- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

PhD in computational neuroscience, Zurich
by Jean-Pascal Pfister June 16, 2015

June 16, 2015

Applications are invited for one PhD student position at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (ETHZ, UZH) in Zurich. The position is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation grant entitled "Inference and Learning with Spiking Neurons". The PhD student will be supervised by Jean-Pascal Pfister in the Theoretical Neuroscience Group. There are several lines of evidence indicating that the human brain performs near Bayesian optimal inference in a wide range of tasks, but it remains unclear how this inference can be implemented in the brain. The aim of the project is to determine how Bayesian inference and learning can be implemented at the level of neurons and synapses. The Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich (which is a joint institute belonging to both the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and the University of Zurich) offers an ideal environment for studying Computational Neuroscience due to the presence of multiple theoretical and experimental labs. The candidate should hold a Diplom/Master degree in Physics, Mathematics, Machine learning, Computational Neuroscience or a related field. He/she should have a very strong mathematical background, good programming skills and interests in theoretical neuroscience. The position is offered for a period of three years, starting before the 1st of September 2015. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch) The applicant should submit (by email) a CV, a statement of research interests, 2 reference letters, marks obtained for the Diploma/Master, abstract of the Diploma/Master to Jean-Pascal Pfister (jpfister(a)ini.uzh.ch) Deadline for application is 15th of July 2015 or until the position is filled. Jean-Pascal Pfister --------------------------------- Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister Theoretical Neuroscience Group Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister <http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister> Tel: +41 44 635 30 79

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PhD/Postdoc positions for neural processor project NPP
by Michael Pfeiffer June 15, 2015

June 15, 2015

We have a number of available PhD and postdoc positions available now for the Neuromorphic Processor Project (NPP). NPP is a 3 year project that started 1 May 2015. NPP will develop theory, architectures, and FPGA implementations targeting specific applications of deep neural network technology in vision and audition. Deep learning has become the state-of-the-art machine learning approach for sensory processing applications, and this project aims towards real-time, low-power, brain-inspired solutions targeted at full-custom SoC integration. A particular aim of the NPP is to develop efficient data-driven deep neural network architectures that can enable always-on operation on battery-powered mobile devices in conjunction with event-driven sensors. PhD and postdoc positions are available now in theory, hardware architectures, and applications of these networks. For the theory part of the project we are specifically looking for PhD candidates with experience in deep neural networks and/or spiking neural networks, or deep learning applications in vision and audition. The project team includes academic partners in the USA, Canada, and Spain. The project is coordinated by the Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI) at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich (www.ini.uzh.ch ). INI is a joint institute of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich and has been cited in IEEE Spectrum and Scientific American as one of the world’s leading organizations in the development of neuromorphic sensing and computing technology. The lead NPP PI is Prof. Tobi Delbruck. Other NPP PIs at INI are Dr. Shih-Chii Liu, Dr. Michael Pfeiffer, and Prof. Giacomo Indiveri. Please see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MLoZRAYu_--ZH2ORIoqLPLzJs2spXRM0kO2A2QZ… for more details and information on how to apply. Best regards, Michael Pfeiffer, Tobi Delbruck, Shih-Chii Liu, and Giacomo Indiveri -- ========================================= Dr. Michael Pfeiffer Group leader, Program coordinator NSC Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland Tel. +41 44 635 30 45 Fax +41 44 635 30 53 pfeiffer (at) ini.phys.ethz.ch http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/ =========================================

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4th Edition of Complex Systems Primer available
by Claudius Gros June 15, 2015

June 15, 2015

Dear Colleagues, It is a pleasure to announce the availability of the 4th edition of the textbook Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems: A Primer (Springer Complexity, Softcover) ISBN: 978-3-319-16264-5 (Print) 978-3-319-16265-2 (Online) by Claudius Gros Complex and adaptive dynamical systems are ubiquitous and the brain constitutes a prominent example. The goal of this book is to provide a general entry point to complex and dynamical systems based on network architectures. ------------------------------------------------------- cover-text: ---------- This primer offers an introduction to the central concepts at the basis of our modern understanding of complex and emergent behavior, together with a detailed coverage of the mathematical methods. All calculations are presented step by step and are straightforward to follow. This new forth edition is fully reorganized and comes with new chapters, figures and exercises. The core of modern complex system sciences are presented in the first chapters, covering network theory, dynamical systems, bifurcation and catastrophe theory, chaos and adaptive processes together with the principle of self-organization in reaction-diffusion systems and social animals. Modern information theoretical principles are treated in further chapters, together with the concept of self-organized criticality, gene regulation networks, hypercycles and coevolutionary avalanches, synchronization phenomena, absorbing phase transitions and the cognitive system approach to the brain. Technical course prerequisites are the standard mathematical tools for an advanced undergraduate course in the natural sciences or engineering. Each chapter comes with exercises and suggestions for further reading, with the solutions to the exercises being provided in the last chapter. ------------------------------------------------------- content: -------- * Chapter 1: Graph Theory and Small-World Networks * Chapter 2: Bifurcations and Chaos in Dynamical Systems * Chapter 3: Dissipation, Noise and Adaptive Systems * Chapter 4: Self Organization and Pattern Formation * Chapter 5: Complexity and Information Theory * Chapter 6: Cellular Automata and Self-Organized Criticality * Chapter 7: Random Boolean Networks * Chapter 8: Darwinian Evolution, Hypercycles and Game Theory * Chapter 9: Synchronization Phenomena * Chapter 10: Elements of Cognitive System Theory * Chapter 11: Solutions to the exercises ------------------------------------------------------- Sincerely, Claudius Gros ***************************************** *** Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros *** *** +49 (0)69 798 47818 *** *** http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros *** ***************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------- --- Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, A Primer --- --- A graduate-level textbook, Springer (2008/10/13/15) --- -----------------------------------------------------------

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Interdisciplinary PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience of Vision: Active Efficient Coding (AEC)
by Jochen Triesch June 14, 2015

June 14, 2015

Apologies for cross posting. Please forward to interested students. We have an open PhD student position in my lab (http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/de/neuro/triesch) at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) in Frankfurt, Germany to explore the new area of active efficient coding (AEC), a recently formulated generalization of the efficient coding hypothesis to active perception. The basic idea of AEC is that sensory systems learn to use their motor degrees of freedom to contribute to the efficient encoding of sensory signals. Along these lines, we have developed computational models for the self-calibration of active stereo and motion vision [1,2,3]. These models simultaneously learn a sensory representation with sparse coding approaches and controllers for their eye movements through reinforcement learning. Both learning components aim to maximize the overall coding efficiency of the system, which leads to fully self-calibrating sensory-motor loops for active stereo vision (dispartiy tuning and vergence control) and motion vision (motion tuning and pursuit movements). To the best of our knowledge, these models are the first ever to demonstrate how such self-calibration can emerge from a generic efficient coding objective. We have also validated the approach on robots such as the iCub (http://www.icub.org) The work will be performed in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment with ample opportunities for collaboration with neuromorphic engineers, neuroscientists, roboticists, psychologists, and clinicians across the globe. Possible research directions include better understanding how and why such self-calibration can go awry in clinical conditions such as strabism and amblyopia, implementations on neuromorphic hardware and many others. We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated PhD student for this project. Applicants should have obtained a Masters degree (or equivalent) in Computational Neuroscience or a related field. The ideal candidate will have excellent programming skills (Matlab, Python, C/C++), very good analytic skills, and a broad knowledge of computational neuroscience, machine learning, computer vision, robotics, signal processing and statistics. Furthermore, specific expertise in visual neuroscience, information theory, sparse coding models, and reinforcement learning are desirable. Experience with programming Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) would be a plus. The position can be filled immediately. The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies is a research institution dedicated to fundamental theoretical research in various areas of science. It is embedded into Frankfurt's recently established natural science research campus. Frankfurt itself is the hub of one of the most vibrant metropolitan areas in Europe. It boasts a rich culture and arts community and repeatedly earns highest rankings in worldwide surveys of quality of living. Applications should include a statement of research interests, CV and contact information for at least two references. Send applications to application(a)fias.uni-frankfurt.de. Review of applications will begin immediately. [1] A Unified Model of the Joint Development of Disparity Selectivity and Vergence Control. Zhao Y, Rothkopf CA, Triesch J, Shi B. IEEE Int. Conf. on Development and Learning and Epigenetic Robotics (ICDL), 2012. (Paper of excellence award.) http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6400876 [2] Robust active binocular vision through intrinsically motivated learning L. Lonini, S. Forestier, C. Teulière, Y. Zhao, B. Shi, J. Triesch, frontiers in Neurorobotics, 2013. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnbot.2013.00020/full [3] Self-calibrating smooth pursuit through active efficient coding C. Teulière, S. Forestier, L. Lonini, C. Zhang, Y. Zhao, B. Shi, J. Triesch, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2014 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921889014002486 -- Prof. Dr. Jochen Triesch Johanna Quandt Research Professor Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~triesch/ Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47531 Fax: +49 (0)69 798-47611

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CFP: 3rd International Workshop on Smart Sensor Protocols and Algorithms (SSPA 2015) - Munich, Germany, October 5-7, 2015
by Sandra Sendra June 13, 2015

June 13, 2015

[Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this email] *********************** CFP ******************************* 3rd International Workshop on Smart Sensor Protocols and Algorithms (SSPA 2015) http://jlloret.webs.upv.es/sspa2015/ in conjunction with The 8th IFIP Wireless and Mobile Networking Conference (WMNC' 15) Munich, Germany, October 5-7, 2015. http://www.wmnc2015.com/ SCOPE: Smart Sensor protocols and algorithms make use of several methods and techniques (such as machine learning techniques, decision making techniques, knowledge representation, network optimization, problem solution techniques, and so on), to establish communication between network devices. They can be used to perceive the network conditions, or the user behavior, in order to dynamically plan, adapt, decide, take the appropriate actions, and learn from the consequences of their actions. The algorithms can make use of the information gathered from the protocol in order to sense the environment, plan actions according to the input, take consciousness of what is happening in the environment, and take the appropriate decisions using a reasoning engine. Goals such as decide which scenario fits best its end-to-end purpose, or environment prediction, can be achieved with smart protocols and algorithms. Moreover, they could learn from the past and use this knowledge to improve future de! cisions. In this workshop, researchers are encouraged to submit papers focused on the design, development, analysis or optimization of smart sensor protocols or algorithms at any communication layer. Algorithms and protocols based on artificial intelligence techniques for network management, network monitoring, quality of service enhancement, performance optimization and network secure are included in the workshop. This conference edition once again targets to gather researchers from academia and industrial sectors to present analytical research, simulations, practical results, position papers addressing the pros and cons of specific proposals, and advances in sensor protocols and algorithms. The topics suggested by the conference can be discussed in term of concepts, state of the art, standards, deployments, implementations, running experiments and applications. TOPICS OF INTEREST: Authors are invited to submit complete unpublished papers, which are not under review in any other conference or journal, including, but are not limited to, the following topic areas: - Reasoning and learning techniques for sensing environment pollution - Smart route prediction in vehicular sensor networks - Smart data aggregation in vehicular sensor networks - Smart multimedia network protocols and algorithms for WSNs - Application layer, transport layer and network layer cognitive protocols - Cognitive radio network protocols and algorithms - Automatic protocols and algorithms for environment prediction - Algorithms and protocols to predict data network states - Intelligent synchronization techniques for sensor network protocols and algorithms - Smart sensor protocols and algorithms for e-health - Software applications for smart algorithms design and development in WSNs - Dynamic protocols based on the perception of their performance - Smart protocols and algorithms for Smartgrids - Protocols and algorithms focused on building conclusions for taking the appropriate actions - Smart Automatic and self-autonomous WSNs - Artificial intelligence applied in protocols and algorithms for WSNs - Smart security protocols and algorithms in WSNs - Smart cryptographic algorithms for communication in WSNs - Artificial intelligence applied to power efficiency and energy saving protocols and algorithms - Smart routing and switching protocols and algorithms in WSNs - Cognitive protocol and algorithm models for saving communication costs - Any kind of intelligent technique applied to QoS, content delivery, network Monitoring and network mobility management - Smart cooperative protocols and algorithms WSNs - Problem recognition and problem solving protocols for WSNs - Genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic and neural networks applied to WSNs IMPORTANT DATES: Submission deadline: 17th of July 2015 Author notification: 14th of August 2015 Camera-ready version: 27th of August 2015 Workshop Dates: 5-7th of October 2015 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Authors are invited to submit original and unpublished papers. Papers presenting original and unpublished work are invited and will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical soundness, and clarity of exposition. All submissions should be written in English. Authors guidelines can be found at: http://jlloret.webs.upv.es/sspa2015/cfp.html The IEEE LaTeX and Microsoft Word templates, as well as related information, can be found at: http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/pubs/transactions/stylesheets.html. Only PDF files will be accepted for the review process and all submissions must be done through EDAS. To submit a paper, please click on the following link: https://edas.info/newPaper.php?c=19893&track=71089 SPECIAL ISSUES: The extended version of selected papers will be invited to submit to a Special Issue on Smart Protocols and Algorithms in the International Journal Network Protocols and Algorithms (1943-3581). Network Protocols and Algorithms is an online international journal, peer-reviewed, indexed by many prestigious data bases and published by Macrothink Institute. COMMITTEES: General Chairs Jaime Lloret Mauri, Universitat Polit�cnica Val�ncia, Spain TPC Chairs Miguel Garcia Pineda, Universidad de Valencia, Spain Sandra Sendra, Unviversitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain Web Chair Alejandro C�novas Solbes, Universitat Polit�cnica Val�ncia, Spain

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Tentative program now available for IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control
by Levin Kuhlmann June 13, 2015

June 13, 2015

The tentative full program of talks and events for the 7th International Workshop on Seizure Prediction (IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control; at Melbourne, Australia; 3-6 August 2015) is now available for download at the following link: http://www.iwsp7.org/program/IWSP7_MEMBC15_Tentative_Program.pdf At a glance, the first day on Monday August 3 will be an educational day, giving people an opportunity to learn more about epilepsy from the perspectives of the different disciplines of science, engineering & medicine. On the first night there will be a networking reception and the poster session. The next two days will involve a full schedule of talks with the conference dinner on the night of Tuesday August 4. On Thursday August 6 there will be an overlap day between IWSP7 and the Melbourne Epilepsy meeting (ME@MBC'15 - which brings together the best of Melbourne Epilepsy research). IWSP7 registrants will also have the option to freely participate in the ME@MBC'15 events including its second day on the morning of Friday August 7. A final full program for IWSP7 including abstracts will be available soon. Don't forget to register for IWSP7 before the early bird deadline of 30th June 2015 and save! Go to www.iwsp7.org<http://www.iwsp7.org> to register. More details on the conference are provided below. The 7th International Workshop on Seizure Prediction (IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control) will bring together world leading epileptologists, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, neurosurgeons and neuroscientists to focus on epilepsy research in Melbourne Australia from 3-6 August 2015. Invited Speakers Catalina Alvarado-Rojas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia (Cross-frequency coupling and seizure prediction) Samuel Berkovic, University of Melbourne, Australia (Genetics and individual-specific nature of epilepsy) Sydney Cash, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA (Cortical physiology and epilepsy) Antonio Dourado, University of Coimbra, Portugal (Seizure Prediction and the EPILEPSIAE project) Bin He, University of Minnesota, USA (EEG-based imaging to localise seizure and high frequency activity) Louis Lemieux, University College London, UK (Multi-modal imaging of human epileptic zone and networks) Liset Menendez de la Prida, Instituto Cajal - CSIC, Spain (Sources of functional heterogeneity in the cellular activity of hippocampal microcircuits in temporal lobe epilepsy) Martha Morrell, Stanford University, Neuropace, USA (Responsive seizure control and its clinical implications) Philippe Ryvlin, Lyon University, France (Vagal nerve stimulation and seizure prediction) Bjoern Schelter, University of Aberdeen, UK (Recent advances in data-based modelling and their role in epilepsy research) Steven Schiff, Penn State University, USA (Unification of spikes, seizures and spreading depression) Piotr Suffczynski, University of Warsaw, Poland (Modelling of neuronal and ionic dynamics during ictogenesis) John Terry, University of Exeter, UK (Modelling multiscale brain networks: seizure initiation, evolution and prediction) Gregory Worrell, Mayo Clinic, USA (Forecasting epileptic seizures in dogs) Abstract submission is now Closed. Early bird registration: full: AU$465; Student/Early Career Researcher: AU$165. Early bird registration deadline: 30th June 2015. Standard registration: full: AU$565; Student/Early Career Researcher: AU$265. 44 generous travel stipends have been awarded to participants submitting the best abstracts as determined by the IWSP7 Scientific Advisory Board. General topics covered: seizure prediction, detection and control; seizure mechanisms, animal models and human neurophysiology; neuroimaging of epilepsy/seizure localisation; computational modelling of epilepsy; epilepsy networks; high frequency oscillations; model-based estimation, statistical signal processing or control theory applied to epilepsy. For information on the tentative conference program, and how to register visit: http://www.iwsp7.org Please forward this notice to anyone that you think might be interested. We would also like to draw your attention to two partner events: Melbourne Epilepsy which brings together Melbourne's best epilepsy researchers and will overlap at the same venue with IWSP7 on August 6th, and finish by 1pm on August 7th. Attendance is free for IWSP7 registrants. Swinburne Brain Imaging Symposium 2015: Principles and Applications of Magnetoencephalography is a meeting on MEG and neuroimaging occurring in Melbourne in the week preceding IWSP7 from June 29-30 2015. http://www.research.swinburne.edu.au/our-research/events/neuroimaging-sympo… We look forward to seeing you at IWSP7! On behalf of the local organizing committee Levin Kuhlmann, PhD David B. Grayden, PhD Mark J. Cook, MD Anthony N. Burkitt, PhD Dean R. Freestone, PhD Tatiana Kameneva, PhD Alan Lai, PhD Elma O'Sullivan-Greene, PhD Andre Peterson, BSc (hons) Email: organizingcommittee(a)iwsp7.org<mailto:organizingcommittee@iwsp7.org>

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Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience, Turin 7-9 sept 2015 (few places left)
by Alessandro Torcini June 12, 2015

June 12, 2015

Few places left for registration at SICC workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT to be held on September 07-09, 2015 in Turin, Italy Organizers: Fernando Corinto (Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy) and Alessandro Torcini (ISC-CNR, Florence, Italy) This workshop "Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT” offers an unique opportunity to meet researchers working across (and between) disciplines linked to Computational Neuroscience. In particular, computational neuroscients, neurophysiologists and neural engineers will have the opportunity to present their most recent results to a young audience, constituted mainly by PhD students, and to interact directly among them. The program ranges from nonlinear dynamical approaches to the understanding of neural computation to physiology, from the simulations of brain circuits to the development of engineering devices and platforms for neuromorphic computation. The speakers will be specifically advised to perform didactic presentations of their results in order to allow the active participation to the discussion of young PhD students from different disciplines as well as to researchers interested in the field of Computational Neuroscience. Specific poster sessions will be organized with the purpose on one side to allow the young participants to present their latest results and on the other side to increase the opportunity of networking among the participants and renowed experts of the discipline. This workshop represents the 10th of a series of tutorial workshops annually organized by the Italian Society of Chaos and Complexity (SICC) to explore the emergence of new research fields, where nonlinear dynamics and control theory can play a relevant role. These workshops have been traditionally devoted to an audience mainly constituted by PhD students or young researchers working in complex systems. A poster session will be running during all the event and aimed to let all the participants to present their recent results. More information on the workshop can be found in the web page: http://www.neuro-eng-comp.polito.it/workshop/ Confirmed invited speakers include Cristina Becchio (University of Turin, Italy) Ruben Moreno Bote (CIBERSAM - Barcelona, Spain) George Bourianov (Intel/University of Texas at Austin, USA) Emilio Carbone (University of Turin, Italy) Stephen Coombes (University of Nottingham, UK) Steve Furber (The University of Manchester, UK) Julius Georgiou (University of Cyprus, Cyprus) Viktor Jirsa (INSERM - Marseille, France) Luke P. Lee (UC Berkeley, USA) Stefano Luccioli (ISC CNR - Florence, Italy) Maurizio Mattia (ISS - Roma, Italy) Benedetto Sacchetti (University of Turin, Italy) Maria Sanchez-Vives (IDIBAPS - Barcelona, Spain) Ronald Tetzlaff (TU Dresden, Germany) The poster can be downloaded from here http://goo.gl/CDY0Eg The workshop is kindly supported by the: SICC - Italian Society for Chaos and Complexity, IEEE CASS Outreach 2015 Initiative, CRT Foundation, Marie Curie Initial Training project NETT - Neural Engineering Transformative Technologies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)

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Job posting: PhD Traineeship in the Dutch Research Consortium 'Language in Interaction'
by Lorenz, C.M. June 12, 2015

June 12, 2015

PhD Traineeship in the Dutch Research Consortium 'Language in Interaction' Maximum salary: € 2,717 gross/month Closing date: 05 July 2015, 23:59 CET More information: http://www.ru.nl/newstaff/vacaturebeschrijving?tk=uk&recid=556519 The Dutch research consortium 'Language in Interaction' invites applications for a 4-year PhD traineeship on the topic of computational cognitive models of psycholinguistic processes. You will carry out research as a member of one of the PI-groups of the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University under supervision of Dr. Stefan Frank. The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The research consortium 'Language in Interaction', sponsored by a large grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO), brings together many of the excellent research groups in the Netherlands with a research programme on the foundations of language. The consortium has representatives from seven universities and one research institute in the Netherlands. These are Radboud University (RU), University of Amsterdam (UvA), University of Maastricht (UM), Leiden University (LU), Utrecht University (UU), Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), Tilburg University (TiU), and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI). Excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition is combined with state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in complex research methods and utilization. Together, this consortium realizes both quality and critical mass for studying human language at a scale not easily found anywhere else in the world. The current position will be embedded in the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. This centre conducts research in an international setting. English is the lingua franca. Your graduate training will take place in the International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences. Click here for more information on this PhD position and how to apply. http://www.ru.nl/newstaff/vacaturebeschrijving?tk=uk&recid=556519

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postdoc in computational neuroscience
by Máté Lengyel June 12, 2015

June 12, 2015

Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Neuroscience University of Cambridge We are seeking a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow (research associate or senior research associate) to work jointly in the groups of Guillaume Hennequin and Mate Lengyel at the Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge (http://learning.eng.cam.ac.uk/) Our groups study dynamics and computation in neural circuits using a combination of approaches from dynamical systems, control theory, and statistical inference. The jointly led project will combine normative with bottom-up approaches to study the neural implementation of challenging computations. Areas of interest include balanced network dynamics, synaptic plasticity, and Bayesian inference. The successful candidate will have a strong analytical background and demonstrable interest in theoretical neuroscience. They should have or be close to completion of a PhD or equivalent in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning or a related field. Previous experience in computational neuroscience is not required, but preference will be given to candidates with sufficient programming skills to run numerical simulations, or expertise with neural network models, analysis of dynamical systems, and Bayesian techniques. The appointment will be for 1 year initially (extendable subject to funding) starting 1 October 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter. Salary depends on experience and is in the range £28,695 - £48,743 p.a. Further information: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/7261/ http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/7176/ For informal queries, please contact Guillaume Hennequin <g.hennequin(a)eng.cam.ac.uk> or Mate Lengyel <m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk>. Mate Lengyel -- Mate Lengyel, PhD Computational and Biological Learning Lab Cambridge University Engineering Department Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK tel: +44 (0)1223 748 532, fax: +44 (0)1223 765 587 email: m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk web: www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~m.lengyel

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PhD positions in language and sensorimotor cognition, Otago University, New Zealand
by Alistair Knott June 11, 2015

June 11, 2015

We are seeking applications for PhD positions in neural network modelling of human language: specifically, in developing neural network models of the interface between language and the sensorimotor system. Projects include modelling the interface between language and visual attention/visual object classification mechanisms, and modelling the interface between language and action execution/action perception mechanisms. The positions are based at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Otago in New Zealand, under the supervision of Alistair Knott and Lubica Benuskova. The department has an active neural networks programme, with five academic staff working in this area, and two more working in related areas of computer vision. The PhD projects relate to an ongoing project funded by the New Zealand Marsden fund, Does language mirror the structure of sensorimotor cognition?, funded by the New Zealand Marsden Fund. Otago University’s PhD scholarships are open to qualified students from any country, and cover both course fees and living expenses. To be considered for a PhD scholarship, applicants must have at least a four-year undergraduate degree in Computer Science. Applicants must also have a research project worth at least 25% of a full-time load in their final year, and must have an 'A' average or better in their final year of study. To be considered for the current PhD projects, applicants must also have some experience in Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics or Cognitive Science. If you have questions about the PhD projects, please contact Alistair Knott (alik(a)cs.otago.ac.nz) If you wish to apply for a PhD position, please email Alistair Knott (alik(a)cs.otago.ac.nz) attaching an electronic copy of your transcript for your Bachelor's degree. If you have a Master's degree, or are currently enrolled in one, please attach your Master's transcript (up to the present) and, if possible, an abstract of your thesis. If you have publications, please select your single best publication and send a PDF version of that, identifying the conference or journal that accepted it in sufficient detail to allow verification. **Kindly don't send zip files, as our antivirus software quarantines them.** The deadline for applications is June 30th. Otago University is in Dunedin, a university town on the South-East coast of New Zealand's South Island. Dunedin sits on a spectacular harbour, with unspoiled beaches for wildlife and surfing, and lies within a few hours' drive of Queenstown and Wanaka in the Southern Alps. For more information about Otago, Dunedin, and our department: - http://www.otago.ac.nz/ - http://www.otago.co.nz/ - http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/

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