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PhD Positions at the University of Vermont
by Dave Jangraw Dec. 18, 2020

Dec. 18, 2020

Dr. David Jangraw is seeking PhD students for his new research group, the Glass Brain Lab. The lab's focus is "naturalistic neuroengineering": the use of new technology to study the human brain in realistic situations. By understanding the brain as it operates in real life, we can pave the way for devices that detect problematic brain states in real-time and provide help or support, a sort of pacemaker for the brain. EEG, fMRI, eye tracking, and machine learning will be central to this effort. Sample projects will study mindless reading, attentional reorienting in virtual environments, and automated labeling of psychotherapy techniques. If you are/know a bright undergrad interested in emerging tech and human brain imaging, please get in touch! Our home department gives degrees in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, but students seeking degrees in Neuroscience, Computer Science, or related fields will also be considered. Applications are due 1/15/21. For more information: - Hiring page: https://github.com/djangraw/hiring/tree/master/UVM-GradStudent - Lab site: https://uvm.edu/~brainlab

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PhD Studentships in be.AI - University of Sussex’s Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme in Biomimetic Embodied AI
by Thomas Nowotny Dec. 17, 2020

Dec. 17, 2020

Dear all, The University of Sussex invites applications for PhD studentships within the be.AI Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme (www.sussex.ac.uk/ccnr/be_ai) which will bring together researchers from the humanities, life sciences and computing to pursue artificial intelligence (AI) in its original definition of understanding natural intelligence by emulating it in artificial systems. In our unique interdisciplinary centre, we will advance understanding of how the interaction between brain, body and environment gives rise to intelligence and how this insight can be used to build novel artificial intelligence. As a be.AI Scholar you will: * Be funded for 3.5 years with a a tax free living allowance at the standard Research Council rate – currently £15,009 per year– and UK fees * Be eligible for generous financial support of up to £4,000 per year for training and research expenses, such as conference trips and experimental costs * Be eligible to apply for one of three 12 month postdoctoral research fellowships, available only to completing Leverhulme be.AI scholars * Benefit from supervision by world-leading researchers in many different aspects of AI * Benefit from taught courses in topics, such as ethics and data science. The Programme will fund three intakes of 6 students per year, starting in September 2021 (application deadline 31st January 2021). You will be registered within one of the participating schools (Life Sciences, Engineering and Informatics, Psychology, Philosophy, Media Film & Music) but will be encouraged to perform cross-disciplinary research with academics across Schools. In be.AI, you will work in a community of like-minded students and researchers supported by your own research seminars, invited lectures by world leading speakers, as well as student-led conferences and cohort building events. We are passionate about creating an interdisciplinary cohort of researchers, so we expect successful applicants to see beyond their disciplinary boundaries and embrace the opportunity to work at the intersection of multiple fields. For further details, including how to apply, see http://www.sussex.ac.uk/ccnr/be_ai Kind regards, Thomas Nowotny, Andrew Philippides, Paul Graham Directors of be.AI -- Prof. Thomas Nowotny CCNR, Sussex Neuroscience Phone: +44-1273-678593 Engineering and Informatics, Fax: +44-1273-877873 University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny<http://sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny> <../../owa/redir.aspx?C=9e11bb0e527242938402b42d9b5498ea&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsussex.ac.uk%2finformatics%2ftnowotny> I support the University of Sussex Community Pledge, as I continue to help those around me during the pandemic. Small acts of collaboration, kindness and integrity can make a big difference. www.sussex.ac.uk/community-pledge<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/community-pledge>

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PhD position at the University of Helsinki: Sample-Efficient Probabilistic Machine Learning
by Luigi Acerbi Dec. 17, 2020

Dec. 17, 2020

*Doctoral position in Sample-Efficient Probabilistic Machine Learning (4 years, fully funded)* The Machine and Human Intelligence research group <https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/machine-and-human-intelligence> led by Assistant Professor Luigi Acerbi is looking for a PhD candidate eager to work on new machine learning methods for smart, robust, sample-efficient probabilistic inference, with applications to computational and cognitive neuroscience. The candidate will join a newly established research group at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Helsinki (Finland) with strong links to the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI) <http://fcai.fi/>. Our group is developing novel machine learning approaches for approximate Bayesian inference that use only a small number of likelihood evaluations, which can be a game-changer for complex computational models or when resources are limited. A state-of-the-art framework being developed in our group is Variational Bayesian Monte Carlo (VBMC) <https://github.com/lacerbi/vbmc>, which combines Gaussian process surrogates, active learning, variational inference and Bayesian quadrature (Acerbi, *NeurIPS*; 2018, 2020). Promising thesis projects include extending the representational power of VBMC (e.g., discrete variables, more complex posteriors, higher dimension); exploiting recent advances in Gaussian process inference for superior scalability; combining VBMC with Bayesian deep learning; strengthening the connections with simulator-based inference; and exploring the theoretical properties of the framework. The position is full-time, funded for four years and will be filled as soon as possible, with a negotiable starting date in early 2021. The starting salary is 2350-2700 euros/month, depending on previous qualifications and experience. Application deadline: *January 10, 2021*. For more details and how to apply, see: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/machine-and-human-intelligence/ph… -- Luigi Acerbi, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Machine and Human Intelligence Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki Lab: http://www.helsinki.fi/machine-and-human-intelligence

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Cluster hire: Two Canada Research Chairs in Computational Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Canada
by Joern Davidsen Dec. 17, 2020

Dec. 17, 2020

Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Complex Neural System Modelling Applications are invited from emerging leaders in the area of Complex Neural System Modelling, for a Tier II Canada Research Chair position in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Calgary. The successful candidate will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor (tenure-track) and will be nominated for a CRC Tier II Chair, which would provide a research stipend and protected time for research for up to 10 years. In alignment with the University’s Eyes High strategic vision and in support of its strategic academic and research priorities of interdisciplinarity, leadership, internationalization and creation of a dynamic research environment, the incumbent will join a university-wide community of world-class scholars under the Brain and Mental Health research strategy and the newly established Computational Neuroscience Platform. Current faculty members in that area maintain research programs in complexity science and critical brain dynamics, network neuroscience and complex network theory, dynamical systems theory and computational neuroscience, biological learning and memory formation, neuromorphic systems and nanotechnology, large data and bioinformatics, medical image processing and machine learning, and quantum neuroscience. Link: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/5915163-canada-research-chair-tier-ii-in-c… Deadline: To receive full consideration, applications should be received by February 15, 2021. Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Computational Behavioural Neuroscience The Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary invites applications for a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier II in Computational Behavioural Neuroscience. The successful candidate will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor (Tenure-track) in the Department of Psychology. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2021. The Chair will establish and maintain an active and externally funded research program. The Chair will be expected to undertake research that investigates the neural control of behavior in model systems, and use computational techniques as an integral component of their data collection and/or analysis. Candidates with research programs directed toward understanding the mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity of neural circuits underlying behavior are of particular interest. The Chair’s research program will be aligned with both the University of Calgary’s and the Faculty of Arts’ strategic plans. Additionally, the Chair will play an important role in teaching and research supervision of students in Psychology undergraduate and graduate programs. Service to the department, faculty, and University, is also expected, particularly in helping to build a diverse and inclusive community. Link: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/5915457-canada-research-chair-tier-ii-in-c… Deadline: Applications are accepted until January 27, 2021 --- Dr. Jörn Davidsen Professor of Physics & Humboldt Research Fellow University of Calgary www.ucalgary.ca/davidsen<http://www.ucalgary.ca/davidsen> www.ucalgary.ca/complexity<http://www.ucalgary.ca/complexity>

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Algorithms and SW Engineering positions at SynSense
by Dylan Muir Dec. 16, 2020

Dec. 16, 2020

SynSense is advertising several positions in our Algorithms and Applications team, to be based in Zürich, Switzerland or in Chengdu or Shanghai, China. Please see here for details: https://www.synsense-neuromorphic.com/join-us <https://www.synsense-neuromorphic.com/join-us> Our Algorithms team at SynSense is responsible for developing applications for our low-power ML inference hardware. We build, train, test and deploy ML models; collect and wrangle data sets. As part of this work we write and maintain several open-source Python packages, with accompanying automated unit testing, documentation and deployment to PyPI and Conda Forge. * Software Engineer — Package management and Python development We are looking for highly motivated candidates willing to take the lead on SW Engineering tasks and work as part of our Algorithms team. We hope that you will also contribute ML algorithms and ideas to our team, based on your experience. * Algorithms and Applications Engineer — Signal processing We are working on a variety of sound processing tasks, for implementation in smart home devices. We are looking for signal processing engineers to help us implement low-power algorithms for audio front-ends based on microphone arrays. * Algorithms and Applications Engineer — Vision applications SynSense has world-leading hardware for ultra-low-power vision processing, aimed at “edge” deployment such as in mobile phone handsets, IoT and smart home devices. We need ML Engineers to help us design, build and deploy the applications for the next generation of vision processing. You may be based in our Zürich office, or in our Shanghai or Chengdu offices. SynSense is a small but growing startup, with a healthy mix of academic and industry experts. We have a very open-minded approach to our work. Your opinions and experience won’t just be highly valued — they will be crucial for us to advance as a company. We are a highly diverse and international team, and strongly encourage applicants that will increase our diversity. We are an equal-opportunity employer. For more details of the positions and how to apply, see our website: https://www.synsense-neuromorphic.com/join-us <https://www.synsense-neuromorphic.com/join-us> Best regards Dylan Muir

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Post-doctoral position
by Steve Weisberg Dec. 16, 2020

Dec. 16, 2020

Post-doctoral position available in the Spatial Cognition and Navigational Neuroscience Lab at the University of Florida. The SCANN Lab at the University of Florida is hiring a postdoctoral researcher to do cognitive neuroscience with a general focus on spatial navigation. Please see the full job ad for more information and contact Steven Weisberg (stevenweisberg(a)ufl.edu) for more information. We will accept applications until the position is filled. https://scannlab.psych.ufl.edu/2020/12/07/the-scann-lab-is-recruiting-a-pos… -- --------------------------------------------- *Steven M. Weisberg, PhD * Pronouns: he/him/his Assistant Professor of Psychology University of Florida Director: SCANN Lab <http://scannlab.psych.ufl.edu>

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Open faculty position in computational neuroscience at the University of Washington
by Adrienne L Fairhall Dec. 15, 2020

Dec. 15, 2020

*Assistant Professorship in computational or theoretical neuroscience at UW* The Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Washington has announced a search for a full-time faculty member at the assistant professor (tenure track) level with a 12-month service period. This position will be in the UW Center for Computational Neuroscience. We seek an individual to specialize in computational or theoretical neuroscience (note that this position is not suitable for an experimentalist due to limitations of space and startup). The successful applicant will take part in the growth of the Center, which serves as the theoretical and computational core of campus programs in neurobiology and neural engineering. We are open to a wide range of computational and theoretical approaches. The University of Washington is an excellent environment for computational neuroscience, with an active group of researchers working in this area distributed across multiple campuses, a Neuroscience program with highly quantitative experimental partners working in a wide array of systems, and excellent programs in bioengineering, mathematical biology, AI and machine learning. We have close relationships with UCSF and Berkeley through the Weill Neurohub, and with the Allen Institute for Brain Science. The UW CNC serves as the focus of a network of computational neuroscience centers in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and France. For more information, please see http://compneuro.washington.edu and https://depts.washington.edu/pbiopage/. We are committed to creating a departmental climate that embraces and benefits from the diversity of all individuals. Candidates should include a statement about how they will contribute to this environment (detailed instructions on our website). Review of applications will begin on January 4, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2021. Qualifications Candidates must have a Ph.D. or foreign equivalent in mathematics, physics, computer science, neuroscience or a related field. Application Instructions Application packages, including a curriculum vitae, a description of research accomplishments and plans, three letters of reference, diversity statement, and up to two papers or manuscripts as PDFs must be submitted electronically through Interfolio.

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PhD studentship on the modulation of visual processing by behaviour (Schröder Lab, University of Sussex, UK)
by Sylvia Schröder Dec. 15, 2020

Dec. 15, 2020

The Schröder Lab <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/labs/schroeder-lab/> at the University of Sussex, UK, offers a *PhD studentship for 42 months* starting in September 2021. We study how behaviour and internal states like arousal influence visual processing in the early visual system, in particular the retina and the superior colliculus. Based on recent discoveries that even the earliest visual signals in the brain are not purely visual (Schröder et al. 2020, Neuron <https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(20)30318-4>), we want to understand how the integration of visual and behavioural signals could benefit the processing of visual input and ultimately help the animal to reach its behavioural goals. Our lab works with mice as model system and uses two-photon imaging of neurons and their presynaptic inputs (axon terminals), high-density electrophysiology (Neuropixels probes), and opto-/chemogenetic manipulations to address these questions. Available projects include: (1) To discover how visual responses of different cell types in the retina and superior colliculus (receiving direct retinal input) are modulated by behaviours like running and by different states of arousal; (2) To discover the mechanisms underlying this behavioural modulation, focusing on the effects of neuromodulators like noradrenaline and serotonin. Details of the projects will be shaped by the skills and interests of the candidate. We strongly encourage collaborations with other groups at Sussex Neuroscience such as Leon Lagnado <https://lagnadolab.com/>, Tom Baden <https://badenlab.org/> and Miguel Maravall <http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/maravalllab/index>. Please submit a formal application *by 15th January, 2021*, using our online application system at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply, including a CV (2-3 pages), degree transcripts and certificates, statement of interest (1 page) and names of two academic referees. On the application system use Programme of Study – PhD Neuroscience. Please make sure you include the project title and Supervisor’s name with your statement of interest on the application form. This School funded position, which covers fees and a stipend at standard RCUK rates, is open to Home / EU applicants. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in neuroscience with additional experience of quantitative data analysis. Alternatively, the candidate has a background in a physics, engineering or computer science and has a keen interest in neuroscience and performing experiments. Eligible applicants will have recently received an MSc and/or a First or high 2:1 BSc in a relevant subject. Candidates for whom English is not their first language will require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with not less than 6.0 in any section. Contact Emma Chorley for application enquiries (lifesciphd(a)sussex.ac.uk) Contact Sylvia Schröder <S.Schroeder(a)sussex.ac.uk> for enquiries about the project. -- Sylvia Schröder, PhD Cortical Processing Laboratory <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/> | University College London Cruciform Building, Gower Str, London WC1E 6AE Schröder Lab <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/labs/schroeder-lab/index> | University of Sussex

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Postdoctoral fellow in Computational Neuroscience investigating mechanisms of sensorimotor integration.
by Ausborn,Jessica Dec. 15, 2020

Dec. 15, 2020

Dr. Jessica Ausborn’s group at Drexel University College of Medicine, in the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy is seeking a postdoctoral fellow for an exciting new research project to understand the underlying mechanisms of sensorimotor integration. The project involves computational modeling integrated with anatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral data within highly accessible sensorimotor circuits of Drosophila melanogaster. The interdisciplinary collaboration with the experimental group of Dr. Katie von Reyn (School of Biomedical Engineering) will involve a variety of computational techniques utilizing cutting-edge datasets. It includes the development of biophysically detailed and more abstract mathematical models at the single neuron and network level, together with machine learning and data science techniques, to identify and describe the algorithms computed in neuronal pathways that perform sensorimotor transformations. The Ausborn laboratory is part of an interdisciplinary group of Drexel’s Neuroengineering program that includes computational and experimental investigators. This collaborative, interdisciplinary environment enables us to probe biological systems in a way that would not be possible with either an exclusively experimental or computational approach. https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/research… Applicants should forward a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and contact information of three references to Jessica Ausborn (ja696(a)drexel.edu<mailto:ja696@drexel.edu>). Salary will be commensurate with experience based on NIH guidelines. -------------------------------------- Jessica Ausborn Assistant Professor Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 W. Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129 Phone: (215) 991-8310

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2 open Postdoc positions in Embodied Cognitive Science at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
by Sébastien Lerique Dec. 14, 2020

Dec. 14, 2020

Dear all, Two positions for Postdoctoral scholars are now open at the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology). Applications are welcome until the positions are filled. Note that applications for these roles as Unit technician or Staff scientist are also welcome. Please see the full announcements for details: - https://www.oist.jp/careers/data-scientist-embodied-cognitive-science-unit-… - https://www.oist.jp/careers/neuroscientist-embodied-cognitive-science-unit-… Please spread the word! Best wishes, Sébastien Lerique

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