately and permanently delete it. Any views or opinions expressed in personal emails are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Royal Holloway, University of London. It is your responsibility to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus free.

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[Announcement] New Calcium Imaging Analysis Framework: OptiNiSt
by Yukako Yamane June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Dear Neuroscience Community, We are pleased to announce the publication of a paper describing OptiNiSt (Optical Neuroimage Studio), a new open-source framework for calcium imaging data analysis. OptiNiSt was developed as part of the AMED(Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development) Brain/MINDS project. Article: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013… OptiNiSt is a flexible and reproducible pipeline construction tool that supports calcium imaging data analysis. Featuring an intuitive graphical user interface, it facilitates data sharing and standardization of analysis workflows across research groups. GitHub (source code): https://github.com/oist/optinist Documentation & Tutorials: https://optinist.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ We hope OptiNiSt will be a helpful tool for your research. Feedback and questions are always welcome. Best regards, Yukako Yamane (yukako.yamane(a)oist.jp) & Kenji Doya Neural Computation Unit Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)

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