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PhD position at the University of Exeter

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

Mathematical Modelling of Event-Related Potentials in Semantic Representation and Memory - Mathematics - EPSRC DTP funded PhD Studentship Ref: 2891 About the award This project is one of a number funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/>) Doctoral Training Partnership to commence in September 2018. This project is in direct competition with others for funding; the projects which receive the best applicants will be awarded the funding. The studentships will provide funding for a stipend which is currently £14,553 per annum for 2017-2018. It will provide research costs and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council UK rates for 42 months (3.5 years) for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students. Please note that of the total number of projects within the competition, up to 15 studentships will be filled. Supervisors Professor Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova<http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298> Location Streatham Campus, Exeter Project Description N400 is an event-related potential (ERP) component that tap into semantic representation and memory and is an important markers of cognitive function, hence valuable clinical tools for quantifying integrity of the semantic system in populations with semantic comprehension deficit including stroke survivors, patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or focal seizure disorders. Yet the neural origin of this component is largely unknown, which limits robustness of its measurement and clinical applicability. This project investigates the origin of N400, i.e., whether it emerges as a result of phase alignment in the ongoing oscillatory activity or as a result of an evoked neural activity. In the first stage of the project, the student will explore the neural dynamics of N400 by applying model-based data analysis and feature extraction to already collected in the second supervisor’s lab in Bristol human scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) data from healthy younger and older people responding to meaningful stimuli such as words, sentences or pictures of objects. This analysis will inform data-driven generative model(s) parameterization. In the second stage, the network models developed in stage 1 will be perturbed to identify the parameters (features) for conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The final stage of the project will aim to link the event-related response with the underlying induced and evoked activity and to further investigate this activity using learning in the model space approach. There is a potential to reveal therapeutic targets for stroke and TBI. Entry Requirements You should have or expect to achieve at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in applied mathematics, computer science, physics or engineering. Experience in biomedical engineering or experimental psychology is desirable. The majority of the studentships are available for applicants who are ordinarily resident in the UK and are classed as UK/EU for tuition fee purposes. If you have not resided in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the studentship, you are not eligible for a maintenance allowance so you would need an alternative source of funding for living costs. To be eligible for fees-only funding you must be ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU. For information on EPSRC residency criteria click here<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/>. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are NOT eligible for funding. International students interested in studying at the University of Exeter should search our funding database<http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/fundingsearch/> for alternative options. Summary Application deadline: 10th January 2018 Value: 3.5 year studentship: UK/EU tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate. Current rate of £14,553 per year. Duration of award: per year Contact: Doctoral College pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk> How to apply Apply now You will be required to upload the following documents: • CV • Letter of application outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project. • Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying. • If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English. For further details of the University’s English language requirements please see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/. The closing date for applications is midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 10 January 2018. Interviews will be held at the University of Exeter in late February 2018. If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email: pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk>. Project-specific queries should be directed to the supervisor. ________________________________ Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, T02.17 University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298

Dec. 2, 2017

PhD position at the University of Exeter

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

Developing Gaze Training for Skilled Upper-Limb Prosthetic Use - Mathematics - EPSRC DTP funded PhD Studentship Ref: 2892 About the award This project is one of a number funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/>) Doctoral Training Partnership to commence in September 2018. This project is in direct competition with others for funding; the projects which receive the best applicants will be awarded the funding. The studentships will provide funding for a stipend which is currently £14,553 per annum for 2017-2018. It will provide research costs and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council UK rates for 42 months (3.5 years) for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students. Please note that of the total number of projects within the competition, up to 15 studentships will be filled. Supervisors Professor Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova<http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298> Dr Gavin Buckingham<http://sshs.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Gavin_Buckingham> Dr Sam Vine<http://sshs.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Samuel_Vine> Professor Mark Wilson<http://sshs.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Mark_Wilson> Location Streatham Campus, Exeter Project Description Learning to use a prosthetic limb is inherently difficult and requires a huge amount of concentration. Like learning how to wield a new tool for the first time, amputees need to acquire the confidence and dexterity required for skilled action. In order to produce accurate goal-directed movements the motor system requires accurate and timely visual information making the timing and location of the person’s gaze, with relation to the movement of their limbs, critical for skilled behaviour. There is, however, no structured training protocol for use with prosthetic hands. We aim to develop a novel gaze training regime to facilitate the use of a prosthetic hand to skilfully interact with objects. In the first phase of the project, the student will undertake an observational study to determine what factors lead some individuals to become skilled with a prosthesis faster than others. We will test large numbers of intact (i.e., without amputation) participants learning to use a state-of-the-art myoelectric prosthetic arm simulator, which is controlled by muscle feedback but ergonomically designed to fit over the wrist of an intact hand. Participants will move objects of different of sizes and weights from one location to another with a range of precision requirements and in the presence of a range of obstacles. Over multiple sessions we will measure hand and object kinematics, fingertip forces, and eye path with a head-mounted eye tracker. We will then develop a data-driven mathematical model of the eye tracking and biomechanical performance data. Statistical analysis of the patterns of eye movement will provide new insights into the ‘signature’ of good performance using the prosthetic arm. The second phase will use the data from Project 1 to develop a training protocol that will adopt the ‘expert signatures’ from Phase 1 as a prototype for a trainee to follow. We will focus predominantly on the signature of expertise derived from the gaze behaviour measures and implement a gaze training protocol. We will then test the efficacy of this novel training regime with new set of intact participants using the prosthetic simulator, tracking their performance in comparison to individuals who will receive a sham training protocol. In the final phase of the project, the gaze training protocol will be used in a sample of upper-limb-amputees as they learn how to use their new prosthesis. As this stage of the project will not be limited to myoelectric prosthetic users, this will also allow us to test the generalizability of our training protocol. Entry Requirements You should have or expect to achieve at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in applied mathematics, computer science, physics or engineering. Experience in biomedical engineering or robotics is desirable. The majority of the studentships are available for applicants who are ordinarily resident in the UK and are classed as UK/EU for tuition fee purposes. If you have not resided in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the studentship, you are not eligible for a maintenance allowance so you would need an alternative source of funding for living costs. To be eligible for fees-only funding you must be ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU. For information on EPSRC residency criteria click here<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/>. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are NOT eligible for funding. International students interested in studying at the University of Exeter should search our funding database<http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/fundingsearch/> for alternative options. Summary Application deadline: 10th January 2018 Value: 3.5 year studentship: UK/EU tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate. Current rate of £14,553 per year. Duration of award: per year Contact: Doctoral College pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk> How to apply Apply now You will be required to upload the following documents: • CV • Letter of application outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project. • Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying. • If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English. For further details of the University’s English language requirements please see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/. The closing date for applications is midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 10 January 2018. Interviews will be held at the University of Exeter in late February 2018. If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email: pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk>. Project-specific queries should be directed to the supervisor. ________________________________ Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, T02.17 University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298

Dec. 2, 2017

PhD position at the University of Exeter

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

Understanding Emergent Complex Noisy Patterns in Biological Cells - Mathematics - EPSRC DTP funded PhD Studentship Ref: 2890 About the award This project is one of a number funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/>) Doctoral Training Partnership to commence in September 2018. This project is in direct competition with others for funding; the projects which receive the best applicants will be awarded the funding. The studentships will provide funding for a stipend which is currently £14,553 per annum for 2017-2018. It will provide research costs and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council UK rates for 42 months (3.5 years) for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students. Please note that of the total number of projects within the competition, up to 15 studentships will be filled. Supervisors Associate Professor Jan Sieber<http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/js543> Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova<https://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298> Dr Joel Tabak<http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?web_id=Joel_Tabak-Szn…> Location Streatham Campus, Exeter Project Description One of the most fascinating phenomena in nature is that small random disturbances can create systematic large-scale patterns of motion. Mathematically, this is described by the theory of nonlinear dynamics. One essential process governed by this theory is electrical signalling in animal and plant cells. Biological cells communicate with periodic or more complex patterns of electrical signals that underlie thinking, hormone release or muscle movement. These patterns are extremely sensitive to various types of noise present in cells such as rapid fluctuations and slow random drift. A general mathematical question is how precisely the different types of small noise perturbations influence the emergent patterns in nonlinear systems. Applications of the insights gained from mathematical analysis to understanding and controlling living cells would allow us to inform novel therapies for hormonal or neural disorders such as chronic stress response or essential tremor for example. Traditionally, mathematical modelling of cells has been applied to idealised, noise-free models. This funded PhD studentship will investigate how small noise drives and controls periodic and non-periodic patterns in general, and specifically in excitable cell models and experiments. The student will design a method to remove noise from emergent electrical patterns, using techniques from dynamical systems theory and feedback control theory. Joel Tabak (one of the project supervisors) has developed a proof of concept methodology for periodic patterns that is similar to what is used in noise-cancelling headphones, but uses concepts from dynamical systems to determine the perturbing noise. Being able to remove noise will allow us to compare the patterns in noisy and noise-free conditions. This will help scientists understanding how noise controls electrical patterns in many types of electrically active cells. The student will design further new methods for removing noise in mathematical models (ordinary differential equations) of electrically active cells. The PhD studentship will benefit from close collaboration with Joel Tabak’s neuroscience laboratory. This laboratory is able to perform experiments with live cells in real time using electrical signals in dynamic clamp experiments. Thus, the student will have the opportunity to immediately test how their methods perform in a real biological system, and use the experimental results as a guide to refine their methodology. By interacting with experimental researchers, the student will also gain important experience in working within a multidisciplinary scientific team. Depending on the student’s interests and progress during the PhD studentship, there will also be the opportunity to learn electrophysiology in order to record the electrical activity from live cells. This project would suit a student keen to 1) learn and apply new maths concepts (nonlinear dynamical systems, multi-scale analysis, stochastic processes); 2) interact with people from different scientific fields; and 3) present their results at national and international conferences. Entry Requirements You should have or expect to achieve at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in mathematics or a natural sciences or engineering programme with a strong quantitative component. Experience in nonlinear dynamics, mathematical biology or probability, and some programming experience are desirable. The majority of the studentships are available for applicants who are ordinarily resident in the UK and are classed as UK/EU for tuition fee purposes. If you have not resided in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the studentship, you are not eligible for a maintenance allowance so you would need an alternative source of funding for living costs. To be eligible for fees-only funding you must be ordinarily resident in a member state of the EU. For information on EPSRC residency criteria click here<https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/>. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are NOT eligible for funding. International students interested in studying at the University of Exeter should search our funding database<http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/fundingsearch/> for alternative options. Summary Application deadline: 10th January 2018 Value: 3.5 year studentship: UK/EU tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate. Current rate of £14,553 per year. Duration of award: per year Contact: Doctoral College pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk> How to apply Apply now You will be required to upload the following documents: • CV • Letter of application outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project. • Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying. • If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English. For further details of the University’s English language requirements please see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/. The closing date for applications is midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 10 January 2018. Interviews will be held at the University of Exeter in late February 2018. If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email: pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:pgrenquiries@exeter.ac.uk>. Project-specific queries should be directed to the supervisor. ________________________________ Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, T02.17 University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ________________________________ Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, T02.17 University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298

Dec. 2, 2017

NeuroMorpho.Org v7.3 released November 28th, 2017

by NeuroMorpho Administrator

Dear colleagues, We’re pleased to announce the November 28, 2017 release of Version 7.3 of NeuroMorpho.Org<http://neuromorpho.org/>, adding 9987 reconstructions from 96 new datasets. The repository now provides access to 80,012 cells and passed 8 million downloads in 166 countries. Please visit the What’s new page<http://neuromorpho.org/WIN.jsp> for details on the added data and metadata. The literature coverage was also updated to include publications through October 2017, with more than 1000 articles referencing data in this resource. We are continuously grateful to all data contributors<http://neuromorpho.org/acknowl.jsp#DC> who freely share their hard-won tracings with the community. We appreciate any and all feedback and comments. Our apologies if you receive multiple versions of this message through cross-listing. Sincerely, The NeuroMorpho.Org team<http://neuromorpho.org/acknowl.jsp#NMO> ---------------- Giorgio Ascoli<http://krasnow1.gmu.edu/cn3/ascoli>, PhD University Professor Bioengineering Department<http://bioengineering.gmu.edu/>, Volgenau School of Engineering<http://volgenau.gmu.edu/> Neuroscience Program<http://neuroscience.gmu.edu/>, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study<http://krasnow1.gmu.edu/> Director, Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, & Plasticity<http://krasnow1.gmu.edu/cn3> MS2A1 - George Mason University<http://gmu.edu/>, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 Ph. +1(703)993-4383/+1(703)673-8894 Author of “Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind<http://www.amazon.com/Trees-Brain-Roots-Giorgio-Ascoli/dp/0262028980/>” (MIT Press, 2015<http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/trees-brain-roots-mind>) Founding Editor-in-Chief, Neuroinformatics<http://link.springer.com/journal/12021>

Dec. 2, 2017

BECNC 2018 Conference

by Narges Chinichian

[Apologies for cross posting] Dear All I'm glad to announce that the "Brain Engineering & Computational Neuroscience Conference BECNC 2018" will be held on Jan 31 to Feb 2 in Tehran, Iran. Here is the link to register: https://becnc.ir/?page_id=452 <https://becnc.ir/?page_id=452> Keynote Speakers: Prof. Tipu Aziz (Oxford Univ., UK) Prof. Kenneth Miller (Columbia Univ., USA) Prof. Reza Shadmehr (JHU, USA) Prof. Pieter Roelfsema (NIN, Netherlands) Prof. Alexandre Pouget (Univ of Geneva) Prof. Susana Martinez-Conde (SUNY, USA) Prof. Susan J. Sara (College de France) Prof. Winrich Freiwald (Rockefeller Univ, USA) Prof. Gregor Rainer (Univ. of Fribourg, Switzerland) Prof. James Bisley (UCLA, USA) Prof. Qasim Zaidi (SUNY, USA) Prof. Yasser Roudi (NTNU, Norway) Prof. Valentin Dragoi (UT, USA) Prof. Frank Scharnowski (Univ. of Zürich, Switzerland) Prof. Alexander Thiele (Newcastle Univ., UK) Dr. Kamran Diba (Univ. of Michigan, USA) Dr. Ali Borji (UCF, USA) Dr. Qolamreza (Ray) Razlighi (Columbia Univ., USA) Dr. Morteza M. Goudarzi (MIT, USA) Dr. Koorosh Mirpour (UCLA, USA) Dr. Athena Akrami (Princeton Univ., USA) Dr. Yousef Salimpour (JHU, USA) Dr. Abbas Khani (Univ. of Geneva, Switzerland) see the complete list here: <http://goog_1578179254/> https://becnc.ir/?page_id=91 Dates & Deadlines: Abstract and full paper submission opening: November 4, 2017 Abstract submission deadline: January 10, 2018 Full paper submission deadline: January 11, 2018 Conference registration deadline: January 23, 2018 Late conference registration deadline (limited number): January 30, 2018 Main event: January 31 – February 2, 2018 There are also a workshop and a one-day course at the same time which you may like to attend. Find the details here: https://becnc.ir/?page_id=488 For more information, visit: https://becnc.ir/ Regards

Dec. 2, 2017

Data Engineer at Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute

by Rajendra Bose

Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute (Zuckerman Institute) is seeking a highly motivated individual with strong software engineering skills, some familiarity with machine learning, and an interest in neuroscience and teaching to facilitate data analysis and sharing across 10 laboratories <https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/columbia-s-zuckerman-institute-awar…> investigating the computational and circuit mechanisms underlying motor control. For more information and to apply, see: https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/data-engineer Thank you— Raj Rajendra Bose, Ph.D. Director, Research Computing Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Columbia University Tel: 212-851-2918 http://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu

Dec. 1, 2017

Real World Eye Tracking course 2018 - booking now open

by Durant, Szonya

We are pleased to announce that booking for the Real World Eye Tracking Course April 16 +17, 2018 at Royal Holloway, University of London, is now open. This course is supported by the BBSRC and is accredited by the Market Research Society (counting for 12h Continued Professional Development). It is run jointly by the Dept. of Psychology, Royal Holloway and Acuity Intelligence Ltd. Why do you need to know about eye tracking? >From glasses you can use almost anywhere to laptops with them built-in and now augmented and virtual reality headsets - eye tracking is everywhere! But not all eye trackers are created equal, and to get the best out of this technology you need look around. Whether for simply knowing where a person looks or understanding cognitive states in high pressure environments, this is a technology you can't afford to ignore. Why we run this course We believe you need some theoretical background to get the most out of eye-tracking, but we also recognise the value that comes from the hands-on experience of designing, running and analysing real studies. Our aim is to give you the confidence to dive in and save you from drowning when you do! No other course offers this range of cutting edge multi-platform systems in one place, without a sales-person in sight! Try things out, and see the results for yourself. What you will learn How to justify your use of eye tracking methods and understand the evidence they provide Where to find further information when running your own projects How to choose the right tools and begin running your own project How to get the most out of your research through good design and great analysis Course content The course contains a mix of interactive lectures and small team project work supervised by an expert in the field. All attendees will experience running an eye tracking project from start to finish. You will also get to chat with experts and develop a feel for issues, independent of hardware and software platforms, from various research applications. Please see further details on https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/research/eyetracking.aspx or book directly on https://www.eventbrite.com/e/real-world-eye-tracking-course-tickets-3969635… Please note, places often sell out quickly! We look forward to welcoming you in April! Best wishes Szonya Durant (RHUL) Tim Holmes (AI Ltd) ********************************************************************** Szonya Durant Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX 01784 276522

Nov. 27, 2017

Postdoctoral Researcher at MPI Leipzig

by Thomas Knoesche

Dear colleagues, the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI-CBS, Leipzig, Germany) in seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher for a period of 3 years. The position is part of a collaboration between the Pompeu Fabra University at Barcelona, (G. Deco) and the MPI-CBS (A.D. Friederici, A. Anwander, T.R. Knösche), entitled "The Dynamic Connectome Underlying Language in the Brain" financed by the DFG priority program “Computational Connectomics”. You will work in a multidisciplinary team of computational and cognitive neuroscientists, imaging experts, biomedical engineers, neurologists, etc. The MPI-CBS offers excellent research facilities and prime imaging equipment (including 7T and CONNECTOM scanners). Project Description The neural language network is well described by systematic neuroscientific studies and may serve as an example for large scale cognitive networks within the human connectome. Important parameters of dynamic network models concern the structural/effective connectivity between brain areas. These connections are realized by bundles of axons with variable density, myelination status, and diameters. This results in complex transfer behavior, which is likely to have a profound influence onto the dynamics of the entire network. We plan to (i) establish a mathematical model for the transfer function between brain areas through fiber bundles, (ii) parameterize this model with individually measured white matter microstructure (acquired partly using novel high-gradient MR technology – CONNECTOM) and general data from the literature, (iii) incorporate this model into a dynamic network model (iv) explore the effect of the parameters onto the dynamics of canonical network architectures, (v) validate the model with electrophysiological calibration experiments, and (vi) use it to establish relations between language function and microstructural properties of brain tissue. The successful applicant should have a strong background in Computational Neuroscience, preferably including a PhD thesis in that area. Experience with modeling dynamic systems in neuroscience is necessary. A fair degree of neurobiological and neuroimaging understanding will be an advantage. Remuneration is based on the payscale of the Max Planck Society. The Max Planck society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Please submit your application via our online system at http://www.cbs.mpg.de/vacancies (using subject heading “PD 24/17”). Closing date for applications is December 15th, 2017. Contact for informal enquiries regarding the post: PD Dr.habil. Thomas R. Knösche (knoesche(a)cbs.mpg.de) For more information about the group see: http://www.cbs.mpg.de/methods-and-development-groups/meg-and-cortical-netwo… -- --- PD Dr.habil. Thomas R. Knösche Group Leader Research group "Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions" Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Phone: +49 341 9940-2619 Fax: +49 341 9940 2624 Email: knoesche(a)cbs.mpg.de http://www.cbs.mpg.de/~knoesche

Nov. 27, 2017

[WCCI 2018 Special Session] Interpretable Deep Learning Classifiers

by Teng Teck Hou

[Apologies for cross-postings] Special Session on Interpretable Deep Learning Classifiers IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence 8 - 13 July 2018, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil www.ieee-wcci.org Chairs: Plamen P. Angelov, Lancaster University, UK p.angelov(a)lancaster.ac.uk Jose C. Principe, University of Florida, principe(a)cnel.ufl.edu Synopsis: Deep Learning is becoming a synonym of highly precise (reaching or surpassing capabilities of a human) computational intelligence technique. Very interesting and important results were reported recently in both scientific literature and also grabbed the imagination of the wider public and industry helping propel the interest towards AI, neural networks, machine learning. It was applied mostly to solve classification problems in image processing, but also for predictive tasks in speech processing and other problems. Despite the undoubted success in achieving high precision and avoiding handcrafting in feature selection a number of issues remain unresolved, such as: i) transparency and interpretability; ii) the requirement for extremely large training data set, computational resources and time; iii) overfitting and catastrophic failures with high confidence in some cases; iv) convergence proof for the case of reinforcement learning; v) rigid structure unable to be adapted/to dynamically evolve with new samples and/or new classes; vi)repeatability of the results. Methodologically, the vast majority of the techniques of this hot and quickly developing area are based exclusively on neural networks (convolutional, belief based, etc.). Very recently publications appear where the deep learning (multi-layer) architecture with different levels of abstraction is build based on fuzzy rulebased systems or fuzzy sets are used to represent coefficients/weights in Restricted Bolzman Machines, etc. The aim of the special session is to address the bottleneck issues listed above and discuss and represent alternative and most recent methods, techniques and approaches that can help resolve these issues. The specific sub-topics that will be of interest include: * Interpretable/Transparent Deep Learning * Computational and time complexity/efficiency of Deep Learning Methods * Repeatability of the results of Deep Learning Methods * Degree of confidence in the results of Deep Learning * Highly Parallelisable Deep Learning Methods * Deep Learning with proven convergence * Re-trainability and dynamically evolving structures/architectures for Deep Learning * Ensembles of Deep Learning Classifiers * Fuzzy Deep Rule-based Classifiers * Self-adaptive and Self-organising Deep Learning Architectures Also applications to: * Computer Vision * Image Classification * Robotics * Remote Sensing * Biology and Tomography * Surveillance and Defense * Industry 4.0 * Assistive Technologies and Digital Health Important dates: * Paper Submission Deadline 15 January, 2018 * Paper acceptance notification date 15 March, 2018 * Final paper submission deadline 1 May, 2018 Conference: 8-13 July, 2018 Submission Guidelines: Please follow the regular submission guidelines of WCCI 2018. Please notify the chairs of your submission by sending an email to: p.angelov(a)lancaster.ac.uk or principe(a)cnel.ufl.edu This special session is supported by the IEEE Task Forces on Deep Learning http://deeplearning.math.unipd.it/ and on Evolving and Adaptive Fuzzy Systems, http://www.caos.inf.uc3m.es/aefs/

Nov. 23, 2017

University of Sussex 4-year PhD Programme in Neuroscience

by Miguel Maravall

Dear comp-neuro colleagues, We are now inviting applications for the PhD Programme in Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, for entry in September 2018. Could you please kindly distribute to interested students - we are very interested in applications from students with quantitative (physical sciences/computing/math) backgrounds. Thank you Best wishes Miguel Maravall University of Sussex 4-year PhD Programme in Neuroscience Sussex Neuroscience is now inviting applications for September 2018 entry to our funded PhD Programme, which includes a first year of laboratory rotations and taught modules. These support a transition into neuroscience from other science disciplines such as physics and computing, and provide students with the opportunity to both broaden and deepen their experience of different neuroscience fields and techniques. More than 40 supervisors are offering research projects across the following thematic areas: Circuits, Systems and Computational Neuroscience Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Translational and Clinical Neuroscience Application Deadline: January 8th 2018 The Sussex campus is home to one of the largest neuroscience research communities in the UK, with strong interdisciplinary interactions between the biological and computational sciences. Our PhD Programme attracts some of the brightest students internationally. Home/EU fees are waived and a stipend is provided. We also welcome applications from non-EU students; we are able to contribute top-up funds to exceptional international students who have secured external funding. All students on the Programme can access financial support to attend conferences and additional training opportunities in the UK and overseas throughout their PhD. For further information and application instructions, please visit: www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience/study/4yearphd<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience/study/4yearphd>

Nov. 22, 2017

a fantastic post-doc opportunity in the University of Cambridge

by Julija Krupic

Dear All, I am looking for talented and highly motivated researchers interested in studying how hippocampal spatial representations are generated and used for navigation. If you are interested please contact me directly krupiclab.com or apply here: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BFR632/research-assistant-associate/ Best, Julija

Nov. 22, 2017

2018 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop Call for Topic Proposals: Deadline 21.12.2017

by elisabetta chicca

The call for 2018 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop Call for Topic Proposals is now open. The 2018 theme for the workshop is * Embodied Perception and Cognition*. Deadline for proposals is *21.12.2017*. See the call here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11tdwIIcJ75NagH5ENyQrG05z2pGKEt9EGRTOSWB… We look forward to your proposals. Regards, The 2018 Telluride Workshop Organizing Team -- Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Chicca CITEC - Bielefeld University Inspiration 1 33619 Bielefeld - Germany Tel.: +49 521 106-12043 Fax : +49 521 106-12348

Nov. 22, 2017

Postdoctoral position in Human Single Unit and Intracranial EEG to study Human Memory

by Zaghloul, Kareem (NIH/NINDS) [E]

Hi, I would like to post the following advertisement for an available post-doc position to the comp-neuro listserv. If you could help me with that, I would appreciate it. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thank you for your help, Kareem Kareem A. Zaghloul, MD, PhD Surgical Neurology Branch National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH Bldg 10, Rm. 3D20 10 Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-1414 O: 301-594-8114 F: 301-402-0380 The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is seeking a full-time post-doctoral position focused on understanding the neural correlates of human memory. This position involves studies focused on analyzing and manipulating human intracranial electrophysiological signals, including single-unit activity, local field potentials, and electrocorticography (ECoG), captured from patients with medically refractory epilepsy and from patients receiving deep brain stimulation surgery. Post-doctoral fellows will join a laboratory aimed at understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie human episodic memory formation and decision making and at developing novel and innovative techniques to directly communicate with those circuits. We are seeking candidates that are highly creative, motivated, and independent with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field. Candidates must have a strong research background, with a record of relevant publications. Candidates will be encouraged and expected to participate in independent laboratory research, and will be expected to write scholarly manuscripts. Candidates must be able to lead and work well in a team. Candidates should have strong computational, quantitative, and/or engineering skills, with proficiency in developing custom code (Matlab, Python, etc.) for data analysis preferred. Past medical research is not required, but candidates must be willing to perform experiments in a clinical setting. Candidates will interact with clinical staff, graduate students, research fellows, and must have excellent spoken and written English skills. Applicants who will be attending either the Society for Neuroscience (Washington, DC), or American Epilepsy Society (Washington, DC) conferences can arrange for a meeting with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Kareem Zaghloul. Applicants should submit a brief statement of research activities and interests, a current CV, and names and contact information of at least three references. Salary will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments. To arrange a meeting with the PI and to send materials required for consideration for this appointment please contact Dr. Zaghloul at: zaghloulka(a)mail.nih.gov<mailto:zaghloulka@mail.nih.gov> NIH, an agency of DHHS, is an equal opportunity employer. All employees are subject to background investigation.

Nov. 22, 2017

[jobs] Fully funded MS/PhD student positions in Data Science, Bio-inspired Robotics, and Neural Engineering at IST, VISTEC, Thailand

by Poramate Manoonpong

Dear Colleagues, The School of Information Science and Technology (IST) at Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Thailand, welcomes all applicants for our international Master's and Doctoral degree program. Our school offers a competitive, English language, interdisciplinary, world-class PhD training and research program in Information Science and Technology. We have 20 fully funded Master and PhD student positions. Our program includes 2-years MS, 5-years MS+PhD, and 3-years PhD options. The students will be formally affiliated with the Master/PhD program at IST, VISTEC, Thailand. They will have the opportunity to develop new algorithms and research ideas and perform experiments on real hardware, e.g., High performance computing, Advanced robotic systems, Exoskeleton, and Brain computer interface systems. Our basic research under the IST umbrella focuses on main areas: Data Science, Cloud/HPC, IOT, Bio-inspired Robotics, and Neural Engineering. Data Science and Engineering (Large-Scale Analytics, Data Engineering, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning): We address various scalability issues in machine learning, data mining, database query processing. We are especially interested in developing solutions for machine learning problems with an extremely large number of classes and a scalable system for managing and storing various forms of high-dimensional data. Our application domains include (but not limited to) natural language processing, time series data management, geospatial data mining, business intelligence, IoT data analytics, and health data analytics. Bio-inspired robotics: We address how to develop brain-like mechanisms for adaptive motor control and autonomous learning of embodied multi-sensorimotor robotic systems (i.e., bio-inspired robots, exoskeleton). We also transfer the developed mechanisms (BRAIN technology) to application areas like human-machine interaction, brain-machine interface, and rehabilitation (see www.brain.vistec.ac.th<http://www.brain.vistec.ac.th/> for more details). Neural Engineering: We address an investigation of closed-loop EEG-based Brain Computer Interface (BCI) helps bridge the gap in communication between man and machine. Understanding patterns of brain activity from basic neuroscience research will help engineering to optimize the BCI system that could be applied in the real-world environment. Advanced signal processing techniques and pattern recognition methods such as machine learning, artificial neural network, and deep learning can improve the efficiency of BCI by increasing information transfer rate and accuracy. Ultimately, research based on BCI could lead to the development of novel tools used in both clinical and healthy populations (see www.brain.vistec.ac.th<http://www.brain.vistec.ac.th/> for more details). Financial Support: This studentship includes 1) fee bursary to cover the tuition fee rate 2) a maintenance allowance during the study, 3) grant of 1 Million Bath scholarship for international research experience. Person Specification: The successful applicant from any nationality will have a strong undergraduate (first class or upper second class) and/or Master's degree in 1) Science (Physics, Mathematics, Computer and related fields) 2)Engineering (Computer, Mechanical, Electrical, Robotics, and related fields) 3) Applied Science (Information Technology, ICT, Machine Learning, and related fields) Applicants with excellent programming and analytical/mathematical skills as well as expertise and research interests lying at the intersection of Data science, Bio-inspired Robotics, and Neural Engineering are particularly welcome to apply. Applicants from non-English speaking countries will need to satisfy English language entry requirements. Application Documents: 1. CV 2. Official Transcripts 3. Statement of Purpose/ Statement of research interest Optional: 4. Letters of recommendation 5. English test score (TOEFL, IELTS, or other tests) 6. Publications, awards & honors 7. Portfolio and other relevant documents Applications should be submitted online by January 31st , 2018. http://www.vistec.in.th/admission/form.php http://www.vistec.in.th/admission/ For further information or questions please contact Box Leangsuksun E-mail: chokchai.l(a)vistec.ac.th<mailto:chokchai.l@vistec.ac.th> Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, Wangchan Valley 555 Moo1 Payupnai, Wangchan, Rayong 21210 Thailand Tel: +6633-01-4116 Website of VISTEC: http://www.vistec.ac.th<http://www.vistec.ac.th/>

Nov. 21, 2017

Multiple academic positions in Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory, Ulster University

by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt

Several academic positions in data analytics, including neuroinformatics, are available at Ulster University. They range from Lecturership (Assistant Professorship equivalent) to (Full) Professorship. The application deadline is 8 December 2017. Best, KongFatt Wong-Lin https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/k-wong-lin ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Professor of Data Analytics (2 posts)<https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTY5MTM4MCZ2dF90…> http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BFM233/professor-of-data-analytics-2-posts/ Readers/Senior Lecturers in Data Analytics (3 posts)<https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTY5MTM4MSZ2dF90…> http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BFM247/reader-senior-lecturer-in-data-analytics-3… Lecturers in Data Analytics (3 posts)<https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTY5MTM4NCZ2dF90…> http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BFM258/lecturer-in-data-analytics/ Ulster University – Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory, Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment An exciting opportunity to contribute to internationally recognised research and help shape the future of data analytics. Ulster is a university in the top 3% globally, where excellence in teaching is underpinned by world-leading research. Ranked as one of the world’s top 150 young universities and in the top 25% of UK universities for overall research, Ulster is ambitious, forward-thinking and outward-looking. Our new Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory is Northern Ireland’s first data analytics institute. It is a £4 million investment that brings together businesses, government and advanced academic research expertise to find innovative application areas for cognitive analytics techniques. It is part of an exciting programme of investment in new infrastructure and initiatives driven by a five-year strategic vision to deliver a university that is sustainable and innovative with a strong international reputation. Ulster has a long history of expertise in data analytics in both machine learning algorithms and the application of analytical techniques across a diverse range of domains including Health and Neuroinformatics. We are seeking to appoint talented and creative people with a genuine passion for their work, who will deliver outstanding research and teaching that encourages innovation, leadership and vision. The appointment is permanent and is open to applications from individuals or teams. Location: Magee campus, Derry~Londonderry. Attractive reward package including a competitive starting salary, pension scheme and financial assistance with relocation. Closing date for applications: 8 December 2017. For more information about this opportunity visit: www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs<http://www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs> ------------------------------------------------ This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

Nov. 21, 2017

Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience and machine learning

by Maxim Bazhenov

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research position in the laboratory of Dr. Maxim Bazhenov at the University of California, San Diego to develop neuroscience inspired machine learning algorithms capable of continual learning and adapting to the novel situations and contexts.This project involves close collaboration with the experimental laboratory of Dr. Bruce McNaughton (UC Irvine). The ultimate goal of the work is to advance the knowledge of how human and animal brains learn from experience and apply these principles to the artificial systems to enable continuous learning without catastrophic forgetting. The successful candidate will collaborate with a team of researchers to design neural network models of dynamic interactions between the hippocampus and neocortex during learning and memory consolidation based on experimental data. These models will be used to derive learning principles that can be combined with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. An ideal candidate should have experience in computational/theoretical neuroscience and a basic knowledge of machine learning, or, alternatively, experience in machine learning algorithms and some basic knowledge ofneuroscience. Experience with hierarchical learning, reinforcement learning, and/or goal-directed decision-making would be particularly helpful. The University of California offers excellent benefits. Salary is based on research experience. Applicants should send a brief statement of research interests, a CV and the names of three references to Maxim Bazhenov at mbazhenov(a)ucsd.edu -- Maxim Bazhenov, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Medicine, Neurosciences Graduate Program, UCSD, School of Medicine http://www.bazhlab.ucsd.edu/

Nov. 20, 2017

NEST Conference 2017 --- Register NOW!

by Dennis Terhorst

Dear all! Coming up mid of December the community of NEST users and developers will meet to discuss neuroscientific work with NEST and the status and future of simulation technology on the NEST Conference 2017 to be held on 19/20 December 2017 (Tuesday/Wednesday, lunch to lunch) at Haus Overbach in Barmen near Jülich, Germany. After our very successful and stimulating meeting in Karlsruhe last November, we are greatly looking forward to 24 hours filled with presentations and discussions of NEST applications to computational neuroscience and neurorobotics projects and NEST technology development. You are cordially invited to contribute to the program with your contribution! We are grateful to the Human Brain Project Outreach Programme and Education Programme for financial support. Important deadlines: - 19 November 2017: Extended deadline for submission of contribution - 26 November 2017: Extended deadline for registrations For details, contribution submission and registration, please see https://indico-jsc.fz-juelich.de/event/52/overview We are looking forward to seeing you all in December! best, Dennis Terhorst -- Dipl.-Phys. Dennis Terhorst Coordinator Software Development Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Theoretical Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Jülich Research Centre, Member of the Helmholz Association and JARA 52425 Jülich, Germany Building 15.22 Room 4004 Phone +49 2461 61-85062 Fax +49 2461 61- 9460 d.terhorst(a)fz-juelich.de

Nov. 17, 2017

Postdoc position in systems/computational neuroscience (retina)

by Philipp Berens

Dear all, Thomas Euler and I have a postdoc position available. Applications are sought for a Postdoc position for a collaborative project in the groups of Thomas Euler and Philipp Berens at the Institute for Ophthalmic Research , the CIN, and the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) of the University of Tübingen. The project is part of the DFG Priority Programme „Computational Connectomics” (SPP 2041). The goal of the project is to combine functional imaging of excitatory and inhibitory signals with computational modeling based on connectomics data from electron microscopy to study the role of amacrine cell circuits in the retina. The candidate for the position ... must have a PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. neuroscience) must have experimental skills ideally in functional 2P imaging, alternatively in electrophysiology has a strong background in neuroscience at the circuit or systems level, ideally in the visual system is proficient in modern programming languages (i.e. Python) is experienced in data analysis. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, independent, and able to learn quickly, is proficient in English verbal and written communication and has strong problem-solving skills. What we offer The positions is available immediately, with funding for 3 years and possible extension depending on further funding. The postdoc will work embedded in an highly collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, providing ample possibilities for career development. Applications should include a CV, a statement of research motivation and experience, and the names of at least two referees. Please compile your application in one single PDF-file and email it to positions(a)eulerlab.org. Further details: http://eulerlab.de/positions/ -- PD Dr. Philipp Berens (Group Leader) University of Tübingen Institute for Ophthalmic Research http://www.berenslab.org phone: +49-7071-2988833

Nov. 17, 2017

ICMNS 2018: Call for Contribution

by Etienne Tanre

We are delighted to announce the 4th International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS 2018), to be held at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins, on the French Riviera. Tutorials will be held on June 10, and the main conference is June 11 - June 13. More details are given on the conference website: https://icmns2018.inria.fr <https://icmns2018.inria.fr/> The International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience will provide a forum for researchers to discuss current mathematical innovations emerging in neuroscience. A major aim of the conference is to attract and train young researchers on current methods in mathematical neuroscience. To fulfill this goal, we will hold a tutorial the day before the main meeting. The main conference will feature a broader set of topics in mathematical neuroscience, with a focus on (a) the use of experimental data in modeling studies; (b) theory and models that explore hypotheses and design better experiments; (c) rigorous mathematical models of neural systems; (d) improved methods for analyzing complex data sets. Abstract Submission: We encourage abstract submission by researchers from all areas of mathematical neuroscience. One page abstracts will be reviewed by the Program Committee and divided into parallel talk sessions and poster sessions. Details will be given on the web site <https://icmns2018.inria.fr/>. The abstract submission <http://icmns2018.inria.fr/submission/> deadline is January 23, 2018. Student Awards: We offer student awards. To apply, students must submit an abstract and include a current CV as part of their submitted document in Easychair <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icmns2018>. Program Committee Daniele Avitabile (Univ. of Nottingham, UK) Nicolas Brunel (Duke Univ., USA) Carina Curto (Pennsylvania State Univ., USA) Rodica Curtu (Univ. of Iowa, USA) Mathieu Desroches (Inria Sophia-Antipolis, France) Lubomir Kostal (Inst. of Physiology, Czech Republic) Carlo Laing (Massey Univ., New Zealand) Benjamin Lindner (Bernstein C. for Comp. Neuroscience Berlin, Germany) Eva Löcherbach (Univ. Cergy-Pontoise, France) André Longtin (Univ. Ottawa, Canada) Jeff Moehlis (Univ. California Santa Barbara, USA) Hiroya Nakao (Tokyo Instit. of Technology, Japan) Patricia Reynaud Bouret (Univ Nice, France) Alex Roxin (CRM Barcelona, Spain) Delphine Salort (Univ Pierre et Marie Curie, France) Wilhelm Stannat (TU Berlin, Germany) Denis Talay (Inria Sophia-Antipolis, France) Michèle Thieullen (Univ Pierre et Marie Curie, France) Martin Wechselberger (Univ Sydney, Australia) Advisory Board Paul Bressloff (Univ. of Utah, USA) Evelyn Buckwar (JKU Linz, Austria) Stephen Coombes (Univ. of Nottingham, UK) Olivier Faugeras (Inria Sophia Antipolis, France) Julijana Gjiorgjieva (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany) Zachary Kilpatrick (Univ. of Colorado Boulder, USA) Robert Rosenbaum (Univ. of Notre Dame, USA) Romain Veltz (Inria Sophia Antipolis, France) We hope to see you in Juan les Pins this June! All the best, Susanne Ditlevsen Bard Ermentrout Etienne Tanré

Nov. 16, 2017

Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Human Neuroimaging

by Sylvia Morelli

The Empathy and Social Connection Lab <http://www.morellilab.com/> at the University of Illinois at Chicago (PI: Sylvia Morelli) has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow to begin any time between January to July 2018. The postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to work on neuroimaging research related to empathy, prosociality, social networks, well-being, loneliness, and depression (including collaborative projects with the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab <http://ssnl.stanford.edu/>). Successful applicants should have a PhD in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, statistics/biostatistics, mathematics, or a related field. They should also have a strong background in programming, statistics, and the design and analysis of fMRI experiments, as well as excellent communication and organizational skills. Experience with computational neuroscience techniques — such as multivariate pattern analysis, prospective prediction, machine learning, effective connectivity, or connectomics/graph theory — is a bonus, but not a requirement. The position will be fully funded for at least 2 years with the potential for a longer-term position. We will review applications beginning December 10, until the position is filled. Applicants should send a CV, a statement describing research interests and experience (maximum: 1 page), and contact information for two references to Sylvia Morelli (smorelli(a)uic.edu <mailto:smorelli@uic.edu>).

Nov. 16, 2017

PhD position in neural coding

by Matthew Chalk

PhD position in theoretical neuroscience, at the Vision Institute in Paris, France: Description: Applications are invited for a fully funded 3-year PhD studentship with Matthew Chalk, at the Vision Institute (www.institut-vision.org/en/ <http://www.institut-vision.org/en/>), within the University of Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC), in Paris, France,. The project will involve investigating neural coding in the retina. Specifically, it will ask how neurons achieve diverse goals, such as optimising efficiency or making predictions about the future. The PhD will include both a theoretical and an experimental component. The theoretical part will extend work by Chalk et al. to develop a general theory of neural coding (Chalk et al. NIPS 2016, Chalk et al. bioArxiv 2016). The experimental part, where we will test this theory in the retina, will be in close collaboration with the lab of Olivier Marre, who have developed techniques for recording from hundreds of retinal ganglion cells simultaneously (e.g. Marre et al. PLoS Comp. 2015). The Vision Institute is a stimulating environment for brain research. It brings together in a single building researchers, clinicians and industrial partners in order to discover, test and develop treatments and technological innovations for the benefit of visually impaired patients. The ideal candidate should have a strong quantitative background, with a masters degree in fields such as physics, computer science or computational neuroscience. Applications should include a CV, a short letter of motivation (max 1 page), and letter of recommendation. The earliest starting date is January 2018. Electronic submissions should be sent to Matthew Chalk (matthewjchalk(a)gmail.com <mailto:matthewjchalk@gmail.com>). Feel free to ask any informal questions if you are interested.

Nov. 16, 2017

Deadline Approaching: Theoretical/Statistical Neuroscience Faculty Openings at Columbia

by Allison Ong

Dear Colleague, This is a friendly reminder that *Dec 1, 2017 *is the deadline for Columbia's search for *two faculty positions in Theoretical and Statistical Neuroscience.* We would appreciate it if you could forward the information below or the flier attached to any interested candidates. The link to apply is: academicjobs.columbia.edu/ applicants/Central?quickFind=65051 Thanks and Best Wishes, Larry Abbott and Liam Paninski *Two Junior Faculty Position in Theoretical / Statistical Neuroscience* The Department of Neuroscience, the Department of Statistics, and the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University invite applications for two tenure-track positions at the Assistant or Associate Professor level, to begin in 2018. One position will focus on theoretical neuroscience with an appointment in the Department of Neuroscience. The other position will focus on the application of statistics to neuroscience with an appointment in the Department of Statistics. Both positions will include appointments as well as office and laboratory space in the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience and the Grossman Center of the Statistics of Mind within the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute housed in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center at Columbia. The Zuckerman Institute brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds whose research focuses on brain function, wiring, and development. We are seeking dynamic scientists interested in exploiting this multidisciplinary environment by interacting with Zuckerman Institute faculty as well as with others in the Columbia neuroscience, biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and machine learning communities, including the Data Science Institute. Zuckerman Institute faculty will function as full members of their home departments: tenure will be granted by the home department and faculty will contribute to teaching in their home departments and the Zuckerman Institute. Candidates will be expected to show expertise and an ability to lead a research program in theoretical and/or statistical neuroscience. Applicants are expected to have a strong record of scientific achievement and to demonstrate the ability to engage in innovative research and teaching. Applicants should hold a PhD in neuroscience, statistics, or a related area. Applications should be submitted through this link: academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=65051 The following documents should be uploaded with your application: cover letter, CV, research plan, teaching statement, three letters of reference or a listing of at least three references that can be contacted, and the inclusion of one or two publications. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. We will start to evaluate applications on December 1, 2017. Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer --Race/Gender/Disability/Veteran.

Nov. 15, 2017

Call for SMARTSTART Applications

by Smart Start Coordination Office

Ready for a SMARTSTART into Computational Neuroscience? We invite first and second-year Master students with a background in related fields to apply to our joint training program SMARTSTART. The program aims at complementing previous studies with concepts, theories and techniques of Computational Neuroscience. SMARTSTART consists of two programs. Both of them last one year each and take place at numerous locations of the Bernstein Network and further locations throughout Germany. SMARTSTART 1 provides financial support to then second-year Master students, allowing them to attend supplementary courses and training visits at participating institutions. Students will receive an experienced faculty mentor who will advise and guide them at this educational stage. SMARTSTART 2 provides fully funded positions for pre-PhD students. At the start of the program, these students will have already obtained their Master´s degree and are in the process of selecting a PhD project. SMARTSTART 2 allows them to elaborate their own PhD proposal as a collaborative project between two labs. This comprises exchange visits as well as voluntary attendance of lectures and courses offered by participating institutions. Both SMARTSTART programs will commence the next round in the winter term 2018/19. The Deadline for application is Wednesday, February 28, 2018. More information can be found on our website: www.smartstart-compneuro.de<http://www.smartstart-compneuro.de/> Best regards, Kathrin Hebert -- Coordination Office Smart Start - Joint Training Program in Computational Neuroscience Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9593 mail: smartstart(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:smartstart@fz-juelich.de> web: www.nncn.de<http://www.nncn.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany<https://twitter.com/NNCN_Germany> YouTube: Bernstein TV<https://www.youtube.com/user/BernsteinNetwork> Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.facebook.com/BernsteinNetwork/> LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nov. 15, 2017

Princeton Intensive Summer School in Neuroscience

by Carlos Brody

** Princeton Intensive Summer School in Neuroscience ** We want to bring to your attention an intensive 4-week summer course, Cellular, Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience (C3N), designed to introduce physicists, mathematicians, engineers and computer scientists to the major questions and techniques of modern neuroscience, with a special emphasis in both lecture and laboratory components on modern recording and analysis methods, ranging from large scale electrode and optical recording (and optogenetic stimulation) to mathematical analysis of neural dynamics within the datasets produced by these methods. The course and application are described in detail at http://C3N.princeton.edu. Senior graduate students or postdoctoral fellows are particularly appropriate candidates for the C3N course. Grants from the NIMH and the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation allow us to meet the full financial needs of all admitted students. The application deadline is Feb. 1 2018. http://C3N.princeton.edu David Tank, Michael Berry and Alan Gelperin, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Nov. 14, 2017

Call for Applications - 2018 Nengo Summer School

by Peter Blouw

[All details about this school can be found online at https://www.nengo.ai/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce a special version of our annual Nengo summer school that will host the* first public access* to *Braindrop*, a new mixed analog-digital neuromorphic chip developed in collaboration with Stanford and Yale. In addition to introducing Braindrop, this two-week school will teach participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems, and has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1]. Nengo is also being used to program a variety of state-of-the-art neuromorphic chips, including Braindrop! For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/4tVUkQ We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/files/publications/eliasmith.2012.pdf] Application Deadline: February 15, 2018 *Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware - build perceptual, motor, and cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more... *Date and Location:* June 3th to June 15th, 2018 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (peter.blouw(a)appliedbrainresearch.com) We look forward to hearing from you!

Nov. 14, 2017

PhD position: Calcium signalling in the C. elegans brain

by Melanie Stefan

PhD position: Using C. elegans and computational modelling to understand the mechanisms governing calcium signalling in the brain A BBSRC-funded PhD position is available at the University of Edinburgh, in a joint project between the Busch lab and the Stefan lab. The project involves studying Calcium signalling in the C. elegans brain, using both experimental methods (genetics, behavioural assays, functional neuronal imaging) and computational modelling. Full funding is available for UK or EU citizens who have been resident in the UK for 3 years prior to commencement. Further details and instructions on how to apply are available here: https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=89850 The application deadline is 4 December 2017. If you wish to discuss the project, contact Emanuel Busch (Emanuel.Busch(a)ed.ac.uk) or Melanie Stefan (melanie.stefan(a)ed.ac.uk) -- Melanie I Stefan, PhD Edinburgh-Zhejiang Lecturer University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK, EH8 9XD http://melaniestefan.net

Nov. 14, 2017

Job Posting: Computational Neuroscience Applications Engineer

by Christian Rössert

Dear Colleagues, INAIT is seeking a permanent and full-time Computational Neuroscience Applications Engineer INAIT is a spin-off from the Blue Brain Project that will leverage 12 years of experience on brain modeling and simulation to build the next generation AI systems. INAIT has a unique position in knowledge of brain structure and function, advanced software ecosystems, and an advanced team of scientists and engineers. We expect to radically innovate on current AI systems to more easily capture diverse brain-like capabilities. Send your cover letter and CV to contact(a)inait.ai Job description *Major duties and responsibilities:* - Contribute to the development of computational neuroscience applications using state of the art computational neuroscience simulation packages and INAIT applications - Contribute to the development of computational neuroscience models of neurons and neural networks - Perform a technical survey of computational neuroscience algorithms and technology *Essential skills and experience required:* - University degree in computational neuroscience - Professional experience in state of the art computational neuroscience simulation frameworks such as NEST, NEURON, GENESIS, … - Experience in developing computational models of morphologically and/or (preferred) point neuron models - Professional experience in Python code development - Professional experience using UNIX/Linux operating systems - Good team player - Fluent spoken and written English *Preferred:* - Experience in the development of state of the art computational neuroscience simulation frameworks such as NEST, NEURON, GENESIS, … - Experience in the use of computational neuroscience simulation frameworks paradigms on shared and/or distributed parallel machines. - Professional experience in the software development life-cycle including unit testing, continuous integration, version control, debugging and documentation *Profile:* - Master’s degree or PhD (preferred) in computational neuroscience followed by at least 2-years professional experience - Quality-driven work ethics - Successful track record in designing, developing and maintaining software projects Where: Lausanne, Switzerland Start date: As soon as possible Activity rate: 100% Deadline for application: until position is filled Duration of contract: CDI Send your cover letter and CV to contact(a)inait.ai INAIT SA EPFL-Innovation Park - Bat. D 1015 Lausanne Switzerland contact(a)inait.ai

Nov. 13, 2017

Post-doc position in electrophysiology/neural coding at Columbia University

by Qi Wang

A postdoc position is immediately available in the Laboratory for Neural Engineering and Control in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University (http://neclab.bme.columbia.edu/) The project investigates the role of the locus coeruleus – norepinephrine (LC-NE) system in modulating neural coding, perception, and learning. The successful applicant should have a background in in-vivo single-unit recording. Experiences in behavioral training of rodents is a plus. We are looking for highly motivated researchers with a strong technical background, ideally with a PhD or equivalent in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Psychology, or a related discipline. Applicants should demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work effectively independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Start date is flexible. Salary will be commensurate to the candidate's qualifications. Applicants should submit a CV, a brief description of research interests, and a list of three references. All application materials as well as any inquiries should be sent to qi.wang(a)columbia.edu. -- ====================================== Qi Wang, Assistant Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering Columbia University ET 351, 500 W 120th Street New York, NY 10027 Email: qi.wang@columbia.eduhttp://neclab.bme.columbia.edu/ <qw2161(a)columbia.edu>

Nov. 11, 2017

support for Two PhD Fellows in Bilbao, Caixa Fellowship

by Jesus Cortes

Dear colleague La Caixa Foundation has published the call for International PhD fellowships within the program "INPhINIT". This call is providing excellent working conditions for excellent international students. More information at https://obrasociallacaixa.org/el/investigacion-y-becas/progr ama-de-becas-de-posgrado/inphinit/programme-description We will be supporting 2 applicants, one associated to the project “Machine Learning, Neurological Disorders and Brain Networks” supervised by Jesus M Cortes and the other associated to the project "Multi-scale epileptic networks: a longitudinal structural-functional study of human epileptic networks combining deep electrode recordings and MRI" supervised by Paolo Bonifazi. Applicants must have a background in Mathematics, Physics or Engineering. The student will work in the Computational Neuroimaging Lab in Biocruces (Bibao) focused on developing and applying brain connectivity methods in combination with machine learning (such as supervised and unsupervised classification), modeling (neuron or circuit levels) and imaging processing of different imaging modalities (such as magnetic resonance imaging or electroencepaholography). The student will interact with Engineers, Physicists and Clinical Researchers. Further details and readings: To study brain functioning and disfunctioning, the Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory in Biocruces (Bilbao) is focused on brain networks at the macroscale, thus affecting to the large-scale brain organization. While diffusion images provide information about structural connectivity, functional magnetic resonance imaging shed light on resting state functional connectivity. In this project, the student will work with different datasets, some of them publicly available, others acquired in our laboratory, covering different pathologies such as autism, patients in coma, epilepsy, patients with multiorganic failure, neurodegeneration such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson and psychiatric disorders. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00215/full http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/NETN_a_00007 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01024/full https://www.nature.com/articles/srep10532 Working conditions: 3-years contract, gross salary of about 26.000 euro - 28.000 euro per year, and an extra travelling and conference budget of about 3.500 euro per year. Applicant requirements: At recruitment date, candidates must have MSc degree and an English certification of minimum B2. In addition, candidates must not have residence in Spain longer than 12 months in the 3 years prior to recruitment date. Interested applicants contact to: Prof. Jesus M Cortes Ikerbasque Research Professor Head of the Laboratory of Computational Neuroimaging, Biocruces, Bilbao (Spain) Coordinator of the Quantitative Biomedicine Unit, Biocruces, Bilbao (Spain) Research Professor at the University of the Basque Country (Spain) http://www.jesuscortes.info jesus.m.cortes(a)gmail.com and/or Dr. Paolo Bonifazi Ikerbasque Tenure Track Professor Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory http://www.ikerbasque.net/es/paolo-bonifazi paol.bonifazi(a)gmail.com -- http://www.jesuscortes.info <http://jesuscortes.info> https://neurokafe.github.io/ https://thesciencebridge.org/

Nov. 10, 2017

Fully funded PhD Studentship in Biomedical Engineering

by Jayawan Wijekoon

Fully funded PhD Studentship in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Manchester (through UK Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership) is now open to UK and EU candidates. The successful candidate who have obtained, or be about to obtain, an undergraduate or Masters qualification in a relevant subject and should meet the minimum entry requirements of the School. The successful PhD student will help to develop a wearable fetal health monitoring vest to reduce stillbirths. The PhD student is expected to carry out electronic engineering or signal processing research. This multidisciplinary project is carried out with the collaboration of St Mary's Hospital, Manchester. For more details, please click the link given below. If you need further details, you can contact me (email: Jayawan.wijekoon(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:Jayawan.wijekoon@manchester.ac.uk>) directly. Web link to apply for the studentship<https://www.findaphd.com/search/projectdetails.aspx?PJID=89880>: https://www.findaphd.com/search/projectdetails.aspx?PJID=89880 The deadline for the application is 17th of November 2017. Kind regards, -- Dr. Jayawan Wijekoon Lecturer in VLSI Design & Digital Systems Design D31B, Sackville Street Building, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK Tel. +44 (0)161 306 4736

Nov. 9, 2017

CFP: Special Issue on Crossmodal Learning

by Pablo Barros

CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue on Computational Models for Crossmodal Learning of the Cognitive Systems Research Journal. https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitive-systems-research/ I. Aim and Scope The ability of processing crossmodal information is a fundamental feature of the brain that provides a robust perceptual experience for an efficient interaction with the environment. Consequently, the integration of multisensory information plays a crucial role in autonomous systems to create robust and meaningful representations of objects and events. For dealing with real-world information, an autonomous, intelligent system must be capable of processing, integrating, and segregating different modalities for the purpose of coherent perception, decision-making, and cognitive learning. Recent neurophysiological findings in crossmodal learning have inspired novel computational models with the aim to trigger biologically inspired behavioral responses. A rich set of neural mechanisms support the integration and segregation of multimodal stimuli, providing the means to efficiently solve conflicts across modalities. This special issue aims to invite contributors from psychology, computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and cognitive robotics to discuss current research on crossmodal learning mechanisms both from the theoretical and modelling perspective. II. Potential Topics Topics include, but are not limited to: - New theories and findings on crossmodal processing - New neuroscientific results on crossmodal learning - Machine learning and neural networks for learning multisensory representations - Computational models of crossmodal attention and perception - Brain-inspired approaches for multisensory integration - Multisensory robot perception III. Submission Authors must use the Evise system to submit their contibutions, more informations can be found here: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitive-systems-research/ *All manuscripts must be submitted to the Special Issue "VSI: Crossmodal Learning"* - Paper submission deadline: 09.02.2018 IV. Guest Editors Pablo Barros, University of Hamburg, Germany German I. Parisi, University of Hamburg, Germany Doreen Jirak, Hamburg University, Germany Bruno Fernandes, Universidade de Pernambuco, Brazil -- Dr.rer.nat. Pablo Barros Research Associate Knowledge Technology Department of Informatics University of Hamburg Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 40 42883 2535 Fax: +49 40 42883 2515 barros at informatik.uni-hamburg.de https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/people/barros.html www.knowledge-technology.info

Nov. 9, 2017

Postdoc at Edinburgh - Visual navigation in ants

by Barbara Webb

A research associate position is available in the Insect Robotics group in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh to work on developing experimental and modelling tools as part of the BBSRC funded project “Visual navigation in ants: from visual ecology to brain”, in collaboration with the University of Sussex. Excellent skills in programming are essential and candidates with experience in developing experimental tools such as visual tracking and trackballs, in carrying out advanced analysis of experimental data, in image processing and analysis, will be preferred. Ideally, candidates would also be familiar with invertebrate brain and behaviour research, and/or have expertise in modelling of sensory and neural systems. The post is full time and fixed term for 36 months. The post is available from 1st January 2018. Salary: £32,548 - £38,833 per annum Informal enquiries can be addressed to: Professor Barbara Webb (b.webb(a)ed.ac.uk) Principal Investigator of the project. Further details and the application form can be found at the University of Edinburgh website: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobsp ec?p_id=041829 Closing Date: Wednesday 6th December 2017 at 5pm (GMT). -- The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Nov. 9, 2017

EPFL Simulation Neuroscience I - Enrol now on edX.org!

by Eilif Muller

Dear Colleagues, I would like to bring to your attention a recently launched Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Simulation Neuroscience we are now offering on edX.org, leveraging the HBP Brain Simulation Platform. It is the first of 3 planned MOOCs through which we will teach students to construct and simulate data-driven microcircuits, like the Blue Brain cortical model. More details are below. Many thanks for forwarding to students who may be potentially interested. Best regards, Eilif ===== ANNOUNCEMENT ===== The Center for Digital Education of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland in cooperation with the Blue Brian Project is welcoming students to participate in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled: Simulation Neuroscience I - Reconstruction of a single neuron Faculty: Prof. Henry Markram, Prof. Idan Segev, Prof. Sean Hill, Prof. Felix Schuermann, Samuel Kerrian, Lida Kanari, Werner Van Geit, Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy, Dr. Eilif Muller Abstract: Simulation Neuroscience is an emerging approach to integrate the knowledge dispersed throughout the field of neuroscience. The aim is to build a unified empirical picture of the brain, to study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease. This is achieved by integrating diverse data sources across the various scales of experimental neuroscience, from molecular to clinical, into computer simulations. In a series of three courses, you will learn to use the state-of-the-art modelling tools of the Human Brain Project Brain Simulation Platform to simulate neurons, build neural networks, and perform your own simulation experiments. This is the first course of the series that will teach you how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron. We invite you to join us and share in our passion to reconstruct, simulate and understand the brain! The course is targeted at senior bachelor, master or PhD students in science or engineering fields looking for an introduction to Simulation Neuroscience. It is a 6 week course, with an estimated course load of 5-7 hours per week. The course is open as of November 2nd, and is self-paced and can be started at any time. For more information: https://www.edx.org/course/simulation-neuroscience-epflx-simneurox ------------- Dr. Eilif Muller Section Manager - Simulation Neuroscience - Cells & Circuits Task Leader - Community Engagement - HBP Brain Simulation SP EPFL - Blue Brain Project Biotech Campus Chemin des Mines 9 1202 Geneva Switzerland Tel: +41 21 693 0698 Fax: +41 21 693 5350 www: http://bluebrain.epfl.ch/page-77926-en.html www: http://neuralensemble.org/people/eilifmuller

Nov. 9, 2017

Postdoc positions available in Alex Pouget's lab

by Berk Gercek

The laboratory of Alexandre Pouget, at the university of Geneva, will have one, possibly two, postdoc positions available in March 2018. Candidates with strong physics or math background, and with prior experience in computational neuroscience, are encouraged to apply. The topic of research will depend on the interest and profile of the candidate though the lab currently works on decision making, neural coding, probabilistic learning and probabilistic inference in neural circuits. One of these positions will be affiliated with the International Brain laboratory (see https://www.internationalbrainlab.com/) Candidates should send their CV to Alexandre Pouget at alexandre.pouget(a)unige.ch. -- ---------------------------------------- Berk Gercek Doctoral student, Pouget lab Université de Genève 1 rue Michel-servet 1205, Geneva, Switzerland

Nov. 9, 2017

RaPID 2018 Workshop @ LREC: Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric impairments

by Dimitrios Kokkinakis

*[apologies for cross-postings]* *1st Call for Papers* RaPID 2018: "*Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric impairments*" Half-day workshop at LREC2018 | Miyazaki, Japan | May 8th, 2018 Submission deadline: January 14th, 2018 (see also Important dates below) RaPID website: <https://spraakbanken.gu.se/eng/rapid-2018> The RaPID 2018 Workshop will follow up on the successful RaPID Workshop @ LREC2016 (<https://spraakbanken.gu.se/eng/rapid-2016>) *CALL FOR PAPERS:* RaPID-2018 will be an interdisciplinary forum for researchers to share information, findings, and experience on the creation and processing of data acquired or produced by people with various forms of mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments, such as aphasia, dementia, autism, Parkinsons or schizophrenia. Particularly, the workshop focus on the creation, annotation, description, processing and analysis of linguistic, paralinguistic and extra-linguistic resources (e.g., spontaneous spoken language; audio-recorded samples and transcripts; eye tracking measurements; wearable and in-situ sensor data etc.) from individuals at various stages of these impairments and with varying degrees of severity in order to identify, extract, process, correlate, evaluate and disseminate various linguistic phenotypes and measurements and thus aid the diagnosis, monitor the progression or predict individuals at risk. A central aim is to facilitate the study of the relationships among various levels of linguistic, paralinguistic and extra-linguistic observations (e.g., acoustic measures; phonological, syntactic and semantic features; eye tracking measurements; sensors, signs and multimodal signals). Submission of papers are invited in all of the aforementioned areas, particularly emphasizing multidisciplinary aspects of processing such data and the interplay between clinical/nursing/medical sciences, language technology, computational linguistics, natural language processing (NLP) and computer science. The workshop will act as a stimulus for the discussion of several ongoing research questions driving current and future research by bringing together researchers from various research communities. *TOPICS OF INTEREST:* The topics of interest for the workshop session include but are not limited to: - Building, adapting and availability of linguistic resources, data sets and tools - Data collection methodologies - Acquisition and combination of novel data samples - Guidelines, annotation schemas, annotation tools - Addressing the challenges of representation, including dealing with data sparsity and dimensionality issues, feature combination from different sources and modalities - Domain adaptation of NLP tools - Acoustic/phonologic/phonetic, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic analysis of data; including modeling of perception (e.g. eye-movement measures of reading) and production processes (e.g. recording of the writing process by means of digital pens, keystroke logging etc.); use of gestures accompanying speech and non-linguistic behavior - Modeling and deep / machine learning approaches for early diagnostics, prediction, monitoring, classification etc. of various cognitive and psychiatric impairments - Information fusion - Evaluation of the significance of features in diagnostics - Evaluation of tools, systems, components, metrics, applications and technologies including methodologies making use of NLP - Evaluation, comparison and critical assessment of resources - Involvement of medical/clinical professionals and patients - Ethical and legal questions in research with human data in the domain, and how they can be handled - Deployment - Experiences, lessons learned and the future of NLP/AI in the area *SUBMISSION DETAILS:* Papers are invited in all of the areas outlined in the Topics of interest, particularly emphasizing multidisciplinary aspects of processing such data and the interplay between clinical/nursing/medical sciences, language technology, computational linguistics, NLP, and computer science. We welcome also papers discussing problems derived from the design of relevant data samples and populations, but also the exploitation of results and outcomes as well as legal and ethical questions on how to deal with such data and make it available. The workshop solicits papers describing original research. Papers may preferably describe substantial and completed work, but may also focus on a contribution, a negative result, an interesting application nugget, a software package, a small, focused contribution *or* work in progress. The workshop will act as a stimulus for the discussion of several ongoing research questions driving current and future research and challenges by bringing together researchers from various research communities. RaPID-2018 will be a half-day LREC workshop to be held in the afternoon of Tuesday the 8th of May 2018. The oral presentations will be allocated 10-20 minutes (please see the program for details), possibly, followed by a common poster session (depending on the volume of received submissions). Submitted papers must be formatted according to the camera-ready style for LREC 2018 (style guidelines, templates etc. for the camera-ready papers are provided on LREC's main conference page/Submission), and submitted electronically in PDF format through the START conference manager page [*to be announced soon*]. Authorship does not have to be anonymous and *papers should be 4-8 pages of content*. Additional, unlimited pages containing the list of references and appendices are allowed. We will strive to have all submissions reviewed by at least three, or more, members of the program committee. Depending on the volume of contributions, papers that describe systems or tools will be invited to give a demo of their system during a poster session. *IMPORTANT DATES:* - First call for papers: Monday, 6th of November, 2017 - Submission deadline: Sunday 14th of January, 2018 - Notification of acceptance: Saturday 10th of February, 2018 - Early-bird registration for the main conference *and* workshops is the 15th of February, 2018 - Camera-ready papers: Sunday 10th of March 2018 - RaPID Workshop: Tuesday 8th of May, 2018 *CONTACT:* Dimitrios Kokkinakis: dimitrios _DOT_ kokkinakis _AT_ gu _DOT_ se *ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:* - Dimitrios Kokkinakis, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Kristina Lundholm Fors, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Kathleen Fraser, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Charalambos Themistocleous, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Graeme Hirst, University of Toronto, Canada - Alexandra König, Geriatric Hospital Nice and the University of Côte d'Azur, France - Frank Rudzicz, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the University of Toronto, Canada - Arto Nordlund, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden *PROGRAMME COMMITTEE**:* - Jan Alexandersson, DFKI GmbH, Germany - Eiji Aramaki, Kyoto University, Japan - Simon Dobnik, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Jens Edlund, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden - Gerasimos Fergadiotis, Portland State University, USA - Kathleen Fraser, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Peter Garrard, St George's, University of London, UK - Lena Hartelius, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Graeme Hirst, University of Toronto, Canada - Kristy Hollingshead, Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), USA - Richard Johansson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Masatomo Kobayashi, IBM Research - Tokyo, Japan - Dimitrios Kokkinakis, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Alexandra König, Geriatric Hospital Nice and the University of Côte d'Azur, France - Peter Ljunglöf, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden - Kristina Lundholm Fors, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Arto Nordlund, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Marcus Nyström, University of Lund, Sweden - Paul Rayson, Lancaster University, UK - Vassiliki Rentoumi, SKEL, NCSR Demokritos, Greece - Fabien Ringeval, Université Grenoble Alpes, France - Frank Rudzicz, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the University of Toronto, Canada - Kairit Sirts, University of Tartu, Estonia - Hironobu Takagi, IBM Research - Tokyo, Japan - Charalambos Themistocleous, University of Gothenburg, Sweden - Athanasios Tsanas, University of Oxford, UK - Spyridoula Varlokosta, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece - Åsa Wengelin, University of Gothenburg, Sweden -

Nov. 8, 2017

Computational Neuroscience of Prediction: Upcoming Brain Conference

by Mihaela Vincze

Dear Colleague, We would like to bring to your attention the upcoming Brain Conference on *Computational Neuroscience of Prediction <http://www.fens.org/Meetings/The-Brain-Conferences/The-Computational-Neuros…> *(Rungstedgaard, Denmark, 15-18 April) organised by *- Peter Dayan* (UCL, UK) and *- Kerstin Preuschoff* (Univ. of Geneva and EPFL, Switzerland) If interested, we would welcome your application. Kindly note the end of early application on *20 January. * The short talk presenters and 15 stipend awardees will be selected following the regular registration deadline (of 14 Feb). For reference, detailed information (speakers, application overview etc.) is available on the Brain Conference page. <http://www.fens.org/Meetings/The-Brain-Conferences/The-Computational-Neuros…> Please also feel free to disseminate information about this Brain Conference among your network. With kind regards, The Brain Conferences team *FENS* - Federation of European Neuroscience Societies 11 Rue d’Egmont, 1000 - Brussels, Belgium T: +32 2 545 04 06 E: mihaela.vincze(a)fens.org http://www.fens.org

Nov. 8, 2017

MCAA Academy: Call for Mentors

by Jolivet, Renaud

Dear list, Please find below a call for mentors for a new program of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) affiliated with EU institutions. MCAA Academy is a new program to support the career development of its members. Mentoring is at the core of the program. Our advanced mentoring platform provides a continuous, full-spectrum learning experience, allowing mentees to focus on the skills that matter the most, when they matter the most. We are seeking outstanding professionals to mentor MCAA members using this platform. Mentors are expected to have achieved an advanced stage in their career and be willing to provide leadership and advice to our members. The program will run for 6 months and will require up to 1 hour face time per month. Mentors and mentees will be matched according to their skills, interests and career goals. Do you want to become a mentor? Complete the registration form at https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/form/mcaa-academy-call-mentors. Want to know more about the Marie Curie Alumni Association, visit https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/. Regards, Renaud Jolivet — Prof. Renaud Jolivet University of Geneva, Physics Section CERN, Experimental Physics Department +41 79 830 2129 (mobile) +41 22 379 6275 (UNIGE) +41 22 767 2470 (CERN) renaud.jolivet(a)unige.ch<mailto:renaud.jolivet@unige.ch> linkedin.com/in/renaud-jolivet-63b5534<http://linkedin.com/in/renaud-jolivet-63b5534> http://unige.ch/dpnc/en/groups/renaud-jolivet/home/ https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=9Ozwv7EAAAAJ&hl=en

Nov. 8, 2017

EPSRC funded PhD in Computational/Mathematical Neuroscience (funded for UK students)

by James Rankin

*3 EPSRC funded PhD positions in Computational & Mathematical Neuroscience* UK students (or students who have spent last 3 years in UK) fully funded (fees and stipend) EU students partially funded (fees but no stipend) International students not eligible Application deadline: 10th January 2018 The studentships will provide funding for a stipend which is currently £14,553 per annum for 2017-2018. It will provide research costs and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council UK rates for 42 months (3.5 years) for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students. * The neural circuitry mediating multisensory integration in Platynereis larvae* Supervisors: Dr James Rankin and Prof Gáspár Jékely (Living Systems Institute, Exeter) http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2901 * Cortical network models to understand differential input response properties during active and silent states* Supervisors: Dr James Rankin and Dr Mick Craig (Medical School, Exeter) http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2903 * Determination of parameter dependencies across diverse populations of neuronal and excitable cells* Supervisors: Dr James Rankin and Dr Joel Tabak (Medical School, Exeter) http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2932 Apply through links above or contact pgrenquiries(a)exeter.ac.uk or j.a.rankin(a)exeter.ac.uk directly with any questions. -- <comp-neuro(a)neuroinformatics.be> http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/jar226

Nov. 7, 2017

Postdoc Position Available - Human Intracranial Electrophysiology

by Woolnough, Oscar

Postdoctoral Research Positions Available Postdoctoral research positions are available at the NeuroImaging and Electrophysiology Lab (www.tandonlab.org) in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. One position is funded by a recently awarded BRAIN Initiative U01 grant. The project uses electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings to evaluate psycho-linguistic models of reading and speech production to create network level representation of language. Collaborators on the project with whom the post-doc will work closely are Nathan Crone (Hopkins), Greg Hickok (UCI), Stanislas Dehaene (College de France), Xaq Pitkow (Baylor) and Josh Breier (UT Houston). A second position is internally funded and will use existing ECoG data, electrical cortical stimulation mapping data and lesional analysis to probe the relationship between electrophysiology and causality. Project Description: This is a project brings together multiple modalities - intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings, fMRI, lesional analysis, brain mapping and computational neuroscience to better understand the uniquely human behaviors of reading and speech production. More details about the U01 grant are online at NIH Reporter; details about the lab are at www.tandonlab.org. The post-docs will benefit from a close interaction with several expert collaborators in the fields of reading, semantics, and speech production. Post-doc Responsibilities: The selected individuals are expected to be highly motivated, team players with a passion to study cognitive processes using direct recordings in humans. He or she will be responsible for 1) optimizing and refining paradigms for use in the project, 2) data collection in the epilepsy monitoring unit and in the MRI scanner, 3) ECoG, cortical mapping and lesional data analysis using analysis pipelines existent in the lab and via the development of innovative strategies, and 4) data presentation at conferences, manuscript and grant writing. Requirements: The selected individuals must have a Ph.D. in one or more of the following - neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, mathematics, electrical engineering or computer science. Previous experience in neural time series data analysis or functional imaging studies of reading or language production is highly desirable. Crucial is the ability to independently code in either or all of the following – MATLAB, R or Python. Given the multiple unpredictable variables and privacy issues around data collection in human patients, the individuals must possess high ethical and professional standards. The individuals must possess the ability to work effectively independently, yet collaborate effectively on projects with multiple investigators. Publication records and prior academic credentials may also factor into hiring decisions. If you are interested, please email nitin.tandon(a)uth.tmc.edu<mailto:nitin.tandon@uth.tmc.edu> or call (713) 500-5475.

Nov. 7, 2017

SfN 2017: Visit the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience at booth #3523

by Alexandra Stein

Dear all, The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience [6] will be an exhibitor at the SfN Meeting 2017. Please find us at the NEUROSCIENCE IN GERMANY booth #3523. The Bernstein Network will present: * research fields * study and training programs * open positions * research and funding opportunities * infrastructural facilities Furthermore, the German Neuroinformatics Node (G-Node) [7] will present their data management services [8] for organizing, sharing, and publishing research data. Demo presentations times are: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (Nov 13, 14, 15) 3pm - 5pm, or by individual appointment (mail to info(a)g-node.org<mailto:info@g-node.org>). We are looking forward to welcoming you at booth #3523! Best regards Alexandra Stein -- Dr. Alexandra Stein Head of Bernstein Coordination Site Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9583 mobile: (+49) 0151 67114645 mail: a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> web: www.nncn.de<http://www.nncn.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nov. 7, 2017

Post-doctoral position in the area of Neuroscience and AI, Kyoto University, Japan

by Hideaki Shimazaki

A postdoc opportunity in the area of Neuroscience and AI is available at Kyoto University in Japan The lab of ‘cooperative intelligence’ was launched in the Dept. of Intelligence Science and Technology at Kyoto University in Japan since April 2017. This is a part of collaborative research activities between the department and Honda Research Institute Japan Co. Ltd. toward realizing a better society with humans and machines living together. In order to achieve this goal, our group strives to understand theoretical principles of organisms’ perception and behavior in adapting to environment, and apply these principles to machines. We aim at strengthening computational and statistical approaches to neuroscience (See references below) and extend the knowledge to create intelligent machines. A postdoc position is available for this research area. Our lab is located in a historic building at the main campus of Kyoto University. Kyoto is one of the oldest cities in Japan with a full of historic monuments. The academic and culturally rich environment of Kyoto is suitable for conducting creative research activities. Place: Dept. of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University Period: Present - 2020/3/31 Deadline of application: 2017/11/30 Please check the following URL for further information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0HpHsDtiVezSFYxMVNYekFXWGc/view?usp=shari… To apply, please send a CV, a statement of research interest (maximum 2 pages), and contact information of two references to h.shimazaki(a)i.kyoto-u.ac.jp. Feel free to send any informal questions regarding this post. Sincerely, Hideaki Shimazaki, PhD Program-specific Associate Professor at Kyoto University Senior Scientist at Honda Research Institute Japan Email: h.shimazaki(a)i.kyoto-u.ac.jp Lab webpage: http://ci.ist.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp/index.php?id=10 Personal webpage: http://www.neuralengine.org --------------------- Refs: Donner C, Obermeyer K, Shimazaki H. Approximate inference for time-varying interactions and macroscopic dynamics of neural populations. PLoS Computational Biology (2017) 13(1): e1005309 Shimazaki H. Neurons as an Information-theoretic Engine. arXiv:1512.07855 (2015) (to appear as 'Neural Engine Hypothesis' in Ed. Chen and Sarma 'Dynamic Brain', Springer.) Shimazaki H, Amari S, Brown EN, and Gruen S, State-space analysis of time-varying higher-order spike correlation for multiple neural spike train data. PLOS Computational Biology (2012) 8(3): e1002385

Nov. 7, 2017

COSYNE 2018: Abstract submission closes soon, Registration, Travel grants

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2018 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 01 - 04 March 2018 Denver, Colorado WORKSHOPS 05 - 06 March 2018 Breckenridge, Colorado www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission is now open. *Abstract submission deadline: 20 November 2017* Online registration opens: 10 November 2017 Travel grant submission opens: 10 November 2017 ---------------------------------------------------- COSYNE ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. For details on workshop proposals please see below or visit Cosyne.org -> Workshops. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. This year we would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. For more information and details on submitting abstracts please visit Cosyne.org -> Abstracts. ----------------------------------------------- TRAVEL GRANTS ----------------------------------------------- Applications are now open for travel grants to attend the conference. Each awardee will receive at least $500 to help offset the costs of travel, registration, and accommodations. Larger grants may be available to those traveling from outside North America. Special consideration is given to scientists who have not previously attended the meeting, under-represented minorities, students who are attending the meeting together with a mentor, undergraduate students, and authors of submitted Cosyne abstracts. We currently offer four travel grant programs for New Attendees, Presenters, Mentors, and Undergraduates. For details on applying, see Cosyne.org -> Travel grants. COSYNE SPEAKERS Tim Behrens (Oxford) Josh Berke (UCSF) Tiago Branco (UCL) Jessica Cardin (Yale) Claudia Clopath (Imperial) Marlene Cohen (Pittsburgh) Iain Couzin (Max-Planck) Carina Curto (Penn State) Ann Graybiel (MIT) Vivek Jayaraman (Janelia) Mate Lengyel (Cambridge) Joni Wallis (Berkeley) Byron Yu (CMU) ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Ilana Witten (Princeton) and Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Program Chairs: Linda Wilbrecht (Berkeley) and Brent Doiron (U Pittsburgh) Workshop Chairs: Laura Busse (LMU) and Ralf Haefner (U Rochester) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Angela Langdon (Princeton) and Robert Wilson (U Arizona) Publicity Chair: Il Memming Park (Stony Brook) Development Chair: Michael Long (NYU) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

Nov. 7, 2017

Position in computational neuroanatomy at the Allen Institute

by Nuno da Costa

Dear comp-neuro list members, We are seeking a scientist to work on the analysis of large scale electron microscopy datasets and to investigate the relationship between structure and function of cortical networks. The scientist will be an essential member of the Neural Coding team studying the relationship between neural circuits and neural dynamics by combining in vivo functional imaging with ex vivo state of the art Electron Microscopy in the visual cortex of mice. If you are interested on know of someone that is interested, the application link is: https://alleninstitute.hrmdirect.com/employment/job-opening.php?req=639564&… Many thanks and kind regards Nuno Nuno Macarico da Costa Assistant Investigator T: 206.548.8437 [cid:image001.png@01D356E8.F5D70FF0] www.alleninstitute.org<http://www.alleninstitute.org/>

Nov. 6, 2017

postdoc in statistical neuroscience of human language

by xaq pitkow

Postdoctoral research position in neuroscience of Human Language POSITION: We seek a highly motivated postdoctoral research fellow for a collaborative team project interpreting intracranial recordings from human patients during language tasks. The fellow will apply statistical models to this neural data, and will help develop a dynamic network model of language. TEAM: The fellow will collaborate primarily with Houston-based neurotheorist Xaq Pitkow (xaqlab.com) and neurosurgeon Nitin Tandon (tandonlab.org) and our labs, and will also interact with other team members including Nathan Crone, Stan Dehaene, and Greg Hickok. The fellow will be a member of the new Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence housed at the Baylor College of Medicine. The Center brings together interdisciplinary researchers from across Houston, including members from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Houston, and University of Texas Health Sciences. Researchers at the Center contribute diverse expertise in fields including neuroscience, machine learning, statistics, physics, computer science, electrical engineering, and applied mathematics. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have outstanding mathematical skills, a PhD in a relevant quantitative discipline, expertise in statistical machine learning, and interest in language processing. APPLYING: Applicants should email a letter of research interests and CV to Xaq Pitkow (xaq(a)rice.edu) along with contact information for three references. We look forward to hearing from you!

Nov. 6, 2017

Call for Participation: IEEE Brain Data Bank Competition – Boston

by Sam Michalka

*Call for Participation: IEEE Brain Data Bank Competition – Boston* The IEEE Brain Initiative is sponsoring several challenges and competitions in 2017 to explore various brain/neuro datasets. You are cordially invited to explore the data and register for this competition in Boston on December 9th 9:45 AM – 4 PM. For more information about the event and how to register, please visit https://brain.ieee.org/news/call-participation-ieee-brain- data-bank-challenge-boston/ *Location* Charles River Analytics 625 Mt. Auburn St. <https://maps.google.com/?q=625+Mt.+Auburn+St.+%0D+Cambridge,+MA,+USA&entry=…> Cambridge, MA, USA Organizers * Seth Elkin-Frankston, Charles River Analytics * Sam Michalka, Olin College of Engineering * Wasim Q. Malik, Harvard/MIT If you have questions, please contact bdb-boston(a)ieee.org *Purpose* The aim of the competition is to bring a diverse group of individuals of varying backgrounds and experience together to analyze, visualize, and evaluate complex datasets. Competitors will have access to a multi-modal dataset that will challenge individuals with varying backgrounds in data science, computer science, biology, or neuroscience. Results will be evaluated on analytic approach, visualization, and final presentation and interpretation. *Background* Datasets are provided by the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and were collected as part of a broader intervention-based study designed to test the effects of efficacy of interventions designed to enhance fluid intelligence. This study was one of several funded as part of the Strengthening Human Adaptive Reasoning and Problem-solving (SHARP< https://www.iarpa.gov/index.php/research-programs/sharp>) program at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA< https://www.iarpa.gov/>). This specific intervention involved 48 training sessions of an adaptive visuo-spatial and change detection task. We provide both behavioral measures and neuroimaging data at pre- and post-intervention time points. We also provide summary and session-level descriptions of the training data collected during the intervention. *Challenge Questions* The goal of this challenge is to encourage thoughtful investigation and discussion around enhancement of human intelligence and strategies for rigorous investigation of these topics. Entries will be judged in three categories: data analysis, data visualization, and presentation and interpretation of findings. Participants can investigate any question(s) about the data that they wish. The following guiding questions are provided as a jumping off point: * Can intervention training predict changes in pre- and post-intervention performance? * How do measures of brain connectivity and structure relate to performance in intervention training? * How do measures of brain connectivity and structure relate to pre- and post-intervention performance? * How well can we predict post-intervention performance? Beyond pre-intervention performance, what factors serve as the best predictors? * Do performance changes on the two training intervention tasks differ? How do they each relate to changes in pre- and post-intervention performance and/or imaging data? *Data* Data is hosted by the IEEE Dataport<https://ieee-dataport.org/competitions/ ieee-brain-data-bank-competition-boston-ma>. To access IEEE Dataport, you need to have an IEEE account. You do not need to be an IEEE member to create an IEEE account, and you can use your own email address to create an account and password. Click here to sign up for an IEEE account.< https://www.ieee.org/profile/public/createwebaccount/showRegister.html> The full dataset is 11.29GB. The dataset can be downloaded in full, or in more manageable chunks separated as: * Behavioral and analyzed fMRI/DTI data * Structural T1 images * Raw resting-state fMRI data (divided in 5 file groups) * Raw DTI data Please note that access from IEEE DataPort will be granted after you have completed an access request. *Judging* Judges will include experts from Industry, Government, and Academia. Entries will be judged in three categories: * Data analysis including well-justified, innovative, and rigorous methodologies * Data visualization including novel, highly informative, and aesthetically appealing visualization techniques * Presentation and interpretation of findings including clear, informative delivery and compelling investigation and interpretation *Awards* IEEE Brain will sponsor cash awards. More details will follow.

Nov. 5, 2017

from normal learning and recognition to Alzheimer's disease

by Stephen Grossberg

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to call your attention to the following article because the neural model that it describes links normal category learning and recognition to clinical disorders such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease, topics that are currently of great interest and concern. The clinical links emerged after the neural dynamics of vigilance control during normal category learning was sufficiently understood. Grossberg, S. (2017). Acetylcholine neuromodulation in normal and abnormal learning and memory: Vigilance control in waking, sleep, autism, amnesia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, November 2, 2017, https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2017.00082 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2017.00082> Best, Steve Stephen Grossberg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Grossberg <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Grossberg> http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3BIV70wAAAAJ&hl=en <http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3BIV70wAAAAJ&hl=en>https://youtu.be/9n5AnvFur7I <https://youtu.be/9n5AnvFur7I> Wang Professor of Cognitive and Neural Systems Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering Director, Center for Adaptive Systems http://cns.bu.edu/~steve <http://cns.bu.edu/~steve> steve(a)bu.edu <mailto:steve@bu.edu>

Nov. 4, 2017

Fw: two postdoctoral positions in the Canavier Lab

by Canavier, Carmen C.

The contact information for these positions has been updated. Please contact Carmen Canavier ccanav(a)lsuhsc.edu with any questions. Two Postdoctoral Researcher positions are available in the computational neuroscience lab of Carmen Canavier in the School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. The primary duties will involve linear and non-linear analyses, writing code, calibrating single neuron models, and generating predictions that lead to additional experiments. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or a related field of study. The ideal candidate would have experience with the simulation package NEURON and some knowledge of the basal ganglia for the first position and of the hippocampus for the second position. Familiarity with nonlinear dynamics, signal processing, and coding in C and or python in a Linux environment is also desirable. The first position is to study the dynamic diversity of midbrain dopamine neurons in close collaboration with electrophysiologist Jochen Roeper at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. The successful candidate will construct morphologically and biophysically realistic models of distinct subpopulations of dopamine neurons to account for experimentally observed differences in their bursting and pacemaking dynamics. These simulations will require in some cases incorporation of stochastic channel models and second messenger cascades. Qualified candidates may submit resume along with cover letter and contact information for three references electronically to: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/Administration/hrm/CareerOpportunities/Home/Detail/1…. The second position is to study cholinergic contributions to hippocampal information processing in close collaboration with electrophysiologist Sonia Gasparini. The successful candidate will construct a morphologically and biophysically realistic model of a hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron to explain the observed frequency selectivity of different dendritic regions for slow versus fast gamma band inputs. Some network modeling will also be required for the project. Qualified candidates may submit resume along with cover letter and contact information for three references electronically to: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/Administration/hrm/CareerOpportunities/Home/Detail/1… LSUHSC is an Equal Opportunity Employer for females, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Nov. 3, 2017

Late Bird call for the AoN Brainhack Warsaw [17-19th November 2017]

by Daniel Borek

*AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017* *November 17-19, 2017* *University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland* *— The blitz Late Bird registration open until 7th November 2017 —* On the weekend of *17-19th November 2017*, the first edition of AoN Brainhack Warsaw will take place. During this three-day event dedicated to students and PhD students, we will work in teams on* neuroscience-related projects*. The aim of the event is to meet new, enthusiastic researchers, make new friendships in academia, learn, share the knowledge on data mining and brain research, but also promote open science in the spirit of the whole Brainhack community ( <https://gigascience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13742-016-0121-x> Craddock et al., 2016) <https://gigascience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13742-016-0121-x>. Attendees of various backgrounds are welcome to join! At the moment we are opening the Late Bird registration for project participants, which closes on 7th November 2017. Some of the projects got fully booked already and since they have limitations in terms of the number of participants, these projects have been closed for this round of registration. Please look at the list of the currently available projects : - Functional connectivity research: can we find a common ground? <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity> - Development of video game for studying joint action dynamics <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#game> - Hypothesis-driven white matter tractography from T1-weighted MRI images <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#whitematter> - One channel EEG sleep staging with open source and open hardware NeuroOn sleep mask <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#neuroon> - Building and using the “FlyPi”: the 3D-printed Neurobiology Lab <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#flypi> - Unfolding the Subcortex <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#subcortex> *All the applications which we received after the end of Early Bird phase, will be automatically considered as the Late Bird applications.* The applications will be reviewed and the notification of acceptance will be sent to the applicants until 10th October2017. A registration fee of *30EUR* (or 120PLN) will be requested upon acceptance. The registration fee will be spent on the catering during the event. In order to register, please visit our website and learn more about AoN Brainhack Warsaw! https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/ <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/> We are looking forward to see you in Warsaw! *The AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017 team*

Nov. 2, 2017

Faculty position in Math Biology at NJIT

by Victor Matveev

Dear comp-neuro list members, The Department of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level in mathematical biology. A second DMS tenure-track assistant professor position in the broader area of applied mathematics is advertised separately (links provided below). The appointment is to start in Fall 2018. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in mathematics, applied mathematics or a related discipline, with an established record of independent research, strong potential for seeking external research support, and a commitment to teaching at graduate and undergraduate levels. Candidates working in any subfield of mathematical biology will be given consideration. Currently, members of the DMS mathematical biology group are engaged in research in computational neuroscience, biological rhythms, biofluids and mechanosensing. To apply, please visit https://njit.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=35 The second position in applied mathematics is advertised separately at https://njit.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=30 Submissions must include (a) cover letter, (b) resume/CV, (c) research statement, (d) teaching statement, and (e) names and contact information for at least four references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Please direct any questions to the search committee chair, Victor Matveev, at matveev(a)njit.edu. DMS is recognized for its strong program in applied mathematics, which offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, with Ph.D. program tracks in applied mathematics as well as in applied probability and statistics. NJIT is in the University Heights neighborhood next to vibrant downtown Newark, about 12 miles west of New York City. The NJIT campus is adjacent to the campus of Rutgers-Newark, with which it shares several academic programs. DMS has close collaborative ties to the Department of Biological Sciences at NJIT. Excellent potential for outside collaboration is also afforded by the close geographic proximity of NJIT to other prominent centers for biological research such as the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey Medical School, NYU, Columbia University, and Rockefeller University. Apart from mathematical biology, DMS faculty work in diverse fields of applied mathematics including fluid dynamics, granular matter, nonlinear waves, applied analysis, scientific computing, dynamical systems, and probability and statistics. NJIT is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply. -- ___________________________________ Victor Matveev, Professor Applied Math, Biophysics & Neuroscience Department of Mathematical Sciences Graduate Faculty, Dept of Biological Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102-1982 Office: Cullimore Hall 616 E-mail: matveev(a)njit.edu http://web.njit.edu/~matveev/

Nov. 2, 2017

Post-doctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience

by sujith vijayan

*Post-doctoral Position in Computational* *Neuroscience* The Neural Dynamics and Neural Engineering Lab at Virginia Tech has an opening for a post-doctoral position in computational neuroscience. This position is for three years and is being funded by the Army Research Office (ARO). The research project will involve employing biophysically based computational models to examine the role of rhythmic activity in the expression of emotional memories during behavior and their consolidation during sleep. An additional aim is to employ the newly developed models to gain insight into the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our lab investigates neural dynamics during active behavior and during off-line states, such as sleep, using a combination of computational modeling, signal processing techniques, and both invasive and non-invasive techniques for recording neural activity. The basic science knowledge gathered from these investigations is leveraged to understand how memories are instantiated in the brain, to gain insight into how learning occurs during brain machine interface (BMI) tasks, to improve BMI algorithms, and to develop the framework for stimulation and pharmacological therapies for diseases, especially those marked by abnormal neural dynamics during sleep (e.g., post-traumatic sleep disorder (PTSD) and Parkinson’s disease). Please see the lab website (www.vijayan.neuroscience.vt.edu) for more details. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, computer science, engineering, neuroscience, psychology, or a related field. Strong programming skills and/or prior experience in modeling would be an asset. Interested candidates should send a CV, a statement of research interests, and the contact information for three references to svijayan9(a)gmail.com. Arrangements can be made to meet with candidates at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C. Sujith

Nov. 2, 2017

Submission deadline extended for the 15th International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals and Devices SSD' 2018

by Nabil Derbel

This email is a reminder for submitting your proposition to SSD'18 Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this message. Dear Colleagues, <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=622c400fe7&e=415348fdfa> 15th International Multi-Conference on <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=5b2423bda6&e=415348fdfa> Systems, Signals and Devices SSD' 2018 March 19-22, 2018, Hammamet-Tunisia The International Multi-Conference on Systems, Signals and Devices 2018 will be held on March 19-22, 2018 in Hammamet - Tunisia. The SSD′2018 conference is an international forum dedicated to researchers and specialists in different fields of electrical engineering. It brings together scientists and practitioners from research organizations, universities and companies in a multidisciplinary event, with the aim of strengthening links between researchers of different specialties. This event will provide the opportunity to share together the latest achievements in systems and control. Both theoretical and applied papers are welcomed for submission to this event. Accepted and presented papers during the conference will be published in IEEEXplore. Authors of best papers presented at SSD conference will be offered an opportunity to publish their works in followed international books and in the following international journals: *Advances in Systems, Signals and Devices (ISSN 2365-7507, published by De Gruyter) *International Journal of Digital Signals and Smart Systems (ISSN 2389-0311, Inderscience). We would invite you to submit your recent research via SSD′2018 website ( <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=ba2f080a77&e=415348fdfa> Submission), or directly through EDAS the manager of the conference <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=51f907b252&e=415348fdfa> http://edas.info/N24004. In order to give more success to our Conference, I will be so grateful if you diffuse the Call for Papers of SDD′2018 and the website URL ( <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=abb75c66e2&e=415348fdfa> Call_for_Papers_SDD 2018) to your colleagues and Email contacts. The important dates are: Deadline for paper submission: November 30th, 2017. Notification of Acceptance: January 15th, 2018. Final paper manuscripts: January 31th, 2018. To write your paper, please respect the IEEE templates for LATEX formats or Microsoft Word that may be found at: <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=85b8beb6c0&e=415348fdfa> http://www.ieee.org/ conferences_events/ <https://the-it-expert.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=65343825ebc55cbfc5 5959332&id=8fe8bcc4c7&e=415348fdfa> conferences/publishing/ templates.html Best Regards For the organization committee

Nov. 1, 2017

[INNS-BDDL 2018] Call for Papers

by Teng Teck Hou

[Apologies for cross-postings] ########################################################### CALL FOR PAPERS The 3rd INNS Conference on Big Data and Deep Learning 2018 April 17-19, 2018, Bali, Indonesia Homepage: http://www.innsbigdata2018.org #######################Description:###################### The International Neural Network Society (INNS) is the premiere organization for individuals interested in a theoretical and computational understanding of the brain and applying that knowledge to develop new and more effective forms of machine intelligence. INNS was formed in 1987 by the leading scientists in the neural network field. Researchers and colleagues who work in the area of big data and machine learning, we are happy to announce "The 3rd INNS Conference on Big Data and Deep Learning (INNS BDDL) will be held Tuesday through Thursday, April 17 – 19, 2018 at the Grand Inna Bali Beach hotel, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia. The INNS BDDL conference aims to create a valuable and important forum for scientists and engineers throughout the world to present the latest research findings and idea at the forefront of Big Data and Deep Learning." Accepted and presented papers will be published in Procedia Computer Science indexed by Scopus. Several papers will be selected for possible publication in a high-quality journal. A preliminary list of such journals includes: - Cognitive Systems Research (Scopus SJR 0.648, Impact Factor 1.182) - Cognitive Computation (Scopus SJR 0.823, Impact Factor 3.441) - Big Data Analytics - Evolving Systems (Scopus SJR 0.459, Impact Factor 1.067) - International Journal of Neural Systems (Scopus SJR 1.121, Impact Factor 6.333) - and possibly others Several papers will be selected for possible publication in top journals. The conference will feature a comprehensive technical program with technical tracks on: Track 1: Big Data Track 2: Big Data Algorithms Track 3: Deep Learning Track 4: Application Areas ####################Important Dates################################# * Tutorial and workshop proposals (Submission) 30 September 2017 * Tutorial and workshop proposals (Decision) 7 October 2017 * Paper submission 1 December 2017 * Decision notification 8 January 2018 * Camera-ready submission 2 February 2018 * Conference 17 - 19 April 2018 ################################################################### #########################Keynote Speakers########################## * Geoffrey I. Webb, Monash University, Australia * Kay Chen Tan, City University, Hong Kong * Ari Santoso, Ministry of Education and Culture ################################################################### #################### Organizing committees ############### General chairs Seiichi Ozawa, Kobe University, Japan Ah-Hwee Tan, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Program Chairs Plamen P. Angelov, Lancaster University, UK Asim Roy, Arizona State University, USA Mahardhika Pratama, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Honorary Board Mohammad Nuh, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Joni Hermana, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Heru Setyawan, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Local Committee Chairs Dieky Adzkiya, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Advisory Board Yew-Soon Ong, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Robert Kozma, University of Memphis, USA Sankar K. Pal, Indian Statistical Institute, India Haibo He, University of Rhode Island, USA Witold Pedrycz, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada Leszek Rutkowski, Czestochowa University of Technology, Poland Nikola Kasabov, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand Fernando Gomide, University of Campinas, Brazil Marley Vellasco, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Yoonsuck Choe, Texas A&M University Minho Lee, Kyungpook National University, South Korea Bao-Liang Lu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Irwin King, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tutorials/Workshop Chairs Igor Skrjanc, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Sundaram Suresh, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Noor Akhmad Setiawan, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia Poster Sessions Chairs Eko Setiadji, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Agus Salim, La Trobe University, Australia Ali Ridho Barakbah, Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia Special Sessions Chairs Justin Wang, La Trobe University, Australia Yongping Pan, National University of Singapore, Singapore Alfian Futhul Hadi, Universitas Jember, Indonesia Panel Chairs Sreenatha Anavatti, University of New South Wales, Australia Mukesh Prasad, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia Achmad Affandi, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Awards Chairs Tapabrata Ray, University of New South Wales, Australia Dejan Dovzan, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Richard J. Oentaryo, McLaren Applied Technologies, Singapore Publication Chairs Edwin Lughofer, Johannes Kepler University, Austria Jose Antonio Iglesias, Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain Moamar Sayed?Mouchaweh, Institute Mines Telecom Lille Douai, France Publicity Chair Simone Scardapane, Sapienza University, Italy Teng Teck Hou, Singapore Management University, Singapore Kurnianingsih, Politeknik Negeri Semarang, Indonesia International Liaison Chairs Yun Sing Koh, University of Auckland, New Zealand Deepak Puthal, University of Technology Sydney, Australia Wirawan, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Webmaster Mohamad Abdul Hady, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Andri Ashfahani, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Indonesia Choiru Za’in, La Trobe University, Australia ########################################################## ###### Topics and Areas include, but not limited to the following###### >>BIG DATA Autonomous, online, incremental learning in big data High dimensional data, feature selection, feature transformation for big data Scalable algorithms for big data Big data analytics Data stream analytics Parallel & distributed computing for big data analytics (cloud, map-reduce, etc.) Online learning Online multimedia/stream/text analytics Link and graph mining Big data and cloud computing, large scale stream processing on the cloud Big data and collective intelligence/collaborative learning Big data and hybrid systems Big data and self-aware systems Big data and infrastructure Big data visualization >>Big Data Algorithm Neuromorphic hardware for scalable machine learning Evolving systems for big data analytics Evolutionary systems and big data Fuzzy systems and big data Cognitive modelling and big data Probabilistic approach for big data Concept drift detection for big data Granular computing for big data Transfer learning for big data >>Deep Learning Deep belief network Convolutional neural network Long short term memory Deep network architecture Deep autoencoder Deep stacked network Deep learning for natural language processing Deep learning for machine vision Evolving deep network Transfer learning in deep learning Online deep learning >>Application Areas Banking and Securities Communications, Media and Entertainment Healthcare Providers Education Manufacturing & Natural Resources Government Insurances Retail & Wholesale Trade Transportation Energy & Utilities, Etc. ############################################################################ ##########################Sponsoring Organizations################# * INNS - International Neural Network Society * MTC - Mechatronic Technology Center, Institut Tecknologi Sepuluh Nopember ################################################################ Previous INNS Conference: INNS 2016 in Thessaloniki, Greece INNS 2015 in San Francisco, USA

Nov. 1, 2017

Postdoctoral position on modelling and neural analysis of perceptual decision-making at IDIBAPS / UPF (Barcelona)

by Alexandre Hyafil

A postdoctoral research position in computational neuroscience is available immediately to work with Jaime de la Rocha at IDIBAPS (Barcelona) and Alexandre Hyafil at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). The postdoctoral fellow will be a vital member of the interdisciplinary research team led by Jaime de la Rocha that studies perception and cognition using combined theoretical and experimental approaches. More specifically, the fellow's work will be part of an ERC-funded project aiming to unravel the behavioural principles and the neural mechanisms underlying how recent experience shapes perception and guides decisions. The fellow will (1) characterize the behavioural influence of recent history onto perceptual choices in rats and humans performing acoustic discrimination tasks, (2) analyze population recordings from cortical neurons obtained from rats to uncover the traces of recent history decision biases and (3) build dynamical models of behaviour based on the population recordings using a variety of machine learning tools. Behavioural and neural data is currently being acquired by other researchers in the lab. The work will be co-supervised between Jaime de la Rocha, head of the Cortical Circuit Dynamics Group (http://neuro.fcrb.es/delaRochaLab/) and Alexandre Hyafil who is establishing his new laboratory in the nearby UPF, and has in the last years develop a set analysis techniques fitted for our data. Both groups are part of the vibrant computational neuroscience community of Barcelona, which promotes the interaction among groups by organizing multiple internal activities. Applicants should have a strong background in computational neuroscience or applied mathematics and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate modeling and experimental research. Programming proficiency (Matlab and/or Python) is required. Experience in machine learning methods, advanced statistics as well as nonlinear dynamical systems will be valued. Ability to collaborate in a pluridisciplinary team is essential. Initial appointment for this position is for two years. The salary is competitive and negotiable depending on the candidate's experience. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants, please send a resume, names and contact of 3 references and a cover letter explaining your interest and research experience to jrochav(a)clinic.cat and alexandre.hyafil(a)gmail.com. Do no hesitate to make informal contact first.

Oct. 31, 2017

UW-Milwaukee: 2 Faculty Positions

by Adam S Greenberg

We're hiring two tenure-track Assistant Profs in Milwaukee! You'd be part of our growing Psychology department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Application review for both positions begins on 12/20/17. More info at the links below. Assistant Professor - Neuroscience - https://jobs.uwm.edu/postings/26876 Assistant Professor - Clinical Psychology - https://jobs.uwm.edu/postings/26877 Thanks, Adam ___________________________ Adam Greenberg, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Psychology P.O. Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201 email: agreenb(a)uwm.edu<mailto:agreenb@uwm.edu> Tel. (414) 229-1106 Fax (414) 229-5219 http://www.snaplaboratory.com/ Twitter: @SNAPLabUWM ___________________________

Oct. 31, 2017

Post-doctoral Research Associate in Computational Neuroimaging in Dementia

by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt

A 3.5 year fixed term post-doctoral research associate in Computational Neuroimaging post is available at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre, University of Ulster. The post-doctoral candidate will be involved in the new EU funded Centre for Personalised Medicine, Clinical Decision Making & Patient Safety Project. More specifically, s/he will work as part of a multidisciplinary team focused on dementia within the Centre and perform analysis and modelling of brain imaging and related data in dementia. All applicant should hold a degree in Computational Neuroscience/Biology/Sciences, Computing, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Bioinformatics, Mathematics, Statistics, Neuroscience, Data Sciences, or a cognate area. The successful applicant will be based primarily at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre, which also houses the NI Functional Brain Mapping Facility, and will have opportunities to interact with other related research teams and clinicians. Interested applicants are welcomed to apply at: https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTY4NzUzOCZ2dF90… Potential applicants may contact me for further inquiry. Please note that the application deadline is on the 15th November. --------------------------- Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin University of Ulster, UK https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/k-wong-lin This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

Oct. 30, 2017

PhD position in computational modeling of hippocampal neurons

by Peter Jedlicka

A PhD position is available to work with Peter Jedlicka (Justus Liebig University Giessen and Goethe-University Frankfurt) in a project aimed at computational modeling of hippocampal neurons. The PhD student will be involved in the generation and implementation of computational models focusing on synaptic plasticity and excitability of hippocampal neurons. The student will be using computer models to reproduce/predict data from electrophysiology experiments and developing simulation tools contributing to 3R animal protection strategies. The successful candidate should have a background in physics, mathematics, engineering, computational neuroscience, computational biology or a related field. Experience in scientific programming is necessary. Experience with compartmental modeling is a plus. The project includes morphological modeling in close collaboration with Dr. Hermann Cuntz (FIAS and Ernst-Strüngmann Institute, Frankfurt). The successful candidate will also collaborate with experimental and computational labs in Giessen and Frankfurt. Please submit your application, CV and statement of research interests to: Prof. Dr. Peter Jedlicka (Peter.Jedlicka(a)informatik.med.uni-giessen.de) Computer-Based Modeling in the field of 3R Animal Protection, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen The project is related to these recent publications: Platschek S, Cuntz H, Vuksic M, Deller T, Jedlicka P. A general homeostatic principle following lesion induced dendritic remodeling. Acta Neuropathol Commun., 4:19 2016 Jedlicka P, Benuskova L, Abraham WC. A Voltage-Based STDP Rule Combined with Fast BCM-Like Metaplasticity Accounts for LTP and Concurrent "Heterosynaptic" LTD in the Dentate Gyrus In Vivo. PLoS Comput Biol. 11(11):e1004588, 2015 Beining M, Jungenitz T, Radic T, Deller T, Cuntz H, Jedlicka P, Schwarzacher SW. Adult-born dentate granule cells show a critical period of dendritic reorganization and are distinct from developmentally born cells. Brain Struct Funct. 222:1427-1446, 2017 -- Prof. Dr. Peter Jedlicka Computer-Based Modelling in the field of 3R Animal Protection Faculty of Medicine Justus-Liebig-University Rudolf-Buchheim-Str. 6 D-35392 Giessen

Oct. 29, 2017

PhD position in Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making under Uncertainty

by Obermayer, Klaus, Prof. Dr.

Neural Information Processing Group, Fakultät IV, Technische Universität Berlin & Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience 1 PhD Position Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making under Uncertainty The successful candidate is expected join collaborative projects at the interface between computational neuroscience and machine learning (research topics: reinforcement learning and decision making under uncertainty). The position is affiliated with the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (https://www.bccn-berlin.de/) and the candidate is welcome to participate in its scientific and training activities. Teaching responsibilities include the supervision of two tutorials per week during the semester associated with the courses taught by the Neural Information Processing Group (http://www.ni.tu-berlin.de/) Starting date: January 1st, 2018 Salary level: E-13 TV-L The position is for a period of maximally of five years. Candidates should hold a recent Master degree and should have very good knowledge in the computational neuroscience and machine learning fields. Application material (CV, abstract of the Master thesis, copies of certificates and two letters of reference) should be sent to: Prof. Dr. Klaus Obermayer MAR 5-6, Technische Universität Berlin, Marchstrasse 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany http://www.ni.tu-berlin.de/ klaus.obermayer(a)tu-berlin.de preferably by email. All applications received before November 11th 2017 will be given full consideration, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored.

Oct. 25, 2017

Cluster of faculty positions in Computational Neuroscience at UC Davis

by Mark Steven Goldman

The University of California at Davis is making a major expansion in Computational Neuroscience and related fields, with 10+ tenure-track faculty position openings in the next 3 years through clusters of hires in Computational Neuroscience (3 positions), Motor Control & Neural Engineering (2 positions), Network Science (2 positions), and Data Science (4 positions). UC Davis is a top-10 Public Research University (US News & World Report) located in the college-town of Davis, CA, 1 hour from the San Francisco Bay Area and 20 minutes from the state capital of Sacramento. All cluster and position descriptions can be found at the following website http://comphip2017.ucdavis.edu/. The two Computational Neuroscience faculty positions available this year are broadly targeted as described formally below: Assistant Professor - Computational Neuroscience The University of California, Davis invites applications for up to two tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in computational neuroscience. Each position will focus on identifying general principles of brain function; and/or on modeling and methods at the molecular, cellular, circuit, and/or systems levels that connect to data obtained from different experimental techniques. This is part of a 3-year initiative to hire 10+ new faculty across multiple departments who focus on advanced computational theory and methods, including clusters of hires in computational neuroscience, network science, and data science (see http://comphip2017.ucdavis.edu) QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, physics, psychology, neuroscience, or related field; a demonstrated record of teaching, or evidence of the potential to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the academic department or departments; a record of attracting, or the potential to attract, extramural funding; and excellent potential for interactions/collaborations. APPLICATION PROCESS: The position will remain open until filled. To ensure full consideration, completed applications should be received by November 20, 2017. Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled. Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests, representative reprints and/or preprints, a statement of contributions to diversity, and at least three letters of recommendation electronically. The cover letter should indicate which of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior; Computer Science; Statistics; Mathematics; or Physics would be the most appropriate academic departments. For more information, contact Prof. Mark Goldman (msgoldman(a)ucdavis.edu<mailto:msgoldman@ucdavis.edu>). For technical questions please contact Susan Sainz (swsainz(a)ucdavis.edu) Apply at UC Recruit: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/apply/JPF01722

Oct. 25, 2017

NICE 2018 - call for abstracts is open

by Aimone, James Bradley

Dear colleagues, The abstract call for NICE 2018 is now open: https://easychair.org/cfp/NICE_2018 Abstracts due: November 15, 2017 The 2018 Neuro-Inspired Computing Elements (NICE) Workshop is the 6th annual meeting of researchers in the neural computing field. Like previous workshops, NICE 2018 will focus on the interplay between neural theory, neural algorithms, neuromorphic architectures and hardware, and applications for neural computing technology. NICE aims to involve diverse participation from all over the world and bring together research communities with universities, government, and industry. We are asking for extended abstracts of two pages, with emphasis on novel results in brain-inspired neural algorithms for machine learning, neural computing architectures and hardware, theoretical neuroscience, and applications of neural computing. Event dates are Feb. 27-Mar.1, 2018, and this year the workshop is being hosted by Intel, at their Hillsboro, Oregon site. Registration and accommodation details will be available on the event website (niceworkshop.org<http://niceworkshop.org>) by end of October. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Hillsboro, Feb.27th. Brad Aimone

Oct. 24, 2017

3-year, ERC-funded, postdoctoral position at University of Birmingham, UK.

by Jennifer Cook

The School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK, invites applications for a 3-year position as a post-doctoral researcher. The successful candidate will work together with Dr. Jennifer Cook on a European Research Council (ERC)-funded project on the relationship between social cognition, motor control and dopamine system function (ERC-StG-Brain2Bee). The starting date for the position is 13th January 2018 (although there is some flexibility around start date). The closing date for applications is 10th November 2017. See here for details: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BFB695/research-fellow/ *Project description:* Parkinson’s Disease is usually characterised by motor impairment, and Autism by social difficulties. However, the co-occurrence of social and motor symptoms is critically underappreciated; Parkinson’s disease patients exhibit social symptoms, and motor difficulties are common in Autism. At present, the biological basis of co-occurring social and motor impairment is unclear. Notably, both Autism and Parkinson’s disease have been associated with dopamine system dysfunction and, in non-clinical populations, DA has been linked with social and motor ability. This project will use psychopharmacology and behavioural training in typical individuals to understand the relationship between dopamine system function, and social and motor ability. Insights from these initial studies will be used in studies of patients to better understand the relationship between DA system dysfunction and the social and motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Results from this package of work will help us to move closer to a cross-disorder understanding of factors underlying variation in social and motor abilities. *The Candidate:* The successful candidate will be responsible for contributing to the development of a social and motor task battery; leading a study of social and motor function in patients with Parkinson’s Disease; and working with a team of researchers to run a psychopharmacology study to assess the effects of a dopaminergic drug on social and motor outcomes in 100 participants. Candidates should have substantial experience of behavioural experimental methods and ideally experience of working with a clinical population, and running and analysing psychopharmacology studies. This post will require analysing data associated with this project, preparing manuscripts for publication, presenting results at national and international conferences and the possible supervision of research assistants and students. Please note this post is aligned to external funding and therefore the salary on offer is up to a maximum of £32,548. -- Dr Jennifer Cook Birmingham Fellow School of Psychology University of Birmingham Tel: 0121 414 7218 <goog_589294029> www.jencooklab.com http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/psychology/people/profile.aspx?Referenc…

Oct. 23, 2017

EVIC 2017 - XIII IEEE Latin-American Summer School on Computational Intelligence

by Rodrigo Salas

EVIC 2017 - XIII IEEE Latin-American Summer School on Computational Intelligence We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this message. Please distribute to anyone who may be interested. ================================================================ XIII IEEE Latin-American Summer School on Computational Intelligence (EVIC) December 13-15, 2017 Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile Blanco 1911, CIAE Building, 4th Floor, Valparaíso, Chile. www.evic.cl Poster Competition - 1st call for abstract deadline: October 31th, 2017 (extended) 2nd call for abstract deadline: November 13th, 2017 http://www.evic.cl ================================================================ The XIII Summer School of Computational Intelligence will take place at Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile. It is jointly organized by the Chilean Chapter of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de Valparaiso. The aim of the Summer School is to promote Computational Intelligence, bringing together areas such as Intelligent Control Systems, Robotics, Computer Vision, Computational Neuroscience, Science Data, Big Data, among others, in order to disseminate the basic knowledge and the latest research advances to students, professors and professionals from Chile and other Latin American countries. During the Summer School, a Student Poster Competition on Computational Intelligence will be held. ==== Confirmed speakers ==== Chin-Teng Lin, Faculty of Engineering & IT, School of Software University of Technology Sydney, Australia Paulo Lisboa, Department of Applied Mathematics, John Moores Liverpool University, UK Pablo Estevez, Department of Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Chile Wael El-Deredy, Biomedical Engineering School, Universidad de Valparaíso Pablo Zegers, Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Luis Aburto, Physical Science and Mathematics Faculty , Universidad de Chile Gonzalo Acuña, Department of Informatics, Universidad de Santiago de Chile Mauricio Araya, Department of Informatics, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María Felipe Bello, Department of Informatics, Universidad de Santiago de Chile Sebastián Maldonado, Engineering and Applied Science Faculty, Universidad de los Andes Orietta Nicolis, Department of Statistics, Universidad de Valparaíso Bárbara Poblete, Computer Science Department, Universidad de Chile Carolina Saavedra, Biomedical Engineering School, Universidad de Valparaíso Miguel Solis, Engineering Faculty, Universidad Andrés Bello Felipe Tobar, Mathematical Modeling Center, Universidad de Chile Richard Weber, Physical Science and Mathematics Faculty, Universidad de Chile Alejandro Weinstein, Biomedical Engineering School, Universidad de Valparaíso ==== Organizing committee ==== Rodrigo Salas, Universidad de Valparaíso Claudio Held, Universidad de Chile Carolina Saavedra, Universidad de Valparaíso Doris Saez, Universidad de Chile Pablo Zegers, Emprendedor en Inteligencia Artificial Steren Chabert, Universidad de Valparaíso Alejandro Veloz, Universidad de Valparaíso ==== Important dates ==== Application for registration/travel scholarships (Chilean students) November 17th 1st call for extended abstract submission deadline: October 31th, 2017 (extended) 2nd call for extended abstract submission deadline: November 13th, 2017 ===== Paper submission ===== Authors should submit their articles in English as PDF files following the IEEE style guidelines for conference proceedings (limited up to 3 pages (US letter size)). The submission must include the following sections: Introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusions. Affiliation should include the name of the student participating in the competition, and the name of the co-authors Submit your work in PDF format in the following link https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=evic2017 Posters will be selected based on the quality of the extended abstract. The decision notification will be send by electronic mail. Posters should be posted according to the schedule which will be noted in the program. A committee of three experts will evaluate the posters and assign the first, second and third places. The awards will be announced on December 14th, 2017. Contact: Rodrigo Salas F. <rodrigo.salas(a)uv.cl>

Oct. 23, 2017

Call for submissions: 2nd HBP Student Conference

by HBP Education

Dear all, Below please find the call for submissions for the 2nd HBP Student Conference in Ljubljana: Call for submissions: 2nd HBP Student Conference Transdisciplinary Research Linking Neuroscience, Brain Medicine and Computer Science 14-16 February 2018, Ljubljana, Slovenia Extended abstract submission deadline: 25 October 2017 The 2nd HBP Student Conference provides an open forum for the exchange of new ideas among young researchers working across various aspects of neuroscience, brain medicine and computer science relevant to the Human Brain Project. The scope of the conference offers a plethora of opportunities for extensive scientific discussions, both intra- and interdisciplinary, among peers and faculty, through a variety of discussion sessions, lectures and social events. We invite original high-quality submissions describing innovative research in all disciplines addressing the HBP research programme. Contributions emphasising theoretical and empirical foundations as well as novel approaches to specific problems with respect to the subprojects of the HBP are welcome. Finally, we particularly encourage submissions with a potential to inspire the research community by introducing new and relevant problems, concepts and ideas, even if the work is at an early stage of development. Participation in the 2nd HBP Student Conference is open to advanced master students, PhD students and young researchers, regardless of whether they are affiliated with the HBP or not and regardless of whether they make a submission to the scientific programme or not. Participation of young female investigators is highly encouraged. Child care is offered during the conference. Please use the registration form to indicate if you need this service. Seven travel grants will be available upon request for European students only (country of residence). Travel grant requests have to be sent to education(a)humanbrainproject.eu prior to the abstract submission deadline. For further information and abstract submission visit: https://education.humanbrainproject.eu/web/2nd-hbp-student-conference <https://humanbrainproject.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e28686501b59b…> We are looking forward to receiving your abstracts! Best regards, The HBP Education Programme Office Theresa Rass HBP Education Programme Project Assistant Medical University Innsbruck (MUI) Müllerstraße 59, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Phone Office: +43 512 9003 71246 Mobile Phone: +43 676 871672246 Email: education(a)humanbrainproject.eu <mailto:education@humanbrainproject.eu>

Oct. 23, 2017

The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience - recent articles

by Stephen Coombes

The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience publishes research articles on the mathematical modeling and analysis of all areas of neuroscience. The current list of journal articles is available at http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ : Fundamental Limits of Forced Asynchronous Spiking with Integrate and Fire Dynamics Anirban Nandi, Heinz Schättler, Jason T. Ritt and ShiNung Ching https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… Symmetries Constrain Dynamics in a Family of Balanced Neural Networks Andrea K. Barreiro, J. Nathan Kutz and Eli Shlizerman https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… An Analysis of Waves Underlying Grid Cell Firing in the Medial Enthorinal Cortex Mayte Bonilla-Quintana, Kyle C. A. Wedgwood, Reuben D. O’Dea and Stephen Coombes https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… A Stochastic Version of the Jansen and Rit Neural Mass Model: Analysis and Numerics Markus Ableidinger, Evelyn Buckwar and Harald Hinterleitner https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… Fast–Slow Bursters in the Unfolding of a High Codimension Singularity and the Ultra-slow Transitions of Classes Maria Luisa Saggio, Andreas Spiegler, Christophe Bernard and Viktor K. Jirsa https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13408-… All articles are Open Access. ------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Coombes Professor of Applied Mathematics School of Mathematical Sciences Nottingham, UK Tel: 0115 846 7836 http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/~sc/ ------------------------------------------------------- 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 send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.

Oct. 23, 2017

2 tenure-track positions in Computational Neuroscience at Western University

by Jorn Diedrichsen

Two Probationary (Tenure-Track) Faculty Positions in Computational Neuroscience The Faculty of Science at Western University is inviting applications for two probationary (tenure-track) faculty positions at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in Computational Neuroscience. These unique appointments are initially funded through BrainsCAN (brainscan.uwo.ca<http://www.uwo.ca/brainscan/index.html>), a $66M initiative funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund at Western University, and allow a research-intensive focus for the first 5 years of the appointment. Successful candidates will be provided a yearly research budget for this period, and will be eligible for further internal funding including research accelerator awards, and support for postdoctoral research fellows and PhD students. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and be recognized internationally for excellence in computational neuroscience research. The ideal candidates will develop and apply computational and statistical data analysis methods to the modeling of neurophysiological, behavioral, or neuroimaging data in order to significantly contribute to the advancement of neuroscience. Candidates with either theoretical or empirical research programs are encouraged to apply. The position will commence on July 1, 2018 or as negotiated. The successful candidates will become members of the Brain and Mind Institute (www.uwo.ca/bmi<http://www.uwo.ca/bmi>) and will work in the highly collaborative environment in neuroscience, a key area of research strength at Western University. The BMI has 30 Principal Investigators working in the areas of behavioral, cognitive and clinical neuroscience, nearly 200 trainees, and an interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program. Facilities at Western include a full range of ultra-high field, research-only, MRI scanners (3T, 7T, 9.4T) and state of-the-art laboratories for cognitive, behavioral, and neurophysiological testing in humans, nonhuman primates and rodents. The successful candidates will be appointed into one, or more, of either the Department of Statistical & Actuarial Sciences (www.uwo.ca/stats<http://www.uwo.ca/stats>), the Department for Applied Mathematics (www.uwo.ca/apmaths<http://www.uwo.ca/apmaths>), and the Department of Computer Science (www.csd.uwo.ca<http://www.csd.uwo.ca/>) as appropriate, in the Faculty of Science at Western (www.uwo.ca/sci<http://www.uwo.ca/sci>). Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. Review of applications will begin on December 1st, 2017. For full details, please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/brainscan/work_with_us/vacancies/computational_neuroscien… Jörn Diedrichsen Western Research Chair Brain Mind Institute Department of Computer Science Department of Statistics Email: jdiedric(a)uwo.ca<mailto:jdiedric@uwo.ca> Tel: 1-519-661-2111 x86994

Oct. 21, 2017

Brain Modeling ToolKit

by Anton Arkhipov

Dear Colleague, We would like to announce the alpha release of the Brain Modeling ToolKit (BMTK), developed at the Allen Institute for Brain Science: https://github.com/AllenInstitute/bmtk. BMTK is a python-based software package for building and simulating models of neuronal circuits. It supports simulations at four levels of resolution (biophysically detailed, point-neuron, population statistics, and machine intelligence) by providing wrappers to tools such as NEURON, NEST, diPDE, and TensorFlow. This is an alpha release and we are working on creating more extensive documentation and tutorials. Meanwhile, we are very much looking forward to hearing feedback on the existing functionality. If you could try out the package and let us know about your experience, that would be very much appreciated! At this early stage, we are happy to work closely with you to help you get started on using the BMTK. Please email the lead developer of BMTK, Kael Dai, at kaeld(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:kaeld@alleninstitute.org>, or to me, at antona(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:antona@alleninstitute.org>, with any questions. A good place to start is the user guide: https://alleninstitute.github.io/bmtk We are looking forward to your feedback! Many thanks, Anton. Anton Arkhipov Associate Investigator T: 206.548.8414 [cid:image001.png@01D349BD.C61A1100] www.alleninstitute.org<http://www.alleninstitute.org/>

Oct. 21, 2017

final schedule for workshop on high performance computing in neuroscience

by Ted Carnevale

The final schedule for the workshop on high performance computing in neuroscience, which will be held November 11 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the 2017 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, is now available at http://www.nsgportal.org/SFN2017_workshop.html --Ted

Oct. 19, 2017

COSYNE 2018: Abstract submission is now open, Call for workshop proposals

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2018 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 01 - 04 March 2018 Denver, Colorado WORKSHOPS 05 - 06 March 2018 Breckenridge, Colorado www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission is now open. Workshop proposal deadline: 10 November 2017 Abstract submission deadline: 20 November 2017 ---------------------------------------------------- COSYNE ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. For details on workshop proposals please see below or visit Cosyne.org -> Workshops. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. This year we would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. For more information and details on submitting abstracts please visit Cosyne.org -> Abstracts. COSYNE SPEAKERS Tim Behrens (Oxford) Josh Berke (UCSF) Tiago Branco (UCL) Jessica Cardin (Yale) Claudia Clopath (Imperial) Marlene Cohen (Pittsburgh) Iain Couzin (Max-Planck) Carina Curto (Penn State) Ann Graybiel (MIT) Vivek Jayaraman (Janelia) Mate Lengyel (Cambridge) Joni Wallis (Berkeley) Byron Yu (CMU) ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Ilana Witten (Princeton) and Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Program Chairs: Linda Wilbrecht (Berkeley) and Brent Doiron (U Pittsburgh) Workshop Chairs: Laura Busse (LMU) and Ralf Haefner (U Rochester) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Angela Langdon (Princeton) and Robert Wilson (U Arizona) Publicity Chair: Il Memming Park (Stony Brook) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org ----------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ----------------------------------------------- A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting. The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops). Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. In order to foster discussion within Workshops and reduce overlap between workshops, organizers should inform invited speakers that a single person should not speak in more than one of the Workshops taking place on the same day. WORKSHOP DETAILS - There will be 4-8 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 15 and 80 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (8.00-11.00 AM) and afternoon (4.30-7.30 PM) sessions. - Workshops will be held at Breckenridge, CO, a ski resort located 100 miles (approximately two hours) from the Denver International Airport. Buses from the main conference will be provided. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Workshop proposal deadline: 10 November 2017 Format: plain text only, please no attachments, email to workshops [at] cosyne.org (Laura Busse, Ralf Haefner) Proposals should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). A primary contact should be designated. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with the most confirmed speakers. - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs 2 days, please explain why. - A brief resume of the workshop organizer along with a short list of workshop-relevant publications (about half a page total). - A list of confirmed speakers. Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers and submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can be speakers but need not speak depending on scheduling constraints. SUGGESTIONS Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend fewer than 10 talks. WORKSHOP COSTS Detailed registration costs, etc, will be available at www.cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does NOT provide travel funding for workshop speakers. All workshop speakers are expcted to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complementary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with 2 organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE WORKSHOP QUESTIONS workshops [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

Oct. 18, 2017

Post-doc position in Human Intracranial Physiology and Human Memory

by Zaghloul, Kareem (NIH/NINDS) [E]

Hi, I would like to post the following advertisement for an available post-doc position to the comp-neuro listserve. If you could help me with that, I would appreciate it. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thank you for your help, Kareem Kareem A. Zaghloul, MD, PhD Surgical Neurology Branch National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH Bldg 10, Rm. 3D20 10 Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892-1414 O: 301-594-8114 F: 301-402-0380 The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is seeking a full-time post-doctoral position focused on understanding the neural correlates of human memory. This position involves studies focused on analyzing and manipulating human intracranial electrophysiological signals, including single-unit activity, local field potentials, and electro corticography (ECoG), captured from patients with medically refractory epilepsy and from patients receiving deep brain stimulation surgery. Post-doctoral fellows will join a laboratory aimed at understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie human episodic memory formation and decision making and at developing novel and innovative techniques to directly communicate with those circuits. We are seeking candidates that are highly creative, motivated, and independent with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field. Candidates must have a strong research background, with a record of relevant publications. Candidates will be encouraged and expected to participate in independent laboratory research, and will be expected to write scholarly manuscripts. Candidates must be able to lead and work well in a team. Candidates should have strong computational, quantitative, and/or engineering skills, with proficiency in developing custom code (Matlab, Python, etc.) for data analysis preferred. Past medical research is not required, but candidates must be willing to perform experiments in a clinical setting. Candidates will interact with clinical staff, graduate students, research fellows, and must have excellent spoken and written English skills. Applicants who will be attending either the Society for Neuroscience (Washington, DC), or American Epilepsy Society (Washington, DC) conferences can arrange for a meeting with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Kareem Zaghloul. Applicants should submit a brief statement of research activities and interests, a current CV, and names and contact information of at least three references. Salary will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments. To arrange a meeting with the PI and to send materials required for consideration for this appointment please contact Dr. Zaghloul at: zaghloulka(a)mail.nih.gov<mailto:zaghloulka@mail.nih.gov> NIH, an agency of DHHS, is an equal opportunity employer. All employees are subject to background investigation.

Oct. 18, 2017

Neuroscience Graduate Group at the University of Pennsylvania

by Gold, Joshua

The Neuroscience Graduate Group (NGG; http://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/) at the University of Pennsylvania is a collaborative and interdisciplinary PhD program that is currently accepting applications for matriculation in the fall of 2018. We are particularly interested in attracting exceptional applicants with backgrounds in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, and/or Psychology and are interested in the broadly defined field of Computational Neuroscience. We have a robust and interdisciplinary community of scholars in this field, including: Geoff Aguirre, Neurology Vijay Balasubramanian, Physics Danielle S Bassett, Bioengineering David H Brainard, Psychology Maja Bucan, Genetics Johannes Burge, Psychology Alice S Chen-Plotkin, Neurology Brian Chow, Bioengineering Yale E Cohen, Otorhinolaryngology Diego Contreras, Neuroscience Long Ding, Neuroscience Steven Eliades, Otorhinolaryngology Russell Epstein, Psychology Christopher M Fang-Yen, Bioengineering Michael Freed, Neuroscience Maria Neimark Geffen, Otorhinolaryngology Joshua I Gold, Neuroscience Joseph W Kable, Psychology Michael J Kahana, Psychology Elani Katifori, Physics Max Kelz, Anesthesiology Konrad Kording, Neuroscience and Bioengineering Daniel Lee, Electrical and Systems Engineering Brian Litt, Neurology and Bioengineering Minghong Ma, Neuroscience Joel D Mainland, Neuroscience Philip Nelson, Physics Michael Platt, Neuroscience, Marketing, and Psychology Nicole C Rust, Psychology Marc Schmidt, Biology Robert G Smith, Neuroscience Alan A Stocker, Psychology Sharon Thompson-Schill, Psychology Penn also has strong programs in Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology with faculty actively involved in machine learning, decision making, perception, and computational learning theory. NGG students are encouraged to pursue collaborations and interactions with these groups. Penn also is home to the Computational Neuroscience Initiative (https://cni.upenn.edu) which oversees many of our academic and research programs related to computational neuroscience. The application deadline for the NGG is December 1, 2017. For more details please see our website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/app_info.shtml ----- Joshua Gold Chair, Neuroscience Graduate Group University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6074 jigold(a)pennmedicine.upenn.edu<mailto:jigold@mail.med.upenn.edu>

Oct. 18, 2017

PhD in Distributed neural processing of self-generated visual input in a vertebrate brain

by Christopher Buckley

PhD studentships in Systems Neuroscience are available in the groups of Dr Christopher L Buckley (Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems Group) and Prof. Leon Lagnado (Neuroscience group) at the University of Sussex on the BBSRC funded project " Distributed neural processing of self-generated visual input in a vertebrate brain”. We are looking for ambitious candidates with a computational, physics, maths or engineering background who want to get involved in cutting edge experimental neuroscience. This position is particularly suited to those with some experience with computational neuroscience. In this project we will characterise the neural circuits involved in the interactions between the sensory and motor systems using 2p and light-sheet microscopy to image neural activity across the brain of live zebrafish in a virtual reality environment (Nature. 2013;493: 466–468). This setup will allow us to approach foundational questions concerning the biological basis of sensorimotor processing and is a unique opportunity to combine theory and modelling with full experiment control, see https://tinyurl.com/kjtxoq9 for more details. Informal enquiries can be made to Chris Buckley<http://www.christopherlbuckley.com/> (c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk>) or Leon Lagnado<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/lagnadolab/> (l.lagnado(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:l.lagnado@sussex.ac.uk>). Sussex Neuroscience<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience> is one of the foremost centers for Neuroscience research in the UK and the University of Sussex has a beautiful campus on the outskirts of the lively South Coast town of Brighton. Application: Please apply through the post-graduate application system of the University of Sussex (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/apply) Please include a brief statement of your scientific interests and skills/experience in the mandatory “research proposal”, including how you would imagine your role in the project (max 2 pages) and include a full CV. Indicate Dr Christopher L Buckley as your preferred advisor and clearly state the title of the studentship. When you apply, please send a copy of your application documents to c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk> and l.lagnado(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:l.lagnado@sussex.ac.uk>. Funding Notes The studentship includes a three year stipend at a standard rate (currently £14,296 per annum) and, in addition, fees at the UK/EU rate. Since the studentship only covers fees at the UK/EU rate, overseas applicants are kindly requested to state in their application how they propose to cover the difference between UK/EU and overseas fees. Deadline Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Christopher L Buckley Lecturer in Neural Computation Evolutionay and Adaptive Systems Group Department go Informatics Sussex Neuroscience University of Sussex Department of Informatics Sussex Neuroscience Falmer Brighton, UK email: c.l.buckley(a)sussex.ac.uk<mailto:c.l.buckley@sussex.ac.uk> twitter: @drclbuckley

Oct. 18, 2017

PhD studentship in the Humphries lab

by Mark Humphries

A potentially fully-funded UK/EU PhD studentship project is available in the Humphries lab at the University of Manchester, UK A wide range of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Tourette's syndrome have been linked to the aberrant activity of output neurons in the massive, subcortical striatum. It is unknown how such aberrant activity arises from the changes to the brain known to occur in these disorders. This project will test the hypothesis that the network of fast-spiking interneurons within the striatum are a common cause of this aberrant activity. Please see here for full details: https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=84600&LID=1020 And here for how to apply, deadline Friday November 17th 2017: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/mrc-dtp/ Any questions please contact Dr Mark Humphries directly (mark.humphries(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:mark.humphries@manchester.ac.uk>) _____________________________________________________________________________ Dr Mark Humphries | MRC Senior non-Clinical Research Fellow | Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health http://www.systemsneurophysiologylab.manchester.ac.uk/ [0da17e2a-9ed5-496a-b161-9fd4491ce5c7]@markdhumphries <https://twitter.com/markdhumphries> Public blog: https://medium.com/the-spike

Oct. 18, 2017

3 postdoc positions for a 3 years interdisciplinary project on Human vs Machine Intelligence

by GOMEZ GUTIERREZ, Emilia

Dear comp-neuro list, We are starting an interdisciplinary research project related to the scientific understanding of artificial intelligence and its influence on human cognition and behaviour, and we are currently building a team of postdocs. I thought the topic might be interesting for some researchers in this mailing list. Application deadline is in one week, October 26th. I copy a short summary below, but please contact me for further information. Best regards, emilia ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emilia Gómez Associate Professor, Music Technology Group - DTIC Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona http://emiliagomez.com ----- The Joint Research Centre (JRC) <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/>is the European Commission's science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy. The JRC Centre for Advanced Studies <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/centre-advanced-studies> (JRC-CAS) was established to enhance the JRC’s capabilities to meet emerging challenges at the science-policy interface. JRC-CAS is now launching HUMAINT <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/science-update/humaint-project>, a three year interdisciplinary project to understand the potential impact of machine learning in human behaviour and societal welfare. It will be carried out at JRC centre in Seville, Spain. There will be close collaboration with the Music Technology Group <http://mtg.upf.edu/> and the Department of Information and Communication Technologies of Universitat Pompeu Fabra <https://www.upf.edu/web/etic> in Barcelona, Spain. The project will (1) provide a scientific understanding of machine vs human intelligence; (2) analyze the influence of machine learning algorithms into human behaviour (3) investigate to what extent these findings should influence the European regulatory framework. In the context of this project, *three postdoc positions* in the area of machine learning and human behaviour are open for appointment from January 1, 2018, at the Joint Research Centre (European Commission) in Seville, Spain. The fully funded positions are available for a period of three years. Particular areas of interests: - Fairness, accountability, transparency, explainability of machine learning methods. - Social, ethical and economic aspects of artificial intelligence. - Cognitive and computational neuroscience, behavioural studies. - Human-computer interaction and human-centered machine learning. - Digital and behavioural economy. - Application domains: music and arts, social networks, health, transport, energy. We are looking for highly motivated, independent, and outstanding postdoc candidates with a strong background in machine learning and/or human behaviour. An excellent research track record, ability to communicate research results and involvement in community initiatives is expected. Candidates should have EU/EEA citizenship. The JRC <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/> offers an enriching multi-cultural and multi-lingual work environment with lifelong learning and professional development opportunities, and close links to top research organisations and international bodies around the world. Postdoctoral researchers receive a competitive salary and excellent working conditions, and will define their own research agenda inline with the project goals. JRC-Seville is located in Cartuja 93 <https://www.google.es/maps/place/Joint+Research+Centre+(JRC-Seville)/@37.39…>scientific and technological park. Seville <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZXdXzntmok> is the fourth-largest city in Spain. With more than 30 centuries of history (gateway of America for two centuries, main actor in the first circumnavigation of the Earth), three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and privileged climate, it combines its historical and touristic character with a consolidated economic development and innovation potential. We are also open for *collaborations with external researchers*, as one of our goals is to build an expert network in the topics. You may obtain *further information* about the scientific aspects of the positions from Dr. Emilia Gómez (project scientific leader: emilia.gomez(a)upf.edu, <emilia.gomez(a)upf.edu> using the subject [humaint]) and at the following web pages http://recruitment.jrc.e c.europa.eu/?site=SVQ&type=AX&category=FGIV <http://recruitment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/?site=SVQ&type=AX&category=FGIV> and https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/working-with-us/jobs <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/working-with-us/jobs>. *YOU CAN APPLY HERE <http://recruitment.jrc.ec.europa.eu/?site=SVQ&type=AX&category=FGIV> BY OCTOBER 26, 2017 * -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emilia Gómez Associate Professor, Serra-Húnter & ICREA Academia Fellow Music Technology Group - DTIC Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona http://emiliagomez.wordpress.com

Oct. 18, 2017

CfP 27th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2018)

by Barakova, E.I.

[We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this message] ========================================================================== *** Call for Papers *** 27th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2018) Jiangsu Conference Center, Nanjing, Sheraton, Tai'an CHINA August 27th - September 1st 2018 www.ro-man2018.org ========================================================================== ========================================================================== The 27th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication, RO-MAN 2018, will be held in Nanjing and Tai'an, China, on August 27 to September 1st. This leading forum on Robot and Human Interactive Communication covers the state-of-the-art innovative results and the latest developments in a wide range of topics. This year's theme is "Social Intelligence in Interactive Robots". The conference will look at the impact of friendly, open, ecological and useful cognitive robots in practical & real life applications in healthcare, industry, edutainment, and more, in the context of coexistence and cooperation. The main conference will host presentations of original contributions including new methods, theories and applications of Human-Robot Interactive Communication Systems. Multi-disciplinary approaches and practical solutions are highly encouraged. The workshops, tutorials, and industrial sessions will provide an opportunity to participants from academia and industry to focus on specific and prospective topics. Three keynote speakers will give plenary talks about emerging technologies and methods in human-robot interactive systems and their future. Regular papers. Prospective authors are invited to submit high-quality papers reporting original results under the broad theme socially intelligent robots. Tutorials and workshops will provide half-day or full-day training or discussions in applied research and applications. Proposals for tutorials and workshops should include: objectives, intended audience, list of prospective speakers, and topic list. Special sessions. Prospective special session organizers are invited to submit a proposal to the special session chair. Papers submitted to special sessions will undergo the same review process as the regular papers and will be included in the conference proceedings. Poster Sessions. Prospective authors are invited to submit their recent applied research, innovative applications and work-in-progress to be broadly discussed in designated interactive sessions. Video/ Demos/ Exhibit sessions. The conference offers an excellent opportunity for the industry to showcase their products and services. Startups and labs are also invited to present their prototypes and concepts. Industrial sessions. Participants are invited to share their proof-of-concepts, advanced prototypes, and industrial applications to scientific and industrial audience. Important Dates: Special Sessions, Workshops & Tutorials: Submission Deadline: January 19, 2018 Notification of Acceptance:February 2, 2018 Regular Papers, Special Session Papers: Submission Deadline: March 19, 2018 Notification of Acceptance: May 15, 2018 Camera-ready Deadline: June 5, 2018 Interactive Poster Sessions, Video Sessions, and Demonstration Sessions: Submission Deadline: May 22, 2018 Notification of Acceptance: June 5, 2018 Honorary General Chair Kazuhiko Kawamura, USA General Chair Ryad Chellali, China/ Italy Financial Co-Chairs Honghai Liu, China Lyn Lee, China Program Co-Chairs Fulvio Mastrogiovanni, Italy Amit Kumar Pandey, France Haoping Wang, China Tutorial & Workshop Co-Chairs Juan Rojas, China Silvia Rossi, Italy Exhibition Industry Co-Chairs Pierre Blazevic, France Yi Yang, China Huan Tan, USA Awards Co-Chairs Mary Anne Williams, Australia Marwala Tshilidzi, South Africa Publication Co-Chairs John-John Cabibihan, Qatar Erdem Erdemir, USA Publicity Co-Chairs Emilia Barakova, The Netherlands Yudong Zhang, China Secretariat Meiling Kate Shen, China Contact: info(a)ro-man2018.org Emilia I. Barakova, Ph.D., Faculty of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology Laplace 32, 5612 AZ Eindhoven The Netherlands, Head ID Social Robotics Lab, Editor Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, Associate Editor Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/e.i.barakova/

Oct. 18, 2017

Two Post-doc/PhD positions in computational modeling of epilepsy

by Jochen Triesch

Two Post-doc/PhD positions are available in the context of Frankfurt's new Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER). The project focuses on better understanding circuit changes and neuroimmune interactions during the development of epilepsy and is jointly lead by Profs. Peter Jedlicka and Jochen Triesch. The positions are based at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (https://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/en/) Frankfurt has a vibrant Neuroscience community and the successful candidates will work closely together with experimental labs. Ideal candidates will have obtained a PhD/Master Degree in Computational Neuroscience or closely related field and have a strong interest in applying their knowledge to problems of medical relevance. Prior experience with modeling spiking neural networks or compartmental modeling is highly desirable. Experience in modeling epilepsy, neural plasticity and neuro-immune interactions is a plus. Earliest starting date is in January 2018. Review of applications will continue until the positions have been filled. Applications (single pdf file including CV, list of publications, statement of research interests and names and email addresses of three references) should be sent to jedlicka(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de and triesch(a)fias.uni-frankfurt.de . Peter Jedlicka and Jochen Triesch -- 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

Oct. 18, 2017

Postdoctoral position in memory and sleep at U-Michigan

by Kamran Diba

The Diba Lab for Neural Circuits and Memory <https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/diba-lab/> at the University of Michigan is currently looking for a qualified postdoctoral scholar. We are focused on understanding mechanisms supporting cross-regional circuit dynamics in waking and sleep and their respective roles during memory formation. We use large-scale in-vivo electrophysiology, optical imaging, circuit manipulations (including optogenetics), network modeling (in collaboration with Sen Cheng <http://www.rd.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/neuro/wiss/pi/cheng.html.en>’s Lab at Ruhr University-Bochum) and extensive data analyses to investigate these questions in hippocampal and cortical networks. The preferred candidate would have experience in one or more of these areas: unit/spectral analysis, computational network modeling, electrophysiology, imaging, neuroanatomy. Postdocs will provide scientific input in the project and will be trained with the goal of becoming independent investigators. Please contact Kamran Diba directly mailto:kdiba@umich.edu <kdiba(a)umich.edu> and include your CV and description of your research interests and experience. Salaries will follow the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) postdoctoral payscale <https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-16-131.html>.

Oct. 17, 2017

PhD position in computational & experimental approaches to naturalistic behavior

by Constantin Rothkopf

Applications are invited for a PhD student position in the lab of Constantin Rothkopf at the Technical University Darmstadt. The lab is part of the newly established Centre for Cognitive Science and the Institute of Psychology. Our work focuses on computational and experimental approaches to further the understanding of naturalistic, sequential visuomotor behavior in humans, including experimental approaches to investigate cue integration in complex natural tasks (e.g., motor control, locomotion, navigation and spatial orientation). Current topics include: - statistics of visuomotor behavior in naturalistic tasks, - image statistics during visuomotor behavior in-the-wild, - optimal control models of visuomotor behavior, - inverse-optimal-control in human visuomotor behavior, - eye-movements in naturalistic tasks, - cue integration for navigation (optic flow and locomotion, locomotion and cognitive maps). For further information please visit our websites: http://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/ http://www.fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~rothkopf/ Applicants need to have a Master's degree in cognitive science, computer science, psychology, or related fields. In addition to a strong general interest in cognitive science, computational science, experimental psychology, and interdisciplinary research, the ideal candidate has a background in eye-tracking or virtual reality technology. Experience with programming (e.g. Python, Matlab, C++, Unity) is inevitable. Analytical aptitude as well as awareness of experimental literature is expected. We offer a supportive and multidisciplinary environment driven by scientific curiosity, lab facilities for measuring extended behavior (e.g. visuomotor, motor, locomotive, spatial) in-the-wild and in VR, as well as international collaborations. Informal inquiries may be made to Constantin Rothkopf at constantin.rothkopf(a)cogsci.tu-darmstadt.de

Oct. 17, 2017

Postdoctoral positions in theoretical neuroscience

by Jonathan Touboul

Up to two postdoctoral positions are available at Brandeis University to work on exciting problems in theoretical neuroscience (mathematical-neuroscience.net <http://mathematical-neuroscience.net/>). Research topics include the analysis of the dynamics of neuron model or neural networks with heterogeneous elements, learning, memory and pathological brain states, as well as the embryonic development of neural assemblies. Techniques include numerical simulations, dynamical systems (with delays, jumps and/or multiple timescales), probabilities and statistical physics. All projects will involve heavy collaboration with experimental groups in Boston area, Paris and abroad. The positions are up to 3 year terms, contingent upon satisfactory progress, with competitive salary and benefits packages. The fellows will participate to the vibrant scholar life in the Boston area. The successful candidates will join the Mathematics Department at Brandeis University (http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/mathematics/ <http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/mathematics/>) with strong ties to the Neuroscience group (http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/ <http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/>). Opportunities to teach in the math department could be available and are encouraged! Candidates should have a Ph.D. in mathematics, (computational) neuroscience, physics or engineering and have an excellent track record of scholarship, have experience in dynamical systems and/or stochastic models, and be familiar with computational programing. Applications from under-represented groups are strongly encouraged. Candidates should send their CV, a cover letter indicating their research interests and professional goals, and names and contact information of two references to jtouboul(a)brandeis.edu <mailto:jtouboul@brandeis.edu> . Best wishes, Jon

Oct. 17, 2017

Two postdoc positions Canavier lab

by Canavier, Carmen C.

A Postdoctoral Researcher position is available in the computational neuroscience lab of Carmen Canavier in the School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans to study cholinergic contributions to hippocampal information processing in close collaboration with electrophysiologist Sonia Gasparini. The successful candidate will construct a morphologically and biophysically realistic model of a hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron to explain the observed frequency selectivity of different dendritic regions for slow versus fast gamma band inputs. Some network modeling will also be required for the project. The primary duties will involve linear and non-linear analyses, writing code, calibrating single neuron models, and generating predictions that lead to additional experiments. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or a related field of study. The ideal candidate would have experience with the simulation package NEURON and some knowledge of the hippocampus. Familiarity with nonlinear dynamics, signal processing, and coding in C and or python in a Linux environment is also desirable. Qualified candidates may submit resume along with cover letter and contact information for three references electronically to: SOM-recruits(a)lsuhsc.edu; reference 00049561. Applications should be received before Nov 15 to ensure consideration for the position. LSUHSC is an Equal Opportunity Employer for females, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. A second Postdoctoral Researcher position will available Jan 1.?in the computational neuroscience lab of Carmen Canavier in the School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans to study the dynamic diversity of midbrain dopamine neurons in close collaboration with electrophysiologist Jochen Roeper at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. The successful candidate will construct morphologically and biophysically realistic models of distinct subpopulations of dopamine neurons to account for experimentally observed differences in their bursting and pacemaking dynamics. These simulations will require in some cases incorporation of stochastic channel models and second messenger cascades. The primary duties will involve linear and non-linear analyses, writing code, calibrating single neuron models, and generating predictions that lead to additional experiments. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science or a related field of study. The ideal candidate would have experience with the simulation package NEURON and some knowledge of the basal ganglia. Familiarity with nonlinear dynamics, signal processing, and coding in C and or python in a Linux environment is also desirable. Please email CV to ccanav(a)lsuhsc.edu for more information. LSUHSC is an Equal Opportunity Employer for females, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.?

Oct. 16, 2017

Announcing our new Computational Neuroscience Center at the University of Washington; positions available

by fairhall＠u.washington.edu

We’re delighted to announce the formation of the University of Washington Computational Neuroscience Center (compneuro.washington.edu) The Center brings together research across the full spectrum of mechanisms and functions of the brain, developing new theoretical, computational and statistical tools to unify and interpret the extraordinary data on neural systems being gathered by our partners in Seattle and around the world. Come join us! Faculty positions: We’re hiring an assistant professor to join the UW-CNC in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Application review is still open! http://depts.washington.edu/pbiopage/2017-compneuro-faculty-search/ Center administrator: We have an opening for someone passionate about facilitating and building the interdisciplinary scientific community of the UW-CNC. Role includes administering training programs and outreach, grantwriting support for center grants, organizing conferences and meetings, and recruiting for the center, with opportunities for writing about the center and its science and more. Please send a cv/resume and statement of interest to cncadmin(a)uw.edu. Postdoctoral positions: We are hiring a postdoctoral fellow to join our Swartz Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, position available immediately. To apply send a research statement, cv and the contact information for at least two referees to cncadmin(a)uw.edu Graduate students: UW has numerous graduate programs suitable for students interested in neural computation. Funding and training opportunities are many, including NIH Training Program in Neural Computation and Engineering at UW, the Big Data in Genomics and Neuroscience Training Grant, the University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering, and the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering. See http://compneuro.washington.edu/studies-in-neural-computation-and-engineeri… for a list and for typical application deadlines. Adrienne Fairhall Eric Shea-Brown

Oct. 16, 2017

Postdoctoral Research position available immediately

by Avrama Blackwell

The Computational and Experimental Neuroplasticity laboratory (http://krasnow1.gmu.edu/CENlab/avrama.html) at George Mason University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research position / software engineer beginning Oct 1, 2017. The successful candidate will contribute to ongoing, cutting-edge research in computational systems biology & neuroscience by further development of our stochastic reaction-diffusion software, NeuroRD and further development of parameter optimization software. CENlab is an interdisciplinary, dynamic and creative research group at Mason’s Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, located in northern Virginia (15 miles west of Washington, D.C.). The hired applicant is expected to make valuable contributions to computational neuroscience software by (1) design and implementation of new features for NeuroRD (https://github.com/neurord/stochdiff) (2) extension of parameter optimization software (https://github.com/neurord/ajustadore) to signaling molecules and (3) investigating the role of calcium dynamics and cell signaling pathways in learning and plasticity. In each of these projects, the candidate is expected to contribute to publications and presentations on the new software as well as addressing neurobiological questions of interest. The candidate will closely interact with other members of CENlab including model developers and experimentalists. Requirements: Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g. computer science, physics, bioinformatics, engineering) and at least one publication in reputable journal. Experience in software development (scientific software, python and C++ or JAVA preferred). Expertise with Unix operating systems. Knowledge of stochastic processes and biological processes. To apply, please respond to http://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/41446. Include curriculum vitae and cover letter; indicate whether you will be attending the 2017 SFN conference if you apply prior to Nov 8. Position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found. The successful applicant will have office space, a unix computer workstation, and a post-doctoral level salary supplemented by excellent state employee benefits. More information: * NeuroRD website: https://github.com/neurord * Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study: http://krasnow.gmu.edu * George Mason University: http://www.gmu.edu George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. Enrollment is 30,000, with students studying in over 150 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William. George Mason University is an equal opportunity employer encouraging diversity.

Oct. 16, 2017

Tenure Track Position in Applied Mathematics at Brandeis

by Jonathan Touboul

Brandeis University, Department of Mathematics, invites applications for a tenure-track position in applied mathematics at the rank of assistant professor beginning fall 2018. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in mathematics or a related field, demonstrate potential for excellence in research, and display a commitment to teaching. An ideal candidate will be expected to help to build an applied mathematics program within the department, and to interact with other science faculty at Brandeis. Candidates from all areas of applied mathematics will be considered. First consideration will be given to applications received by November 15. Applications should include an AMS cover sheet, a curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and four letters of recommendation, one of which addresses teaching effectiveness. Applications should be submitted through MathJobs.org <http://mathjobs.org/>: https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10791 <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10791>

Oct. 14, 2017

Tenure-Track Position at University of Maryland: Neurobiology/Biophysics

by Daniel A. Butts

The Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor in Neuroscience and/or Biophysics. We seek outstanding candidates taking innovative experimental and/or theoretical/computational approaches to address major questions that complement and/or integrate the interests of our sensory neurobiology and biophysics groups. Applicants must have a doctoral degree and should have developed, or have demonstrated the potential to develop, an outstanding research program that garners competitive extramural funding. Postdoctoral experience is preferred. Applicants also must exhibit a commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring, including working with students and groups from underrepresented backgrounds. The University of Maryland and Department of Biology are committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, staff, and students, and who can contribute to the climate of inclusivity are encouraged to identify their experience in these areas. To Apply: https://ejobs.umd.edu The University of Maryland, College Park is the flagship campus of the University of System of Maryland and is one of the most rapidly advancing public research universities in the country. We have close interactions with the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore and our close proximity to Washington D.C. facilitates interactions with researchers at an extraordinary range of institutions (e.g., NIH, NIST, HHMI). The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. -------------------------------- Daniel A. Butts, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biology and NACS University of Maryland, College Park Biosciences Research Building 1118 (301) 405-9890 http://neurotheory.umd.edu

Oct. 13, 2017

NEST Conference 2017 --- Register NOW!

by Hans Ekkehard Plesser

Dear colleagues! It is a great pleasure to invite current and potential users of NEST, the Neural Simulation Tool (http://www.nest-simulator.org) to the NEST Conference 2017 to be held on 19/20 December 2017 (Tuesday/Wednesday, lunch to lunch) at Haus Overbach in Barmen near Jülich, Germany. After our very successful and stimulating meeting in Karlsruhe last November, we are greatly looking forward to 24 hours filled with presentations and discussions of NEST applications to computational neuroscience and neurorobotics projects and NEST technology development. You are cordially invited to contribute to the program with your contribution! We are grateful to the Human Brain Project Outreach Programme and Education Programme for financial support. Important deadlines: - 1 November 2017: Deadline for submission of contribution and travel grant applications - 15 November 2017: Deadline for registrations For details, contribution submission and registration, please see https://indico-jsc.fz-juelich.de/event/52/overview We are looking forward to seeing you all in December! Hans Ekkehard Plesser President The Neural Technology Simulation Initiative http://www.nest-initiative.org -- Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Associate Professor Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

Oct. 13, 2017

Two open faculty positions; U Colorado Medical School

by Zylberberg, Joel L

Dear Colleagues, The Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Colorado Medical School is looking for two new faculty members in neuroscience and / or physiology, including computational neuroscience. The advert is attached. Please consider applying and / or forward this advert to colleagues who might be interested. Thanks for your consideration. Sincerely, __ Joel Zylberberg, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Physiology and Biophysics University of Colorado School of Medicine www.jzlab.org<http://www.jzlab.org> CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, Learning in Machines and Brains program ~the neuroscience is theoretical, but the fun is real

Oct. 12, 2017

Postdoctoral fellowship in the neuroscience of decision-making

by Paul Cisek

Postdoctoral fellow in the neuroscience of decision-making Department of neuroscience, laboratory of Paul Cisek Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience, in the laboratory of Paul Cisek at the University of Montréal. Our research group studies the neural mechanisms of decision-making in humans and non-human primates using computational models of the nervous system as well as behavioral experiments, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and multi-electrode recording, and we have several ongoing collaborations involving fMRI, MEG and intracranial EEG. See www.cisek.org/pavel <http://www.cisek.org/pavel> for information on current projects and a list of sample publications. The successful applicant will lead a research project investigating real-time dynamic decision-making through simultaneous multi-electrode recordings in the basal ganglia and the prefrontal, premotor and motor cortex of non-human primates. A Ph.D. in neuroscience or related field is required, and prior experience in neurophysiology and/or computational modeling of neural systems is highly desirable. Depending on the applicant's qualifications and interests, they will help to design and conduct behavioral and neurophysiological experiments, analyze data, develop theoretical models of neural mechanisms, prepare manuscripts for publication, and participate in international conferences. For further information, please contact Dr. Paul Cisek (paul.cisek(a)umontreal.ca <mailto:paul.cisek@umontreal.ca> ). Applicants are asked to send a cover letter, curriculum vita, copies of academic transcripts, an optional statement of research interests, and the names and contact information of 2 or 3 references, to: Dr. Paul Cisek Department of neuroscience, University of Montréal C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-ville Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, CANADA Phone: 514-343-6111 x4355 Web: www.cisek.org/pavel <http://www.cisek.org/pavel> email: paul.cisek(a)umontreal.ca <mailto:paul.cisek@umontreal.ca> Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but preference will be given to applications received by November 30, 2017. Interviews will be possible at the Society for Neuroscience meeting (Washington DC, November 11-15, 2017)

Oct. 11, 2017

Postdoc positions available at University of Pittsburgh

by Runyan, Caroline A.

Postdoctoral positions are available in the Runyan lab in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition. Our research involves dissecting inhibitory and neuromodulatory circuits across the cortical hierarchy. Our goal is to understand how changes in behavioral context and brain state shift local information processing and the transmission of information between cortical networks. We use two-photon imaging of population activity and optogenetics in head-fixed mice performing perceptual decision-making tasks. See Runyan et al., Nature, 2017 and carolinerunyan.org<http://carolinerunyan.org> for more information about our work. We are seeking individuals with experience in two-photon imaging, large-scale electrophysiology, optogenetics, and/or computational modeling. As we build our laboratory and our own approach to understanding the brain, the ideal candidates should have strongly driven scientific curiosity and problem-solving skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills. This position offers the opportunity to participate in building a new research program, and to work in the highly collaborative, collegial environment at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. See cnbc.cmu.edu and cnup.neurobio.pitt.edu for more details. Interested candidates should send a CV, statement of research interests, and contact information for at least two references to runyan(a)pitt.edu. Caroline Runyan Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience University of Pittsburgh Office: Langley A453, 412-383-4336 runyan(a)pitt.edu

Oct. 11, 2017

Postdoctoral position at the University of Rochester

by Tatiana Pasternak

Postdoctoral position in cognitive neuroscience Postdoctoral position to study cortical circuitry underlying memory-guided visual decisions is available immediately in the laboratory of Dr. Tatiana Pasternak in the Department of Neuroscience and Center for Visual Science. The focus of the research program is on the activity of large populations of simultaneously recorded neurons across cortical network to identify on a trial-by-trial basis neural codes and network dynamics that underlie memory and comparison processes during perceptual decisions. The analysis will emphasize inter-neuronal and inter-areal interactions and synchrony as well as population decoding algorithms. Experimental approaches include array recording of spiking and LFP activity from prefrontal and extrastriate visual cortical regions of non-human primates during memory-guided sensory comparison tasks. Other approaches include reversible inactivation and microstimulation of identified cortical sites. An important component of the work is a collaboration with computational neuroscientists and developing models aimed at mechanisms underlying maintenance and utilization of visual information in decision-making. Preference will be given to candidates with strong quantitative background with experience in the analysis of physiological data and extracellular recordings. Applicants with strong background in related disciplines of systems neuroscience and/or computer science & engineering are welcome to apply. Experience with MATLAB/PYTHON programming and proficient knowledge of the English language are required. The University of Rochester offers a stimulating research environment and excellent opportunities for interactions and training in cognitive neuroscience and visual science. Interested applicants should send CV and names/contact information of three references to Dr. Pasternak. Please include a cover letter detailing your current research activities, expertise and the reasons for your interest in this position. **************************************** Tatiana Pasternak, Ph.D. Professor Departments of Neuroscience, Brain & Cognitive Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Center for Visual Science University of Rochester 585 275-8668 (office)

Oct. 10, 2017

PhD positions at the Max Planck Research School for Neural Circuits, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

by Jochen Triesch

8th Call for applications: International Max Planck Research School for Neural Circuits, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Neural Circuits was established in 2011 and offers up to ten fully-paid positions every year for talented students holding a relevant Master´s or Bachelor´s as their highest degree to perform research resulting in a PhD. The program is taught in English. The common focus of the the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Neural Circuits will be the understanding of neural circuits (from the simple to the large and complex), at all scales required to achieve this understanding. This ambitious objective will require analyses at the molecular, cellular, multi-cellular, network and behavioral levels, with the full understanding that macroscopic phenomena (spatial patterns, dynamics) can be scale-dependent, and that reductionism is not always sufficient as a method. Research areas are perception, connectomics, theoretical neuroscience, synaptic plasticity, brain dynamics, neural circuits, behavior and systems neuroscience. In the IMPRS for Neural Circuits we offer a multidisciplinary program to excellent doctoral students with backgrounds in neuroscience, mathematics, physics, computer science, (bio) chemistry, biology and medicine as well as research experience in the participating institutions of the Frankfurt Neuroscience community. Students will participate in a tailor-made educational program including research rotations and neuroscience courses but also in trainings in transferable skills as well as retreats, conferences and summer schools and lecture series. We welcome excellent students to apply to the program. Till December 1, 2017, it will be possible to apply for a position starting in the Fall of 2018. You can apply via our electronic registration system. After the deadline, the Faculty members will select around 25 students to participate in the interview symposium in Frankfurt, taking place in February 5-7, 2018. Shortly after the symposium, the students will receive a letter with an offer or rejection. More information, including Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on our website www.imprs.brain.mpg.de. -- 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

Oct. 10, 2017

2 postdoc positions in Geometric Methods for Deep and Reinforcement Learning at RIST

by Luigi Malagò

=========================================================== *Subject*: 2 postdoc positions in Machine Learning (1 year, renewable up to 3 years) *Institution*: RIST - Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj-Napoca *Keywords*: Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Stochastic Optimization, Optimization over Manifolds, Information Geometry, Riemannian Geometry *Application deadline*: 20 October 2017 (applicants are encouraged to apply earlier) *Salary*: around 2190 euro net *Official announcement*: http://rist.ro/en/details/news/postdoc- positions-in-deep-learning-and-machine-learning.html =========================================================== Dear colleagues, the Romanian Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) has an opening for 2 postdoc positions, in the context of the DeepRiemann project “Riemannian Optimization Methods for Deep Learning”, funded by European structural funds through the Competitiveness Operational Program (POC 2014-2020). The appointments will be for 1 year, with possible extensions up to 3 years. The DeepRiemann project aims at the design and analysis of novel training algorithms for Neural Networks in Deep Learning, by applying notions of Riemannian optimization and differential geometry. The task of the training a Neural Network is studied by employing tools from Optimization over Manifolds and Information Geometry, by casting the learning process to an optimization problem defined over a statistical manifold, i.e., a set of probability distributions. The project is highly interdisciplinary, with competences spanning from Machine Learning to Optimization, Deep Learning, Statistics, and Differential Geometry. The objectives of the project are multiple and include both theoretical and applied research, together with industrial activities oriented to transfer knowledge, from the institute to a startup or spin-off of the research group. The positions will be part of the new Machine Learning and Optimization group http://luigimalago.it/group.html, which performs research at the intersection of Machine Learning, Stochastic Optimization, Deep Learning, and Optimization over Manifolds, from the unifying perspective of Information Geometry. The group is one of two newly-formed groups in Machine Learning at RIST, where about 20 new postdoctoral research associates and research software developers will be hired by 2018. The official job announcement can be seen here: http://rist.ro/en/details/news/postdoc-positions-in- deep-learning-and-machine-learning.html Informal inquiries can be sent to Dr. Luigi Malagò <malago(a)rist.ro>, principal investigator of the DeepRiemann project. Application deadline: 20 October 2017 (applicants are encouraged to apply earlier) best regards, Luigi Malagò

Oct. 9, 2017

Doctoral studies in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience at NYU

by Eero Simoncelli

New York University is home to a thriving interdisciplinary community of researchers using computational and theoretical approaches in neuroscience. We are interested in PhD candidates with strong quantitative training (e.g., physics, mathematics, engineering) coupled with a clear interest in brain sciences. A list of relevant faculty, sorted by their primary departmental affiliation, is provided below. Doctoral programs are flexible, allowing students to pursue research across departmental boundaries. Nevertheless, admissions are handled separately by each department, and students interested in pursuing graduate studies should submit an application to the program that best fits their goals and interests. Neural Science (CNS) (deadline: 1 December) [http://www.cns.nyu.edu/doctoral/] * AndrÃ© A. Fenton - Molecular, neural, behavioral, and computationalaspects of memory. * Paul W. Glimcher - Decision-making in humans and animals. Neuroeconomics. * Roozbeh Kiani - Vision and decision-making. * Wei Ji Ma (also in Psychology) - Perception, working memory, and decision-making. * Tony Movshon - Vision and visual development. * Bijan Pesaran - Neuronal dynamics and decision-making. * Alex Reyes - Functional interactions of neurons in a network. * John Rinzel (also in Mathematics) - Biophysical mechanisms and theory of neural computation. * Cristina Savin (also in CDS) - Computational models of memory, machine learning. * Robert Shapley - Visual physiology and perception. * Eero Simoncelli - Computational vision and audition, image processing. * Xiao-Jing Wang - Computational neuroscience, decision-making and working memory, neural circuits. Neuroscience and Physiology program, School of Medicine (deadline: 1 December) [http://neuroscience.med.nyu.edu/training-programs/graduate-program-neurosci…] * Gyorgy Buzsaki - Rhythms in neural networks. * Dmitri Chklovskii (also in the Simons Foundation) - Neural computation and connectomics. * Dmitry Rinberg - Sensory information processing in the behaving animal. * Mario Svirsky - Auditory neural prostheses; experimental/computational studies of speech production/perception. Psychology, Cognition & Perception program (deadline: 1 December) [http://www.psych.nyu.edu/programs/cp/] * Todd Gureckis - Memory, learning, and decision processes. * David Heeger (also in CNS) - fMRI, computational neuroscience, vision, attention. * Brenden Lake (also in CDS) - Computational modeling of cognition. * Michael Landy - Computational approaches to vision. * Laurence Maloney - Mathematical approaches to psychology and neuroscience. * Gary Marcus - Origins of the human mind. * Denis Pelli - Visual object recognition. * Jonathan Winawer - Visual perception and memory. Center for Data Science (CDS) (deadline: 18 December) [https://cds.nyu.edu/academics/phd-in-data-science/] * Joan Bruna (also in Computer Science) - Machine learning, signal/image processing. * Kyungyun Cho (also in Computer Science) - Machine learning, natural language processing. * Carlos Fernandez-Granda (also in Mathematics) - Optimization methods for medical imaging, neuroscience, computer vision. Mathematics (deadline: 18 December) [http://math.nyu.edu/degree/phd/] * David Cai - Nonlinear stochastic behavior in physical and biological systems. * Aaditya Rangan - Computational neurobiology, numerical analysis. * Michael Shelley - Modeling and large-scale computation, computational visual neuroscience. * Daniel Tranchina - Information processing in the retina. * Lai-Sang Young - Dynamical systems, statistical physics, computational modeling and theoretical neuroscience. Physics (deadline: 18 December) [http://physics.as.nyu.edu/page/graduate] * Marc Gershow - Perception, decision-making, and learning in neural circuits. Computer Science (deadline: 12 December) [http://www.cs.nyu.edu/home/phd/] * Davi Geiger - Computational vision and learning. * Yann LeCun - Machine learning, hierarchical visual processing, robotics. Economics (deadline: 18 December) [http://as.nyu.edu/econ/degree-programs/phd.html] * Andrew Caplin - Economic theory, neurobiology of decision. * Andrew Schotter - Experimental economics, game theory, neurobiology of decision.

Oct. 9, 2017

Workshop announcement: The Probabilistic Brain, March 2018

by Ulrik Beierholm

Dear Colleagues We are very pleased to invite you to an exciting 2-day workshop on *probabilistic approaches to learning, perception, and action* in the historic city of Durham in the North-East of England: see the workshop website <https://sites.google.com/view/tpbw2018/>. The workshop will take place on *March 23rd-24th 2018*, and registration is *open now*. Speakers: Vikranth Rao Bejjanki, Hamilton College ● Nick Chater, University of Warwick ● József Fiser, Central European University ● Aldo Faisal, Imperial College London ● Samuel Gershman, Harvard University ● Janneke Jehee, Donders Institute ● Rebecca Lawson, UCL / Cambridge ● Laurence T Maloney, NYU ● Pascal Mamassian, Ecole Normale Supérieure ● Christopher Summerfield, University of Oxford ● Jane Wang, Google DeepMind The workshop is supported by the Experimental Psychology Society and Durham University. For full info on the workshop format and topics, our location and travel, and Registration, please see the workshop website <https://sites.google.com/view/tpbw2018/>. Hope to see you there, The organisers, Marko Nardini ● Ulrik Beierholm ● Maria Olkkonen (Durham University) ● Tessa Dekker (UCL) ● Laurence T Maloney (NYU)

Oct. 9, 2017

[jobs] Assistant and Associate Professor positions in Bio- and Neural Robotics in Odense

by Poramate Manoonpong

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, invites applications for Assistant or Associate Professor with research focus in Neural Robotics, Bio-inspired or Biorobotics, available from January 2018 and based in Odense. The positions are based in the Embodied Systems for Robotics and Learning (ESRL) unit and will complement the unit's existing research activities: - biorobotics; - neural models of control for embodied robots; - bio-inspired / neural learning mechanisms; - cross-modal and multi-modal sensory interpretation; - development of bio-inspired and embodied robotic hardware; - bio-inspired collective behaviour in robot groups; - embedded electronics design and research; - development and use of robotic educational tools; - morphological computation and the role of embodiment. Duties comprise research and teaching, student project supervision and acquisition of external funding. If you have a Ph.D. in a computing, mathematical, computational neuroscience or robotics-related discipline and a research track record including strong interdisciplinary work in one or more of the topics above, send us an application: for more detail and application form see [1]. The closing date is the 27th of October, 2017. For more information about these positions, please contact Professor John Hallam <john(a)mmmi.sdu.dk<mailto:john@mmmi.sdu.dk>>. [1] https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?Po…

Oct. 8, 2017

M-GATE: 15 PhD positions available in leading labs across Europe on the physiology and circuits of memory [WITH FIXED LINK; APOLOGIES]

by Francesco Battaglia

M-GATE is a network of 8 leading European institutions funded by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action of the European Commission, for 15 PhD students Healthy brain physiology, as well as diseases of memory circuits such as epilepsy and Alzheimer will be studied. Detailed circuit analysis approaches in animals will be combined with work on human subjects and theoretical approaches. New experimental and analytical technologies will be developed and deployed, also in collaboration with industrial partners. Positions are available with the following PIs: - Dr. Francesco Battaglia (network coordinator)/Dr. Lisa Genzel Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands; - Dr. Clifford Kentros; NTNU, Trondheim, Norway - Dr. Hugo Spiers; University College London - Dr. Christophe Bernard Université d’Aix/Marseille, France - Dr. Pim Drinkenburg; Janssen Pharmaceutica BV, Beerse, Belgium - Dr. Alessandro Treves; SISSA International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy - Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky; Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel - Dr. Misha Tsodyks; Weizmann Institute, Rehovot Israel - Dr. Rosa Cossart; Institut de neurobiologie de la Mediterranée, Marseille France We will offer to the students a training program including events at all participating institutions, including theoretical courses, experimental methodologies and transferable skills. The details of the network and all projects are available at our website http://www.mgate.eu <http://www.mgate.eu/> requirements and application procedures vary by PhD project, as described in the website. Please contact the project PIs (addresses available on the website) for questions on the project. General inquiries may be directed to the network coordinators at info(a)mgate.eu <mailto:info@mgate.eu>. In general, we will give full consideration to applications received by Nov., 30 2017.

Oct. 6, 2017

Two Post-doctoral positions available in Rome

by Aldo Genovesio

Two ERC funded Post-doctoral positions in Primate Neurophysiology are available in the laboratory of Aldo Genovesio at the Medical School of the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Both positions are of one year renewable for at least other two years. We are looking for candidates with a PhD in the field of neuroscience, statistics, biomedical engineering, computer science, or related fields with a background in training animals, recording and analysis of neuronal data or in computational neuroscience. Experience with data analysis, programming (C/C++ and Matlab), and a quantitative approach are important. One position is for a candidate with previous experience in training animals, recording and analysis of neuronal data. The other position is for a candidate with a background in computational neuroscience or computer science. He is expected to analyze the activity of large sets of single cells of simultaneously recorded neurons and local fields and to develop computational models of the data. The ERC project investigates using multi-site electrode arrays the neural activity underlying prediction, categorization, and monitoring of self and others goals actions in the prefrontal cortex during social interaction with a focus on the Frontal Pole cortex, a prefrontal area only recently investigated at the single cell level in our past studies. Inquiries should be addressed to genovesiolab(a)gmail.com. All interested candidates should send a CV, a brief description of research interests for a preliminary evaluation and names and contact of 2 references to genovesiolab(a)gmail.com. The start date is flexible. The salary will be determined based on the experience. Prof. Aldo Genovesio Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Sapienza University of Roma Piazzale Aldo Moro 5; 00185 Roma E-mail: aldo.genovesio(a)uniroma1.it

Oct. 6, 2017

AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017 - call for participants - early bird registration till 15.10

by Daniel Borek

*AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017* *November 17-19, 2017* *University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland* *— The early bird registration extended to 15th October2017 — * On the weekend of *17-19th November 2017*, the first edition of AoN Brainhack Warsaw will take place. During this three-day event dedicated to students and PhD students, we will work in teams on* neuroscience-related projects*. The aim of the event is to meet new, enthusiastic researchers, make new friendships in academia, learn, share the knowledge on data mining and brain research, but also promote open science in the spirit of the whole Brainhack community ( <https://gigascience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13742-016-0121-x>Craddock et al., 2016) <https://gigascience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13742-016-0121-x>. Attendees of various backgrounds are welcome to join! Below you could see list of projects which will be realised during our three day event: 1. Functional connectivity research: can we find a common ground? <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity> 2. Detecting trypophobia triggers <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23trypophobia> 3. Development of video game for studying joint action dynamics <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23game> 4. Training a human-like movie evaluation system based on the semantic features of the storylines <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23movies> 5. Hypothesis-driven white matter tractography from T1-weighted MRI images <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23whitematter> 6. One channel EEG sleep staging with open source and open hardware NeuroOn sleep mask <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23neuroon> 7. Building a brain-ageing biomarker using machine learning <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23ageingbiomarker> 8. Building and using the “FlyPi”: the 3D-printed Neurobiology Lab <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/#connectivity%23flypi> *‘Early bird’* registration for project participants,* closes on 15th October 2017*. The applications will be reviewed and the notification of acceptance will be sent to the applicants until 20th October2017. We welcome everyone at the AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017 event. We would like to prepare the equipment and the clusters properly before the event, therefore we are asking the participants to register in advance and choose the projects of their preference. We will do our best to make sure that everyone can take part in the project they like, and that the projects are well prepared for the participants. In any case, we welcome everyone to come, watch the event and help us at the first Brainhack in the history of AoN conference! A registration fee of 25EUR (or 100PLN) will be requested upon acceptance. The registration fee will be spent on the catering during the event. To register please visit our page and learn more about the Brainhack Warsaw! https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/ <https://brainhackwarsaw.github.io/> We looking forward to see you in Warsaw! *The AoN Brainhack Warsaw 2017 team*

Oct. 6, 2017

M-GATE: 15 PhD positions available in leading labs across Europe on the physiology and circuits of memory

by Francesco Battaglia

M-GATE is a network of 8 leading European institutions funded by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action of the European Commission. We offer to 15 promising young researchers the opportunity to get a world-class doctoral training and do cutting edge research on memory circuits. Healthy brain physiology, as well as diseases of memory circuits such as epilepsy and Alzheimer will be studied. Detailed circuit analysis approaches in animals will be combined with work on human subjects and theoretical approaches. New experimental and analytical technologies will be developed and deployed, also in collaboration with industrial partners. Positions are available with the following PIs: - Dr. Francesco Battaglia (network coordinator) Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands; - Dr. Rosa Cossart; Institut de neurobiologie de la Mediterranée, Marseille France - Dr. Hugo Spiers; University College London - Dr. Christophe Bernard Université d’Aix/Marseille, France - Dr. Pim Drinkenburg; Janssen Pharmaceutica BV, Beerse, Belgium - Dr. Clifford Kentros; NTNU, Trondheim, Norway - Dr. Alessandro Treves; SISSA International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy - Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky; Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel - Dr. Misha Tsodyks; Weizmann Institute, Rehovot Israel We will offer to the students a training program including events at all participating institutions, including theoretical courses, experimental methodologies and transferable skills. The details of the network and all projects are available at our website http://www.mgate.eu <http://www.maget.eu/>. Job requirements and application procedures vary by PhD project, as described in the website. Please contact the project PIs (addresses available on the website) for questions on the project. General inquiries may be directed to the network coordinators at info(a)mgate.eu <mailto:info@mgate.eu>. In general, we will give full consideration to applications received by Nov., 30 2017.

Oct. 6, 2017

Open position: Expert in machine learning and high-performance computing

by Daniel Zysman

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences seeks an expert in machine learning and high-performance computing to collaborate on cutting edge research on neuroscience, perception, cognition, and artificial intelligence. The department is a world leader in computational approaches to brain science, and is home to state-of-the-art computing resources as well as the Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, a multi-institutional NSF Science and Technology Center dedicated to the study of intelligence. Salary will be competitive with industry. To apply: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_mit/external/jobDetails.do… <https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_mit/external/jobDetails.do…> For more information about our department: https://bcs.mit.edu/ <https://bcs.mit.edu/> Job Description: PROGRAMMER/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER/COMPUTATIONAL AND MACHINE LEARNING SPECIALIST, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, to help tackle challenging problems in high-performance computing methods and systems, machine learning, management of large datasets, and artificial intelligence. Responsibilities include helping researchers translate computational algorithms into efficiently functioning (especially parallelized and GPU optimized) code; assisting with installation and implementation of third-party tools; staying up-to-date with cutting-edge computational techniques; providing guidance for storage and management of large data sets; developing and maintaining online courses for computing resources, running in-person tutorials on specific software packages/tools, and helping transition users to new computing tools; providing educational support and training to users of the departmental computing cluster; and monitoring cluster usage and resolving problems. Job Requirements: Bachelor’s degree (advanced degree preferred) in a scientific field or computer science; at least four years’ experience in scientific high-performance (cluster) computing; familiarity with Slurm and Lustre; broad computational background with knowledge of Unix, HPC algorithms, GPU computing, programming models, debuggers, and performance tools; software development experience, especially Python and MATLAB, but also R, Lua, JavaScript, etc.; knowledge of high-level APIs for HPC computing; expertise installing and maintaining third-party software in an HPC environment and with container technology, especially in the context of computational reproducibility; familiarity with mathematical algorithms for high-performance computing, use or design of HPC profiling or optimization tools, and deep neural networks; ability to work effectively with scientists and engineers; initiative, tact, and judgment in developing solutions for users; excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively, orally, in writing, and via live presentations; demonstrated ability to assume leadership roles, grasp complex problems, and develop solutions; and extensive background in high-performance computing. MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

Oct. 5, 2017

Lecturer (Assistant Prof.) in Computational Neuroscience at Univ. of Leicester

by Quian Quiroga, Rodrigo (Prof.)

We are currently recruiting a lecturer in computational neuroscience at the Centre for Systems Neuroscience (CSN) within the Department Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour (NPB), at the University of Leicester. The successful candidate will have an international research profile, and will advance an interdisciplinary program in synergy with CSN (for details see: www.le.ac.uk/csn) Particular areas of interest are advanced analysis and modeling of neurophysiological data, mechanisms of behavior, population activity and principles of neural coding. For details see: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BEI917/lecturer-in-computational-neuroscience/ Cheers, Rodrigo Rodrigo Quian Quiroga Centre for Systems Neuroscience University of Leicester www.le.ac.uk/csn

Oct. 5, 2017

COSYNE 2018: Call for workshop proposals and Meeting announcement

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2018 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 01 - 04 March 2018 Denver, Colorado WORKSHOPS 05 - 06 March 2018 Breckenridge, Colorado www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT DATES NEW Workshop pre-proposal deadline: 14 October 2017 NEW Workshop proposal deadline: 10 November 2017 Abstract submission opens: 10 October 2017 Abstract submission deadline: 20 November 2017 ---------------------------------------------------- MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. For details on workshop proposals please see below or visit Cosyne.org -> Workshops. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. This year we would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. COSYNE SPEAKERS Tim Behrens (Oxford) Josh Berke (UCSF) Tiago Branco (UCL) Jessica Cardin (Yale) Claudia Clopath (Imperial) Marlene Cohen (Pittsburgh) Iain Couzin (Max-Planck) Carina Curto (Penn State) Ann Graybiel (MIT) Vivek Jayaraman (Janelia) Mate Lengyel (Cambridge) Joni Wallis (Berkeley) Byron Yu (CMU) When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Ilana Witten (Princeton) and Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Program Chairs: Linda Wilbrecht (Berkeley) and Brent Doiron (U Pittsburgh) Workshop Chairs: Laura Busse (LMU) and Ralf Haefner (U Rochester) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Angela Langdon (Princeton) and Robert Wilson (U Arizona) Publicity Chair: Il Memming Park (Stony Brook) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org ----------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ----------------------------------------------- PRE-PROPOSALS In an effort to coordinate submissions, the organizers are encouraged to submit a pre-proposal by *14 October 2017.* Pre-proposals will be shared among submitters. Pre-proposals are not mandatory but workshops with a pre-proposal will have priority. The organizers may submit the full proposal by its deadline. A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting (www.cosyne.org) The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops). Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. In order to foster discussion within Workshops and reduce overlap between workshops, organizers should inform invited speakers that a single person should not speak in more than one of the Workshops taking place on the same day. WORKSHOP DETAILS - There will be 4-8 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 15 and 80 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (8.00-11.00 AM) and afternoon (4.30-7.30 PM) sessions. - Workshops will be held at Breckenridge, CO, a ski resort located 100 miles (approximately two hours) from the Denver International Airport. Buses from the main conference will be provided. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Deadline for pre-proposals: 14 October 2017 Deadline for proposals: 10 November 2017 Format: plain text only, please no attachments, email to workshops [at] cosyne.org (Laura Busse, Ralf Haefner) PRE-PROPOSALS should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). A primary contact should be designated. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with the most confirmed speakers. - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs 2 days, please explain why. - A brief resume of the workshop organizer along with a short list of workshop-relevant publications (about half a page total). FULL PROPOSALS should include the list of confirmed speakers in addition to components required for a pre-proposal. Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers and submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can be speakers but need not speak depending on scheduling constraints. SUGGESTIONS Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend fewer than 10 talks. WORKSHOP COSTS Detailed registration costs, etc, will be available at www.cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does NOT provide travel funding for workshop speakers. All workshop speakers are expected to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complementary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with 2 organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE WORKSHOP QUESTIONS workshops [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

Oct. 5, 2017

High performance computing workshop at SFN 2017

by Ted Carnevale

Seats are still available in the workshop Using the Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG) for Parallel Simulations Saturday, Nov. 11 from 9 AM to noon which we are presenting in downtown Washington, DC as a satellite to this year's SFN meeting. NSG eliminates most technical and adminstrative barriers to using high performance computing resources, and even gives away free CPU time on parallel supercomputers. Software currently installed on NSG includes BluePyOpt, Brian, CARLsim, Freesurfer, GENESIS, MATLAB, MOOSE, NEST, NEURON, PyNN, and the Virtual Personalized Multimodal Connectome Pipeline. At this workshop you will learn how to use this NSF-supported resource in your computationally-intensive modeling and data analysis projects. You will also hear presentations from several research teams about how they are using NSG in their own research. For a description of the workshop and its application form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/nsg2017/nsg2017.html The registration deadline is Friday Oct. 28. --Ted

Oct. 4, 2017