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13ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python in Ghent, Belgium, 31 August—5 September, 2020
by Jakob Jordan 24 Feb '20

24 Feb '20

13ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python ============================================== a Summer School by the ASPP faculty and the Ghent University https://aspp.school Scientists spend more and more time writing, maintaining, and debugging software. While techniques for doing this efficiently have evolved, only few scientists have been trained to use them. As a result, instead of doing their research, they spend far too much time writing deficient code and reinventing the wheel. In this course we will present a selection of advanced programming techniques and best practices which are standard in the industry, but especially tailored to the needs of a programming scientist. Lectures are devised to be interactive and to give the students enough time to acquire direct hands-on experience with the materials. Students will work in pairs throughout the school and will team up to practice the newly learned skills in a real programming project — an entertaining computer game. We use the Python programming language for the entire course. Python works as a simple programming language for beginners, but more importantly, it also works great in scientific simulations and data analysis. We show how clean language design, ease of extensibility, and the great wealth of open source libraries for scientific computing and data visualization are driving Python to become a standard tool for the programming scientist. This school is targeted at Master or PhD students and Post-docs from all areas of science. Competence in Python or in another language such as Java, C/C++, MATLAB, or R is absolutely required. Basic knowledge of Python and of a version control system such as git, subversion, mercurial, or bazaar is assumed. Participants without any prior experience with Python and/or git should work through the proposed introductory material before the course. We are striving hard to get a pool of students which is international and gender-balanced. Date & Location =============== 31 August–5 September, 2020. Ghent, Belgium. Application =========== You can apply online: https://aspp.school/wiki/applications Application deadline: 23:59 UTC, Sunday 24 May, 2020 There will be no deadline extension, so be sure to apply on time. Be sure to read the FAQ before applying: https://aspp.school/wiki/faq Participation is for free, i.e. no fee is charged! Accommodation in the student residence comes at no costs for participants. We are trying to arrange financial coverage for food expenses too, but this may not work. Participants however should take care of travel expenses by themselves. Program ======= • Version control with git and how to contribute to open source projects with GitHub • Best practices in data visualization • Testing and debugging scientific code • Advanced NumPy • Organizing, documenting, and distributing scientific code • Advanced scientific Python: context managers and generators • Writing parallel applications in Python • Profiling and speeding up scientific code with Cython and numba • Programming in teams Faculty ======= • Caterina Buizza, Personal Robotics Lab, Imperial College London UK • Lisa Schwetlick, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Universität Potsdam Germany • Nelle Varoquaux, CNRS, TIMC-IMAG, University Grenoble Alpes France • Nicolas P. Rougier, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Bordeaux France • Pamela Hathway, Neural Reckoning, Imperial College London UK • Pietro Berkes, NAGRA Kudelski, Lausanne Switzerland • Rike-Benjamin Schuppner, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany • Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek, Red Hat Inc., Warsaw Poland Organizers ========== Head of the organization for ASPP and responsible for the scientific program: • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany Local team: • Nina Turk, Photonics Research Group, INTEC, Ghent University – imec Belgium • Freya Acar, Office for Data and Information, City of Ghent Belgium • Joan Juvert Institutional organizers: • Wim Bogaerts, Photonics Research Group, INTEC, Ghent University –imec Belgium • Sven Degroeve, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent Belgium • Jeroen Famaey, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Antwerp – iMinds Belgium • Bernard Manderick, Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Belgium Website: https://aspp.school Contact: info(a)aspp.school

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Vacancy as project assistant and lab manager
by Walter Senn 24 Feb '20

24 Feb '20

There is a position available as project assistant and joint lab manager (40-60%) at the Institute of Physiology, University of Bern, Switzerland. Job description You will coordinate the activities of the research groups Petrovici and Senn (roughly 10 people). The groups are working in the field of computational neuroscience and are developing learning algorithms for brain-inspired computing. Additionally, we are developing implementations of efficient computational paradigms in neuromorphic hardware. The groups are part of the Human Brain Project, and within this consortium need administrative and managerial support. You will support us in editing scientific publications and outreach material, organize meetings, ensure timely reporting on science and finances, and will help us in the communication on organizational and administrative issues with partners of the Human Brain Project. We offer insights into the Human Brain project, an exciting European Flagship for Research, mentoring and training, flexible working hours, a stimulating international research environment, salary according to the Swiss University standards, and a working place in the center of Bern, the beautiful capital of Switzerland and UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Qualification We are searching for highly motivated candidates with a degree in natural sciences, preferably neuroscience, (neuro)psychology, biomedical sciences, natural sciences, material science, mathematics or physics. A high level of written and spoken English is required. The ideal candidate will have managerial experience with an understanding of neuroscientific research. Application Please send your CV with an application letter and the name and contact of two references to Walter Senn (walter.senn(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:walter.senn@pyl.unibe.ch>) and Mihai Petrovici (mihai.petrovici(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:mihai.petrovici@pyl.unibe.ch>), with cc to Sabine Herzog (sabine.herzog(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:sabine.herzog@pyl.unibe.ch>). The first evaluation round will begin on March 23rd, 2020. The position will remain open until filled. With best regards Mihai Petrovici and Walter Senn

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Postdoc position at Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany
by Gjorgjieva, Julijana 24 Feb '20

24 Feb '20

We invite applications for a postdoctoral research position at the Computation in Neural Circuits group at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany. We use mathematical and computational approaches to study how neural networks self-organize into functional units from a combination of mechanisms including synaptic, homeostatic and intrinsic plasticity. We investigate different levels from individual synaptic inputs on dendrites to large-scale networks of higher order cortex. We are especially interested in these aspects during cortical development before and shortly after birth when the brain is highly plastic, but general aspects of learning and memory, especially under naturalistic stimuli and behaviors are also of great interest. For our recent work, you can see our latest papers and preprints: http://cns.wzw.tum.de/index.php?id=pubs We collaborate with different experimental research groups in the US, UK, Netherlands and Germany and benefit from interactions with the strong neuroscience community in Frankfurt. Our applications range across animals from rodent to Drosophila and reptiles. Successful applicants can choose from a range of projects including data analysis, theoretical model development and analytical calculations, numerical simulations, and applications to rich datasets from collaborating labs. Applicants should have a strong quantitative background (in mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, or related fields) and good programming skills (Matlab, C/C++ or Python). The position can start as early as spring 2020. For more information or an informal questions, email me at gjorgjieva(a)brain.mpg.de<mailto:gjorgjieva@brain.mpg.de>. I will also be at Cosyne. To apply for this position, please email the following: 1. A curriculum vitae 2. A description of research interests, including a motivation for why you chose to apply to our group 3. A writing sample, either a manuscript, thesis or code 4. Contact details for 2-3 referees Lookin forward to your applications! ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Research Group Leader Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Max-von-Laue-Str. 4, Frankfurt Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich, WZW Freising office: +49 69 850033 3600 http://cns.wzw.tum.de

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The Electrosensory Cocktail Party Problem - PhD position at Bernstein Center Berlin & Humboldt University (Physics Dep.) available
by Benjamin Lindner 24 Feb '20

24 Feb '20

*Weakly nonlinear interactions in an electrosensory cocktail party problem* Within the DFG priority program "Evolutionary Optimisation of Neuronal Processing", we are looking for a PhD candidate to work on the detection of weak signals in the presence of much stronger distractors, a joint project with the experimental lab of Jan Benda (University Tubingen, Germany). The 'cocktail party problem' is here regarded as a general theoretical problem and will be explored by the successful candidate by means of analytical calculations and numerical simulations of stochastic models of spiking neurons. Beyond pursuing purely theoretical approaches, the main goal of this project is to understand weakly nonlinear interactions specifically in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish, an experimental model system of the Benda lab. In order to get an idea about similar approaches pursued in the past, have a look at some of the joint publications of the Benda lab and the Lindner group: Fisch et al. J. Neurosci. 32, 17332 (2012) Sharafi et al. J. Comp. Neurosci. 34 , 285 (2013) Grewe et al. PNAS 114 E1977 (2017) The successful candidate should have a degree in physics, mathematics or computational neuroscience (a background in neurobiology is desirable but not obligatory), programming skills (C++, Python, LaTeX, Linux), an excellent command of the English language, good communication skills, team spirit, and, last but not least, great enthusiasm for interdisciplinary projects. Funding is provided for three years, starting within the next three months. For details on the doctoral examination process at the Physics Department of Humboldt University Berlin, see https://fakultaeten.hu-berlin.de/en/mnf/wisskar/promotionen/zula. Applications, including a letter of motivation, a CV, and a list of three potential referees should be sent by email to   me benjamin.lindner(a)physik.hu-berlin.de  (cc to nikola.schrenk(a)bccn-berlin.de) The deadline for applications is March 25, 2020, however, later applications might also be considered. Kind regards, Benjamin Lindner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Benjamin Lindner Professor for Theory of Complex Systems and Neurophysics Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin Philippstr. 13, Haus 2, 10115 Berlin Room: 1.17, phone: 0049(0)302093 6336 Department of Physics Humboldt University Berlin Newtonstr. 15 12489 Berlin Room: 3.408, phone: 0049(0)302093 7934 http://people.physik.hu-berlin.de/~lindner/index.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Scientific software developer position at the SimLab Neuroscience, Juelich, Germany
by Abigail Morrison 24 Feb '20

24 Feb '20

Dear colleagues, we have a scientific software developer position available in the SimLab Neuroscience, Juelich Research Centre, Germany. We are looking for candidates with a proven track record in developing scientific software who are interested in neuroscientific modelling and simulation as well as the graph analysis and visualization of neuroscience data. For a full description and details of how to apply, please see the announcement on our website: https://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2020-053-E… All the best, Abigail Morrison -- Prof. Dr. Abigail Morrison IAS-6 / INM-6 / SimLab Neuroscience Jülich Research Center & Computer Science 3 - Software Engineering RWTH Aachen http://www.fz-juelich.de/inm/inm-6 http://www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/slns http://www.se-rwth.de Office: +49 2461 61-9805 Fax # : +49 2461 61-9460 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Volker Rieke Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Vacancies in learning methods for hierarchical cognitive processing
by Pieter Roelfsema 23 Feb '20

23 Feb '20

We have exciting opportunities for 3 PhD-student or postdocs to work on Architectures and learning methods for hierarchical cognitive processing Project description Our recent theoretical insights have allowed a preliminary understanding of how animals learn to represent and memorize the key features of sensory stimuli for the guidance of action based on reinforcement learning (Rombouts et al. PloS Comp Biol 2015; Holtmaat & Roelfsema, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2018). The present project focuses on the hierarchical learning of cognitive subroutines, which can be incorporated into larger routines, by trial and error. We aim to develop a biologically plausible learning rules that endow neural networks with the possibility to learn hierarchical task structures and learn and execute cognitive tasks. Topics of interest include - the role of learnable/flexible working memory models in learning and executing hierarchically structures routines. The project is a collaboration between in the Vision & Cognition group (Dr. Pieter Roelfsema) at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Machine Learning Lab at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam (Dr. Sander Bohte). We expect from you: You are highly motivated, have a solid computational background, an interest in cognitive neuroscience and good programming skills. You should expect from us: The position involves a temporary appointment for 3-4 years. The first appointment is for one year with extension for the remaining period pending on an evaluation. We offer a competitive salary with excellent secondary benefits and friendly taxes, and also an extremely friendly, interactive and international working environment. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most beautiful and livable cities where almost everybody speaks and understands English, so that candidates need not be afraid of the language barrier. Environment About the NIN The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (www.nin.nl) is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute. It provides a critical mass of scientists and neuroscience technologies, together with a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment. English is the working language of all research groups. Amsterdam is an internationally oriented city and an attractive, progressive and easy-to-integrate environment. The research groups have members from more than 27 nations with backgrounds ranging from philosophy to engineering. For more information about the Vision & Cognition groep visit our https://herseninstituut.nl/onderzoek/onderzoeksgroepen/roelfsema-groep/ About Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) is the Dutch national research institute for mathematics and computer science and is part of the Institutes Organisation of NWO. The mission of CWI is to conduct pioneering research in mathematics and computer science, generating new knowledge in these fields and conveying it to trade, industry, and society at large. CWI is an internationally oriented institute, with 160 scientists from approximately 27 countries. The facilities are first-rate and include excellent IT support, career planning, training, and courses. CWI is located at Science Park Amsterdam that is presently developing into a major location of research in the natural sciences in The Netherlands, housing the sciences of the University of Amsterdam and of the Vrije Universiteit as well as several other national research institutes next to CWI. For more information about the CWI ML research group at CWI, please visit our https://www.cwi.nl/research/groups/networks-and-optimization/networks-and-o… Appointment We offer an exciting job at a dynamic research institute and an attractive package of fringe benefits. The position is for a period of 3 or 4 years in total for a postdoctoral researcher or PhD-student, respectively. The first appointment is for one year with an extension for the remaining period pending on an evaluation. Salary The salary will be commensurate with experience and institutional guidelines based on the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities; CAO NU). Full time monthly salary for a PhD student is € 2.325,- in the 1st year to € 2.979,- in the 4th year before taxes. The starting salary for a postdoctoral researcher depends on experience and ranges from € 3.123,- to € 4.274,-.- before taxes. A 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus are excluded. A 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus are excluded. We offer travel expenses, paid parental leave, flexible working hours, 30 days paid leave per year and help by finding a house. Starting date The position is available from April 2020. To apply Please, send your application to l.van.der.vecht(a)nin.knaw.nl including: 1. A Curriculum Vitae 2. An application letter 3. Two reference letters Evaluation of candidates will begin immediately, and continue until the position is filled. We aim to fill the position between April and July 2020. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Any acquisition further to this advertisement will not be appreciated.

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PhD positions in Interactive AI CDT
by Rui Ponte Costa 22 Feb '20

22 Feb '20

We are looking to recruit PhD students for our unique EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Interactive Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bristol, UK. The IAI Centre in a nutshell Building on Bristol’s world-leading expertise in AI, machine learning, neuroscience and human-computer interaction, the Centre for Doctoral Training in Interactive Artificial Intelligence offers PhD studentships that will train you to become a leader in human-in-the-loop and interpretable AI systems. This unique Centre is based in the School of Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Engineering Mathematics. Its mission is to deliver cohorts of highly-trained PhD graduates with the skills to design and implement complex interactive AI pipelines solving societally and scientific important problems. After the taught first year, covering foundational topics in data-driven AI, knowledge-driven AI, human-AI interaction and responsible AI, you will undertake a 3-year research project, supervised by one of the 60 academics in the supervisory network and in close collaboration with one or more external partners. The Centre partners with a wide range of external organisations including Alan Turing Institute, Microsoft Research, Amazon Research, Dyson, Thales, and many others. How to apply Applicants must hold/achieve a minimum of an upper-second class honours degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics). Enhanced EPSRC studentships covering fees and living costs are available to UK / EU students (EU citizens are eligible if they have lived in the UK for at least 3 years; a small percentage of positions can also be considered for non-UK/EU candidates). For full details, contact information and on-line applications, navigate to www.bristol.ac.uk/cdt/interactive-ai<https://www.findaphd.com/common/clickCount.aspx?theid=4377&type=185&url=htt…>. Deadline: 2nd March 2020, 00:00 (GMT) For admission enquires please contact iai-cdt-admissions(a)bristol.ac.uk<mailto:iai-cdt-admissions@bristol.ac.uk>. For more informal inquires feel free to contact academics affiliated with the program. Best wishes, Bristol Computational Neuroscience Unit<http://bristolcnu.github.io/> SCEEM | Faculty of Engineering & Bristol Neuroscience, University of Bristol, UK

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Postdoc and PhD positions on Biological Deep Learning
by Walter Senn 22 Feb '20

22 Feb '20

Dear all A postdoc and two PhD positions devoted to the modeling of learning in deep cortical networks are available in our Computational Neuroscience labs at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Our research is focused on biologically realistic models of spatio-temporal processing in recurrent cortical networks and their relation to reinforcement learning, Bayesian computing, learning to learn, and neuromorphic implementations. The positions are part of the European Human Brain Project and are available from April 1st, 2020, for 3 years (extendable through other funding). We offer a stimulating environment with three research groups in theoretical and computational neuroscience, along with experimental neuroscience at the same Department of Physiology (physio.unibe.ch/gruppen.aspx <http://physio.unibe.ch/gruppen.aspx>), as well as close collaboration with other labs in neuroscience, artificial intelligence and neuromorphic engineering. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in computational neuroscience, machine learning, applied mathematics and/or physics. Please send your CV, publication list, letter of motivation and contact information for at least two references to Walter Senn (walter.senn(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:walter.senn@pyl.unibe.ch>) and Mihai Petrovici (mihai.petrovici(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:mihai.petrovici@pyl.unibe.ch>), with cc to Sabine Herzog (sabine.herzog(a)pyl.unibe.ch <mailto:sabine.herzog@pyl.unibe.ch>). The first evaluation round will begin on March 23rd, 2020. The positions will remain open until filled. With best regards, Mihai Petrovici and Walter Senn

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Postdoc fellowship in parallel computing and neural simulation at Chemnitz University of Technology
by Julien Vitay 21 Feb '20

21 Feb '20

Apologies for cross-posting ******************************* A PostDoc position is available at Chemnitz University of Technology in the Department of Computer Science within the Professorship of Artificial Intelligence. He or she should have a Ph.D. in computer science or related fields. Exceptionally, we can also consider Ph.D. candidates in case of extremely good qualifications. The candidate is expected to contribute to research in auto-tuning mechanisms on different hardware platforms to implement biologically inspired neural networks. Thus, a very good experience in parallel computing is absolutely required. Further, the candidate should have an interest in computational neuroscience, particularly at the implementation level of large-scale neural networks. Prior experience with neural simulation tools, e.g. ANNarchy (Vitay, Dinkelbach, Hamker, 2015), NEST or Brian, is advantageous. Good English language skills are necessary. German is initially not required. Funding is obtained from a research project “Auto-tuning for neural simulations on different parallel hardware" from the German research foundation (DFG), coordinated by Dr. Vitay and Prof. Dr. Hamker. The salary is according to German standards (E 13 TV-L). An association with the CRC 1410 Hybrid Societies (https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/hybrid-societies/) is conceivable. The position is initially until 30.06.2021, but extensions are possible. The starting date is May 2020 or soon thereafter. Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the state of Saxony and close to scenic mountains. Major cities nearby are Leipzig and Dresden with a rich tradition of music and culture. Applications should be sent by email (preferably in PDF format) to ( fred.hamker(a)informatik.tu-chemnitz.de) The deadline is on 15.03.2020, but applications will be considered until the position is filled. In addition to a CV, the candidate should provide a detailed description of his/her experience in parallel computing. References: Vitay, J., Dinkelbach, H. U., Hamker, F. H. (2015), ANNarchy: a code generation approach to neural simulations on parallel hardware, Frontiers in Neuroinformatics , 9, 19, doi:10.3389/fninf.2015.00019 -- Professur Künstliche Intelligenz Fakultät für Informatik Technische Universität Chemnitz Straße der Nationen 62 | R. 1/348 (neu: A12.348) 09111 Chemnitz Germany Tel: +49 371 531-39468 Fax: +49 371 531-839468 www.tu-chemnitz.de/~vitay

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Nottingham DTC in AI, PhD positions
by Mark van Rossum 20 Feb '20

20 Feb '20

Dear all Applications are invited from UK/EU students for a number of fully-funded PhD studentships in the first cohort of the Nottingham Doctoral Training Centre in Artificial Intelligence, based within the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham, starting in autumn 2020. These studentships will start on 1 October 2020 and will be four years in duration. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/SCI1934 A full list of topics that applicants are asked to rank in terms of interest is listed here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/computerscience/studywithus/postgraduateresear… Deadline is very fast: 28 Feb. We might run a second round of recruitment in April/May. 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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