- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Postdoctoral position - two photon imaging

by Simon Schultz

Please note that applications for this position close on Thursday 12th November Salary Range: £33,860 - £42,830 per annum South Kensington Campus Full time, fixed-term until the 30th November 2018 The Centre for Neurotechnology forms part of the cross-departmental Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London. The Centre, in association with the Department of Bioengineering, hosts world-class experimental facilities for research at the interface between neuroscience and engineering. The Centre has recently initiated a philanthropically funded project on the application of biomedical engineering principles to understand how the progression of Alzheimer's disease affects information processing in cortical circuits, and test new therapeutic interventions. Applications are invited for the above post to work with Dr Simon Schultz on in vivo two photon imaging of calcium signals in the dendrites of neocortical pyramidal cells. The aim of this work is to understand how synaptic integration changes during the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and to test the effects on dendrites of new therapeutic strategies being developed for the treatment of Alzheimer's. Candidates must have a doctoral degree or equivalent in neuroscience, physics, engineering, or similar. Prior experience with two photon imaging or whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology in a neuroscience context is a requirement. Preference will be given to candidates with both a strong experimental background, and experience in quantitative neurophysiological data analysis. This post will be based at the South Kensington Campus. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Simon Schultz, email: s.schultz(a)imperial.ac.uk. Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted Please see the job advertisement here: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/jobs/553791-research-associate-two… or by searching for position EN20150347FH on the Imperial College jobs page: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/job-applicants/ -- Simon R Schultz Reader in Neurotechnology & Royal Society Industry Fellow Neural Coding Laboratory: http://www.schultzlab.org Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK Director, Imperial College Centre for Neurotechnology Administrator: Dr Kate Hobson, Phone: +44 207 594 5101 http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology EU Neural Engineering Marie Curie ITN: http://www.neural-engineering.eu

Nov. 9, 2015

[meetings] Living Machines V: First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors

by Nathan F Lepora

First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors Living Machines V: The 5th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems 18th to 22nd July 2015 http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines To be hosted at the: Dynamic Earth Edinburgh, Scotland In association with the Heriot-Watt University and University of Edinburgh Accepted papers will be published in: Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence Submission deadline March 11th, 2016 ______________________________________________________________ ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2016 The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. Biohybrid systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The theme of the conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis. The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at past conferences: • Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their environments. • Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair. • Nature-inspired designs and manufacturing processes. • Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for intelligent behaviour. • Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants. • Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and intelligent prostheses. • Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. ACTIVITIES The main conference will take the form of a three-day single-track oral and poster presentation program, 20th to 22nd July 2016, hosted at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, Scotland. The conference program will include five plenary lectures from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of Satellite Events hosted by the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2016 We invite both full papers and extended abstracts in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines 2016 proceedings which we expect to be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series. Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career and should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybid research. More preliminary work would be better suited for short papers submission (minimum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no more than three self-citations). Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal Connection Science. SATELLITE EVENTS Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for 1-day or 2-day tutorials, symposia or workshops on related themes to be held 18-19th July at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Events can be scheduled on either the 18th or the 19th or across both days. Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is a lot of flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event! EXPECTED DEADLINES March 11th, 2016 Paper submission deadline April 29th, 2016 Notification of acceptance May 16th, 2016 Camera ready copy July 18-22 2016 Conference SPONSORSHIP Living Machines 2016 is part-sponsored by the Convergent Science Network (CSN) for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN is an EU FP7 Future Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity that also organises two highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer School on Brain, Technology and Cognition (https://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt15) and the Capocaccia Neuromorphic Cognitive Engineering Workshop (https://capocaccia.ethz.ch/capo/wiki/2015) The 2016 Living Machines conference will also be hosted and co-sponsored by Heriot-Watt University. Call for Sponsors. Other organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products to through conference publications, the conference web-site, and conference publicity are encouraged to contact the conference organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We offer a number of attractive and good-value packages to potential sponsors. ABOUT THE VENUE Living Machines 2016 will be hosted at Dynamic Earth (http://www.dynamicearth.co.uk) a 5 star visitor attraction in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic old town, next door the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace. Dynamic Earth is a visitor experience that invites you to take a journey through time to witness the story of planet Earth. Through a series of interactive exhibits, state of the art technology and even a 4D encounter you will feel the heat of a bubbling volcano, face the chill of polar ice, fly across the globe before crash landing in a tropical rainforest. Attendees at the conference will receive a discount voucher to visit the Dynamic Earth exhibit. Workshops will be held at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics in George Square, a short walk from Edinburgh city centre. Organising Committee: Mark Desmulliez, Heriot Watt University (Co-chair) Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield (Co-chair) Nathan Lepora, University of Bristol (Programme Chair) Michael Mangar, University of Edinburgh (Satellite Events Chair) Anna Mura, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Communications) Paul Verschure, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (International Steering Committee) -- Dr N Lepora Phone: 07859 024565 Website: www.lepora.com Honorary Research Fellow, Sheffield Centre for Robotics (SCentRo) University of Sheffield S10 2TP Lecturer in Robotics, Department of Engineering Mathematics and Bristol Robotics Laboratory University of Bristol BS8 1UB

Nov. 9, 2015

joint faculty positions (1) neural engineering, 2) computational neuroscience and 3) health data science) at HKUST

by I-ming HSING

Dear Colleagues, The Division of Biomedical Engineering at HKUST has several joint appointment faculty positions at neural engineering and system neuroscience, computational neuroscience and health data science. Please refer to the job posting details as below. Best, I-Ming Job Posting Details The Division of Biomedical Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is looking for outstanding candidates for substantiation-track junior faculty positions in the following strategic areas: (1) Neural Engineering and System Level Neuroscience Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field. The ideal candidate should have an outstanding research experience in experimental measurements of the neural correlates of perception/action and/or decision-making in awake behaving organisms, e.g., small vertebrates or invertebrates. (2) Computational Neuroscience Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field with a demonstrated excellence in mathematical and computational analyses of the neural circuits, encoding strategies, or neural architectures underlying behavior. The ideal candidate is expected to build connections between empirical domains of neuroscience, neural engineering and autonomous systems. (3) Health Data Science Applicants should possess a PhD degree in a relevant field with demonstrated research strength of handling and interpreting large health/biological/chemical compound datasets, specializing in data analytics, computational immunology, or discovering vaccines and drugs. The successful candidates will be jointly appointed by the Division of Biomedical Engineering and an academic Department/Division in the School of Engineering or the School of Science. They are expected to lead an independent research group, produce high quality interdisciplinary research, attract external grants, and contribute to teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Information about the Division of Biomedical Engineering, the School of Engineering and the School of Science is available at http://bme.ust.hk/, http://www.seng.ust.hk/ & http://science.ust.hk/ respectively. Starting salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include annual leave, medical and dental benefits. Housing benefits will also be provided where applicable. Initial appointment will normally be made on a 3-year contract, renewable subject to mutual agreement. A gratuity will be payable upon successful completion of contract. Application Procedure =================== Interested candidates are invited to send their application packages (including an updated CV, teaching and research statements, plus names of three dependent referees) by email to bmehire(a)ust.hk<mailto:bmehire@ust.hk>. Review of applications will start immediately and suitable candidates will be contacted for interviews. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. (Information provided by applicants will only be used for recruitment and other employment-related purposes.) *************** I-Ming Hsing Head and Professor, Division of BioMedical Engineering (BME) Director, BioEngineering Graduate Program (BIEN) Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Voice: 852 2358 7131, Fax: 852 3106 4857 Email: kehsing(a)ust.hk<mailto:kehsing@ust.hk> BME URL: http://bme.ust.hk<http://bme.ust.hk/> Group URL: http://ihome.ust.hk/~kehsing

Nov. 9, 2015

IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016, Sept. 19-22th, Cergy-Pontoise/Paris, France (submission April 1st)

by Arnaud Blanchard

Call for Papers & Call for Tutorials and Special Sessions IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 The Sixth Joint IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning and on Epigenetic Robotics Cergy-Pontoise / Paris, France September 19-22th, 2016 http://www.icdl-epirob.org <http://www.icdl-epirob.org/> == Conference description The past decade has seen the emergence of a new scientific field that studies how intelligent biological and artificial systems develop sensorimotor, cognitive and social abilities, over extended periods of time, through dynamic interactions with their physical and social environments. This field lies at the intersection of a number of scientific and engineering disciplines including Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Developmental Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Computational Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Robotics. Various terms have been associated with this new field such as Autonomous Mental Development, Epigenetic Robotics, Developmental Robotics, etc., and several scientific meetings have been established. The two most prominent conference series of this field, the International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) and the International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics (EpiRob), are now joining forces for the sixth time and invite submissions for a joint conference in 2016, to explore and extend the interdisciplinary boundaries of this field. == Keynote speakers * Tamim Asfour (http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php <http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php>) * Karl Friston (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl <http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl>) * Julie Grezes (http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes… <http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes…>) Others to be confirmed. == Call for Submissions We invite submissions for this exciting window into the future of developmental sciences. Submissions which establish novel links between brain, behavior and computation are particularly encouraged. == Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * the development of perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, and communication skills in biological systems and robots; * embodiment; * general principles of development and learning; * interaction of nature and nurture; * sensitive/critical periods; * developmental stages; * grounding of knowledge and development of representations; * architectures for cognitive development and open-ended learning; * neural plasticity; * statistical learning; * reward and value systems; * intrinsic motivations, exploration and play; * interaction of development and evolution; * use of robots in applied settings such as autism therapy; * epistemological foundations and philosophical issues. Any of the topics above can be simultaneously studied from the neuroscience, psychology or modeling/robotic point of view. == Submissions will be accepted in several formats: 1. Full six-page paper submissions: Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings and will be selected for either an oral presentation or a featured poster presentation. Featured posters will have a 1 minute "teaser" presentation as part of the main conference session and will be showcased in the poster sessions. 2. Two-page poster abstract submissions: To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 2-page abstracts. These submissions will NOT be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during poster sessions. 3. Tutorials and workshops: We invite experts in different areas to organize either a tutorial or a workshop to be held on the first day of the conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submission format: two pages. == Call for Tutorials and Workshops We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial or workshop, which will be held on the first day of the conference. Participants in tutorials and workshops are asked to register for the main conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submissions (max. two pages) should be sent no later than April 1st, 2016 to: Sofiane Boucenna sofiane.boucenna(a)ensea.fr <mailto:sofiane.boucenna@ensea.fr> Alexandre Pitti alexandre.pitti(a)ensea.fr <mailto:alexandre.pitti@ensea.fr> including: * Title of tutorial or workshop; * Tutorial/workshop speaker(s), including short CVs/affiliations and other relevant information; * Concept of the tutorial/workshop; target audience or prerequisites. All proposals submitted will be subjected to a peer review process. == Important dates * April 1st, 2016, paper submission deadline * June 1st, 2016, author notification * July 1st, 2014, final version (camera ready) due * September 19th-22nd, 2014, conference == Program committee General chairs: * Minoru Asada Osaka (Japan). * Philippe Gaussier, Cergy-Pontoise (France). Program chairs: * Verena Hafner, Berlin (Germany) * Alexandre Pitti, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Bridge chairs: • David Cohen, Paris (France) • Mathew Schlesinger, Southern Illinois (USA) Publication chairs: * Sofiane Boucenna, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Publicity chairs: * Arnaud Blanchard, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Manuel Lopes, Bordeaux (France) * Yulia Sandamirskaya, Bochum (Germany) Local chairs: * Pierre Andry, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Nicolas Cuperlier, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Finance chairs: * Ghilès Mostafaoui, Cergy-Pontoise (France)

Nov. 7, 2015

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>

Nov. 7, 2015

PhD program in Brain & Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester

by Rajeev Raizada

Graduate Training in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) at the University of Rochester offers opportunities for students interested in earning a doctoral degree in one of the most exciting fields of scientific endeavor. Particular areas of research strength include: language, perception and action, development and learning, concepts and categories, and decision-making. Full details can be found at: http://www.bcs.rochester.edu . Recent news about research done in the department can be found on its Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/UoR_BrainCogSci We seek outstanding candidates from a variety of backgrounds who seek a rigorous program of study and exceptional mentoring in research. All students admitted to the program are offered graduate fellowships that provide a full stipend and cover the costs of tuition and single plan health insurance. The Department has a number of new faculty with research programs focusing on cognitive neuroscience, development of language and cognition, language learning, theoretical and computational neuroscience, and visual neuroscience. Interested applicants can find details at http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/graduate/admission.html The closing date for applications for admission in Fall 2016 is January 4, 2016. Readers of the Comp-Neuro list may be particularly interested in work being done by the following faculty members: Ralf Haefner (computational neuroscience) https://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/faculty/haefner_ralf/index.html Robbie Jacobs (computational cognition, Bayesian modeling) https://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/faculty/jacobs_robert/index.html Jude Mitchell (neurophysiology, computational neuroscience) https://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/faculty/mitchell_jude/index.html Steve Piantadosi (computational cognition, Bayesian modeling) http://colala.bcs.rochester.edu/people/piantadosi/ Rajeev Raizada (computational fMRI) http://raizadalab.org Neuroimaging facilities include a research-dedicated 3T Siemens MRI scanner at the Rochester Center for Brain Imaging (RCBI), and also state-of-the-art NIRS and EEG systems. More information can be found at http://www.rcbi.rochester.edu

Nov. 6, 2015

Graduate studies at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute

by Yael Niv

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience at Princeton University offers a unique and intensive program of study spanning molecular, cellular, systems and cognitive neuroscience, followed by advanced research in a world-class Princeton laboratory. We seek highly motivated and creative students in our efforts to understand the brain. A listing of faculty affiliated with the program can be found online at www.princeton.edu/neuroscience<http://www.princeton.edu/neuroscience>, and below. Our doctoral program is flexible and individually-tailored, and we encourage students to pursue research with more than one faculty and across departmental boundaries. Applications for entry in the Fall of 2015 are now being accepted, with a deadline of December 1. For details, including contact information, please visit www.princeton.edu/neuroscience<http://www.princeton.edu/neuroscience>. Michael Berry - Neural computation in the retina William Bialek - Interface between physics and biology Lisa Boulanger - Neuronal functions of immune molecules Carlos Brody - Quantitative and behavioral neurophysiology Tim Buschman - Neural dynamics of cognitive control Jonathan Cohen - Neural bases of cognitive control Nathaniel Daw - Reward, learning and decision making Lynn Enquist - Neurovirology Liz Gavis - Neural development and mRNA localization in Drosophila Alan Gelperin - Learning, memory and olfaction Asif Ghazanfar - Neurobiology of primate social agents Elizabeth Gould - Neurogenesis and hippocampal function Michael Graziano - Sensorimotor integration Charles Gross - Functions of the cerebral cortex in behavior Uri Hasson - Temporal scales of neural processing Philip Holmes - Mathematical modeling John Hopfield - Computational neurobiology/biophysics Barry Jacobs - Brain monoamine neurotransmitters Sabine Kastner - Neural mechanisms for visual perception Carolyn McBride - Molecular and neural basis of behavioral evolution Mala Murthy - Neurophysiology of olfactory and auditory perception in Drosophila Coleen Murphy - Molecular mechanisms of aging Yael Niv - Reinforcement learning and decision making, computational psychiatry Ken Norman - Neural bases of episodic memory Jonathan Pillow - Neural information processing, machine learning, and statistical modeling of neural data Sebastian Seung - Structure and function of neural circuits Joshua Shaevits - Neural and behavioral dynamics in simple organisms David Tank - Neural circuit dynamics Jordan Taylor - Motor control and learning Alexander Todorov - Cognitive neuroscience of social cognition and behavior Nicholas Turk-Browne - Cognitive neuroscience of attention, perception and memory Samuel Wang - Dynamics and learning in neural circuits Ilana Witten - Neural circuits underlying reward and motivation

Nov. 6, 2015

Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, PhD Programme

by Peter Dayan

Training in theoretical and computational neuroscience and machine learning. The Gatsby Unit is a centre for theoretical neuroscience and machine learning, focusing on unsupervised, semi-supervised and reinforcement learning, neural dynamics, population coding, Bayesian (Including nonparametric) statistics, kernel methods and applications of these to the analysis of perceptual processing, neural data and beyond. It provides a unique opportunity for a critical mass of theoreticians to interact closely with each other, and with other world-class research groups in related departments at UCL, including the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, with which we share a brand new building, and Computer Science, Functional Imaging, Physics, Physiology, Psychology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Statistical Science, and with the cross-faculty Centre for Computational Statistics and Machine Learning. The Unit has openings for exceptional PhD candidates. Applicants should have a strong analytical background, a keen interest in neuroscience and/or machine learning and a relevant first degree, for example in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Psychology or Statistics. The PhD programme lasts four years, including a first year of intensive instruction in techniques and research in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. All students are fully funded, regardless of nationality. The Unit also welcomes applications from students with pre-secured funding or who are currently soliciting other scholarship/studentships. Gatsby PhD studentships cover the cost of tuition at the appropriate rate, and include a tax-free stipend of £20,500 per annum. Applications (including a CV, statement of research interests, and letters from three referees) for 2016/17 admission must be sent directly to the Gatsby Unit admissions(a)gatsby.ucl.ac.uk by midnight Greenwich Meantime (GMT) December 21st, 2015. If you would require a visa to attend an interview, if selected, then please contact us directly as soon as your application is complete and your referees have submitted their recommendations. Full details of our programme, and how to apply, are available at: http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/phd For further details of research interests please see http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/research.html and the individual faculty webpages at http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/members.html

Nov. 6, 2015

faculty positions in computational neuroscience, cognitive psychology, etc Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

by boris gutkin

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 cognitive psychology, social and personality psychology, economic psychology, engineering psychology cognitive and computational neuroscience (including neuroeconomics). 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. 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. The deadline for accepting application materials is December 04, 2015 . 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 For more information about research at the Theoretical Neuroscience Group please contact me directly. Boris Gutkin, PhD Research Director CNRS Group for Neural Theory Laboratoire des Neurosciences Cognitives, INSERM U 960 Department of Cognitive Studies Institute for the Study of Cognition Ecole Normale Superieure Paris. France boris.gutkin(a)ens.fr www.gnt.ens.fr

Nov. 6, 2015

Fully funded PhD position in: Machine learning in multi-variate data processing / integration and analysis for clinical diagnostics and prognostics

by Andrea Soltoggio

*Fully funded PhD position in: Machine learning in multi-variate data processing / integration and analysis for clinical diagnostics and prognostics * A fully funded PhD position is available in a multi-disciplinary project between the School of Science and the School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, UK, on the topic of machine learning in multi-variate data processing / integration and analysis for clinical diagnostics and prognostics. Loughborough University is ranked 11th in the 2016 UK League Table Ranking ( http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/loughborough/performance , and is located in Loughborough, a town well connected to London by a 1h20m journey by train. *Research. *The application of advanced analytical techniques to the discovery and implementation of human-borne Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) markers of interest requires large numbers of samples taken from a highly variable sampled population. Efficient progress in this enterprise is limited by the current limits on the speed and sophistication of the data processing and multivariate analysis of the analytical system outputs. This studentship will start the exploration of the boundary between advanced analytical science (sensory capability) and machine learning, including neural and deep learning. It will be part of what is intended to be an enduring collaboration between researchers in Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Information Science. The supervisory team is composed of Dr. Andrea Soltoggio, expert in Artificial Intelligence and Neural Learning, and Dr. Martin Sykora, expert in Machine Learning, Data Mining and Big Data. The academic team supporting this project will include: Prof. C. L. Paul Thomas Chemistry, markers and detection Prof. Tom Jackson, Centre for Information Management, applied and theory based knowledge management Dr. Iain Phillips, Department of Computer Science, computer networks and high performance computing Dr. Eugenie Hunsicker, Department of Mathematics, statistical techniques *Working environment.* The student, based at the Computer Science Department http://www.cs.lboro.ac.uk, School of Science, will work and collaborate with diverse research groups: the Center for Analytical Science (Chemistry Department) with access to research of the Toxi-triage H2020 project (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/194860_en.html)) and the Center for Information Management (CIM) http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/cim/. Loughborough University offers cutting-edge computing capabilities with a Hydra High Performance Computing cluster, a 1956-core 64-bit Intel Xeon cluster supplied by Bull, and GPUs computing capabilities. *Requirements.* The ideal candidate holds (or is about to obtain) a first-class honour undergraduate/postgraduate degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Electrical or Electronic Engineering, or has authored publications in recognised conferences/journals. Independent working skills are valued as well as the capability of working in a team. Collegiality and interpersonal skills are essential. Excellent English language skills are highly desired (see requirements here http://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/englang/index.htm) *Period/Scholarship.* Start: January 2016. Duration: 3 years. Scholarship: £14,057 per annum plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate (currently £4,052 p.a.) Application deadline: 16 November 2015. *Enquiries and applications.* Informal enquiries are encouraged and to be addressed to Dr. Andrea Soltoggio (a.soltoggio(a)lboro.ac.uk) Interested candidates are invited to submit an application at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/including a CV, the names and addresses of two referees, and a statement of research interest (maximum 300 words). Best regards, Andrea Soltoggio -- Dr. Andrea Soltoggio Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence Department of Computer Science Haslegrave Building, N.2.03 Loughborough University LE11 3TU, UK Phone: +44 (0) 1509 635748 Email: a.soltoggio(a)lboro.ac.uk Web: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/compsci/staff/dr-andrea-soltoggio.html

Nov. 6, 2015

postdoc opening at University of Pittsburgh

by Jonathan Rubin

Postdoctoral position in Mathematical Biology The Department of Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position in Mathematical Biology, to begin in the Fall Term 2016, pending budgetary approval. A Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences or a closely related discipline is required. We seek excellence in research and teaching. Salary and benefits are competitive. Applicants should submit a vita, three letters of recommendation, a research statement and evidence of teaching accomplishments electronically through http://www.mathjobs.org. Review of completed files will begin on January 4, 2016 and continue until the position is filled. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups underrepresented in academia are especially encouraged to apply.

Nov. 5, 2015

Phd-Positions in Bonn & Florida: Max Planck Research School Brain and Behavior

by Jakob Macke

Dear Colleagues, The new International Max Planck Research School for Brain and Behavior is a fully funded graduate program in the neurosciences jointly hosted between caesar, Bonn, Germany and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), USA. In addition, IMPRS for Brain and Behavior is co-run by partner Universities: University of Bonn, Germany and Florida Atlantic University in the USA. Detailed information is available on our web site: http://www.imprs-brain-behavior.mpg.de. IMPRS for Brain and Behavior is announcing fully-funded Ph.D. positions in Neuroscience. Students will receive both theoretical and hands-on training in a large range of modern imaging, electro-physiological, molecular and computational techniques. They will be exposed to a broad range of research areas based on how sensory information is encoded in neural circuits and how these circuits are activated during behavior. Students will take courses and attend scientific symposia at the partner institutions in Bonn and Florida – thereby being exposed to an exceptionally broad group of international scientists and provided the opportunity to earn a doctorate under outstanding research conditions. Successful candidates will work in a young and dynamic international environment, embedded in the local scientific communities of caesar or MPFI. As both caesar and MPFI are part of a large cluster of Max Planck Institutes working in the neurosciences, students will have unparalleled insight into the broad range of outstanding research taking place in the Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization. The Ph.D. program is open to highly qualified and motivated candidates from all over the world who hold an outstanding diploma or master degree. Please upload your application (details online) through the online application portal found at: http://www.imprs-brain-behavior.mpg.de Application deadline is December 1; positions available starting September 2016. For further information please contact: info(a)imprs-brain-behavior.org or Denise Butler, Coordinator, phone: +49(0)228 / 9656-318, imprs.info(a)caesar.de. We are excited about this new venture! We ask that you spread the word far and wide by forwarding this email to students and colleagues interested in our overarching theme of how sensory information is encoded in neural circuits and is ultimately transformed to behavior. Jakob Macke Max Planck Research Group Leader Neural Systems Analysis phone +49/228/9656170 fax +49/228/96569170 e-mail: jakob(a)caesar.de www.mackelab.org research center caesar an associate of the Max Planck Society Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2 53175 Bonn, Germany www.caesar.de Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience 72076 Tübingen, Germany www.bccn-tuebingen.de

Nov. 5, 2015

4th Winter Q-Bio Mtg in HAWAII Feb. 2016 ***REMINDER! Abstract submission deadline NOV. 10, 2015***

by Santamaria, Cookie

***REMINDER: ABSTRACT DEADLINE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015!*** THE FOURTH ANNUAL WINTER Q-BIO MEETING Quantitative Biology on the Hawaiian Islands February 15-18, 2016 http://w-qbio.org/ The Winter q-bio meeting brings together scientists and engineers who are interested in all areas of q-bio. Technology is driving revolutionary changes in biology. Systems Biology has arisen as the deduction of interaction networks from -omics data generated in the wake of remarkable technological achievements. Likewise, DNA synthesis technologies are driving the development of Synthetic Biology, whereby engineered circuitry and even entire genomes can be reconstituted from chemical building blocks. These two emerging areas have catalyzed the growth of Quantitative Biology, whereby the central goal is the deduction of quantitative principles that can be used to construct predictive models for biological phenomena. The venue for 2016 is the Sheraton Waikiki<http://www.sheraton-waikiki.com/>, which is located in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. The resort is known for its breathtaking oceanfront views, a first-of-its-kind recently opened "Superpool" and many award-winning dining venues. This year we will select contributed talks from the submitted abstracts to be presented with the invited talks during the plenary sessions. Contributed talks will also be selected for parallel breakout sessions that commence in the late afternoon. 2016 CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Nathalie Balaban — Hebrew University Karen Carniol — Cell Hana El-Samad — UCSF James Ferrell — Stanford Justin Gallivan — DARPA Susan Golden — UCSD Jeff Hasty — UCSD Evonne Kaplan-Liss — Stony Brook Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz — NIH X. Shirley Liu — Harvard Amy Palmer — Colorado Katie Pollard — UCSF Bryan Ray — Science Jonathan Weissman — UCSF Lingchong You — Duke CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS: Jeff Hasty, University of California, San Diego Galit Lahav, Harvard University Wendell Lim, University of California, San Francisco Gurol Suel, University of California, San Diego Olga Troyanskaya, Princeton & Simons Center for Data Analysis Lev Tsimring, University of California, San Diego ***REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!*** Registration fee covers conference venue, registration reception, banquet, coffee & snacks. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ($700 / $475 Student) DEADLINE: Sunday, December 20, 2015 REGULAR REGISTRATION ($800 / $575 Student) DEADLINE: Sunday, January 31, 2016 LATE REGISTRATION ($875 / $650 Student) After Sunday, January 31, 2016 REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.w-qbio.org/register/ HOTEL: A block of rooms has been reserved for registered conference participants at the Sheraton Waikiki<http://www.sheraton-waikiki.com/> at a negotiated rate starting at $229 per night plus tax. We have also reserved a block of rooms at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani<http://www.princess-kaiulani.com/> (just one block east and across the street from the Sheraton Waikiki) at a negotiated rate starting at $160 per night plus tax. The rooms will be available soon on a first-come, first-served basis, so book early! CONTRIBUTED TALKS: If you wish to present your work at the conference, either as an oral talk or a poster, you must submit an abstract through the conference website by the November 10th deadline. Abstract guidelines and submission information at: http://www.w-qbio.org/submit-abstract/ ABSTRACT DEADLINE: Tuesday, November 10, 2015 Abstract guidelines and submission information at: http://www.w-qbio.org/submit-abstract/ We encourage you to forward this message to any colleagues who may be interested in taking part in this exciting event. Questions should be emailed to: coordinator(a)w-qbio.org<mailto:coordinator@w-qbio.org> SPONSORED BY: ACS Synthetic Biology UC San Diego BioCircuits Institute and the San Diego Center for Systems Biology UC San Diego Divisions of Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, q-bio, and Engineering

Nov. 5, 2015

COSYNE 2016: Abstract submission closes soon; Travel grants

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2016 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING Feb 25 - Feb 28, 2016 Salt Lake City, Utah WORKSHOPS Feb 29 - Mar 01, 2016 Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT COSYNE NEWS (see below for details): Abstract submission deadline is Fri 13 Nov 2015 (11.59pm PST) Meeting registration will open on 16 Nov 2015 Travel grant submission will open on 16 Nov 2015 COSYNE The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks are selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. We would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. Based on last year's survey, we decided to keep the accepted number of abstracts the same as in 2015, 345 accepted abstracts (a modest increase over previous years). This was a difficult decision as we know the review process cannot be perfect, meaning that suitable abstracts are sometimes rejected. However, the feedback from the community indicated a clear preference for keeping the meeting at its current size with the restricted number of posters. For more information and details on submitting abstracts please visit www.cosyne.org, section Abstracts. TRAVEL GRANTS Applications will open on 16 Nov 2015 for travel grants to attend the conference. Each awardee will receive at least $500 to help offset the costs of travel, registration, and accommodations. Larger grants may be available to those traveling from outside North America. Special consideration is given to scientists who have not previously attended the meeting, under-represented minorities, students who are attending the meeting together with a mentor, and authors of submitted Cosyne abstracts. For details on applying, see cosyne.org, section Travel grants. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Blaise Aguera y Arcas (Google) Marisa Carrasco (NYU) Edward Chang (UCSF) Greg DeAngelis (Rochester) Mark Goldman (UC Davis) Sonja Hofer (Basel) Richard Mooney (Duke) Mala Murthy (Princeton) Peggy Series (Edinburgh) Reza Shadmehr (Johns Hopkins) Paul Smolensky (Johns Hopkins) Leslie Vosshall (Rockefeller) Xiao-Jing Wang (NYU) ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Maria Geffen (U Penn) and Konrad Körding (Northwestern) Program Chairs: Megan Carey (Champalimaud) and Emilio Salinas (Wake Forest) Workshop Chairs: Claudia Clopath (Imperial College) and Alfonso Renart (Champalimaud) Publicity Chair: Xaq Pitkow (Rice) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Anne Churchland (CSHL) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT cosyne.meeting [at] gmail.com

Nov. 5, 2015

postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience at the Italian Institute of Technology

by Stefano Panzeri

We are about to open a postdoctoral position focusing on the development of advanced mathematical methods for analysing fluorescence signals recorded in cortical networks expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6 during two-photon microscopy experiments. With this email, we are soliciting expressions of interest from interested candidates. The applicants should have a strong background in numerate sciences, with a strong interest and previous experience in MATLAB, 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 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. Research activities will be carried out in the newly established and highly interdisciplinary Neural Coding Laboratory, which is jointly supervised by Dr. Panzeri and Dr. Fellin and aims to combine experiments and mathematics to crack the neural code. 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…> ). Regards Stefano Panzeri and Tommaso Fellin

Nov. 5, 2015

A parameter-free dimensionality reduction method

by 桂杰

The paper can be found in http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=6560364 and the matlab code can be downloaded from http://www.openpr.org.cn/index.php/104-How-to-Estimate-the-Regularization-P… . Whenever you need to use LDA (linear discriminant analysis), you can also try our method. This method is parameter-free, avoiding the pain of tuning parameters. When applied to large scale data, it is faster than LDA. Despite that the paper is a little mathematical intensive, the matlab code is very easy to use. If you want to use it, there is no need to know the details of all formulas in this paper. Have funJ -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Associate Professor Jie Gui (Chinese name: 桂杰), PhD Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Hefei 230031, China Homepage: http://www.escience.cn/people/guijie/index.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

Nov. 5, 2015

Faculty position: CRC chair in Biostatistics and Big Data Analytics, York University, Canada

by Kari Hoffman

https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7335 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University *Position ID:* York <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/York>-CRC <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/York/CRC> [#7335] *Position Title:* Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Biostatistics and Big Data Analytics *Position Type:* Tenured/Tenure-track faculty *Position Location:* Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada [map <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs?joblist-695-7335----m>] *Subject Area:* Statistics *Application Deadline:* 2015/12/01 (posted 2015/07/13, listed until 2016/01/13) *Position Description:* Apply <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/York/7335/apply> Applications are invited from emerging world-class leaders in the areas of biostatistics, machine learning and big data analysis to be nominated for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair at York University. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in analyzing large volumes of data generated by biological and/or medical studies in areas that may include biological or computational vision research. Canada Research Chairs are research-intensive faculty positions providing the chair holder with an exceptional opportunity to grow their research program through the provision of protected time and enhanced access to research supports. The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in statistics or a related field and a minimum of three years of postdoctoral experience at the time of taking up the appointment, with a prior faculty appointment preferred, or equivalent qualifications. The incumbent will also have an outstanding early career record including training and research awards and publications in high-quality refereed journals, and clear evidence of cross-disciplinary collaboration. The incumbent is also expected to demonstrate excellence or promise of excellence in graduate supervision and teaching and be eligible for prompt appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has a strong research group developing methodology and applications in statistical machine learning and big data analysis. The incumbent must be willing and able to take a leadership role in the activities and development of a vibrant Big Data Statistics research group within the Department. The incumbent is expected to form strong collaborations with fellow researchers in cognate fields across the University, throughout Canada and internationally. In addition, he/she is expected to recruit graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, attract significant external funding, and develop new courses in the area of statistics, machine learning and the analysis of big data. The Department also has strong research groups with interests in medical research (including the Centre for Disease Modelling and the Centre for Vision Research), climate change as well as biological and financial applications. Related research hubs across the Faculty of Science and York University – including the York Institute for Health Research, and the High-Energy Physics Group – also provide excellent collaborative opportunities. Further information about the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the Faculty of Science can be found at http://science.yorku.ca . The successful candidate will be appointed to a tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The award of the Chair is subject to approval by the CRC program review process. Tier 2 Chairs have a five-year term, once renewable, and are intended for exceptional emerging researchers (i.e., typically with less than 10 years experience as an active researcher in their field, with consideration for career breaks) who have the acknowledged potential to lead their field of research. Information about the CRC program can be found at http://www.chairs.gc.ca. The start date for the position is July 1, 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. Applications should be submitted via the AMS MathJobs site http://www.mathjobs.org/jobs <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/%3Chttp://www.mathjobs.org/jobs%3E,> and include a letter of interest (incorporating a brief five-year research plan and evidence of teaching effectiveness), curriculum vitae, and names and contact information of three referees. Applications must be received by December 1, 2015. All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval. York University is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, within its community. The AA program, which applies to Aboriginal people, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and women, can be found at http://yorku.ca/acadjobs or by calling the AA office at 416-736-5713.All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents will be given priority. Applicants wishing to self identify can do so by downloading and completing the form found at: http://acadjobs.info.yorku.ca/files/2014/12/AA-Self-ID-Form-October-2013.pdf. You can confirm you are a Canadian by downloading and completing the form found at: http://acadjobs.info.yorku.ca/affirmative-action/citizenship-form/ . Once these forms have been signed they can be uploaded to MathJobs. *Application Materials Required:**Submit <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs?apply-695-7335> the following items online at this website:* - Cover Letter - Curriculum Vitae - Research Statement - Teaching Statement - Publication List - AA form(s) (optional) - Three Reference Letters (to be submitted by the reference writers at this site ) *Further Info:* www.math.yorku.ca416-736-5757 Department of Mathematics and Statistics N520 Ross, York University 4700 Keele Street Toronto, Ontario Canada M3J 1P3 -----

Nov. 4, 2015

PhD position at the University of Zurich / ETH Zurich

by Jean-Pascal Pfister

Applications are invited for one PhD student position at the University of Zurich/ETH Zurich. The position is funded by a SystemsX grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. The project is entitled "Baysian learning of quantal parameters at single synapse resolution", and involves both experimentation and theory. Most models of synaptic transmission assume that all synapses between two neurons are identical. However, there is experimental evidence for significant heterogeneity in synaptic transmission between synapses. The major goal of this project is the development of an approach that allows for quantification of functional synaptic parameters incorporating single synapse heterogeneity. Half of the project will be devoted to experiments (electrophysiological and optophysiological investigation of synaptic transmission at Drosophila synapses), while the second part will involve modeling (Bayesian learning). The PhD student will be co-supervised by Prof. Martin Müller (Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich) and Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister (Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH and University of Zurich). Both institutes offer ideal environments for performing theory-driven experiments due to the presence of many theoretical and experimental labs. The candidate should hold a Master degree in Physics, Biology, Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience or a related field. She/he should have keen interests in theory-driven experiments. Preference will be given to candidates with prior experience in an experimental lab, strong mathematical or good programming skills. The applicant should submit a CV (including contacts of two referees), a statement of research interests, marks obtained for the Master, and the abstract of the Master thesis in electronic format to Jean-Pascal Pfister (jpfister(a)ini.uzh.ch <mailto:jpfister@ini.uzh.ch>) or Martin Müller (Martin.Mueller(a)imls.uzh.ch <mailto:Martin.Mueller@imls.uzh.ch>). The position is offered for a period of three years and can be extended. The preferred starting date is January 2016. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (http://www.snf.ch/SiteCollectionDocuments/allg_doktorierende_e.pdf <http://www.snf.ch/SiteCollectionDocuments/allg_doktorierende_e.pdf>). Deadline for application is the 30th of November 2015 or until the position is filled. +++ Martin Müller SNSF Assistant Professor Institute of Molecular Life Sciences University of Zurich Y55-K78 Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland www.imls.uzh.ch/mueller.html <http://www.imls.uzh.ch/mueller.html> www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/molecular_cellular/mueller <http://www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/molecular_cellular/mueller> +++ Jean-Pascal Pfister SNSF Assistant Professor Theoretical Neuroscience Group Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister <http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister> www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/computation_modeling/pfister <http://www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/computation_modeling/pfister>

Nov. 4, 2015

UCSD Computational Neuroscience Graduate Program

by Terry Sejnowski

UCSD GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE http://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/education/neurograd/computational/pages/defa… Application deadline: December 1, 2015 (Fall 2016) http://neurograd.ucsd.edu/2page.php?id=gradadm ***** The goal of the Computational Neuroscience Specialization in the Neurosciences Graduate Program at UCSD is to train researchers who are equally at home measuring large-scale brain activity, analyzing the data with advanced computational techniques, and developing new models for brain development and function. Candidates from a wide range of backgrounds are invited to apply, including Biology, Psychology, Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics. The three major themes in the training program are: 1. Neurobiology of Neural Systems: Anatomy, physiology and behavior of systems of neurons. Using modern neuroanatomical, behavioral, neuropharmacological and electrophysiological techniques. Lectures, wet laboratories and computer simulations, as well as research rotations. Major new imaging and recording techniques also will be taught, including two-photon laser scanning microscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 2. Algorithms and Realizations for the Analysis of Neuronal Data: New algorithms and techniques for analyzing data obtained from physiological recording, with an emphasis on recordings from large populations of neurons with imaging and multielectrode recording techniques. New methods for the study of co-ordinated activity, such as multi-taper spectral analysis and Delay Differential Analysis (DDA). 3. Neuroinformatics, Dynamics and Control of Systems of Neurons: Theoretical aspects of single cell function and emergent properties as many neurons interact among themselves and react to sensory inputs. A synthesis of approaches from mathematics and physical sciences as well as biology will be used to explore the collective properties and nonlinear dynamics of neuronal systems, as well as issues of sensory coding and motor control. ***** Participating Faculty include: * Henry Abarbanel (Physics): Nonlinear and oscillatory dynamics; modeling central pattern generators in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion. * Thomas Albright (Salk Institute): Motion processing in primate visual cortex; linking single neurons to perception; fMRI in awake, behaving monkeys. Director, Sloan Center for Theoretical Neurobiology * Darwin Berg (Neurobiology): Regulation synaptic components, assembly and localization, function and long-term stability. * Ed Callaway (Salk Institute): Neural circuits, visual perception, visual cortex Genetic tools for tracing neural pathways. * Gert Cauwenberghs (Bioengineering): Neuromorphic Engineering; analog VLSI chips; wireless recording and nanoscale instrumentation for neural systems; large-scale cortical modeling. * Sreekanth Chalasani (Salk): C. elegans: genes, networks and behavior Optical recording of olfactory processing. * Andrea Chiba (Cognitive Science): Spatial attention, associative learning, cholinergic neuromodulaiton of behavior, amygdala recordings * EJ Chichilnisky (Salk Institute): Retinal multielectrode recording; neural coding, visual perception. * Todd Coleman (Bioengineering): Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI) * Garrison Cottrell (Computer Science and Engineering): Dynamical neural network models and learning algorithms * Virginia De Sa (Cognitive Science): Computational basis of perception and learning; multi-sensory integration and contextual influences * Mark Ellisman (Neurosciences, School of Medicine): High resolution electron and light microscopy; anatomical reconstructions. * Fred Gage (Salk Institute): Neurogenesis and models of the hippocampus; neuronal diversity, neural stem cells. * Timothy Gentner (Psychology): Birdsong learning. Neuroethology of vocal communication and audition * Robert Hecht-Nielsen (Electrical and Computer Engineering): Neural computation and the functional organization of the cerebral cortex. * Steve Hillyard (Neurosciences): EEG, perception, attention, memory, Event related potentilas, SSVEP * Harvey Karten (Neurosciences, School of Medicine): Anatomical, physiological and computational studies of the retina and optic tectum of birds and squirrels * David Kleinfeld (Physics): Active sensation in rats; properties of neuronal assemblies; optical imaging of large-scale activity. * William Kristan (Neurobiology): Computational Neuroethology; functional and developmental studies of the leech nervous system, including studies of the bending reflex and locomotion. * Scott Makeig (Institute for Neural Computation): Analysis of cognitive event-related brain dynamics and fMRI using time-frequency and Independent Component Analysis * Javier Movellan (Institute for Neural Computation): Sensory fusion and learning algorithms for continuous stochastic systems * Saket Navlakha (Salk Institute): How collections of molecules, neurons, and organisms process information and solve distributed computing problems. * Howard Poizner (Institute for Neural Computation): Motor systems, basal ganglia, reinforcment learning, Parkinson's disease. * Mikhael Rabinovich (Institute for Nonlinear Science): Dynamical systems analysis of the stomatogastric ganglion of the lobster and the antenna lobe of insects * Pamela Reinagel (Biology): Sensory and neural coding; natural scene statistics; recordings from the visual system of cats and rodents. * John Reynolds (Salk): Visual attention, cortex, psychophysics, neurophysiology, neural modeling * Massimo Scanziani (Biology): Neural circuits in the somotosensory cortex; physiology of synaptic transmission; inhibitory mechanisms. * Terrence Sejnowski (Salk Institute/Neurobiology): Computational models and physiological studies of synaptic, neuronal and network function. * Tanya Sharpee (Salk): Statistical physics and information theory approaches to sensory processing in natural auditory and visual environments. * Gabe Silva (Bioengineering): Cellular neural engineering * Nicholas Spitzer (Neurobiology): Regulation of ionic channels and neurotransmitters in developing neurons and neural function. * Charles Stevens (Salk Institute): Synaptic physiology; theoretical models of neuroanatomical scaling. * Jing Wang (Biology): Representation of olfactory information in the nervous system of Drosophila * Ruth Williams (Mathematics): Probabilistic analysis of stochastic systems and continuous learning algorithms * Angela Yu (Cognitive Science): Sensory processing, attentional selection, perceptual decision-making, sensorimotor integration, learning, and adaptation. ----- On-line applications: http://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/education/neurograd/computational/Pages/Appl… https://apply.grad.ucsd.edu/departments/neurosciences The deadline for completed application materials, including letters of recommendation, is December 1, 2015 for Fall 2016 -----

Nov. 3, 2015

Postdoc position in Computational Brain Modelling at Ulster University UK

by McDaid, Liam

Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate (RA) in Computational Brain Modelling (Ref: 1503308) based at the Intelligent Systems Research Center, Ulster University, UK. The RA post is for a 3½ year duration and is part of a collaborative project funded by the EPSRC: our partners are the Department of Electronics, University of York. The RA post holder will be part of a team that aims to develop a brain-inspired self-repairing algorithm and subsequently map this self-repairing algorithm to robotic hardware at the University of York. At Ulster we have previously shown that astrocyte cells interact with neurons to detect when a fault has occurred in the connections making up a network of neurons and how this interaction can oversee a repair strategy in the paper "On the Role of Astroglial Syncytia in Self-Repairing Spiking Neural Networks" (http://tinyurl.com/qbsusnn) The RA post will focus on the development of a computational model that captures the interactions between neurons and astrocytes, and hence the repair process, and will interact with other team members to translate the self-repair strategy to hardware computing systems and robot controllers based at the University of York. The RA post is fixed-term based at Ulster University and is active from November 2015 until March 2019. The closing date for applications is the 11th November 2015. Further information in relation to the post can be found on the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ocm8pvf or you can contact Prof. Liam McDaid at lj.mcdaid(a)ulster.ac.uk<mailto:lj.mcdaid@ulster.ac.uk> We prefer to issue and receive applications via our on-line recruitment website at www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs<http://www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs> Hard copy applications can be obtained by telephoning +4428 7012 4072 ________________________________ This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The University of Ulster was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

Nov. 3, 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 when it appears, most likely sometime this month, November 2015. 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. Possible projects include: 1 - the role of connectivity and plasticity in shaping network dynamics, 2 - network models of memory formation and consolidation, 3 - the role of neuronal synchrony in information transfer and binding. To see details about the documentation needed to apply please go to the call itself at http://www.bgsmath.cat/postdoctoral-fellowships/ 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. 3, 2015

Announcing EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function (DENDRITES 2016), June 18-21, Crete

by Yiota Poirazi

We are happy to announce EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function (DENDRITES 2016) Heraklion, Crete, Greece June 18-21, 2016 http://dendrites2016.gr/ <http://dendrites2014.gr/> _Organizing committee:_ Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH Michael Hausser, UCL * * Matthew Larkum, Hamboldt University This 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 neuroscience - Perspectives" Emre Yaksi, FENS-Kavli Scholar: "Funding opportunities in Neuroscience: how to write a successful grant proposal" _Important dates:_ * Abstract submission opens: December 15, 2015. * Abstract submission closes: February 15, 2016. * Notification of abstract acceptance: February 29, 2016. * Early registration fees apply until March 31, 2016. Please write to info(a)dendrites2016.gr <mailto:info@dendrites.gr> with your questions. On behalf of the organizing committee, Yiota Poirazi ps: Apologies for multiple postings -- 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

Nov. 3, 2015

PhD positions in computational neuroscience

by Dan Goodman

One or more PhD positions in computational neuroscience are available in the Neural Reckoning Group of Dan Goodman at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London. I am interested in supervising students with a strong mathematical, computational or neuroscience background. Projects could be carried out in several possible areas, including neuroinformatics (i.e simulation and analysis of neural data) or sensory neuroscience (e.g. spiking neural models in the auditory system). For more information about the group, including some suggestions for research topics, see http://neural-reckoning.org/openings.html. In addition to working within the group, 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. Applicants should initially send me a brief CV and cover letter before December 18th 2015, with a description of research interests or a proposed project, and will eventually have to formally apply through the standard Imperial College mechanism (for more information, see http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/electricalengineering/courses/phd) Funding is available for at least one student, and there are several competitive funding schemes at Imperial which would provide funding for additional students. Also, please forward this message on to any of your students or colleagues with students that you think may be interested. Dan Goodman

Nov. 2, 2015

CogModel notes: ICCM16/confs/journals/Jobs

by Frank Ritter

This is the first emailing for ICCM 2016. Please forward if appropriate, and put appropriate links onto your web site. The ICCM 2016 announcement drives this email (it will be at Penn State, before CogSci, in August 2016, on its regular (15/18 month) schedule, hope you can come!). There are also numerous timely announcements that indicate new publication outlets, resources, and jobs in Cog Sci and in cognitive modeling, or jobs I think might take modelers with an application. I have also included several unusual items, including some tools and an obituary. If you would like to be removed, please just let me know. I maintain it by hand to keep it small. [Hypertext version available at http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/iccm-mailing-oct2015.html] cheers, Frank Ritter frank.e.ritter(a)gmail.com http://www.frankritter.com **************************************************************** 1. Intnl. Conf. on Cognitive Modeling, August 2016 in University Park, PA http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/ 2. Soar Workshop, June 2015, program up https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/ 3. Databrary, data library, is up and has sample data https://databrary.org/? 4. MindModeling@Home: supercomputing for modeling http://MindModeling.org 5. AI Research funding: Making AI robust and beneficial http://futureoflife.org/AI/2015awardees 6. HCI Community Discussion of Proposed Revisions to (US) IRB Rules http://hci-discuss-irb-rules.groupsite.com/ 7. Obituary for Raja Parasumaman 8. Outstanding dissertation awards, expected Jan 2016 http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/about_awards_glushko.html 9. The Discipline of Organizing: Core Concepts Edition, 3rd Ed. http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920045014.do 10. Related book to review: Riveted http://www.jimdavies.org/riveted/ 11. Review copies of the FDUCS book and the RBS books, for reviews http://www.frankritter.com/fducs http://www.frankritter.com/rbs 12. Computational Cognitive Science, first articles up http://www.springer.com/engineering/computational+intelligence+and+complexi… 13. New ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems [journal] http://tcps.acm.org 14. Journal of Interaction Science call for papers http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5ve4pI6hg61ejIa&req=%2F2194 15. 2015-2016 ETS Fellowship and Internship Programs in R&D http://www.ets.org/research/fellowships [deadline passed for 2015, but will happen in 2016?] 16. 2015 Bio Inspired Cog Arch, Nov 2015, Lyons, France http://liris.cnrs.fr/bica2015 many deadlines past, except for late breaking 17. SBP/BRiMS Conference program and proceedings http://sbp-conference.org/sbp2015/program/ http://sbp-conference.org/sbp2015/downloads/ 18. Advances in Cognitive Systems, Proceedings http://www.cogsys.org/proceedings/2015 29-31 May 2015 19. Call for Papers and Special Issues, Trans. on Comp. Social Sys. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6570650 20. 19th Conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology Sep 2015 http://www.escop2015.org/ 21. Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science http://www.bscs-us.org/ 22. 6th UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference, July 2016, due: 6 Dec 2015 http://ukclc2016.bangor.ac.uk 23. Study abroad summer program: Systems Neuroscience in Budapest http://sysneuro-semester.org/ [passed, but may re-occur] 24. NASA calls for proposals http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/ 25. Postdoc in Team Decision Dynamics at RPI until filled https://rpijobs.rpi.edu/postings/2587 26. Postdoc ACS Lab, Penn State [Reitter] http://acs.ist.psu.edu/ 27. Programmer in biology for simulation and analysis Penn State 28. Chaired profs in Math Psych/Cog sciences https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF03041 1 dec 15 until filled 29. Florida International, open rank and instructor in CS due 31 dec 15 30. Postdoctoral researcher needed, Wright State U 31. Postdoctoral researcher, CMU email John Anderson 32. Postdoc ACS Lab, Penn State [Ritter] 33. Post-doc, Rice U, due 1 oct 2015 https://jobs.rice.edu/postings/4748 34. Postdoc in Games, Play, and Motivational Design @ Northeastern U https://neu.peopleadmin.com/postings/36635 , posted July 2015 35. School of Information Tech, Carleton U - Assistant Prof URL too long! 36. 4 postdocs and RAs in AI consciousness, Tokyo http://www.araya.org/eng 37. CS@Virginia Tech, tenure track http://www.cs.vt.edu/FacultySearch 38. Lecturer/SL in games, U. of Lincoln, England http://games.lincoln.ac.uk/. 39. Information Science, UC/Boulder, due 2 Nov 2015 http://www.jobsatcu.com:80/postings/107999, position number F02925. 40. CS@U Central FL, tenure track https://www.jobswithucf.com/postings/43185 41. Assoc/Full Prof, Learning Science/EDM/LAK at New York U http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_positions/alt/ect_associate_tenured 42. Open-Rank Faculty Position in Quan Psy, U of Mich https://psychology-lsa.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a2s9hqlu3cgv 43. Senior Neuroscientists, Virginia Tech 44. Comp. neuroscience positions at Sandia National Labs [this has passed, but there seem to commonly be positions there] http://www.sandia.gov/careers/ 45. Academic Fellow in Machine Learning, Leeds, due 30sep15 https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=ENGCP1012 46. Tenure Track Asst Prof in Cog Psychology at Syracuse U https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/61035 47. Director, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study https://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/36230 48. Computational Social Science, GMU, Junior position https://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/36295 **************************************************************** 1. Intnl. Conf. on Cognitive Modeling, August 2016 in University Park, PA http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/ International Conference on Cognitive Modeling, 4-6 Aug 2016, Penn State, University Park, PA, USA http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/ Submissions due 8 Apr 2016 The International Conference on Cognitive Modeling will take place 4-6 August 2016 at Penn State, University Park, Pennsylvania. All paper, poster, symposium, and tutorial submissions are due on 8 April 2016, 5pm EDST. They should be submitted via our online submission system at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccm2016 The International Conference on Cognitive Modeling (ICCM) is the premier conference for research on computational models and computation-based theories of human behavior. The goal of ICCM is to bring researchers together who are interested in using computational modeling to better understand human cognition. ICCM is a forum for presenting, discussing, and evaluating the complete spectrum of cognitive modeling approaches, including connectionism, symbolic modeling, dynamical systems, Bayesian modeling, and cognitive architectures. ICCM includes basic and applied research across a wide variety of domains, ranging from low-level perception and attention to higher-level problem-solving and learning. Finally, we also welcome contributions that use computational models to better understand neuro-imaging data. There are three types of regular submissions: Papers: refereed papers of up to 6 pages. If a submission is accepted to be published as a paper, the paper will be presented at the conference either as a talk or as a poster. Posters: refereed poster abstracts of up to 2 pages. If accepted, the corresponding poster will be presented at the conference in a dedicated poster session. Symposia: refereed symposia abstracts of up to 2 pages. If accepted, the conference committee will contact the authors to help organize and schedule the symposium. Notification of acceptance by 6 May 2016. The website has further details. TUTORIALS The day before the conference (3 Aug 16) will be devoted to tutorials on various cognitive modelling techniques and approaches. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for a tutorial, please see the tutorial page for more information. Tutorial proposals will be evaluated by the organising committee on the basis of their estimated benefit for prospective participants and on their fit within the tutorials program as a whole. If you are interested in organising a tutorial, please send us an email at frank.ritter(a)psu.edu by 8 Apr 2016 with the following information: - a 150 word description of the tutorial - duration (half-day or full-day) - who the tutors will be - any pre-requisites that participants need to follow the tutorial We will notify you of acceptance or rejection by 1 May 2016. **************************************************************** 2. Soar Workshop, June 2015, program up https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/workshop/ The schedule is up, and you can see who spoke, and what tutorials were presented, including Soar and Lego. The Center for Cognitive Architecture (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/soarweb/home) at the U of Michigan and Soar Technology, Inc. (http://www.soartech.com/) are pleased to announce the 35th Soar Workshop will be held from Tuesday June 2, 2015 through Friday June 5, 2015 at the Bob and Betty Beyster Building at the U of Michigan in Ann Arbor. For those of you not familiar with the Soar Workshop, each year, members of the (http://soar.eecs.umich.edu/) Soar community--faculty, scientists, graduate students, technical staff and developers--gather together for several days of intensive interaction and exchange on Soar. The Soar community is widely distributed geographically, so these workshops provide an opportunity to have face-to-face conversations, learn about the current status of other participants' research and get previews of what will happen in the future. We will try to give as many members of the community as possible the opportunity to describe their research or discuss the Soar issues that are of concern to them. This means the time available per talk is quite short (typically either 5 or 15 minutes). Since workshop attendees are already entrenched in the Soar world, brief talks that concentrate on only the essentials work very well. The workshop format is presentations only -- no formal papers. There is no charge to attend the workshop although registration was required. You may sign up to give talks of various lengths as soon as you're registered. Please upload a copy of your presentation(s) by June 2th, 2015 via the Soar Workshop registration page. Note that this year's workshop will be over 4 days instead of 4.5. There will be two days of tutorials followed by two days of presentations. Questions and information regarding the workshop should be directed to John Laird via (laird(a)umich.edu) mail or phone: (734) 647-1761 **************************************************************** 3. Databrary, data library, is up and has sample data https://databrary.org/? The Databrary project (https://databrary.org/?) is up and running, and has sample data. It provides an NSF and NIH sponsored location to archive your data. Further details and the data for potential reuse are at that web site. **************************************************************** 4. MindModeling@Home: supercomputing for modeling http://MindModeling.org The MindModeling@Home project (http://MindModeling.org) strives to provide a simple, efficient and reliable resource for evaluating models of cognition. By uniting heterogeneous computational resources ranging from high performance computing systems to local grids to workstations of volunteers around the globe, the MindModeling@Home system avails large-scale computational power that enables exploration of models at a deeper level and across a larger number of contexts than is typically possible using a single research workstation. Over the past 5 years, the MindModeling@Home system has facilitated billions of cognitive model runs, using thousands of computers located in dozens of countries. With thousands of users contributing to the processing pool, the system has contributed to a broad spectrum of research initiatives, implemented in multiple languages (C, Java, Lisp, MATLAB, Python and R) recording job speed-ups of 3-orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this computational resource is being used now by research collaborators at universities including Indiana U, Michigan U, Michigan Technology U, Iowa, George Mason U, Rensselaer Polytechnic U, Tufts and Wright State U. **************************************************************** 5. AI Research funding: Making AI robust and beneficial http://futureoflife.org/AI/2015awardees [this call went out in 2014, was awarded in early 2015. it is a fresh view of AI and other technologies, and wants to look at their use critically. I suspect that they will have a further funding program.] Background information: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2e3t77/i_am_max_tegmark_an_mit_physi… The Future of Life Institute, based in Cambridge, MA and headed by Max Tegmark (Physics prof, MIT), is seeking proposals for research projects aimed to maximize the future societal benefit of artificial intelligence while avoiding potential hazards. Projects may fall in the fields of computer science, AI, machine learning, public policy, law, ethics, economics, or education and outreach. This 2015 grants competition will award funds totaling $6M USD. This funding call is limited to research that explicitly focuses not on the standard goal of making AI more capable, but on making AI more robust and/or beneficial; for example, research could focus on making machine learning systems more interpretable, on making high-confidence assertions about AI systems' behavior, or on ensuring that autonomous systems fail gracefully. Funding priority will be given to research aimed at keeping AI robust and beneficial even if it comes to greatly supersede current capabilities, either by explicitly focusing on issues related to advanced future AI or by focusing on near-term problems, the solutions of which are likely to be important first steps toward long-term solutions. *** REFERENCES AND RESOURCES [1] Complete request for proposals and application form: http://futureoflife.org/grants/large/initial [2] Research Priorities document: http://futureoflife.org/static/data/documents/research_priorities.pdf [3] An open letter from AI scientists on research priorities for robust and beneficial AI: http://futureoflife.org/misc/open_letter [4] Initial funding announcement: http://futureoflife.org/misc/AI Questions about Project Grants: dewey(a)futureoflife.org Media inquiries: tegmark(a)mit.edu **************************************************************** 6. HCI Community Discussion of Proposed Revisions to (US) IRB Rules http://hci-discuss-irb-rules.groupsite.com/ Update your notification preferences to change the frequency or type of emails you receive from this group. Hello Everyone, [from: Marti Hearst (marti_hearst(a)yahoo.com) It's been about 2 years since my last post to this list. To remind you, this group put together a letter in response to HHS's call for comments on proposed IRB reform in 2011. You may have thought that that work was for naught, but it seems that 4 years later, some activity has occurred. As I have noted in earlier messages, I subscribe to an email list from HHS that promises to provide updates on this matter, and yesterday I received the encouraging email that I enclose below. It is yet another request for comments. What we have to decide now is if we want to comment on it or not. I have not yet read the full RFC, but the paragraphs I quote below are very encouraging, which makes me think we may want to chime in with support. Here are the most encouraging paragraphs, from my perspective: The NPRM also attempts to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of the oversight system by making the level of review more proportional to the seriousness of the harm or danger to be avoided. Research that poses greater risk to subjects should receive more oversight and deliberation than less risky research. The NPRM seeks to avoid requirements that do not enhance protection and impose burden, which can decrease efficiency, waste resources, erode trust, and obscure the true ethical challenges that require careful deliberation and stakeholder input. Cumbersome and outdated regulatory standards overwhelm and distract institutions, IRBs, and investigators in ways that stymie efforts to appropriately address the real risks and benefits of research. The result of these types of changes, as the NPRM proposes to implement them, is that some studies that currently require IRB review would now become exempt. Some that are currently exempt would specifically be declared as outside the scope of the regulations ("excluded"), and thus would not require any administrative or IRB review. Further, in terms of determining when a study is exempt, a web-based "decision tool" will be created. That decision tool will provide a determination of whether or not a study is exempt. " So now this group needs to decide if we want to read the RFC and respond. [if you want to discuss, you should join the HCI group, or reply directly to the RFC using http://hci-discuss-irb-rules.groupsite.com/file_cabinet/files/774334/downlo… **************************************************************** 7. Obituary for Raja Parasumaman He was very well known in human factors. I did not know Raja directly, but I was touched by the notes in his obituary, his relationship to cognitive modeling, and thought knowing about him might help us all. http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/dignitymemorial/guestbook.aspx?n=raja-paras… **************************************************************** 8. Outstanding dissertation awards, expected Jan 2016 http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/about_awards_glushko.html The Cognitive Science Society and the Glushko-Samuelson Foundation seek nominations for up to five outstanding dissertation prizes in cognitive science. The Prize seeks to recognize research in all areas of cognitive science construed broadly and particularly research that crosses interdisciplinary boundaries. The deadline for nominations (for candidates receiving their PhD between January 15, 2013 and January 15, 2015 is 30 Jan 2015. [and probably same general dates for 2015] Each prize will be accompanied by a certificate and a $10,000 award to be used by the recipient without any constraints. Prize winners will also receive three years of complimentary membership in the Cognitive Science Society starting with the year in which they have won the prize. Information about the nomination procedure is attached and may also be found at Information on the prizes can be found at http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/about_awards_glushko.html Description of the Prizes Up to five Robert J. Glushko Dissertation Prizes in Cognitive Science will be awarded annually. Each prize will be accompanied by a certificate and a $10,000 award to be used by the recipient without any constraints. Prize winners will also receive three years of complimentary membership in the Cognitive Science Society starting with the year in which they have won the prize. Prize-winning dissertations are expected to transcend any one of the individual fields comprising cognitive science. They should centrally address issues of interest to multiple fields that comprise cognitive science, including: psychology, computer science, philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, neuroscience, and education. Prize-winners must have received a PhD degree no more than two years before the 30 Jan nomination deadline. For the 2015 prizes, dissertations will be considered from individuals who received their PhD degrees during the period from January 15, 2013 to January 15, 2015. The dissertation prizes are open to any student who has conducted dissertation research related to cognitive science, regardless of nationality or originating department. How to Submit The deadline for nominations is 30 Jan 2015. Awardees will be announced by 15 Apr 2016. All nomination materials should be sent electronically to cogscij(a)indiana.edu in ascii, PDF, or Word format. Please put Glushko Nomination in subject line with nominees name. A nomination dossier includes: Letters of support from 3 faculty members. The letters of support should explicitly describe how the dissertation research transcends a single field comprising cognitive science to address core issues of relevance to several fields. We recommend that these letters refer to particular sections of the dissertation to support claims for interdisciplinary importance as this is a critical component in committee decisions. A curriculum vitae for the nominee The dissertation itself A precis of no more than 4,000 words (references are not included in the word count) written by the nominee describing the dissertation research. This description should clearly express the interdisciplinary contribution of the dissertation, suitable for review by a broad spectrum of cognitive scientists. Glushko Prize Committee Linda B Smith (Chair), Dist Prof of Psyc & Brain Sci.s, Indiana U Kathleen Akins, Prof of Philosophy, Simon Fraser U Dedre Gentner, Prof of Psychology & of Ed & Social Policy, Northwestern Adele Goldberg, Prof of Linguistics, Princeton Tim Shallice, Prof of Neuropsychology, U College London Thomas Griffiths, Assoc Prof of Psyc, UC Berkeley John Laird, Prof of Engineering, U of Mich **************************************************************** 9. The Discipline of Organizing: Core Concepts Edition, 3rd Ed. http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920045014.do The Discipline of Organizing: Core Concepts Edition, 3rd Edition By Robert J. Glushko [this is a print/online text book about information science with other substantial elements. Worth seeing at least for how it's published, used in numerous grad schools to teach about information. If you want an inspection copy, or a copy to write a review, email him, he's pretty helpful. It's used as numerous iSchools to teach intro courses.] We organize things. We organize information, information about things, and information about information. Organizing is a fundamental issue in many professional fields, but these fields have only limited agreement in how they approach problems of organizing and in what they seek as their solutions. We revised the TDO website to highlight the 3rd edition - see a description of the changes at http://disciplineoforganizing.org/third-editions-2015/ The price is lower than last year, and this time you get both an ebook and a pdf version as a bundle But if you want to use the 2nd editions, they are still available. We revised the TDO website to highlight the 3rd edition - see a description of the changes at http://disciplineoforganizing.org/third-editions-2015/ and at the bottom there's a comparison table so you can see how TDO has evolved over the last three years. **************************************************************** 10. Related book to review: Riveted http://www.jimdavies.org/riveted/ Jim Davies at Carleton U (jim.davies(a)gmail.com) has written a popular press book, Riveted: The science of why jokes make us laugh, movies make us cry, and religion makes us feel one with the universe (Palgrave, 2015). You can get a copy of it from him (or me) if you would like to write a review for publication. Otherwise, in fine stores everywhere. **************************************************************** 11. Review copies of the FDUCS book and the RBS books, for reviews http://www.frankritter.com/fducs http://www.frankritter.com/rbs Email if you would like to review or use as a textbook, either Foundations for designing user centered systems: What system designers need to know about people Running Behavioral studies with people: A practical guide Also, now email to get access to a small set of teaching materials for each book. And, the first is probably available through your library for $25, and the other has a discount page at http://www.frankritter.com/rbs/sage-30pc-flyer.pdf **************************************************************** 12. Computational Cognitive Science, first articles up http://www.springer.com/engineering/computational+intelligence+and+complexi… Computational Cognitive Science published its first articles (http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIo) I am happy to announce that Computational Cognitive Science (http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIp) has published its first articles and invite you to submit your next manuscript to this fully sponsored open access journal. Computational Cognitive Science provides you a forum for cross-disciplinary research contributions and debate relating to all aspects of the computational modelling of cognitive theories, and the implementation of intelligent systems that implicitly or explicitly draw on or inform research across multiple cognitive science disciplines. Read the first articles online! http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIs A critical time in computational cognitive science David M W Powers http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIt Computation in networks James K Peterson http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIu Exploratory analysis of semantic categories: comparing data-driven and human similarity judgments Tiina Lindh-Knuutila, Timo Honkela http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIv Time-order error and scalar variance in a computational model of human timing: simulations and predictions Maciej Komosinski, Adam Kups http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejIw Nodal computation approximations in asynchronous cognitive models James K Peterson Reasons to publish with us Open access publication Global visibility for your research Compliance with all open access mandates No article-processing charges (APC) I look forward to reading your work! Kind regards, David Powers Editor-in-Chief, Computational Cognitive Science PS The publication costs for Computational Cognitive Science are covered by the Centre for Knowledge & Interaction Technology, Flinders U, Australia, so you as an author do not need to pay an article-processing charge. Aims and Scope http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejI15 Editorial Board http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejI16 Submission http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x1giI6hg61ejI18 **************************************************************** 13. New ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems [journal] http://tcps.acm.org ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems Editor-in-Chief Tei-Wei Kuo, National Taiwan U and Academia Sinica, Taiwan Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has emerged as a unifying name for systems where the cyber parts (i.e., the computing and communication parts) and the physical parts are tightly integrated, both at the design time and during operation. Such systems use computations and communication deeply embedded in and interacting with physical processes to add new capabilities to physical systems. These cyber-physical systems range from miniscule (pace makers) to large-scale (a national power-grid). There is an emerging consensus that new methodologies and tools need to be developed to support cyber-physical systems. ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems (TCPS) is [will be?] the premier journal for the publication of high-quality original research papers and survey papers that have scientific and technological understanding of the interactions of information processing, networking and physical processes. TCPS will cover the following topics: * Computation Abstractions * System Modeling and Languages * System Compositionality and Integration * Design Automation and Tool Chains * Trustworthy System Designs * Resilient and Robust System Designs * Human in the Loop The application domains covered by TCPS include, but not limited to: Healthcare, Transportation, Automotive, Avionics, Energy, Living Space, and Robotics. For further information and to submit your manuscript, visit http://tcps.acm.org **************************************************************** 14. Journal of Interaction Science call for papers http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5ve4pI6hg61ejIa&req=%2F2194 [This is an HCI journal interested in the science behind HCI] Following a very exciting year for open access and Springer in 2014, I would like to share with you some of our 2015 plans for (http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5ve4pI6hg61ejIa&req=%2F2194) the Journal of Interaction Science, and encourage you to promote the journal to your network of research contacts. What are we doing? We plan to intensify the marketing activities for the Journal of Interaction Science in 2015. To this end, the SpringerOpen marketing team has been expanded to include new members in Singapore and New York. Their focus will be on an increased volume of call-for-paper campaigns, thematic series promotion and regional marketing efforts. How can you help? As ever, the most powerful tool for promoting a journal is word-of-mouth recommendations from respected colleagues. Accordingly, we hope you will continue to encourage your colleagues to submit their exciting research to the Journal of Interaction Science (http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/manuscript) To help with this we have increased the number of article-processing charge waivers available for 2015. If you or your colleagues would like to apply for one of these waivers, simply enter the following code into the waiver request box when submitting your next manuscript. Waiver application code*: SPRINGEROPEN20152 If you have questions or if you would like more information about how to apply for an APC waiver, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Best wishes, John Fallows (info(a)springeropen.com) Senior Marketing Manager, SpringerOpen **************************************************************** 15. 2015-2016 ETS Fellowship and Internship Programs in R&D http://www.ets.org/research/fellowships [deadline passed for 2015, but will happen in 2016?] 2015-2016 ETS Fellowship and Internship Programs in R&D ETS Research & Development (R&D) is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2015-2016 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Fellowship and Internship Programs in R&D The goal of the ETS R&D Fellowship and Internship Programs is to promote quality and distinction in educational assessment and related fields by supporting early-career scientists' and graduate students' participation in significant research and exposure to methodologies within the ETS environment. The programs also provide opportunities for talented scholars and students from diverse backgrounds ? especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups such as African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians ? to pursue scientific research under the guidance of ETS researchers and psychometricians. These programs encourage research in areas such as: Psychometrics Validity Natural Language Processing and Computational Linguistics Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Learning Sciences Linguistics, Second Language Learning, & Teaching English as a Foreign Language Speech Recognition and Processing Teaching and Classroom Research Statistics Educational Data Mining International Large-Scale Assessments The ETS R&D Fellowship and Internship Programs seek applicants who either hold a doctoral degree or who are enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the fields mentioned above and who are interested in research opportunities. We would like your help in getting this information out to your colleagues and your very best graduate students and alumni. We encourage you and your colleagues to identify strong candidates and ask them to apply. ETS is seeking graduate students for the Summer Internship Program [link with traceback removed] in Research for Graduate Students. The program focuses on major research activities that will occur in 2015. Selected interns conduct research under the guidance of ETS mentors in Princeton, N.J. Graduate students who are currently enrolled in full-time doctoral programs in the areas listed above and who have completed a minimum of two years of coursework toward their PhD or EdD prior to the program start date are eligible to apply. The Harold Gulliksen Psychometric Research Fellowship [link with traceback removed] Program seeks graduate students who have completed their doctoral coursework and are at the dissertation stage of their program, working on a dissertation related to statistics, psychometrics, educational/psychological measurement or quantitative methods. Selected fellows study at their universities and carry out research under the supervision of an academic mentor and in consultation with an ETS researcher or psychometrician. This program's goal is to increase the number of well-trained scientists in educational assessment, psychometrics, and statistics. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs are open to individuals who hold doctorates in specific disciplines of interest to ETS. This year we are seeking applications in the following areas of expertise: science cognition, teacher evaluation, K-12 language arts, math and science, and formative assessment and learning in English language learning assessment. The postdoctoral programs provide talented scholars an opportunity to conduct research under the mentorship of ETS researchers and psychometricians. Selected fellows work on ETS research projects and conduct their proposed independent research, which should be relevant to ETS's goals. ETS administers two postdoctoral programs the ETS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program [link with traceback removed], which supports scholars who have received their doctoral degrees within the last three years, and the Sylvia Taylor Johnson Fellowship in Educational Measurement [link with traceback removed], which supports those who received their doctoral degrees within the last 10 years. ETS is particularly interested in receiving applications for the Sylvia Taylor Johnson Fellowship in Educational Measurement [link with traceback removed] from members of groups typically underrepresented in the field of educational measurement/psychometrics. Please take a moment to consider which qualified individuals you believe would benefit from these opportunities and help ETS achieve the programs' goals. Please share this information with your colleagues. Information and application instructions for the programs are available on the ETS website at http://www.ets.org/research/fellowships [link with traceback removed] The application deadline(s) are: Summer Internship Program in Research for Graduate Students 1 Feb 2015 Gulliksen Psychometric Res Fellowship 1 Dec 2014 (preliminary) & 1 Feb 2015 (final) Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs 1 Jan 2015 (prel.) and 1 Mar 15 (final) If you have any questions about the programs, please email internfellowships(a)ets.org. If you are interested in joining our mailing list, please sign up [link with traceback removed] Copyright 2014 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and LISTENING. LEARNING. LEADING. are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). [used with implied permission] **************************************** 16. 2015 Bio Inspired Cog Arch, Nov 2015, Lyons, France http://liris.cnrs.fr/bica2015 many deadlines past, except for late breaking 2015 Annual International Conference on Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICA 2015) Sixth Annual Meeting of the BICA Society 6-8 Nov (Fri-Sun) 2015, Lyon, France http://liris.cnrs.fr/bica2015 Sponsored by: The BICA Society; The U of Lyon; LIRIS; Elsevier B.V. Points of contact: Amie Cordier (amelie.cordier(a)liris.cnrs.fr) Olivier Georgeon (olivier.georgeon(a)liris.cnrs.fr Alexei Samsonovich (alexei(a)bicasociety.org) Call for Papers Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICAs) are computational frameworks for building intelligent agents that are inspired by biological intelligence. These agents serve both as theoretical models (e.g., in cognitive science, neuroscience, economics and social sciences), and as intelligent controllers for autonomous systems (robots, games characters, smart human/machine interfaces, health applications, etc). Biological intelligent systems (animals, including humans) have many qualities that are often lacking in artificially designed systems; their purpose goes beyond interacting with a closed environment or solving predefined logical problems. At the time when our understanding of natural intelligence is exploding, thanks to modern brain imaging, ethological studies, and the development of cognitive models mapping brain structures with functions, our ability to learn lessons from nature and to build biologically inspired intelligent systems has never been greater. At the same time, the growth in computer science and technology has unleashed enough design creativity and computational power to generate an explosion of applications in multiple domains. Research in Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures contributes to the development of these applications by addressing the numerous questions raised by the problem of replicating natural intelligence, specifically, the complexity of higher cognitive abilities of the human mind, in an artificial system (widely known as the BICA Challenge). These questions are trans-disciplinary in nature and promise to yield multi-directional flow of understanding between all the involved disciplines. Scope With the scope of BICA 2015 covering all areas of BICA research listed below, this year's major thrust will be on learning from experience of sensorimotor interaction. Here, the key questions are: Learning: how a system that has no direct ontological access to reality can construct knowledge about reality based on regularities of interaction? Self-motivation: what key motivational drives (e.g., emotions, behavioral preferences, social interactions) should we incorporate in models of self-motivated cognitive systems? Methodology: how to assess active open-ended learning? What methods can we draw from biology to define and assess intelligent behaviors beyond predefined tasks and pre-modeled problems? Models of interaction with the environment: can we define models of interaction alternative to the traditional perception-cognition-action cognitive cycle? What emergent mathematical foundations can support sensorimotor and other forms of learning? In addition to these focus topic areas of BICA 2015, we encourage submission of papers in all areas relevant to BICA research, especially in the following areas: Neuroscience: B in BICA: useful biological constraints for cog architectures Bridging the gap between artificial & natural info processing Cognitive and learning mechanisms informed by neuroscience Neural correlates of cognitive and meta-cognitive processes Robustness, scalability and adaptability in neuromorphic systems Neurophysiological underpinnings of reinforcement learning Physiological mechanisms of memory formation and (re)consolidation Representation of contextual & conceptual knowl. in neural sys Social, Economic and Educational Sciences: Mixed-initiative systems based on inspirations from biology Agents possessing human-level social, narrative, & emot. intell. BICA in pedagogy, learning, and tutoring technologies & ed BICA models of self and their application to self-awareness Reps, perception, understanding, processing, & emotion expression Virtual characters & narratives, artif. personalities & human-compatibility of BICA Agent-based modeling of intelligent social phenomena (are there any?) Application of BICA technologies in elderly care Cognitive Science: Perception, reasoning, decision making and action in BICA Combining natural and artificial approaches to cognition Comparison of different forms of learning, memory, & cog devel. Theory-of-Mind, episodic & autobiographical memory in cog. sys. Introspection, metacognitive reasoning and self-awareness in BICA Models of learning & memory: robustness, flexibility, transferability Natural and body language & its role in intelligence, cog. & interaction Unifying frameworks and constraints for cog archit.s: grand unification Artificial Intelligence: Creativity, goal reasoning and human-level autonomy in artifacts Embodied vs. ambient intelligence: embedding or embodiment? Natural language capabilities and social competence of BICA Learning by reading, by observation, by reasoning and by analogy Robust and scalable machine learning mechanisms in BICA Self-regulated learning, bootstrapped & meta-learning The place for BICA in tomorrow's textbook of AI General: Math. basis for BICA & fundamental theoretical questions in BICA research Alternative substrates for implementation of BICA: smart materials, quantum and biocomputing Alternative approaches to the develop. of BICA: evolutionary, system-theoretic, educational Fundamental academic, practical & theoretical questions in BICA Cognitive Decathlon & Grand Challenges for BICA as components of the BICA Challenge Critical mass for a universal human-level learner & a roadmap to solving the BICA Challenge Metrics, tests, proximity measures & roadmap to human-level/ human-compatible AI Leveraging the cloud, world-wide-web, & social-media: possible role for BICA? Cybersecurity and secure authentication methods based on BICA Interdisciplinary research opportunities involving BICA Intnl. trends & opportunities in funding BICA related research Format The format of the conference is a 2.5 day meeting including paper presentations, panel discussions, invited talks, and technology demonstration showcases. Symposia and other mini-events (including special sessions, breakout groups, brainstorms, think-tanks, socials, and more) as part of the conference will be added as needed (proposals are solicited). We additionally solicit proposals for panel topics. The working language is English. As part of our rich social and cultural program included in the registration, we are planning a Welcome Reception and a boat trip on the Rh?e and Saone rivers with a banquet on the boat. Publication Venue and Submission All the BICA 2015 papers and abstracts will be included in the electronic volume of proceedings distributed to the conference participants (this volume will not constitute a separate publication). Additionally, each article will be published in one of the two official BICA 2015 venues: A special volume of Elsevier's Procedia Computer Science (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/procedia-computer-science) indexed by Web of Science CPI and Scopus. The BICA Journal (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/biologically-inspired-cognitive-architectu…) an Elsevier journal indexed in Scopus, submitted for indexing in Web of Science. Submission Categories: In accordance with the publication venues, there are the following categories of submission: 1. Papers for the special volume of Procedia Computer Science: 2 page abstract. 6 page paper. Every additional page in excess of this limit should be covered by a fee of 50 E at registration 2. Papers for the BICA Journal (no extra-page charge): Letters (brief communications of new findings): 3k to 6k words. Full Research Articles: approximately 8k to 12k words. Reviews or vision papers may be submitted by invitation only. 3. Stand-alone abstracts (500 words) considered unpublished but included in the conference program brochure and in the electronic volume. Preparation of Submissions: Templates and complete instructions for preparation of submission are available on the BICA2015 website http://liris.cnrs.fr/bica2015/wiki/doku.php/submission None of the initial submission is required to be camera-ready. However, all final paper submissions must be in a camera-ready form prepared based on the provided Procedia templates and must conform to the http://www.elsevier.com/journals/procedia-computer-science/1877-0509/guide-… Core Organizing and Scientific Committee Amie Cordier (Lyon 1, France) General Chair. http://liris.cnrs.fr/amelie.cordier/ Olivier Georgeon (Lyon 1, France) Program Chair http://www.oliviergeorgeon.com/ Salima Hassas (Lyon 1, France) http://liris.cnrs.fr/membres?idn=shassas Laetitia Matignon (Lyon 1, France), Organizing committee member http://liris.cnrs.fr/membres?idn=lmatigno Frederic Armetta (Lyon 1, France), Organizing committee member. http://liris.cnrs.fr/membres?idn=farmetta"> Alexei Samsonovich (GMU, USA) Co-Chair. http://mason.gmu.edu/%7Easamsono Kamilla R. Johannsdoetir, scientific committee Member http://stefania.unak.is/stefania/moja-starfsmadurenska.asp?starfsm=kamilla&… Antonio Chella (U of Palermo, Italy), sci. comm. Member. http://www.antoniochella.it/Antonio/Home.html Christian Lebire (CMU, USA), scientific committee Member. http://www.psy.cmu.edu/people/lebiere.html Paul Robertson, (DOLL Inc, USA), organizing committee member http://www.dollabs.com/drpaulrobertson.htm Important Dates and Deadlines Deadline for proposals of sub-events* 1 May 2015 Paper and abstract submission opens 10 May Deadline for initial submission of papers & abstracts 1 Jun Paper review feedback and notification of acceptance 10 Jul Final paper due 1 Aug Early-bird registration due 10 Aug Regular registration due 20 Aug Late-breaking stand-alone abstract due 1 Oct Conference 6-8 Nov 2015 * (including symposia, workshops, socials, technology demos, panels, etc.) **************************************************************** 17. SBP/BRiMS Conference program and proceedings http://sbp-conference.org/sbp2015/program/ http://sbp-conference.org/sbp2015/downloads/ [held in the spring, will be held again: http://sbp-conference.org/sbp2016/about/ ] I am honored to announce the release of the Behavior Representation in Modeling & Simulation (BRiMS) conference. This year, it re-joined the Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, Prediction (SBP) conference for their SBP2015 in Washington, DC from March 31-April 3, 2015. We're thrilled to get rejoin with SBP as our conferences melded so well together last year. Like last year, the conference fee for SBP will also allow you to attend BRiMS, so it truly is two conferences for the price of one. For us Department of Defense workers still under conference restriction, you should note that this is a unique opportunity for you to present your modeling and simulation work at a conference. We will once again offer video teleconferencing (VTC) to present your accepted papers. For the past three years, we have been unable to attend most conferences and from first-hand knowledge, this has restricted our publication opportunities. Using the VTC option will allow you to get back to presenting your findings to the modeling and simulation community. daniel.n.cassenti.civ(a)mail.mil **************************************************************** 18. Advances in Cognitive Systems, Proceedings http://www.cogsys.org/proceedings/2015 29-31 May 2015 The purpose of the meeting is to bring together researchers with interest in building cognitive systems that are distinguished by a focus on high-level cognition and decision making, reliance on rich, structured representations, a systems-level perspective, use of heuristics to handle complexity, and incorporation of insights about human thinking. The Conference provides a venue for dissemination of research results pertaining to the original, yet unanswered, questions of Artificial Intelligence: to produce computational artifacts that reproduce a broad range of human cognitive abilities. The conference welcomes work on any topic related to the representation or organization of complex knowledge structures, their use in multi-step cognition, or their acquisition from experience or instruction. Some functional capabilities that arise in this context include, but are not limited to: Conceptual Inference and Reasoning Memory Storage and Retrieval Language Processing Social Cognition and Interaction High-level Execution and Control Problem Solving and Heuristic Search Cognitive Aspects of Emotion and Personality Metacognition and Meta-level Reasoning Structural Learning and Knowledge Capture We especially encourage participation from researchers working in these and other areas who are interested in complex cognition, human-level intelligence, and related topics. Accepted long papers will be included in the conference proceedings and also may be invited to appear in the online journal, Advances in Cognitive Systems. The conference aims to be as inclusive as possible while still fostering innovative research on the computational nature of intelligence. The conference FAQ (http://www.cogsys.org/faq) attempts to clarify the scope of the event. Authors who have questions about whether their research is appropriate for the meeting should contact the Program Co-Chairs, Ashok Goel (goel(a)cc.gatech.edu) and Mark Riedl (riedl(a)cc.gatech.edu) for additional information. General Chairs Ashok Goel GIT (goel(a)cc.gatech.edu) Mark Riedl GIT (riedl(a)cc.gatech.edu) Organizing Committee Paul Bello Office of Naval Research Kenneth Forbus Northwestern U John Laird U of Michigan, Ann Arbor Pat Langley U of Auckland / Carnegie Mellon Sergei Nirenburg Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute **************************************************************** 19. Call for Papers and Special Issues, Trans. on Comp. Social Sys. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6570650 Transactions on Computational Social Systems Co-Sponsored by IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society and IEEE Computer Society IEEE Transaction on Computational Social Systems began publication in 2014 and welcomes paper submissions that fall within its scope. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems focuses on such topics as modeling, simulation, analysis and understanding of social systems from the quantitative and/or computational perspective. "Systems" include man-man, man-machine and machine-machine organizations and adversarial situations as well as social media structures and their dynamics. More specifically, the transactions publishes articles on modeling the dynamics of social systems, methodologies for incorporating and representing socio-cultural and behavioral aspects in computational modeling, analysis of social system behavior and structure, and paradigms for social systems modeling and simulation. The journal also features articles on social network dynamics, social intelligence and cognition, social systems design and architectures, socio-cultural modeling and representation, and computational behavior modeling, and their applications. Transactions website: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/aboutJournal.jsp?punumber=6570650 Recent articles: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org\xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6570650 Paper submission information: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tcss For more information: Co-Editor-in-Chief George Cybenko, gvc(a)dartmouth.edu Prof of Engineering, Dartmouth **************************************************************** 20. 19th Conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology Sept 2015 http://www.escop2015.org/ [this is another group of cognitive psychologists from what typically attends cognitive science conference, I think. announcement late, but it is recurring.] **************************************************************** 21. Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science http://www.bscs-us.org/ BSCS-US announces a regular and a new study abroad program [next announcement] in Budapest for 2015. Our regular program: BSCS - Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science Philosophy to Neuroscience will be held in the Fall of 2015, see: http://www.bscs-us.org/ . **************************************************************** 22. 6th UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference, July 2016, due: 6 Dec 2015 http://ukclc2016.bangor.ac.uk First announcement / call for abstracts for the 6th UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference 19 - 22 July 2016, Bangor U, Wales, UK http://ukclc2016.bangor.ac.uk We invite the submission of abstracts (for paper or poster presentations) addressing all aspects of cognitive linguistics. The conference aims to cover a broad range of research concerned with language and cognition. We are especially interested in promoting empirical work pertaining to cognitive semantics, embedded discourse, and applied cognitive linguistics. Thematic sessions will be organised around the following topics: *Functional approaches to cognitive linguistics *Cognitive linguistic approaches to language teaching *Lexicology and lexical concepts *Language and space *Embodiment *Analogy and conceptual transfer *Situated cognition and language In addition to these themes, other relevant topics include: *Domains and frame semantics *Categorisation, prototypes and polysemy *Mental spaces and conceptual blending *Language evolution *Linguistic variation and language change *Gesture *Typology and constructional analyses of the languages of the world *Acquisition *Corpora and statistical methods *Metaphor and discourse *Cognitive computational models Cognitive linguistics is by definition highly interdisciplinary, and so in addition to primarily linguistic research, we also invite language related submissions that are based on disciplines such as (cognitive and social) psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, anthropology, biology, artificial intelligence, and discourse and communication studies. Bangor is widely recognised as one of the most scenic university settings in the UK [England], set between the famous Snowdonia Mountains and the sea. The location, the scenery and the surrounding area are amongst the reasons why Bangor U enjoys rising student numbers and continuously attracts researchers from around the world for conferences and extended research visits, spanning many disciplines and research areas. This provides an ideal setting for an intense and thought provoking interdisciplinary conference, following the spirit of previous UK-CLCs. The cathedral and university city of Bangor is easily reached through excellent road and railway networks, with easy connections to London, Manchester, and Liverpool airports. It is situated between the historical cities of Conwy and Caernarfon, with their famous castles and many further attractions close by for social events and conference outings. Confirmed plenary speakers: *Penelope Brown (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, NL) *Kenny Coventry (U of East Anglia, UK) *Vyv Evans (Bangor U, UK) *Dirk Geeraerts (U of Leuven, BE) *Len Talmy (U at Buffalo, NY, USA) *Dedre Gentner (Northwestern U, IL, USA) Key dates *Abstract deadline: 6 Dec 2015 *Decisions communicated by: 15 Feb 2016 *Pre-conference workshops: Mon Jul 18, 2016 *Main conference: Tue July 19 - Fri Jul 22, 2016 Talks will be 20 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion. There will also be a poster session. The language of the conference is English. Abstracts of no more than 300 words (excluding references) will be submitted using EasyChair (please check the conference website at http://ukclc2016.bangor.ac.uk for updates). Participants will be allowed to present at most one talk (as a single or first author) and one poster, but can be co-authors on other work. Please indicate on your abstract if you intend the submission for a poster. All abstracts will be subject to double-blind peer review by an international scientific committee. Since 2012 UK-CLA has published selected conference presentations in the series 'Selected Papers from UK-CLA Meetings' (ISSN 2046-9144); UK-CLC6 will continue this tradition. Registration fees will be on a par with previous UK-CLC conferences. In addition to the benefits of the conference, registration will now also include membership in the UK-CLA (Cognitive Linguistics Association) including free online access to the Language & Cognition journal for a year. Chair: Thora Tenbrink (t.tenbrink(a)bangor.ac.uk) Co-chairs: Christopher Shank, Alan Wallington Local management: Javier Olloqui Redondo, Josie Ryan Queries: ukclc2016(a)bangor.ac.uk **************************************************************** 23. Study abroad summer program: Systems Neuroscience in Budapest http://sysneuro-semester.org/ [passed, but may re-occur] We open also a new program: Systems Neuroscience: a study abroad summer program Program dates: June 8th- Aug 7th, 2015 The BSCS Systems Neuroscience Program takes place at and academically supervised by the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis U Medical School, Budapest. For details, see: http://sysneuro-semester.org/ **************************************************************** 24. NASA calls for proposals http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/ [I have not worked with these calls, but have been on a review panel. Cognitive modeling may be applied or used for several of these calls. You may wish to examine the funding rate and the calls online.] A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement (NRA), entitled, "Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO)" (NRA NNJ15ZSA001N), will be [was?] released on July 31, 2015. This NRA will solicit research in support of NASA's Human Research Program (HRP). The solicitation will be available at http://nspires.nasaprs.com. The HRP contains six Elements: Space Radiation, Human Health and Countermeasures, Exploration Medical Capability, Behavioral Health and Performance, Space Human Factors and Habitability, and International Space Station Medical Project. Fourteen disciplines or areas support the Program: Behavioral Health and Performance, Bone, Cardiovascular, Extravehicular Activity, Immunology, Medical Capabilities, Muscle, Nutrition, Pharmacology, Radiation, Sensorimotor, Advanced Food Technology, Advanced Environmental Health, and Space Human Factors Engineering. **************************************************************** 25. Postdoc in Team Decision Dynamics at RPI until filled https://rpijobs.rpi.edu/postings/2587 *Postdoc in Team Decision Dynamics at RPI* A 12-month, full-time postdoctoral scholar position in team decision making is available beginning on or after 1 September 2015 in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The position is associated with an NSF-supported project on post-disaster distributed decision making (NSF CMMI-1363513, PI David Mendonca, Co-PI Martha Grabowski), as described here: http://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1363513. Applicants should have a PhD in an appropriate field (including but not limited to Industrial Engineering, Human Factors, Information/Computer Science, and Cognitive Systems) at the time of their appointment. Programming and data management experience are a plus. Opportunities of this position include collaborative publishing, shared management of project personnel, professional presentations, and development of proposals for follow-up research. Renewal beyond the initial 12-month appointment is dependent upon performance and the availability of funds. To apply, interested applicants should submit the following items in PDF format: (1) a cover letter, including the applicant's qualifications and career plans, (2) a current CV, and (3) contact information for three professional references. Please see https://rpijobs.rpi.edu/postings/2587 for specific instructions. Review of applications will begin immeidately and continue until the position is filled. Please direct any questions about this position to David Mendonca (mendod(a)rpi.edu) **************************************************************** 26. Postdoc ACS Lab, Penn State [Reitter] http://acs.ist.psu.edu/ Postdoc position @ Applied Cognitive Science Lab, College of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State. We're beginning new, NSF-funded research in the areas of linguistics and computational social science. Generally, we seek to model cognitive processes using large-scale datasets and experimentation. Our recent core contributions have been in psycholinguistic models of natural-language dialogue and in decision making. Our work in cognitive science is fueled by advances in computing. In turn, we translate progress in cognitive science to contributions in computer science, recently in cybersecurity and machine learning. We are looking for a postdoc with training in one or more of the following areas: cognitive science (e.g., compt. psycholinguistics & data-driven modeling), deep connectionist representations, and natural language processing and information retrieval. While the successful applicant is likely to focus on some areas, strong practical computational skills and a research interest in cognition or linguistics are required. Duties will include contributing to a project that combines crowd-sourcing and natural language processing to curate a dataset for peace research. Beyond that, the post-doc is primarily expected to build a strong research agenda, but may also collaborate in the graduate students' projects and teach. The initial appointment would be for one year and is renewable. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant area (or be in the final stages of obtaining one) and a strong record of publications. The PI's group currently consists of four Ph.D. students engaged in research on corpus-based cognitive linguistics, decision-making, and machine learning. Penn State provides a strong environment for work in the area, with its Center for Language Science, Departments of Psychology and Computer Science, and IST (Penn State's "iSchool"), which is home to the ACS Lab. IST is collaborative and can provide interaction with researchers in psychology, data mining, AI/machine learning, computational social science, security, and more. Penn State is located in central Pennsylvania, within driving distance to Pittsburgh, New York, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Please direct informal inquiries to David Reitter, reitter(a)psu.edu. Job ad and formal applications: https://psu.jobs/job/58861 **************************************************************** 27. Programmer in biology for simulation and analysis Penn State I spoke with Prof. Katriona (Kat) Shea in July, a prof in biology at Penn State. She found me because one of my students applied for the position below. She's having trouble filling this position. It is modeling aspects of Ebola on a behavioral level. Some modeling, some analysis, some R. It looks interesting, timely, societyly important, and her support has a short fuse -- it is a one-year NSF grant that has already started. She can cover post-doc, grad student, or UG hours. Or contract programmer. Open until filled. Salary is competitive with university salaries. =---------------------- A Programmer/Analyst position is available in the Dept of Biology, to develop stochastic simulations of a range of published epidemiological models of Ebola. The ideal candidate will need strong programming skills and experience in stochastic simulation of dynamic systems; will demonstrate strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills; and be able to work well both independently and as part of a collaborative team. An interest in epidemiology and co-authoring publications is desirable, but not essential. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in R, JavaScript, C, C++, and Python OR a combination - to translate PI's previous work on the in R and the ability to translate from R to the chosen project language will be essential. The programmer will work with: Dr. Katriona Shea (http://www.bio.psu.edu/People/Faculty/Shea/) Dr. Matthew Ferrari (http://www.cidd.psu.edu/people/mjf283) and Dr. Ottar Bjornstad (http://www.cidd.psu.edu/people/onb1) in the Department of Biology (www.bio.psu.edu) and the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics (www.cidd.psu.edu) at the Pennsylvania State U. All applications must be submitted electronically (email initially) and should include a cover letter stating relevant experience and interests, a current CV or resume, and contact information for three references. For additional information about the position, contact Katriona Shea (k-shea(a)psu.edu; 814-321-4809). Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled. This job will be filled as a level 2, or level 3, depending upon the successful candidate's competencies, education, and experience. This is a fixed-term appointment funded for one year from date of hire with possibility of re-funding. **************************************************************** 28. Chaired profs in Math Psych/Cog sciences https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF03041 1 dec 15 until filled U of California, Irvine Chaired Profs in Mathematical Psychology/Cognitive Sciences The Department of Cognitive Sciences (www.cogsci.uci.edu) at the U of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for faculty positions associated with the Falmagne Endowed Chairs in Mathematical Psychology/Cognitive Sciences. Applicants should have an exemplary track record of implementing innovative mathematical approaches to important questions in psychology or cognitive science. We are especially interested in candidates at the advanced Associate or Full Prof level whose research focus is in either human cognition or visual perception, and related areas of specialization. Information about the Chairs at: http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/falmagnechairs.php. The online application includes: A cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements, 3 major publications, and contact information for 3-5 referees. Interested candidates can apply for the position at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF03041. Application review will commence on 1 Dec 2015 and continue until filled. ---------- Jeff Krichmar, jkrichma(a)uci.edu Department of Cognitive Sciences U of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100 http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma comp-neuro@neuroin **************************************************************** 29. Florida International, open rank and instructor in CS due 31 dec 15 The School of Computing and Information Sciences (SCIS) seeks exceptionally qualified candidates for tenure-track and tenured faculty positions at all levels as well as non-tenure track faculty positions at the level of Instructor, including visiting instructor appointments. SCIS is a rapidly growing program of excellence at the University, with 30 tenure-track faculty members and over 2,000 students, including over 80 PhD students. SCIS offers BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Computer Science, an M.S. degree in Telecommunications and Networking, an MS degree in Cybersecurity, and BS, BS, and MS degrees in Information Technology. SCIS has received over $22M in the last four years in external research funding, has six research centers/clusters with first-class computing and support infrastructure, and enjoys broad and dynamic industry and international partnerships. Open-Rank Tenure Track/Tenured Positions (Job ID# 508676) SCIS seeks exceptionally qualified candidates for tenure-track and tenured faculty positions at all levels. We seek well-qualified candidates in all areas; researchers in the areas of computer systems, cybersecurity, cognitive computing, data science, health informatics, and networking are particularly encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to candidates who will enhance or complement our existing research strengths. Ideal candidates for junior positions should have a record of exceptional research in their early careers. Candidates for senior positions must have an active and proven record of excellence in funded research, publications, and professional service, as well as a demonstrated ability to develop and lead collaborative research projects. In addition to developing or expanding a high-quality research program, all successful applicants must be committed to excellence in teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. An earned PhD in CS or related disciplines is required. Non-tenure track instructor positions (Job Opening 507474) We seek well-qualified candidates in all areas of Computer Science and Information Technology. Ideal candidates must be committed to excellence in teaching a variety of courses at the undergraduate level. A graduate degree in CS or related disciplines is required; significant prior teaching and industry experience and/or a PhD in CS is preferred. Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8B annually to the local economy. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/. HOW TO APPLY: Qualified candidates for open- rank faculty positions are encouraged to apply to (Job Opening ID #508676); and candidates for instructor positions are encouraged to apply to (Job Opening ID # 507474). Submit applications at facultycareers.fiu.edu and attach cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching philosophy, research statement, etc as individual attachments. Candidates will be required to provide names and contact information for at least 3 references who will be contacted as determined by the search committee. To receive full consideration, applications and required materials should be received by 31 dec 2015. Review will continue until position is filled. If you are interested in a visiting appointment please contact the department directly by emailing Dr. Mark Weiss at Weiss(a)cis.fiu.edu. All other applicants should apply by going to facultycareers.fiu.edu. **************************************************************** 30. Postdoctoral researcher needed, Wright State U POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW Human Neuroscience and Visual Cognition & ASTECCA Laboratories, Department of Psychology, Wright State U We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to take a leading role in our research on the neurocognitive correlates of attentional control and lapses of attention in semi-structured ecological settings. The goal of this project is to rigorously characterize the relationship between laboratory measures of attentional control and failures of attention in realistic task contexts. We specifically aim to combine cognitive behavioral studies, ERP experiments, and computational modeling to test the extent to which laboratory measures can predict individual differences in susceptibility to attentional failures. We will investigate how these combined measures can be used to identify which individuals are most likely to benefit from a cognitive training paradigm aimed at enhancing attentional control. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for designing the studies, programming the experimental paradigms, recruiting participants, and collecting the data. In addition, the fellow will be responsible for data analysis and reporting the research findings in peer-reviewed journals. The position is fully funded for three years. The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, or any other related discipline by the start date of the position. Experience in computer programming, especially with Matlab, and familiarity with fMRI or EEG research are required. Experience in computational cognitive modeling will be considered a strong advantage. The Department of Psychology is housed in the College of Science and Mathematics, offers a PhD in Human Factors and Industrial/ Organizational Psychology, and has 3 undergraduate concentration areas: (1) Cognition and Perception, (2) Industrial/ Organizational, and (3) Behavioral Neuroscience. Wright State U was recently ranked among the "Best in the Midwest" universities by The Princeton Review, listed among 260 Best National Universities in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by US News & World Report, and ranked 4rth nationally among universities with limited numbers of doctoral programs in the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index. Wright State U is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For more information on this position contact Assaf Harel, PhD assaf.harel(a)wright.edu or Ion Juvina, PhD ion.juvina(a)wright.edu. Applicants should visit the following link to upload CV and statement of research: http://jobs.wright.edu/postings/9380 . In addition, please have three letters of reference sent directly to Ion Juvina, Assistant Prof, Psychology, 313G Fawcett Hall, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Wright State U, Dayton, OH 45435. Review of complete applications will begin 8 Aug 2015, and continue until the position is filled. All new hires must go through a criminal background check before they can be hired. **************************************************************** 31. Postdoctoral researcher, CMU email John Anderson I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher. The work in our laboratory involves developing ACT-R models of the learning of complex skills and relating these models to the temporal structure of fMRI, EEG, and MEG data. An appropriate candidate would have relevant background in some aspects of such work and an interest in learning other aspects. Interested candidates should email their CV to me (ja(a)cmu.edu) and contact me with any questions about the position. John R. Anderson, ja(a)cmu.edu Prof of Psychology and Computer Science Carnegie Mellon U Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-417-7008 http://act.psy.cmu.edu/ **************************************************************** 32. Postdoc ACS Lab, Penn State [Ritter] Postdoc position @ Applied Cognitive Science Lab, College of IST, Penn State. We've started a 5-year project on learning, tutoring, and maintenance funded by ONR. It related to the D2P project, Herbal, and work on measuring and modeling learning. We anticipate hiring a post-doc in the summer of 2016. If you are interested, please stay in touch. Work will be with the D2P system (http://acs.ist.psu.edu/projects/d2p) Please direct informal inquiries to Frank.ritter(a)psu.edu Job ad and formal applications to follow in Summer 2016. **************************************************************** 33. Post-doc, Rice U, due 1 oct 2015 https://jobs.rice.edu/postings/4748 From: Mike Byrne (byrne(a)rice.edu> Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2015 14:24:45 -0500 To: act-r-users(a)act-r.psy.cmu.edu The Computer-Human Interaction Laboratory (CHIL) at Rice U is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to take a leading role in an NSF-funded project on using ACT-R to assess the usability of voting systems, particularly the design of ballots. The position starts October 1, 2015. The position is fully funded for two years, with possible continuation contingent on additional funding. The ideal candidate has (or will have) a PhD in cognitive psychology, cognitive science or computer science, with experience in ACT-R modeling and a strong programming background. Further details can be found at Rice U's jobs web site, https://jobs.rice.edu/postings/4748 . Please direct questions to Mike Byrne(a)rice.edu. **************************************************************** 34. Postdoc in Games, Play, and Motivational Design @ Northeastern U https://neu.peopleadmin.com/postings/36635 , posted July 2015 Apologies for cross-posting: I you are or know someone who might want to work with me and the fab faculty at the Northeastern U on game design, gameful design, embarrassment, motivation, and all that fun stuff: I have a postdoc position open immediately. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. # General Info Position Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate Requisition Number: STFR002325 Division/College: College of Arts, Media and Design Location: Boston Main Campus Full-time/Part-time: Full Time Posting Date: 07/13/2015 Link: https://neu.peopleadmin.com/postings/36635 # Responsibilities The Playable Innovative Technologies (PLAIT) Lab at Northeastern U is seeking a Post Doctoral Research Associate (Post Doc) to join our fast-growing game research group (http://www.northeastern.edu/games) The position involves assisting in quantitative and qualitative empirical studies, helping in the design of applied games and playful experiences, and writing research papers around designing for engagement and enjoyment in and beyond game play. Additional responsibilities include grant proposal preparation and laboratory management. Game play is a subject-environment ecology purposefully designed to create enjoyment, motivation, and engagement. The Post Doc will be involved in advancing the state of knowledge of how design features and contextual circumstances together afford motivation and enjoyment in and beyond games, and how to translate such knowledge into a form useful for designers. The Post Doc will help in writing review articles and grant proposals on particular motives. The main responsibilities will be to help set up and run research studies and publish about these. The Post Doc will get the opportunity to become involved in the development of motivational systems and to supervise graduate and undergraduate students. Current example projects are developing a system for automatic difficulty balancing of citizen science games (http://j.mp/1KvX7Ae) identifying how embarrassment acts as a hurdle to engagement and how to reduce it (http://j.mp/1RUOKgu) or understanding how the context of serious games in schools affects their experience and effectiveness. Work will be performed under the guidance of Dr. Sebastian Deterding, an Assistant Prof of Game Design. As most projects will involve collaborations with other PLAIT members and faculty across Northeastern U and around the globe, the Post Doc will have the opportunity to interact with and become visible to a wide variety of researchers and industry partners. # Qualifications We seek candidates who hold a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Science, Learning Science, Psychology, Sociology or related areas at the time of starting their position. Successful candidates will have an interdisciplinary background, an clear research interest in games, and expertise in quantitative and qualitative empirical research. Candidates should ideally have experience with game or user experience design, the development of interactive systems, and grant preparation. # Additional Information This is a 1-year position with the possibility of 1 year renewal contingent on funding and performance. We hope to fill this position as soon as possible and we will review applications as they arrive. The position is open until filled. For more information, please contact Dr. Sebastian Deterding (deterding(a)neu.edu) http://codingconduct.cc **************************************************************** 35. School of Information Tech, Carleton U - Assistant Prof URL too long! Tenure Track Position in HCI, games or Digital Media at Carleton U from CHI-JOBS(a)LISTSERV.ACM.ORG School of Information Technology - Assistant Prof Carleton U http://carleton.ca/facultyrecruitment/2015/school-of-information-technology… (Applications will be considered until the position has been filled) The School of Information Technology invites applications from qualified candidates for a Tenure Track appointment at the rank of Assistant Prof beginning 1 Jul 2015. We are interested in candidates with expertise in the area of interactive digital media with a focus on computer games, HCI, multimedia systems and networks. Relevance to big data is desirable. Successful candidates are expected to pursue an active research program, perform both graduate and undergraduate teaching and supervise graduate students (at the Master's and PhD levels), and undergraduate senior projects. Participation in the development and operation of the School is an integral element of the position. The School has 8 full time faculty and offers a Bachelor of Information Technology degree in three distinct programs: Interactive Multimedia and Design, Network Technology, and Photonics and Laser Technology. All programs provide an innovative mix of courses drawing on a variety of disciplines and combine a strong foundation in academic theory with hands-on training. The School also participates in the multidisciplinary graduate program in HCI. New Graduate programs in Digital Media, and Networking; and an undergraduate program in Information Resource Management are under development. Further information on the School of Information Technology can be obtained at www.csit.carleton.ca. More information on the U is available at the Faculty Recruitment and Support Web site: www.carleton.ca/facultyrecruitment. Information about the undergraduate programs can obtained at www.bitdegree.ca A PhD in a field relevant to interactive digital media, multimedia systems, games, HCI or networks is required. The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate an existing record of research with publications at top-tier international forums; have evidence of strong teaching ability or potential; present a plan to develop an externally-funded program offering exceptional training opportunities and pursue dynamic partnerships with industry and government organizations Applications, including a curriculum vitae and statements of teaching and research interests, should be emailed in one single PDF document to: hiring(a)csit.carleton.ca. Applicants should also arrange for three letters of reference to be sent either directly or by email. Email letters should include contact information of the author for verification purposes. Applications will not be considered complete until the letters are received. Initial screening of complete applications will begin on May 15, 2015 and continue until an applicant is chosen and the position is filled. Please indicate in your application if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. -- Carleton U -- Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Carleton U is a dynamic and innovative research and teaching institution committed to developing solutions to real world problems by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff, and researchers provide academic opportunities in more than 65 programs of study to more than 27,000 full- and part-time students, from every province and more than 100 countries around the world. Carleton's creative, interdisciplinary, and international approach to research has led to many significant discoveries and creative work in science and technology, business, governance, public policy, and the arts. Those applicants that are selected for an interview will be requested to contact the Chair of the Search Committee as soon as possible to discuss any accommodation requirements. Arrangements will be made to accommodate requests in a timely manner. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. All positions are subject to budgetary approval. --- Audrey Girouard, PhD Audrey.Girouard(a)CARLETON.CA School of Information Technology, AP 230 D Carleton U http://cil.csit.carleton.ca/ **************************************************************** 36. 4 postdocs and RAs in AI consciousness, Tokyo http://www.araya.org/eng 4 Postdoctoral and/or RA positions at Araya Brain Imaging, Tokyo, Japan. Four postdoctoral positions (or RA positions) are available to work on a JST (Japan Science and Technology) funded CREST research project on "Towards constructing artificial consciousness based on the integrated information theory (IIT)" (PIs: Kanai, Kawanabe and Maekawa, Co-PIs: Tsuchiya and Oizumi), which will run for 5.5 years from Oct 2015. The initial appointment will be for one year, with renewal based upon satisfactory performance and evaluation. Salary will be commensurate with experience. We are looking for young researchers (i.e., RAs, late-stage candidates for MSc or PhD degrees, or postdoctoral fellows) whose main research interest is the neuronal basis of consciousness, artificial intelligence, and/or the integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. There are 4 main projects: 1. Evolving artificial intelligent systems in complex game environments 2. Constructing systems with flexible sensory, cognitive and motor capability using deep neural networks (DNN) 3. Evaluation of integrated information in artificial systems 4. Empirical tests of IIT in real neural systems You will be employed at Araya Brain Imaging (CEO: Kanai) in Japan for all projects, but the actual location of work depends on the project. Projects 1 and 2 will mainly take place within Araya Brain Imaging in Tokyo, Japan, whereas Projects 3 and 4 will be conducted at Monash University, Australia. All projects will be supervised by Ryota Kanai (Araya), Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Monash) and Masafumi Oizumi (Monash and RIKEN, Japan). Researchers in all projects are expected to travel between Japan and Australia frequently (at least twice a year) to maximise interactions within the team. For each project, the exact requirement for experience and skills differ, but excellent programming and mathematical skills (especially familiarity in advanced statistics, machine learning and information theory) will be essential in all projects. Research Assistants are expected to learn those skills upon appointment. Excellence in written and oral English communication skills, as supported by objective publication recorded, is essential for postdoctoral applicants. Most importantly the enthusiasm to solve consciousness is mandatory. Araya Brain Imaging is a rapidly growing start-up located in Tokyo. While being a private company, our priority is the quality in research that drives innovation in neurotechnology. Many of the Araya members have been trained abroad (UK and US) and we are aiming to build an international hub for artificial consciousness. http://www.araya.org/eng Monash University, one of the eight top universities in Australia (G8), is forming a strong cluster of consciousness researchers, ranging from philosophers, neurophysiologists, and psychologists with excellent cognitive neuroscience tools available (simultaneous EEG & fMRI experiments and EEG/TMS & fMRI experiments at Monash Brain Imaging facility, which hosts a research-only MRI scanner, EEG, TMS and eye tracking. http://mbi.monash.edu.au/ Interested candidates are encouraged to send a CV, statement of research accomplishments and interests, PDF copies of representative publications, and contact information for 2 reference letters to: Yoshiko Tan (postdoc(a)araya.org) for questions and application. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Ryota Kanai CEO of Araya Brain Imaging **************************************************************** 37. CS@Virginia Tech, tenure track http://www.cs.vt.edu/FacultySearch Virginia Tech's Department of Computer Science is hiring Tenure-Track Faculty positions in areas related to HCI. An Interactive Computing position includes human-computer interaction, graphics, intelligent user interfaces, visualization, visual analytics, human interaction with big data, augmented reality, tangible interfaces, human-robot interaction, game design, creativity support, or computing in the arts and humanities. There are also open positions in Data Analytics and Cyber Security. See details below. Please forward on to others who may be interested. Thanks, -Chris North -------------------- Faculty Search - 2015/16 FACULTY POSITIONS DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, http://www.cs.vt.edu/FacultySearch VIRGINIA TECH The Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech http://www.cs.vt.edu/ seeks applicants for tenure-track faculty positions in three areas: interactive computing, cyber security, and data analytics. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field at the time of appointment, a rank-appropriate record of scholarship and collaboration in computing and interdisciplinary areas, sensitivity to issues of diversity in the campus community, and will be required to teach at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels. The position requires occasional travel to professional conferences and meetings. Tenure-track Assistant Prof in Interactive Computing - Blacksburg, VA Strong candidates from any area related to interactive computing are encouraged to apply. Exceptional candidates at higher ranks will also be considered. Candidates who complement existing strengths in human-computer interaction, graphics, intelligent user interfaces, visualization, visual analytics, human interaction with big data, augmented reality, tangible interfaces, human-robot interaction, game design, creativity support, or computing in the arts and humanities are especially encouraged. Candidates have opportunities for collaboration in the interdisciplinary Center for Human-Computer Interaction (http://hci.vt.edu/) that includes 30 faculty across campus, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (http://icat.vt.edu/) housed in the new Moss Center for the Arts, and the Discovery Analytics Center (http://dac.cs.vt.edu/) Applications must be submitted online to (http://jobs.vt.edu/) for posting # TR0150108. Applicant screening will begin on November 20, 2015 and continue until each position is filled. Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Chris North, Search Committee Chair, north(a)vt.edu. Tenure-track Assistant Prof in Cyber Security - Blacksburg, VA Candidates with expertise in cyber security, including technologies for and applications in information security, network security, and trustworthy computing are encouraged to apply. Candidates focusing on security issues of cyber-physical systems, embedded systems, sensor networks, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), etc. are especially encouraged. The candidate will join the CS department and also participate in an interdisciplinary team of five faculty in Advanced Manufacturing and share common space and equipment, leveraging established labs and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (http://www.ccam-va.com/>www.ccam-va.com/) a public-private partnership in Virginia. There is an active group of cyber security faculty in CS and ECE departments collaborating in research as well as graduate and undergraduate education (see: http://www.cyber.vt.edu/) Applications must be submitted online to http://jobs.vt.edu/ for posting # TR0150107. Applicant screening will begin on November 20, 2015 and continue until the position is filled. Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Ali Butt, Search Committee Chair, butta(a)cs.vt.edu Associate/Full Prof in Data Analytics - National Capital Region (NCR) Candidates with research depth and breadth in data analytics, data mining, "big data", or data science are encouraged to apply. Candidates working at the intersection of data analytics and cyber-security and at the intersection of data analytics and urban computing are especially encouraged. Candidates should present a proven ability to initiate and sustain collaborations within computing as well as with application specialists. The department is home to the Discovery Analytics Center (http://dac.cs.vt.edu/) that leads "big data" research on campus. The successful candidate will contribute to the research and graduate programs in the NCR and collaborate with faculty at Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg, VA. The NCR campus (http://www.ncr.vt.edu/) is located near the Washington D.C./Falls Church area and houses the Virginia Tech Research Center (http://www.ncr.vt.edu/arlington) in Arlington, VA. Applications must be submitted online to http://jobs.vt.edu/ for posting # TR0150106. Applicant screening will begin on November 20, 2015 and continue until the position is filled. Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Naren Ramakrishnan, Search Committee Chair, naren(a)cs.vt.edu. The Department of Computer Science has 40 research oriented tenure-track faculty and ~10 postdocs/research faculty. There are a total 12 NSF/DOE CAREER awardees in the department. Research expenditures for FY2015 were $412 thousand per tenure-track faculty member (i.e., a total of $15.5 million); total research funding at the beginning of FY2015 was $43.4 million. BS, MS, and PhD degrees are offered, with a growing enrollment of over 610 undergraduate majors (14% women) and over 270 PhD/MS students. In 2010, CS@VT was ranked 5th in the country in recruiting quality of CS undergrads by the Wall Street Journal. The department is in the College of Engineering, whose undergraduate program was ranked 8th and graduate program was ranked 12th among public engineering schools in 2014 by U.S. News & World Report. Early applications are encouraged. We welcome applications from women or minorities. Salary for suitably qualified applicants is competitive and commensurate with experience. Selected candidates must pass a criminal background check prior to employment. **************************************************************** 38. Lecturer/SL in games, U. of Lincoln, England http://games.lincoln.ac.uk/. The U of Lincoln, UK, is looking for a Lecturer / Senior Lecturer (equiv. Asst / Assoc Prof in the US & Canada) in Games Computing, possibly with a research background in HCI. The full posting is available via https://jobs.lincoln.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=COS235, and more info on our more recent games research is available at http://games.lincoln.ac.uk/. **************************************************************** 39. Information Science, UC/Boulder, due 2 Nov 2015 http://www.jobsatcu.com:80/postings/107999, position number F02925. U of Colorado Boulder Dept of Information Science The newly established Department of Information Science in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) seeks outstanding candidates for multiple tenure-track positions at all ranks. Successful candidates will help shape the future of Information Science--as a Department and as a discipline--and support the growth trajectory of the new College. The Department takes a progressive approach to the discipline of Information Science, focusing on human-data interaction in all its diverse forms and contexts. The College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI) is the first new college at CU in 53 years. CMCI is at the forefront of the revolution in communication and digital technology, and is a distinctive, collaborative, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial enterprise where students engage with world-class faculty to learn, create and analyze media content in its many forms. CMCI is establishing a new standard for teaching and scholarship in communication, media and information. The roster of the Department's founding faculty reveals a diversity of backgrounds and interests that constitutes a shared commitment to progressive visions of Information Science. Our current faculty have training in multiple disciplines that include Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Data Science, Education, Human-Computer Interaction, Humanities, Informatics, Law, Media Studies, and Psychology. Furthermore, the Department sits in a College that includes faculty with whom we have close relationships in Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design; Communication; Critical Media Practices; Intermedia Art, Writing and Performance; Journalism; and Media Studies. In addition, the Department's research and educational missions are enhanced by multiple cross-disciplinary relationships across the university at large. Finally, the Department of Information Science collaborates extensively with the Department of Computer Science and is a member of the campus-wide Human-Centered Computing community. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Information Science, Computer Science, or a related discipline. Candidates must show evidence of or an ability to develop an independent research program; a commitment to teaching and creating a diverse educational environment; and a desire to contribute to a rapidly expanding institutional environment. Applications will be evaluated beginning 2 Nov 2015. The search will continue until positions are filled. Applications must include a letter of interest specifying an area of specialization and how that relates to the broader mission of information science; curriculum vitae; statements of research and teaching; and contact information for at least three references. CU Boulder is a research university with about 25,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students. The city of Boulder is a high-tech hub, with the highest concentration of tech startups in the US at 2.5 times the density of Silicon Valley, according to the Kauffman Foundation. Boulder is also home to 4 national labs--NCAR, NIST, NOAA, and NREL--which support additional opportunities for scientific and technical collaboration. Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains yet only 27 miles from Denver, Boulder is frequently named one of the most desirable places in the US to live. The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Alternative formats of this ad can be provided upon request for individuals with disabilities by contacting the ADA Coordinator at hr-ada(a)colorado.edu. Applications must be submitted online at http://www.jobsatcu.com:80/postings/107999, position number F02925. ============================ Leysia Palen Prof of Computer Science Prof and Founding Chair of Information Science University of Colorado, Boulder http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~palen/ **************************************************************** 40. CS@U Central FL, tenure track https://www.jobswithucf.com/postings/43185 The Computer Science Division in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at UCF invites applications for three tenure-track (or tenured) positions at the assistant or associate prof level, starting Fall 2016. Successful candidates will have a record of high-quality publications and be recognized for their expertise and the impact of their research. We welcome exceptional applicants from all CS research areas though we are particularly interested in applicants in the following areas: cyber security, algorithms and the theory of computing, and human-computer interaction. Computer Science (CS) at UCF has a rapidly-growing educational and research program with over $4.5 million in research contracts and expenditures annually and over 215 graduate students. Computer Science has strong areas of research in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Big Data, and HCI. The CS division is also well-known for the success of its two-time defending National Champion Cyber Defense team and the exceptional record of its programming teams in regional, national, and world competitions. More information about the Computer Science division can be found at http://www.cs.ucf.edu/. UCF has the top-tier Carnegie Foundation designation of a "very high research activity" university. Research sponsors include NSF, NIH, NASA, DOT, DARPA, ONR, and other agencies of the DOD. Industry sponsors include AMD, Boeing, Canon, Electronic Arts, General Dynamics, Harris, Hitachi, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Oracle, SAIC, Symantec, Toyota USA, and Walt Disney World, as well as local startups. UCF is the nation's second largest university and is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the third most up-and-coming university in terms of innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, and student life. Located in Orlando, UCF is at the center of the I-4 High Tech Corridor. The corridor has an excellent industrial base that includes software, defense, space, simulation and training, and a world-renowned entertainment industry. Adjacent to UCF is a thriving research park that hosts more than 100 high-technology companies and the UCF Institute for Simulation and Training. The Central Florida area is designated by the state of Florida as the Center of Excellence in Modeling and Simulation. UCF also features the College of Medicine (COM) which opened in 2009 and is fully accredited. Great weather, easy access to the seashore, one of the largest convention centers in the nation, and one of the world's best airports are just a few features that make Orlando an ideal location. To apply: https://www.jobswithucf.com/postings/43185 **************************************************************** 41. Assoc/Full Prof, Learning Science/EDM/LAK at New York U http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_positions/alt/ect_associate_tenured Assoc/Full Prof, Learning Science/Education Communication and Technology, Tenured/Tenure-Track View ad online: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_positions/alt/ect_associate_tenured The (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/alt/ect) Educational Communication and Technology program in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University invites applications and nominations for an open rank, tenured/tenure-track position in the area of learning, measurement, and assessment with digital media with primary responsibilities in the graduate program. The ECT programs--the Ph.D. in Educational Communication and Technology (ECT), the M.A. and Advanced Certificate in Digital Media Design for Learning (DMDL), and M.S. in Games for Learning (G4L)--offer graduate instruction in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a broad range of digital media-based learning environments, including simulation and games, mobile apps, and online experiences. The programs aspire to contribute to the ideals of social equity and an informed and participatory citizenry through design and scholarship. Qualifications An earned doctorate is required in Learning Sciences, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, Educational Technology, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field. Candidates should have a strong program of theory-based research on the design or use of digital media for learning, measurement, or assessment that advances the field. Research specializations that include new and emerging learning-related areas, such as educational data mining, learning analytics, or visual analytics, are of particular interest. The ECT programs are interested in theoretical and applied research on learning in traditional and nontraditional settings and learning outcomes. Responsibilities In addition to service at the program, school, and university levels, responsibilities will include: (1) engagement in an active program of scholarly research related to the design, use, and study of digital media for learning, teaching, or assessment; (2) design and teaching of courses primarily at the graduate level; (3) advisement and supervision of undergraduates and of graduate student masters theses and doctoral dissertations; (4) development of research grant proposals to appropriate federal agencies, foundations, and private donors. NYU's dynamic Global Network University includes NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU Shanghai, and international programs and academic centers around the world. NYU Steinhardt faculty may have the opportunity to engage in research and teaching at these global study and research sites. New York University is an equal opportunity employer. NYU does not discriminate due to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital or parental status, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, veteran or military status, age, disability, unemployment status or any other legally protected basis, and to the extent permitted by law. Qualified candidates of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. Applications Please apply online with a letter of application, curriculum vitae, up to three research manuscripts or journal articles, and the names and contact information of three references: http://www.nyuopsearch.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=52653 Inquiries and requests for further information should be directed to Jan L. Plass, ECT Program Director and Search Committee Chair, jan.plass(a)nyu.edu Information about the ECT Programs can be found at: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/alt/ect Reviewing of applications will begin on November 1, 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. The starting date for the position is September 1, 2016, and the appointment is on a nine-month schedule. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. NYU provides a competitive benefits package. __________________________________________________________________________________ Jan L. Plass, Paulette Goddard Prof of Digital Media and Learning Sciences Director, Programs in (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/alt/ect/ms) Games for Learning (MS) (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/alt/ect/ma) Digital Media Design for Learning (MA) (http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/alt/ect/phd) Educational Communication and Technology (PhD) Director, (http://create.nyu.edu/) CREATE Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education Co-Director, G4LI Institute for Games for Learning MAGNET (Media and Games Network) Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development New York University Access our simulations and games using (http://create.nyu.edu/dream) DREAM **************************************************************** 42. Open-Rank Faculty Position in Quan Psy, U of Mich https://psychology-lsa.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a2s9hqlu3cgv The Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position. The expected start date is 1 Sep 2016. The primary criterion for appointment is excellence in research and teaching. We are especially interested in candidates whose research program contributes to the development of new quantitative methods. Although the specific research area is open, we are especially interested in applicants for whom quantitative theoretical modeling, which could include computational models, analytic models, statistical models or psychometric models, is an essential part of their research program. The successful candidate will participate in the teaching rotation of graduate-level statistics and methods. Quantitative psychologists from all areas of psychology and related disciplines are encouraged to apply. This is a university-year appointment. Successful candidates must have a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (e.g. Bio-statistics, Psychology) by the time the position starts, and a commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching. New faculty hired at the Assistant Prof level will be expected to establish an independent research program. Please submit a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, a statement of current and future research plans, a statement of teaching philosophy and experience, and evidence of teaching excellence (if any). Applicants should also request at least three letters of recommendation from referees. All materials should be uploaded by September 30, 2015 as a single PDF attachment to https://psychology-lsa.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a2s9hqlu3cgv. For inquiries about the positions please contact Richard Gonzalez (gonzo(a)umich.edu) The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Qualified women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply. The University is supportive of the needs of dual-career couples. Richard L. Lewis rickl(a)umich.edu Prof http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rickl/ Department of Psychology (734) 763-1466 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 **************************************************************** 43. Senior Neuroscientists, Virginia Tech Senior Neuroscientist. Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech (http://www.psyc.vt.edu) seeks a senior neuroscientist to complement recent growth in neuroscience in the department, college, and throughout the university. Exceptional advanced and senior candidates with a focus on human systems are encouraged to apply. Appointment will be made at the Assoc Prof or Prof level, with tenure. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain a vigorous research program, teach effectively at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and participate in professional and university service. Candidates will have opportunities for collaboration with many other established neuroscientists on campus and at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (http://research.vtc.vt.edu) There is also the potential to collaborate with new neuroscientists who will be hired by the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience (launch date expected in 2016; http://www.science.vt.edu/ais/neuro) Questions regarding the Senior Neuroscientist in Psychology position can be directed to Prof. Martha Ann Bell, Chair of Neuroscience Search, Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, (540) 231-2546, mabell(a)vt.edu. More detail and the application process can be found at http://www.jobs.vt.edu (reference posting #TR0150115). Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2015, and continue until the position is filled. **************************************************************** 44. Comp. neuroscience positions at Sandia National Labs [this has passed, but there seem to commonly be positions there] http://www.sandia.gov/careers/ From: Chance, Frances S. (fschanc(a)sandia.gov) comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org We are seeking computational neuroscientists to join our interdisciplinary research program in understanding cognitive function at the neural circuit level. Example research topics of interest include understanding neural circuit function, neural basis of perception, decision-making, learning and memory, and the development and validation of large-scale high-fidelity neural simulations. Multiple positions for varying levels of experience are available. To apply, visit http://www.sandia.gov/careers/ and click 'View All Jobs'. Type the indicated Job ID into the Keywords box to find the appropriate posting. For questions please contact Frances Chance (fschanc(a)sandia.gov) Brad Aimone (jbaimon(a)sandia.gov) or Glory Emmanuel (gremman(a)sandia.gov) Technical Staff (Job ID 647552): The successful applicant for our technical staff position should have a strong background in neuroscience (as evidenced by a PhD in neuroscience, cognitive science, machine learning, or a related field), and experience with current neuroscience research methods and data analysis. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to ongoing projects as well as to develop new lines of research and pursue new funding opportunities. Experience should be commensurate with a beginning assistant prof or higher. Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience (Job ID 647564): An advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) in computational neuroscience or a related area is required for this position, as is a strong record of academic performance and publications. Other required qualifications include competence in C, C++, Matlab, Python, or a related programming language, and excellent written- and oral-communication skills. Postdoctoral Position in Machine Learning/Computer Science (Job ID 647563): An advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) in mathematics or computer science or related area is required for this position; with a preference for those with experience in examining neural computation or developing machine learning approaches based on neural inspiration. Those with focus on mathematics research areas pertinent to neural systems, such as studies of large dynamical systems, high-dimensional statistics, and dimensionality reduction, are particularly encouraged to apply. A strong record of academic performance and publications is required. Other required qualifications include competence in C, C++, Matlab, Python, or a related programming language, and excellent written- and oral-communication skills. **************************************************************** 45. Academic Fellow in Machine Learning, Leeds, due 30sep15 https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=ENGCP1012 University Academic Fellow in Machine Learning (Tenure Track) -- 250 Great Minds https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=ENGCP1012 (DEADLINE: 30:09:2015, note more positions will be open) The University of Leeds wants to recruit 250 University Academic Fellows by 2017 who have the potential to make a major contribution to the University's academic performance and standing -- see http://250greatminds.leeds.ac.uk/. Join us and you will be supported by a structured five year fellowship development programme leading to an Associate Prof role. We are currently advertising for a UAF in Machine Learning. The School of Computing's interests in Machine Learning range from the foundations of learning to applications in data analytics; health, commerce, biology, engineering; and robotics; control, smart factories, security, biological systems. The School has established an international leadership in aspects of machine learning, most notably through spatial reasoning, ontological alignment, and cognitive vision. We are seeking to strengthen our expertise in this field, through an outstanding researcher with the drive and ambition to eventually assume leadership of this activity in the School. We welcome applicants from all aspects of machine learning, but in particular candidates whose research aligns with the major strategic areas of robotics or data analytics. Grade: 8 Salary: ?38k to ?45k Closing Date: 30 Sep 2015 Reference: ENGCP1012 Please apply via: https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=ENGCP1012 **************************************************************** 46. Tenure Track Asst Prof in Cog Psychology at Syracuse https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/61035 As part of our multiyear hiring plan, the Dept of Psychology at Syracuse U invites applications for a full time tenure-track position in Cognitive Psychology to join the Cognition, Brain, & Behavior (CBB) area. The successful candidate is expected to pursue an exceptional program of research using rigorous methods and driven by a strong theoretical foundation to understand fundamental mechanisms underlying cognition. Candidates with a program of research utilizing outstanding quantitative skills will receive special consideration. Applicants for the position should have a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field. Successful candidates will show evidence of (1) high quality scholarship and the potential to build a vigorous program of funded research (2) teaching promise at the undergraduate and graduate levels and (3) promise of excellence in engaging graduate and undergraduate students in research. Responsibilities include maintaining an active program of research, teaching and advising at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and contributing to the CBB program. Information about the department may be found at http://psychology.syr.edu/. CBB has collaborations with the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience program http://neuroscience.syr.edu/index.html. Review of applications will begin 1 Nov 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. The university and department have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. Syracuse U is an equal opportunity, affirmative-action institution. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for these positions. The Dept of Psychology and broader Syracuse community provides a rich and supportive environment for inclusive research involving ethnically and economically diverse populations. Syracuse is located in beautiful Upstate New York. The city and surrounding areas offer outstanding school systems, a modest cost of living, proximity to nature (Adirondack Mountains, Thousand Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes) and easy access to major eastern cities. Several major medical centers, including SUNY Upstate Medical Center and the Syracuse VA Medical Center, are in close proximity to Syracuse University and offer opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Applicants must complete a brief online faculty application at https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/61035. Attach electronic copies of your curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing your research and teaching accomplishments and interests and one representative paper. Three letters of recommendation are required. Detailed instructions for uploading their confidential recommendation letter into the system will be sent to references identified in your application. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and will continue until the position is filled. **************************************************************** 47. Director, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study https://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/36230 Director, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study George Mason U, a public research university located in Fairfax County, Va., is seeking the next Director for the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. The Krasnow Institute seeks to expand understanding of mind, brain, and complex adaptive systems by conducting advanced interdisciplinary research. The Krasnow Institute plays a key role in achieving the university's goal of increased prominence through research. For additional information, please see https://krasnow.gmu.edu/. Responsibilities: The Director of the Krasnow Institute provides overall research and administrative leadership for the institute and reports directly to the Executive Vice President/Provost. The Director is responsible for working closely with faculty in setting the research agenda for the institute--maintaining and enhancing the quality of the institute, working collaboratively with faculty and staff to continuously improve research programs, developing and sustaining relationships between other academic units on campus and in the community, enhancing the reputation of the institute to national and international constituencies, and maintaining sound fiscal management. The Director also will oversee the generation of external resources, including sponsored research funding, philanthropic support, and major gifts. The Krasnow Institute is part of George Mason, which has grown in size, stature and national rankings since its birth less than a half-century ago. Mason is currently the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia, with over 33,000 students from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying over 200 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties with more than 1,400 faculty members. George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Mason's reach is both deep and broad. Its location near Washington, D.C., affords unique resources and opportunities for partnership with external organizations. The university is within 20 miles of over 30 universities and premiere research institutions, and federal agencies and federal laboratories. Fairfax also boasts some of the finest public schools in the country, such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, numerous performing arts and health care facilities, and over 30,000 acres of public parklands to provide a unique quality of life. Qualifications: Applicants must have the ability to lead and manage an interdisciplinary organization that successfully integrates cutting edge research and academic activities relevant to the institute's mission. Applicants should also have demonstrated experience facilitating productive partnerships and a positive reputation with the external community. Applicants for the position must: Hold an earned terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D. or M.D.); Have significant research accomplishments; and Have academic experience in a scientific field connected to the mission of the institute. The ideal candidate will also have: A strong record of accomplishments consistent with tenure at the rank of full prof at a research university; Excellent interpersonal skills; and Demonstrated experience in academic program leadership, and university program development and fundraising. **************************************************************** 48. Computational Social Science, GMU, Junior position https://jobs.gmu.edu/postings/36295 Tenure-Track Assistant Prof, Computational Social Science George Mason U's Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) Department in the College of Science invites applicants for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Prof level. Responsibilities: Beginning Fall 2016, this position is intended to primarily support the Computational Social Science (CSS) Program within CDS, including support of the Ph.D. degree in CSS, a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies, and a CSS certificate. This position will also support undergraduate programs that are currently under development. Qualifications: Potential for success in both research and teaching are the primary criteria for this position. Applicants should have a promising research record, with a deep knowledge of and interest in computation as applied to one or more of the social sciences. While we are open to expertise in all areas of computational social science, we are particularly interested in social network specialists interested in both theory and data. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (expected completion by Aug 2016 is acceptable) from an accredited institution. About the Program: Methodologically, the CSS Program focuses on data-driven social science models using social network and agent-based computational approaches from a complexity perspective. Current faculty members have domain expertise in economics and finance, political science and international relations, geography and geographic information systems, land use and cover change, and public policy. As one of the first programs of its type in the world, CSS has had significant success in both research and professional placement. Our students come from all over the world (the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia) and have been placed at a variety of top universities (e.g., University of Oxford, University College London), at government agencies, as well as in the private sector, including start-up companies. **************************************************************** -30- If you have read this far, try out this podcast on Canadian news: http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/thisisthat_20151008_27451.mp3

Nov. 2, 2015

Focus session on sensorimotor circuits at 2016 APS March Meeting

by Tatyana Sharpee

Dear Colleagues, Please consider submitting an abstract for the next APS March Meeting, and i n particular, for the Focus Session "Physics of Sensorimotor Neural Circuits .” The meeting will take place in Baltimore, MD, on March 14-18, 2016. Abstract submission deadline: November 6, 2015, 5:00pm EST You can submit abstracts for CONTRIBUTED TALKS for this Focus Session and ot hers (see below for a list of session especially relevant to neuroscience). As a session organizer, I’d like to invite you to submit exciting new work o n sensory and/or motor neural systems. The focus session will consist of 2 i nvited talks and ~8 contributed talks. Submission and relevant information is through the APS site: http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/scientific/index.cfm Please note that only APS members (or members of reciprocal societies) can s ubmit the abstracts. You can obtain your membership online. Invited and Focus sessions of relevance to neuroscience will include, among others, 1. Large Scale Neuroscience Projects 2. Theoretical physics and networks of real neurons 3. Inference in Biophysics 4. Principles of Cell-to-Cell communication 5. Brain Morphology and Mechanics: From Cortex Folding to Neuronal Growth to Compression Stiffening 6. Robophysics: physics meets robotics 7. Physics of sensorimotor neural circuits 8. Neural control of behavior 9. Maximum entropy models: a promising link between statistical physics, inf erence, and biology 10. Critical transitions in biological systems Some of the invited speakers include: Vijay Balasubramanian (U Pennsylvania) William Bialek (Princeton U) Gwyneth Card (Janelia Farm) David van Essen (Washington U, St. Loius) Adrienne Fairhall (U Washington) Surya Ganguli (Stanford U) Mark Goldman (UC Davis) Alexei Koulakov (CSHL) Thierry Mora (ENS) Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Hanchuan Peng (Allen Institute) Elad Schneidman (Hebrew U) Terry Sejnowski (Salk Institute) Naftali Tishby (Hebrew U) Gasper Tkacik (IST Austria) and others. We are now accepting abstract submissions for contributed talks on a broad range of topics on the intersection of physics and neuroscience, such as quantitative experimental protocols, modeling of neural dynamics, analysis of collective computation in neural circuits, and others. Best Regards, Tatyana Tatyana O. Sharpee, PhD Associate Professor Helen McLoraine Developmental Chair Computational Neurobiology Laboratory Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA 92037

Oct. 30, 2015

Graduate training in Perception, Brain, & Behavior at UT Austin

by Mary Hayhoe

Graduate training in Perception, Brain, & Behavior at UT Austin The program in Perception, Brain & Behavior at The University of Texas at Austin is encouraging applications for interdisciplinary graduate study in vision sciences, with emphasis on naturalistic tasks and stimuli. Housed in the Department of Psychology, the Institute for Neuroscience, and the Center for Perceptual Systems, our program is a vibrant, growing, and highly-collaborative collection of research laboratories boasting world-class facilities for conducting research in visual perception, visually guided actions, and the underlying neural mechanisms. These facilities include fMRI, eye tracking, head and body tracking, face and facial expression tracking, virtual reality, the collection of 3D time-varying natural scene statistics, computationally-intensive modeling and computer graphics, psychophysics, 2 photon microscopy, optical imaging, and electrophysiology. Funding opportunities are available through an NIH training grant, Research Assistantships, Fellowships, and Teaching Assistantships. Faculty actively engaging in interdisciplinary research in the program include: Dana Ballard: computational neuroscience, machine learning, visuo-motor control Larry Cormack: natural tasks and psychophysics; 3D motion perception Ila Fiete: computational neuroscience, neural coding Bill Geisler: vision and natural scene statistics; computational modeling Mary Hayhoe: eye movements, attention, virtual environments. Alex Huk: sensory-motor decisions, neural mechanisms of motion and depth perception Ian Nauhaus: neural coding, cortical organization, computational neuroscience Nicholas Priebe: neural coding in early visual cortex, intracellular recording Eyal Seidemann: optical imaging and electrophysiology of early visual cortex Max Snodderley: retina and early visual cortex, retinal disease. More information on our research can be found at www.cps.utexas.edu, and we encourage you to contact investigators directly if you are interested in their research. You can apply via the Ph.D. programs in Neuroscience http://neuroscience.utexas.edu/program/ 512-471-3640, neuroscience(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu and Psychology http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/GradProgram/gradhome.html 512-471-6398, gradoffice(a)psy.utexas.edu Mary Hayhoe Center for Perceptual Systems University of Texas Austin 108 E. Dean Keeton Blvd, Stop A8000 Austin TX 78712-1043 hayhoe(a)utexas.edu

Oct. 30, 2015

Cognitive and Information Sciences Ph.D. Program - University of California, Merced

by David Noelle

The Cognitive and Information Sciences graduate program at the University of California, Merced has positions available for Ph.D. students entering Fall 2016. We offer interdisciplinary training in human neural, behavioral, and social processes and their dynamics. The program is research-intensive, and a wide range of projects and collaborations are available for students to join, and take on leading roles as they progress through the program. Topics include language, speech, communication, movement coordination, interpersonal interaction, human-computer interaction, philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, memory, executive control, search, neural networks, learning, and dynamical and complex systems. The word “information” in CIS denotes our emphases on data science and engineering, computational modeling, and technological applications that support and even emulate intelligent behaviors. Students who graduate from our Ph.D. program have career opportunities in academia as well as technology industries. Please visit our program website for information about CIS: http://cogsci.ucmerced.edu/ Applications may be submitted through the graduate division website: http://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/ For full consideration, applications should be received by December 15, although we will continue to accept applications until January 15. Top candidates will be invited and reimbursed to visit the campus February 5-6, to meet with our faculty and students and learn more about the program. Multi-year offers of financial support are available, which include full tuition and competitive stipends. If you have any further questions, please email the faculty member(s) who most closely align with your research interests.

Oct. 29, 2015

Mechanization of Consciousness for the Development of Strong AI

by Lleuvelyn Cacha

*Dear Colleagues,* This book is suitable for anyone interested in strong AI *Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach* http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9444 650pp Feb 2016 ISBN: 978-981-4644-25-9 (hardcover) Normal price * USD158.00* *Contents:* · Preface · Foreword: Addressing the Hard Problem of Consciousness · Contents · Neurobiological Naturalism · The Evolutionary Origins of Consciousness · How Language Evolution Reshaped Human Consciousness · Consciousness by Surprise: A Neuropsychoanalytic Approach to the Hard Problem · Can Qualitative Biophysics Solve the Hard Problem? · The Causal Roots of Integration and the Unity of Consciousness · The Holoinformational Foundations of Consciousness · Neural Transition Dynamics and Conscious Perceptive States · The Two-Brains Hypothesis: Implications for Consciousness · The Origins of the Brain's Endogenous Electromagnetic Field and Its Relationship to Provision of Consciousness · Consciousness as a Quantum Dynamic Effect · Quantum Spin Formalism on Consciousness · The 'Quantum Underground': Where Life and Consciousness Originate · Consciousness in the Universe — An *Updated* Review of the 'Orch OR' Theory · Index *Readership:* Researchers in neuroscience, cognitive science, biophysics, quantum physics and strong AI. Available for Amazon books at a Pre-order Price Guarantee USD$*100.62* http://www.amazon.com/Biophysics-Consciousness-A-Foundational-Approach/dp/9… Lleuvelyn Cacha, PhD

Oct. 29, 2015

Postdoctoral Fellow position

by Jon Sensinger

Postdoctoral Fellow sought in Computational Motor Control / Psychophysics General Summary A Post Doctoral Fellow in computational motor control or psychophysics to join a dynamic multi-disciplinary team at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, studying the internal models that a unique group of upper-limb amputees have. These amputees have had targeted sensory reinnervation surgery such that when their upper arm is touched, it feels like you are touching their hand . This sensation remains stable over time. With funding from the U.S. NIH, our collaborators at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Alberta have developed miniature robotic devices that can apply appropriate feedback throughout the day , and with funding from DARPA we are developing quantitative metrics of feedback incorporation . The role of this post-doctoral position is to quantify if the feedback improves this unique group of amputee's ability to form internal models regarding control of their prosthetic arm or interaction with their environment, ultimately leading to more precise control with less mental effort. The 12-month project is led by Jon Sensinger, PhD, the associate director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) at the University of New Brunswick. Dr. Sensinger's research focuses on developing computational models of how we interact with prosthesis control , along with prosthesis and exoskeleton design and control. IBME includes scientists, engineers, and clinical staff. Principal Responsibilities 1. Develop psychophysics and force-field based experiments to assess the strength of the internal models these subjects have with and without the sensory feedback. 2. Must work in close consultation with engineering, prosthetists, and therapists. 3. Keeps informed of developments in field to maintain and enhance professional expertise; offers suggestions regarding continuing development of program. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required 1. Applicants should have a doctoral degree and relevant research experience in engineering, neuroscience, psychophysics, or a related field. 2. Experience with computational motor control or psychophysics. 3. Awareness of gross anatomy and neural anatomy is preferred. 4. Interpersonal skills necessary to communicate effectively with patients, research subjects, team members, and project collaborators. 5. Analytical skills to select and interpret experiments. 6. Communication skills necessary to write detailed explanatory reports and articles and to verbally communicate results of research at meetings and conferences. Please send a cover letter and C.V. to Dr. Sensinger (j.sensinger(a)unb.ca) for more details. Relevant links: http://www.pnas.org/content/104/50/20061.abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21252109 http://blogs.unb.ca/newsroom/2015/02/09/research-team-receives-up-to-2-5-mi… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEzbuiJi0T0 http://www.ece.unb.ca/jsensing

Oct. 29, 2015

Computational Neuroscience PhD Positions at Emory University and Georgia Tech

by Jaeger, Dieter

Applicants for PhD programs in the field of Computational Neuroscience are encouraged to consider the joint training program in this area at Emory University and Georgia Tech (www.compneurosci.college.emory.edu<http://www.compneurosci.college.emory.edu>). Our faculty span multiple subareas of the discipline ranging from the computational analysis of ion channels to behavioral neuroscience, neural imaging, and neurotechnology in a highly collaborative atmosphere. The computational training program includes students from our Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering PhD programs and involves a set of core classes, a weekly journal club or methods clinic, an annual retreat, and many opportunities for collaborative research projects. All PhD students are fully funded for their tenure at Emory and/or Georgia Tech. Applications are submitted via the Neuroscience training program (http://biomed.emory.edu/PROGRAM_SITES/NS/) with a deadline of December 1 or the Biomedical Engineering program (https://www.bme.gatech.edu/bme/graduate) also with a deadline of December 1. Pre-submission contacts with anyone on the faculty list for the program (http://www.compneurosci.college.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/index.ht…) are welcome and we will be happy to answer such queries. Atlanta is a great place to live and experience all four seasons of the year, with many affordable housing options in close proximity to either campus, and a large range of cultural activities involving almost all nationalities. The biking/hiking/eating culture is exploding. Food and shopping are superb and also internationally diverse, the Appalachians and the oceans are easy weekend destinations, and through the busiest airport in the world (Atlanta Hartsfield) many destinations are easily reached. Authored by: Dieter Jaeger, Dept. of Biology, Emory University; djaeger(a)emory.edu Garrett Stanley, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory; garrett.stanley(a)bme.gatech.edu Robert Butera, Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech; rbutera(a)gatech.edu Robert Liu, Dept. of Biology, Emory University; robert.liu(a)emory.edu ________________________________ 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).

Oct. 28, 2015

Post-doctoral position in Computational Neuroscience, Moreno-Bote, Barcelona

by Ruben Moreno Bote

*Post-doctoral position* *Computational Neuroscience, Moreno-Bote Lab * *University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain* We are looking for strong post-doctoral candidates interested in joining the group of Theoretical Neuroscience of Rubén Moreno-Bote lab. We are looking for excellent post-doctoral candidates with Physics, Mathematics or Machine Learning background, ideally with knowledge of Neuroscience or Computational Neuroscience, and interested in theory and applications. The publication record of the candidate should be very strong in his/her respective discipline. The candidate will develop state of the art mathematical techniques to understand neuronal dynamics and will have access to multielectrode recording neural data. He/she could also be involved in the design of electrophysiology experiments through our collaborators. The candidate will benefit from the stimulating environment of Barcelona area in Theoretical and Systems Neuroscience and will have the opportunity of enjoying a lively city. Our lab (http://www.upf.edu/pdi/ruben-moreno-bote) forms part of a larger network of neuroscience labs in Barcelona ( http://www.barcelonaneuroscience.com) Financial support is provided up to 3 years by a FLAG ERA grant. Our lab has recently moved to a new location, the University Pompeu Fabra, where a large community of researchers works on cognitive and computational neuroscience (http://cbc.upf.edu/?language=en) APPLICATION : A full CV in pdf format, a 1 page project in pdf format, and names and email addresses of 2 referees should be sent to the following address: ruben.moreno(a)upf.edu Informal inquiries are welcome. DEADLINE: up to the position is filled -- Rubén Moreno Bote Serra Húnter Professor Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies University Pompeu Fabra La Nau building, office 51017 08018 Barcelona, Spain http://www.upf.edu/pdi/ruben-moreno-bote

Oct. 28, 2015

Call for participation Neural Synchronization Frontiers Topic

by GUEVARA ERRA RAMON MARIANO

Dear potential authors on the comp-neuro mailing list, This is a call for participation at a special issue (Frontiers Topic) on neural synchronization, that we are currently editing: 'Large-scale neural synchronization and coordinated dynamics: a foundational approach' Web site: http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/4079/large-scale-neural-synchr… Description: A fundamental question in neuroscience is how segregation and integration of information takes place by the temporal coordination of differentiated, specialized brain areas. Neural synchronization is often invoked as a mechanism of coordinated activity, and in the last ten years there has been a great effort to understand its significance, to clarify its physiological and computational roles and its relationship with brain rhythms and abnormal brain functioning (as in epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease). But in a broader sense, synchronization is an old concept, arising from the studies of oscillators in non-linear dynamics. It is indeed a widespread phenomenon, reflecting the coupling between self-oscillating units. However, the association between coupling and coordinated activity is not completely understood in the context of brain dynamics, most critically when this relationship is extended to large networks of interacting neurons. What do we mean when we use the term ‘synchronization’ in neuroscience? How can we measure physical coupling when real experiments can only tell us about temporal statistical correlation? Can we freely use concepts from oscillation theory to describe brain dynamics? In this Research Topic we welcome contributions from different backgrounds and perspectives to promote a deeper understanding of the relationship between neural synchronization and physical coupling between neuronal networks, and its implications for functional connectivity in the normal and the pathological brain. This topic will include, among others, contributions with the following themes: 1) Foundations of large-scale neural synchronization, based on physical theories of oscillation. 2) The computational role and metabolic cost of neural synchronization, and its relation to brain rhythms. 3) Behavioral and cognitive consequences of oscillatory activity in the human brain. 4) Synthesis and state-of-the-art on measuring neural synchronization in experimental settings. 5) Recent methods for the reconstruction of connectivity in oscillatory networks. 6) Applications of the concept of neural coupling and oscillatory activity in a medical setting, such as monitoring and control of neural synchronization in brain pathologies affecting coordination dynamics. Looking forward to have your contributions.Those interested please write to Ramon Guevara (guevara.erra(a)gamil.com) Best wishes, Ramon Guevara Erra University Paris Descartes, Paris, France Jose Luis Perez Velazquez Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Oct. 28, 2015

PhD position: theoretical and computational neuroscience

by K Tsaneva-Atanasova

PhD position in Modelling spine calcium dynamics: implications for synaptic plasticity ----------------------------------------------------------- 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. In order to do this we will develop and analyse 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 web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ALTEREGO - Enhancing Social Interaction with an AlterEgo artificial agent http://www.euromov.eu/alterego/homepage

Oct. 28, 2015

PhD/Postdoctoral Position at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany

by Filip Sobczak

*PhD/Postdoctoral Position at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany * The Department of High-field Magnetic Resonance at the Max Plank Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen is offering one PhD position and one postdoctoral fellow position under the supervision of Dr. Xin Yu (Group Leader at MPI for Biological Cybernetics). This position is open until filled. *Research Description*: Understand and learn to control the brain circuits underlying critical brain states, such as coma or arousal. Potential assignments: a. build up the multi-modal platform to monitor the brain states of rat coma models, e.g. implementing the MRI/EEG/calcium recording methods for global brain state verification. b. target specific nuclei with deep brain optogenetic stimulation methods, potentially involved in developing real-time biofeedback controlling schemes. Experience with signal processing and programming is highly desired*. *The candidates should bear a certain experience or strong interest on brain functional imaging, e.g. task-based BOLD fMRI. The Max Plank Institute for Biological Cybernetics is located in Tübingen, Germany. The High-field Magnetic Resonance Department is equipped with the 3T, 9.4T human MR scanner and 14.1T animal Bruker MR Scanner. The Max Planck Society is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and encourages applications from qualified women and minority candidates. Please send your CV (in English) to Dr. Yu if interested. Contact info: Dr. Xin Yu Research Group leader Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Spemannstrasse 41 72076 Tübingen Germany E-mail: xin.yu(a)tuebingen.mpg.de; phone: 49 7071 601-740 Dr. Yu has published seminal papers on small animal high field MRI in *Nature Neuroscience, Nature Methods, Neuron, PNAS, NeuroImage* etc.

Oct. 28, 2015

2nd Monash Brain Function Workshop --- Multi-modal approaches to understand brain functions

by Naotsugu Tsuchiya

2nd Monash Brain Function Workshop --- Multi-modal approaches to understand brain functions *- Deadline for poster abstracts and early registration: 15 Nov 2015* *- Registration - http://ecommerce.med.monash.edu.au/product.asp?pID=626&cID=2 <http://ecommerce.med.monash.edu.au/product.asp?pID=626&cID=2> * *Date:* Dec 14 (Mon) 2015 *Venue:* Auditorium, Monash Biomedical imaging, 770 Blackburn Rd, Clayton *Overview* The goal of this workshop is to offer an opportunity for neuroscientists from different backgrounds to interact and exchange ideas. Specifically, we encourage participation of neuroscientists who are interested in understanding neural systems involved in perception and behaviour, and those who combine multiple methodologies, such as electrophysiology, advanced signal processing, computational modelling and cognitive neuroscience. Registration: $50 AUD ($25 AUD for students & postdocs or those who are affiliated with ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function) Organizers: Nao Tsuchiya, Nic Price, Alex Fornito, Jeroen van Boxtel, Gary Egan (Monash University) Contact: for questions about this event, please contact Nao Tsuchiya ( naotsugu.tsuchiya(a)monash.edu) Keynote Speakers: Peter Dayan (computational neuroscience, - UCL, UK) Zhaoping Li (computational neuroscience, psychophysics - UCL, UK) *Speakers:* 1. Lucy Palmer (Florey Institute, Neurophysiology) 2. Andrew Zalesky (University of Melbourne, Neuroimaging/Connectome) 3. Masafumi Oizumi (RIKEN BSI, Japan & Monash University, Computational Neuroscience) 4. Peter Bossarts (University of Melbourne, Neuroeconomics) 5. Pascal Molenberghs (Monash University, Social Neuroscience) 6. Jennifer Windt (Monash University, Philosophy/Cognitive Neuroscience) or 7. Maureen Hagan (Monash University, physiology, Neurophysiology) Supported by Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nao (Naotsugu) Tsuchiya, Ph.D. homepage: http://users.monash.edu.au/~naotsugt/Tsuchiya_Labs_Homepage 1. ARC Future Fellow 2. Associate Professor - School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Biomedical and Psychological Sciences, Monash University - Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University http://med.monash.edu.au/psych/email-sig/miccn-email-sig.jpg <http://www.monash.edu/neuro-institute/> orcid.org/0000-0003-4216-8701

Oct. 28, 2015

4 Year Lecturer Position at QUT Across Robotics, Neuroscience and Computer Vision

by Michael Milford

We have a 4 year Lecturer Position available at QUT to work closely with my research group at the boundary between robotics, neuroscience and computer vision, developing Frankenstein models of visual and spatial intelligence that combine the best performing and best understood parts of human, animal and insect brains. Here's the ad: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Some of the highlights: * You'll get to push the boundaries of our understanding of the brain and how we can model it to create new technologies and capabilities for robotics and AI * Minimize that start-up lag: you'll land in the middle of a large research group and have the opportunity to immediately get involved in the supervision of several PhD students working in the area - in fact, your ability to effectively lead and supervise PhD students is critical to this role * Tap into collaborations with some of the world's top roboticists, neuroscientists and computer vision researchers at leading international institutions including David Cox at Harvard University, Michael Hasselmo at Boston University, Andrew Davison at Imperial College London, Barbara Webb at Edinburgh University and many more. * Get access to top local researchers and major projects including the $19,000,000 Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, the $676,000 project this position is associated with, as well as multiple other projects including a $3,000,000 Strategic Investment in Farm Robotics. * You'll have the opportunity to teach into some of the most fun, engaging and fulfilling robotics-related units at our university. Videos of some of the units we teach can be found at https://youtu.be/FBEINbpovBE and https://youtu.be/_2mp98Sk6fQ. * Work in the heart of Brisbane, a modern bustling city of 2 million people, located near to amazing beaches and vast swathes of untouched wilderness. If you love hiking / running / cycling / swimming / surfing / parasailing, you can find it here. Catch a short flight and you're on the Great Barrier Reef or in the Barossa Valley. * Be immersed in a large, very successful and sociable robotics group of more than a hundred academics, postdocs and students, in a brand new building space. Here's the ad again: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Best regards, Michael Michael Milford Associate Professor | ARC Future Fellow | Microsoft Faculty Fellow | Chief Investigator, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision Australian Centre for Robotic Vision | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science School Science and Engineering Faculty | Queensland University of Technology [banner_tedxqut]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_U7qIjvMJw> S Block, Room S1110, Gardens Point Campus ph 3138 9969 | email michael.milford(a)qut.edu.au<mailto:c.degroot@qut.edu.au> CRICOS No 00213J More information available at: https://wiki.qut.edu.au/display/cyphy/Michael+Milford Google Scholar Profile: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TDSmCKgAAAAJ&hl=en MilfordRobotics Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/milfordrobotics * Highlighted Publications * * Review of Robotics and Biological Navigation Principles- "Principles of goal-directed spatial robot navigation in biomimetic models", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, link http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/369/1655/20130484 * Visual Place Recognition Under Extreme Perceptual Change - "SeqSLAM: Visual route-based navigation for sunny summer days and stormy winter nights", International Conference on Robotics and Automation, link http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6224623 * Navigating without GPS, using only a web camera - "Mapping a Suburb with a Single Camera using a Biologically Inspired SLAM System", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, link http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4627450 * Continual mapping and navigation over a 2 week office delivery robot experiment - "Persistent Navigation and Mapping using a Biologically Inspired SLAM System", International Journal of Robotics Research, http://ijr.sagepub.com/content/29/9/1131.abstract * Combining robotics, neuroscience and animal navigation to manage uncertainty when navigating - "Solving Navigational Uncertainty Using Grid Cells on Robots", PLoS Computational Biology, http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000995

Oct. 28, 2015

CORRECTION: Neural network modelling of motor control: 30 week postdoctoral position in New Zealand

by Alistair Knott

We are seeking applications for a short-term postdoctoral researcher, to develop a neural network model of the learning and execution of actions that move an effector or controlled target object along a prespecified trajectory. The project will focus on movements that bring an agent’s hand into a goal location, or that transport an object carried by the hand to a goal place: for instance, the kinds of movement described by the sentences ‘John put his hand on the table’ or ‘Mary put the cup onto the table’. In such actions, there is evidence that the controlled object’s trajectory is defined in a coordinate system centred on the environment: for instance, that the hand or the cup moves in a relatively straight line in Cartesian space in simple point-to-point actions (see e.g. Cisek, 2005). The focus of the project is to model the mechanism that learns to map motor actions, defined in motor coordinates, onto environment-centred trajectories. The modelling work will contribute to an ongoing project modelling the interface between sensorimotor mechanisms and natural language, and will extend an existing model of the learning and control of motor actions. Cisek, P (2005). Neural representations of motor plans, desired trajectories, and controlled objects. Cognitive Processes 6:15–24. The fixed-term position is for 30 weeks, starting in February or March 2016, on the Postdoctoral Fellow salary scale ($74,046 per annum). It is based at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Otago in New Zealand, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Alistair Knott. The department has an active neural networks programme with five academic staff working in this area, and two more working in related areas of computer vision. If you have questions about the project, please contact Alistair Knott (alik(a)cs.otago.ac.nz) See here for more information about this position, including details about how to apply. The deadline for applications is November 22nd 2015. Otago University is in Dunedin, a university town on the South-East coast of New Zealand's South Island. Dunedin sits on a spectacular harbour, with unspoiled beaches for wildlife and surfing, and lies within a few hours' drive of Queenstown and Wanaka in the Southern Alps.

Oct. 28, 2015

Postdoctoral position: theoretical and computational neuroscience (Fiete group)

by Ila Fiete

Postdoctoral position in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience ----------------------------------------------------------- The neural coding and dynamics group at the University of Texas at Austin, led by Ila Fiete, has an open postdoctoral position. We are looking for candidates trained in quantitative fields whose interest has turned to the study of neural circuits. Interests in the group range from cortical codes to short-term memory, circuit dynamics that underlie non-trivial cognitive computations, the effects of noise on neural computation, error-correcting codes, spatial navigation, quantitative data analysis, and the self-organization of circuits through unsupervised and reinforcement learning. For more information, please visit http://clm.utexas.edu/fietelab/. The initial appointment will be for 1 year with a possibility of extension for a total of 3 years. Environment: The Center for Learning and Memory and the Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin consist of an energetic mix of junior and senior faculty who use imaging, electrophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, psychology, physics, and computer science techniques to study the brain. UT Austin has top-ranked programs in computer science, engineering, non-linear dynamical systems, mathematics and the sciences, and the Fiete group enjoys collaborative interactions with members from several of these departments. Austin is the 11th-largest and 1st fastest-growing US city, home to a high density of technology and Fortune 500 corporations. It supports a thriving live-music scene, extensive outdoor facilities for sports and a year-round climate conducive to their pursuit. To Apply: Candidates with strong quantitative training (e.g. a Ph.D. or expected Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, or Engineering by the start date of the position) and evidence of scientific achievement are invited to apply. Knowledge of neuroscience is a plus. Please send 1) a CV or resume, 2) a statement of past research, 3) a statement of future research interests/plans, and 4) arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be directly sent by the writers to ilafiete(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu <mailto:ilafiete@mail.clm.utexas.edu>. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; applications received by November 15 are guaranteed to receive full consideration.

Oct. 27, 2015

tenure track position in Stochastic Processes & Applications at Tufts

by Borgers, Christoph

This is not a position in computational neuroscience, but may be a good match for some subscribers to this list. Christoph Börgers Tufts University, Department of Mathematics Probability, Stochastic Processes, and their Applications Tenure Track Assistant Professor Applications are invited for a tenure-track Assistant Professorship, to begin July 1, 2016. A Ph.D. in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field; promise of strong teaching; and evidence of strong research are required. A research focus on Probability, Stochastic Processes, and their applications is required. Experience in areas of research of specific interest to departmental members, such as stochastic differential equations or uncertainty quantification, is a plus. The successful candidate will be expected to interact with other researchers in the department, to have a desire and willingness to collaborate with Tufts researchers outside the department, and to teach four courses a year, which may include our upper level/graduate courses in probability, statistics, and real analysis. Applicants should submit a cover letter that includes short statements on the focus of their research as well as their ability and interest in collaborating with Tufts researchers both inside and outside the department, a curriculum vitae, a research statement, and a teaching statement. These documents should be submitted electronically through http://www.mathjobs.org<http://www.mathjobs.org/>. In addition, applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted electronically on their behalf through http://www.mathjobs.org<http://www.mathjobs.org/>. If a recommender cannot submit online, we will also accept signed PDF attachments sent to Misha.Kilmer(a)tufts.edu<mailto:Misha.Kilmer@tufts.edu> or paper letters mailed to the Probability/Stochastic Processes Search Committee Chair, Department of Mathematics, Bromfield-Pearson Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2015, and will continue until the position is filled. Tufts University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty. Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Oct. 27, 2015

Post-Doc Opening in Biosignal Analysis for Assistive Technologies

by Giacinto Barresi

===> Post-Doc Opening in Biosignal Analysis for Assistive Technologies Info: http://iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/advanced-robotics-openings/3… The Biomedical Robotics Lab at the Department of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), (http://www.iit.it/en/advr-labs/biomedical-robotics-lab-new.html ), an English-speaking research Institute, is looking for a highly motivated, full-time postdoctoral research fellow to work in the area of biosignal analysis for assistive technologies. This position is dedicated to research and development of novel solutions for the processing and analysis of biosignals in the context of the project TEEP-SLA, funding by Fondazione Roma. This is a new project that proposes the creation of novel assistive technologies for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients. We are especially looking into satisfying the patients’ social interaction and communication needs with innovative patient interfaces and associated robotic technologies. We are looking for an outstanding scientist with a PhD in biomedical engineering, robotics, or other fields related to brain-computer interfaces or biomedical signal processing. The successful candidate will mainly focus on EEG signal processing techniques for BCI, but the work shall also consider the contribution of other indices of patient internal conditions (like temperature and skin conductance) as integrative sources of information for interaction with technological devices. The scientist will work in a multidisciplinary team including roboticists, biomedical engineers, interaction researchers and healthcare professionals. Field studies (involving patients, their relatives, and healthcare professionals) will be an integral part of the work, serving both to refine system specifications and to assess new technologies. This research will advance the state of the art in biosignal analysis for BCIs, enabling greatly enhanced patient experience during the use of assistive communication and social interaction systems. The position includes theoretical and hands-on research, supervision of PhD students, and support with the general activities of the lab. Desired qualifications: - PhD degree in biomedical engineering, robotics, or related fields. - Experience in biosignal analysis, preferably EEG signal processing for BCI applications. - Excellent publication record in biomedical signal processing. - Experience with tools for real-time data acquisition and online feature extraction. - Experience with machine learning techniques. - Experience interfacing computer systems and technological (e.g. robotic) devices. - Strong interest in assistive technologies and in field studies. - Creativity and proactive attitude. - Strong communication and English language skills (written and spoken) - Independent and persistent personality, strong team player The salary will depend on qualifications and experience and will include additional health benefits. To apply, please send electronically (1) your detailed CV with list of publications, (2) university transcripts, (3) your best first-author paper, (4) a cover letter outlining motivation and statement of research interests/plan and (5) contact information of at least two references to leonardo.mattos(a)iit.it by November 15th, 2015 stating “TEEP-SLA Post-Doc” in the subject of the e-mail. Only complete applications will be evaluated. Please note that this position is contingent on the signature of the relevant Grant agreement. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), with its headquarters in Genova, Italy, is a non-profit institution with the primary goal of creating and disseminating scientific knowledge and strengthening Italy’s technological competitiveness. The institute offers state-of-the-art equipment and a top-level interdisciplinary research environment focused on robotics and computer vision, neuroscience, drug discovery, nanoscience and technology. In order to comply with Italian law (art. 23 of Privacy Law of the Italian Legislative Decree n. 196/03), the candidate is kindly asked to give his/her consent to allow IIT to process his/her personal data. We inform you that the information you provide will be solely used for the purpose of assessing your professional profile to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, with its headquarters in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as the Data Holder, using computer and paper-based means, observing the rules on the protection of personal data, including those relating to the security of data. Please also note that, pursuant to art. 7 of Legislative Decree 196/2003, you may exercise your rights at any time as a party concerned by contacting the Data Manager. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Info: http://iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/advanced-robotics-openings/3… Giacinto Barresi, PhD Research Fellow Biomedical Robotics Laboratory Advanced Robotics (ADVR) Department Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova (Italy) Mobile: +39 331 9835396 Email: giacinto.barresi(a)iit.it Webpage: http://www.iit.it/en/people/giacinto-barresi

Oct. 27, 2015

Deadline extension: FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 || March 20 - 24, 2016 - Rome, Italy

by Cristina Pascual

INVITATION: ================= Please consider to contribute to and/or forward to the appropriate groups the following opportunity to submit and publish original scientific results to: - FUTURE COMPUTING 2016, The Eighth International Conference on Future Computational Technologies and Applications The submission deadline is November 17, 2015. Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit extended article versions to one of the IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org ================= ============== FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 | Call for Papers =============== CALL FOR PAPERS, TUTORIALS, PANELS FUTURE COMPUTING 2016, The Eighth International Conference on Future Computational Technologies and Applications General page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/FUTURECOMPUTING16.html Submission page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/SubmitFUTURECOMPUTING16.html Events schedule: March 20 - 24, 2016 - Rome, Italy Contributions: - regular papers [in the proceedings, digital library] - short papers (work in progress) [in the proceedings, digital library] - ideas: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - extended abstracts: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - presentations: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - demos: two pages [posted at www.iaria.org] - doctoral forum submissions: [in the proceedings, digital library] Proposals for: - mini symposia: see http://www.iaria.org/symposium.html - workshops: see http://www.iaria.org/workshop.html - tutorials: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] - panels: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] Submission deadline: November 17, 2015 Sponsored by IARIA, www.iaria.org Extended versions of selected papers will be published in IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org Print proceedings will be available via Curran Associates, Inc.: http://www.proceedings.com/9769.html Articles will be archived in the free access ThinkMind Digital Library: http://www.thinkmind.org The topics suggested by the conference can be discussed in term of concepts, state of the art, research, standards, implementations, running experiments, applications, and industrial case studies. Authors are invited to submit complete unpublished papers, which are not under review in any other conference or journal in the following, but not limited to, topic areas. All tracks are open to both research and industry contributions, in terms of Regular papers, Posters, Work in progress, Technical/marketing/business presentations, Demos, Tutorials, and Panels. Before submission, please check and comply with the editorial rules: http://www.iaria.org/editorialrules.html FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 Topics (for topics and submission details: see CfP on the site) Call for Papers: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/CfPFUTURECOMPUTING16.html ============================================================ Special sessions: Special sessions on "Memristor-based Computation and Technologies" Special sessions on "Quantum Computing" General tracks Computational intelligence strategies Cognitive computing; Intelligent computation; Ambient computing; Unconventional computing; Indeterminist computing; Adaptive computation; Autonomic computation; Computation under uncertainty; Chaotic computation; Intentional computing; Anticipative computing; Evolutionary computing Mechanism-oriented computing Spatial computation; Elastic computing; Human-centered computing; Embedded computing; Entertainment computing; Time-sensitive/temporal computing; Soft computing (fuzzy logic, neural computing, evolutionary computation, machine learning, and probabilistic reasoning + belief networks, + chaos theory + learning theory) Large-scale computing strategies Distributed computing; Parallel computing; Macro- and micro-computing; Activity-based computing; Data intensive computing; Resource-constraint computing; Grid computing; Cloud computing; Cluster computing; On-demand computing; Ubiquitous/pervasive computing; Memristor Computing; Unconventional computing; Evolutionary computing Computing technologies Quantum computing; Optical computing; DNA (genetic) computing; Molecular computing; Reversible computing; Billiard Ball computing; Neuronal computing; Magnetic computing; Gloopware computing; Moldy computing; Water wave-based computing; Graphene-based computing Quantum Computing Quantum computing models; Quantum complexity theory; Qubits; Non-deterministic and Probabilistic Computers; Quantum algorithms; Quantum computational operations; Scalable quantum computing; Quantum teleportation; Quantum cryptography; Quantum simulation; Quantum decoherence; Quantum gravity; Physical implementation of quantum computers Technology-oriented computing Peer-to-Peer computing; Mobile computing; Sensor-based computing; Wireless computing; Trusted computing; Financial computing; Genetic computation ------------------------ FUTURE COMPUTING 2016 Committee: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/ComFUTURECOMPUTING16.html ========================

Oct. 27, 2015

Comp-neuro: Postdoc/Assistant Professor & visiting professor positions

by Maro Machizawa

Dear potential applicants on the Comp-neuro mailing list, Please see below for an announcement for: A position of postdoc/assistant professor (research) and visiting opportunities for associate/full professors at the Center for KANSEI Innovation at Hiroshima University, Japan. Looking forward to hearing from motivated candidates. Best Wishes, --- The Center for KANSEI Innovation, newly launched in 2013 at the Hiroshima University (one of top ten Japanese universities), is seeking computational/mathematical neuroscientists from overseas. Under the new, exciting scheme of government-funded project, COI STREAM, our mission is to innovate research developments foreseeing 10 years in the future. The center’s mission is to drive radical innovation on KANSEI— a Japanese term corresponding to emergent properties of our feelings, sensations, or emotions that are expressed and embedded in our complex neural and physiological responses. One of our primary missions is to create brain emotion interfaces, which is to bridge mental gaps amongst people, enriching our mental quality of life. The center is fully equipped with our own MRI scanner (Siemens Verio 3T) with EEG, eye-tracker, TMS, and tACS/tDCS facilities, as well as several physiological-measurement equipments, plus a shared access to an MEG facility. Full-time research lecturer (assistant professor)/Postdoc: The successful candidate for the full-time positions has expertise in mathematical models on data collected from multimodal environment (i.e., fMRI and EEG as well as various physiological responses). Expertise in machine learning, computational engineering, and/or brain computer interface is necessary. High interpersonal skills are expected as well to interact with a large group of talented, interdisciplinary colleagues from universities and industries with various backgrounds in a friendly, open-minded environment. Contract will be updated annually. The position is available now. Visiting professor (on sabbatical): We are also seeking visiting professors on a sabbatical with background including but not limited to computational/mathematical neurosciences. Expertise in other fields related to neuroscience and engineering are welcome. A period to visit is negotiable, but until year 2020. For both positions, salaries are depending on your experiences and a regulation set by the Hiroshima University Faculty Members employed under annual salary system. About Hiroshima: The center is located at the heart of a beautiful city of Hiroshima, which is the biggest city around the Chugoku region on the main island in Japan. Hiroshima is well known for its fruitful resources for activities, nature, and high-quality cuisines. Our website: http://coikansei.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/ For more details, or to apply (with your CV), send an email to: recruit(a)coikansei.hiroshima-u.ac.jp --- Maro Machizawa, PhD (Neurology) Assistant Professor Dept. Psychiatry & Neurosciences Center for KANSEI Innovation TEL: +81(0)82-257-1722; FAX: +81(0)82-257-1723

Oct. 27, 2015

CfP: ICLR 2016 - Conference Track (updated)

by Hugo Larochelle

Update: Submissions and the review process, with a single round of reviewing, will again this year be supported by CMT rather than OpenReview.net<http://OpenReview.net>. We hope to use OpenReview.net<http://OpenReview.net> in the near future. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Website: http://www.iclr.cc/ Submission deadline for title and abstract: November 12th, 2:00pm Pacific Standard Time, 2015 Submission deadline for arXiv paper ID: November 19th, 2:00pm Pacific Standard Time, 2015 Location: Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 Overview -------- It is well understood that the performance of machine learning methods is heavily dependent on the choice of data representation (or features) on which they are applied. The rapidly developing field of representation learning is concerned with questions surrounding how we can best learn meaningful and useful representations of data. We take a broad view of the field, and include in it topics such as deep learning and feature learning, metric learning, kernel learning, compositional models, non-linear structured prediction, and issues regarding non-convex optimization. Despite the importance of representation learning to machine learning and to application areas such as vision, speech, audio and NLP, there was no venue for researchers who share a common interest in this topic. The goal of ICLR has been to help fill this void. A non-exhaustive list of relevant topics: - unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised representation learning - metric learning and kernel learning - dimensionality expansion - sparse modeling - hierarchical models - optimization for representation learning - learning representations of outputs or states - implementation issues, parallelization, software platforms, hardware - applications in vision, audio, speech, natural language processing, robotics, neuroscience, or any other field The program will include keynote presentations from invited speakers, oral presentations, and posters. As usual, ICLR will feature two tracks: a Conference Track and a Workshop Track. However, this year, conference and workshop submissions will be reviewed separately, in two different periods. This call for paper is thus only for conference contributions. Workshop submissions will be received a few months before the conference and be subject to a lighter review. A future call for papers will be sent with more details on the Workshop Track. Note that some of the submitted papers that are not accepted to the Conference Track will be invited to be presented under the Workshop Track. ICLR Submission Instructions ---------------------------- 1. By November 12th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) authors are asked to submit through CMT the title, abstract, author list, subject areas and a draft of their paper: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/ICLR2016Conference/ 2. Then, as soon as possible, authors must post on arXiv their submission: http://arxiv.org<http://arxiv.org/> . 3. Finally, by November 19th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time), authors must update their submission in CMT with the arXiv ID of their finalized paper. They must also update their PDF submission within CMT. Note that there can be up to 3 days of delay between sending a manuscript on arXiv and receiving your arXiv ID. It is thus important to post your submission on arXiv early. Note also that you can always update your submission on arXiv later on. Submissions without an arXiv ID after November 19th will be automatically removed from CMT. For more information on paper preparation, including the mandatory style files, please see http://www.iclr.cc/ . Submission deadline: November 12th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) for title, abstract and preliminary draft, November 19th (2:00pm Pacific Standard Time) for arXiv ID and final submission PDF. Notes: i. Regarding the conference submission's 6-9 page limits, these are really meant as guidelines and will not be strictly enforced. For example, figures should not be shrunk to illegible size to fit within the page limit. However, in order to ensure a reasonable workload for our reviewers, papers that go beyond the 9 pages should be formatted to include a 9 page submission, with supplementary material appended at the end of the manuscript and clearly marked as an appendix, which will be optionally reviewed. ii. Paper revisions will be permitted, and in fact are encouraged, in response to comments from and discussions with the reviewers (see "An Open Reviewing Paradigm" below). An Open Reviewing Paradigm -------------------------- 1. Submissions to ICLR are posted on arXiv prior to being submitted to the conference. 2. Authors submit their paper to the ICLR conference track via the CMT ICLR 2016 conference track website. 3. After the authors have submitted their papers via CMT, the ICLR program committee designates anonymous reviewers as usual. 4. The submitted reviews are published without the name of the reviewer, but with an indication that they are the designated reviews. 5. Anyone can openly (non-anonymously) write and publish comments on the paper. Anyone can ask the program chairs for permission to become an anonymous designated reviewer (open bidding). The program chairs have ultimate control over the publication of each anonymous review. Open commenters will have to use their real names. 6. Authors can post comments in response to reviews and comments. They can revise the paper as many times as they want, possibly citing some of the reviews. Reviewers are expected to revise their reviews in light of paper revisions. 7. The review calendar includes a generous amount of time for discussion between the authors, anonymous reviewers, and open commentators. The goal is to improve the quality of the final submissions. 8. The ICLR program and area chairs will consider all submitted papers, comments, and reviews and will decide which papers are to be presented in the conference track, which will be invited to be presented in the workshop track, and which will not appear at ICLR. 9. Papers that are presented in the workshop track or are not accepted will be considered non-archival, and may be submitted elsewhere (modified or not), although the ICLR site will maintain the reviews, the comments, and the links to the arXiv versions. Organizers ---------- Yoshua Bengio, Université de Montreal, General Chair Yann LeCun, New York University and Facebook, General Chair Hugo Larochelle, Twitter and Université de Sherbrooke, Senior Program Chair Brian Kingsbury, IBM Watson Group, Program Chair Samy Bengio, Google, Program Chair Contact ------- The organizers can be contacted at iclr2016.programchairs(a)gmail.com<mailto:iclr2016.programchairs@gmail.com>

Oct. 26, 2015

PDF Job: Computational Modeling of Neural Population Dynamics

by Andrew Pruszynski

Postdoctoral Fellow: Computational Modeling of Neural Population Dynamics We are looking for one full-time postdoctoral fellow for a collaborative project between Dr. Andrew Pruszynski, Dr. Jörn Diedrichsen and Dr. Martinez-Trujillo. This position offers the unique opportunity to analyze and model data from both multi-unit electrophysiological recordings and high-resolution functional imaging studies. The project is primarily computational in nature, involving multivariate analysis and modeling of large-scale neural networks during sensory-motor, decision, and navigation tasks. Our labs use a broad range of methods, including single-unit and multi-unit recordings, behavioural experiments, high-resolution functional imaging at 7T, and computational modelling. Applicants must have a strong mathematical and/or technical background and should have previous publications in computational neuroscience broadly defined. Our laboratories are located at the Brain and Mind Institute and Robarts Research Institute, both at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Systems and cognitive neuroscience are key areas of research strength at Western University with more than 25 Principal Investigators and nearly 200 trainees. A PhD degree in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, engineering, kinesiology, or related fields is required. Annual salary depends on the level of experience but will be no less than $42,000. Initial appointments will be for a period of 1 year, with possibility for renewal. Further inquiries and applications including a CV and a statement of research interest should be sent by email to: andrew.pruszynski(a)uwo.ca. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Oct. 26, 2015

10 Open PhD Positions in Frankfurt, Germany: International Max Planck Research School for Neural Circuits

by Jochen Triesch

Call for Applications IMPRS for Neural Circuits The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Neural Circuits was funded in 2011 by the Max Planck Society and offers ten positions every year for excellent students holding a relevant Master´s or Bachelor´s degree to perform research resulting in a PhD. The program is taught in English. All positions are completely funded by the school and/or participating Labs. The common focus of the IMPRS for Neural Circuits will be the understanding of neural circuits (from the simple to the large and complex), at all scales required to achieve this understanding. This ambitious objective will require analyses at the molecular, cellular, multi-cellular, network and behavioral levels, with the full understanding that macroscopic phenomena (spatial patterns, dynamics) can be scale-dependent, and that reductionism is not always sufficient as a method. In the IMPRS for Neural Circuits we offer a multidisciplinary program to excellent doctoral students with backgrounds in neuroscience, mathematics, physics, computer science, (bio) chemistry, biology and medicine as well as research experience in the participating institutions of the Frankfurt Neuroscience community (see website for participating Faculty members). Students will participate in a tailor-made educational program including research rotations and neuroscience classes but also in trainings in transferable skills. We welcome excellent students to apply to the program. Till January 15, 2016, it will be possible to apply for a position starting in the Fall of 2015. You can apply via our electronic registration system. After the deadline, the Faculty members will select around 25 students to participate in the interview symposium in Frankfurt (March 2016). Shortly after the symposium, the students will receive a letter with an offer or rejection. More information can be found on our website www.imprs.brain.mpg.de. Please send an email to Dr. Arjan Vink, arjan.vink(a)brain.mpg.de, if you have more specific questions. -- Prof. Dr. Jochen Triesch Johanna Quandt Research Professor Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~triesch/ Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47531 Fax: +49 (0)69 798-47611

Oct. 25, 2015

[INNS-BigData 2016] Call for Papers

by Teng Teck Hou

[Apologies for cross-postings] ########################################### The INNS Big Data conference 2016 October 23-25, 2016, Thessaloniki, Greece CALL FOR PAPERS ########################################### Homepage: http://www.innsbigdata.org ########################################### Big data is not just about storage of and access to data. Analytics play a big role in making sense of that data and exploiting its value. But learning from big data has become a significant challenge and requires development of new types of algorithms. Most machine learning algorithms can't easily scale up to big data. Plus there are challenges of high-dimensionality, velocity and variety. The neural network field has historically focused on algorithms that learn in an online, incremental mode without requiring in-memory access to huge amounts of data. This type of learning is not only ideal for streaming data (as in the Industrial Internet or the Internet of Things), but could also be used on stored big data. Neural network technologies thus can become significant components of big data analytics platforms and this inaugural INNS Conference on Big Data will begin that collaborative adventure with big data and other learning technologies. Thus the aim of this conference is to promote new advances and research directions in efficient and innovative algorithmic approaches to analyzing big data (e.g. deep networks, nature-inspired and brain-inspired algorithms), implementations on different computing platforms (e.g. neuromorphic, GPUs, clouds, clusters) and applications of Big Data Analytics to solve real-world problems (e.g. weather prediction, transportation, energy management). Awards ########################################################### * Best papers will be selected and awarded as follows: - Best regular paper - Best student paper * This will be based on a combination of reviewers' comments, presentations and importance and quality judged by a panel. * Best paper awards (500 Euros) are donated by the sponsor Springer Verlag, Germany and will be commemorated by a certificate. ########################################################### Important Dates ########################################################### Special Session Proposals February 15, 2016 Tutorials and Workshops Proposals February 15, 2016 Paper Submission March 21, 2016 Paper Decision Notification May 16, 2016 Camera Ready Submission of papers June 13, 2016 ########################################################### Co-Sponsors * International Neural Network Society (INNS) * Springer Plenary Speakers * Francesco Bonchi, Yahoo Research Labs and ISI, Italy * Piotr Mirowski, Google DeepMind, London, UK * Hany Choueri, The Chief Data Scientist, Bank of England, UK (tbc) Advisory Board * Walter Freeman, University of California, Berkeley, USA * Ali Minai, University of Cincinnati, USA * Danil Prokhorov, Toyota Tech Center * Theodore Trafalis, University of Oklahoma, USA * Kumar Venayagamoorthy, Clemson University, USA * Bernard Widrow, Stanford University, USA General Chairs * Plamen Angelov, Lancaster University, UK * Yannis Manolopoulos, Aristotle University, Greece PC Chairs * Lazaros Iliadias, Democritus University, Greece * Asim Roy, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA * Marley Vellasco, PUC-Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Special Sessions Chairs * Alessandro Ghio, University of Genoa, Italy * Irwin King, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China Tutorials/Workshops Chair * Nikola Kasabov, Auckland Universitty of Technology, New Zealand * Bernardete Ribeiro, University of Coimbra, Portugal Poster Session Chairs * Yi Lu Murphy, University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA * Liang Zhao, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil Awards Chair * Araceli Sanchis de Miguel, Carlos III University, Spain Competitions Chair Adel Alimi, University of Sfax, Tunisia Panel Chair * Leonid Perlovsky, Harvard University, Boston, USA Sponsors/Exhibit Chairs * James Dankert, BAE Systems, USA * Rosemary Paradis, Lockheed Martin, USA Publication Chairs * Danilo Mandic, Imperial College, London, UK * Mariette Awad, American University of Beirut, Lebanon International Liaison * De-Shuang Huang, Tongji University, Shanghai, China * Petia Georgieva, University of Aveiro, Portugal Publicity Chairs, * Teng Teck Hou, Singapore Management University, Singapore * Simone Scardapane, The Sapienza University of Rome, Italy * Jose Antonio Iglesias Martinez, Carlos III University, Spain Paper Submission and Publication ########################################################### * Original works submitted as a regular paper limited to a maximum of 10 pages in Springer format will be published in the proceedings to be available electronically as a Springer book to download for delegates. * It will be peer-reviewed by at least three PC members on the basis of technical quality, relevance, originality, significance and clarity. * At least one author of an accepted submission to the conference should register with a regular fee to present their work at the conference. ########################################################### Topics and Areas include, but not limited to: * Autonomous, online, incremental learning - theory, algorithms and applications in big data * High dimensional data, feature selection, feature transformation - theory, algorithms and applications for big data * Scalable algorithms for big data * Learning algorithms for high-velocity streaming data * Big data streams analytics * Deep neural network learning * Machine vision and big data * Brain-machine interfaces and big data * Cognitive modeling and big data * Embodied robotics and big data * Fuzzy systems and big data * Evolutionary systems and big data * Evolving systems for big data analytics * Neuromorphic hardware for scalable machine learning * Parallel and distributed computing for big data analytics (cloud, map-reduce, etc.) * Big data and collective intelligence/collaborative learning * Big data and hybrid systems * Big data and self-aware systems * Big Data and infrastructure * Big data analytics and healthcare/medical applications * Big data analytics and energy systems/smart grids * Big data analytics and transportation systems * Big data analytics in large sensor networks * Big data and machine learning in computational biology, bioinformatics * Recommendation systems/collaborative filtering for big data * Big data visualization * Online multimedia/ stream/ text analytics * Link and graph mining * Big data and cloud computing, large scale stream processing on the cloud

Oct. 25, 2015

MIT postdoc position in AI/neuroscience/physics

by Max Tegmark

The MIT Physics Department invites applications for a postdoctoral research position to work with Professor Max Tegmark on the physics of cognitive systems, in close collaboration with Tomaso Poggio, Edward Boyden and others associated with the Center for Brains, Minds & Machines (https://cbmm.mit.edu/about/people) Research interests at the interface of theoretical physics, computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence are a strong plus. Candidates interested in exploring ways to test theories with the state-of-the-art data we are measuring here are particularly welcome. Applicants should upload a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a brief description of research interests and goals at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/6492 and should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be uploaded to this site by December 1, 2015. A Ph.D. in physics or physics-related discipline, such as AI or computational neuroscience, is required by the start of employment. Any inquiries should be sent to tegmark(a)mit.edu. MIT is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.

Oct. 25, 2015

NEURAL COMPUTATION - November 1, 2015

by Terry Sejnowski

Neural Computation - Volume 27, Number 11 - November 1, 2015 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/27/11 ----- Article STICK: Spike Time Interval Computational Kernel, a Framework for General Purpose Computation Using Neurons, Precise Timing, Delays, and Synchrony Xavier Lagorce, Ryad Benosman Letters Visual Decisions in the Presence of Measurement and Stimulus Correlations Manisha Bhardwaj, Samuel Carroll, Wei Ji Ma, and Kresimir Josic Hierarchical Error Representation: A Computational Model of Anterior Cingulate and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex. William H. Alexander, Joshua W Brown Bayesian Feature Selection With Strongly-regularizing Priors Maps to the Ising Model Charles K. Fisher, Pankaj Mehta A Novel Parameter Estimation Method for Boltzmann Machine Takashi Takenouchi Bandit-Based Task Assignment for Heterogeneous Crowdsourcing Hao Zhang, Yao Ma, and Masashi Sugiyama ------------ 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 ------------

Oct. 24, 2015

2x Post-Doctoral Positions (Faisal Lab @ Imperial College London)

by Faisal, Aldo A

Dear Colleagues We are looking to hire two 3-year PostDoctoral Research Fellows in the areas of computational neuroscience, eye movements & motor control with the opportunity of translating their basic research into immediately useful clinical applications for movement impaired citizens. The projects focus on two core areas of our lab: 1. action intention decoding from natural eye movements (and translation into control of robotic manipulators with spinal cord injury patients). 2. quantifying natural sensory and movement statistics of humans in daily life using our wearable technology to capture 70% of sensory input and 90% of movement output in people's life. and characterise these in terms of hierarchical structure of behaviour and sparse coding of movement. The ideal backgrounds for these Research Fellowships are computational neuroscience or computational motor control. The hardware and translation aspects for these projects are being custom-developed for the Research Fellows by our industry partners. Similarly, work with patients is supported by our clinical partners. Our Brain & Behaviour Laboratory is truly multi-disciplinary, dynamic and co-located between the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Computing at Imperial College in the centre of London. Out of 5 post-docs and research fellows we sponsored in the past, 3 are now in faculty (UCL, Imperial) or research group leader positions in industry (Toshiba Research Labs). http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AME198/research-associate/ The positions will be advertised till filled. regards Aldo --- Aldo Faisal Director Brain & Behaviour Lab Dept. of Bioengineering & Dept. of Computing Imperial College London and MRC Clinical Sciences Centre London www.FaisalLab.org

Oct. 23, 2015

postdoctoral position (Pillow lab @ Princeton)

by Jonathan Pillow

Postdoctoral position in Statistical & Computational Neuroscience ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A postdoctoral position in computational and statistical neuroscience is available in the lab of Jonathan Pillow at Princeton University. The Pillow lab's research focuses on the statistical modeling of neural data and of information processing in neural populations. Current research projects include: - point process regression models for neural encoding - latent variable models of neural population activity - statistical methods for high-dimensional data (fMRI, spike sorting, Ca-imaging) - active learning methods for adaptive closed-loop experiments - Bayesian models of perception and behavior - models of sensory coding and decision-making The Pillow lab develops statistical models and methods for characterizing statistical structure underlying neural activity. We collaborate closely with a variety of experimental labs in order to use these methods to study information processing in the nervous system. For more information, please visit: http://pillowlab.princeton.edu/ Environment ---------- The Pillow lab is located in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, and is affiliated with the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning and the department of Psychology. Princeton has a vigorous and rapidly growing neuroscience community, with an energetic mix of junior and senior faculty who use imaging, electrophysiology, genetics, psychology, statistics, and computer science techniques to study the brain. Princeton has excellent programs in engineering, mathematics, machine learning. To Apply -------- Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a quantitative discipline (eg, Neuroscience, Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics) by the time they start the position. Desired qualifications include familiarity with Bayesian statistical methods and/or probabilistic models of neural data, and experience with programming in Matlab, Python, or other languages. Applicants should have creativity, independence, enthusiasm for research, and a high level of mathematical expertise. Applicants should submit: (1) 1-2 page research statement (2) a current CV (3) the names and contact details of 2-3 references. Inquiries and applications may be addressed by email to Jonathan Pillow ( pillow(a)princeton.edu) Application review will begin November 1 and continue until the position is filled.

Oct. 22, 2015

All-Level Faculty Positions in Interdisciplinary Research in Computer Vision, Neurally-inspired Computing and Data Science

by Ralf Haefner

All-Level Faculty Positions in Interdisciplinary Research in Data Science The University of Rochester has made data science the centerpiece of its 5-year strategic plan, committing to 20 new faculty lines in diverse areas, a new building, and the establishment of the Goergen Institute for Data Science. We are currently seeking applicants for tenure track or tenured positions in interdisciplinary research areas within data science. This search complements department-specific searches in data science currently underway. The interdisciplinary search focuses on recruiting candidates who are excited about engaging in collaborative research that connects advances in computational models and methods to the humanities, sciences, or medicine. Successful candidates will receive a primary appointment in one of the departments supporting the search, and a secondary appointment in at least one other department. Departments and programs supporting this search include Biomedical Engineering, Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Computer and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Digital Media Studies (a program of Art & Art History, English, and History), Linguistics, and Political Science. Potential cross-appointments with the School of Medicine and Dentistry will also be considered. Focus areas for this year’s interdisciplinary search are: ● Neurally-inspired Computing: Research in artificial neural networks, including the fundamental theory of deep learning, practical applications to tasks such as perception, or as a tool for modeling and understanding biological neural networks. ● Computer Vision and Image Analysis: Research in the theory and applications of computational methods of image or video understanding, with a particular interest in applications to biomedicine or the humanities. ● Computational Linguistics: Research in the theory or applications of natural language processing, with a particular interest in applications to linguistics, the social sciences, or the humanities. Apply online at: https://www.rochester.edu/faculty-recruiting <https://www.rochester.edu/faculty-recruiting>. Direct questions about the search (but not applications) to michelle.vogl(a)rochester.edu <mailto:michelle.vogl@rochester.edu>. For more information about the Goergen Institute for Data Science, visit http://www.rochester.edu/data-science <http://www.rochester.edu/data-science>. Applicants should hold a PhD and will be required to supply a set of refereed scholarly publications, names of references, and research and teaching statements. The application will ask applicants to select a set of disciplines most relevant to their research area. Review of applications at any rank will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. For full consideration, applications should be completed by January 15th, 2016. The University of Rochester is a private, Tier I research institution located in western New York State. It consistently ranks among the top 30 institutions, both public and private, in federal funding for research and development. The university has made substantial investments in computing infrastructure through the Center for Integrated Research Computing (CIRC) and the Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation (HSCCI). The university includes the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester Medical Center, a major medical school, research center, and hospital system. The greater Rochester area is home to over a million people, including 80,000 students who attend the 8 colleges and universities in the region. The University of Rochester has a strong commitment to diversity and actively encourages applications from candidates from groups underrepresented in higher education. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Oct. 21, 2015

Post-Doctoral position in brain imaging – University of Geneva

by Narly Golestani

Applications are invited for a Post-Doctoral position in the Brain and Language Lab (www.brainandlanguagelab.org<http://www.brainandlanguagelab.org/>) at the University of Geneva. The position is for 2 years (or more), and will be at the new Biotech Campus (http://www.campusbiotech.ch/en/) Candidates should have a degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Neuroscience or a related field, and should have solid experience in brain imaging data analysis, computational modelling, pattern recognition, machine learning, statistics and programming. The projects will involve the use and development of computational morphometry and of computational modeling to study auditory cortex structure and function in healthy individuals, in experts and in individuals with dyslexia. The salary is competitive, starting salary at ~ 69, 000 CHF/year (~81, 000 CHF/year as of August 2016) depending on experience. The position is available immediately, and applications will be considered until the position is filled. Informal inquiries can be addressed to Narly Golestani (Narly.Golestani(a)unige.ch) Applications including a CV, a statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of three referees should be sent to: Narly.Golestani(a)unige.ch<mailto:Narly.Golestani@unige.ch>.

Oct. 21, 2015

Faculty position in Cognitive Science/Computational Modelling - University of Sheffield

by Tom Stafford

*Chair/Reader/Senior Lecturer or Lecturer in Cognitive Science/Computational Modelling * Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK Closing Date *24th November 2015* The Department of Psychology is looking for an outstanding scholar (at any level of seniority) in the area of Cognitive Science and Computational Modelling, to enhance its world-leading research portfolio in cognitive, computational and systems neuroscience and in brain-based robotics and its emerging activities in high volume data processing, online behavioural measurement, and virtual and mixed-reality systems. You should have a PhD (or equivalent qualification) in a relevant discipline, have an excellent publication record for your career stage/level and be able to evidence of the ability or potential to attract independent research funding. The ability to organize and carry out teaching, supervision and research training to a high standard is also essential. You will join a vibrant department, which is amongst the largest in the UK, which importantly has been consistently ranked as one of the outstanding research departments in all seven UK Research Assessment Exercises to date. We have one of the largest centres of postgraduate psychology research in the country and were ranked 7th in the UK for research income in the ESRC’s 2011 Psychology International Benchmarking exercise. The post is available from 1 April 2016. *For* further details visit: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs Job reference: UOS011888 For informal enquiries please contact Tony Prescott <https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott> ( t.j.prescott(a)sheffield.ac.uk) or Paul Overton <https://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/paul-overton1> ( p.g.overton(a)sheffield.ac.uk) *About the University* Sheffield University <http://www.shef.ac.uk> is a World Top 100 University and home to 25,000 of the brightest students in the world. Twenty-four per cent of our students come from outside the UK. Our graduates and former staff include five Nobel Prize winners, an Olympic gold medallist and Britain’s first female astronaut. The Department of Psychology <http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/> at Sheffield is among the largest in the UK and has been consistently ranked as one of the outstanding research departments in all seven UK Research Assessment Exercises to date. For example, over 80% of our department’s research was classed as internationally excellent or world leading in the 2014 Research Excellent Framework (REF). The Department occupies a purpose-built 5-floor building (with annexes), which is being fully refurbished next year following considerable capital investment (~£10M) by the University. Facilities include a child development laboratory, high-density ERP and EEG (128 electrode) systems, and a virtual reality suite. The Department also occupies modern office and laboratory facilities at (i) the University's central neuroscience facility, which is fully equipped for state-of-the-art in vivo and in vitro neuroscience and behavioural testing, and includes a small-bore 7T fMRI facility; and (ii) Sheffield Robotics <http://www.sheffieldrobotics.ac.uk>, an interdisciplinary research institute equipped with an engineering workshop, robot platforms including the iCub humanoid, a human-robot interaction laboratory, and a motion capture suite. Across the University the department also actively participates in Insigneo <http://insigneo.org>, the Institute for in Silico Medicine, through its activities in digital organism models; and in the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare <http://www.catch.org.uk> (CATCH) through collaborative research on assistive technologies including companion robots. -- Tom Stafford http://www.tomstafford.staff.shef.ac.uk/ Lecturer in Psychology and Cognitive Science Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TP, UK Room 2.24 Tel +44 (0) 114 22 26620 t.stafford(a)shef.ac.uk Office Hour: Thursdays 2pm-3pm during Semester (except reading week) NOTES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: please read this before emailing me http://tomstafford.staff.shef.ac.uk/email.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------

Oct. 21, 2015

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

by Vladimir Itskov

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 for this position, please submit your application via the mathjobs.org website in response to the job ad http://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7575 The closing date for applications is November 15, 2015. See also http://sites.psu.edu/mathneurolab/ for more information.

Oct. 20, 2015

Two faculty positions in applied mathematics -- Northwestern University

by William L. Kath

The Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University (http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/applied-math/) invites applications for two full-time, tenure-track faculty positions to begin in September 2016. Hiring will be focused on the assistant professor level, although exceptional applicants at a more senior level will be considered. Requirements include a Ph.D. and demonstrated ability to conduct high-impact interdisciplinary research in applied mathematics. We are seeking candidates who can enhance the breadth of research activities of the department. Candidates in all areas of applied mathematics are encouraged to apply. Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to, (i) stochastic modeling of physical, biological or financial systems and (ii) scientific computing. Duties involve teaching and research. The application package should include a curriculum vita, a statement of research accomplishments and interests, and a statement of teaching experience and philosophy. The application should be submitted online at: https://facultysearch.mccormick.northwestern.edu/apply/index/NzM= In addition, the applicant should arrange for at least three, but no more than four letters of recommendation. Recommendation letters will be automatically solicited from the letter writers by email after the names are entered in the online application system. Questions may be sent to esam-facultysearch(a)northwestern.edu (Subject line: 2016 Faculty Search). Review of applications will begin November 1, 2015, and will continue until the positions are filled. Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States. For further information, see: http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/applied-math/. -- William L. Kath, Professor Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-3125 Phone: 847-491-8784 Fax: 847-491-2178

Oct. 20, 2015

2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Computational Neuroimaging of Flexible Visual Processing in Amsterdam.

by Tomas Knapen

2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Computational Neuroimaging of Flexible Visual Processing in Amsterdam. We are seeking an enthusiastic postdoctoral fellow with excellent qualifications for a 7T functional imaging project. In this project, we will investigate how expectations and attention influence visual processing and perception in normal observers and expert meditators. A main ingredient of the project is a detailed mapping of retinotopic brain areas by constructing forward models based on convolutional neural networks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_neural_network>. Therefore, we will consider applicants with strong quantitative skills from fields such as neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, physics, mathematics, and engineering. Experience with functional imaging, programming, data analysis, machine learning and computational modelling would be advantageous but not required. This is an interdisciplinary collaborative project between cognitive neuroscience groups at the two universities in Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit (VU) & Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA)), funded through ABMP <http://www.abmp.eu/calls/>. The research will be supervised by Tomas Knapen <http://tknapen.github.io/> (VU), Heleen Slagter <http://www.heleenslagter.com/> (UvA) & Steven Scholte <http://www.cognitiveneuroscience.nl/index.php?p=502247> (UvA) in a dynamic research environment. The successful applicant will be stationed at the VU and imaging will be performed on the new 7T scanner at the Amsterdam Spinoza Center <http://www.spinozacentre.nl/>. The appointment will be for one year, with potential for a one-year renewal contingent on positive evaluation. Salary will be commensurate with experience, according to the Dutch universities’ collective labour agreement <http://www.vsnu.nl/en_GB/CAO>. Applications may be submitted by email to tknapen(a)gmail.com <mailto:tknapen@gmail.com>, with ABMP application in the subject line. Send an application letter, CV, and arrange for up to 3 letters of recommendation to be sent with the applicant’s name in the subject line. Applications will be considered from the 1st of November, continuing until the position is filled. Starting date is flexible, preferably around January 2016. Best Regards, Tomas Knapen Tomas Knapen Assistant Professor @ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam - Cognitive Psychology <http://www.vupsy.nl/> Contact tknapen(a)gmail.com <mailto:tknapen@gmail.com> || +31 6 34091812 Web Lab website <http://tknapen.github.io/> || GitHub profile <https://github.com/tknapen>

Oct. 20, 2015

PhD studies in Computational Neuroscience and Neural Engineering at the University of Washington

by Adrienne Fairhall

PhD studies in Computational Neuroscience and Neural Engineering at the University of Washington The University of Washington has a rich, active and highly collaborative community of researchers in systems and computational neuroscience (http://compneuro.washington.edu/) and neural engineering (http://uwin.washington.edu ). The University of Washington is a vibrant research university with a beautiful campus in a spectacular urban setting, with an ERC Center in Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (http://www.csne-erc.org/) the UW Institute for Neuroengineering, close connections to the local tech industry and the Allen Institute for Brain Science. UW is also a major data sciences center with interdisciplinary interactions coordinated through the eSciences Institute (http://escience.washington.edu) The city is a short distance from wilderness and outstanding summer and winter outdoor adventure. While faculty advisors belong to a wide range of different departments, researchers come together regularly for seminars, journal clubs and a yearly retreat. A common set of graduate courses in computational neuroscience and neural engineering allows students to interact across departments. Many student funding opportunities exist through multiple training grants, UWIN, Data Sciences and the CSNE. Doctoral programs encourage collaborative research projects across departmental boundaries, but admissions and first-year course work and formal requirements are handled by graduate programs individually. Students interested in this area should apply to the program that best fits their background, interests and career goals. Relevant programs, websites and application deadlines include: Neuroscience, http://depts.washington.edu/behneuro/ , Dec 1 Bioengineering, http://depts.washington.edu/bioe/, Dec 1 Computer Science and Engineering, www.cs.washington.edu/, Dec 15 Applied Mathematics, www.amath.washington.edu/, Jan 15 Speech and Hearing, http://depts.washington.edu/sphsc/, Feb 15 Biological Physics, Structure and Design, http://depts.washington.edu/bpsd/, Dec 1 Biology, www.biology.washington.edu/, Dec 1 Psychology, http://web.psych.washington.edu/, Dec 1 Faculty include: Wyeth Bair (Neuro, CSE): Computer modeling of visual cortical circuits Geoff Boynton (Neuro, Psychology): Functional imaging of vision Michael Buice (Applied Math (Affiliate), Allen Institute): Analysis of coding and computation in mouse cortex Beth Buffalo (Neuro): Navigation and memory in primates Bing Brunton (Biology and Data Sciences): High dimensional neural data Howard Chizeck (CSE): Performance metrics for neural interfaces Tom Daniel (Neuro, Biology): Sensorimotor integration and flight control Horacio de la Iglesia (Neuro, Biology): Circadian rhythms Emily Fox (Statistics, CS): Statistical modeling of connectivity and time series Marcel den Nijs (Physics): Statistical mechanics of brain function Adrienne Fairhall (Neuro, BPSD, Physics): Adaptive neural coding and sensorimotor integration Eb Fetz (Neuro): Motor control and brain-computer interfaces Ione Fine (Neuro, Psychology): Human visual psychophysics and imaging David Gire (Neuro, Psychology): Mammalian olfaction Bertil Hille (Neuro, BPSD): Biophysics of neuronal signal transduction Greg Horwitz (Neuro): Cortical color processing Nathan Kutz (A Math): Nonlinear dynamics and dimensionality reduction Adrian KC Lee (Neuro, Speech and Hearing): Auditory scene analysis with imaging Stefan Mihalas (Applied Math (Affiliate), Allen Institute): Analysis and modeling of cortical networks Chet Moritz (Neuro, Rehabilitation Medicine): Neural prosthetics Sheri Mizumori (Neuro, Psychology): Neurobiology of decisions, learning, and memory Bill Moody (Neuro, Biology): Cortical development Scott Murray (Neuro, Psychology): Visual neuroimaging Jay Neitz (Neuro): Color vision Jeff Ojemann (Neuro, Neurology): Human neural function and neuroprosthetics Anitha Pasupathy (Neuro): Neurobiology of visual shape processing David Perkel (Neuro): Neural mechanisms of vocal learning Steve Perlmutter (Neuro): Motor control Chantal Prat (Neuro, Speech and hearing): Auditory processing Nino Ramirez (Neuro): Neural control of rhythmic activity Rajesh Rao (Neuro, CSE): Computational modeling and brain-computer interfaces Fred Rieke (Neuro, Physics, BPSD): Sensory signal processing in the retina Jeff Riffell (Neuro, Biology): Neuroecology and chemosensation Ed Rubel (Neuro): Development of the auditory system Jay Rubinstein (Neuro, Bioengineering): Biophysics and engineering of cochlear implants Eric Shea-Brown (Neuro, A Math): Nonlinear dynamics in neural computation and coding Bill Spain (Neuro): Biophysics of neuronal computation Kat Steele (Mec Eng): Human movement Emo Todorov (Neuro, A Math, CSE): Optimal motor control

Oct. 20, 2015

Ph.D. or Post-doctoral position in Interactive Grounded Language Learning & Understanding

by Jean Rouat

Ph.D. or Post-doctoral position in Interactive Grounded Language Learning & Understanding We have an open position in U. Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, for a PhD (3 years) student or potentially a post-doctoral student (2 years and half) in an international CHIST-ERA european project IGLU (Interactive Grounded Language Understanding) that comprises 7 research labs from Sweden, France, Belgium, Spain and Canada. The IGLU project is very challenging and the objective is to design and implement an intelligent agent that acquires language understanding through learning and grounded interaction with the environment. The candidate will be involved in language knowledge representation and acquisition of new words in relation with the user intentionality. He/She will be in interaction with the other labs in Europe. We are seeking a candidate with background in computational neuroscience and machine learning with emphasis on speech/auditory processing & modelling, predictive coding, graphical statistical models and stochastic signal processing. The candidate needs proficiency in programming (C/C++, matlab, python). Candidates from physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering will be considered as long as they show strong interests in brain sciences and machine learning. The candidate will be a member of the Neurocomputational and Intelligent Signal Processing research group (NECOTIS) that conducts research in anthropomorphic signal processing in Sherbrooke and in electrophysiology in Montreal (collaboration with Univ. de Montreal). During his/her PhD studies in Sherbrooke/Montréal, the candidate should be ready to travel to Europe depending on the needs of the project. Interested candidates should send one pdf file that comprises a letter of motivation, a detailed CV and email addresses of at least two references to Prof. Jean Rouat, jean.rouat(a)usherbrooke.ca. Located in Canada, in the Province of Quebec, the Université de Sherbrooke is a French-speaking institution that offers an opportunity to benefit from an academic education that is recognized and valued around the world. The Université de Sherbrooke is situated in the southern part of Quebec, 150 km from Montréal, 220 km from Québec City and approximately 40 km from the USA's border. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Tentative starting date is January 2016. Interviews can be conducted at SFN 2015, Chicago and NIPS 2015, Montréal, please drop me a message if you are at SFN. ----------------------------------------------- Jean Rouat, Prof. Université de Sherbrooke Université de Montréal Member of the centre for Interdisciplinary research Professeur titulaire, Professeur associé in Music Media and Technology NECOTIS: Computational Neurosciences Vision, neuroscience Lab McGill Schulich School of Music and Intelligent Signal Processing FAS- Sciences biologiques 527 Sherbrooke St. West Faculté de génie, GEGI, C1-3108 90 avenue Vincent-d’Indy Montreal, Qc, 2500 boul. de l'université Montréal, Qc, Canada, H3A 1E3 Sherbrooke, Québec Canada, H3C 3J7 Canada, J1K 2R1 Tél.: +1(819)-821-8000 ext. 63864 http://www.gel.usherbrooke.ca/rouat http://bio.umontreal.ca/repertoire-departement/vue/rouat-jean/ http://www.gel.usherbrooke.ca/necotis http://www.usherbrooke.ca/gelecinfo/fr/pers/profs/rouj-fr/ Jean.Rouat(a)umontreal.ca ou Jean.Rouat(a)usherbrooke.ca

Oct. 20, 2015

Faculty Position with Research Interest in Neuroscience, Bilkent University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

by Tolga Cukur

The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Bilkent University seeks highly qualified applicants for full-time faculty positions in the general area of neuroscience at the ranks of Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor effective September 2015. Recently, Bilkent University declared Neuroscience as one of its research priority areas. Construction of the Bilkent Brain Research Center is ongoing and planned to be completed in early 2016. The center will house a 3 Tesla whole-body MRI scanner with advanced functional and morphological MRI capabilities; 1.5 Tesla whole-body and 7 Tesla small animal MRI systems are also planned. In addition, small-animal and zebra fish facilities will be formed as an extension of the existing animal facilities of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. A psychophysics lab, wet-labs for neurobiology and neuroimmunology will be established. This facility will be home for the interdisciplinary Neuroscience M.S. and Ph.D. programs. The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering already has five faculty members affiliated with the Center and seeks to expand its presence in this area by recruiting new faculty who will complement and enhance the collaborative interdisciplinary research environment at the Center. The Center will provide extensive opportunities for collaboration with the Bilkent Departments of Psychology and Molecular Biology and Genetics, as well as The National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM) and The Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology (UNAM). Candidates are sought with a PhD degree in in electrical and electronics engineering or closely related discipline and a proven track record of research in the field of neuroscience and related disciplines. Applicants for the associate and full professorship ranks are expected to have proven leadership qualifications as well. Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to, brain-machine interfaces, neural prosthetics, neurorobotics, neuromorphic systems, computational neuroscience, and neuroinformatics. Bilkent University is an equal opportunity employer with an international body of faculty and students. Teaching is in English. Faculty salary is competitive. Benefits include a comprehensive health insurance package and on-campus housing. To apply, please visit the web page http://app.bilkent.edu.tr/ee/. The application folder must include a CV, Research Statement, Teaching Statement, and names of three references. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and the review will continue until the positions are filled.

Oct. 19, 2015

Fully-funded PhD position in Computational Neuroscience at the Vision Institute, Paris, France

by angelo.arleo＠inserm.fr

PHD POSITION IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AT THE INSTITUTE OF VISION, PARIS, FRANCE Job description Applications are invited for one PhD position at the Aging in Vision and Action laboratory, Institute of Vision (University Pierre & Marie Curie Sorbonne Universities, INSERM CNRS, Paris, France). The PhD student will model visual-based spatial cognitive functions. She/he will build a spatial learning model based on spiking neural networks accounting for existing knowledge on the neural substrates of spatial memory and navigation in animals and humans. She/he will use this model to study the impact of healthy visual aging on neural coding and adaptation mechanisms mediating spatial orientation and navigation. The PhD student will work hand-in-hand with experimentalists in our laboratory. This project will be carried under the supervision of Angelo Arleo & Denis Sheynikhovich (Institute of Vision, Paris, France). Requirements Applicants should have a strong quantitative background (physics, engineering, computer science, applied mathematics), and a keen interest in reverse-engineering the brain. Knowledge on computational neuroscience, machine learning, image processing and programming languages (Matlab, C or Python) are a plus. The successful candidate is expected to work in an interdisciplinary environment with collaborations with biologists, theoreticians and clinicians. She/he will be awarded a 3-year PhD fellowship from the University Pierre and Marie Curie Sorbonne Universities. Working environment and laboratory The Institute of Vision is one of the top international centers for integrated research on vision and eye diseases. It is located at the heart of Paris, on the campus of the National Hospital Center for Ophthalmology. The Institute of Vision includes multidisciplinary research groups, which share state-of-the-art platforms for human and animal experimentation. It also harbors a clinical investigation center, which fosters truly translational research activity. More information can be found online. The Aging in Vision and Action laboratory aims at evaluating and understanding the functional aspects of the degeneration mechanisms related to visual aging. This research has the potential to produce fundamental knowledge suited for opening to assistive technological developments and rehabilitation solutions. The faculty members of the Aging in Vision and Action laboratory are specialized in visual psychophysics, neurobiology of spatial orientation, neural coding, neurocomputational modeling, and clinical evaluation. The group has access to a wide range of state-of-the-art platforms including eye trackers, motion capture rooms, virtual reality environments, brain imaging, artificial street labs and home labs. How to apply Candidates should send a single pdf file containing a motivation letter, a full CV, and names and contact information of at least two referees, to angelo.arleo(a)inserm.fr. Short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview (either face-to-face or via videoconference). For further inquiries, please contact Angelo Arleo, angelo.arleo(a)inserm.fr, phone: +33 (0)1 53 46 26 52. Best regards, Angelo Arleo Institute of Vision, Aging in Vision and Action Lab, CNRS - INSERM - University Pierre&Marie Curie, 17, rue Moreau F-75012 Paris, France Phone: +33 (0)1 53 46 26 52 Mobile: +33 (0)6 46 84 09 56 Email: angelo.arleo(a)inserm.fr; angelo.arleo(a)upmc.fr

Oct. 17, 2015

Postdoctoral opportunities in London and Stockholm

by Harris, Kenneth

Dear Computational Neuroscientists, I would like to advertise three postdoctoral jobs at the interface of computational, systems, and molecular neuroscience. These positions form part of a new collaboration between UCL, University of Oxford, and the Karolinska Institute. The aim of this project is to understand the great diversity of cell types present in cortex, and their roles in cortical circuits and in the resulting computations. While the three positions require diverse skill sets, all offer the opportunity to work as part of a closely integrated, multidisciplinary team focused on solving one of the most important challenges in current neuroscience. Further details about the project can be found at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/neuromics. Position 1: Molecular analysis of cortical tissue The successful applicant will apply novel multiplexed RNA analysis techniques to cortical tissue, to characterize the molecular fingerprints of distinct cortical cell types. This position would suit a scientist with experience of molecular biology, as well as strong knowledge and interest in systems neuroscience. Prior experience of in situ RNA methods would be beneficial but is not essential for outstanding applicants. The successful applicant will be based initially in Stockholm to learn and refine the novel molecular techniques to be used, and will then move to London to apply them to tissue previously studied in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. Position 2: In vivo recording The successful applicant will use two-photon microscopy with genetically encoded calcium sensors to record from large neuronal populations in subjects performing behavioral tasks, which will then be subjected to post-hoc molecular analysis. In addition to experimental recordings, this position will involve computational work to analyze the large amount of data produced by these experiments. This position would suit a scientist with experience of experimental neurophysiology as well as strong quantitative/computational skills. Prior experience with two-photon microscopy would be beneficial but is not essential for outstanding applicants. The position will be based in London. Position 3: Computational analysis and modeling The successful applicant will develop new computational methods to process the large amounts of data arising from these experiments, and to use it to build computational models of cortical circuit interactions. The data arising from the project is diverse, consisting of images, video, and high-dimensional gene expression vectors. Analysis of this unique data set will require a combination of techniques including digital image processing, machine learning, as well as neural circuit modeling. The position would suit a candidate with a background in computational neuroscience, theoretical physics, computer science, mathematics, or engineering. Prior experience with digital image processing and machine learning techniques would be beneficial but is not essential for outstanding applicants. The position will be based in London. To apply for one of the positions, go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/jobs, click "Current employment opportunities at UCL", and enter Reference number 1501576 (molecular), 1503273 (recording), or 1503434 (computational). For an informal discussion, please send a CV to kenneth.harris(a)ucl.ac.uk<mailto:kenneth.harris@ucl.ac.uk>. The closing date for applications is November 8th, 2015. --------------------- Kenneth D. Harris Professor of Quantitative Neuroscience Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology University College London 21 University Street London WC1E 6DE Phone: +44 (0) 20 3108 2410

Oct. 16, 2015

Reminder: CFP: MLINI 2015 - 5th NIPS Workshop on Machine Learning and Interpretation in Neuroimaging: Beyond the Scanner

by Irina Rish

Call for Papers MLINI 2015 - 5th NIPS Workshop on Machine Learning and Interpretation in Neuroimaging: Beyond the Scanner https://sites.google.com/site/mliniworkshop2015/ December 11-12, 2015, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Submission deadline: Monday, October 19th, 2015 Workshop Overview: ----------------------- MLINI workshop focuses on machine learning approaches in neuroscience, neuroimaging, with an extension to behavioral experiments and psychology. This year, our focus is specifically on "Going Beyond the Scanner", which includes making inferences about mental states of a subject from ''cheaper'' (as opposed to fMRI) behavioral data such as subject's speech and/or text, audio, video, EEG and signals collected from various wearable devices. We believe that machine learning has a prominent role in shaping how questions in neuroscience are framed, and that the machine-learning mind set is now entering modern psychology and behavioral studies. It is also equally important that practical applications in these fields motivate a rapidly evolving line or research in the machine learning community. In parallel, there is an intense interest in learning more about brain function in the context of rich naturalistic environments and scenes. Efforts to go beyond highly specific paradigms that pinpoint a single function, towards schemes for measuring the interaction with natural and more varied scene are made. In this context, many controversies and open questions exist. The goal of the workshop is to pinpoint the most pressing issues and common challenges across the fields, and to sketch future directions and open questions in the light of novel methodology. The proposed workshop is aimed at offering a forum that joins machine learning, neuroscience, and psychology community, and should facilitate formulating and discussing the issues at their interface. Motivated by the previous workshops in this series, MLINI ‘11, MLINI’12, and MLINI’13, we will center this workshop around invited talks and a panel discussion. Triggered by the discussions, this year we plan to adapt the workshop topics to a less traditional scope neuroimaging scope and investigate the role of behavioral models and psychology, including topics such as psycholinguistics. Open questions and possible topics for contribution include, but are not limited to, the following: - How can we move towards more naturalistic stimuli, tasks and paradigms in neuroimaging and neuro-signal analysis? - What kind of mental states can be inferred from cheaper and easier to collect data sources (as an alternative to fMRI), such as text, speech, audio, video, EEG, and wearable devices? - How can we leave the lab when acquiring neuroimaging data, towards exploiting mobile acquisition (EEG and NIRS)? - What type of features should be extracted from naturalistic stimuli such as text, voice, etc., to detect specific mental states and/or mental disorders? - How can we combine traditional neuroimaging with naturalistic data collected from a subject or group of subjects? - In general, can we characterize situations when multivariate predictive analysis (MVPA) and inference methods are better suited for brain imaging analysis than more traditional techniques? - Given recent advances of deep learning in image analysis and other applications, a natural question to ask is whether neuroimaging analysis can benefit from such approaches? - How well can functional networks and dynamical models capture the brain activity, and when using network and dynamics information is superior to standard task-based brain activations? Workshop Format: -------------------------- In this two-day workshop we will explore perspectives and novel methodology at the interface of Machine Learning, Inference, Neuroimaging and Neuroscience. We aim to bring researchers from machine learning and neuroscience community together, in order to discuss open questions, identify the core points for a number of the controversial issues, and eventually propose approaches to solving those issues. Each session will be opened by several invited talks, and an in depth discussion. This will be followed by original contributions. Original contributions will also be presented and discussed during a poster session. The workshop will end with a panel discussion, during which we will address specific questions, and invited speakers will open each segment with a brief presentation of their opinion. Paper Submission: -------------------------- We seek for submission of original (previously unpublished) research papers. The length of the submitted papers should not exceed 8 pages in Springer format, excluding the references (LaTeX2e style files are available on the workshop page). Submission of previously published work is possible as well, but the authors are required to mention this explicitly. Previously published work can be presented at the workshop, but will not be included into the workshop proceedings (which are considered peer-reviewed publications of novel contributions). Moreover, the authors are welcome to present their novel work but choose to opt out of the workshop proceedings in case they have alternative publication plans. Important dates: -------------------------- - October 19, 2015 - paper submission - October 30, 2015 - notification of acceptance/rejection - December 11-12, 2015 - Workshop at Montreal, Quebec, Canada , following the NIPS conference Organizing Committee: -------------------------- Guillermo Cecchi (IBM T.J. Watson Research Center) Kai-min Kevin Chang (Language Technologies Institute, Carnegie Mellon University) Moritz Grosse-Wentrup (Max Plank Institute for Intelligent Systems) Georg Langs (Medical University of Vienna, CSAIL, MIT) Brian Murphy (Machine Learning Department, Carngie Mellon University) *Irina Rish (IBM T.J. Watson Research Center) - main contact Leila Wehbe (University of California, Berkeley)

Oct. 16, 2015

Aspects of Neuroscience 2015 - invitation for the conference

by Daniel Borek

Dear Friends, On behalf of the Board of the Neurobiology Student Scientific Association operating at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw we would like to invite you to *the 5th **International Conference " Aspects of Neuroscience" *that will be held in Warsaw, Poland, from *November 27th to 29th 2015*. As in the following years, this time the Conference also consists of poster and report symposia. November symposia will be devoted to: *Neurobiology, Cognitive Neuroscience, **Clinical Neuroscience* and* Neuroinformatics*. Each of the thematic symposium will be preceded by a lecture delivered by one of the guests, a specialist of a given domain. This year we will have privilege to host such outstanding neuroscientists as *Prof. Gaute Einevoll, Prof. Fernando H. Lopes da Silva, Dr. Tor Stensola, Prof. Wojciech Maksymowicz, Dr. Esha Massand* and *Prof. Peter de Weerd.* The conference is intended for students, doctoral students and research workers related to neuroscience. The student lectures will take place simultaneously in two rooms, in *basic *and *extended* version. The basic session provides an opportunity to present theoretical and review talks for the students who do not conduct their own research yet. We would like the conference to gather academics with different background and level of expertise, who share the common passion for neuroscience. Language of conference is English. *Active registration for the conference is open till November 1st .* More information about conference and the whole Project: www.neuronauka.org/eng Find us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AspectsOfNeuroscience?fref=ts Yours sincerely, Daniel Borek Neurobiology Student Scientific Association at the University of Warsaw Organizing Committee of the International Conference of Students and Young Scientists "The Aspects of Neuroscience"

Oct. 15, 2015

fully funded PhD position on modelling distraction & mind-wandering at University of Groningen

by Marieke van Vugt RUG

Dear colleagues, Prof. Niels Taatgen and myself have a joint PhD position available in the Cognitive Modelling group at the University of Groningen, in a project working on models of distraction and mind-wandering. http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=… <http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=…> Job description The main aim of the project is to investigate when, how, and why we become distracted, and how cognitive training may reduce our tendency to become distracted. In particular, this project will look at different types of distraction (such as rumination) and different circumstances that induce distraction (e.g. cat videos). The PhD student will create models of these different types of distraction, and make predictions of how those affect performance on cognitive tasks. These predictions will be tested in behavioural experiments. The final component of the PhD involves using a novel cognitive modeling framework developed in our group to predict what training methods should reduce distraction, and to test those predictions in cognitive training studies. Qualifications A successful candidate has a master's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, Artificial Intelligence or a related field, experience in cognitive modeling, and has programming skills in MATLAB, C, or Python. Conditions of employment The University of Groningen offers a salary of € 2,125 gross per month in the first year up to a maximum of € 2,717 (salary scale PhD students Dutch University) gross per month in the final year. The appointment is for a period of four years, which should be finished with a PhD examination. The fulltime appointment is temporary for 1 year with the perspective of prolongation for another 3 years. After nine months, an evaluation will take place of the feasibility of successful completion of the PhD thesis within the next three years. A training programme within the Graduate School of Science is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for additional education and supervising that is specific to your needs. Starting date: as soon as possible. How to apply Send a cover letter (with professional goals and a statement of interest), a curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation (PDF format) to the job application portal until 29 October / before 30 October 2015 Dutch local time by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Although applications received after the deadline may be considered. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated. Information For information you can contact: • Dr Marieke van Vugt, m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt/ <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt/> Dr. Niels Taatgen n.a.taatgen(a)rug.nl <mailto:n.a.taatgen@rug.nl> http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/ <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/> -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marieke van Vugt, PhD Assistant Professor, Cognitive Modelling Group University of Groningen Bernoulliborg, room 326 Nijenborgh 9 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands phone: +31-6-5195-4984 (cell) +31-50-363-9487 (office) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt> twitter: @mvugt m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> / mkvanvugt(a)gmail.com

Oct. 15, 2015

BSCS Systems Neuroscience study abroad program at SfN

by Érdi Péter

BSCS Systems Neuroscience: a study abroad summer program in Budapest for undergraduates in systems neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neurodynamics (http://sysneuro-semester.org/) will exhibit at the SfN Meeting 2015 (Booth #2167). Come and visit us! Kind regards, Péter Érdi General Director

Oct. 15, 2015

Fellowships in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania

by Vijay Balasubramanian

*Postdoctoral Fellowships with the Computational Neuroscience Initiative **at the University of Pennsylvania* The Computational Neuroscience Initiative (CNI) of the University of Pennsylvania seeks exceptional candidates for a CNI Postdoctoral Fellowship. Candidates with strong quantitative skills from a variety of fields including neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, physics, mathematics, and engineering will be considered. The selected Fellow will join an inter-disciplinary research environment in historic Philadelphia. CNI Fellows will be encouraged to foster collaborative research between multiple labs. The CNI supports interdisciplinary and collaborative research at the frontier of knowledge about the brain, behavior, and the mind. We focus on systems-level approaches that integrate theory and computation with experiment. Our members include faculty, post-docs, and students from multiple programs and departments at Penn. Our research and training spans the three major elements of the field of Computational Neuroscience: 1) Theory – understanding the brain as an information-processing machine; 2) Experiments – providing quantitative methods to aid in the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of empirical studies that probe all levels of brain function, from molecules to behavior; and 3) Applications – including robotics, brain-machine interfaces, and new clinical tools. For more information about the CNI, please visit our website at https://cni.upenn.edu. Applications may be submitted by email to compneuro(a)sas.upenn.edu, and should consist of a CV and a cover letter stating the candidate's research experience and reasons for applying to this Fellowship. Please arrange for up to three letters of recommendation to be sent to the same email address with the candidate's name in the subject line. Review of applications will begin on November 15 and continue on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented individuals from diverse backgrounds (http://jobs.hr.upenn.edu) Vijay Balasubramanian, Director David Brainard, Co-Director Joshua Gold, Co-Director

Oct. 14, 2015

faculty position in applied mathematics at IUPUI

by Leonid Rubchinsky

Our department has an opening in applied mathematics and computational neuroscientists/mathematical biologist are encouraged to apply: The Department of Mathematical Sciences at IUPUI invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor in applied mathematics to begin August 1, 2016. Responsibilities include teaching six courses over the first two years, with at least one course each term, and then four courses a year regularly, maintaining a strong research program, publishing the results of the research, and customary student advising and departmental and university service. The Department has a strong research faculty, many funded research projects and close collaboration with other departments within the School of Science and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Qualifications: Applicants must have an earned doctorate in the mathematical sciences or related areas, a strong research program and be able to teach effectively at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A successful candidate at the Assistant Professor level will be expected to develop and maintain an active, externally-funded research program. Applicants at the Associate Professor level must have a record of significant research accomplishments and external funding. Tenure may be offered to a successful senior candidate, depending on the candidate's qualifications and achievements. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an active, externally-funded research program. How to Apply: A complete application must include: a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, statements on research plans and teaching philosophy, and a) for an Assistant Professor applicant three letters of recommendation, b) for an Associate Professor applicant, please provide the names of six references. Applications should be submitted electronically via the American Mathematical Society's MathJobs website (https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7582) the position ID is 7582. Screening of completed applications will begin on November 1, 2015, and will continue until all approved positions are filled. *********************** Leonid Rubchinsky, PhD Associate Professor Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indiana University - Purdue University, Indianapolis Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine 402 N. Blackford St Indianapolis, IN 46202 leo(a)math.iupui.edu <mailto:leo@math.iupui.edu> http://www.math.iupui.edu/~leo 317-274-9745 317-274-3460 (fax) ***********************

Oct. 14, 2015

Doctoral studies in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience at NYU

by Eero Simoncelli

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

Oct. 14, 2015

1st CfP: CMN'16, Seventh International Workshop on Computational Models of Narrative (7 March 2016 / 11-13 July 2016)

by Ben Miller

* ---FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS--- Seventh International Workshop on Computational Models of Narrative (CMN'16) Advancing the Science of Narrative Special Focus: Computational Narrative and the Humanities a satellite workshop of: Digital Humanities 2016 (DH2016) 11-13 July 2016 Kraków, Poland http://narrative.csail.mit.edu/cmn16/ ---IMPORTANT DATES--- 7 March 2016. Submission deadline. 11 April 2016. Notification of acceptance. 16 May 2016. Final Camera Ready Versions Due. 11-13 July 2016. CMN’16. 11-16 July 2016. DH2016. ---WORKSHOP AIMS--- The workshop series, Computational Models of Narrative (CMN) is dedicated to advancing the computationally-grounded scientific study of narrative. Now in its seventh iteration, the workshop has a tradition of crossing academic borders and bringing together researchers from different disciplines on a common object of study. Narrative provides a model for organizing and communicating experience, knowledge, and culture. Investigations of narrative operations in textual, aural, and visual media have been systematically pursued in the humanities since before the early structural linguistics and folklorist inspired work of the Russian Formalists, and in the computing sciences since before the early cognitive science inspired work on scripts and frames. Research continues on computational approaches across the humanities and sciences. In order to appreciate the various domains and approaches connected to the computationally enabled study of narratives and narrative theory, it is becoming increasingly clear that research in this area requires engagement from many communities of interest. Peer-reviewed full proceedings from CMN’13, ‘14, and ‘15 are each available in the OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs) published by Schloss Dagstuhl; peer-reviewed proceedings from CMN’11 and CMN’12 were published by AAAI and LREC, respectively. ---SPECIAL FOCUS: COMPUTATIONAL NARRATIVE AND THE HUMANITIES--- This inter-disciplinary workshop will be an appropriate venue for papers addressing fundamental topics and questions regarding narrative. Papers should be relevant to the computational modeling, and scientific or humanistic understanding of narrative. The workshop will have a special focus on how the computational modeling, analysis, or generation of narrative has affected approaches in the humanities for studying and generating narrative in or across textual, aural, or visual media. Possible themes could connect to the representation of narrative, connections between cognition and narrative or knowledge representation and narrative, the use of heuristics to handle complexity, incorporation of insights about human thinking, the use of narrative to organize information in the humanities, the relationship between top-down and bottom-up approaches for narrative understanding, or how narrative is seen to function differently depending upon the medium. Regardless of its topic, reported work should provide insight of use to the scientific understanding or computational modeling of narratives. Discussing technological applications or motivations is not prohibited, but is not required. We accept both finished research and more tentative exploratory work. We invite and encourage submissions either as full papers or position papers, through the workshop's EasyChair website:https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cmn16 We also invite you to submit an abstract soon so that we can gauge the number of submissions we can expect. (Submitting an abstract is possible without submitting the full paper at the same time.) Full papers should contain original research and have to fit within 16 pages; position papers can report on work-in-progress, research plans or projects and have to fit within four pages plus one page of references. Illustrative Topics and Questions - How can computational narratives be studied from a humanities point of view? - Are generative models of narrative texts, movies or video games possible, desirable, and useful? - What comprises the set of possible narrative arcs? Is there such a set? How many possible story lines are there? - Is narrative structure universal, or are there systematic differences in narratives from different cultures? - How are narratives affected by the media used to convey them? - What aspects of cross-linguistic work has narrative research neglected? - What opportunities are there for narrative analysis across languages? - What makes narrative different from a list of events or facts? - How do conceptions and models of spatiality or temporality influence narrative and narrative theory? - What are the details of the relationship between narrative and language, image, or sound? - How is narrative knowledge captured and represented? - How are narratives indexed and retrieved? Is there a universal scheme for encoding episodic information? - What shared resources are required for the computational study of narrative? What should a “Story Bank” contain? - What shared resources and tools are available, or how can already-extant resources be adapted to the study of narrative? - What are appropriate formal or computational representations for narrative? - How should we evaluate computational and formal models of narrative? - Can narrative be subsumed by current models of higher-level cognition, or does it require new approaches? - How do narratives mediate our cognitive experiences, or affect our cognitive abilities? - How can narrative systems be applied to problem-solving? - How far are we from a theory of narrative adaptation across media? ---ORGANIZING COMMITTEE--- - Antonio Lieto (University of Turin, Italy) - Ben Miller (Georgia State University, USA) - Rémi Ronfard (Inria, LJK, University of Grenoble, France) - Stephen Ware (University of New Orleans, USA) - Mark A. Finlayson (Florida International University, USA) ---PROGRAM COMMITTEE--- David Elson, Columbia University & Google Floris Bex, Utrecht University Rossana Damiano, University of Turin Kerstin Dautenhahn, University of Hertfordshire Pablo Gervás, Complutense University of Madrid Andrew Gordon, ICT Livia Polanyi, LDM Associates Marie-Laure Ryan, University of Colorado Boulder Tim Tangherlini, UCLA Mariet Theune, University of Twente Atif Waraich, Manchester Metropolitan University Mehul Bhatt, University of Bremen Emmett Tomai, University of Texas-Pan American Neil Cohn, UCSD Inderjeet Mani, Yahoo Labs Loizos Michael, Open University of Cyprus Chris Meister, Hamburg University Fritz Breithaupt, Indiana University Benedikt Löwe, Universität Hamburg *

Oct. 14, 2015

Funded PhD Positions Available

by Steven Bressler

PHD POSITIONS IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS & BRAIN SCIENCES CENTER FOR COMPLEX SYSTEMS & BRAIN SCIENCES FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY Applications are currently being accepted for funded PhD training in Complex Systems & Brain Sciences. The aim of this 5-year graduate program is to train scientists to perform cutting-edge brain research that combines computational modeling, laboratory biology, and medical imaging. Students learn how this combination can yield powerful insights into the operation of the human brain as a complex dynamical system. Individuals with undergraduate degrees in any pertinent discipline are invited to apply. The program offers multi-year stipends and tuition remission. Our students learn to fully participate in multi-disciplinary approaches to brain research. Past graduates have pursued careers at academic institutions such as Harvard, Brown, Emory, NYU, the Salk Institute, and the Neurosciences Institute, at private industry companies such as IBM and Mathworks, and at research institutions such as NIH, US Air Force, NASA, and NRL. Research opportunities are available using behavioral, computational, and neuroscientific methods. Research projects will focus on approaches to understanding the brain as a complex system, with possible concentrations in areas such as computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, systems neuroscience, neurorobotics, molecular neurobiology, cellular physiology, and neuronal regeneration. A new 3T scanner and multi-channel EEG recording systems will be available for neuroimaging research. Opportunities also exist for research collaborations with the new Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH). Desirable qualifications include: * training in neuroscience * training in cognitive science * training in complexity, network science, or graph theory * quantitative training in physics, mathematics, computer science, or related fields * programming experience (Matlab, C/C++, python, R) * English speaking and writing skills FACULTY Elan Barenholtz: Psychophysical and computational approaches to visual and multisensory perception and recognition. Janet Blanks: Gene therapy, retinal degeneration, neuroprotection in the retina, mammalian retinal development and differentiation. Steven Bressler: Cognitive neurodynamics: cognitive dynamics in large-scale cortical networks. Armin Fuchs: Analysis of large scale brain activity patterns and combining noninvasive recording technologies, i.e. EEG, MEG and functional MRI. Howard Hock: Mechanisms for detection of motion information serving different perceptual functions; role of global-to-local feedback in formation of global motion patterns; computational models for motion detection and perception of bistable motion; motion mechanisms spared by cortical brain damage; motion percepts diagnostic for perceptual grouping of object surfaces. Sang Hong: Color vision, motion processing, visual awareness, facial expression perception, and multi-sensory integration using psychophysical, eye-tracking, and fMRI methodologies. Scott Kelso: Mechanisms of self-organization underlying the coordination of brain and behavior. Howard Prentice: Ischemic adaptations, neurodegenerative disease, brain anoxia, mitochondrial dysfunction and aging processes. Wen Shen: Electrophysiology of channels and receptors, transporters in neurodevelopment and adult system, signal transduction in retinal circuits. Summer Sheremata: Visual short-term memory and attention. Robert Stackman: Neurobiology of learning and memory, spatial navigation, brain representations of space, mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Emmanuelle Tognoli: EEG coordination dynamics of human behavior: large-scale integration within and between brains. Robert Vertes: Neurophysiology/neuroanatomy. Functional organization of the brainstem and its role in controlling activity of the forebrain. Jang Wu: Neurotransmitters and neurological disorders. Qualified students are encouraged to apply to the program by following the instructions at the Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences web site ( http://www.ccs.fau.edu/) Applications should be submitted by February 15, 2016. The Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton, situated between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with easy access to the rich cultural life of the Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Steven L Bressler, PhD Interim Director and Professor Center for Complex Systems & Brain Sciences Florida Atlantic University

Oct. 14, 2015

INCF at SfN: community tool demos in our both #2114

by Malin Sandström

Dear all, This year in Chicago, you are very welcome to come and visit INCF in *booth #2114*, located in the funders row. Are you working on an interesting project, or looking for new collaborators? Come by and talk to us, and bring a colleague! Our booth has a comfortable sofa perfect for short spontaneous meetings. As usual, we host *demos of community tools* in our booth, Sunday through Tuesday. Interested in model discovery with *SenseLab* and *NeuroElectro*, or in the latest developments of *OpenWorm*? Do you want to get started on collaborative model development with *Open Source Brain?* Meet them and many others in our booth on Oct 18-20 (full schedule below). On *Sunday October 18*, you can meet us at: * the SfN-sponsored *neuroinformatics social* (room N229, 18:45-20:45), with presentations by Tom Insel and Sean Hill, chaired by David Kennedy from NITRC and with representation from NIF and INCF. * or get an introduction to the *Neurodata Without Borders *data format at the Fairmont Chicago (Ambassador room, 18:30-->). And on *Tuesday October 20*, we will of course be at the SfN-sponsored computational neuroscience social (Room N139, 18:45-20:45). More details on our SfN webpage https://incf.org/community/sfn2015 or in our special edition SfN Newsletter http://eepurl.com/bClxYf See you in Chicago! Best regards, Malin Sandström on behalf of the INCF Secretariat TOOL DEMOS OCTOBER 18-20 IN BOOTH 2114 ------------------------------------------------------------------- *Sunday* 9:30-11:15 Sharing neuroimaging results with NIDM 11:15-13:00 NIX: Versatile file format for consistent data organization and sharing 13:30-15:15 J-Node live demos 15:15-17:00 NeuroVault.org: A web-based repository for collecting and sharing unthresholded statistical maps of the human brain *Monday* 9:30-11:15 The CARMEN Portal. What it is, what has been learned 11:15-13:00 CENTER-TBI data capture and analysis platform 13:30-15:15 Microcircuit cell types, connectomics, and model discovery usingSenseLab andNeuroElectro 15:15-17:00 OpenWorm: An open science approach to computational neuroscience *Tuesday* 9:30-11:15 TimeLapseReg: An ImageJ plugin for drift correction of video sequences in time lapse microscopy 11:15-13:00 Collaborative model development on Open Source Brain 13:30-15:15 Research Resource ID's and annotating the web 15:15-17:00 KnowledgeSpace demo -- Malin Sandström, PhD Community Engagement Officer malin.sandstrom(a)incf.org International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility Karolinska Institutet Nobels väg 15 A SE-171 77 Stockholm Sweden http://www.incf.org

Oct. 14, 2015

Visit the Bernstein Network at booth #2033 at SfN 2015 for your next career step in Computational Neuroscience

by Mareike Kardinal

Dear all, what´s your next career step? *The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience will exhibit at the SfN Meeting 2015*. Please find us at the "Neuroscience in Germany" booth #2033. * *The booth will present: * research fields * study and training programs * open positions * research and funding opportunities *We are looking forward to welcoming you at booth #2033!* Best regards, Mareike Kardinal -- Dr. Mareike Kardinal Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience Press & Public Relations Officer, Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Hansastr. 9A 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: +49-761-203-9593 mareike.kardinal(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de www.nncn.de Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany

Oct. 14, 2015

[SfN] Computational Neuroscience Social at SfN on Tuesday, October 20

by viola

Dear Colleagues, We write to call your attention to the upcoming computational neuroscience social at the SfN in Chicago next week. ** Join us for an evening with elegant models, great spirits, networking theories, and billions of action potentials! Reunite with old friends, make new ones, mingle with top researchers and special guests, and learn about upcoming CompNeuro events. Everyone is welcome! Special Guests John Beggs, Surya Ganguli, Maria Geffen, Julijana Gjorgjieva, Mark Goldman, Gabrielle Gutierrez, Andreea Lazar, Wolfgang Maass, Eve Marder, Cian O’Donnell, Armen Stepanyants, Jonathan Victor and Fred Wolf We are pleased to announce a special honoring of Yuan Liu and Dennis Glanzman, who have been supportive of the computational neuroscience community and meetings for many years. ** Please feel welcome to advertise your summer schools, conferences, tool boxes, journals, associations, or jobs in the field of computational neuroscience in the form of flyers or posters (sugg. max A3, for jobs max A4, poster boards provided), and/or have a representative available for informal discussion. Location: McCormick Place, Room N139 Time: Tuesday, October 20, 6:45-8:45 PM ** Hope to see you in Chicago! Timothy O’Leary Viola Priesemann --- Dr. Timothy O’Leary Volen Center for Complex Systems Brandeis University http://blogs.brandeis.edu/marderlab/members/dr-timothy-oleary/ Dr. Viola Priesemann Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Göttingen, Germany http://www.nld.ds.mpg.de/people/priesemann

Oct. 13, 2015

[jobs] 3 PhD positions in neural language robotics

by Stefan Wermter

The Knowledge Technology Research Group at the University of Hamburg invites applications for three Early Stage Researchers (ESR) within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Training Network "SECURE" - Safety Enables Cooperation in Uncertain Robotic Environments. Research area: The general area is knowledge technology, intelligent systems and artificial intelligence, in particular neural networks and natural language processing for safe cognitive robots. There are three research positions (3 PhD studentships called Early Stage Researcher positions - ESR) which will be filled in the context of cognitive robots (Darwin-OP/Nao/Nicu/iCub or related). The ESR focus on the following topics: ESR A: A neuro-probabilistic robot interaction model for learning and inferring safe actions ESR B: A self-organising neural model for prosodic recognition and threat sound localisation ESR C: A deep neural learning model to identify dangerous situations through spoken language The positions commence on 1.1.2016 or as soon as the position can be filled. The term is fixed to three years. They are remunerated at the salary level in accordance with the regulations for the Early Stage Researcher (ESR) in EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks (ITN) (http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/doc/call/h2020/common/1617…) and are fulltime positions (39h/week). Tasks: Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates can also pursue research and further academic qualifications. Requirements: A university degree in a relevant subject. In particular, at least an MSc or equivalent in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science or Engineering with a focus on Intelligent Computing is required. Excellent programming skills (Python, C++ etc.) are needed and a background in at least one of neural networks/natural language processing/robotics would be needed for these positions. The posts involve traveling within Europe. Each PhD student will be expected to spend secondments at other European partner sites. According to EU mobility rules, the ESR researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for longer than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Early-Stage Researchers are defined as those who are, at the time of selection, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. The University aims to increase the number of women in research and teaching and explicitly encourages women to apply. Equally qualified female applicants will receive preference in accordance with Hamburgs Higher Education Act (HmbHG). Severely disabled applicants will receive preference over equally qualified non-disabled applicants. Additional Info on the European Training Network SECURE: SECURE is a new Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Training Network (ETN) with the primary aim to train a new generation of researchers on safe cognitive robot concepts for human work and living spaces on the most advanced humanoid robot platforms available in Europe. The Early-Stage Research (ESR) fellows will be trained for a PhD through an innovative concept of project-based learning and constructivist learning in supervised peer networks where they will gain experience from an intersectoral programme involving universities, research institutes, large and SME companies from public and private sectors. The training domain will integrate multidisciplinary concepts from the fields of cognitive human-robot interaction, computer science and intelligent robotics where a new approach of integrating principles of embodiment, situation and interaction will be pursued to address future challenges for safe human-robot environments. In case of questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Stefan Wermter, Head of Knowledge Technology or consult our website at https://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/wtm/. Applications should include an application letter, full curriculum vitae, best publication if applicable, copies of degree certificate(s) and transcripts. The application deadline is 1.11.2015. Please email applications in a single pdf file to: Ms Katja Koesters, katja.koesters(a)informatik.uni-hamburg.de *********************************************** Professor Dr. Stefan Wermter Chair of Knowledge Technology Department of Computer Science, WTM, Building F University of Hamburg Vogt Koelln Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany Email: wermter AT informatik.uni-hamburg.de http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~wermter/ http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/WTM/ ***********************************************

Oct. 13, 2015

Four faculty positions in applied statistics and stochastics

by Robert Rosenbaum

The Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Notre Dame is seeking applications for four faculty positions, three in applied statistics and one in applied stochastics. Ideally, two of the statistics positions will be at the post-tenure level (associate or full professor) and the remainder will be tenure track (assistant professor). The department is highly supportive of collaborative research and encourages applications from computational neuroscientists. Feel free to contact me (Robert.Rosenbaum(a)nd.edu) with general questions about the department, etc. Applicants for the post-tenure job are invited to contact the chair, Andrew Sommese (sommese(a)nd.edu) The department will begin reviewing applications on Nov 1, so please apply soon if interested. For more information and to apply, see here for statistics: http://apply.interfolio.com/30595 and here for stochastics: http://apply.interfolio.com/30609 — Robert Rosenbaum Assistant Professor Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics University of Notre Dame

Oct. 13, 2015

Postdoc position in Computational Brain Modelling at Ulster University UK

by McDaid, Liam

Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate (RA) in Computational Brain Modelling (Ref: 1503308) based at the Intelligent Systems Research Center, Ulster University, UK. The RA post is for a 3½ year duration and is part of a collaborative project funded by the EPSRC: our partners are the Department of Electronics, University of York. The RA post holder will be part of a team that aims to develop a brain-inspired self-repairing algorithm and subsequently map this self-repairing algorithm to robotic hardware at the University of York. At Ulster we have previously shown that astrocyte cells interact with neurons to detect when a fault has occurred in the connections making up a network of neurons and how this interaction can oversee a repair strategy in the paper "On the Role of Astroglial Syncytia in Self-Repairing Spiking Neural Networks" (http://tinyurl.com/qbsusnn) The RA post will focus on the development of a computational model that captures the interactions between neurons and astrocytes, and hence the repair process, and will interact with other team members to translate the self-repair strategy to hardware computing systems and robot controllers based at the University of York. The RA post is fixed-term based at Ulster University and is active from November 2015 until March 2019. The closing date for applications is the 11th November 2015. Further information in relation to the post can be found on the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ocm8pvf or you can contact Prof. Liam McDaid at lj.mcdaid(a)ulster.ac.uk<mailto:lj.mcdaid@ulster.ac.uk> We prefer to issue and receive applications via our on-line recruitment website at www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs<http://www.ulster.ac.uk/jobs> Hard copy applications can be obtained by telephoning +4428 7012 4072 ________________________________ This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The University of Ulster was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

Oct. 13, 2015

Postdoctoral position in cognitive auditory neuroscience at Imperial College London

by Tobias Reichenbach

Applications are invited for a Research Associate (Postdoc) to work on an exciting project in auditory cognitive neuroscience at Imperial College London. The successful candidate will join the group of Tobias Reichenbach (http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/reichenbach) The project involves collaboration with clinical collaborators at Imperial College, and is further embedded in the Centre for Neurotechnology at Imperial College (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology) The project's goal is to develop experimental paradigms and associated data analytics to extract electrophysiological correlates from the brainstem and the cortex in response to speech. Electrophysiological responses will be obtained from auditory-brainstem recordings (ABR) and from electroencephalography (EEG). The developed methods will then be employed to compare differences in neural responses to speech in healthy people and in people with different cognitive impairments. Applicants should have a PhD in physical sciences, engineering, neuroscience or computing with experience in signal processing as well as neuroimaging. For an informal discussion please contact Dr Tobias Reichenbach (email: reichenbach(a)imperial.ac.uk <mailto:a.kedgley@imperial.ac.uk>; telephone: +44 (0)20 759 46370). Our preferred method of application is online via the Imperial College website at www.imperial.ac.uk/employment where you will find a job description and person specification for this post. Please select "Job Search", then enter the job title or vacancy reference number EN20150333FH into "Keywords". Complete and upload an application form as directed. Should you have any queries please contact Allan Nyunt at a.nyunt(a)imperial.ac.uk <mailto:a.nyunt@imperial.ac.uk> ------------------------------------------- Tobias Reichenbach Lecturer, Biophysics of Hearing Editor, Heliyon Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London South Kensington Campus SW7 2AZ London, UK http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/reichenbach/

Oct. 12, 2015

v6.2 of NeuroMorpho.Org released 6 October, 2015

by NeuroMorpho Administrator

Dear colleagues, We're pleased to announce the October 6, 2015 release of Version 6.2 of NeuroMorpho.Org<http://neuromorpho.org/>, including 2160 additional reconstructions from 21 new archives and intriguing species such as Bottlenose dolphin, Chimpanzee, Clouded leopard, Giraffe, Humpback whale, Locust, Manatee, Minke whale, Pouched lamprey, and Siberian tiger. As many as 58 papers were published using data downloaded from NeuroMorpho.Org in the first six month of 2015 alone. NeuroMorpho.Org Neuron Morphology Read more...<http://neuromorpho.org/> The repository now contains 34,082 neurons from 165 labs<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/about.jsp>. Please visit the What's new page<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/WIN.jsp> for details on the added data and other updates. The literature coverage database was also updated to include publications through September 2015. We are continuously grateful to all the data contributors<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/acknowl.jsp#DC> who freely share their hard-won tracings with the community. We appreciate any and all feedback and comments. Our apologies if you receive multiple versions of this message through x-listing. Sincerely, The NeuroMorpho.Org team<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/acknowl.jsp#NMO>

Oct. 11, 2015

6th Annual GDR Multielectrode meeting: Registration and submissions are open!

by Blaise Yvert

Dear Colleagues, It is our pleasure to announce that registration and abstract submissions are now open for the 6th annual meeting of the GDR Multielectrode that will be held in Grenoble (minischool) and Autrans (conference) on January 5-8, 2016. You will find the preliminary program and all useful informations and instructions to register at the following address : http://gdr2904grenoble.sciencesconf.org/ Please don't hesitate to spread the word around you to make this event as rich as possible. Several companies will present their products, and we particularly thank Blackrock Microsystems, Atlas Neuroengineering, and g.Tec for their strong support. Important notes: 1) The language of the meeting is English 2) Deadline for registration and abstract submission is November 15, 2015 3) There are mostly double rooms and only extremely few single rooms available onsite for participant housing, so please choose a single room only if really necessary - thank you so much for your understanding! 4) We plan to organize several practical hands-on sessions in parallel for the second half of the minischool, please let us know which one you would be interested in. 5) This year, a special demo session will be held on Friday 8 afternoon, so you can submit an abstract for this session if you would like to demo a software or a hardware 6) Bus transportation will be available to go from Grenoble to Autrans and back. We plan to propose 2 buses to go back to Grenoble on Friday afternoon at two different times, please specify which one you would prefer. 7) Finally, we have planed a time for an outdoor activityon Thursday 6th afternoon (snow equipment provided). If we have snow, a biathlon initiative will be organized. Please let us know if you would be interested to participate, given that it will be free and will not require any special skiing skills, so everyone can participate! Looking forward welcoming you in the Alps, Best regards, Blaise on behalf of the whole organizing committee. -- Blaise Yvert. 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)

Oct. 10, 2015

Physics of Neural Systems at the 2016 March Meeting of American Physical Society, Baltimore, MD, March 14-18

by Nemenman, Ilya

Dear Colleagues: The 2016 American Physical Society (APS) March meeting (March 14-18, 2016; Baltimore, MD) will again emphasize “Physics of Neural Systems” in its program. We expect multiple sessions resulting from this focus topic, addressing recent advances in understanding of the structure and the dynamics of neural circuits responsible for sensing, memory, and motor output. Invited and Focus sessions of relevance to neuroscientists will include, among others, 1. Large Scale Neuroscience Projects 2. Theoretical physics and networks of real neurons 3. Inference in Biophysics 4. Principles of Cell-to-Cell communication 5. Brain Morphology and Mechanics: From Cortex Folding to Neuronal Growth to Compression Stiffening 6. Robophysics: physics meets robotics 7. Physics of sensorimotor neural circuits 8. Neural control of behavior 9. Maximum entropy models: a promising link between statistical physics, inference, and biology 10. Critical transitions in biological systems Some of the invited speakers include: Vijay Balasubramanian (U Pennsylvania) William Bialek (Princeton U) Gwyneth Card (Janelia Farm) David van Essen (Washington U, St. Loius) Adrienne Fairhall (U Washington) Surya Ganguli (Stanford U) Mark Goldman (UC Davis) Alexei Koulakov (CSHL) Thierry Mora (ENS) Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Hanchuan Peng (Allen Institute) Terry Sejnowski (Salk Institute) Naftali Tishby (Hebrew U) Gasper Tkacik (IST Austria) and others. We are now accepting abstract submissions for contributed talks on a broad range of topics on the intersection of physics and neuroscience, such as quantitative experimental protocols, modeling of neural dynamics, analysis of collective computation in neural circuits, and others. March meeting abstract submission website: http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/scientific/index.cfm Abstract submission deadline: November 6, 2015, 5:00pm EST APS March meeting is the largest physics meeting in the world, attracting about 10,000 physicists. At the meeting, the APS Division of Biological Physics supports one of the largest and scientifically diverse programs on the interface of physics and biology, from molecular and cellular biophysics, to computational neuroscience and population dynamics, featuring typically more than 600 talks every year. We are looking forward to receiving your abstracts. If you have any questions about neuroscience at the March Meeting, please don’t hesitate to contact Ilya Nemenman (ilya.nemenman(a)emory.edu) Sincerely, Ilya Nemenman Associate Professor of Physics and Biology Emory University, Atlanta, GA and Chair-elect, Division of Biological Physics (DBIO) American Physical Society (APS) http://nemenmanlab.org ________________________________ 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).

Oct. 10, 2015

Senior Research Technician Post (EEG) at University of Cambridge

by Dr V Leong

------------------------------------------- Senior Research Technician (Part-Time, EEG) ------------------------------------------- An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Research Technician to be part of an ambitious and pioneering experimental research programme on mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony. You will join a dynamic new infant neuroimaging lab headed by Dr Victoria Leong in the Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge. Your primary responsibility will be to set up, optimise and maintain a new state-of-the art, mobile (wireless) dual-EEG system for simultaneous neuroimaging of adults and infants in a naturalistic setting. You will provide day-to-day technical support to members of the research team, and you will also be required to provide assistance during EEG experimental sessions with mothers and infants. The lab has a strong focus on methods development and new technologies. Consequently, we seek an individual with a sound technical background and attention to detail, as well as an interest in methodological innovation. You will have at least an HNC or equivalent level qualification in a biomedical or engineering subject. Previous experience of working in a biomedical or biosciences laboratory is preferred. Practical experience of using EEG with adults and/or children is highly desired. The salary for this post will be £27,057-£32,277 pro rata, and appointment will be on a part-time basis (0.5 FTE) for 1.5 years. The closing date for applications is 1 Nov 2015. Interviews will be held during the week of 9 Nov 2015, and the post will begin on 4th Jan 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Victoria Leong (vvec2(a)cam.ac.uk) For more details or to apply, please refer to http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/8329/

Oct. 9, 2015

Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience at Indiana University

by Eduardo J. Izquierdo

Dear Colleagues, 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 if you could forward the attached ad to anyone who might be interested, or suggest suitable candidates. 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 or rdbeer(a)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.

Oct. 9, 2015

Three faculty positions in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin

by Ila Fiete

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three faculty positions in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcing three tenure-track faculty positions in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience and related fields at the University of Texas at Austin. The first position will be joint between the Departments of Neuroscience and Mathematics, the second will be joint between Neuroscience and Computer Science, and the third will be in the Department of Psychology. Please see the advertisements below for more details about the positions and how to apply. Applications are currently being accepted. Please disseminate this announcement broadly and please encourage colleagues ready to begin independent faculty positions to apply. ------------------------------------- ***Faculty Position in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience and Mathematics* The Departments of Neuroscience and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin are currently inviting applications for a full-time tenure-track appointment at the Assistant Professor level. We seek a creative and original thinker in mathematical neuroscience. Areas of interest include but are not limited to dynamical models of networks and circuits; statistical methods in neuroscience; computational algebraic topology applied to neural systems; neural network theory; stochastic analysis of neural dynamics; probabilistic combinatorics; coding and information theory of neural systems; data analytics and machine learning approaches. This search is part of a cluster of planned faculty hires in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin. The successful candidate will lead a vigorous program of extramurally funded independent research and contribute to an environment of diversity in higher education through research, teaching, and service. She or he will have joint membership in both departments and the option to join various multi-disciplinary research centers on campus. *Applicant Instructions: *Interested applicants with a Ph.D. or equivalent, two or more years of post-graduate experience, and a record of research excellence in mathematical neuroscienceshould submit 1) a letter of interest, 2) a current curriculum vita, 3) three key scholarly publications, 4) a statement of research interests and vision, and 5) a teaching statement with evidence of excellence in teaching to <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7538>https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/7538. In addition, applicants must arrange to have at least three letters of reference submitted directly to the same website. Applications will be reviewed starting November 5, 2015, and will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. UT Austin is responsive to the needs of dual career couples and espouses family-friendly policies (http://www.utexas.edu/provost/policies/family/) Inquires related to this search may be directed to Kathleen Pantalion (<mailto:kpantalion@mail.clm.utexas.edu>kpantalion(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu) Ila Fiete (<mailto:ilafiete@mail.clm.utexas.edu>ilafiete(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu) or Bill Beckner (<mailto:beckner@math.utexas.edu>beckner(a)math.utexas.edu) ------------------------------------- *Faculty Position in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience and Computer Science* ** The Departments of Neuroscience and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin are currently inviting applications for a full-time appointment at the Assistant Professor level. We seek a leader in computational and theoretical neuroscience. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: graph and network theory of neural networks; information and complexity theory in neural systems; computational modeling, computational geometry, the theory of stochastic processes, and coding theory applied to neuroscience; statistics, data mining, machine learning, graphical modeling androbotics applied to or inspired by neuroscience. This search is part of a cluster of planned faculty hires in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin. The successful candidate will lead an outstanding program of extramurally funded independent research and contribute to an environment of diversity in higher education through research, teaching, and service. She or he will have joint membership in both departments and the option to join various multi-disciplinary research centers on campus. *Applicant Instructions: *Interested applicants with a Ph.D. or equivalent, two or more years of post-graduate experience, and a record of research excellence in computational and theoretical neuroscienceshould submit 1) a letter of interest, 2) a curriculum vita, 3) three key scholarly publications, 4) a statement of research interests and vision, and 5) a teaching statement with evidence of excellence in teaching. In addition, applicants must arrange for at least three letters of reference. To submit your application, go to <http://services.cs.utexas.edu/recruit/faculty/applicant/>http://services.cs.utexas.edu/recruit/faculty/applicant/. Applications will be reviewed starting November 5, 2015, and will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. UT Austin is responsive to the needs of dual career couples and espouses family-friendly policies (<http://www.utexas.edu/provost/policies/family/>http://www.utexas.edu/provost/policies/family/) Inquiries about the application may be directed to faculty-search(a)cs.utexas.edu <mailto:faculty-search@cs.utexas.edu>, or you may contact Kathleen Pantalion (<mailto:kpantalion@mail.clm.utexas.edu>kpantalion(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu) Ila Fiete (<mailto:ilafiete@mail.clm.utexas.edu>ilafiete(a)mail.clm.utexas.edu) or William Press (<mailto:wpress@cs.utexas.edu>wpress(a)cs.utexas.edu) ------------------------------------- *Faculty Position in the Computational Neuroscience of Perception and/or Action* The Center for Perceptual Systems at The University of Texas at Austin is currently inviting applications for a full-time appointment at the Assistant Professor level. The expected employment date is September 1, 2016. We are particularly interested in candidates who will be able to establish a strong research program in the computational and experimental science of perception or perception and action. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent from an accredited institution and a demonstrated ability to pursue an independent research program. The successful candidate will hold an appointment in an appropriate university department (e.g., Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Integrative Biology), will be expected to develop and maintain an extramurally funded research program, will be expected to participate in teaching activities at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and will exhibit a commitment to service. For more information about the Center for Perceptual Systems see http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/cps/. (FRD: 6267) *Applicant Instructions:* Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest, current curriculum vita, representative scholarly publications, statement of research interests, evidence of excellence in teaching to: apply.interfolio.com/30070. You should also have a minimum of three referees submit letters of recommendation to: apply.interfolio.com/30070. Applications will be considered beginning November 1, 2015 and will continue to be reviewed until the position has been filled. Proof of conferred degree and a background check will be conducted on selected applicants. Position funding is pending final budgetary approval. Questions can be directed to the chair of the search committee, Dr. Wilson Geisler at w.geisler(a)utexas.edu. The University of Texas at Austin and the Department of Psychology strongly value multiculturalism and diversity.** -- Ila Fiete Associate Professor Department of Neuroscience | Center for Learning and Memory The University of Texas at Austin http://clm.utexas.edu/fietelab/

Oct. 9, 2015

Joint Harvard-IIT postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience (Harvey and Panzeri Labs)

by Stefano Panzeri

Dear all, We will very soon open a new postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience in collaboration between the labs of Chris Harvey at Harvard Medical School (Boston) and of Stefano Panzeri at the Italian Institute of Technology (Rovereto, Italy). The post will be available from beginning of 2016 and is expected to be filled within the next couple of months. This postdoctoral position will be to work on neural population coding. The successful candidate will develop new analytical methods to study how populations of neurons encode sensory information and how this information is used to produce decisions. The candidate will apply these methods to large-scale recordings of neurons in sensory areas and posterior parietal cortex using calcium imaging methods in behaving rodents that navigate in a virtual reality environment. The successful candidate will work in Chris Harvey’s Lab at Harvard ( http://harveylab.hms.harvard.edu) and will have the opportunity to visit Panzeri’s lab (http://www.iit.it/en/people/stefano-panzeri.html) on a regular basis for scientific collaborations. Interested applicants should contact both Chris Harvey ( harvey(a)hms.harvard.edu) and Stefano Panzeri (stefano.panzeri(a)iit.it) by email, emailing their CV with the inquiry. Chris Harvey will be willing to meet prospective candidates at the SFN conference. For recent papers relevant to this postdoctoral opportunity, applicants are invited to consult the following articles: Harvey, C.D. et al. (2012) Choice-specific sequences in parietal cortex during a virtual-navigation decision task. Nature 484, 62–68 Zuo Y, et al (2015) Spike timing and spike rate make complementary contributions to perceptual decisions in rat S1 and S2 cortex. Current Biology 25: 357-363 Panzeri, S, et al (2015) Neural population coding: combining insights from microscopic and mass signals, Trends in Cognitive Sciences 19: 162-172 Regards, Chris Harvey and Stefano Panzeri harvey(a)hms.harvard.edu stefano.panzeri(a)iit.it

Oct. 9, 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 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 strong background in any of the following disciplines: theoretical physics, mathematics, biomedical or electrical engineering or quantitative biology. A first class honours degree or equivalent is required with proficiency 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. Interested applicants should email Prof. David T. J. Liley at dliley(at)swin.edu.au. Prof David T. J. Liley Brain Dynamics Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre Swinburne University of Technology Burwood Road Hawthorn 3122 Victoria Australia --------------------------- 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>

Oct. 9, 2015

Post doc research staff positions at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, CA

by Pilly, Praveen K

The Information and Systems Sciences Laboratory (ISSL) at HRL Laboratories (www.hrl.com<http://www.hrl.com>) is looking for two exceptional postdocs to join a world-class team aiming to build revolutionary non-invasive stimulation systems that can accelerate skill acquisition and boost learning and memory for the general population. Successful candidates will work alongside leading scientists and engineers across the US and Europe. This project will be a very collaborative and inter-disciplinary effort. We are specifically looking for individuals with expertise in one or more of the following topics: neural statistical modeling, high-density EEG decoding, pattern recognition applied to brain/body signals, machine learning with very limited training data, closed-loop transcranial stimulation, brain-machine interfaces, and computational neuroscience. One individual will be tasked with developing, implementing, and validating real-time pattern recognition algorithms for decoding high-density EEG signals to inform non-invasive stimulation for memory enhancement. The other individual will be responsible for developing, implementing, and validating statistical and computational models that can interpret natural as well as stimulation-modulated brain activity at multiple time points to predict future behavioral performance in realistic memory tasks. Knowledge of declarative and/or procedural memory systems and sleep consolidation is desired, but not strictly required. Individuals with a keen interest in translating basic neuroscience research into real-world applications are especially encouraged to apply. These are post-doctoral positions with an initial appointment for one year and renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance. The Information and Systems Sciences Laboratory conducts groundbreaking research in three thrust areas: Complex Networks, Cyber-Physical Resilience and Brain-Machine Intelligence. We create new and innovative capabilities for diverse applications such as cyber-security, unmanned autonomous systems, human performance augmentation, big data analytics, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. The goal of our research in Brain-Machine Intelligence is to understand how humans process information and effectively interact with the environment to develop smarter autonomous systems, enhance human performance, and develop novel processing systems. Our research starts with the development of large-scale, neurobiologically and behaviorally faithful brain region models. We apply these models along with real-time measurements of brain activity (EEG, fMRI, fNIRS) to create advanced brain-computer interfaces, human decision aids, and neurostimulation-based enhanced training systems. We also use our models to develop novel, brain-inspired sensor exploitation, machine learning, and control algorithms, and to develop low size, weight and power brain-based processing hardware for resilient autonomous systems, dexterous robots, and threat warning applications. HRL offers a competitive salary and benefits package, a small company atmosphere, and an ideal work location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We also provide a collaborative technical culture committed to producing the leading R&D in the world. Interested candidates are requested to apply on line at HRL's website (http://www.hrl.com/careers/cars_jobs.html) Due to the large number of resumes that we receive from various sources, HRL has chosen to only accept employment inquiries submitted through our website. Please contact Dr. Praveen Pilly (pkpilly(a)hrl.com<mailto:pkpilly@hrl.com>) for any questions related to this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until the positions are filled. https://www4.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/HRL/PublicJobs/controller.cfm?jba… https://www4.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/HRL/PublicJobs/controller.cfm?jba… -- Praveen K. Pilly, Ph.D. Research Staff Member Center for Neural and Emergent Systems Information and Systems Sciences Laboratory HRL Laboratories Email: pkpilly(a)hrl.com<mailto:pkpilly@hrl.com> Tel: 310-317-5492

Oct. 9, 2015

Neuroscience Graduate Group at the University of Pennsylvania

by Joshua Gold

The Neuroscience Graduate Group (NGG) at the University of Pennsylvania is a collaborative and interdisciplinary PhD program that is currently accepting applications for matriculation in the fall of 2016. We are particularly interested in attracting exceptional applicants with backgrounds in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, and/or Psychology and are interested in the broadly defined field of Computational Neuroscience. We have a robust and interdisciplinary community of scholars in this field, including: Geoff Aguirre, Neurology Vijay Balasubramanian, Physics Danielle S Bassett, Bioengineering David H Brainard, Psychology Maja Bucan, Genetics Johannes Burge, Psychology Alice S Chen-Plotkin, Neurology Brian Chow, Bioengineering Yale E Cohen, Otorhinolaryngology Diego Contreras, Neuroscience Steven Eliades, Otorhinolaryngology Christopher M Fang-Yen, Bioengineering Maria Neimark Geffen, Otorhinolaryngology Joshua I Gold, Neuroscience Joseph W Kable, Psychology Michael J Kahana, Psychology Max Kelz, Anesthesiology Brian Litt, Neurology and Bioengineering Minghong Ma, Neuroscience Joel D Mainland, Neuroscience Nicole C Rust, Psychology Marc Schmidt, Biology Robert G Smith, Neuroscience Alan A Stocker, Psychology Sharon Thompson-Schill, Psychology Penn also has strong programs in Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology with faculty actively involved in machine learning, decision making, perception, and computational learning theory. NGG students are encouraged to pursue collaborations and interactions with these groups. Penn also is home to a newly established Computational Neuroscience Initiative (https://cni.upenn.edu <https://cni.upenn.edu/>), which oversees many of our academic and research programs related to computational neuroscience. The application deadline for the NGG is December 1, 2015. For more details please see our website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/app_info.shtml <http://www.med.upenn.edu/ngg/app_info.shtml> ----- Joshua Gold Chair, Neuroscience Graduate Group Professor, Neuroscience University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6074 office phone: 215-746-0028 e-mail: jigold(a)mail.med.upenn.edu <mailto:jigold@mail.med.upenn.edu> http://www.med.upenn.edu/goldlab <http://www.med.upenn.edu/goldlab>

Oct. 8, 2015

PhD position in computational neuroscience. 'Identification of Metastable Cortical Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Decisions'. Bournemouth University-IDIBAPS

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) 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 and at the cortical networks lab; embedded in the renowned systems neuroscience network in Barcelona. Applicants holding a degree in Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or similar disciplines are welcome. Interest or previous training in neuroscience and machine learning, as well master qualifications in these subjects, laboratory experience and a strong mathematical background would be very welcome. The researcher would be based at the Faculty of Science, Bournemouth University, and work with Dr Balaguer-Ballester at the Computational Neuroscience laboratory (http://dec.bournemouth.ac.uk/staff/ebb) and would spend prolonged periods of time in the Cortical Networks Lab (http://www.sanchez-vives.org/ 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 more information and for applying please visit https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/pgr/funded-phd-studentships-in-the-facul… For further details please do not hesitate to contact me: eb-ballester(a)bournemouth.ac.uk; twitter: @emilibalball . 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.

Oct. 8, 2015

Postdoctoral positions in theoretical biophysics at Emory University

by Nemenman, Ilya

Dear Colleagues, We’re happy to announce that the we are in the process of hiring multiple postdoctoral scientists for the newly-formed theoretical biophysics cluster at Emory University. If you could forward the attached ad to anyone who might be interested, or suggest suitable candidates, it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Gordon Berman Ilya Nemenman Daniel Weissman ---------------------- Postdoctoral Positions: Theoretical Biological Physics at Emory University Applications are invited for multiple Postdoctoral Scientist positions in the new theoretical biophysics cluster at Emory University. The groups of Professors Gordon Berman, Ilya Nemenman, and Daniel Weissman constitute the core of the cluster, and additional members include groups within the Departments of Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering, amongst others across Emory. The cluster studies a wide range of questions at the interface of physics and biology, with particular focus on modeling and quantifying behavior, collective information processing in neural and cellular systems, and evolutionary dynamics. A successful applicant will have a PhD and a strong publication record in theoretical physics, quantitative biology, computational neuroscience, or a related field. We are particularly interested in candidates with a track record of scientific creativity and independent thinking. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the positions are filled. Please send your CV, a brief description of your research experience and interests, and a list of three references to q-bio-jobs(a)listserv.emory.edu. <mailto:q-bio-jobs@listserv.emory.edu> Emory University is one of the world’s leading research universities, with top-ranked programs in Population Biology Ecology and Evolution, Computational Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, and Biophysics. The outstanding School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health and the nearby Georgia Institute of Technology provide ample opportunities for collaborations. The hired postdoctoral scientists will benefit from unique resources available at Emory, such as the Center for Disease Control, located on Emory Campus, and the Yerkes Primate Research Center. Emory is located within a leafy neighborhood in the heart of Atlanta, a major cultural center and transportation hub, which offers high quality of life. Emory University is an AA/EEO employer. ________________________________ 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).

Oct. 8, 2015

PhD opportunities in Computational Neuroscience

by Claudia Clopath

Computational Neuroscience Laboratory Headed by Dr. Claudia *Clopath* Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London -----------------Requirements:----------------- The Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, headed by Dr. Claudia Clopath, is looking for a talented PhD student, interested in working in the field of computational neuroscience, specifically addressing questions of *learning and memory*. The perfect candidate has a strong mathematical, physical or engineering background (or equivalent), and a keen interest in biological and neural systems. Demonstrated programming skills are a plus. -----------------Research topic:----------------- Learning and memory are among the most fascinating topic of neuroscience, yet our understanding of it is only at the beginning. Learning is thought to change the connections between the neurons in the brain, a process called *synaptic plasticity*. Using mathematical and computational tools, it is possible to model synaptic plasticity across different time scales, which helps understand how different types of memory are formed. The PhD candidate will be working to build those models of synaptic plasticity, and study the functional role of synaptic plasticity in artificial neural networks. They will have the opportunity to collaborate with experimental laboratories, which study connectivity changes and behavioural learning. Candidates should be EU nationals. ----------------- The lab:----------------- The Computational Neuroscience Laboratory is very young and dynamic, and publishes in prestigious journals, such as Nature and Science. It is part of the Department of Bioengineering, which conducts state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research in biomechanics, neuroscience and neurotechnology. The lab is at *Imperial College London*, the 3rd ranked university in Europe, is in the top 10 worldwide, and is located in the city centre of London. More information can be found at: http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/lab/index.html <http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/> ----------------- How to apply:----------------- Candidates should send a single pdf file, consisting of a 1-page motivation letter, CV (mentioning that they are EU nationals) to clopathlab.imperial(a)gmail.com, with the subject containing 'PHD2016'. In addition, candidates should organize two letters of references to be sent to clopathlab.imperial(a)gmail.com. The application *deadline is **Oct 25th* (both for the application as well as for the two letters of references). Skype Interviews will be held on the Oct 29th. ----------------- Funding:----------------- The candidate will apply to an Imperial College PhD scholarship. Deadline for funding application is on Nov 12. More information can be found at: <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/researchstrategy/funding/phdscholarships> <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/studentfinance/prospectivepgstudents/phdscholars…> http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/studentfinance/prospectivepgstudents/phdscholars…

Oct. 7, 2015

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AT BROWN UNIVERSITY

by Wilson Truccolo

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AT BROWN UNIVERSITY: Applications for NIH-funded post-doctoral positions are invited for the Laboratory of Dr. Wilson Truccolo in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. The positions are for the development of data-driven stochastic and biophysical models of multiscale neural dynamics in human epilepsy. Data consist of simultaneous intracortical microelectrode array recordings of ensembles of single neurons and local field potentials, as well as ECoGs, during seizure and non-seizure states in individuals with intractable epilepsy. The project involves a collaboration between the labs of Dr. Truccolo and Dr. Sydney Cash (Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston). The ideal candidate will have a strong background in computational/theoretical neuroscience and modeling of stochastic neural dynamics. Related recent publications can be found on the Truccolo lab website ( http://www.truccololab.com/ <http://dl.dropbox.com/u/983891/Truccolo_home.htm>). Inquiries should be addressed to Dr. Truccolo (wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu) Applications including a CV, statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of three referees should be sent to wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu. -- Wilson Truccolo, Ph.D. Pablo J. Salame '88 Goldman Sachs Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Department of Neuroscience & Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Lab website: http://www.truccololab.com/

Oct. 7, 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://www.eyequant.com/#!/jobs#phd-candidate-research-engineer 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.

Oct. 7, 2015

Tenure Track Faculty Position in Theoretical Condensed Matter and Biological Physics

by Stepanyants, Armen

The Department of Physics at Northeastern University invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor level tenure track position in theoretical condensed matter and biological physics to begin Fall 2016. This is a broad search covering all forefront areas of theoretical and computational condensed matter and biological physics. Candidates are expected to teach effectively both undergraduate and graduate physics courses, and establish an independent externally funded research program. The successful applicant is expected to have a PhD in Physics, although closely related areas will also be considered. Northeastern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Educational Institution and Employer, Title IX University, and an E-Verify Employer. Applications from minorities, women and persons with disabilities are particularly welcome. Application materials submitted online at https://neu.peopleadmin.com/postings/38431 should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and names and e-mail addresses of four references. The deadline for receipt of all application materials, including the reference letters, is January 15, 2016. The position will, however, remain open until a suitable candidate is selected.

Oct. 6, 2015

COSYNE 2016: Abstract submission is open, Workshop proposal deadline on Oct 31

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2016 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING Feb 25 - Feb 28, 2016 Salt Lake City, Utah WORKSHOPS Feb 29 - Mar 01, 2016 Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission is now open! Abstract submission deadline: 13 November 2015 Workshop proposal deadline: 31 October 2015 The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. MAIN MEETING The main meeting is single-track. A set of invited talks are selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. This year we would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. WORKSHOPS The workshops feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at www.cosyne.org) Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Blaise Aguera y Arcas (Google) Marisa Carrasco (NYU) Edward Chang (UCSF) Greg DeAngelis (Rochester) Mark Goldman (UC Davis) Sonja Hofer (Basel) Richard Mooney (Duke) Mala Murthy (Princeton) Peggy Series (Edinburgh) Reza Shadmehr (Johns Hopkins) Paul Smolensky (Johns Hopkins) Leslie Vosshall (Rockefeller) Xiao-Jing Wang (NYU) ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: General Chairs: Maria Geffen (U Penn) and Konrad Körding (Northwestern) Program Chairs: Megan Carey (Champalimaud) and Emilio Salinas (Wake Forest) Workshop Chairs: Claudia Clopath (Imperial College) and Alfonso Renart (Champalimaud) Publicity Chair: Xaq Pitkow (Rice) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Anne Churchland (CSHL) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT cosyne.meeting [at] gmail.com

Oct. 6, 2015

Postdoctoral Position in Robust Intelligence / Theoretical Neuroscience

by Stepanyants, Armen

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems and the Department of Physics at Northeastern University, Boston, invite applicants for a postdoctoral position in Robust Intelligence / Theoretical Neuroscience to begin in the fall of 2015. The successful candidate will work on an AIR FORCE sponsored project to create a theoretical framework for the analysis of the effects of learning and robust memory storage on synaptic connectivity in local cortical networks. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, or related quantitative disciplines. Track record of experience in computational neuroscience, as well as excellent theoretical and computational skills are required. Knowledge of machine learning, replica/cavity theory from statistical physics, cortical neuroanatomy and connectivity is preferred. To apply, please send (1) a CV, including a list of publications, (2) a summary of prior research accomplishments, and (3) names and contact information of three reference providers by email to Prof. Armen Stepanyants, a.stepanyants(a)neu.edu<mailto:a.stepanyants@neu.edu>. The position is available immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The initial appointment is for one year with the possibility of renewal on a yearly basis. Northeastern is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Title IX Employer. More information can be found at the Neurogeometry Lab website, www.neurogeometry.net<http://www.neurogeometry.net>. Armen Stepanyants Associate Professor Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems Northeastern University 110 Forsyth St., Boston, MA 02115 Phone: (617) 373-2944 Fax: (617) 373-2943 http://www.neurogeometry.net/

Oct. 5, 2015

PhD position in Zurich

by Jean-Pascal Pfister

Applications are invited for one PhD student position at the University of Zurich. The position is funded by a SystemsX grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. The project is entitled "Baysian learning of quantal parameters at single synapse resolution", and involves both experimentation and theory. Most models of synaptic transmission assume that all synapses between two neurons are identical. However, there is experimental evidence for significant heterogeneity in synaptic transmission between synapses. The major goal of this project is the development of an approach that allows for quantification of functional synaptic parameters incorporating single synapse heterogeneity. Half of the project will be devoted to experiments (electrophysiological and optophysiological investigation of synaptic transmission at Drosophila synapses), while the second part will involve modeling (Bayesian learning). The PhD student will be co-supervised by Prof. Martin Müller (Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich) and by Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister (Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH and University of Zurich). Both institutes offer ideal environments for performing theory-driven experiments due to the presence of many theoretical and experimental labs. The candidate should hold a Master degree/Diplom in Physics, Biology, Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience or a related field. She/he should have prior experience in an experimental lab, a very strong mathematical background, and good programming skills. The applicant should submit a CV, a statement of research interests, marks obtained for the Master/Diploma, and the abstract of the Master/Diploma thesis in electronic format to Jean-Pascal Pfister (jpfister(a)ini.uzh.ch <mailto:jpfister@ini.uzh.ch>) or Martin Müller (Martin.Mueller(a)imls.uzh.ch <mailto:Martin.Mueller@imls.uzh.ch>). In addition, two referees should directly send a letter of recommendation by email. The position is offered for a period of three years, starting on the 1st of January 2016. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch <http://www.snf.ch/>). Deadline for application is the 30th of October 2015 or until the position is filled. +++ Martin Mueller SNSF Assistant Professor Institute of Molecular Life Sciences University of Zurich Y55-K78 Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland www.imls.uzh.ch/mueller.html <http://www.imls.uzh.ch/mueller.html> www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/molecular_cellular/mueller <http://www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/molecular_cellular/mueller> +++ Jean-Pascal Pfister SNSF Assistant Professor Theoretical Neuroscience Group Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister <http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~jpfister> www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/computation_modeling/pfister <http://www.neuroscience.ethz.ch/research/computation_modeling/pfister>

Oct. 5, 2015

NIPS Workshop on Modelling and Inference for Dynamics on Complex Interaction Networks

by Yasser Roudi

We invite contributions to the workshop on Modelling and Inference for Dynamics on Complex Interaction Networks Friday 11 December 2015 Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Canada Submissions of both contributed talks and posters are welcome. Please email an abstract of up to 1 page (PDF preferred) to peter....(a)kcl.ac.uk <> by 30 October 2015 and indicate your preference for talk or poster. We will get back to you with decisions on acceptance of submissions by mid-November. Further information on the workshop theme, invited speakers etc can be found below or at http://www.netadis.eu/ <http://www.netadis.eu/> (go to "NIPS 2015" tab). Please distribute to any researchers that might be interested in participating. Many thanks, Manfred Opper, Yasser Roudi and Peter Sollich --------------------------------------------- INVITED SPEAKERS and indicative topics • Jose Bento Ayres Pereira, Boston College – learning networks of stochastic differential equations • Mathias Bethge, MPI Tübingen – dynamics of generalized linear models • Alfredo Braunstein, Polictecnico di Torino – inference problems for irreversible stochastic epidemic models • Ramon Grima, University of Edinburgh – approximate solutions of Fokker-Planck equations, Feynman system size expansion • Andrea Montanari, Stanford – to be confirmed • Federico Ricci-Tersenghi, “La Sapienza” University, Roma – cross-correlations to infer delay structure then interactions • Graham Taylor, University of Guelph – deep learning in dynamical networks ORGANIZERS Prof Manfred Opper (Technische Universitaet Berlin, Germany), Prof Yasser Roudi (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway), Prof Peter Sollich (King’s College London, UK) CONTACT Prof Peter Sollich: peter....(a)kcl.ac.uk <> ABSTRACT Inference and learning on large graphical models, i.e. large systems of simple probabilistic units linked by a complex network of interactions, is a classical topic in machine learning. Such systems are also an active research topic in the field of statistical physics. The main interaction between statistical physics and machine has so far been in the area of analysing data sets without explicit temporal structure. Here methods of equilibrium statistical physics, developed for studying Boltzmann distributions on networks of nodes with e.g. pairwise interactions, are closely related to graphical model inference techniques; accordingly there has been much cross-fertilization leading to both conceptual insights and more efficient algorithms. Models can be learned from recorded experimental or other empirical data, but even when samples come from e.g. a time series this aspect of the data is typically ignored. More recently, interest has shifted towards dynamical models. This shift has occurred for two main reasons: * Most of the interesting systems for which statistical analysis techniques are required, e.g. networks of biological neurons, gene regulatory networks, protein-protein interaction networks, stock markets, exhibit very rich temporal or spatiotemporal dynamics; if this is ignored by focusing on stationary distributions alone this can lead to the loss of a significant amount of interesting information and possibly even qualitatively wrong conclusions. * Current technological breakthroughs in collecting data from the complex systems referred to above are yielding ever increasing temporal resolution. This in turn allows in depth analyses of the fundamental temporal aspects of the function of the system, if combined with strong theoretical methods. It is widely accepted that these dynamical aspects are crucial for understanding the function of biological and financial systems, warranting the development of techniques for studying them. In the past, the fields of machine learning and statistical physics have cross-fertilised each other significantly. E.g. the establishment of the relation between loopy belief propagation, message passing algorithms and the Bethe free energy formulation has stimulated a large amount of research in approximation techniques for inference and the corresponding equilibrium analysis of disordered systems in statistical physics. It is the goal of the proposed workshop to bring together researchers from the fields of machine learning and statistical physics in order to discuss the new challenges originating from dynamical data. Such data are modelled using a variety of approaches such as dynamic belief networks, continuous time analogues of these – as often used for disordered spin systems in statistical physics –, coupled stochastic differential equations for continuous random variables etc. The workshop will provide a forum for exploring possible synergies between the inference and learning approaches developed for the various models. The experience from joint advances in the equilibrium domain suggests that there is much unexplored scope for progress on dynamical data. Possible topics to be addressed will be: Inference on state dynamics: – efficient approximation of dynamics on a given network, filtering, smoothing – inference with hidden nodes – existing methods including dynamical belief propagation & expectation propagation, variational approximations, mean-field and Plefka approximations; relations between these, advantages, drawbacks – alternative approaches Learning model/network parameters: – with/without hidden nodes Learning network structure: – going beyond correlation information

Oct. 5, 2015

PhD positions in Marie-Curie European Training Network (Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease)

by Tomas Hromadka

A Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions sponsored European Training Network in Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease (SyDAD) is seeking 15 PhD students. ============ www.sydad.eu ============ RESEARCH SCHOOL SyDAD is an interdisciplinary PhD programme including an innovative research programme with cutting edge methodology, an excellent training programme, international exchanges and a translational and collaborative orientation. AIMS 1. To foster a new generation of researchers with an innovative mind-set and full understanding of the requirements of academia, pharmaceutical companies, the clinics and the societal challenges. 2. To, through a collaborative research programme, elucidate how the different pathways underlying synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease (AD) relate to each other, to identify novel pharmaceutical targets and to elaborate a drug discovery platform. THE DOCTORAL EDUCATION PROJECTS AND THE DUTIES OF THE STUDENT The doctoral students will use biochemical, cell biological, electrophysiological and in vivo methods as well as clinical material. The network has access to a wide repertoire of cutting-edge methodology including super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, in vivo electrophysiology and optogenetics. The doctoral students will be seconded to other sites of the network during shorter periods to best utilize the resources of the network and participate in a common training programme at the different sites of the network. PROJECTS For more information about the projects, please see the SyDAD web site www.sydad.eu Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ESR 10: Targeting Cholesterol homeostasis and synaptic maturation. Contact: angel.cedazo-minguez(a)ki.se ESR 11: Synaptic proteome and Aβ interactome in AD brain and mouse models. Contact: susanne.frykman(a)ki.se ESR 13: EEG as a functional central biomarker in AD. Contact: vesna.jelic(a)ki.se ESR 14: Mitochondria stabilisers and synaptic function in AD. Contact: maria.ankarcrona(a)ki.se Apply to the projects at Karolinska Institutet at http://ki.se/en/about/jobs-at-karolinska-institutet University of Bordeaux, France ESR 2: Role of APP in presynaptic mechanisms. Contact: gael.barthet(a)u-bordeaux.fr ESR 7: Mitochondrial dysfunction in relation to synaptic function in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Contact: Sandrine Pouvreau sandrine.pouvreau(a)u-bordeaux.fr ESR 12: Plasticity of local hippocampal circuits in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease: relation with episodic memory encoding. Contact: christophe.mulle(a)u-bordeaux.fr Apply to the projects at University of Bordeaux by e-mail: christophe.mulle(a)u-bordeaux.fr University of Milano, Italy ESR 1: Linking actin-dependent dendritic spine remodelling and ADAM10 activity in AD: the role of CAP2. Contact: monica.diluca(a)unimi.it ESR 9: A spine to nucleus signalling pathway in Alzheimer's disease. Contact: fabrizio.gardoni(a)unimi.it ESR 15: Development of cell permeable peptides capable of increasing ADAM10 activity. Contact: monica.diluca(a)unimi.it Apply to the projects at University of Milano by e-mail: monica.diluca(a)unimi.it and fabrizio.gardoni(a)unimi.it Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany ESR 3: Cascade linking Aß and tau-dependent toxicity to synapse loss. Contact: Mandelkow(a)dzne.de ESR 4: Loss-of-function genetic screening using CRISPR/Cas9. Contact: Daniele.Bano(a)dzne.de ESR 8. Synaptic plasticity and calcium remodelling. Contact: office-nicotera(a)dzne.de Apply to the projects at DZNE by e-mail: application(a)dzne.de Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Beerse, Belgium ESR 6: The roles of physiological and pathophysiological tau in synapse function and morphology. Contact: jpitaalm(a)ITS.JNJ.com Apply for the Janssen position here: http://jobs.jnj.com/s/u3z0MT Axon Neuroscience, Bratislava, Slovakia ESR 5: Rescue of truncated Tau-mediated synaptic dysfunction in vivo. Contact: novak(a)axon-neuroscience.eu For further information on the application process at Axon Neuroscience, please contact novak(a)axon-neuroscience.eu ENTRY REQUIREMENTS The entry requirements for each participating university will apply. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS OF MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS The applicant should be a postgraduate researcher in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research activity, including the period of research training, who has not been awarded a doctoral degree. NOTE! Mobility rule: The researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of his/her host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to his/her recruitment. SKILLS AND PERSONAL QUALITIES - The applicants should have a genuine interest and solid education in Neuroscience at a master level or equivalent. - The applicants should have excellent practical skills in performing laboratory work. For specific requirements for the different projects, please contact the respective supervisor. - The applicants should have substantial experience in performing independent research projects, e g a Master thesis project - The applicants should have good collaborative skills and be open-minded. - The applicants should show good proficiency in written and spoken English equivalent to TOEFL or IELTS. APPLICATION PROCESS An application must contain the following documents in English: - A personal letter and curriculum vitae including references - A list of potential other project(s) within the SyDAD network the applicant applies for in prioritised order. - A copy of degree certificates and associated certificates. DEADLINE OF APPLICATION October 25th 2015

Oct. 2, 2015

Open-rank Tenure-track Position in (Computational) Neuroscience

by Erik De Schutter

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology [OIST] Graduate University (http://www.oist.jp <http://www.oist.jp/>) invites applications for a faculty position in neuroscience. OIST emphasizes interdisciplinary research and teaching. Current faculty covers multiple disciplines in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics; including a strong presence in experimental and theoretical neuroscience. Appointments can be made as Assistant Professor (tenure track), Associate Professor (tenured) or Professor (tenured). This is part of a plan to hire 50 new faculty members by 2023. We seek applicants with outstanding scholarship, creativity, and interdisciplinary interests. Further information and details of the application procedure may be accessed at https://groups.oist.jp/facultypositions <https://groups.oist.jp/facultypositions> Inquiries should be directed to Professor Ken Peach, Dean of Faculty Affairs, faculty-recruiting(a)oist.jp <mailto:faculty-recruiting@oist.jp> Applications should be made online before 15th November 2015. OIST is a new, English-language graduate university offering a world-class research environment and has an international research community with faculty, students and staff from over 50 countries. Faculty receives research budgets and has access to top of the line equipment. The campus is located on a beautiful, subtropical island in Okinawa, Japan. OIST Graduate University is an equal opportunity educator and employer committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, students and staff by having proactive policies in place. We provide a family-friendly working environment, including a bilingual child development center on campus. Applications from women and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged. See https:// <https://groups.oist.jp/ged>groups.oist.jp/ged <https://groups.oist.jp/ged>.

Oct. 1, 2015

Up to five (5) tenure-track faculty positions in Brain and Cognitive Sciences @ MIT

by Kate White

The Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences (BCS) (http://bcs.mit.edu) at MIT is looking to hire up to five (5) tenure-track faculty at the assistant professor level. Affiliations with the Picower Institute for Learning & Memory and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research are possible. We are most excited about candidates who work in one or more of the following four (4) areas: i. Computational and theoretical approaches to neuroscience and cognition. Possible areas of focus include but are not limited to: statistics and data science, neural circuits, neural population representations and transformations, and cognitive processes. Candidates with the ability to build bridges across empirical domains are especially attractive. An affiliation with Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), or other allied departments is possible. ii. Systems neuroscience in non-human animals. The ideal candidate would be driven by computational questions and ideas from human cognition, with the goal of reverse-engineering the underlying neural representations and processes using tools that allow access to multiple brain regions. iii. Cognitive neuroscience in humans, especially if the candidate's work bridges levels of analysis using a variety of methods including MRI, MEG, fMRI, theoretical modeling, genetics and reverse engineering approaches. iv. Human cognition using behavioral methods, especially in the areas of language and/or cognitive development. Successful applicants are expected to develop and lead independent, internationally competitive research programs and to share in our commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education by teaching courses and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. PhD must be completed by start day of employment and some postdoctoral training is preferred. Please submit application materials - cover letter, CV, statement of research and teaching interests and representative reprints - online at http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/5972. Please state research area in cover letter. To help direct the application, applicants should indicate which of the four areas listed above is their main research area by answering the mandatory questions included in the application. In addition, please arrange to have three letters of recommendation submitted online. All application materials are due by midnight (EST) on October 31, 2015. MIT is an affirmative action employer, and we encourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities. Best regards, Kate White Human Resources Administrator MIT - Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) 77 Massachusetts Ave., Bldg 46-2005A Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: 617-253-5749 E-mail: kowhite(a)mit.edu<mailto:kowhite@mit.edu>

Sept. 30, 2015