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CFP: VECPAR 2016 - High Performance Computing for Computational Science

by Carlos Ferreira

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CALL FOR PAPERS 12th International Meeting on High-Performance Computing for Computational Science (VECPAR 2016) University of Porto, Porto, Portugal June 27 - 30, 2016 http://vecpar.fe.up.pt/2016/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT DATES: Deadline for submission: January 15th, 2016 notification of acceptance: March 3rd, 2016 camera ready version: April 25th, 2016, on easychair.org. The International Meeting on High Performance Computing for Computational Science (VECPAR) is the premier venue for presenting and discussing the latest research and practice in high end computer modeling and complex systems. VECPAR encourages submission of research contributions from academia, research laboratories and industry to address pressing issues in computational science resulting from applications of interest to society and hardware innovations. VECPAR'16, the 12th edition of the VECPAR series of conferences is organized by the University of Porto, Portugal, and will be held at the Department of Computer Science, School of Sciences. An award is planned for best student papers. Contributions are solicited in all areas of computational science and engineering (CS&E), including (but not limited to) the following topics: * Large scale Simulations in CS&E * Parallel and Distributed Computing * Parallel Algorithms * Numerical Algorithms on Multicore, GPUs and Emerging Architectures * Symbolic algorithms on Multicore, GPUs and Emerging Architectures * Support Tools and Environments * Scheduling and Load Balancing * Performance Analysis, Evaluation and Tuning You should make your submissions through EasyChair at: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=vecpar2016 Submitted papers must be formatted according to the rules of the Springer Series Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS): http://www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0 Please note that papers (for conference presentation) must not exceed 8 pages in length, using the LNCS format. Accepted papers will be distributed in electronic format to participants of VECPAR'16. Printed versions of the invited talks and a set of selected papers will be published by Springer in the series entitled Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Selected papers will be limited to 14 pages and will be judged based on relevance, significance, originality, correctness and clarity. More information about this process will be sent to interested authors after the conference. Carlos Ferreira [http://www2.isep.ipp.pt/assinatura_email/EMAIL_ISEP.png] ISEP | Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto - PORTUGAL tel. +351 228 340 500 | fax +351 228 321 159 mail(a)isep.ipp.pt | www.isep.ipp.pt<http://www.isep.ipp.pt>

Dec. 18, 2015

[Call for applications] *Graduate Programs in Computational Neuroscience* in Berlin; MSc and PhD; 6 PhD scholarships; deadline March 15, 2016

by Robert Martin

[Apologies for cross-posting] *Doctoral* and *Master Program* "Computational Neuroscience" at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin in Berlin, Germany Application deadline: *March 15, 2016* Begin of courses: October 2016 Internet: www.computational-neuroscience-berlin.de _Doctoral Program_ The Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and the TU Berlin invite applications for *6 fellowships* of the Research Training Group "Sensory Computation in Neural Systems" (GRK 1589/2, https://www.eecs.tu-berlin.de/grk_15891/) The *scientific program* of the research training group combines techniques and concepts from machine learning, computational neuroscience, and systems neurobiology in order to specifically address sensory computation. Doctoral candidates will work on interdisciplinary projects investigating the mechanisms of neural computation, address the processes underlying perception on different scales and different levels of abstraction, and develop new theories of computation hand in hand with well-controlled experiments in order to put functional hypotheses to the test. The training group offers structured supervision complemented by a teaching and training program. Each student will be supervised by two investigators with complementary expertise and will be associated with the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (https://www.bccn-berlin.de/) a leading research center dedicated to the theoretical study of neural processing. Candidates are expected to hold a Masters degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (e.g., neuroscience, cognitive science, computer science, physics, mathematics, etc.) and have the required advanced mathematical background. Candidates selected in the first application step will be invited for lab visits and an interview, expected to take place in June 2015. The *fellowships of 1468 €/month* - with additional children allowances if applicable---will be granted for up to three years. _Master's Program_ The tuition-free Master program in Computational Neuroscience offers *15 places* per year, has a duration of 2 years and is fully taught in English. The *curriculum* is subdivided into ten modules, whose content includes theoretical neuroscience, programming, machine learning, cognitive neuroscience, acquisition, modelling, and computational analysis of neural data, with a strong focus on a complementary theoretical and experimental training. Three lab rotations and a Master's thesis are accomplished in the second year. The aim of the program is to provide the students with an interdisciplinary education and an early contact to the neurocomputational research environment. *Requirements* BSc or equivalent degree in a relevant subject (typically in the natural sciences, in an engineering discipline, in cognitive science, or in mathematics), certificate of English proficiency, proof of sufficient mathematical knowledge (at least 24 ECTS credit points). ~~~ _For more information_ ... ... come and visit us on our *information day* on January 27, 2016, at 3 PM (sharp) at the BCCN Berlin: https://www.bccn-berlin.de/Calendar/Events/event/?contentId=3822 ... or browse: www.computational-neuroscience-berlin.de ... or e-mail: graduateprograms(a)bccn-berlin.de . Best regards, Robert Martin -- Robert Martin, PhD Teaching Coordinator Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin Philippstr. 13 House 6; 10115 Berlin; Germany Phone/Fax +49 (0)30 2093 6773/6771 http://www.computational-neuroscience-berlin.de GRK 1589/1, Sensory Computation in Neural Systems Technische Universitaet Berlin Sekretariat MAR 5-6; Marchstr. 23; 10587 Berlin Phone/Fax +49 (0)30 314 72006/73121 http://www.eecs.tu-berlin.de/grk_15891/

Dec. 18, 2015

CFP on "Computationally Intelligent Methods in Neural Information Processing" at the IEEE WCCI2016.

by Mufti Mahmud

Sorry for cross-posting. Please consider circulating and contributing to the session. Thanks and regards, Mufti *Call for Paper for Special Session on * *Computationally Intelligent Methods in Neural Information Processing* *at the IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (IEEE WCCI) 2016* Organized by: Mufti Mahmud 1-4, €, Amir Hussain 4, 5, £ 1*NeuroChip Lab, University of Padova, 35131 – Padova, Italy, *2*Institute of Information Technology, Jahangirnagar University, 1342 – Dhaka, Bangladesh, *3*Theoretical Neurobiology & Neuroengineering Lab, University of Antwerp, 2610 – Wilrijk, Belgium, *4*COSIPRA Lab, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA – Stirling, UK, *5*Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601 - China* €*Email: muftimahmud(a)gmail.com <muftimahmud(a)gmail.com>, *£*Email: ahu(a)cs.stir.ac.uk <ahu(a)cs.stir.ac.uk>* *Introduction:* The brain, being the most complex organ in human body, is specialized to process information simultaneously coming from many different sources. The neurons work as basic information processing units in the brain and interconnect to each other to form hierarchical and/or parallel pathways. These pathways are mainly involved in transforming information originated from one or more sources into either action (as in motor movements) or specialized information understood by the brain itself (as in cognitive functions). To have a detailed and better understanding of these biological phenomena two approaches have been practiced by the research community – experimental and theoretical studies. Also, some theoretical studies are inspired by the nature itself which reframes earlier computational techniques to suggest research on biophysical basis of brain research and its information processing capabilities. Needless to say that most of these studies are results of interdisciplinary research involving medical sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and cognitive sciences. *Scope:* The focus of this special session is to address the recent advances in computationally intelligent techniques in processing neural information. Developing intelligent methods capable of deciphering brain’s information processing capability is one the biggest challenges in brain research. The objective of this special session is to provide updated information and a forum for the scientists and researchers who are looking for more relevant information in decoding brain functions using expert and computationally intelligent systems. This special session is expected to attract papers on recent research progress in the area of intelligent methods in processing neural signals. The targeted research topics are, but not limited to, the following: Ø Computationally intelligent tools for analysis of Spikes, LFP, EEG, MEG, MRI/fMRI, PET, and fNIRS; Ø Computationally intelligent methods for modeling and estimating neural signals; Ø Computational intelligence in developing smart BMI and neural prosthesis; Ø Biologically inspired methods for pattern analysis in neuronal signals; Ø Machine learning methods applied to brain research; *Submission of papers:* Submit IEEE US Letter complaint pdf papers to IEEE CEC 2016, following the steps below: Ø Visit http://ieee-cis.org/conferences/cec2016/upload.php Ø Provide paper details (i.e., Paper Title, Author(s), PDF file to upload, Abstract, Preferred form of presentation, Main paper focus) Ø At '*Main research topic*' or '*Additional research topics'*, select '*8bc. Computationally Intelligent Methods in Neural Information Processing*' from the dropdown list. *Important dates:* Ø Paper submission deadline: *15 January 2016* Ø Decision notification: *15 March 2016* Ø Final paper submission and early registration deadline: *15 April 2016* Ø Conference dates: *25-29 July 2016*. -- Mufti Mahmud, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow NeuroChip Lab <http://www.vassanellilab.eu/> - Dept. of Biomedical Sciences <http://www.biomed.unipd.it/?L=1> University of Padova Via f. Marzolo 3 35131 - Padova, Italy Lab: +39 049 827 5308 Fax: +39 049 827 5301 https://sites.google.com/site/muftimahmud/ & Assistant Professor (on leave) Institute of Information Technology Jahangirnagar University Savar, 1342 - Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dec. 17, 2015

Fwd: EANN 2016 CFP Scotland

by Chrisina Jayne

Dear Colleague, The 17th International Conference on Engineering Applications of Neural Networks will take place in Aberdeen, Scotland, between *2nd-5th September 2016* (EANN 2016 – http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/index.php) The INNS (International Neural Network Society) is the primary sponsor of EANN. Authors are invited to submit electronically original, English-language research contributions or experience reports not concurrently submitted elsewhere. The proceedings of the conference will be published in *Springer CCIS Series*. Extended contributions will also be considered for publication in a *Special Issue of Neural Computing and Applications Journal (Springer)*. In the spirit of the previous EANN conferences, the paper should concentrate on the application rather than just the algorithm or the theory. All application areas are relevant. Novel contributions related to deep learning and application of neural networks to data science applications are encouraged. The deadline for paper submission is *20th April 2016*. Proposals for Workshops that examine emerging, innovative, or otherwise provocative issues within the conference area are encouraged as well. Workshop proposals should include a 1-2 page summary of the topic and the names and affiliations of 3-4 panellists who have made a commitment to participate. A mix of industry and academic panel members is recommended. Proposals for 90-minute tutorials are also invited on topics within the conference area. Tutorial proposals must be at most 5 pages, they must identify the intendedaudience, and they must give enough material to provide a sense of what will be covered. Full CFP is available at http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/cfp.php Important deadlines are available at http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/timeline.php If you have any questions please email Chrisina Jayne at ( c.p.jayne(a)rgu.ac.uk) Best wishes, Prof Chrisina Jayne and Prof Lazaros Iliadis Programme Chairs for EANN2016

Dec. 17, 2015

4 faculty positions: Centre for Cognitive Science at Technische Universitaet Darmstadt

by Constantin Rothkopf

Technische Universität Darmstadt is establishing a Centre for Cognitive Science and invites applications for 4 tenured professorships. The Centre’s research programme will be based on computational and engineering approaches to Cognitive Science, with strong interactions with the engineering departments. Research methodologies will include, but are not limited to, theoretical studies, human experimental work, cognitive engineering applications, the use of big data, and ubiquitous sensing. The professorships are to be filled in the Department of Human Sciences (Institutes of Psychology and of Sports Science) and in the Department of Computer Science, and will complement and interact with the existing research activities in Cognitive science at Technische Universität Darmstadt. The four positions are to be filled in the following areas: 1) One professorship (W2/W3) in the Institute of Sports Sciences in the area Sensorimotor Control & Learning 2) two professorships (W2/W3) in the Institute of Psychology in the areas Perception, Decision Making & Preference or Models of Higher Cognition (e.g. reasoning, natural language, learning and memory), 3) and one professorship (W3) in the Department of Computer Science in the areas Machine Learning or Biosignal Processing (e.g. prosthetics, brain-computer interface). Successful appointees are expected to contribute to teaching in the study programme for cognitive science, which is currently being developed, and to the undergraduate and graduate level courses of their respective departments. The positions are tenured with a remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications, following the German "W-Besoldung". The regulations for employment are specified under §§ 61 and 62 HHG (Hessisches Hochschulgesetz). The Technische Universität Darmstadt intends to increase the number of female faculty members and encourages female candidates to apply. In case of equal qualifications applicants with a degree of disability of at least 50 or equal will be given preference. The Technische Universität Darmstadt is certified as a familiy-friendly university and offers a dual career program. Applications should include a curriculum vitae, list of publications, copies of relevant diplomas, as well as a research and teaching statement, preferably all in a single PDF file. Applications for the positions in the Institute of Sport Science and the Institute of Psychology should be directed to the Dean of the Department of Human Sciences, Professor Frank Hänsel (dekanat(a)humanw.tu-darmstadt.de) applications for the position in Computer Science should be directed to the Dean of the Department of Computer Science, Professor Reiner Hähnle (dekanat(a)informatik.tu-darmstadt.de) It is possible to apply for several of the positions. Please include the code number of the position(s) you apply for. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Constantin Rothkopf (Tel +49 6151 16-76084; rothkopf(a)psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de) or Professor Jan Peters (Tel +49-6151-16-7351; peters(a)ias.tu-darmstadt.de) For further information please also visit www.cogsci.tu-darmstadt.de. Code No. 489 (Sensorimotor Control) Code No. 490 (Perception, Decision Making & Preference, Models of Higher Cognition) Code No. 491 (Machine Learning, Biosignal Processing) Application deadline: January 31, 2016 -- Constantin A. Rothkopf, PhD Technical University Darmstadt & FIAS phone: +49 6151 16-76084 http://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de/ mailto:rothkopf@psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de

Dec. 17, 2015

PhD position in computational neuroscience. 'Identification of Metastable Cortical Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Decisions'. Bournemouth & Barcelona Universities

by Emili Balaguer-Ballester

PhD position in computational neuroscience. "Identification of Metastable Cortical Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Decisions? Bournemouth University-IDIBAPS". A PhD position is available in 3-years fully-funded project "Identification of Metastable Cortical Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Decisions"; based at Bournemouth University (UK) https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/centre/interdisciplinary-neuroscience-re… and at the Biomedical Research Institute August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS, http://www.idibaps.org/en_index.htm, University of Barcelona, Spain). Do we have analysis tools for a reliable identification of the dynamical processes underlying decision-making? This is a fundamental question, touching the very basics of our understanding of neural computation and hence one of the most exciting topics in neuroscience. However, to reconstruct in detail neural dynamics generating cognitive decisions is a major challenge for current methodologies. This would be a highly significant advance; for instance the identification of stable dynamical patterns of activity in hippocampus deserved to win the last Nobel Prize. The aim of the project is to develop innovative approaches designed for the identification of metastable dynamics underlying cognitive decisions. We aim for the fusion of statistical learning approaches to pattern discovery with methods for identifying neural attractor dynamics and neurocomputational modelling. The novel approach will reconstruct neural dynamics during tasks specifically designed at Sanchez-Vives Lab in rodents and in human subjects at the Bournemouth EEG lab. The training possibilities that this interdisciplinary project offers are multiple and relevant in building-up a high-profile as a neuroscientist. The student will benefit from the vibrant scientific environment of neural computation and neurosciences at BU https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/centre/interdisciplinary-neuroscience-re… and at the cortical networks lab; embedded in the renowned systems neuroscience network in Barcelona http://www.sanchez-vives.org/. Applicants holding a degree in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science or similar disciplines are welcome. Interest or previous training in neuroscience or laboratory experience and a strong mathematical or machine learning background would be very welcome. The researcher will be based at the Faculty of Science, Bournemouth University, and work with Dr Balaguer-Ballester at the Computational Neuroscience laboratory in the context of the interdisciplinary group for neurosciences; and will spend prolonged periods of time in the Cortical Networks Lab (IDIBAPS, Barcelona) led by Prof. Maria Victoria Sanchez-Vives; providing an outstanding opportunity to gain a diverse experience of both neuro-computational and experimental approaches. For formally applying and more information please visit https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/pgr/funded-phd-studentships-in-the-facul… Please Cc your application to eb-ballester(a)bournemouth.ac.uk For further details please do not hesitate to contact me any time: eb-ballester(a)bournemouth.ac.uk: Twitter: @emilibalball; http://dec.bournemouth.ac.uk/staff/ebb/ Kind regards, Emili BU is a Disability Two Ticks Employer and has signed up to the Mindful Employer charter. Information about the accessibility of University buildings can be found on the BU DisabledGo webpages This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied, distributed or disclosed to any other person. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or its subsidiary companies via email.

Dec. 17, 2015

Workshop "modeling the early visual system" in Paris, January 19-20th

by Olivier Marre

INTRODUCTION Do we know what the early visual system does? This question was the topic of a workshop at the SFN meeting ten years ago. Over the last decade, there has been tremendous progress in understanding the computations performed in the visual system, and how they are implemented by the neural circuitry. The purpose of this workshop is to gather both theoreticians and experimentalists in the field to take stock and debate about the current challenges when trying to understand the computations performed by the early visual system, and how they result from both bottom-up and top-down processes. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Philipp Berens, University of Tuebingen, Germany Laura Busse, University of Tuebingen, Germany Matteo Carandini, UCL, UK Frédéric Chavane, INT, Marseille, France Karl Farrow, NERF, Belgium Yves Frégnac, UNIC laboratory, CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, France Charles Gilbert, Rockefeller University, New York, USA Tim Gollisch, University of Gottingen, Germany Peter Neri, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France Elad Schneidman, Weizman Institute of Science, Israel Andreas Tolias, Baylor College of Medicine, Austin, USA Shimon Ullman, Weizman Institute of Science, Israel REGISTRATION This workshop will take place in the European Institute for Theoretical Neuroscience ( http://www.eitn.eu/ ), Paris, January 19th and 20th. Registration is free but mandatory. We have a few slots for posters that will be presented during the meeting. If you are interested in presenting a poster. For registration and/or abstract submission, please refer to the workshop website: http://eitnconf-190116.sciencesconf.org/ On behalf of the organizing committee, Olivier Marre Institut de la Vision F-75012 Paris

Dec. 17, 2015

International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS) 2016

by Zachary Kilpatrick

We would like to remind you about… The 2nd International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS 2016) at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera May 29 to June 1, 2016 Tutorials: May 29 Main Conference: May 30 - June 1 https://icmns2016.inria.fr/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/> One page abstracts will be reviewed by a Program Committee and divided into three categories: featured talks, session talks, and posters. https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/> The abstract submission deadline is January 7, 2016. Meeting registration will open shortly thereafter. Questions should be directed to the conference email: icmns2016-contact(a)inria.fr <mailto:icmns2016-contact@inria.fr> CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Wulfram Gerstner (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) John Rinzel (New York University) Antoine Triller (École Normale Supérieure de Paris) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Hinke Osinga (U Aukland) Carina Curto (Penn State University) Ruben Moreno-Bote (Foundation Sant Joan de Deu) Hiroya Nakao (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Si Wu (Beijing Normal University) Alex Roxin (Centre de Recerca Matematica) PROGRAM COMMITTEE Toni Guillamon (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) Roland Potthast (U Reading) Gregory Faye (Université Paul Sabatier ) Wilhelm Stannat (TU Berlin) Jonathan Touboul (College de France) Gilles Wainrib (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Suzanne Ditlevsen (University of Copenhagen) Boris Gutkin (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Martin Wechselberger (U Sydney) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Martin Krupa (INRIA Sophia Antipoilis) Carlo Laing (Massey University) Andre Longtin (U Ottawa) Daniele Avitabile (U Nottingham) Jose Carrillo (Imperial College) Pascal Chossat (Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) Carson Chow (National Institutes of Health) Steve Zucker (Yale University) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Laura Sacerdote (Universita di Torino) Reinhard Hopfner (Johannes-Gutenberg Universitat) Olivier Faugeras (INRIA - Sophia Antipolis) Paul Bressloff (U Utah) Steve Coombes (U Nottingham) CONFERENCE CHAIRS Romain Veltz (INRIA - Sophia Anitpolis) Zachary Kilpatrick (U Houston) Evelyn Buckwar (Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz) We hope to see you in Juan-les-Pins! All the best Romain, Zack, and Evelyn

Dec. 17, 2015

NeuronUnit/NeuroML & Modeling Postdoctoral Research Position at ASU

by Sharon Crook

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics (Job #11446) We are soliciting applications for a postdoctoral position in the Laboratory for Informatics and Computation in Open Neuroscience at Arizona State University. This laboratory, jointly supervised by Dr. Sharon Crook and Dr. Rick Gerkin, focuses on developing resources for the community for describing, validating and sharing computational models in neuroscience. In addition, lab personnel conduct empirical and modeling studies in order to investigate fundamental questions in neuroscience. The successful candidate will contribute to the development and use of tool chains for model validation and model exchange that revolve around NeuronUnit and NeuroML. The postdoctoral researcher also will have the opportunity to choose the direction of their own modeling studies. Applicants must provide evidence of excellence in sustainable software development, experience in applications in neuroscience, and should also be highly independent, with a strong propensity for interdisciplinary research. Candidates must hold a PhD in neuroscience, computer science, applied mathematics, computational neuroscience or a related discipline by time of appointment and be highly motivated and creative. Experience with some combination of Python, XML, MySQL, Ruby on Rails, and NEURON is desirable. Named the #1 Most Innovative University in the US, Arizona State University offers an exciting research environment in a unique setting. ASU is located in Tempe, Arizona, which offers many rich cultural and outdoor opportunities with access to mountains and canyons visited by people from around the world. All applications must be submitted online through mathjobs at https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/8375 and must include the following: 1) A detailed CV 2) Two recommendation letters 3) A statement of research interest Any questions should be sent by email to Dr. Sharon Crook (sharon.crook(a)asu.edu) and Dr. Rick Gerkin (rgerkin(a)asu.edu) Initial review of applications will begin January 15, 2016; if not filled, applications will be reviewed every two weeks thereafter until the search is closed. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

Dec. 16, 2015

Three PhD projects in modelling brain diseases and brain development at Newcastle University

by Marcus Kaiser

Dear all, we are currently advertising the following three 4-year PhD positions for our lab with application deadlines early next year. The funding covers living expenses and UK/EU fees over four years and, using overseas research studentships, potentially also the higher fees for non-EU applicants. Students are chosen in competition with students who choose projects in other fields, which means that we would particularly encourage strong applicants with very good academic marks and previous research experience to apply. Please follow the links below for more information. *Newcastle-DTA PhD studentships* (1) Building brains: Which developmental pathways lead to better performance in information processing? <http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/study/postgrad/dta/documents/2016-Kaiser-122.pdf> (School: Computing Science Ref: DTA122) Within this project, a student will help to develop detailed simulations of brain network development. In addition, the student will test the performance of the grown networks on visual tasks. Through this, we will investigate (a) how developmental mechanisms are linked to the resulting topology and (b) how the resulting network is linked to processing performance. As a result, we will get a better understanding how changes during development are linked to brain architecture and how they can lead to cognitive deficits. Supervisors: Prof. Marcus Kaiser, Dr Gavin Clowry, and Dr Roman Bauer (2) Predicting patient outcomes following traumatic brain injury <http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/study/postgrad/dta/documents/2016-Kaiser-123.pdf> (School: Computing Science Ref: DTA123) In this study we will investigate the impact of simulated brain lesions using human brain connectivity data and computer simulations. We shall aim to produce biomarkers for patient outcomes. These techniques may hive wider applications in stroke, multiple sclerosis and ageing. Supervisors: Prof. Marcus Kaiser and Dr Peter Taylor Please *apply by 22 January* at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/study/postgrad/dta/ *Newcastle-Singapore PhD studentships* (3) Improving surgery in focal epilepsy using computational modelling <http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/study/postgrad/singapore/documents/Improvingsurge…>(School: Computing Science Ref: NSS12) In this project we shall attempt to predict which patients will be seizure free after surgery. For those patients predicted to be not seizure free we shall suggest alternative strategies for surgery. See also our recent article in PLOS CB: http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/metrics/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.… Supervisors: Dr. Peter Taylor, Prof. Marcus Kaiser, and Asst. Prof. Justin Dauwels (NTU, Singapore). The student will be based at Newcastle but also visit Singapore Please *apply by 26 February* at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/study/postgrad/singapore/ *Research Environment* There are currently 12 faculty members with a link to neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience. Using computational models for clinical applications is a strong interest of our group (see http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ for an overview). Students will be based in the School of Computing Science, which was ranked #9 for research and #1 for impact in the recent UK Research Excellence Framework evaluation, as part of the ICOS Group (http://ico2s.org/ ). They will also be affiliated with the Institute of Neuroscience which integrates more than 100 principal investigators across medicine, psychology, computer science, and engineering and which was ranked #9 overall and #5 for impact in the UK ( http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/) Newcastle University, with 20,000 students, lies in the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne -- an area in the North-East of England with around one million inhabitants. The university is at the centre of Newcastle which itself is on the main train-line between London and Edinburgh, 20 minutes away from both the airport and the sand beach by public transport ( http://www.ncl.ac.uk/about/visit/city/ ). We also offer a one-year master programme in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/study/postgrad/taught/5199/ ) which is now accepting applications.

Dec. 16, 2015

DENDRITES 2016, June 18-21, Crete: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

by Yiota Poirazi

Please distribute to potentially interested parties and email lists. Many thanks! Looking forward to welcoming you in Crete! On behalf of the organizing committee, Yiota Poirazi ------------------------------------------------------- EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function (DENDRITES 2016) Heraklion, Crete, Greece June 18-21, 2016 http://dendrites2016.gr/ <http://www.dendrites2016.gr/> * * * * * *CALL FOR ABSTRACTS* * * * * * Abstract submission for poster and oral presentation is open until *February 15, 2016* This EMBO Workshop brings together scientific leaders to present their research on dendrites, at the molecular, anatomical and biophysical level. Apart from scientific talks from top experts in the field, the meeting includes a full day dedicated to Career Issues in academia. This session features talks from the current President of FENS as well as young Neuroscientists from theFENS-Kavli Network of Excellence <http://www.fens.org/Outreach/FENS-Kavli-Network-of-Excellence/> that are dealing with such issues. _Invited speakers (scientific talks): _ Claudia Clopath Daniel Dombeck Casper Hoogenraad Arthur Konnerth Attila Losonczy Judit Makara Rishikesh Narayanan Elly Nedivi Jackie Schiller Erin Schuman Idan Segev Nelson Spruston Greg Stuart _Invited speakers (Career Issues in academia):_ Monica Di Luca, FENS President: "Publication issues: right time for a reality check" Camilla Belone, FENS-Kavli Scholar: "Retention of women in high levels of neuroscienceÂ - Perspectives" Emre Yaksi, FENS-Kavli Scholar: "Funding opportunities in Neuroscience: how to write a successful grant proposal" CALL FOR ABSTRACTS We are soliciting abstracts for oral and poster presentations. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings, methods or databases related to dendrites that fall into one or more of the following domains: * morphological and functional characterizations, * dendritic integration and compartmentalization, * dendritic channel distribution and their functional implications, * molecular pathways and signaling networks, * RNA trafficking and local protein synthesis, * functional or structural plasticity and homeostasis, * the role of dendrites in complex processes, including learning/memory, neural computations etc. Please note that places are limited and subject to availability. Attendees are highly encouraged to submit abstracts for presentations, since presenters will be given priority for registration. Instructions for on-line submission can be found at http://www.dendrites2016.gr/call-for-papers *Important dates * * Abstract submission opens: December 15th, 2016 * Abstract submission closes: February 15th, 2016 * Notification of abstract acceptance: February 29th, 2016 * Notification of oral/poster presentation: early March 2016 _Organizing committee:_ Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH Michael Hausser, UCL * * Matthew Larkum, Humboldt University IMPORTANT NOTE: The Workshop takes place on the island of Crete and is followed by the AREADNE 2016 meeting <http://areadne.org/> (June 22-26th, 2016), focusing on Research in Encoding And Decoding of Neural Ensembles, on the neighboring island of Sandorini. DENDRITES 2016 participants are encouraged to consider attending both meetings. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Please see the conference web site http://dendrites2016.gr/ <http://www.dendrites2016.gr/> or send an email to info(a)dendrites2016.gr <mailto:info@dendrites.gr> -- Panayiota Poirazi, Ph.D. Director of Research Computational Biology Laboratory Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) Vassilika Vouton, P.O.Box 1385 GR 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, GREECE Tel: +30 2810 391139 <tel:+30%202810%20391139> Fax: +30 2810 391101 <tel:+30%202810%20391101> Εmail: poirazi(a)imbb.forth.gr <mailto:poirazi@imbb.forth.gr> http://www.dendrites.gr Chair http://www.fens.org/Outreach/FENS-Kavli-Network-of-Excellence/

Dec. 16, 2015

Postdoctoral fellowships in computational neuroscience at the University of Washington

by Adrienne Fairhall

We invite applications for the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Neuroengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. These fellowships are offered as part of the UW Institute for Neuroengineering, which aims to stimulate research excellence in the development of novel approaches to the understanding and manipulation of brain function. These highly selective fellowships fund research in computational and engineering approaches to neuroscience; joint mentoring between faculty in different disciplines (CS, engineering, mathematics, biology) is strongly encouraged. The fellowships provide two years of funding including a $65,000 annual salary and a $25,000 research stipend. Applications are due by January 15, 2016. Please see http://uwin.washington.edu/post-docs/ for more information.

Dec. 16, 2015

postdoc position with BRAIN project at Emory University

by Jaeger, Dieter

A postdoctoral position is available for working in an NIH funded Obama BRAIN initiative project on the role of the basal ganglia in motor decision making in behaving mice (https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?icde=0&aid=901…) The project aims to elucidate how subcortical structures feed back onto and influence cortical processing. The position will involve multisite recording and optogenetics in behaving mice in the Jaeger lab at Emory University, which provides a strong training environment in computational and systems neuroscience in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology. The successful candidate needs previous electrophysiological experience and strong data analysis skills using Matlab or Python. A PhD in Biomedical Engineering or Neuroscience is preferred. If interested & qualified, please contact djaeger(a)emory.edu. Dieter Jaeger, PhD Professor Department of Biology, Emory University 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322 404 727 8139, e-mail: djaeger(a)emory.edu<mailto:djaeger@emory.edu> http://www.biology.emory.edu/research/Jaeger ________________________________ This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the original message (including attachments).

Dec. 15, 2015

Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience/ Robotics

by Sen Cheng

A postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience/ robotics is available immediately in the research unit of Prof. Sen Cheng in the Institute for Neural Computing at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. For further information see www.rub.de/cns. The postdoc will study spatial navigation and learning in robots using biologically realistic algorithms. The focus will be on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation and learning in mammals, in particular, the role of the hippocampus in these processes. The salary will be on the standard German pay scale of TV-L E13. The full-time position is available immediately for two years with the possibility of extension. Limited teaching in computational neuroscience and/ or robotics is required. Candidates should have a doctoral degree in neuroscience, robotics, computer science, physics, or a related field. Competence in mathematical modeling, and excellent programming skills are mandatory. Familiarity with robotics and computational neuroscience would be a further asset. To apply please send a statement of your motivation and research interests, academic transcripts, and a complete CV to sen.cheng(a)rub.de in a single PDF file. Please, also request from at least two academic referees that they send letters of reference directly to the same email address. The Ruhr University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity. We strongly encourage applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities. --- Prof. Dr. Sen Cheng Ruhr-University Bochum Mercator Research Group "Structure of Memory" Universitaetsstr. 150 44801 Bochum Germany office: GA 04/48 | +49-234- 32 27136 | FAX: +49-234- 32 07136 sen.cheng(a)rub.de | http://www.rub.de/cns

Dec. 15, 2015

BRAIN Initiative post-doctoral position

by Joshua Gold

The Gold lab (http://www.med.upenn.edu/goldlab <http://www.med.upenn.edu/goldlab>) at the University of Pennsylvania is looking for an energetic and talented post-doc to participate in a funded BRAIN Initiative grant studying neural mechanisms of individual differences in learning and decision-making (http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=135926 <http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1533623>). The work will combine psychophysics, single-unit electrophysiology, and computational modeling. A strong background in systems neuroscience is preferred. Anyone interested should contact Joshua Gold directly via e-mail (jigold(a)mail.med.upenn.edu <mailto:jigold@mail.med.upenn.edu>). Please include a CV and cover letter stating your research experience and reasons for applying to this position. Also please be prepared to provide contact information for up to three references upon request. Penn has a rich and interactive environment for both systems and computational neuroscience, with journal clubs, lab meetings, retreats, and other joint activities, many of which are organized by our new Computational Neuroscience Initiative (CNI: http://cni.upenn.edu <http://cni.upenn.edu/>). We also value diversity and seek talented individuals from diverse backgrounds (http://jobs.hr.upenn.edu <http://jobs.hr.upenn.edu/>).

Dec. 14, 2015

Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop 2016: Call for Topics

by Ralph Etienne-Cummings

Call for Topic Area Proposals 2016 Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop *Telluride, Colorado, June 26 –July 16, 2016* *DEADLINE: January 8th, 2016* We are now accepting proposals for Topic Areas in the 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop. We support topics and projects in neuromorphic cognition, particularly those that involve solving challenging ‘everyday’ tasks that incorporate domain-specific knowledge, exploration, prediction, and problem solving. In particular, we are interested in projects that hold promise for addressing Grand Challenge types of problems that do not have strong solutions of any form, neuromorphic or not. These Challenge problems should feature long-duration sensorimotor problems that involve autonomous cognitive decision making. Examples might include tasks such as learning a new language, navigating through an unknown environment to locate an object or reach a desired location, visual and auditory understanding of human actions, adaptively manipulating unknown or complex objects in the service of a task, playing a game requiring inference of hidden information or long-term planning and learning, etc. Proposals related to hardware technologies that aim to bring these capabilities to reality are also encouraged. Topic proposals that aim to solve a particular problem using the multidisciplinary experience of participants will be favored over topics that simply gather a large number of people working within a discipline, or using a single technology, or approach. Topic areas for this summer's Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop <http://ine-web.org/> will be chosen from proposals submitted to the organizers. *Topic areas can span a large field; we are looking for leadership in planning activities and inviting good people in a field.* Although past topic areas have tended to be very broad and discipline-oriented (e.g., cognition, audition, vision, robotics, neural interfacing, neuromorphic VLSI, etc.), application-oriented topic areas (e.g., sensor fusion, game-playing robot, object recognition, sound localization, human robot interaction, etc.) are especially desirable. *Topic area leaders will receive housing for themselves and their invitees, and limited travel funds.* Topic area leaders will help to define the field of neuromorphic cognition engineering through the projects they pursue and the people they invite. They shape their topic by inviting speakers and project leaders (the *invitees*) and by initiating topic area project discussions prior to the workshop. Teams of two organizers are required. One of the organizers should be an attendee of a previous Telluride Workshop (in any capacity) and has stayed at the Workshop for at least one week. *Pre-workshop topic area choices and study assignments.* Before the workshop begins, each topic area will be required to prepare and distribute study materials that constitute: 1) an introductory presentation (e.g., pptx, video, review paper) of the fundamental knowledge associated with the topic area that *everyone at the workshop* should be exposed to, and 2) a few critical papers that the participants in the topic area should read before the workshop. The topic area should 3) begin a serious group discussion of the projects (e.g., via Facebook, Skype, email, etc). *The maximum 2-page proposals should include:* 1. Title of topic area. 2. Names of the two topic leaders, their affiliations, and contact information (email addresses). 3. A paragraph explaining the focus and goals of the topic area. 4. A list of possible specific topic area projects. 5. A list of example invitees (up to six names and institutions). No commitments necessary. 6. Any other material that fits within the two-page limit that will help us make a smart choice. *Send your topic area proposal* in pdf or text format to organizers13(a)neuromorphs.net <organizers12(a)neuromorphs.net> with subject line containing "topic area proposal". *Proposals must be received by January 8, 2016*; proposals received after the deadline may still be considered if space is available. *We expect to accept 4-5 topic areas*, each with 5 invitees*.* If your proposal for the topic area is not accepted, we will work with you to see if there is a natural way to include your ideas (and you) into the accepted topic areas. We hope to have significant turn-over each year in the topic areas and leaders to ensure fresh new ideas and participants. See the Institute of Neuromorphic Engineering (www.ine-web.org) for background information on the workshop and neuromorphs.net <https://neuromorphs.net/ws2009/wiki/PastWorkshops> for past workshop wikis. We look forward to your topic proposals! *Deadline: January 8, 2016* *The Workshop Directors:* Cornelia Fermüller <http://www.cfar.umd.edu/~fer/> (University of Maryland), Ralph Etienne-Cummings <http://etienne.ece.jhu.edu/people/ralph/index.html> (Johns Hopkins Univ.) Shih-Chii Liu <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~shih/> (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich), Timmer Horiuchi <https://www.isr.umd.edu/faculty/horiuchi> (University of Maryland), Katalin Gotthard <http://physiological-sciences.arizona.edu/katalin-gothard> (University of Arizona), Michael Pfeiffer <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/index.html> (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich), Francisco Barranco <fbarranco(a)ugr.es> (University of Granada) *Former 2007-2013 Workshop Director: * Tobi Delbruck <https://www.ini.uzh.ch/~tobi/> (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) -- Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, FIEEE Professor and Chairman Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Computational Sensor Motor Systems Lab Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD [image: cid:image001.png@01CFC064.B58B46A0]

Dec. 14, 2015

four postdoctoral positions available at the University of Göttingen

by Schloegl, Christian

The Georg-August-University Göttingen, the German Primate Center and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience are looking to fill four positions of Postdoctoral fellows The postdoctoral fellows will be associated with the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory (Julia Fischer, www.dpz.eu/de/abteilung/kognitive-ethologie<http://www.dpz.eu/de/abteilung/kognitive-ethologie>), the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (Stefan Treue, www.dpz.eu/cnl<http://www.dpz.eu/cnl>), including the Sensorimotor Group (Alexander Gail, www.dpz.eu/smg<http://www.dpz.eu/smg>) and the Decision and Awareness Group (Igor Kagan, www.dpz.eu/dag<http://www.dpz.eu/dag>), at the University of Göttingen and the German Primate Center, or the Theoretical Neurophysics Group (Fred Wolf, https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/58058.html) at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience. All positions are at pay grade 13 TV-L, full-time (currently 39, 80 hours per week) for an initial duration of 2 years and are available immediately. Your project We are recruiting postdoctoral fellows for an interdisciplinary research project studying social interactions and decision-making in human and non-human primates. For this purpose, a novel experimental platform is to be developed for behavioral (and with the later option of electrophysiological / stimulation) studies of sensorimotor decision-making in cooperative and competitive social interaction settings, across humans and different non-human primate species. We are searching for two postdoctoral fellows with an experimental or engineering background to develop this innovative experimental platform by integrating several technological (e.g., eye-tracking, hand motion tracking, real-time behavior-contingent visual stimuli, etc.) and methodological approaches (e.g., from neurosciences, behavioral biology and psychology) into a single experimental tool. Two postdoctoral fellows with a mathematical or theoretical background are expected to develop a mathematical framework and the computational tools for the analysis of large-scale multimodal data streams to be generated through the platform and from other sources. Your profile We are looking for highly motivated, enthusiastic and creative researchers with strong experimental and/or analytical skills. Good command of written and spoken English is a must, German is a plus. The ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and the capacity to supervise students and technical personnel is expected. Successful candidates for the development of the experimental platform should have a PhD in cognitive science, psychology, behavioral biology, neuroscience or related fields. Demonstrable experience with designing, conducting and analyzing behavioral experiments in humans and/or non-human primates is essential; programming skills and an understanding of hardware and software integration in real-time experimental systems is beneficial; a prior experience in studying social interactions is of additional value. Successful candidates for the development of computational tools should have a PhD in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, informatics, statistics, or related fields. Advanced knowledge of stochastic dynamics, systems and signal theory, as well as excellent computational skills are required. Extensive experience with the analysis of complex data streams is a plus. Ideal candidates will be driven by a genuine interest in theoretical approaches to complex biological systems. The project is embedded in the recently established Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition" (www.primate-cognition.eu/en<http://www.primate-cognition.eu/en>) that encompasses a wide range of Göttingen researchers from multiple disciplines interested in understanding primate cognitive functions. Due to a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the project, and the recent upsurge of interest in the social aspects of decision-making and goal-directed actions both locally and in the international scientific community, it promises to be very visible. While the fellow positions are available for two years, the goals and the underlying framework of the project are a central part of the long-term commitment of the "Primate Cognition" scientific community and are expected to be continued. The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply as they are underrepresented in this field. Disabled persons with equivalent aptitude will be favored. The positions are generally suitable for part-time employment. Please send your application with the usual documents submitted as a single PDF file via email to the ScienceCampus coordinator, Dr. Christian Schloegl (cschloegl(a)dpz.eu<mailto:cschloegl@dpz.eu>), with the subject "Application social decision-making". Application deadline is January 31st, 2016. Three months after completion of the application process, submitted application material will be deleted. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Christian Schloegl (cschloegl(a)dpz.eu<mailto:cschloegl@dpz.eu>; phone: +49-551-3851-480). _________________________________ Dr. Christian Schloegl Leibniz-WissenschaftsCampus Primatenkognition Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbH Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen Tel: +49 551 3851-480 Fax: +49 551 3851-489 E-Mail: cschloegl(a)dpz.eu<mailto:cschloegl@dpz.eu> http://www.primate-cognition.eu<http://www.primate-cognition.eu/> Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrates: MDgt Rüdiger Eichel Geschäftsführer: Prof. Dr. Stefan Treue, Assessor jur. Michael Lankeit Sitz der Gesellschaft: Göttingen Handelsregister: Göttingen HRB 933

Dec. 14, 2015

Postdoctoral positions at the interface of algebraic topology and theoretical neuroscience at Penn State

by Vladimir Itskov

Dear colleagues, Applicants are invited for postdoctoral positions at the interface of theoretical neuroscience and algebraic topology or applied algebra. An ideal candidate is a mathematics Ph.D. with background in areas such as algebraic topology, geometry, commutative algebra, or combinatorics. Prior familiarity with neuroscience is not required, but interest in learning the relevant background is expected. The postdoctoral fellow will engage in the development of novel mathematical methods for understanding neural coding and neural networks. To apply, please submit your application via the mathjobs.org website in response to the job ad http://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7575 See also http://sites.psu.edu/mathneurolab/ for more information. __________________________________ Vladimir Itskov Associate Professor of Mathematics The Pennsylvania State University email: vladimir.itskov(a)psu.edu http://www.personal.psu.edu/vui1 __________________________________

Dec. 12, 2015

faculty positions at Penn State

by Vladimir Itskov

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 14:57:49 -0500 From: "Adam Smith (CSE)" <asmith(a)cse.psu.edu> Subject: data science/ML and cognitive science faculty positions at Penn State -- talk to us at NIPS! Penn State will be hiring multiple faculty in "data science" and "brain science", broadly defined. There are open positions in the department of Computer Science & Engineering as well as Statistics, and positions have the potential to be joint with other departments at Penn State. The ad for the CSE department follows. I will be at NIPS on Thursday (11am poster session) and Friday (at the workshop on adaptive data analysis). Send me an email if you'd like to talk! Adam Smith -- Penn State Computer Science & Engineering http://www.cse.psu.edu/~asmith Links: https://psu.jobs/job/60027 http://eecs.psu.edu/departments/EECS-Departments-Employment-Opportunities.a… http://cra.org/job/pennsylvania-state-university-faculty-position-vacancies/ =========================== Applications are invited for several tenure-track faculty positions at all ranks. Outstanding candidates in all areas of Computer Science and Engineering will be considered. Areas of particular interest are: hardware systems, computer architecture/embedded systems, software systems, brain science, data science, and security with applications to networking, systems and data analytics. Faculty lines in the areas of architecture/embedded systems, data science, and networking will be hired jointly with the Department of Electrical Engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Hiring in the brain science (especially around the analyses of imaging data) and the security of large-scale cyberphysical systems (including smart grids and food-water-energy systems), will be jointly hired with the Institute for CyberScience. These positions are part of a university-wide initiative to appoint exceptional candidates who can advance algorithms, software and hardware systems with a demonstrated commitment to participating in interdisciplinary research (see www.ics.psu.edu/hire.html) The department has 30 tenure-track faculty in the major areas of computer science and engineering. Fourteen members of our faculty are NSF Career Award recipients. Three faculty members from the department have received the prestigious NSF PECASE Award. In recent years, faculty in the department were awarded several large-scale research grants, including the Collaborative Research Alliance for the Science of Security, a Collaborative Technology Alliance for Network Science and an NSF Expeditions in Computing award. Further, the faculty have received awards in computing and research infrastructure and instrumentation grants from NSF, and are part of DARPA/STARNET Center, an NSF ERC and NSF IGERT team. The faculty are highly successful in obtaining funding from NSF, DARPA, ARL, DOE, DTRA, AFOSR and AOR. There are state-of-the-art research labs for computer systems, computer vision and robotics, microsystems design and VLSI, networking and security, high performance computing, bioinformatics and virtual environments. The department offers a graduate program with 30 Masters students and 132 Ph.D. students, and undergraduate programs in computer science and computer engineering. The university is committed to growing the faculty ranks and promoting interdisciplinary research toward cyber-enabled discovery and design. Penn State is a major research university and is ranked 3rd in the nation in industry-sponsored research and 8th in the nation in research expenditures. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Penn State?s College of Engineering undergraduate and graduate programs among the top in nation. Penn State is ranked 5th world wide in Computer Science Citations according to Thomson-Reuters. The university is located in the beautiful college town of State College in the center of Pennsylvania. The State College area has 130,000 inhabitants and offers a wide variety of cultural and outdoor recreational activities. The university offers outstanding events from collegiate sporting events to fine arts productions. Many major population centers on the east coast (New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Baltimore) are only a few hours drive away and convenient air services to several major hubs are operated by three major airlines out of State College. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field and should be committed to excellence in both research and teaching. Support will be provided to the successful applicants for establishing their research programs. We strongly encourage dual career couples and candidates from underrepresented groups to apply. Applicants should submit a statement of professional interests, curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of four references. Please submit these items in a single PDF file electronically at http://apptrkr.com/681413. Nominations and applications will be considered until the positions are filled. If you have questions regarding the application process, please email recruiting(a)cse.psu.edu. Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Dec. 12, 2015

MICCAI 2016 - Call for Papers and Workshop/Tutorial/Challenge Proposals

by Devrim Unay

[Apologies for cross posting] We are writing to invite you to participate in *MICCAI 2016*, the 19th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, which will be held from *October 17th to 21st, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey*. Call for papers can be found here: http://miccai2016.org/en/CALL-FOR-PAPERS.html. The paper submission deadline is *March 10, 2016*. Call for workshop/tutorial/challenge proposals can be found here: http://miccai2016.org/en/SATELLITE-EVENTS.html. The proposal submission deadline is *January 19, 2016*. For the latest information, please refer to our website: http://miccai2016.org. Also, please follow us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/1050034681703084/> and Twitter <https://twitter.com/MICCAI2016>. We look forward to welcoming you to Istanbul in October 2016! On Behalf of the MICCAI 2016 Organizing Committee Sebastien Ourselin General Chair

Dec. 12, 2015

1st call for papers: PRNI 2016

by Jo Etzel

******* please accept our apologies for cross-posting ******* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS PRNI 2016 6th International Workshop on Pattern Recognition in Neuroimaging 22-24 June 2016 Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy www.prni.org - @PRNI2016 - www.facebook.com/PRNI2016/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paper submission deadline: 18 March 2016, 11:59 pm PST Acceptance notification: 22 April 2016 Camera-ready paper deadline: 7 May 2016 Oral and poster sessions: 22-24 June 2016 Pattern recognition techniques have become an important tool for neuroimaging data analysis. These techniques are helping to elucidate normal and abnormal brain function, cognition and perception, anatomical and functional brain architecture, biomarkers for diagnosis and personalized medicine, and as a scientific tool to decipher neural mechanisms underlying human cognition. The International Workshop on Pattern Recognition in Neuroimaging (PRNI) aims to: (1) foster dialogue between developers and users of cutting-edge analysis techniques in order to find matches between analysis techniques and neuroscientific questions; (2) showcase recent methodological advances in pattern recognition algorithms for neuroimaging analysis; and (3) identify challenging neuroscientific questions in need of new analysis approaches. PRNI welcomes submissions on topics including, but not limited to: * Learning from neuroimaging data - Algorithms for brain-state decoding or encoding - Optimization and regularization - Bayesian analysis of neuroimaging data - Causal inference and time delay techniques - Network and connectivity models (the connectome) - Dynamic and time-varying models - Dynamical systems and simulations - Empirical mode decomposition, multiscale decompositions - Combination of different data modalities - Efficient algorithms for large-scale data analysis * Interpretability of models and results - High-dimensional data visualization - Multivariate and multiple hypothesis testing - Summarization and presentation of inference results * Applications - Disease diagnosis and prognosis - Real-time decoding of brain states - Analysis of resting-state and task-based data - MEG, EEG, structural MRI, fMRI, diffusion MRI, ECoG, NIRS Authors should prepare full papers with a maximum length of 4 pages (two column IEEE style) for double-blind review. The manuscript submission deadline is 18 March 2016. Accepted manuscripts will be assigned either to an oral or poster sessions; all accepted manuscripts will be included in the workshop proceedings. -- Joset A. Etzel, Ph.D. Research Analyst Cognitive Control & Psychopathology Lab Washington University in St. Louis http://mvpa.blogspot.com/

Dec. 11, 2015

Postdoc in mathematical neuroscience at the University of Houston/UC, Boulder

by Kresimir Josic

We are looking for a postdoctoral associate with a background in applied mathematics and/or computational neuroscience. The successful applicant will work with Krešimir Josić at the University of Houston and Zack Kilpatrick at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The goal of the project is to use linear response theory and its extensions to predict how patterns of activity and structure of neuronal networks co-evolve. This is a collaborative project with Brent Doiron (Pitt) and Eric Shea-Brown (UW, Seattle). The deadline for applications is January 15, 2016. This position is expected to run September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2018. Interested applicants can apply online at at the University of Houston jobs website: https://jobs.uh.edu/postings/28856 <https://jobs.uh.edu/postings/28856> Please contact Krešimir Josić (josic(a)math.uh.edu <mailto:josic@math.uh.edu>) or Zack Kilpatrick (zpkilpat(a)math.uh.edu <mailto:zpkilpat@math.uh.edu>) if you have any questions. The University of Houston is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Additionally, the University prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. -- ** Krešimir Josić ** Department of Mathematics ** University of Houston ** http://math.uh.edu/~josic ** Tel: (713) 743-3485

Dec. 11, 2015

PhD at Edinburgh on data analysis

by Matthias Hennig

A funded PhD position is available at the University of Edinburgh to develop and implement efficient paralellised methods for analysis of large scale, high density multielectrode array recordings. The project will focus on analysis of primary raw data from a 4,096 channel array, and aims at improving spike detection and sorting, and statistical analysis of multi-neuron activity. Data will come from the labs of Evelyne Sernagor (Newcastle, retina) and Luca Berdondini (IIT Genova, cultured networks). Applicants should have a strong quantitative background and interest in interdisciplinary research. Background in neuroscience and/or parallel programming is desirable, but not essential. This position is available to UK/EU applicants, and eligible for funding by the EPSRC CDT in Pervasive Parallelism. Interested individuals should send a c.v., statement of interest and the names of three references to Matthias Hennig (h.hennig(a)ed.ac.uk) Apply by 1 February 2016. PPar http://pervasiveparallelism.inf.ed.ac.uk/ J.-O. Muthmann, H. Amin, E. Sernagor, A. Maccione, D. Panas, L. Berdondini, U.S. Bhalla, M.H. Hennig (2015). Spike detection for large neural populations using high density multielectrode arrays. Front Neuroinform, 9:28. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fninf.2015.00028/abstract D. Panas, H. Amin, A. Maccione, O. Muthmann, M. van Rossum, L. Berdondini, M.H. Hennig (2015). Sloppiness in spontaneously active neuronal networks. J Neurosci, 35(22): 8480-8492. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/22/8480.full -- Matthias H Hennig http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/mhennig/ -- Matthias H Hennig http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/mhennig/ The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Dec. 10, 2015

PhD student position in Computational Vision - Video Analysis at KTH in Stockholm

by Tony Lindeberg

PhD student position in Computational Vision - Video Analysis at KTH in Stockholm Job description The position is in the area of Computational Vision — the science of understanding the computational mechanisms underlying visual perception and of equipping computers with visual perceptual abilities to make them see. The goal of this specific project is to develop new approaches for computing image features in terms of receptive fields for analyzing spatio-temporal image data (video or real-time image streams) in a theoretically well-founded manner for purposes in computer vision and computational modelling of biological vision. The main focus is specifically on developing computational vision methods for video analysis that are based on image operations in terms of time-causal and time-recursive spatio-temporal receptive fields, which only make use of information from the present moment and a compact buffer of what has occurred in the past, for which we have recently developed a novel theoretical scale-space framework at KTH. The main work to be done concerns: (i) extending this framework to different types of spatio-temporal feature detection tasks, (ii) integrating the framework into higher-order visual tasks and (iii) evaluating the performance on benchmark problems as a guide to further developments. There are possibilities of working theoretically (mathematically), algorithmically and experimentally in close collaboration with the supervisor. An overview of the research environment can be found at https://www.kth.se/profile/76171/page/computational-vision-at-csc-kth. Qualifications The candidate should have a strong computationally oriented background. The preference is for a candidate with a Master's degree in Engineering Physics or Computer Science with focus towards applied mathematics, computer science and numerical computations or a MSc/MEng education leading to similar skills. Good knowledge about computer vision and machine learning is a strong merit. The candidate should have good analytical abilities to work individually on problem solving and in good collaboration with the supervisor, specifically of working systematically and with good communication skills being able to present the results in writing and at scientific meetings. Good programming skills are necessary with the ability of working both with algorithm development in Matlab and if necessary complementing by more efficient implementations in C or C++. Applicants must be strongly motivated for doctoral studies, possess the ability to work independently and perform critical analysis and also possess good levels of cooperative and communicative abilities. Department information The position belongs to the Computational Brain Science group in the recently merged departments of Computational Biology and High Performance Computing and Visualization at the School of Computer Science and Communication. For more information visit https://www.kth.se/en/csc/forskning/cb. Additional information For further information and details about how to apply, please see https://www.kth.se/en/om/work-at-kth/lediga-jobb/what:job/jobID:82576/ The deadline for applications is on January 17, 2016. [cid:FD2B374F-C472-4895-ADA7-B3CD5419FD22@csc.kth.se] Tony Lindeberg Professor of Computer Science — Computational Vision KTH Royal Institute of Technology School of Computer Science and Communication Department of Computational Biology SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 8 790 6205 http://www.csc.kth.se/~tony

Dec. 10, 2015

ACAN 2016 - Call for Applications

by Geoff Goodhill

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows interested in using electrophysiological and optical techniques in their research are encouraged to apply for the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN) 2016, which will be held from 10th to 30th of April 2016 at the Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. ACAN is an intensive three-week course that guides participants through the theory and practice of electrophysiological recording and optical imaging techniques using a unique balance of small group lectures and hands-on laboratory work. Lectures from leading faculty will outline in an informal atmosphere the theoretical basis of cellular and systems neuroscience, and the principles of electrophysiological and optical recording techniques. During the course each participant will become proficient in patch-clamp recording, both in vitro and in vivo, calcium imaging, optogenetics, and many other techniques through unbridled access to state-of-the-art equipment, guided by the faculty. The course is also a lot of fun, with many ACAN students developing close friendships and collaborations during and after the course. In 2016 ACAN faculty will include: Cliff Abraham Ehsan Arabzadeh George Augustine Brad Baker John Bekkers Yossi Buskila Vincent Daria Alan Finkel Andreas Frick Yukiko Goda Geoff Goodhill Brett Graham Maarten Kole Matthew Larkum Joe Lynch Peregrine Osborne Lucy Palmer Steve Petrou Chris Reid Mala Shah Stephen Williams Twelve students will be selected to attend ACAN 2016. The application deadline is Monday 11th Jan 2016. For full details about the course, including the program, please visit: http://acan.qbi.uq.edu.au <http://acan.qbi.uq.edu.au/> In order to apply for ACAN 2016, you must: be a currently-enrolled PhD student, a postdoctoral fellow, or junior faculty (preferably with no more than 5 years after completing your PhD). Preference will be given, but is not exclusive, to those who are full-time residents of Australia or NZ (but you do not need to be a citizen or permanent resident of those countries). In your application you should include: - a completed application form (obtained from http://acan.qbi.uq.edu.au <http://acan.qbi.uq.edu.au/>) - your CV. - a covering letter that clearly states how you will apply the skills taught at ACAN to your research. - a reference from your supervisor, including a confirmation that funds are available to allow you to attend the course. - The fee for ACAN 2016 is A$4500, which covers all meals, accommodation, laboratory supplies and teaching materials. Scholarships from the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand are available for NZ citizens/permanent residents. Please send applications to: Prof Stephen Williams Queensland Brain Institute Email: srw(a)uq.edu.au <mailto:srw@uq.edu.au> http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/group-leader-williams <http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/group-leader-williams>

Dec. 10, 2015

IWSP7/ME@MBC talks now online

by Levin Kuhlmann

A selection of the talks from "IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control" and the overlapping "Melbourne Epilepsy" (ME@MBC) meeting held at the University of Melbourne, Australia, during 3-7 August 2015 are now online on the IWSP7 YouTube Channel at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy_d33ZB6xL7Cx8-eN7Fwxg/playlists Re-live the action, or share it with your friends or colleagues. On behalf of the local organizing committee Levin Kuhlmann, PhD David B. Grayden, PhD Mark J. Cook, MD Anthony N. Burkitt, PhD Dean R. Freestone, PhD Tatiana Kameneva, PhD Alan Lai, PhD Elma O'Sullivan-Greene, PhD Andre Peterson, PhD Email: organizingcommittee(a)iwsp7.org<mailto:organizingcommittee@iwsp7.org>

Dec. 10, 2015

post-doc position at the center for sleep and consciousness in the integrated information theory (IIT) group (Prof. Giulio Tononi)

by Larissa Albantakis

*Post-doc position(s) at the Center for Sleep and Consciousness * Prof. Giulio Tononi, University of Wisconsin, Madison Several postdoctoral positions are available at the center for sleep and consciousness science in the laboratory of Prof. Giulio Tononi (University of Wisconsin, Madison, http://integratedinformationtheory.org/) to study information and causation within the framework of the integrated information theory. Immediate funding is available for a range of projects on foundational questions regarding information, causation, emergence, adaptation, evolution and complexity, especially in the context of neural networks. Candidates are expected to have strong training in an analytically rigorous discipline such as theoretical biology/neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. We explicitly encourage mathematicians to apply. Experience in information theory, complex systems, and an interest in the philosophy of causation are a plus. Programming experience is required (knowledge of MATLAB, Python, and/or C++ is of advantage). Appointments are renewable from year to year for up to 3 years, starting as soon as possible or until the positions are filled. Post-doc salaries correspond to the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award (NRSA) stipend schedule for postdoc trainees, based on number of years of postdoctoral experience. Candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and email addresses and phone numbers of three references to: Giulio Tononi, gtononi(a)wisc.edu. For more information contact Larissa Albantakis (albantakis(a)wisc.edu) or William Marshall (wmarshall3(a)wisc.edu) Albantakis L, Hintze A, Koch C, Adami C, Tononi G (2014) Evoluation of Integrated Causal Structures in Animats Exposed to Environments of Increasing Complexity. PLoS Comput Biol 10(12):e1003966 Oizumi M, Albantakis L, Tononi G (2014) From the Phenomenology to the Mechanisms of Consciousness: Integrated Information Theory 3.0. PLoS Comput Biol 10(5):e1003588 Hoel EP, Albantakis L, Tononi G (2013) Quantifying causal emergence shows that macro can beat micro. PNAS, 110(49), 19790–19795. Albantakis L, Tononi G (2015) The Intrinsic Cause-Effect Power of Discrete Dynamical Systems—From Elementary Cellular Automata to Adapting Animats. Entropy 17.8 (2015): 5472-5502. -- Larissa Albantakis, PhD Department of Psychiatry University of Wisconsin 6001 Research Park Blvd Madison, WI 53719

Dec. 9, 2015

Announcement: Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling

by Jelmer Borst

Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling – ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, & Accumulator Models – Date: April 4-8, 2016 Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Fee: € 200 (late fee €50 after January 31) Registration: www.ai.rug.nl/springschool <http://www.ai.rug.nl/springschool> The Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling will cover four different modeling paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, and Accumulator models. It thereby offers a unique opportunity to learn the relative strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Each day will consist of four theory lectures, one on each paradigm. Each modeling paradigm also includes hands-on assignments. Although students are free to chose the number of lectures they attend, we recommend students to sign up for lectures on two of the modeling paradigms, and complete the tutorial units for one of the paradigms. At the end of each day there will be a plenary research talk, to show how these different approaches to modeling are applied. Admission is limited, so register soon! ACT-R Teachers: Jelmer Borst, Hedderik van Rijn, Niels Taatgen (University of Groningen) Website: http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/>. ACT-R is a high-level cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time experiments to driving a car, learning algebra, and air traffic control. ACT-R can be used to develop process models of a task at a symbolic level. Participants will follow a compressed five-day version of the traditional summer school curriculum. We will also cover the connection between ACT-R and fMRI, and the timing extension to ACT-R. Nengo Teacher: Terry Stewart (University of Waterloo) Website: http://www.nengo.ca <http://www.nengo.ca/> Nengo is a toolkit for converting high-level cognitive theories into low-level spiking neuron implementations. In this way, aspects of model performance such as response accuracy and reaction times emerge as a consequence of neural parameters such as the neurotransmitter time constants. It has been used to model adaptive motor control, visual attention, serial list memory, reinforcement learning, Tower of Hanoi, and fluid intelligence. Participants will learn to construct these kinds of models, starting with generic tasks like representing values and positions, and ending with full production-like systems. There will also be special emphasis on extracting various forms of data out of a model, such that it can be compared to experimental data. PRIMs Teacher: Niels Taatgen (University of Groningen) Website: http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/actransfer.html <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/actransfer.html> How do people handle and prioritize multiple tasks? How can we learn something in the context of one task, and partially benefit from it in another task? The goal of PRIMs is to cross the artificial boundary that most cognitive architectures have imposed on themselves by studying single tasks. It has mechanisms to model transfer of cognitive skills, and the competition between multiple goals. In the tutorial we will look at how PRIMs can model phenomena of cognitive transfer and cognitive training, and how multiple goals compete for priority in models of distraction. Accumulator Models Teacher: Marieke van Vugt (University of Groningen) Decisions can be described in terms of a process of evidence accumulation, modeled with a drift diffusion mechanism. The advantage of redescribing the behavioral data with an accumulator model is that those can be decomposed into more easily-interpretable cognitive mechanisms such as speed-accuracy trade-off or quality of attention. In this course, you will learn about the basic mechanisms of drift diffusion models and apply it to your own dataset (if you bring one). You will also see some applications of accumulator models in the context of neuroscience and individual differences.

Dec. 9, 2015

PhD studentship in visual decision making

by Ronald van den Berg

Applications are invited for a 4-year PhD student position on visual decision making at the department of Psychology at Uppsala University. The project investigates how humans make decisions under multiple simultaneous sources of uncertainty, by means of computational and psychophysical methods. Applicants should have a master’s degree in psychology or a related field. Experience with statistical models and computer programming is highly desirable but not necessary. More information about the position and the application procedure can be found at http://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/join-us/details/?positionId=82654. The deadline for application is 4 January 2016. Informal inquiries are welcome at ronald.vandenberg(a)psyk.uu.se.

Dec. 9, 2015

Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience at the Italian Institute of Technology to study origin and function of slow cortical oscillations

by Stefano Panzeri

*Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience at the Italian Institute of Technology to study origin and function of slow cortical oscillations* We are soliciting applications a new postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience in the newly established and highly interdisciplinary Neural Coding Laboratory at the IIT. This laboratory, jointly supervised by Stefano Panzeri and Tommaso Fellin, aims at combining experiments and mathematics to crack the neural code. The successful candidate will develop and use tools for the analysis of joint recordings of field potentials and single-neuron activity from genetically identified cell types in the cortex to understand the causal contribution of specific cellular subpopulations to the generation of slow oscillations. The project will also require the development of computational models that may explain the contribution of specific cell types to slow oscillations. The laboratory offers a range of strongly interdisciplinary and highly complementary expertise including computational neuroscience, electrophysiology and optogenetics. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to analyze experimental data and to suggest causal manipulations based on the predictions that arise from the theoretical work. The applicants should have a strong background in numerate sciences, be highly independent and have a strong propensity for interdisciplinary research. Experience in or understanding of experimental neuroscience is desirable, but not necessary. Candidates must hold a PhD in computational neuroscience, (bio)-physics, (bio)-engineering or a related discipline and be highly motivated and creative individuals who want to work in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary research environment and who are willing to interact with both experimental and theoretical neuroscientists. For reference to recent work of the PIs please see Zuo et al. Cur. Biol. 2015; Panzeri et al. Trends Cogn. Neurosci. 2015; Bovetti and Fellin, J. Neurosci. Methods 2015; Einevoll et al. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2013; Beltramo et al., Nat. Neurosci. 2013. Applications (full CV, two recommendation letters and statement of research interest) should be sent by email to Dr. Stefano Panzeri ( stefano.panzeri(a)iit.it <https://mail.iit.it/owa/redir.aspx?C=oajclq8rPE6FcMCJ-lI1Hsu55NFH69II9YBluB…>) and Dr. Tommaso Fellin (tommaso.fellin(a)iit.it <https://mail.iit.it/owa/redir.aspx?C=oajclq8rPE6FcMCJ-lI1Hsu55NFH69II9YBluB…> ).

Dec. 9, 2015

fully funded 4-year phd studentship - functional network analysis of EEG (application deadline next monday - 14th December!

by Allan, Dr Kevin

A fully-funded 4-year phd studentship (start date: October 2016) is available at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, to work in the School of Psychology EEG Laboratory with Dr Kevin Allan and Professor Bjoern Schelter. Please note the tight deadline for applications: Monday, 14th December! The position is open to UK/EU nationals only. More details below (or see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/clsm/graduate/research/psychological-states-1135.php) If you are interested, and want to find out more, please get in touch with me (Kevin Allan, k.allan(a)abdn.ac.uk) Title: Investigating functional brain networks and psychological states in real-time We are looking for a highly numerate individual, ideally one experienced with EEGlab, matlab, mathematica or R, to help us implement a novel EEG network analysis tool, and then test it in a series of studies examining encoding and retrieval networks involved in episodic memory. The project is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between Dr Allan, a cognitive neuroscientist based in the Aberdeen School of Psychology, and Prof. Schelter, a physicist based in the Aberdeen Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology. The project also has the backing of an industrial partner, Tau-Rx, a University of Aberdeen spinout company working on pharmacological treatments for dementia, and the student will be offered a substantial placement with Tau-Rx during their PhD where the opportunity will be given to apply skills learned to estimate functional network structure in patients and healthy controls from clinical EEG data. A key element of the project is to optimise and implement a new, highly efficient network analysis tool to perform Granger causality analysis upon data as it is being collected, and to display the outputs of the model within a bespoke visualisation tool. This will require training in the matlab and mathematica software packages, EEG data collection hardware and software, as well as the mathematical basis of the analysis, all of which will be provided by Dr Allan, Prof. Schelter and their post-docs. The EEG Lab in the School of Psychology contains all the necessary EEG recording hardware, software and expertise to support the project. In years 2 - 4 the student will receive further scientific and business-related training during a placement with the industrial partner, Tau-Rx. During their placement the student will be given the opportunity to work with a team of researchers involved in the analysis of EEG data from clinical trials of drug therapies for Alzheimer's and fronto-temporal dementia. The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683. Tha Oilthigh Obar Dheathain na charthannas clàraichte ann an Alba, Àir. SC013683.

Dec. 8, 2015

PhD position in computational neuroscience available for project "Learning to hear with plasticity across multiple timescales" at Imperial College London

by Dan Goodman

A PhD position is available as part of the Neurotechnology centre for doctoral training at Imperial College London, jointly supervised by Dan Goodman, Paul Chadderton, Claudia Clopath and in collaboration with Agnes Leger: - http://neural-reckoning.org/ - http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/p.chadderton/ChaddertonLab/Home.html - http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/ - http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/staff/Agnes.Leger The title of the project is "Learning to hear with plasticity across multiple timescales", and it aims at understanding how the brain adapts and learns to cope with difficult listening situations (e.g. a crowded pub or restaurant), and applying this to developing new technology (e.g. for speech recognition). It will involve (1) developing mathematical and computational models of hearing and neural adaptation and plasticity, (2) experimental testing (including animal electrophysiology and human psychoacoustics), and (3) technology development for speech recognition, hearing aids and cochlear implants. The candidate should be willing to learn experimental techniques (animal electrophysiology and/or human psychophysics), but is not required to have any previous experience. The PhD programme is fully funded for four years, of which the first year is a taught MRes course. In addition to working within the centre, studying at Imperial College provides excellent opportunities for interacting with other theoretical and experimental researchers, both at Imperial (recently ranked 8th in the world in the QS world university rankings) and in the many neuroscience groups in London. Note that unfortunately funding for non-UK/EU residents is quite limited and there will therefore be stronger competition for these places. For more details on this project, the centre, and how to apply: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology/cdt/projects/hear_with_plasticity/ Dan Goodman

Dec. 8, 2015

IBM Journal of R&D, Special Issue on "Computational Neuroscience"

by James R Kozloski

Call for Papers IBM Journal of Research and Development Special Issue on "Computational Neuroscience" Overview Understanding the brain's dynamics is of central importance to neuroscience. Our ability to observe, model, and infer from neuroscientific data the principles and mechanisms of brain dynamics will determine our ability to understand the brain's unusual cognitive and behavioral capabilities. In the nearer term, analysis and prediction of changes to these dynamics, observed in vast new datasets and rendered in large scale simulations, are beginning to facilitate applications in important societal areas such as education, aging, assistive technology, and the treatment of disease. The explosion in new data about brain and neural tissue dynamics and development leads us to propose this special issue of the IBM Journal of Research and Development, which will emphasize new solutions, models, capabilities, and other technologies that advance the analysis of neuroscientific data and the application of predictive models to anticipate changes in brain function, cognition, and behavior. We solicit Abstracts (paper proposals) in the following areas: Potential Focus Areas for Papers Applications of machine learning algorithms to prediction in neuroscience Analysis of behavioral dynamics Analysis of brain and neural circuit image and time-series data Analysis of physiological data Models and computational simulations of brain and neural circuit dynamics Applications of models for better understanding of mental health, real-world behaviors, and perceptual and cognitive states The development of assistive technologies based on cognitive or brain-inspired models IBM Journal Manuscript Preparation Guidelines The Journal is peer reviewed -- all papers will be sent to several experts to be reviewed before a final publication decision is made. All papers must place the described research and results in perspective by carefully citing relevant related scientific work. Contact Cliff Pickover (cliffp(a)us.ibm.com ), or visit the journal web site, for the manuscript preparation template: http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rdauth.html Contact Information Guest editors for the issue are James Kozloski and Guillermo Cecchi. Authors should indicate their interest in submitting a paper by sending a preliminary abstract to journal Editor-in-Chief Cliff Pickover ( cliffp(a)us.ibm.com) copying co-guest editor James Kozloski ( kozloski(a)us.ibm.com) -- by January 15, 2016. You must submit an abstract to be considered for this issue, and we will notify you when your abstract is accepted. Important Deadlines and Schedule - January 15, 2016: Preliminary Abstracts Due (tentative article title, author names/affiliations, 1 paragraph description) - May 15, 2016: Final Paper Draft Due (if your abstract is accepted) - March, 2017: Special Issue Published (every paper will be on-line by this date) ____________________________________________ James Kozloski Research Staff Member Master Inventor T.J. Watson Research Center 1101 Kitchawan Rd., 13-132E Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Tel +1 914 945 3982 Mobile +1 203 231 6187 ibm.co/kozloski

Dec. 8, 2015

IBM Research, Postdoctoral Entry Research Position

by James R Kozloski

IBM Research is undertaking a project to characterize and implement models of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical system. This work will develop and implement models of systems in the normal and diseased brain, including portions of cerebral cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, and dopaminergic nuclei, as point neuron network and then neural tissue simulations. The models will serve as a test bed for simulation studies in subsequent projects. Using these models, candidate system-level failure modes consistent with disease states will be identified and analyzed. Simulations will provide a tool for quantifying brain system homeostasis, evaluating risk, and developing potential strategies to mitigate the effects of disease. Categorization of simulated brain states and of key measurements from these states will be directed towards helping test several core hypotheses along with experimental collaborators. IBM is seeking a Post Doctoral Researcher with a degree in bioengineering, neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, physics or similar field. Candidates should have a proven neuroscience background, experience analyzing neural systems data, and the modeling and simulation of neural circuits, including neuroplasticity and conductance-based models. Preferred Candidates will have: Experience in computational neuroscience or data analytics Experience in neuroscience Basic knowledge in models of Neural Plasticity and Calcium Dynamics Experience in programming (C++, Matlab, Python) Please apply at the following IBM Careers - Job details link: https://krb-sjobs.brassring.com/tgwebhost/jobdetails.aspx?jobId=23341&Partn…

Dec. 7, 2015

Computational Neuroscience Graduate Positions available at the University of Minnesota

by David Redish

*The Neuroengineering IGERT Training Program at the University of Minnesota, funded by the National Science Foundation, is inviting outstanding students to apply through the Graduate Program in Neuroscience or the Biomedical Engineering Program. The IGERT program is aimed at training the next generation of scientific and technical leaders in the interface of engineering and systems neurosciences, as broadly defined. The training themes include: * 1) Neural decoding - Computational and theoretical neuroscience and neuroengineering studies on decoding theory, methods, as pursued via animal models or human studies. Neuroimaging is also pursued as means of brain decoding. 2) Neural modulation - Mechanisms of neuromodulation in brains for both deep brain stimulation and transcranial stimulations. 3) Neural interfacing - Mechanisms of motor control and learning as applied to brain-machine interface, as pursued in animal models and humans. Outstanding training opportunities include mentoring by co-advisors from over 40 faculty across engineering and brain sciences, a new neuroengineering minor curriculum, industrial and international internships, and general stipend and tuition coverage. Visit the IGERT program website to find out more: http://www.igert-ne.umn.edu/ *==========================================================More information:Become the future of systems neuroengineering.* The University of Minnesota is home to an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship *(IGERT) program in Systems Neuroengineering*, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bright, high-achieving students who are admitted to a University of Minnesota’s Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Neuroscience are eligible for this prestigious training program. The program provides a generous stipend and tuition coverage as well as access to cutting-edge research in neuroengineering. Minnesota is also home to the largest collection of medical device manufacturers in the world and our program provides opportunities for IGERT trainees to gain practical experience working with these companies. Through our education and research-training model, students in our program learn to develop the skills to revolutionize neurotechnologies and advance our understanding of neuroscience processes underlying these technologies. *Program Faculty* The Systems Neuroengineering IGERT Program has over 40 outstanding faculty members who have made significant contributions to neural decoding, neuromodulation, neural interfacing, and neuroimaging research, and who are committed to graduate training. Many of them are world class leaders who have shaped where the field is in cutting-edge research, including noninvasive brain-computer interface controlling quadcopter, deep-brain stimulation, high field MRI imaging, and dynamic brain mapping. *Key Program Features* - Choice of research advisors from over 40 participating training faculty across engineering and brain sciences - Joint faculty mentoring and team advising of research - Tailored neuroengineering graduate curriculum - Lab rotations in engineering and basic/clinical brain sciences - Industrial internship rotations - Generous stipend ($30,000/year for up to two years on IGERT program) and tuition coverage *Eligibility Requirements* Trainees must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have been admitted to one of the four participating University of Minnesota doctoral programs: *Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,* and *Neuroscience.* For more information on this highly selective training program and how to apply, please visit our website at http://www.igert-ne.umn.edu/, or contact us at igert-ne(a)umn.edu.

Dec. 7, 2015

PhD in computational neuroscience at Oxford

by Rafal Bogacz

Dear Colleagues, We are looking for a highly motivated and creative candidate for doctoral studies in computational neuroscience, to start in October 2016. The research project will employ computational methods to investigate how to best control neural circuits affected by Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor with different forms of electrical stimulation, such as "deep brain stimulation" or transcranial electric current stimulation. The work will involve building statistical or dynamical models that can predict responses to stimulation and inform on optimal stimulation protocols. This Ph.D. (D.Phil.) studentship is funded by the Medical Research Council and will cover Oxford University and College fees at the home/EU rate as well as providing a stipend at the current RCUK rates (£14,057 p.a.) for 3 years. The project will be supervised by Rafal Bogacz and will be carried out within the interdisciplinary team of the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit. The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 8th January 2016. More details can be found at: http://www.mrcbndu.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/phd-studentship-computational-neurosc… Best wishes, Rafal

Dec. 7, 2015

PhD Studentships in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Hertfordshire

by Torben-Nielsen, Benjamin

PhD Studentships in Computational Neuroscience We welcome applications for a funded PhD position in the Biocomputation Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire. The successful applicant will work on a project related to modeling the structure and physiological function of the inferior olive. The inferior olive is an important part of the olivo-cerebellar circuitry as its axons, the climbing fibers, play a central role in all theories of cerebellar learning. Further, the inferior olive has been postulated to act as a clock for the brain. In this project, we aim to use an accurate structural model of the inferior olive to investigate, in silico, recent hypotheses related to the generation and maintenance of timing signals. An integral part of this project involves the further development of the NeuroMac software to generate structural models of the inferior olive. Please refer to the publication list of the Biocomputation Group website (http://biocomputation.herts.ac.uk/) for recent publications. Who are we looking for? - Candidates should have excellent programming skills (preferably also in Python) and familiarity with parallel and high-performance computing and visualization toolkits (such as VTK) is appreciated. - Candidates should possess great curiosity. - Candidates should be able to formulate their own questions about the circuitry and dynamics in the olivo-cerebellar system to direct their research efforts. Knowledge of neuroscience is a plus but the eagerness to learn about the brain and how to use scientific approaches (such as computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics) is considered pivotal. Successful candidates are eligible for a research studentship award from the University (approximately GBP 13,800 per annum bursary plus the payment of the standard UK student fees). Applicants from outside the UK or EU are eligible, but will have to pay half of the overseas fees out of their bursary. Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognized as excellent by the latest Research Excellent Framework Assessment, with 50% of the research submitted being rated as world leading or internationally excellent.The Science and Technology Research Institute provides a very stimulating environment, offering a large number of specialized and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training and researcher development opportunities. The University of Hertfordshire is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London. The student will be supervised by Drs. Ben Torben-Nielsen (b.torben-nielsen(a)herts.ac.uk) and Volker Steuber (v.steuber(a)herts.ac.uk) to whom informal enquiries can be sent. Application forms can be obtained from Mrs Lorraine Nicholls, Research Student Administrator, STRI, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, Tel: 01707 286083, l.nicholls @ herts.ac.uk. The short-listing process will begin on 28 December 2015. Dr. Ben Torben-Nielsen Senior Lecturer (Assistant professor) Biocompution Group University of Hertfordshire, UK

Dec. 5, 2015

CFP: 18th AAMAS International Workshop on Trust in Agent Societies (TRUST 2016)

by AAMAS TRUST 2016

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18th International Workshop on Trust in Agent Societies http://ntu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=… Co-located with AAMAS 2016 (http://ntu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=…) May 9-13, 2016, Singapore (Workshop will be held either May 9 or May 10) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trust is important in many kinds of interactions, including direct or computer- mediated human interaction, human-computer interaction and among social agents; it characterizes those elements that are essential in social reliability. It also informs the selection of partners for successful multiagent coordination (for example, in robotics applications). Trust is more than communication that is robust against repudiation or interference. The reliability of information about the status of a trade partner, for example, is only partly dependent on secure communication. With the growing prevalance of social interaction through electronic means, trust, reputation, privacy and identity become more and more important. Trust is not just a simple, monolithic concept; it is multi-faceted, operating at many levels of interaction, and playing many roles. Another growing trend is the use of reputation mechanisms, and in particular the interesting link between trust and reputation. Many computational and theoretical models and approaches to reputation have been developed in recent years (for ecommerce, social networks, blogs, etc.). Further, identity and associated trustworthiness must be ascertained for reliable interactions and transactions. Trust is foundational for the notion of agency and for its defining relation of acting "on behalf of". It is also critical for modeling and supporting groups and teams, for both organization and coordination, with the related trade-off between individual utility and collective interest. The electronic medium seems to weaken the usual bonds of social control and the disposition to cheat grows stronger: this is yet another context where trust modeling is critical. The aim of the workshop is to bring together researchers (ideally from different disciplines) who can contribute to a better understanding of trust and reputation in agent societies. We welcome submissions of high-quality research addressing issues that are clearly relevant to trust, deception, privacy, reputation, security and control in agent-based systems, from theoretical, applied and interdisciplinary perspectives. Submitted contributions should be original and not submitted elsewhere. Papers accepted for presentation must be relevant to the workshop, and to demonstrate clear exposition, offering new ideas in suitable depth and detail. The scope of the workshop includes (but is not limited to): o Trust and risk-aware decision making o Game-theoretic models of trust o Deception and fraud, and its detection and prevention o Intrusion resilience in trusted computing o Reputation mechanisms o Trust in the socio-technical system o Trust in partners and in authorities o Trust during coordination and negotiation of agents o Privacy and access control in multi-agent systems o Detecting and preventing collusion o Trust in human-agent interaction o Trust and information provenance o Trust and identity o Trust within organizations o Trust, security and privacy in social networks o Trustworthy infrastructure and services o Trust modeling for real-world applications -------------------------------------------------------------- Important Dates (Firm Deadlines) o Submission deadline: February 15, 2016 o Notification: March 5, 2016 o Camera-ready deadline: March 10, 2016 ------------------------------------------------------------- Organising Committee o Jie Zhang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore o Robin Cohen, University of Waterloo, Canada o Murat Sensoy, Ozyegin University, Turkey ------------------------------------------------------------- Steering Committee o Rino Falcone, ISTC-CNR, Roma, Italy (Chair) o Robin Cohen, University of Waterloo, Canada o Timothy Norman, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK o Munindar Singh, North Carolina State University, USA (Emeriti) o Suzanne Barber, University of Texas, USA (Emeriti) ------------------------------------------------------------- Programme Committee o Suzanne Barber, University of Texas, USA o Cristiano Castelfranchi, ISTC-CNR, Roma, Italy o Robert Demolombe, IRIT, Toulouse, France o Rino Falcone, ISTC-CNR, Roma, Italy o Hui Fang, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China o Siwei Jiang, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore o Catholijn Jonker, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands o Audun Jøsang, University of Oslo, Norway o Yung-Ming Li, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan o Churn-Jung Liau, Academia Sinica, Taiwan o Xin Liu, Institute for Infocomm Research, Singapore o Emiliano Lorini, IRIT, Toulouse, France o Tony T. Luo, Institute for Infocomm Research, Singapore o Stephen Marsh, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Canada o Tim Muller, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore o Yuko Murayama, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan o Nir Oren, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK o Jordi Sabater-Mir, IIIA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain o Chris Snijders, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands o Thomas Tran, University of Ottawa, Canada --------------------------------------------------------------- Invited Talk Title: Computational Trust with Subjective Logic Speaker: Professor Audun Jøsang, University of Oslo, Norway He is co-author of one of the first trust modeling systems, BRS. --------------------------------------------------------------- Submission and Publication Authors should submit original papers (maximum length 12 single-columned pages) in PDF through the Easychair system: http://ntu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=… Formal proceedings of the workshop will be published through CEUR-WS.org. CEUR.org is a green open-access publisher. Authors of papers published in the proceedings retain copyright of their material. To enable us to produce this publication, authors are expected to use the LaTeX template provided on the workshop website. http://ntu.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=… The most "visionary paper" will be published by Springer in a book under the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI) - Hot Topics series. The book will be a compilation of the most visionary papers of the AAMAS-2016 Workshops, where one paper will be selected from each AAMAS-2016 workshop. Additionally, the "best paper" will be published by Springer in a book under the Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) series. The book will be a compilation of the best papers of the AAMAS-2016 Workshops, where one paper will be selected from each AAMAS-2016 workshop. Authors of the selected most visionary paper and the best paper are expected to provide their latex files promptly upon request. We also plan to invite some of the best papers from our workshop to be extended for a special issue in Journal of Trust Management (www.journaloftrustmanagement.com) ============================================== You are kindly recommended as researchers in the area of incentive and trust in e-communities. Unsubscribe comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org from this list: http://ntu.us11.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id… Our mailing address is: NTU Nanyang Technological University 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 Shenyang, 21 110000 China Our telephone: Forward this email to a friend: http://us11.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=92… Update your profile: http://ntu.us11.list-manage.com/profile?u=07e4000aa14279005e8843364&id=73d1…

Dec. 4, 2015

PhD in Mathematical modelling of neuronal activity in the nucleus reuniens: a thalamic region contributing to mammalian cognitive processing.

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

EPSRC funded PhD in Mathmatics: Mathematical modelling of neuronal activity in the nucleus reuniens: a thalamic region contributing to mammalian cognitive processing. Ref: 2047 About the award This project is one of a number which are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Doctoral Training Partnership to commence in September, 2016. The studentships will provide funding for a stipend (currently £14,057 per annum for 2015/16), research costs of £3,000 and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council rates for 3.5 years. Location: Streatham Campus, University of Exeter, EX4 4QJ Primary supervisor: Dr Ozgur Akman<http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/oea201> Secondary supervisors: Professor Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova (University of Exeter), Professor Andrew Randall (University of Exeter) The production of action potentials is a defining feature of the functional physiology of all excitable cells. Typically, only after firing a spike will a cell perform its task and, furthermore, the rate, timing and patterns of spike generation have important effects on the nature of the downstream events they trigger, for example neurotransmitter release. Hence, quantifying the characteristic features of action potential production in neurons is crucial in helping us to understand the normal functional physiology of nervous systems, as well as how these are altered during pathological conditions associated with disease. Based within the EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, a £2M initiative bringing together mathematicians, statisticians and clinicians, you will work on a project aiming to develop in silico biophysical models of neural excitability in the mammalian nucleus reuniens (NRe). This area within the thalamus is receiving increased attention from neuroscientists, (including both the 2013 and 2014 Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine; see Xu and Sudhoff (2013), Science 339, 1290-5 and Ito et al. (2015) Nature 522, 50-5). Through its robust connectivity to structures such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, this midline thalamic nucleus is involved in both spatial and cognitive processing. It is also a key site of pathology in Korsakoff’s syndrome (aka amnesic-confabulatory syndrome), a form of dementia. Recent ongoing work in the Randall lab at Exeter has generated a large body of novel electrophysiological data that details the core electrical excitability of neurons in the nucleus reuniens, in both normal adult animals and rodent disease models. These datasets are supported by additional biophysical characterisations of the gating of some of the key underpinning ion channels in NRe neurons. These experimental data will form the basis for the computational models that this project will generate, models that will probe the mechanisms that govern the physiological spiking and bursting dynamics of NRe cells. The ultimate goal is to both better understand normal physiological NRe function, and to identify possible interventional routes through which abnormal NRe activity observed in disease models can be normalised toward the neurophysiological signatures presented by healthy tissue. Mathematical analysis and numerical/computational techniques will be applied to study the behaviour of the system in normal and pathological conditions. The computational component of the project will include the use of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms to optimise the parameters of the model to data, and the use of bifurcation analysis software. Application Criteria Applicants should have or expect to achieve a 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in Mathematics, Physics, Natural Sciences, Medicine or other numerate discipline. The closing date for applications if midnight on 4 January, 2016. Interviews will be held at the University of Exeter mid-late January, 2016. For further information, or an informal discussion about the position, please contact Dr Ozbur Akman, e-mail: O.E.Akman(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:O.E.Akman@exeter.ac.uk>. Summary Application deadline: 4th January 2016 Value: £14,057 per annum plus UK/EU fees for eligible students (2015-16 rates) Duration of award: per year Contact: Postgraduate Research Office emps-pgr-ad(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:emps-pgr-ad@exeter.ac.uk> How to apply Please visit www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/studentships/application/<http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/studentships/application/> and complete the online web form. You will be asked to submit some personal details and upload a full CV, covering letter and details of two academic referees. Your covering letter should outline your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake this project. Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QF, UK tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ALTEREGO - Enhancing Social Interaction with an AlterEgo artificial agent http://www.euromov.eu/alterego/homepage

Dec. 4, 2015

Master's degree fellowships in cognitive science at Ecole Normale Supérieure

by Reinoud Maex

The Cognitive Science Departement of Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris (Département d'études cognitives, DEC) aims to recruit advanced undergraduate international students in Cognitive Science and in Linguistics. DEC and Ecole Normale Supérieure (http://www.ens.fr) offer several international fellowships, intended for advanced undergraduate students who will either directly enroll in a master's program (two-year or three-year fellowship) or first complete their last year of undergraduate studies and then enroll in a master's program (three-year fellowship). These fellowships will be attributed on the basis of a national competitive exam, known as the `ENS international selection.' For more details (including about eligibility), please visit: http://www.ens.fr/admission/selection-internationale/?lang=en The fellowships include: - monthly stipend: 1000 euros; - possibility of subsidized housing; - access to subsidized cafeteria (about 4 euros/meal); - minimal tuition fees (about 500 euros/year). How to Apply: More detailed information is available on line: - http://www.cognition.ens.fr/EnseignementFinancementENG - http://www.ens.fr/admission/selection-internationale/article/session-2016?l… Applications Deadline: 1-Feb-2016 Web Address for Applications: http://www1.ens.fr/recrutement-si/ Contact Information: Benjamin Spector benjamin.spector(a)ens.fr Benjamin SPECTOR Institut Jean-Nicod CNRS - EHESS - ENS Ecole Normale Supérieure Pavillon Jardin 29 rue d'Ulm 75005 Paris France Tel: (33) 1 44 32 26 62

Dec. 4, 2015

Interdisciplinary Neuroscience PhD program at George Mason University

by Avrama Blackwell

Applicants with a theoretical/quantitative background particularly welcome! Deadline: January 4 We are seeking highly motivated and creative students for the Interdisciplinary PhD program in Neuroscience at George Mason University. This PhD program offers students the opportunity to apply their skills to challenging problems in brain research, while working with faculty with primary appointments in physics, molecular neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and bioinformatics / computational biology. The Theoretical and Computational track within the Neuroscience PhD program aims to train the next generation of neuroscientists with the broad range of computational and analytical skills that are essential to understand the organization and function of complex neural systems. Research approaches of the faculty range from the subcellular and molecular level to the systems and behavioral level. Some of the areas that students will contribute to include: Molecular profiling of drug effects in the brain, cellular signaling underlying memory, the relationship between dendritic morphology and neuronal activity, nonlinear dynamics of neurons and networks of neurons, and fMRI investigations of reasoning, attention and human performance. Applicants should submit the following materials (see http://neuroscience.gmu.edu/prospective/admissions for more information): 1. All undergraduate and graduate transcripts (originals, or attested or notarized copies); 2. GRE scores (use code 5827); 3. Three letters of recommendations; and 4. Goals Statement. Applications should be submitted by January 4 for Fall admission. The deadline is December 15 for degree holders from non-US institutions. Financial assistance is available at competitive levels through graduate research assistantships to outstanding candidates.

Dec. 4, 2015

PhD Position: Modelling Gait in People with Parkinson's Disease.

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

EPSRC funded PhD in Modelling Gait in People with Parkinsons Disease. Location: Streatham Campus, University of Exeter, EX4 4QJ Primary supervisor: Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova<http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298> Secondary supervisors: Dr Mark Wilson (University of Exeter), Dr Victoria Goodwin (University of Exeter) Based within the EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, a £2M initiative bringing together mathematicians, statisticians and clinicians, you will work on a project aiming to develop a data-driven mathematical modeling framework in order to study gait impairments in patients with Parkinson’s. Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition that mainly affects people of 50 and over. One person in every 500 has Parkinson's, which equates to about 127,000 people in the UK. There's currently no cure, and the range of symptoms and how quickly they progress are different for everyone. The main symptoms of Parkinson's are tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement. Despite optimal medication therapy, many people with Parkinson’s still experience gait impairments. Gait impairments (e.g., freezing of gait) are associated with falls and fear of falling, and reduced quality of life. This studentship aims to further our understanding of the degenerative nature of the disease by taking a dynamical systems approach to modelling the coordination of locomotion (gait) from an individual perspective. While many studies have examined discrete gait measures (e.g. step length) it is likely that several gait malfunctions will interact and incur a simultaneous deterioration of stepping. A dynamical systems approach is particularly useful in predicting when and if this deterioration may cross a critical threshold; for example, triggering a freeze or a stumble. The first stage of this project will be to develop a model based on gait data we have already collected from 18 people with Parkinson’s. The second stage would be to collect additional data to test model’s predictions and refine and improve the model. This project is one of a number which are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Doctoral Training Partnership to commence in September 2016. The studentships will provide funding for a stipend (currently £14,057 per annum for 2015/16), research costs of £3,000 and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council rates for 3.5 years. Application Criteria Applicants should have or expect to achieve at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in Maths, Physics, Medicine, Natural Sciences or other numerate discipline. The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 4 January 2016. Interview will be held at the University of Exeter is mid-late January 2016. For further information, or informal discussion about the position, please contact Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova, e-mail: K.Tsaneva-Atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:K.Tsaneva-Atanasova@exeter.ac.uk>. Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QF, UK tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ALTEREGO - Enhancing Social Interaction with an AlterEgo artificial agent http://www.euromov.eu/alterego/homepage

Dec. 4, 2015

Postdoc position in Phone/wearable based diagnostics

by Konrad Kording

A postdoc position to apply machine learning to use data from phones and wearables to make clinical progress is available in collaboration between Konrad Kording and Arun Jayaraman. Learn machine learning. Capture clinical knowledge. The position is supported by NIH and NIDRR and is at the rehabilitation institute of chicago/ Northwestern University in downtown Chicago. A successful candidate should have a real interest in clinical problems while also having computational skills. The candidate will be expected to use state of the art machine learning algorithms while developing interesting analyses. The candidate will also shape clinical decision making and conceptually help structuring the research. A certain level of independence is highly encouraged. Interested individuals should send a c.v. and the names of three references to Dr. Konrad Kording ( kk(a)northwestern.edu) The position is available immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Dec. 3, 2015

Postdoctoral openings in modeling, analysis of brain network dynamics

by ShiNung Ching

Postdoctoral positions are available in the Brain Dynamics and Control Group at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO, USA), in two areas of interest: (i) Modeling macro-scale network dynamics in states of reduced arousal, including coma. The research goals include developing tractable dynamical systems models for network dynamics associated with severe brain injuries resulting in coma. The developed models will be analyzed in order to study mechanisms and their link to behavior. This position, which carries an affiliation with the Department of Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine, will involve close collaboration with clinical researchers and will require analysis of multimodal neural data. (ii) Relating systems-theoretic properties to information processing in neural circuits. The goals include reconciling systems-level properties (reachability, controllability etc.) with overt information objectives in dynamical neuronal network models, and to explore the conservation of these network input-output relationships across scales. Candidates should have a background in some combination of dynamical systems theory, network science or systems science/control engineering. Prior experience in clinical research and basic neural data analysis is a substantial asset. Positions are for two years, with review after Year 1. Interested applicants should send a CV and brief description of interests and goals to ShiNung Ching (shinung(a)wustl.edu) ideally by January 5, 2016. The starting date is flexible, but the position is expected to begin no later that the Summer of 2016. Salary will be determined according to experience and the institutional scale at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information, please visit: http://braindynamics.engineering.wustl.edu

Dec. 3, 2015

Workshop announcement: HBP CodeJam

by Andrew Davison

================================ HBP CodeJam Workshop #7 11th-14th January 2016, Manchester, UK ================================ You are cordially invited to join us at the 7th CodeJam workshop, sponsored this year by the Human Brain Project. http://neuralensemble.org/meetings/CodeJam7/ The goal of the CodeJam workshops is to catalyze open-source, collaborative software development in computational and systems neuroscience and neuroinformatics, by bringing together researchers, students and engineers to share ideas, present their work, and write code together. Mornings will be dedicated to invited and contributed talks, leaving the afternoons free for discussions, tutorials and code sprints. If you would like to give a lightning talk or have an idea for a code sprint, please let us know when you register. The CodeJam is open to all scientists, engineers and students who use or write software as part of their neuroscience research. Confirmed speakers include Michael Hines (NEURON simulation environment), Eilif Muller (Blue Brain Project), Matteo Cantarelli (OpenWorm), Catherine Zwahlen (Human Brain Project), Padraig Gleeson (NeuroML and OpenSourceBrain) and David Lester (SpiNNaker). Registration is open until 16th December at http://neuralensemble.org/meetings/CodeJam7/ and is limited to 50 participants. The meeting will take place at Shrigley Hall Hotel, a 19th Century four-star country house hotel in Cheshire, UK, close to Manchester International Airport and perfectly located for exploring the Peak District. Andrew Davison (CNRS) David Lester (University of Manchester) Eilif Muller (EPFL) Abigail Morrison (Forschungszentrum Jülich) Jeffrey Muller (EPFL)

Dec. 3, 2015

Postdoctoral Position at The Rockefeller University

by George Reeke

Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience A postdoctoral position supported by the BRAIN initiative is available at The Rockefeller University under the guidance of George Reeke in collaboration with Charles Gilbert and Winrich Freiwald. The overall project will study cortical mechanisms of object recognition and more specifically the influence of top-down task-and attentional influences on cortical dynamics and perceptual learning in areas of the visual cortical pathway. The computational work will involve developing and running large-scale spiking models of cortical regions studied in the overall project, with the goal of developing an accurate theoretical understanding of the phenomena observed in the experimental research. The successful candidate should, ideally, have a Ph.D. in a relevant area of neuroscience with a strong knowledge of mammalian visual systems and neuronal systems modeling. The candidate will be expected to develop suitable software to supplement the available tools as needed and will be able to work both independently and as part of a team. Interested individuals should send a c.v. and the names of three references to Dr. George Reeke (reeke(a)rockefeller.edu) with a subject line "Computational Neuroscience postdoc position". The position is available immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The Rockefeller University is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans.

Dec. 2, 2015

Tenure Track position in Computational Neuroscience, NIDA-IRP

by Brian Sadacca

*Tenure-Track, Tenure-Eligible Investigator in **Computational Modeling, * *National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program* *Baltimore, MD * *(Review of Applications Begins: December 28)* The Intramural Research Program (IRP), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is seeking an outstanding tenure-eligible or tenure-track scientist to develop a research program to use computational models and other tools (e.g. human functional imaging) to complement and expand existing research programs at the NIDA IRP. The successful candidate must possess a doctoral degree in neuroscience, physiology, economics or another relevant field with additional training and emphasis on computational neuroscience, learning and decision-making. Expertise in computational modeling and state of the art imaging techniques and a strong publication record highlighting his/her contributions to elucidating the computational mechanisms underlying brain systems involved in reward learning, cognitive control and decision making is highly desirable. Preference will be given to those with interest in applying computational models to the study of the neurobiology of addiction. In view of the required integrative approach, the successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with other research groups within NIDA - a proven ability to establish and sustain collaborative work is desired. Candidates must submit a CV, a statement of proposed research objectives and goals (3 pages or less), and contact information for 3 potential references to: Joshua Kysiak, Intramural Program Specialist, NIDA IRP, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Suite 200, Room 04A314, Baltimore, Maryland 21224. Telephone 443-740-2465, FAX 443-740-2865, Email: kysiakjo(a)nida.nih.gov <https://mail.nih.gov/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=1n7m_YTJ84moYRtNCS2AiK5V49da0Ff6C4…>. Review of applications will begin on or about December 28, 2015, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. DHHS and NIH are equal opportunity employers.

Dec. 2, 2015

CFP: SCIS&ISIS 2016, Hokkaido, Japan, August 25-28, 2016

by Yusuke NOJIMA

<Apologies for multiple postings> =================================================== SCIS&ISIS 2016 Call for Papers and OS Proposals =================================================== Joint 8th Int. Conf. on Soft Computing and Intelligent Systems ＆ 17th Int. Symp. on Advanced Intelligent Systems August 25-28, 2016, Sapporo, Japan http://scis2016.j-soft.org =================================================== Dear colleagues, On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to announce Joint 8th International Conference on Soft Computing and Intelligent Systems and 17th International Symposium on Advanced Intelligent Systems (SCIS&ISIS 2016) to be held in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan on August 25-28, 2016. SICS&ISIS 2016 is the flagship international conference of Soft Computing in Asia, that attracts several hundred participants all over the world. We strive to foster an open and lively scientific forum by bringing together researchers, engineers and practitioners with diversified backgrounds to discuss and disseminate the latest state-of-the-art achievements, thought provoking challenges and potential future directions in many different aspects. Conference webpage: http://scis2016.j-soft.org < Call for Papers > We would like to cordially invite you to submit your papers to SCIS&ISIS 2016. There are two categories: full paper submissions (4-6 pages) and short paper submissions (2-4 pages) in IEEE style. < Call for Organized Session Proposals > We would also like to invite you to submit your organized session proposals. Interested organizers should prepare a proposal which includes: 1. Session title. 2. Organizer(s) (name, affiliation and E-mail address). 3. List of at least three (3) papers (tentative titles and their authors). 4. Presentation mode: oral or poster. Please send it to scisisis2016+OS(a)gmail.com. < Important Dates > Organized Session Proposal: December 15, 2015 Paper Submission: February 15, 2016 Notification of Acceptance: May 1, 2016 Conference: August 25-28, 2016 For general inquiries regarding the conference, please contact the general affairs. SCIS&ISIS2016 General Affairs: scisisis2016+info(a)gmail.com

Dec. 2, 2015

Ph.D. and Master positions in theoretical neuroscience at the MPI for Brain Research

by Tatjana Tchumatchenko

Ph.D. and Master positions in theoretical neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research We are seeking undergraduate students interested in writing a Master thesis and have open positions for Ph.D. Students to join our group "Theory of neural dynamics" at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research lead by Dr. Tatjana Tchumatchenko. Our group studies how networks of neurons encode and decode sensory stimuli and how these functions are related to computations that underlie cognitive functions and behavior. We develop models to address linear and non-linear properties of neuronal networks and have ongoing collaborations with experimental labs where we analyze in vitro as well as in vivo data and develop appropriate models to explain the observed phenomena. Successful applicants should have a strong background in a quantitative field such as physics, mathematics or computer science and should be interested in an interdisciplinary exchange with other disciplines such as biology or medicine. Life science majors interested in quantitative modeling work are also encouraged to apply, particularly if they would like to combine experiments and theory in their Master or Ph.D. thesis work. We are looking for candidates with strong English skills and prior programming experience. In order to make teamwork in our group enjoyable and fun, the ideal candidate should have a strong work ethic and have demonstrated consistent self-motivation skills. Female students are particularly encouraged to apply. Prospective students should apply by sending an email to theoryneuraldynamics(a)gmail.com which includes * a letter of motivation, * CV, * and a copy of the current academic transcripts To make your motivation letter easier to write for you and more informative for us, please check the list of questions to be answered in your motivation letter at http://www.tchumatchenko.de/Opportunities.html Let me note, that our institute is hosting the IMPRS graduate school "Neural circuits". It's open call for applications can be found here: http://brain.mpg.de/graduate-studies/call.html Looking forward to your applications! Tatjana Tchumatchenko -- Dr. Tatjana Tchumatchenko Research group leader Theory of Neural Dynamics Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Max-von-Laue-Str 4 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany www.tchumatchenko.de

Dec. 2, 2015

Update 3: 2016 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (IEEE WCCI 2016)

by IEEE WCCI 2016

Dear Colleague, Greetings from IEEE WCCI 2016! Below please find some updated information about 2016 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (IEEE WCCI 2016), which is financially sponsored by the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS), and jointly sponsored by the International Neural Network Society (INNS), the Evolutionary Programming Society (EPS), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). 2016 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, Canada 25-29 July 2016 www.wcci2016.org *-----------------------~*******~------------------------* * Paper Submission Deadline: 15 January 2016* *-----------------------~*******~------------------------* IEEE WCCI 2016 paper submission is now OPEN. Please submit your papers through the IEEE WCCI 2016 online paper submission system at: http://www.wcci2016.org/submission.php *------~*******~------* * Tutorial Speakers* *------~*******~------* - Meta-heuristics for Multi-objective Optimization - By Carlos Coello - Applying Evolutionary Computation in Industrial Practice - By Erik D. Goodman - Automatic Algorithm Configuration: Methods, Applications, and Perspectives - By Thomas Stützle - Advances in Particle Swarm Optimization - By Andries Engelbrecht - Search Based Software Engineering: Foundations, Recent Advances, Challenges and Future Research Directions - By Marouane Kessentini - Data Stream Mining - By Leszek Rutkowski - Spiking Neural Networks: The Machine Learning Approach - By Nathan Scott and Nikola Kasabov - Learning from Unstructured Data Streams in Cybersecurity - By Seiichi Ozawa - Learning in Non-Stationary Environments - By Cesare Alippi and Manuel Roveri - Physics of the Mind - By Leonid I. Perlovsky - Passive and Active Control for a Lower-limb Rehabilitation Robot - By Zeng-Guang Hou - Big Data: Technologies and Computational Intelligence Approaches - By Isaac Triguero and Francisco Herrera - Fuzzy Logic and Machine Learning: A Tutorial - By Hamid Tizhoosh - Type-2 Fuzzy Ontology and Fuzzy Markup Language for Real-World Applications - By Chang-Shing Lee - A Sum-of-Squares Framework for Fuzzy Systems Modeling and Control: Beyond Linear Matrix Inequalities - By Kazuo Tanaka - Tutorial on Type-2 Fuzzy Sets and Systems - By Christian Wagner, Jon Garibaldi and Robert John More tutorials will be announced soon. For more information, please visit: http://wcci2016.org/programs.php?id=tutorial?sd=t_info *---~*******~---* * Workshops* *---~*******~---* IEEE WCCI 2016 is pleased to confirm the following Workshops: - “Computational Energy Management in Smart Grids” - Organized by Stefano Squartini, Derong Liu, Francesco Piazza, Dongbin Zhao and Haibo He - “Neuromorphic Computing and Cyborg Intelligence” - Organized by Huajin Tang, Gang Pan, Arindam Basu and Luping Shi For more information about the workshops, please visit: http://wcci2016.org/programs.php?id=workshop?sd=w_ijcnn *------~****~------* * Panel Sessions* *------~****~------* IEEE WCCI 2016 is pleased to confirm a Panel Session on “How to Publish Your Research Papers in IEEE CIS Transactions?” Members of the panel session include, - Derong Liu: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems - Chin-Teng Lin: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems - Kay Chen Tan: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation - Graham Kendall: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games - Angelo Cangelosi: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Autonomous Mental Development - Hisao Ishibuchi: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine - David B. Fogel: Editor-in-Chief, IEEE CIS Book Series - Jacek M. Zurada: IEEE Life Fellow, Past IEEE VP-Technical Activities - Witold Pedrycz: IEEE Fellow - Nikhil R. Pal (Moderator): IEEE CIS Vice-President for Publications *-------------~****~----------------* * Sponsorship Opportunities* *-------------~****~----------------* We invite you to be a sponsor of the IEEE WCCI 2016, and thus play an essential role for the success of the flagship event of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society in 2016. A rich scientific program that covers all the areas of computational intelligence - tutorials by leading researchers in the field, a number of specialized workshops, exhibition of products, companies and research centers - will make IEEE WCCI 2016 one of the most influential conferences in the field of computational intelligence and a key scientific and technological event in IT. There are different ways you may provide support to IEEE WCCI 2016. For further information, please contact: wcci2016(a)gmail.com or visit: http://www.wcci2016.org/sponsors.php *-----------~****~--------------* * Exhibits Opportunities* *-----------~****~--------------* The IEEE WCCI 2016 cordially invites industry representatives and publishers to showcase innovative technologies in the area of computational intelligence at the IEEE WCCI 2016 and support the Congress with your active participation. The IEEE WCCI 2016 exhibits program is an opportunity for your organization to showcase its offerings to the broadest professional community of Computational Intelligence (CI) practitioners and researchers. The Congress is advertised extensively through international promotion activities that include: the Congress and other websites, electronic and printed announcement brochures, scientific and technical journals and magazines, professional and other networks. Your participation in this prestigious event will be very beneficial to the delegates attending and to bring your business focuses at an international level. For further information, please contact: wcci2016(a)gmail.com or visit: http://www.wcci2016.org/sponsors.php *-------------------------~*******~-------------------------* * Special Sessions Proposal by 15 November 2015* *-------------------------~*******~-------------------------* Special session proposals are invited to the IEEE WCCI 2016. The special session proposals submission deadline is 15 November 2015. Special session proposals should include the title, aim and scope (including a list of main topics), and the names of the organizers of the special session, together with a short biography of all organizers. For more information about provisionally accepted IEEE WCCI 2016 special sessions, please visit: http://www.wcci2016.org/spsessions.php *--------~****~--------* * Important Dates* *--------~****~--------* - Special Session & Workshop Proposals Deadline: 15 November 2015 - Competition & Tutorial Proposals Deadline: 15 December 2015 - *Paper Submission Deadline: 15 January 2016* - Paper Acceptance Notification Date: 15 March 2016 - Final Paper Submission & Early Registration Deadline: 15 April 2016 - IEEE WCCI 2016: 25-29 July 2016 *For more information on the Congress, please visit: www.wcci2016.org <http://www.wcci2016.org>* *Alternatively we can also be reached on the following social media platforms,* - https://www.facebook.com/wcci2016 - https://twitter.com/wcci2016 - http://www.weibo.com/wcci2016 - http://t.qq.com/wcci2016 We look forward to welcoming you in Vancouver next year! Best wishes, Kay Chen Tan and Gary G. Yen 2016 IEEE WCCI General Co-Chairs

Dec. 2, 2015

IEEE Transactions on Haptics: Special Issue on Haptics in Neuroscience

by Sliman Bensmaia

This special issue calls for papers related to the study of the neural basis of haptic perception and to technologies designed for haptic interaction. In particular, topics will include: • The psychophysics of touch and its physiological basis in the peripheral and central nervous systems • Computational models of the skin, the peripheral nerve, and/or central processing of somatosensory information • Approaches to convey somatosensory feedback through neural interfaces • Haptic devices that generate well-controlled tactile and kinesthetic stimuli for use in psychophysical, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies • Devices and experimental studies that measure the skin response during haptic interactions • Haptic interfaces, sensors and devices that are inspired by the biology of touch Timeline December 31, 2015 Deadline for paper submissions February 1, 2016 First decisions to authors May 1, 2016 Second decisions to authors August 1, 2016 Final publication materials due from authors November 1, 2016 Special issue publication Submission Process Visit http://www.computer.org/toh to view formatting requirements, and submit your paper at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/th-cs. When uploading your paper please select the appropriate special issue under the category “Manuscript Type.” Guest Editors Dr. Sliman Bensmaia, University of Chicago (sliman(a)uchicago.edu) Dr. Ingvars Birznieks, University of New South Wales, (i.birznieks(a)unsw.edu.au) Dr. Gregory Gerling, University of Virginia (gg7h(a)virginia.edu) Dr. Fabrizio Sergi, University of Delaware (fabs(a)udel.edu) -- ________________________________________________________ Sliman Bensmaia Associate Professor Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy University of Chicago 773.834.5203 http://bensmaialab.org ________________________________________________________

Dec. 1, 2015

Multiple Faculty Positions: The Malleable Nervous System: From Molecule to Circuit to Behavior

by Aaron Seitz

The University of California at Riverside (UCR) is embarking on a major new hiring initiative that will add 300 tenure-track positions in 33 cross-disciplinary areas selected through a peer-reviewed competition (clusterhiring.ucr.edu) Over the next three years, UCR will hire multiple faculty members in each area and invest in research infrastructure to support their work. This initiative will build critical mass in vital and emerging fields of scholarship, foster truly cross-disciplinary work and further diversify the faculty at one of America¹s most diverse research universities. In a major Neuroscience initiative, we seek to hire up to 8 tenure-track or tenured faculty members as part of a cross campus multi-disciplinary effort to study the nervous system (from development, to function, to aging, degeneration and repair). We seek researchers that collectively span multi-disciplinary levels of investigation (molecular mechanisms to circuit analysis to complex behaviors) using state of the art techniques (molecular, optogenetics, behavioral, educational, computational, imaging, genetic and research of clinical populations) applied to experimental model systems of health, injury and disease (invertebrate, vertebrate or human systems). Our goal is to recruit a team of collaborative individuals with an outstanding record, committed to excellence in research, that complement existing campus strengths. Applicants for tenured positions should also demonstrate notable scientific contributions and sustained extramural support. Successful candidates must also have clear potential or demonstrated ability to work successfully with and benefit a diverse student body. UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification. Depending on research focus, training background and career achievements, successful candidates will be appointed at the rank of assistant, associate or full professor within College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Bourns College of Engineering, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Graduate School of Education or the School of Medicine. To foster development of collaborative research across hiring units, the successful candidates will participate in a campus wide seminar program and annual research retreat. Particular strengths on the campus pertinent to this recruitment include sensory processing, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, glial-neuronal interactions, cognitive neurotherapeutics, functional imaging, assessment and interventions of clinical populations, child development, circuits, neurobiology and endocrinology of behavior. Successful candidates will be also expected to contribute to teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels depending upon the college/department to which the candidate is assigned. Advancement through the faculty ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every 2-3 years, each of which includes substantial peer input. The University of California, Riverside is centrally located within the Southern California area and situated in an historic citrus growing area surrounded by mountain ranges. Riverside is an hour away from ski slopes, surfing, or hiking in mountain wilderness or desert environments, and housing in the area is very affordable. The campus is located in close proximity to a host of high profile universities, research institutes, and biotech industries in Southern California. Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D., Pharm D., or equivalent degree and qualify for a tenure track or tenured faculty appointment at the University of California. Applications will be reviewed beginning January 1st and the positions will remain open until filled. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff. All qualified applicants will receive consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability; protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from scholars committed to excellence and seeking to help redefine the research university for the next generation. To Apply: Please submit the following items electronically through the APRecruit system: Cover Letter, Curriculum vitae, statement of research accomplishments and goals, statement of teaching expertise. Choose the appropriate link based on qualifications Assistant Professor - https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00498 Associate/Full Professor - https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00490

Dec. 1, 2015

Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience at Indiana University

by Izquierdo, Eduardo J.

Dear all, We are happy to announce that we are in the process of hiring a postdoctoral scientist interested in developing and analyzing integrated neuromechanical models of behavior at Indiana University. We would greatly appreciate it if you could forward the attached ad to anyone who might be interested. Sincerely, Eduardo J. Izquierdo Randall D. Beer Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington Applications are invited for a post-doctoral in Computational Neuroscience. The position will be available in Spring 2016, but the starting date is flexible. The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. The successful candidate will be working with Professors Eduardo Izquierdo and Randall Beer to construct and analyze integrated neuromechanical models of behavior in the nematode worm C. elegans. The ideal candidate will have completed their doctoral studies, and should have expertise in modeling and computational neuroscience. Experience in parameter optimization algorithms, dynamical systems theory, and information theory would be preferred but not necessary. Strongest consideration will be given to applications received before December 31, 2015; however, applications will be considered until the position is filled. Interested candidates should review the application requirements and submit their applications at https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/1962. Questions regarding the position can be directed to Professors Eduardo Izquierdo or Randall Beer at Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, 1900 East 10th St., 819 Eigenmann, Bloomington, Indiana 47406-7512 or, by email, edizquie(a)indiana.edu<mailto:edizquie@indiana.edu> or rdbeer(a)indiana.edu<mailto:rdbeer@indiana.edu>. Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. Applications from women and minority group members are especially encouraged.

Dec. 1, 2015

Neuron-Glia meeting at the EITN / December 10-11, 2015

by EITN

<http://eitnconf-101215.sciencesconf.org/registration/index> <http://eitnconf-101215.sciencesconf.org/registration/index> -- The EITN Team 74 rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine 75012 Paris, France Phone # : +33 (0)1 53 46 27 03 Fax # : +33 (0)1 53 46 25 02 http://www.eitn.org https://twitter.com/EITN_Paris

Dec. 1, 2015

Research Scientist and Intern Positions in Brain-Inspired Computing at IBM Research - Almaden

by John Arthur

IBM's Brain-Inspired Computing team at IBM Research - Almaden has built a first-of-a-kind modular, scalable, non-von Neumann, ultra-low power, cognitive computing architecture (TrueNorth) and associated end-to-end software ecosystem. We are building state-of-the-art digital spiking neuromorphic chips and systems (large-scale and mobile) to solve real-time sensory problems. We seek team members with varied backgrounds and experiences for positions in software engineering, systems design, chip design, algorithm/application development, theoretical understanding and education/training. http://modha.org To receive full consideration, please apply using the link below to ensure your resume/CV will be directed to the appropriate hiring manager. Research Scientist: http://krb-sjobs.brassring.com/TGWebHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=26059&si… Research Intern: http://krb-sjobs.brassring.com/TGWebHost/jobdetails.aspx?partnerid=26059&si…

Nov. 30, 2015

POSTDOCTORAL GRANT - DATA SCIENCE FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

by Carlos Ferreira

- PLEASE CIRCULATE --- POSTDOCTORAL GRANT - DATA SCIENCE FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY INESC TEC (Porto / Portugal) is accepting applications to award 1 Postdoctoral Grant witjhin the Project "INESC TEC - EEA/50014", in the following work area: Data science for the oil industry. Academic Qualifications: PhD in computer science / data science or alike. Minimum Profile required: Very good to excellent writing skills in English; Good communication skills; Very good knowledge of data science / data mining; Willingness to put data science into practice. Preference factors: Very good to excellent writing skills in Portuguese; Knowledge of the oil industry; Experience of data mining with big data. Reference: AE2015-0182 (INESC TEC LA - LIAAD) Project Name: INESC TEC - EEA/5001 Reference Monthly Value: EUR 1495,00 Application Period: 2015-12-09 to 2015-12-22 More info: http://www.inesctec.pt/ip-en/work-with-us/bolsas-inescporto/concurso-para-a… Carlos Ferreira [http://www2.isep.ipp.pt/assinatura_email/EMAIL_ISEP.png] ISEP | Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto - PORTUGAL tel. +351 228 340 500 | fax +351 228 321 159 mail(a)isep.ipp.pt | www.isep.ipp.pt<http://www.isep.ipp.pt>

Nov. 30, 2015

NICE Workshop registration and abstract submission

by Aimone, James Bradley

2016 Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements Workshop March 7, 2016-March 9, 2016 Berkeley, CA Registration and abstract submission open http://neuroscience.berkeley.edu/2016-neuro-inspired-computational-elements… About the meeting Neuro-inspired Computational Elements (NICE) workshops have been held for the last three years, bringing the very wide ranging scientific disciplines (neuroscience: imaging, theory, algorithms), hardware and applications communities looking for a common ground to accelerate the development of next generation of computing approaches. The key outcome will be the further clarification of the value proposition for neuro-inspired/neuromorphic computing: why and how could these systems deliver the performance and efficiency we seek beyond conventional computing approaches? The concurrent task for the workshop is to identify pathways for building and accelerating the evaluation and development of such systems. Speakers include: Steve Zornetzer (NASA Ames) Steve Furber (University of Manchester) Winfield Wilcke (IBM) Wolfgang Maas (Technishe Universitat Graz) Michael Schmucker (University of Sussex) David Kirk (NVidia) Giacomo Indiveri (University of Zurich) Bruce Hendrickson (Sandia National Laboratories) Alice Parker (USC) Dharmendra Modha (IBM) To Register Please click on the following registration page link https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1749241 If you are interested in presenting at the workshop, we ask that you submit an extended abstract (1 page max pdf) during registration. There is an opportunity to upload your abstract at the bottom of the "personal information" page. After your information is entered you will be asked to pay. The 3 day event costs $275.00 per person, plus processing fees. -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Principal Member of Technical Staff Data-driven and Neural Computing Department Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728

Nov. 30, 2015

Researcher and Engineer positions at ATR Brain Labs., Kyoto, Japan

by KANEMURA Atsunori

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan, has openings for researcher and research engineer positions and invite applications from people with strong motivations and ambitions in the research project described below. We will study how to analyze multi-modal sensor measurements to create "artificial intelligence with consciousness" by installing a "consciousness module" to man-made information-processing systems. In particular, we will develop and implement machine-learning techniques for attention, which dynamically processes data stream to find where to focus and intensively analyze and picks up information essential for decision-making. Our attention module will be developed for video, audio, and bio signals. Our project is in close collaboration with neuroscientists led by Dr. Ryota Kanai (CEO & Chief Scientist, ARAYA Brain Imaging, Tokyo, Japan). PIs and co-PIs in the project are Dr. Ryota Kanai (ARAYA), Prof. Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Monash University, Australia), Dr. Masafumi Oizumi (RIKEN, Japan), Dr. Motoaki Kawanabe (ATR), and Prof. Takuya Maekawa (Osaka University, Japan). We look forward to your applications and recommendations. Motoaki Kawanabe, Ph.D. Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan = Requirements for Researchers = Applicants must: - have a Ph.D. (or be near completion). - have strong motivations and ambitions to take part in the research above. Successful candidates will have interest in neural and cognitive science with expertise in one or more of the following areas are welcomed: - Machine learning, pattern recognition, signal processing, computer vision, robotics, bio-medical engineering. = Requirements for Research Engineers = Applicants must have strong motivations and ambitions to take part in the research above mainly from program development, data analysis, and experimental support. = Number of openings = A few = Employment conditions = Position : Full-time Researcher / Full-time Research Engineer Tenure : Single year based contract, renewable based on evaluation Treatment: Based on individual performance Work Location: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan = Application materials = Please submit the following five materials to the contact address below, either in printed or electronic form: 1. CV 2. List of publications 3. Reprints of 1-3 major publications (applicants for Researchers) or summary of past projects 4. Essay (up to two pages in A4 or letter size) describing: - Summary of your previous research and/or development - Interests for research - Additional research skills not directly foreseeable from 1 or 2 5. Recommendation letters from more than two researchers * If submitted in printed form, original documents will not be returned. = Judging system = After documentary examination, we ask for presentation and interview if needed = Starting date = Soon (negotiable) = Deadline for application = Opens until positions are filled. = Contact = Department of Dynamic Brain Imaging ATR Cognitive Mechanisms Laboratories (Application for Researcher Position) 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan Email: dbi-cma(a)atr.jp = Use of personal data = All personal data received will be properly managed and only be used for the purpose of recruitment. -- KANEMURA Atsunori, Ph.D. Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan

Nov. 28, 2015

lecturer/senior lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at UCL

by Burgess, Neil

The UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience is looking to recruit a Lecturer/Senior lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience (roughly equivalent to assistant/associate professor). For details please see: http://tinyurl.com/nweqtr2 Best wishes Neil

Nov. 26, 2015

NEURAL COMPUTATION - December 1, 2015

by Terry Sejnowski

Neural Computation - Volume 27, Number 12 - December 1, 2015 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/27/12 ----- Article Periodic Forcing of Stabilized E-I Networks: Nonlinear Resonance Curves and Dynamics Romain Veltz, Terrence J. Sejnowski Letters Rhythmic Inhibition Allows Neural Networks to Search for Maximally Consistent States Hesham Mostafa, Lorenz K. Mueller and Giacomo Indiveri Learning Spatio-Temporally Encoded Pattern Transformations in Structured Spiking Neural Networks Brian Gardner, Ioana Sporea, and Andre Gruening A Sparse Reformulation of the Green's Function Formalism Allows Efficient Simulations of Morphological Neuron Models Willem A.M. Wybo, Daniele Boccalini, Benjamin Torben-Nielsen, and Marc-Oliver Gewaltig Positive Neural Networks in Discrete Time Implement Monotone-Regular Behaviors Tom J Ameloot, Jan Van den Bussche Symbolic Computation Using Cellular Automata Based Hyperdimensional Computing Ozgur Yilmaz ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp SUBSCRIPTIONS - 2015 - VOLUME 27 - 12 ISSUES Student/Retired $75 Individual $134 Institution $1,075 MIT Press Journals, One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1209 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-cs(a)mit.edu ------------

Nov. 25, 2015

MURI Winter School Jan. 6-8, 2016 **Registration NOW OPEN**

by Santamaria, Cookie

UC San Diego and The University of Chicago Present: MURI WINTER SCHOOL 2016<http://biocircuits.ucsd.edu/special/winterschool2016/> Dynamics of Multifunction Brain Networks: Sequences and Syntax Organizers: Timothy Gentner (UCSD), Howard Nusbaum (Univ. Chicago), and Mikhail Rabinovich (UCSD) 15th Floor, Building 1, Village West, UC San Diego<http://maps.ucsd.edu/mapping/viewer/default.htm?mkey=1&lc=open&km=open&rc=c…> January 6-8, 2016 Registration<http://goo.gl/forms/9vvf6jTjpx> Deadline: Friday, December 11, 2015 Abstract Submission<http://goo.gl/forms/a8domGTGIF> Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2015 Lecturers: Dean Buonomano<https://www.neurobio.ucla.edu/~dbuono/> (UCLA) - "Telling time with neural dynamics" Edward Chang<http://changlab.ucsf.edu/> (UC San Francisco) - "Human auditory cortex functional organization in speech processing" and "A basic overview of high-order auditory speech processing in humans" Christopher Conway<http://sites.gsu.edu/neurolearnlab/> (Georgia State University) - "Structured sequence processing: Underlying principles, mechanisms, and constraints" and "The role of sequence processing and prediction in typical and atypical language development" T. Florian Jaeger<https://www.hlp.rochester.edu/> (University of Rochester) - "Sequence learning and language evolution Part I: Qualifying behavioral complexity" and "Sequence learning and language evolution Part II: Networks and dynamics in the primate brain" Chris Petkov<https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/chris.petkov/> (Newcastle University) - "Human auditory cortex functional organization in speech processing" and "A basic overview of high-order auditory speech processing in humans" Nicholas Turk-Browne<http://ntblab.princeton.edu/> (Princeton University) - "Sequential learning in the mind and brain" and "Extraction of temporal regularities by the medial temporal lobe" ________________________________________________________________________________ This is the fourth annual Winter School sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research as part of its UCSD/ Chicago MURI program in Dynamics of Multifunction Brain Networks. This year's School presents a series of pedagogical and research oriented talks on the behavioral, neurobiological, and computational principles that underlie sequence and syntactic processes in human and non-human animals. It includes a series of educational presentations and a poster session. The School is intended for all researchers, including advanced graduate students, interested in the general area of understanding functional nervous systems. Active participation during the School's lectures is strongly encouraged. All attendees are invited to submit abstracts for poster presentations. Selected contributed posters will be highlighted in an oral session. Registration is required for attendance, but there is no fee for attending. A limited number of travel awards are available for exceptionally qualified graduate students and postdocs, who should apply to and have their supervisor send a letter of reference to muri.winter.school(a)gmail.com<mailto:muri.winter.school@gmail.com>. Please visit us online to register<http://goo.gl/forms/9vvf6jTjpx> and for details regarding the schedule and poster abstract submission: http://biocircuits.ucsd.edu/special/winterschool2016/

Nov. 24, 2015

postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience in Barcelona

by Alex Roxin

The Computational Neuroscience Group at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica in Barcelona, Spain is looking for applicants for a postdoctoral position. Applicants will apply through a call from the Barcelona Graduate Schoool of Mathematics, which is now open. The deadline for application is the 15th of January 2016. There are a total of four positions in all areas of mathematics and as such this call will be highly competitive. Candidates with a very strong mathematics background and interest in computational neuroscience are encouraged to apply. No previous neuroscience experience is required. To apply please go to http://www.bgsmath.cat/postdoc-call-nov-2015/ If you have any questions regarding the Computational Neuroscience Group at the CRM, please contact Alex Roxin at aroxin(a)crm.cat. Alex Roxin Computational Neuroscience Group Centre de Recerca Matemàtica Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain +34-935-868-508 aroxin(a)crm.cat https://sites.google.com/site/alexanderroxin/home

Nov. 24, 2015

Postdoc position in neural engineering for a system designer to design, implement, and test a novel noninvasive neural recording system (CMU, Pittsburgh)

by Pulkit Grover

A team of three engineers (Grover, Weldon, Kelly) is seeking an interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow for a 1 year position (extendable, depending on fit and progress) to design, implement and experimentally test, a high density neural recording system. The ongoing project will leverage results obtained by the investigators to disrupt neural recording systems as they exist, providing novel solutions to long-standing open problems of clinical and neuroscientific relevance. A successful candidate will be paid competitively. The overall team comprises: * Pulkit Grover (Information theory, signal processing, circuits, CMU ECE and CNBC) * Jeffrey Weldon (circuits, devices, CMU ECE) * Shawn Kelly (circuits, devices, neural implants, CMU ECE and ICES) * Marlene Behrmann (neuroscience, member of National Academy of Sciences, CMU Psych and CNBC) * Michael Tarr (neuroscience, head of psychology, CMU Psych and CNBC) * Dr. Mark Richardson (Director, Adult Epilepsy and Movement Disorders Surgery and Brain Modulation Lab, University of Pittsburgh and CNBC) The candidate will be expected to interact regularly with the first three, and intermittently with the rest, to lead this project. Preferred skills: System-level design and hardware implementation experience is a must. Experience in board design will be helpful. Expertise in MATLAB, circuits, neuroengineering/neuroscience, signal processing, information theory, devices, is helpful but not necessary. The team also includes one Ph.D. and six undergraduate students working on information theory and circuit design for these systems, and actively collaborates with faculty in psychology and neuroscience, and clinicians. The fellow is expected to focus on system design, implementation, and testing. The concepts and implementation developed by our group lay the foundation for this project. Within one year, the fellow is expected to: * Lead design and implementation of an ongoing high-density neural recording system project at CMU (using off-the-shelf components), and * (Collaboratively) experimentally validate it, neuroscientifically and clinically. As such, this is a challenging yet accomplishable postdoctoral position providing a unique interdisciplinary opportunity to the applicants. Applicants should hold a PhD. Those with a mix of board-design, circuits-design, and/or signal processing/optimization/bioengineering background, with interest in neuroscience/neuroengineering/bioengineering, are especially encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, a CV, and the names and contact information for 3 researchers who can provide a recommendation: pulkit(a)cmu.edu, jweldon(a)andrew.cmu.edu, skkelly(a)andrew.cmu.edu . For further information, please send an email to the three email addresses as well. The position is available immediately and applications will be considered until the position is filled.

Nov. 24, 2015

PhD openings in Computational Brain at Rutgers

by Konstantinos Michmizos

The Laboratory for Computational Brain Modeling and Analysis at Rutgers University has several funded openings for PhD students in Computational Brain Our Lab is part of the CS Department, which has been consistently ranked at the top-35 CS Departments in U.S. We are searching for Renaissance types who are broadly trained and can march across disciplines to find solutions In addition to Computer Science, there are 5 areas of knowledge required for a successful presence in the Lab - robotics, signal analysis, system identification, mathematics and neurophysiology When you come (or when you leave), you are expected to be proficient in at least three of these areas Interested students could send a 1-page summary of their background and how it relates to the Computational Brain Analysis and Modeling as well as their CV to: konstantinos.michmizos(a)cs.rutgers.edu, with email subject: PhD_openings-Comp_Neuro-2016 === Applying Please note the PhD admission criteria for the CS Department, listed at https://www.cs.rutgers.edu/graduate/faq.whtml The deadline to be considered for the Fall semester of 2016 is January 1st All complete applications should be submitted through our online application system http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu === Papers For the most recent papers relevant to these opportunities, interested students are invited to consult the following articles KP Michmizos, S Rossi, E Castelli, P Cappa, HI Krebs (2015) Robot-Aided Neurorehabilitation: A Pediatric Robot for Ankle Rehabilitation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, pp. 1-11, doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2015.2410773 S Khan, KP Michmizos, M Tommerdahl, S Ganesan, M Kitzbichler, M Zetino, K Garel, M Herbert, M Hamalainen, T Kenet (2015) Somatosensory cortex functional connectivity abnormalities in autism show opposite trends, depending on direction and spatial scale. Brain, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/brain/awv043 === COMBRA Lab COMBRA Lab has ongoing collaborations with research labs at MIT and McGill University as well as clinical sites at Harvard Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital The Lab is integrated into the Center for Computational Biomedicine Imaging and Modeling (CBIM) Center, a highly multidisciplinary Center at Rutgers that includes research labs on human motion capture experiments, machine learning and robotics === Rutgers University Rutgers University is the 8th-oldest college in the United States, one of the top-50 universities in the world with 250 years of innovation in research and teaching Rutgers is in the middle of the greatest concentration of industrial and government research laboratories in the U.S., within 1-hour drive to Manhattan, NY and Philadelphia -- -- combra.cs.rutgers.edu ----------------------------------------------------- Konstantinos Michmizos Assistant Professor Head Computational Brain Modeling and Analysis Lab Computational Biomedicine Imaging and Modeling Center Department of Computer Science Rutgers University

Nov. 23, 2015

Postdoctoral position in Computational or Experimental Social Neuroscience

by Emmanuelle Tognoli

The Human Brain and Behavior Laboratory (HBBL), Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) invites applications for a Postdoctoral position for its research program in Social Neuroscience. The aim of this research program is to advance our understanding of basic forms of real-time social behavior, with a three-pronged approach that combines (1) experimental studies aimed at elucidating how neuromarkers are organized dynamically during the course of social interaction (2) the design and analysis of the Human Dynamic Clamp (reciprocal coupling between humans and mathematical models of a social partner) and (3) multiscale neurocomputational modeling of both structure and function. The postdoctoral scientist will be highly motivated and able to work independently. He/she will also collaborate within an interdisciplinary team of researchers whose expertise spans Neuroscience, Psychology and Physics. The successful applicant will contribute to the design and conduct of neurobehavioral experiments, and/or to theoretical modeling in which social interactions are treated as meaningfully coupled dynamical systems (Coordination Dynamics). Candidates should have a PhD degree or equivalent. Experience or willingness to learn in one or more relevant domains will be considered an advantage: - Theoretical modeling, dynamical systems - Preparation and conduct of social, neurobehavioral and neurocognitive experiments - Recording and analysis of brain activity and behavior (e.g. EEG, MEG, fMRI, etc) - Digital signal processing and statistical analysis - Programming (Matlab, C, visual basic), - Excellent writing skills The position will be for one year with a possibility of extension depending on satisfactory progress. Salary will be commensurable with experience. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Qualified candidates should send a CV and arrange for 3 reference letters via email to: J. A. Scott Kelso & Emmanuelle Tognoli, kelso(a)ccs.fau.edu, tognoli(a)ccs.fau.edu http://www.ccs.fau.edu/hbbl3/ HBBL, Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL USA -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

Nov. 23, 2015

ICLR 2016 Open Call for Comments

by Hugo Larochelle

Call for Public Comments on Submissions International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 http://www.iclr.cc/ The program committee for the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) invites public comments on all ICLR 2016 submissions. Under ICLR's open reviewing model anyone may provide comments on submitted papers as part of the review process. Please note that these comments will be attributed (non-anonymous) and public. To participate, visit: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/ICLR2016Conference/Protected/PublicComme… Access requires a CMT account. If you don't have one already, go here: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/ICLR2016Conference/Public/SignUp.aspx If you have any questions, please send them to iclr2016.programchairs(a)gmail.com<mailto:iclr2016.programchairs@gmail.com> . Hugo, Brian, Samy -- ICLR 2016 program chairs

Nov. 23, 2015

Opening for Postdoc/Assist.Prof. on principles of brain computation and learning

by Wolfgang Maass

We are inviting applications for a position as Postdoc (combined with a part time position as Assistant Professor, 6 year contract; teaching language: English) in our Institute. Starting date: between 1.1. and 1.3. 2016. Applicants should combine a strong grounding in mathematics/theory, machine learning, and computational neuroscience with a genuine interest in understanding the implications of new experimental data for principles of brain computation and learning. An excellent research record, team working capability, and computer simulation experience is desired. Please send your CV, publication list, a sketch of your research interests, email addresses of referees, and key publications (pdf or URL) by December 6 to my assistant Daniela Potzinger: daniela.potzinger(a)igi.tugraz.at -- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maass Institute for Foundations of Information Processing Graz University of Techology, Austria http://www.igi.tugraz.at/maass/Welcome.html

Nov. 21, 2015

UCLA Statistics/Mathematics Faculty Search

by Mayur Mudigonda

UCLA Statistics/Mathematics Faculty Search Open-ranked faculty position (tenure-track Assistant Professor or tenured Associate/Full Professor) split in the Department of Statistics (50%) and Department of Mathematics (50%) at the University of California, Los Angeles. We seek outstanding applicants contributing to the cutting edge development of machine learning, big data or data science. We welcome applicants whose experience in research, teaching and service has prepared them to contribute to UCLA’s commitment to excellence and diversity. Ph.D. in Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field is required by date of anticipated appointment of July 1, 2016. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Please refer to Tracking Job #JPF01740 on all correspondence. Reviews for the position will commence on Nov 15, 2015 and will continue until a successful candidate is identified. Interested applicants should apply at UCLA Academic Recruit at: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/apply/JPF01740 The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy at: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct Applicants should submit: 1) CV 2) Cover letter describing how their qualifications and interests would fit with the position description 3) Two representative publications (or preprints) 4) Statement of research 5) Statement of teaching 6) Three letters of recommendation All inquiries may be sent to Chie Ryu at <%63%68%69%65%2e%72%79%75%40%73%74%61%74%2e%75%63%6c%61%2e%65%64%75> chie.ryu(a)stat.ucla.edu. M redwood.berkeley.edu/mayur

Nov. 21, 2015

Tenure-track, postdoc and PhD positions at University of Utah

by Alla Borisyuk

There are fully funded tenure-track, postdoctoral and graduate positions available at the Department of Mathematics of the University of Utah. The positions are open to hiring in all areas of math, including mathematical biology. Our campus has a lively and interactive neuroscience and computational neuroscience community, with many opportunities for learning and collaboration, and we welcome new members, from students to faculty. We are located in the beautiful Salt Lake City. It is a vibrant urban community with easy access to national parks, world-class skiing, hiking and biking, and an easily accessible international airport. For more information please see the following links or contact me with any questions at borisyuk at math.utah.edu. For tenure-track and postdoctoral: http://www.math.utah.edu/positions/ For graduate studies: http://www.math.utah.edu/grad/

Nov. 20, 2015

Faculty positions at Imperial College London

by Claudia Clopath

Faculty positions at Imperial College London (at the Assistant and Associate Professor level). We are looking for expertise at the interface between neuroscience and engineering, in the broad sense. New hires would be invited to join the Centre for Neurotechnology (http://www.imperial .ac.uk/neurotechnology). Deadline: Dec 4th 2015. Details: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/jobs/552975-lecturers-senior-lectu… Best, Claudia Clopath Imperial College London http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/lab

Nov. 20, 2015

Geilo Winter School 2016: Scientific Visualization

by Hans Ekkehard Plesser

The 16th Geilo Winter School will take place January 17-22 2015 at Dr. Holms Hotel, Geilo. As you may already know, this year's topic is Scientific Visualization. As you can see from the preliminary program (http://goo.gl/LTfwMF) this year's winter school will cover multiple aspects of scientific visualization, a topic we hope many of you find interesting. Visualization is an integral part of science, and a necessity for our understanding of complex processes and data. The word itself can have a broad interpretation, including creating trivial plots of values, advanced rendering techniques, and complex statistical data reasoning. This winter school will target the process of understanding data through scientific visualization, and focus on extracting knowledge from data. With hands-on exercises, you will learn techniques, tools, and best practices for extracting knowledge from data. We are still awaiting confirmation from a couple of interesting speakers, so expect that the program will expand in the coming time. As in previous years, there will also be a poster session on Wednesday, where participants are encouraged to present their own research. You can find more information about the winter school on the brand new webpages, http://www.sintef.no/GeiloWinterSchool/, and you can follow the school on Facebook as well, https://www.facebook.com/geilowinterschool/. Important information: - Registration deadline: December 17th, 2015. - Registration page: http://goo.gl/lkTB07 - Webpage: http://www.sintef.no/GeiloWinterSchool/ - Cost: Free to attend, but participants cover own travel and accommodation at Dr. Holms. See registration page for details. Kind regards, Hans Ekkehard Plesser -- Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser, Associate Professor Section Head Dept. of Mathematical Sciences 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.umb.no/~plesser

Nov. 20, 2015

Call for Workshops - Bernstein Conference 2016

by Margret Franke

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and the Bernstein Center Berlin invite proposals for Satellite Workshops directly preceding the Bernstein Conference 2016 in Berlin. ********************************************************************************** Call for Workshop proposals: Workshops: September 20-21, 2016 Main Bernstein Conference: September 21-23, 2016 Deadline for proposal submission: March 18, 2016 Notification of acceptance: April 22, 2016 Conference Registration starts: May 2, 2016 Early Registration Deadline: July 24, 2016 ********************************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference started out as the annual meeting of the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and has become the largest annual single-track Computational Neuroscience conference in Europe in recent years. Since 2013, the Bernstein Conference hosts pre-conference workshops, which have developed swiftly into a well-attended event. They supply a stage to debate topical research questions and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields, different points of view and scientific approaches in an informal setting. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged, and formats are expected that foster debate beyond a mere series of talks. SCHEDULE: September 20, 2016, 14:00 – 18:30. September 21, 2016, 9:00 – 12:30. You may apply for either half-day or full-day workshops. WORKSHOP COSTS: The Bernstein Conference does not provide financial support, but workshop organizers and speakers are offered free workshop registration. Organizers get a waiver for the main conference fee. For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website <http://www.bernstein-conference.de>. DETAILS FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: The Workshop Proposal form can be downloaded here: <http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2016/satellite-workshops>. Deadline for submission of Workshop Proposals: March 18, 2016 CONTACT: <bc16_ws(at)bccn-berlin.de> We are looking forward to welcoming you in Berlin! The program committee ------------------------------- Michael Brecht Gustavo Deco Alain Destexhe Sophie Denève Udo Ernst Adrienne Fairhall Sonja Grün John-Dylan Haynes Andreas Herz Philipp Hövel Richard Kempter Klaus Obermayer Stefan Rotter Susanne Schreiber Henning Sprekeler -- Margret Franke Managing Director Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin phone: (030) 2093-9110 fax: (030) 2093-6771

Nov. 20, 2015

U of Washington, Seattle: Open faculty position in Applied Mathematics

by Eric Shea-Brown

The Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Washington announces the availability of a tenure-track assistant professor position, to start in the Autumn Quarter of 2016. Outstanding candidates in all areas of applied mathematics are encouraged to apply. Applicants must hold a PhD, or foreign equivalent, in (applied) mathematics or a related field of application. They should show outstanding accomplishments in research and a commitment to excellence in teaching. The successful candidate is expected to engage in research (including the supervision of graduate students), teaching (the current regular teaching load is three courses during a three-quarter academic year), and service. The department has current research strength in scientific computing and numerical analysis, nonlinear waves and coherent structures, mathematical biology, atmospheric science and climate modeling, mathematical methods, mathematical finance, data-driven methods, optimization etc. and has a long tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration. Candidates can complement these existing strengths or they can bring in new areas of expertise. See http://depts.washington.edu/amath/ <http://depts.washington.edu/amath/> for more details. To apply, applicants should upload all applications materials to www.mathjobs.org <http://www.mathjobs.org/>. Specifically, the following materials should be provided: (1) curriculum vita, (2) research statement, (3) teaching statement, and (4) no less than three letters of reference (to be uploaded directly to www.mathjobs.org <http://www.mathjobs.org/>). Review of applications will begin December 1, 2015. The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Link to apply: https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7926 <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7926>

Nov. 20, 2015

multiple postdoc positions in comp.neuro

by Xaq Pitkow

POSITION: Xaq Pitkow’s Computational Neuroscience group jointly at the Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University is seeking several highly motivated postdoctoral researchers for multiple exciting and ambitious projects at the interface of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. Successful applicants will develop theories of distributed neural computation and work closely with our outstanding experimental and theoretical team members to test these theories. PROJECTS: * Reverse-engineering the inference algorithm used by mammalian cortex, by connecting circuit architecture, distributed computation, probabilistic inference, and learning. * Revealing how brains play video games. We have designed dynamic, immersive virtual environments for animals, and will simultaneously record many neurons while the animals behave. We will use control theory and network analysis to model how recorded neural activity represents amibiguous sensory variables and what neural transformations explain the animal’s behavior in the games. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have outstanding mathematical skills, a Ph.D in a relevant quantitative discipline, and demonstrable expertise in computational neuroscience, statistics, machine learning, information theory, or control theory. Strong communication skills are also required. Previous knowledge of neurobiology is advantageous but not essential. ENVIRONMENT: We are an energetic, highly collaborative theory group residing in two world-class academic research institutions renowned for biomedical and engineering research. Read more about the lab and our projects at xaqlab.com. Houston itself is a cultured city with fabulous restaurants and a warm climate, with a well-connected international airport. APPLYING: Postdoctoral fellowships are for an initial appointment of one year, with further extensions depending on fit and progress. The positions provide a competitive annual salary and benefits. Applicants should email a letter of research interests and CV to Xaq Pitkow (xaq(a)rice.edu) The start date is flexible, and we look forward to reviewing completed applications as they arrive.

Nov. 19, 2015

Multiple Faculty Positions in Human Neuroimaging at UC Riverside

by Aaron Seitz

The University of California, Riverside, invites applications for five positions in human neuroimaging at the Assistant & Associate level. Successful candidates will become core faculty in the newly established Human Neuroimaging Center that includes a new Prisma 3T Siemens scanner. We seek applicants with a strong track record of research publications and funding (or funding potential) in basic science and methods of human neuroimaging with one position in each of the following areas: Human Cognitive Neuroscience (speech/language, learning/memory, attention, perceptual systems), Human Developmental Neuroscience (cognitive development, emotion regulation, lifespan, psychopathology), Human Social Neuroscience (social cognition, affect, relationships, personality), MR Physics/Engineering (MRI sequences and reconstruction, DTI, SWI, hardware, MR spectroscopy), and Neuroimaging Data Processing/Analysis (fMRI data processing and analysis, neuroimaging data mining and imaging genetics, MRI computational neuroscience). Applicants should be committed to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Review of completed applications begins January 4, 2016 and continues until a position is filled, with appointments beginning June 30, 2016. Interested candidates should send a cover letter describing research and teaching interest, their curriculum vitae, reprints and preprints, and should arrange to have three letters of recommendation provided. Application to senior rank positions must have a Ph.D in a related field, and apply at this link: https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00480. Applicants for junior ranked positions must have a Ph.D. by time of appointment and should apply at this link: https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00483. Advancement through the faculty ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every 2-3 years, each of which includes substantial peer input. Questions about the position should be directed to Professor John Andersen, Chair, Human Neuroimaging Search Committee, at john.andersen(a)ucr.edu <mailto:john.andersen@ucr.edu> . The University of California at Riverside (UCR) is embarking on a major new hiring initiative that will add 300 tenured and tenure-track positions in 33 cross-disciplinary areas selected through a peer-reviewed competition. Over the next three years, we will hire multiple faculty members in each area and invest in research infrastructure to support their work. This initiative will build critical mass in vital and emerging fields of scholarship, foster truly cross-disciplinary work and further diversify the faculty at one of America¹s most diverse research universities. We encourage applications from scholars committed to excellence and seeking to help redefine the research university for the next generation. For information regarding UCR¹s hiring initiative go to clusterhiring.ucr.edu. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ************************************************** Aaron Seitz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Director of UCR Brain Game Center University of California, Riverside 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521 Ph: (951) 827-6422 Fax: (951) 827-3985 Email: aseitz(a)ucr.edu Web: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/ BGC: http://braingamecenter.ucr.edu **************************************************

Nov. 19, 2015

International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS) 2016

by Zachary Kilpatrick

We are delighted to announce the 2nd International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS 2016), to be held at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera from May 29 to June 1. Tutorials will be held May 29, and the main conference is May 30 - June 1. More details are given on the conference website: https://icmns2016.inria.fr/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/> The main goal of the conference is to bring together researchers from math and neuroscience to discuss novel interactions arising between the two fields. The conference is motivated by many outstanding questions concerning brain function and dysfunction across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Studying these questions requires a wide range of mathematical tools, including probability and statistics, stochastic calculus, dynamical systems, functional analysis, geometry, information theory, and numerical analysis. The conference also aims to illustrate that neuroscience is spawning new areas of mathematics. We encourage abstract submission by researchers from all areas of mathematical neuroscience. One page abstracts will be reviewed by a Program Committee and divided into three categories: featured talks, session talks, and posters. Details are given here: https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/> The abstract submission deadline is January 7, 2016. Meeting registration will open shortly thereafter. Questions should be directed to the conference email: icmns2016-contact(a)inria.fr <mailto:icmns2016-contact@inria.fr> CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Wulfram Gerstner (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Carina Curto (Penn State University) Ruben Moreno-Bote (Foundation Sant Joan de Deu) Hiroya Nakao (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Si Wu (Beijing Normal University) PROGRAM COMMITTEE Toni Guillamon (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) Roland Potthast (U Reading) Gregory Faye (Université Paul Sabatier ) Wilhelm Stannat (TU Berlin) Jonathan Touboul (College de France) Gilles Wainrib (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Suzanne Ditlevsen (University of Copenhagen) Boris Gutkin (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Martin Wechselberger (U Sydney) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Martin Krupa (INRIA Sophia Antipoilis) Carlo Laing (Massey University) Andre Longtin (U Ottawa) Daniele Avitabile (U Nottingham) Jose Carrillo (Imperial College) Pascal Chossat (Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) Carson Chow (National Institutes of Health) Steve Zucker (Yale University) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Laura Sacerdote (Universita di Torino) Reinhard Hopfner (Johannes-Gutenberg Universitat) Olivier Faugeras (INRIA - Sophia Antipolis) Paul Bressloff (U Utah) Steve Coombes (U Nottingham) CONFERENCE CHAIRS Romain Veltz (INRIA - Sophia Anitpolis) Zachary Kilpatrick (U Houston) Evelyn Buckwar (Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz) We hope to see you in Juan-les-Pins! All the best Romain, Zack, and Evelyn

Nov. 18, 2015

PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, Univ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

by Adam S Greenberg

Dear Colleagues, Please pass the following information along to your undergraduates/RAs who plan to pursue a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience beginning in the Fall of 2016. Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) are actively recruiting graduate students who intend to earn a PhD conducting cognitive neuroscience research. UWM has an extremely energetic & cohesive group of faculty using cognitive neuroscience techniques to study the neural bases of learning & memory, attention, perception, dementia, addiction, anxiety, depression, and motor control. Collectively, our labs form a group of more than 50 faculty, postdocs, graduate students, research scientists, and research assistants all working on cognitive neuroscience at UWM. A major strength of our program is our depth - cognitive neuroscientists at UWM are part of a much broader community of researchers whose interests range from cellular to systems-level neuroscience (see http://<http://neuroscience.uwm.edu>neuroscience.uwm.edu<http://neuroscience.uwm.edu> for more information about Neuroscience at UWM). Labs of the following cognitive neuroscience faculty are currently interested in accepting graduate students: Ira Driscoll, PhD --> Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging Lab (http://www.uwmdriscolllab.com) Adam S. Greenberg, PhD --> Sensory Neuroscience, Attention, & Perception Lab (http://SNAPlaboratory.com<http://snaplaboratory.com/>) Anthony J. Greene, PhD --> Greene Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (http://www4.uwm.edu/people/ag) Deborah Hannula, PhD --> Memory & Brain Lab (https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/hannula/brainlab) Fred Helmstetter, PhD --> Helmstetter Lab (http://pantherfile.uwm.edu/fjh/www/helmlab) Wendy Huddleston, PhD --> Visuomotor Lab (http://www4.uwm.edu/visuomotor) Christine Larson, PhD --> Affective Neuroscience Lab (http://<http://uwmlarsonlab.org/>uwmlarsonlab.org<http://uwmlarsonlab.org/>) Krista M. Lisdahl, PhD --> Brain Imaging & Neuropsychology Lab (http://uwmBraINlab.com<http://uwmbrainlab.com/>) Ali Borji, PhD --> Vision & Learning Lab (http://pantherfile.uwm.edu/borji/www) These labs make use of a large array of tools including fMRI, TMS, eye-tracking, MEG, EEG, DTI, psychophysical methods, and computational modeling. In addition to an existing 3 Tesla MRI scanner, we are also excited about the recent arrival of a research-dedicated 7 Tesla MRI scanner at our partner institution, the Medical College of Wisconsin. Students in our program interact with biophysicists, neurologists, and radiologists through the world-renown Center for Imaging Research at MCW: http://www.mcw.edu/CIR/AboutUs/About-the-Center.htm Milwaukee is a vibrant, inexpensive city on the shores of Lake Michigan (90 miles from Chicago) with a thriving urban culture, food, arts & music scene. An award-winning network of parks and biking/hiking trails allow for plentiful outdoor activities during all seasons. Research experience is strongly desirable. Students in good standing typically receive financial support for five years, in the form of research, teaching or fellowship positions. Students are encouraged to contact the above faculty directly by email, and can apply through the graduate programs listed below (depending on the lab they're interested in). NOTE: Some of us will be attending the Psychonomics meeting in Chicago this week; please email us if you would like to discuss graduate school options at UWM. PhD in Experimental Psychology/Neuroscience (applications due December 1, 2015): http://uwm.edu/psychology/graduate/phd-program/experimental-psychology/ PhD in Clinical Psychology (applications due December 1, 2015): http://uwm.edu/psychology/graduate/phd-program/clinical-psychology/ PhD in Kinesiology (applications due January 15, 2016): http://uwm.edu/healthsciences/academics/phd-kinesiology/ PhD in Computer Science/Engineering (rolling admissions); http://uwm.edu/engineering/academics-2/graduate/doctoral-programs-in-engine… ___________________________ 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/ ___________________________

Nov. 18, 2015

PhD stipend in human movement and cognition

by Dominik Endres

Doctoral Stipend Available A doctoral stipend for a highly motivated individual is available in the group of theoretical Neuroscience headed by Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres. The Group is located in the Department of Psychology at the Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany. The stipend is for up to three years given satisfactory performance. The stipend is intended to facilitate a scientific qualification, specifically a German doctorate (PhD equivalent). Duties include active, self-motivated participation in the research and teaching activities of the group, in particular a) the development of quantifiable theoretical models about movement perception, movement control and object- and action semantics and b) the experimental testing of such models using the new virtual-reality facility of the department. The stipend holder is expected to engage actively in the definition of a research project in one of the aforementioned areas, which comprises both theoretical and experimental aspects. Prerequisites are a Master's degree or German Diplom in one of the following areas: theoretical Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Cognitive Science or Psychology with a minor in one of the aforementioned fields. Programming experience in Python, C++ or similar are advantageous. Applications with experience in machine learning, computer graphics or behavioral experimentation will be preferred. Applicants' skills in these areas will be tested as a part of the recruitment procedure. The academic environment is a vibrant scientific community at the Research Alliance Giessen/Marburg comprising the IRTG 1901 International Research Training Group investigating The Brain in Action (http://www.irtg-brainact.de/) and a Collaborative Research Center (SFB 135, http://www.forschungsallianz-gi-mr.de/projekte/sfb/wahrnehmung) on the Cardinal Mechanisms of Perception, thus offering an excellent environment for cutting edge research on the intersections between different disciplines ranging from experimental psychology and human movement science to computational modeling, machine learning, psycholinguistics and the neurobiology of action. Applications should include a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and Master's transcripts or similar records, and the addresses of 2 referees. The initial application should be sent by email to Prof. Dr. D. Endres (dominik.endres(a)uni-marburg.de) no later than Dec. 15th, 2015 (earlier applications preferred). Please do not sent originals by mail, because we will not be able to return them to you. We will not cover travel costs to/from Marburg for job interviews. The Philipps-University of Marburg is an equal opportunity employer. -- Prof. Dr. Dominik Endres AE Theoretische Neurowissenschaft Allgemeine und Biologische Psychologie FB Psychologie, Gutenbergstr 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany Tel. +49-(0)6421-28-23818

Nov. 18, 2015

ICANN 2016 First Announcement

by antonio

1st Call for Papers 1st Call for special sessions, workshops, demonstrations ============================================================ *www.icann2016.org* *ICANN 2016 * 25th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks BarcelonaTech (UPC), Barcelona, Spain 6 - 9 September 2016* Special event*: ENNS 25th Anniversary ============================================================ /The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2016 the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (BarcelonaTech) will organize the 25th ICANN Conference from //the //6th to //the //9th //of //September 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Universit//at//Pompeu Fabra (UPF)./ *INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS* 1. *Wlodek Duch *(Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland) 2. *Erkki Oja *(Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland) 3. *Joaquin Fuster *(University of California at Los Angeles, USA) 4. *Murray Shanahan* (Imperial College London, UK) 5. *Günther Palm*(University of Ulm, Germany) 6. *Stephen Coombes *(University of Nottingham, UK) 7. *Etienne Koechlin*( Pierre and Marie Curie University, France) *IMPORTANT DATES* /Special session / workshop proposals: /15 January 2016 /Proposals for competitions and tutorials:/31 January 2016 /Submission of abstracts and papers: /1 March 2016 /Submission of //d//emonstration proposals: /1 March 2016 /Notification of acceptance:/8 May 2016 /Camera-ready paper and registration: /15 May 2016 /Conference dates:/6-9 September 2016 *CONFERENCE TOPICS* ICANN 2016 will feature the main tracks /Brain Inspired computing/ and /Machine Learning research/, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: * Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organization, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. * Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. * Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. *CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES* - To bring together researchers from two worlds: Information Sciences and Neurosciences - To keep a wide scope, ranging from Machine Learning Algorithms to models of real nervous systems - To facilitate discussions and interactions in the effort towards developing more intelligent computational systems and increasing our understanding of neural and cognitive processes in the brain. - To help researchers to meet, mingle and network with colleagues from all over the world. - To be the meeting point between research and business. - To be a global interdisciplinary meeting encompassing Machine Learning and Neural Computation. *BENEFITS OF ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE* - A solid cutting-edge scientific programme including talks from the world experts in the field of artificial neural networks. - A conference schedule tailored to encourage interaction between the attendees, with time for networking and discussion. - The publication of all accepted contributions in the peer-reviewed book of conference proceedings, in the Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. - The opportunity to vote and to be considered for the best paper awards, presented during the final ceremony of ICANN. - A top-level conference in the field with a reasonable registration fee, thanks to the not-for-profit policy of the ENNS organisation. Students can apply for ENNS funded travel grants to attend. - An overly attractive conference location in the beautiful Barcelona, Spain, and social events letting you explore the area. - The participation in a special event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ICANN for all the ENNS members. *CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEES* Early registration fees have been kept particularly low for this kind of event because ENNS and ICANN aim at full implementation of the academic not-for-profit policy. Undergraduate students (Bachelor and Master level): 90 EUR PhD Students: 200 EUR Regular delegates: 250 EUR *ENNS members have a reduction of 40 EUR* Students can apply for ENNS funded travel grants to attend (see the conference website). *CALL FOR CONTRIBUTED SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS* All scientific communications presented at ICANN 2016 will be reviewed and scientifically evaluated by a panel of experts. The conference will feature three categories of communications: - oral communications (15'+5') - poster communications (on permanent display and 2 hours presentation) - demonstrations Authors willing to present original contributions for any category must submit a manuscript of maximum 8 pages length that will be refereed to international standards by at least three referees. Accepted papers of contributing authors will be published in Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. Selected papers will be invited after the conference for a full journal paper submission. Authors willing to present a contribution for oral communications and posters without submitting an full manuscript must submit a 1-page abstract that will also be refereed by at least three referees. The abstracts will be published all together in a proceedings section without an author index. In case of program constraints the priority will be given to original contributions accompanied by a full paper submission. Submission of communications will be online. More details are available on the conference website. *WORKSHOPS, SPECIAL SESSIONS, DEMONSTRATIONS,* *COMPETITION PROPOSALS and TUTORIALS* ICANN 2016 invites proposals for workshops, special sessions, demonstrations, competitions and tutorials to be held during the conference. For more information, please refer to the website. *BEST PAPER AWARDS* ENNS will sponsor a maximum of four best paper awards, two in the Brain Inspired Computing track (one poster and one oral communication) and two in the Machine Learning research track. All awardees will be presented during the final ceremony. *ORGANISATION** General Chair:*/ Antonio J. Pons Rivero/(UPC Barcelona, Spain)* Local**co-Chairs:* /Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo/(UPF Barcelona, Spain), /Paul Verschure/(UPF Barcelona, Spain) *Organising Committee Chairs:*/ Daniel Malagarriga/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Lara Escuain/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Caroline Kleinheny/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *Communication* *Chair:*/ Paolo Masulli/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *********************************************** Antonio J. Pons Rivero General Chair of ICANN 2016 Terrassa School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering (ETSEIAT) Nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear optics and lasers Group BarcelonaTech (UPC) Edifici GAIA Rbla. Sant Nebridi, 22 08222 Terrassa, Spain Caroline Kleinheny Secretary of the European Neural Network Society University of Lausanne Internef 137k, Quartier UNIL Dorigny 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland ***********************************************

Nov. 18, 2015

[BITBRAIN] Job offer: mind wandering using biophysical signals

by javier Minguez

Dear all, I attach information of a 7 months position related to brain-machine interfaces within an H2020 Marie Curie ITN project. Best, Javier Minguez Early Stage Researcher (PhD fellowship) Brain-Machine Interfaces for Cognitive State Detection Applications are invited for the above position to work with Prof. Javier Minguez <http://webdiis.unizar.es/~jminguez/> and Prof. Luis Montesano <http://webdiis.unizar.es/~montesan/web/> on a Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded project in Neural Engineering to underpin work at BitBrain Technologies <http://www.bitbrain.es/> (spin-off company of the University of Zaragoza) on the topic of Brain-Machine Interfaces for Cognitive State Detection. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a joint venture between a Neurotechnology company and the Biomedical Engineering School, on an EU funded project in Neural Engineering. BitBrain Technologies is a pioneer company in Neurotechnology bringing the latest results on Neural engineering to society. The PhD candidate will carry out research in the context of neural interfaces to monitor and control the cognitive state during long tasks. The objective will be the development of signal processing and machine learning techniques able to detect in real-time cognitive neural processes related to attention and mind wandering using a multi-modal interface. Applications are encouraged from highly numerate students with B.Sc or M.Sc. degree in biomedical/electrical/computer engineering and from PhD students working on related areas. The fellowship includes the possibility of collaboration during the internship with Prof. Jordi Calvo of the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña and with Dr. Wolfram Erlhagen of the Universidade do Minho, Portugal. Candidates must be therefore be able to move between countries as necessary. Candidates must be in the first 4 years of their research careers and not been awarded a doctorate degree. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in biomedical-neural engineering, electrical engineering and/or computational neuroscience. As part of our commitment to promoting diversity we encourage applications from women. To comply with the Marie Curie Actions rule for mobility, applicants must not have resided, worked, or studied in Spain for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to January 2016. This full-time position is available from the 1st of Janaury 2016 with a fixed-term contract for a period of 7 months (salary around 20k€). Please visit *http://www.empleo.gob.es/en/index.htm <http://www.empleo.gob.es/en/index.htm>* for more information on Spanish national regulations. For information about the Biomedical Engineering School see *http://i3a.unizar.es/postgrado/index_master_EN.php,which <http://i3a.unizar.es/postgrado/index_master_EN.php,which>* is one of the most active in Spain. Applications will be sent to *hr(a)bitbrain.es <hr(a)bitbrain.es>*. The post will remain open until the position is filled. Please indicate clearly in your application the reference number for this fellowship – ESR018.

Nov. 18, 2015

Computational neuroscience PhDs at the University of Bristol

by Cian O'Donnell

PhD applicants wanted for computational neuroscience research in the group of Cian O’Donnell, Dept of Computer Science, University of Bristol. Please forward this mail to any undergraduate or masters students you think may be interested. *** RESEARCH *** Our group uses computational modelling to try to understand synaptic plasticity, learning and memory. We want to understand how brains learn, so study everything from molecular signalling at synapses to learning dynamics in neural circuits. We also have interests in developing analysis tools for neural population data, and in understanding what goes wrong in brain disorders such as Autism. More at: http://www.bris.ac.uk/engineering/people/cian-odonnell. The specific PhD topic will be agreed upon between you and I, depending on your skill set and interests. There will be many opportunities to collaborate with experimental neurobiologists both locally at the excellent Bristol MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity (http://www.bris.ac.uk/synaptic/) and internationally with colleagues in Europe, USA and Japan. Candidates should have a strong quantitative background in Computer Science/Physics/Maths/Engineering, although neurobiology students with an enthusiasm for learning computational methods are also encouraged to apply. *** BASIC INFO *** Start date: October 2016 (flexible) Deadline: please apply as soon as possible. Duration: 3-4 years Eligibility requirements: must be EU citizens or have been resident in UK for > 3 years. Further eligibility details: http://www.bris.ac.uk/engineering/departments/computerscience/courses/postg… *** APPLICATION DETAILS *** To apply please send the following to cian.odonnell(a)bristol.ac.uk : 1) Your CV 2) Names and contact details of two referees 3) A brief (<1 page) letter highlighting any research experience and explaining why you are interested in neuroscience. If you have any questions or would just like to find out more before applying please feel free to email me anytime. Cheers, Cian O'Donnell http://www.bris.ac.uk/engineering/people/cian-odonnell http://www.snl.salk.edu/~cian

Nov. 17, 2015

AREADNE 2016 Conference Announcement

by John Pezaris

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AREADNE 2016 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles 22-26 June 2016 Nomikos Conference Centre Santorini, Greece http://www.areadne.org info(a)areadne.org INTRODUCTION A fundamental problem in neuroscience is to understand how the activation of neuronal populations gives rise to higher order functions including learning, memory, cognition, perception, action and ultimately conscious awareness. Electrophysiological recordings have revealed considerable information about the firing patterns of single neurons, but it remains largely a mystery how collections of individual neurons interact to perform these functions. Understanding ensemble activity is critical to understanding the brain. CONFERENCE MISSION The AREADNE Conferences have been created to gather global scientific leaders who work on neural ensembles and establish a touch-point for the widely disparate and hybrid field. With a spectacular setting on Santorini, the conferences have been carefully planned to foster discussion and interaction between attendees to encourage the establishment of lasting professional relationships. The meetings continue our efforts to promote systems neuroscience in Greece through creating a world-class forum for cutting-edge research. For 2016, we will be Celebrating Ten Years of AREADNE Conferences! FORMAT AND SPEAKERS The conference will span four days, in morning and early evening sessions. Confirmed speakers include experts in the field of multi-neuron experiment, theory, and analysis (in alphabetic order): Michele Basso, University of California Los Angeles Matthias Bethge, University of Tuebingen Rick Born, Harvard Medical School Rosa Cossart, INSERM James DiCarlo, MIT Lisa Giocomo, Stanford Konrad Kording, Northwestern University Matthew Larkum, Humboldt University of Berlin Albert Lee, HHMI Janelia Farm John Maunsell, University of Chicago Edvard Moser, Norwegian Univ of Science and Technology May-Britt Moser, Norwegian Univ of Science and Technology Stephanie Palmer, University of Chicago Liam Paninski , Columbia University Xaq Pitkow, Rice University Michael Roukes, Caltech Peter Schiller, MIT Stelios Smirnakis, Baylor College of Medicine Nelson Spruston, HHMI Janelia Farm Gina Turrigiano, Brandeis University ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Dora Angelaki Nicholas Hatsopoulos, co-chair John Pezaris, co-chair Panayiota Poirazi Thanos Siapas Andreas Tolias SPECIAL NOTE AND FURTHER INFORMATION For further information on AREADNE 2016 please see the conference web site http://www.areadne.org or send email to info(a)areadne.org. The timing of the DENDRITES 2016 meeting (http://dendrites2016.gr) in Crete dovetails quite nicely with the AREADNE 2016 meeting in Santorini. -- Dr. J. S. Pezaris AREADNE 2016 Co-Chair Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street, THR-425 Boston, MA 02114, USA john(a)areadne.org

Nov. 17, 2015

PhD Position in Deep Learning & Visual Neuroscience

by Paul Zhutovsky

Hi there, we at EyeQuant, a visual neuroscience / machine learning startup based in Berlin have teamed up with a Marie Curie training network to offer a fully salaried PhD candidate position at the rapidly advancing intersection of Deep Learning, Computer Vision and Visual Neuroscience, starting as soon as possible. This is a really unique opportunity to obtain a PhD through a prestigious programme while working with and at a successful technology software startup, enabling you to simultaneously advance your career prospects both inside and outside of academia. Your supervisor and PI will be neuroscientist and EyeQuant co-founder Prof. Dr. Peter König, who is the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science and Head of the Neurobiopsychology Lab at the University of Osnabrück, Germany. You will be based in EyeQuant’s Berlin HQ, with regular trips to our Lab in Osnabrück. You can find more details and next steps here: http://jobs.eyequant.com/o/phd-candidate-research-engineer-in-deep-learning… Please note that in order to be eligible for the MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE grant, you must not have carried out your main research activity for more than 12 months in Germany in the previous 36 months.

Nov. 17, 2015

Assistant Professor in Psychology @ HSE, Moscow

by Alex Ossadtchi

School of Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences Assistant Professor in Psychology (multiple positions) School of Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences National Research University Higher School of Economics Moscow, Russia The School of Psychology of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia invites applications for full-time, tenure-track positions of Assistant Professor in psychology and related fields, notably in neuroeconomics, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, social and personality psychology, economic psychology, engineering psychology and computational neuroscience. Applications for Associate and Full Professorships can also be considered in exceptional cases. Knowledge of Russian is not required as teaching is done in English. Application: http://cas.hse.ru/psychology_2016_2017 About HSE The HSE is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university. Over the past twenty years, the HSE has become one of Russia's largest universities in the fields of economics, social sciences and humanities, and has earned the reputation of a national leader in higher education. One of its unique features has been its direct involvement in socioeconomic reforms in Russia, which has allowed HSE to develop as a “project and research university” where education, fundamental and applied research, and "think tank" activities are combined for the comprehensive development of society. Committed to high-quality research, HSE now has over twenty international research laboratories, led by eminent professors from all over the world; more such laboratories are expected to be opened by early 2016. The Department of Psychology provides excellent research facilities for studies in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. We provide excellent opportunities to teach in English at BA and MS levels. Requirements Candidates must hold a recent Ph.D. in psychology, social sciences, neuroscience, computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics or related fields, or be within a year of completion at the time of application. The successful candidate is expected to conduct high-quality research publishable in reputable peer-reviewed journals with research support provided by the university’s Centre for Advanced Studies. The appointments will be made for three years in the first instance, starting in September 2016, with reviews of teaching and research during the third year. Benefits The salary is competitive, indexed to inflation annually, and subject to a 13% flat income tax. The university offers health insurance (free of charge), language assistance, and other social benefits; travel support and other research assistance are generous. Since we have heavy emphasis placed on high quality research, the teaching load of newly hired faculty is relatively low and service is minimal. Application and Interviews Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper via online application form. At least 2 letters of reference should be forwarded directly to the attention of the Psychology Review Committee at cas(a)hse.ru. More information about the university and the Centre is available at the www.hse.ru/en, http://social.hse.ru/en/psy/ and www.cas.hse.ru Centre for Cognition & Decision Making: http://www.hse.ru/en/cdm-centre/

Nov. 17, 2015

Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Magnetoencephalographic imaging of dissociative anaesthetic action

by David Liley

Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Magnetoencephalographic imaging of dissociative anaesthetic action The Brain Dynamics Unit within the Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre at Swinburne University of Technology, in collaboration with the Universities of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington in St Louis, and supported financially by the James S McDonnell Foundation, is looking for a motivated and capable Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on the functional neuroimaging of anaesthetic action. The planned project, to be performed in collaboration with physician anaesthesiologists, will involve the administration of the dissociative anaesthetic agents xenon (a noble gas) and nitrous oxide ('laughing gas') to healthy participants while simultaneous MEG and EEG is recorded. The induced changes in the functional architecture of the recorded electromagnetic activity will then be characterised using a range of existing and to be developed information theoretic, graph theoretic and non-linear methods. Attempts to account for any induced changes in terms of mean field/mass action models of brain electrical activity will also be investigated. The dissociative anaesthetic agents are of particular interest because they are reported to increase activity in the brain in addition to targeting glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of psychiatric and neurological disorders. The position is intended for someone with substantial experience in recording MEG and the attendant source level analysis techniques (minimum norm, beamforming) in addition to possessing the requisite experience in existing and emerging methods used to estimate functional and effective brain connectivities from MEG and EEG data. Interested applicants should have a PhD in any of the following disciplines: theoretical physics, mathematics, biomedical or electrical engineering or quantitative biology. Proficiency is required in more than one of the following: C, Fortran, Python or Matlab in addition to substantial working knowledge of one or more of the following: FieldTrip, MNE, NutMEG, EEGlab, Brainstorm or SPM. Researchers in the unit, led by Prof David Liley, have developed a physiologically motivated theory of the dynamical genesis of the electroencephalogram (EEG). The model accounts for the rhythms of the human EEG and predicts their alteration by a range of pharmaceutical agents, in particular that of anaesthetic and sedative agents. Numerical solutions of the model's coupled set of non-linear partial differential equations have revealed spatio-temporal structures similar to those observed in experiment. It is hoped that this model can contribute to our understanding of how anaesthetic agents modulate brain activity. The Brain Dynamics group is part of the Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC), a vibrant, multi-disciplinary team of researchers whose expertise spans several different fields that include physics, psychology, psychophysiology, biophysics and the neurosciences. The BPsyC has among the most comprehensive suite of functional neuroimaging facilities available in Australia. These facilities include a 306 channel Elekta TRIUX MEG system, a Siemens 3T TIM Trio MRI and multiple high density EEG systems. Initial appointment will be for a period of 3 years at a salary level of no less than A6 (currently AUD 76,531) plus 17% superannuation. For further information and to apply please go the Swinburne University of Technology recruitment page at https://goo.gl/YoD01s. Applications for this position close 1st December 2015. In addition interested applicants can email Prof. David T. J. Liley at dliley(at)swin.edu.au. --------------------------- Prof David Liley Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre Swinburne University of Technology P.O. Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122 Australia ph: +61 3 9214 8812<tel:%2B61%203%209214%208812>

Nov. 17, 2015

Joint Faculty Position at NYU, in Neural Science and Data Science

by Eero Simoncelli

The Center for Neural Science (CNS) and Center for Data Science (CDS) at New York University invite applications for an open rank faculty position from candidates with research programs aimed at quantitative analyses and modeling of neural data. We are particularly interested in scholars with cross-disciplinary research interests that complement those of our existing faculty. Current listings of faculty may be viewed at: http://www.cns.nyu.edu/faculty.php and http://cds.nyu.edu/people The deadline for receipt of applications is January 15, 2016. For further information, and application instructions, visit: http://www.cns.nyu.edu/faculty-search/ or http://cds.nyu.edu/opportunities/

Nov. 16, 2015

Call for Workshops/Tutorials at Alife XV

by Izquierdo, Eduardo J.

CALL FOR WORKSHOPS AND TUTORIALS The ALife XV Organizing Committee invites proposals for Tutorials and Workshops to be held in conjunction with the Fifteenth International Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems (ALife XV), which will be held in Cancun, Mexico on July 4th-8th, 2016. http://xva.life<http://xva.life/> If accepted, ALife will provide the onsite logistics (seminar rooms, projectors, coffee breaks, and lunches) and links from the main conference website. All other organizational issues – including separate review process and proceedings publication, if any – are taken care of by the workshop chairs. Therefore, any workshop-specific requests from participants should be exclusively addressed to them, not to the ALife committee. The internal organization of the satellite workshops and tutorials (website, paper submission, invited talks, proceedings, all deadlines except registration) is entirely left up to their respective organizers. Participation in workshops and tutorials requires conference registration. IMPORTANT DATES Submission of Workshop/Tutorial Proposals is open now. We will receive applications until January 15th, 2016. The notification of acceptance will be given within two weeks of receiving the proposal. Workshop/Tutorial Information and/or submission proposal: workshops(a)xva.life<mailto:workshops@xva.life> WORKSHOP PROPOSALS The ALife XV workshops are intended to be forums to present and discuss new approaches, visions, or critical reflections within a research area. They provide an excellent opportunity to meet people with similar interests, to be exposed to cutting-edge research and to exchange ideas in an informal setting. The organizers of an accepted workshop are responsible for its coordination and its publicity (e.g., for sending out call for papers/abstracts), for collecting and reviewing the papers/abstracts, and for maintaining a webpage providing a list of accepted talks. The workshops are typically half day long. The format can be decided by the organizers who are encouraged to plan interactive sessions. TUTORIAL PROCESS ALife XV tutorials will be presented by domain experts to cover current topics relevant to artificial life researchers and practitioners. Each tutorial will be 3 hours long, then we encourage to include into the tutorial also demos and interactive activities. Accepted tutorial’s slide sets will be published on ALife XV website. SUBMISSION PROCESS Each tutorial/workshop proposal should include: 1) title of the workshop/tutorial 2) name(s) and affiliation(s) of the organizer(s)/inspector(s), with relative contact details 3) a short CV of the organizer(s)/instructor(s) 4) a brief description (half-page) of the workshop/tutorial topics Only for workshops: 5) potential target participants and audience 6) roughly approximated number of participants 7) rough estimate of the number of talks All proposals must be sent to: workshops(a)xva.life<mailto:workshops@xva.life> Looking forward to your submissions. Best wishes, Eduardo J. Izquierdo, ALife XV Workshop Chair Assistant Professor, Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University

Nov. 16, 2015

PhD Position: Modelling Spine Calcium Dynamics, University of Exeter

by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira

PhD Position: Modelling Spine Calcium Dynamics, University of Exeter ----------------------------------------------------------- Based within the EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare at the University of Exeter, a £2M initiative bringing together mathematicians, statisticians and clinicians, you will work on a project aiming to investigate the mechanisms and hence understand the regulation of calcium transient dynamics (shown to be a critical trigger for synaptic plasticity) in dendritic spines. The project involves development and analysis of three-dimensional mathematical models using finite element methods. Therefore I am looking for candidates trained in quantitative fields whose interest has turned to the study of synaptic plasticity and calcium dynamics. This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). The SWBio DTP is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bristol (lead), Bath, Cardiff and Exeter and Rothamsted Research. The SWBio DTP projects are designed to provide outstanding interdisciplinary training in a range of topics in World-Class Bioscience, underpinned by training in mathematics and complexity science. Each project is supervised by an interdisciplinary team of academic staff and will follow a structured training 4 year PhD model. In particular the project on "Modelling spine calcium dynamics: implications for synaptic plasticity" stems form a long-standing collaboration between Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova (main supervisor, Exeter) and Dr Jack Mellor (co-supervisor, Bristol http://www.bris.ac.uk/synaptic/people/66711/) To Apply: Candidates with strong quantitative training (e.g. a BSc or MSc in Physics, Mathematics, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, or Engineering) and evidence of scientific achievement are invited to apply. Knowledge of neuroscience is a plus. Please apply using the following link: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=1977 ----------------------------------------------------------- Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QF, UK tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ALTEREGO - Enhancing Social Interaction with an AlterEgo artificial agent http://www.euromov.eu/alterego/homepage

Nov. 16, 2015

Intracranial Human Electrophysiology Postdoctoral Position, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

by Ghuman, Avniel

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position using intracranial recordings in humans to study the neural basis of face recognition and social and affective perception, at the University of Pittsburgh, USA. The research will focus on understanding the dynamic neural code that underlies the recognition of faces, bodies, facial expressions, and other social and affective stimuli. Of particular interest is how this information is coded in interactive neural circuits at the level of large-scale brain networks. The neural data will primarily be local field potentials/ event related potential from intracranial surface electrodes (electrocorticography, ECoG), cortical depth electrodes, and subcortical depth electrodes in humans. Multivariate techniques and advanced signal processing will be applied to the millisecond-scale activity recorded simultaneously from multiple electrodes in areas related to social processing while participants perform social and affective perception tasks. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering or a related field. Advanced skills in signal processing, multivariate statistics, machine learning and/or computational neuroscience are required. Experience with multivariate analysis of neural data is required and experience with electrophysiological data is desirable. Applicants should have a strong track record of publication. The position is fully funded. The initial period is 1 year with additional years depending on fit and progress. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, a CV, and the names and contact information for 3 researchers who can provide a recommendation. For further information or to submit an application, please contact Avniel Ghuman, Ph.D. at ghumana(a)upmc.edu . The position is available immediately and applications will be considered until the position is filled.

Nov. 16, 2015

6th GDR multielectrode meeting in Grenoble/Autrans (Jan 5-8, 2016): Deadline extended to Nov 30

by Blaise Yvert

Dear Colleagues, This is the second call for registration and submission for the next GDR multielectrode meeting that will take place in Grenoble (school) and Autrans (conference) on Jan 5-8, 2016. We already received many registrations, so it is going to be a great meeting! We would like to let you know here that Daniel Shulz, Editor in Chief of The Journal of Physiology (Paris) has proposed the possibility of publishing the lectures given during the meeting as a special collection in the Journal of Physiology Paris produced by Elsevier. Oral presenters will thus have the opportunity to submit a paper related to the topic of their presentation for consideration for this special issue. As a consequence, we have decided to extend the registration and submission deadline to Nov 30. IMPORTANT: It will not be possible to extend further this deadline. Indeed, all accommodation organization should be finalized early December. Hence, if you did not register yet, please do so very quickly to help this being possible. You will find all useful information on the conference website : http://gdr2904grenoble.sciencesconf.org/. Also, when registering, please be so kind as to select in priority a double room option, especially for students and young scientists. Indeed, extremely few single rooms are available. Hence, at the moment, we have put on hold all single-room requests as we cannot satisfy all of them. You may indicate the name of the person you would like to share the room with on the registration page. Thank you so much for your understanding. As a reminder, here are the different steps of the registration procedure : 1) Go and fill in the registration webpage : http://gdr2904grenoble.sciencesconf.org/register 2) You will receive a first pre-registration confirmation email 3) After your pre-registration has been validated, you will then receive a new email asking to choose for a payment method 4) Then follow the link given in this email to go back to the meeting page and choose a payment option (for instance purchase order) 5) Send PO or payment to the address indicated on the page Abstract submissions are independent of conference registration and have to be made on a separate dedicated web page: http://gdr2904grenoble.sciencesconf.org/submission/submit Looking forward welcoming you in Grenoble and Autrans, Best regards, Blaise on behalf of the whole organizing committee. http://gdr2904grenoble.sciencesconf.org/ http://www.escandille.com -- Blaise Yvert, PhD. Inserm Research Director Clinatec Laboratory UA01 Biomedical Research Center Edmond J Safra CEA-INSERM-UJF-CHU Grenoble Minatec Campus 17 rue des Martyrs 38054 Grenoble cedex 09 Tel. +33 4 38 78 91 38 / +33 6 32 88 75 90 Fax. +33 4 38 78 53 55 http://www.clinatec.fr (under construction)

Nov. 15, 2015

Graduate Training at the University of Chicago

by Sliman Bensmaia

Apply for *graduate training in neuroscience <http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/graduate-training/>* at the University of Chicago, where a large *neuroscience faculty <http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/faculty>* provides stimulating research opportunities at levels ranging from genes and molecules to computation and human behavior, in laboratories distributed across eight departments in the biological, social, and physical sciences. *Applications <http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/graduate-training/graduate-training-list-p…> for entry in the Fall of 2016 are now being accepted, with a deadline of December 1, 2015. * Graduate training is organized into three programs with different emphases. For information about each program and how to apply, follow the links: - The *Program in Neurobiology <http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/graduate-training/neurobiology-apply/> *covers a broad spectrum of subfields, including molecular and developmental neurobiology, cellular and synaptic electrophysiology and imaging, and neurobiology of disease. - The *Program in Computational Neuroscience <http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/graduate-training/computational-neuroscien…>* emphasizes quantitative approaches to experimental neuroscience, including mathematical methods and computational modeling of the nervous system. - The *Integrative Neuroscience Program <https://socialsciences.uchicago.edu/admissions>* focuses on the biological basis of complex behaviors. -- ________________________________________________________ Sliman Bensmaia Associate Professor Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy University of Chicago 773.834.5203 http://bensmaialab.org ________________________________________________________

Nov. 13, 2015

University of Sussex 4-year PhD Programme in Neuroscience

by Miguel Maravall Rodriguez

Dear all, Please find below this year's announcement for our PhD Programme in Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. Please distribute to interested students - we are very interested in applications from students with quantitative (physical sciences/computing/math) backgrounds. Thank you Regards, Miguel Maravall University of Sussex 4-year PhD Programme in Neuroscience Sussex Neuroscience is now inviting applications for September 2016 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 30 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 Consciousness Science Application Deadline: January 11th 2016 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 for all students, and a stipend is provided. We also offer financial support for students to attend conferences and additional training opportunities in the UK and overseas throughout their PhD. For further information about the 4-year PhD Programme and all of our postgraduate opportunities, please visit: www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience/study<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sussexneuroscience/study>

Nov. 12, 2015

Research Assistant - Impaired Consciousness at Cambridge

by Srivas Chennu

-- This position provides an exciting opportunity to conduct novel research at the translational interface between clinical medicine and the neuroscience of consciousness at a world-leading clinical and academic environment. The post will be based within the Cambridge Research Into Impaired Consciousness (CRIC) group at the University of Cambridge ( http://www.wbic.cam.ac.uk/Members/cric/) The research will be a part of a study funded by the Evelyn Trust, and led by Dr. Srivas Chennu, the Senior Research Associate in the group (http://www.wbic.cam.ac.uk/Members/sc672/) It will involve on-site assessments of those in vegetative and minimally conscious states using non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG). These assessments will pilot the clinical deployment of the latest advances in the neuroscience of human consciousness. Drawing upon these advances, neuroscientists at Cambridge have developed bedside tools to aid more accurate assessments of such patients. The researcher will be involved in one of the first systematic studies to use such tools to assess and follow-up patients at regular intervals to monitor the recovery of brain networks and cognitive function. The role will also involve interaction with clinical neurorehabilitation experts. The findings from this research are expected to be published in leading academic journals, and aims to generate the necessary evidence for integration with clinical service delivery and exploitation of commercialisation potential. Salary range: £24,775 - £28,695 Location: Cambridge, UK Fixed-term: until 30th September 2018 in the first instance. Closing date for application: 4 December 2015 For more details and to make an application, please go to: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/8586/ --

Nov. 12, 2015

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AVAILABLE

by Miren Itsaso Olasagasti Rodriguez

We have a postdoc position available at the Auditory Language Group<https://sites.google.com/site/auditorylanguagegroup/home> led by Prof. Giraud at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) to explore the link between predictive coding and cortical oscillations in speech processing. The project reaches beyond one sensory modality to ask a question of broad interest to basic neuroscience, namely, the role of oscillations in information transfer in the brain. We are looking for a candidate to work on the computational side of the project who would also work closely with the experimental team (EEG, MEG, ECoG). The computational part aims at understanding the role of oscillations through their modeling in physiologically plausible spiking neural networks and would build on previous work from the lab (Hyafil, A., Fontolan, L., Kabdebon, C., Gutkin, B., & Giraud, A.-L. (2015). Speech encoding by coupled cortical theta and gamma oscillations. eLife, 4, 1-23. http://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06213) We specially favor computational models built on a strong neurophysiological basis informed by experimental findings. The team includes researchers with backgrounds in neurophysiology, psychology, physics and engineering and it's part of the Biotech campus<http://www.campusbiotech.ch/en/> and the Geneva NeuroscienceCenter<http://neurocenter.unige.ch/>. Applicants should send a CV, statement of research interest, and two reference contacts to Anne-Lise.Giraud(a)unige.ch Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Start date: january-april 2016. Contract Duration: 2/3 years.

Nov. 12, 2015

2016 Nengo Summer School - Applications Open

by Peter Blouw

Hello! [All details about this school can be found online at http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is inviting applications for our 3rd annual summer school on large-scale brain modeling. This two-week school will teach participants how to use the Nengo software package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1], and provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems to run in simulated and real environments. We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals. No specific training in the use of modeling software is required, but we encourage applications from active researchers with a relevant background in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics, neuromorphic engineering, computer science, or a related field. For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/wy4dNC [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://nengo.ca/publications/spaunsciencepaper] ****Application Deadline: February 15, 2016**** *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 will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! *Topics Covered*: Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated 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 various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. SpiNNaker) - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more… *Date and Location*: June 5th to June 17th, 2016 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ca/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 (pblouw(a)uwaterloo.ca) We look forward to hearing from you!

Nov. 10, 2015

REMINDER: the first NESTML community workshop

by Jochen Martin Eppler

Hi! This is just a reminder for our upcoming workshop. Best regards, Jochen! On 23.09.2015 16:25, Jochen Martin Eppler wrote: > Announcing the first community workshop on NESTML, the novel modelling > language to create neuron models for the NEST simulator for spiking > neuronal networks (nest-simulator.org) > > Abstract > ^^^^^^^^ > Currently, neuron and synapse models in NEST are written as C++ classes. > These classes implement the simulator API for updating the neuronal > dynamics, sending and receiving events, and auxiliary tasks such as > initialization, recording of internal variables, calibration and > handling of parameters. > > As the model code is hand-written and often created by copy and paste, > this method is prone to errors and hinders the programmatic re-use of > components such as neuronal dynamics, post-synaptic responses and > synaptic plasticity mechanisms. > > Moreover, as many neuroscientists are not experts in C++, the process of > creating models is often seen as complicated and in many cases the > resulting model implementations are not optimal with respect to > performance, consistency and testability. > > To ease writing models for NEST and improve the general quality of the > code, we have created the NEST Modelling Language. NESTML comprises a > language specification to describe neuron models in terms of > neuroscience concepts and a set of tools to generate efficient C++ code > for NEST from this description. > > During the workshop, we will give a general introduction to model > creation for NEST and an in-depth introduction to the concepts and > application of NESTML. In hands-on sessions the participants have the > opportunity to write their own models in NESTML with the assistance of > experienced tutors. The feedback collected in a dedicated session will > be used to shape the future design and development of NESTML. > > Target Audience > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > The workshop aims at students and researchers in computational > neuroscience who want to create their own neuron models in NEST. Some > understanding of programming and experience with one of the simulators > NEST, NEURON, or Brian will be helpful, but are not strictly required. > > Location and date > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > The workshop will take place at the Chair of Software Engineering > (se-rwth.de) of RWTH Aachen University from Monday, December 7 to > Wednesday, December 9, 2015. > Details and registration > > Workshop attendance is possible free of charge. However, in order to be > able to plan rooms, lunches and coffee breaks, we require registration. > For details and enrolment, visit www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/nestml-ws. > > > With best regards, > Jochen! > > -- Dr. Jochen Martin Eppler Phone: +49 2461 61-9471 ---------------------------------- Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience Jülich Supercomputing Centre Institute for Advanced Simulation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. 10, 2015

2x Postdoctoral Research Assistants in Knowledge Representation and Information Theory applied to fNIRS

by Felipe

*2x Postdoctoral Research Assistants in Knowledge Representation and Information Theory applied to fNIRS* Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) – Dept. of Computer Science *About the positions* The Department of Computer Science at INAOE in Puebla, Mexico, invites applications for 2 two years full-time postdoctoral research assistant positions in the field of functional optical neuroimaging interpretation. Initial contract will be short-term according to institutional internal regulations extensible up to 2 years as the candidate demonstrate his/her suitability for the position and maintains his performance and productivity. You will be working under the supervision of Dr. Felipe Orihuela-Espina. You will be expected to publish in high impact factor journals as well as in top conferences of the area. You will also be expected to contribute and help, not only to the project but also to the research and teaching carried out in the lab and the department in general. You will also help with PhD student supervision. You might further be asked to help with administrative tasks related to this or related projects including but not limited to report generation and generation of new grant applications. All the former has to be delivered punctually against tight deadlines. This description of tasks might not be exhaustive. Salary is regulated by CONACYT’s project administration manual <http://www.conacyt.mx/images/conacyt/fondos/sectoriales/Fondos_ManualAdmini…>. *About the project* Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging neuroimaging modality available for understanding brain behaviour for which current analysis and interpretation methods were often inherited and adapted from other neuroimaging modalities such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This migration of methods is never trivial or without compromises. This 3 years $2M MXN project explores alternative analysis and interpretation algorithms and techniques specifically developed for fNIRS which can answer complex questions about cognitive activity while considering and exploiting fNIRS specific particularities. More specifically, these positions aim at: (i)(/_Position Key: fNIRS-2016-01-KR_/) Exploring the use of knowledge representation techniques as a base for streamlining fNIRS experimentation, analysis and interpretation. Research tasks include, but are not limited to, the construction of conceptual maps defining experimental elements in fNIRS, the proposition of an initial ontology capturing fNIRS experimentation and the testing of different reasoning techniques over the ontology. (ii)(/_Position Key: fNIRS-2016-02-IT_/) Exploring the suitability of information theory metrics for expressing brain connectivity from fNIRS. Research tasks include, but are not limited to, developing semi-virtual registration approaches, strong validation proofs, mathematical development of metrics and pseudometrics for expressing brain connectivity. The solutions resulting from this project will be evaluated in applications of surgical neuroergonomics for the study of learning and training of new surgeons, as well as in virtual rehabilitation for the observation of neuroplastic changes associated to the therapy administration. To obtain further details of the project, please check contact details below. *About the candidate* Applications are sought in optical neuroimaging analysis and interpretation, with particular emphasis on the following topics: -Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) -Knowledge Representation -Information Theory -Mathematical Topology -Statistics and experimental design -Medical Physics Outstanding researchers in neuroimaging modalities other than fNIRS, but whose work is closely related with the current research project will be also considered. *Requisites*: ·Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (e.g. computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering) and have obtained this no more than 5 years before the starting date of the appointment. ·You will be fluent in English. Spanish is welcomed but not strictly necessary. ·You will have excellent communication skills (oral and written) linked with an excellent publication record. ·You must have the potential to do pioneering research and to teach effectively. ·You will have outstanding demonstrable coding expertise with numerical and symbolic packages (preferably Matlab) ·You will have to be able to carry out research without supervision, and being able carry out collaborative research. ·You will be able to deliver quality work following tight project deadlines. ·If not Mexican, you will need work permit according to Mexican laws. An conditional invitation letter can be produced upon offering the job to support your application for work permit. ·Other administrative and legal demands may have to be fulfilled to abide Mexican laws and institutional regulations. *About the institution, the department and the laboratory* INAOE is one of the top ranked research institutions in Mexico according to the international SCIMAGO institutions rankings. Created in 1971 following the research inheritance from the National Observatory of Astrophysics, INAOE is one of the national network of research centers from CONACYT. The Computer Science Department at INAOE is one of the leading research departments in computer science in Mexico with 23 full-time researchers; 95% recognized by the National Researchers System (SNI) in Mexico and over 40% on the top levels. We offer Master and PhD degrees and all our students benefit from a scholarship. The department has 7 strong research groups also called laboratories in robotics, machine learning, natural language processing, vision, high performance computing, ubiquitous computing and networks, and the biosignal and medical applications. The biosignal and medical applications laboratory develops several lines of research including neuroimaging processing and analysis, affective and persuasive computing, virtual neurorehabilitation and geomedicine. It is the proud pioneer in Mexico regarding emotion recognition from speech which generated the first spin up business from INAOE. It has recently been granted about $5M MXN infrastructure funds for strengthening the neuroimaging research line. *About the application process* To submit your application, please send by e-mail the following information in English to the contact below. ·CV in free style including academic trajectory and full publication record, and clear contact e-mail. ·A 5 pg maximum (11pt) statement explaining why you are the best candidate for the position and initial solution ideas. Please clearly indicate the position key (see above) for which you are applying for. ·2 reference letters and the corresponding contact for referees. Please note, they might be contact for further information about the candidate. The application process might involve one or more interviews, and demonstration of skills by means of a probatory task. Although we will try to answer all applications, if you haven’t heard from us within 3 weeks from your submission date please consider that your application has been unsuccessful. The positions are available as from the 3^rd of January 2016 but earlier or later incorporations might be considered. The positions will be opened until suitable candidates are found. *Contact*: For further details about the project and how to apply and latest updates about the job offer, please visit: http://ccc.inaoep.mx/~f.orihuela-espina/Src/Jobs.php You will be working under the supervision of Dr. Felipe Orihuela-Espina. e-mail: f.orihuela-espina(a)ccc.inaoep.mx

Nov. 10, 2015

Workshop on Cognitive Development for Friendly Robots and Rehabilitation

by Giulio Sandini

International Workshop on Cognitive Development for Friendly Robots and Rehabilitation International Symposium on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego 30, Genoa (Italy) 2-3 December 2015 We are glad to invite you to a two-days workshop on human cognitive development and its implications for Robotics and Rehabilitation. The participation in the workshop is free of charge, but it requires a registration for organizational purposes. The detailed program and the registration form<https://www.codefror.eu/events> can be found at the workshop's website: https://www.codefror.eu/events. Deadline for registration and abstract's submission is 25th of November. The event is jointly organized by the European project CODEFROR: COgnitive Development for Friendly RObots and Rehabilitation and the "JSPS Core to Core program: Competitive Partnership on Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics. CODEFROR is an EU project within the "International Research Staff Exchange Scheme" (FP7-MSCA-PIRSES-2013-612555), which investigates aspects of human cognitive development with the dual goal of developing robots able to interact with humans in a friendly way and of designing and testing protocols for rehabilitation of disabled children. Partners in the project are the Italian Institute of Technology, the Universities of Bielefeld in Germany, Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. The webpage of the project is: https://www.codefror.eu/. The program of the workshop consists of two days of presentations by invited speakers spanning from cognitive robotics, human cognition, human-robot interaction, robotic and sensory rehabilitation, prosthesis, surgical robotics, computational neuroscience. The impact of research and technological solutions on social needs and, more specifically, on rehabilitation and support of persons with disabilities will be central to the workshop. If you are interested in presenting your work at the poster session, please specify it in the registration form and submit a 300 words abstract. Deadline for registration and abstract's submission is 25th of November. You will be notified of poster acceptance soon after. Among the speakers:- Minoru Asada, Yukie Nagai and Takashi Fujikado (Osaka University), Jochen Steil and Friederike Eyssel (Bielefeld University), Rajesh Rao, (University of Washington), Gabriel Baud-Bovy, Cristina Becchio, Fabio Benfenati, Luca Brayda, Leonardo De Mattos, Monica Gori, Hagen Leman, Pietro Morasso, Giulio Sandini (IIT). For any enquiry or further information, please refer to the workshop webpage: https://www.codefror.eu/events or contact Maria Carmela Fierro (conference(a)codefror.eu<mailto:conference@codefror.eu> ).

Nov. 9, 2015

Journal track submission for ECML-PKDD 2016 is *open now*

by Olana Missura

The journal track submission for ECML-PKDD 2016 is open now. The journal track allows continuous submissions from the end of September 2015 to March 2016. There are two cutoffs per month on which we distribute papers to reviewers with the first one being the 27th of September 2015 and the last one being the 30th of March 2016. Details on the conference and the submission process are available at http://www.ecmlpkdd2016.org/submission.html Best regards, Olana Missura Publicity Chair of ECML-PKDD 2016

Nov. 9, 2015

CALL FOR PAPERS BigData4Healthcare, deadline: November 29.

by Youssef Iraqi

Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this message. ________________________________________________________________ CALL FOR PAPERS BigData4Healthcare, deadline: November 29. 1st International Workshop on Big Data Analytics for Healthcare and Well-being 2016 January 18, 2016, Hong Kong, China http://sigai.or.kr/workshop/bigcomp/2016/big-data-for-healthcare/ In conjunction with the 3rd International Conference on Big Data and Smart Computing (BigComp) 2016 http://conf2016.bigcomputing.org/main/ Purpose and Scope Healthcare and well-being is an important area of research in many countries as one of the emerging application domains for both big data and smart computing. This workshop aims to create opportunities to share on-going works and enhance collaboration among healthcare researchers related to big data or data science, and to foster new innovations of big data and smart computing in the areas of mobile healthcare, smart homes, digital cities, innovations in healthcare and sensing devices, and other related areas. Prospective authors are cordially invited to submit their original contributions covering completed or ongoing work related to the area of big data analytics for healthcare and well-being. The topics include but are not limited to: - Smart health and big data - Data mining, graph mining and data science for healthcare - Big data analytics and social media for healthcare - Smart devices and hardware for healthcare - Smart location-based services for healthcare - Models and tools for smart computing in healthcare - Innovations in healthcare and sensing devices - Security and privacy for big data in healthcare - Cloud and grid computing for healthcare - Standards for big data in healthcare PAPER SUBMISSION Perspective authors are invited to submit their papers, up to 8 pages each, in the IEEE paper template. Papers must be formatted in PDF according to the IEEE two-column format for conference proceedings and submitted through EasyChair, http://www.easychair.org/. The direct link for paper submission is https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=bigdata4healthcare IMPORTANT DATES Paper Submission Due: November 29, 2015 (23:59, HKT) Notification of Acceptance: December 6, 2015 Camera ready Papers: December 13, 2015 Workshop: January 18, 2016 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE Workshop Chairs: Youssef Iraqi, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Ho-Jin Choi, School of Computing, KAIST, Korea Min Song, Dept. of Library & Information, Yonsei University, Korea TPC Members: Ae Ran Kim, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea Amjad Gawanmeh, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Byeong-Soo Jeong, Dept. of Computer Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Korea Changseok Bae, SW.Content Research Laboratory, ETRI, Korea Ahsan Khandoker, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Hani Saleh, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Gwan-Su Yi, Dept. of Bio & Brain Engineering, KAIST, Korea Harish Bhaskar, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Khalifa University, UAE Hyeoun-Ae Park, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea Kyuchang Kang, SW.Content Research Laboratory, ETRI, Korea Tae-Min Song, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Korea Yong-Ik Yoon, Dept. of Multimedia Science, SookMyung Women’s University, Korea Yu-Chae Jung, Dept. of Multimedia Science, SookMyung Women’s University, Korea Nan Xiang, Dept. of Computer Science, Chongqing University of Technology, China Lingyun Zhu, Dept. of Internet of Things, Chongqing University of Technology, China Yong Wang, Dept. of Network Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, China Youssef Iraqi Associate Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR) PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, UAE T +971 (0)2 501 8323 F +971 (0)2 447 2441 Youssef.Iraqi(a)kustar.ac.ae

Nov. 9, 2015