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BRAIN-FETs 2014: 1st Clustering Workshop on Future Emerging NeuroTechnologies, 16-17 Oct 2014, Genova (Italy)

by Giugliano Michele

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING Dear Colleagues, Michele Giugliano (U Antwerpen) and Luca Berdondini (Italian Institute of Technology) are organising the 1st Clustering Workshop on Future Emerging NeuroTechnologies<http://www.brainfet.eu>, to be held on 16th-17th October 2014, in Genova (Italy)<http://www.brainfet.eu/travel-info/venue.html>. This workshop aims at clustering a relatively small subset of the European FET community, particularly active on Brain inspired ICT, Neurotechnologies, novel materials, and computational approaches. It is a unique opportunity to learn about ongoing research and to critically contribute in designing next steps in FETs, successfully facing the many challenges that await. The cluster of EC-funded projects who organize the event (see the workshop flyer<http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/dae/document.cfm?doc_id…> for the list), is characterized by common efforts, integrating innovative developments on future emerging technologies applied to Neuroscience, and qualified by a synergy among diverse experimental, computational, and engineering approaches. The format of the workshop consists in a two-days event and in a networking evening. Participants from EC-funded Projects are welcome to present their research in a poster session and to meet colleagues with a heterogeneous background and from all over Europe. Interested? Register as soon as possible by filling and submitting the online application form<http://www.brainfet.eu/registration.html>. Admission will be limited to the first 150 participants. The conference registration fee, covering coffee breaks, lunches and the social dinner is: 100 EUR/person. Thanks for your attention, -- Michele Giugliano, PhD Dept. of Biomedical Sciences University of Antwerp Campus Drie Eiken (CDE) - D.T.657 Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk (Belgium) url: http://www.ua.ac.be/michele.giugliano

Sept. 1, 2014

Postdoctoral position studying neurovascular coupling

by Patrick Drew

A postdoctoral fellowship studying the neural circuits involved in neurovascular coupling is available in the laboratory of Patrick Drew. We are looking for an independent, highly motivated scientist to use a combination of optical (two-photon microscopy and intrinsic imaging), optogenetic, and electrophysiological techniques to study neurovascular coupling in awake, behaving mice. The successful applicant will have Ph.D. in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, physiology or a related field, and at least one first author publication. The candidate should have excellent English communication skills, experience with in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics and/or optical imaging techniques. Strong data analysis and quantitative skills are required. The position is for one year, with possibility of extension up to two additional years contingent on funding. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and will be accepted until the position is filled. Apply to job #52876 at http://apptrkr.com/504686 More information about the lab can be found at - http://www.esm.psu.edu/~patrick/Drew_Lab/Drew_Lab.html. Applications must be submitted electronically and include a statement of research interests, CV and contact details of three letters of reference to Dr. Patrick Drew: pjd17(a)psu.edu _________________________________ Patrick J. Drew Assistant Professor Center for Neural Engineering Dept. Engineering Science and Mechanics & Dept. Neurosurgery The Pennsylvania State University W-317 Millennium Science Complex University Park, PA 16802 (814) 863-1473 http://www.esm.psu.edu/~patrick/Drew_Lab/

Sept. 1, 2014

Call for Papers - Neural Networks special issue on Big Data

by Asim Roy

Apologies for cross posting. Special Issue on Neural Network Learning in Big Data [Special Issue on Neural Network Learning in Big Data] Neural Networks Special Issue: Neural Network Learning in Big Data Big data is much more than storage of and access to data. Analytics plays an important 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 encounter theoretical challenges in scaling up to big data. Plus there are challenges of high dimensionality, velocity and variety for all types of machine learning algorithms. 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. The brain is arguably the best and most elegant big data processor and is the inspiration for neural network learning methods. Neural network 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 for stored big data. For stored big data, neural network algorithms can learn from all of the data instead of from samples of the data. And the same is true for streaming data where not all of the data is actually stored. In general, online, incremental learning algorithms are less vulnerable to size of the data. Neural network algorithms, in particular, can take advantage of massively parallel (brain-like) computations, which use very simple processors, that other machine learning technologies cannot. Specialized neuromorphic hardware, originally meant for large-scale brain simulations, is becoming available to implement these algorithms in a massively parallel fashion. Neural network algorithms, therefore, can deliver very fast and efficient real-time learning through the use of hardware and this could be particularly useful for streaming data in the Industrial Internet. Neural network technologies thus can become significant components of big data analytics platforms and this special issue will begin that journey with big data. For this special issue of Neural Networks, we invite papers that address many of the challenges of learning from big data. In particular, we are interested in papers on 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 online learning to solve real-world big data problems (e.g. health care, transportation, and electric power and energy management). RECOMMENDED TOPICS: Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 1. Autonomous, online, incremental learning - theory, algorithms and applications in big data 2. High dimensional data, feature selection, feature transformation - theory, algorithms and applications for big data 3. Scalable neural network algorithms for big data 4. Neural network learning algorithms for high-velocity streaming data 5. Deep neural network learning 6. Neuromorphic hardware for scalable neural network learning 7. Big data analytics using neural networks in healthcare/medical applications 8. Big data analytics using neural networks in electric power and energy systems 9. Big data analytics using neural networks in large sensor networks 10.Big data and neural network learning in computational biology and bioinformatics SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Prospective authors should visit http://ees.elsevier.com/neunet/ for information on paper submission. During the submission process, there will be steps to designate the submission to this special issue. However, please indicate on the first page of the manuscript that the manuscript is intended for the Special Issue: Neural Network Learning in Big Data. Manuscripts will be peer reviewed according to Neural Networks guidelines. Manuscript submission due: December 15, 2014 First review completed: March 1, 2015 Revised manuscript due: April 1, 2015 Second review completed, final decisions to authors: April 15, 2015 Final manuscript due: April 30, 2015 GUEST EDITORS: Asim Roy, Arizona State University, USA (asim.roy(a)asu.edu<mailto:asim.roy@asu.edu>) (lead guest editor) Kumar Venayagamoorthy, Clemson University, USA (gkumar(a)ieee.org<mailto:gvenaya@clemson.edu>) Nikola Kasabov, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand (nkasabov(a)aut.ac.nz<mailto:nkasabov@aut.ac.nz>) Irwin King, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China (irwinking(a)gmail.com<mailto:irwinking@gmail.com>)

Sept. 1, 2014

PhD top-ups and full scholarships in Computational Neuroscience of Alertness

by Svetlana Postnova

*PhD top-ups and full scholarships in Computational Neuroscience of Alertness* Multiple PhD opportunities are available at the University of Sydney node of the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety, and Productivity. *Supervisors: *Dr Svetlana Postnova, Dr Jong Won Kim*, *Prof. Peter Robinson. For the group website see http://sydney.edu.au/science/physics/research/complex-systems/brain-dynamic… *Projects* We focus on understanding the biological system controlling alertness and on developing quantitative models and tools to predict alertness in variety of situations and develop interventions to improve it. All projects involve quantitative modelling on the level of interacting brain nuclei and neurotransmitter systems with the effects manifested on the behavioural level. Project 1: Effects of light wavelength on the circadian system and alertness. Project 2: Individual variability in sleep-wake dynamics and vulnerability to shiftwork. Project 3: Real-time prediction of alertness using data fusion and modelling techniques. These opportunities are affiliated with the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness Safety and Productivity which involves modellers, experimentalists, and industry partners from universities and industries across Australia and worldwide. Successful candidates will be located at the School of Physics of the University of Sydney and collaborating with sleep and chronobiology experimentalists across the University of Sydney, Monash University, and Harvard. All PhD projects provide an opportunity for up to 6 months placements with industrial partners. *Process and deadlines* For questions and to apply send an e-mail with CV to Dr Svetlana Postnova ( postnova(a)physics.usyd.edu.au) Full stipends ($25,392) from the Alertness CRC Ltd are available. High achieving applicants will be encouraged to apply for the prestigious APA/UPA (Australian) or IPRS/USYDIS (international) postgraduate scholarships. Successful candidates will be provided with additional top-up scholarships of $5000-$10.000 per year depending on merit. Applications for Alertness CRC Ltd stipends will be considered until the positions are filled. Applications for APA/UPA national scholarships close on the *31st of October 2014* to start in January 2015*. * http://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/research/postgraduate_awards.shtml#APAUPA Applications for IPRS/USYDIS international scholarships close on the *15th of December 2014 * to start in July 2015*.* http://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/prospective/international_postgraduate_sc… Best wishes Sveta -- Dr Svetlana Postnova CRC for Alertness Safety and Productivity & Complex Systems Group School of Physics, University of Sydney Physics Annex, A29, NSW 2006, Australia Phone: +61 2 9036 7971

Sept. 1, 2014

Donders Discussions 2014: by PhDs, for PhDs

by Charl

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the Donders Discussions 2014, a two-day conference for PhD students in neuroscience and cognition. This year, the conference will take place on Oct 30th and 31st in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The aim of the Donders Discussions is to bring PhD students together in an informal, interdisciplinary atmosphere. Last year we welcomed more than 160 participants from 14 countries. We invite you to join us and make this year's edition an even bigger success! Our exciting programme features many interesting topics including visual perception, fear regulation, social neuroscience, and predictive coding among others. We also offer interactive workshops on networking and visibility, statistics issues in neuroimaging, and the art of presenting science. We warmly invite all participants to submit a poster abstract. The deadline is September 15, but registration may close earlier if the maximum number of participants has been reached. For more information on the programme and registration, please visit our website: http://www.ru.nl/dondersdiscussions. The registration fee is 50 euro. We look forward to seeing you in Nijmegen! The Donders Discussions Organizing Committee 2014

Aug. 31, 2014

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 stochastic modeling of neural dynamics. Related recent publications can be found on the Truccolo lab website ( 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 Institute for Brain Science and Department of Neuroscience, Brown University S.E. Frank Hall, 185 Meeting Street, Office 552 Providence – RI – 02912

Aug. 31, 2014

Two Postdoctoral Positions in Computational Modeling of Primate Motor Control

by Ilya Rybak

=============== Two postdoctoral/research associate positions in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to three years are available in the externally funded project focusing on multiscale computational modeling of motor control mechanisms, involving interactions between basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex, and spinal cord in connection with realistic simulation of pathological changes in motor control during Huntington’s disease. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Ilya Rybak (Dept. of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Yaroslav Molkov (Dept. of Mathematical Science, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA). Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline and have excellent C++ programming skills. Previous experience in computational neuronal modeling is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu) or Dr. Molkov (ymolkov(a)iupui.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 FAX: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak(a)drexel.edu http://neurobio.drexelmed.edu/rybakweb/rybak.html http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/AboutOurFaculty/IlyaARybak.aspx https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilya_Rybak/publications/ http://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=SnA068QAAAAJ http://www.pubfacts.com/author/Ilya+A+Rybak Yaroslav Molkov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Department of Mathematical Sciences 402 N. Blackford St, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Office: LD 224U Phone: (317) 274-6934 Fax: (317) 274-3460 Email: ymolkov(a)iupui.edu

Aug. 31, 2014

Post-Doctoral Position; Indianapolis, USA – Paris, France

by Alexey Kuznetsov

Post-Doctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience; Indianapolis, USA – Paris, France A post-doctoral position is available for a USA-France collaborative project on the influence of alcohol on the central dopamine system. The project combines computational and experimental techniques. The post-doc will design a biophysical model of the brain circuitry affected by alcohol. The position is available immediately, September 2014, for up to three years. The time will be divided between two institutions: Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, USA, and École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. In Indianapolis, the post-doc will work with Prof. Kuznetsov (Mathematics Dept.) and Prof. Lapish (Psycology Dept.). In Paris, he or she will work with Prof. Gutkin (Group of Neural Theory, ENS) and Prof. Mamelli (Institut du Fer a Moulin, INSERM). Both locations provide an excellent environment for collaborative research in quantitative biosciences. Applicants should have a Ph.D in Mathematics, Physics, or a related field, a background in Dynamical Systems, programming skills and working experience in Computational Neuroscience. An experience with stochastic processes is also a plus. To apply, please send your CV, list of publications, research statement, and contact information for three references to Prof. Alexey Kuznetsov via e-mail: askuznet(a)iupui.edu, or by regular mail: 402 N. Blackford Street, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202. IUPUI is an EEO/AA Employer, M/F/D. -- Alexey Kuznetsov Associate Professor Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, IUPUI Science Building, LD 270, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN

Aug. 30, 2014

PhD position in Visual Psychophysics at the Institute of Vision in Paris, France

by Angelo ARLEO

One fully-funded PhD position in Visual Psychophysics at the Institute of Vision in Paris, France Job description Applications are invited for one PhD position in the Aging in Vision and Action laboratory at the Institute of Vision (INSERM-CNRS-University Pierre & Marie Curie) Paris, France. The gradual impairment of vision-dependent functions in the elderly is at the core of the research carried out in the Aging in Vision and Action laboratory. The main goal is to characterize how healthy aging shapes perceptual and cognitive aspects of vision. This PhD project will focus on the impact of healthy aging on low-level visual perception and visual processing functions. Requirements Applicants’ background should be in cognitive neuroscience/psychology. Previous experience with visual psychophysics, eye-movement analysis, visual space perception, or aging is welcome. Computer programming skills are also a plus. Proficiency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of French is not mandatory. Successful candidates are expected to work in an interdisciplinary environment with collaborations with biologists, theoreticians and clinicians. They will be awarded a 3-year PhD fellowship from the University Pierre and Marie Curie Paris. 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 (http://www.institut-vision.org) The Institute of Vision and Essilor International, world leader in ophthalmic optics, have recently supported the creation of the laboratory of Aging in Vision and Action. This new 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, led by Angelo Arleo, are specialized in visual psychophysics, neurobiology of spatial orientation, neural coding, neurocomputational modeling, and preclinical 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 (http://www.streetlab-vision.com/en/) 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. 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 89 89 07 23 email: angelo.arleo(a)inserm.fr; angelo.arleo(a)upmc.fr

Aug. 29, 2014

PhD Studentship in Computer Science: Understanding and modelling emergent functionality in small biological neural systems

by Peter Andras

PhD Studentship in Computer Science Understanding and modelling emergent functionality in small biological neural systems Reference Number: EPSAM2014-1 Application Deadline: 15th September 2014 Supervisor: Professor Peter Andras, School of Computing and Mathematics, Keele University Project description: The functionality of biological neural systems emerges through the interaction of neurons. Recent technological advances allow the recording and analysis of many neurons individually, making possible the understanding and modelling the emergence of system level functionality in biological neural circuits. This project will use as model system the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of brown crabs. The focus will be on the understanding how the roles of neurons may change in response to neuromodulation in the context of changing functional behaviour of the pyloric rhythm neural circuit within the STG. We will use fast voltage-sensitive dye imaging to collect the data about the activity of neurons and computational modelling of these neurons and the impact of neuromodulators on them in order to model and explain the observed activity of the STG. We aim to analyse the roles of apparently functionally equivalent neurons (e.g. two PD neurons, five PY neurons) and model computationally the changes in their functional roles in response to neuromodulation. The successful candidate will be expected to learn the relevant biological experimental techniques, perform biological experiments, learn the relevant computational modelling techniques, and build and analyse computational models of neurons and neural circuits. The stipend is £13,863 (2014/15) per year. The studentship is not available for candidates from outside of the EU. Person specification: You should have either a First class honours degree in Computing Science, Mathematics, Physics, Biology or other relevant science or engineering subject, or a or 2.1 in Computing Science, Mathematics, Physics, Biology or other relevant science or engineering subject and a distinction level Masters degree in a related subject. Equivalent experience will also be considered. Application procedure: You must apply through the Universitys online postgraduate application website (http://www.keele.ac.uk/pgresearch/howtoapply/) specifying the reference number EPSAM2014-1 and selecting PhD in Computer Science, as the programme of study. Only mandatory fields need to be completed and a personal statement, CV and (if English is not your first language) a copy of your English language qualifications must be attached. The personal statement must state the title of the studentship, quote the reference number EPSAM2014-1 and describe how your research interests fit with the topic of the research projected outlined in the advertisement (max. 2 pages). If you already have published research papers a list of these providing bibliographic details should be included in the covering letter. You should also send your personal statement and CV by e-mail to Professor Peter Andras, ( <mailto:p.andras@keele.ac.uk> p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk) Further information: For further details, please contact Professor Peter Andras ( <mailto:%20p.andras@keele.ac.uk> p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk) 01782 733412 For general enquiries contact: http://www.keele.ac.uk/pgresearch/howtoapply --- Professor Peter Andras Professor of Computer Science and Informatics Head of Computing Division School of Computing and Mathematics Keele University Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG UK Tel. +44-1782-733412 Fax. +44-1782-734268 E-mail: p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk Web: www.scm.keele.ac.uk/staff/p_andras/

Aug. 29, 2014

New book: Growing Adaptive Machines

by Nicolas Bredeche

<We are sorry if you have received multiple copies of this email> Dear all, Some of you will be interested in our recent book, Growing Adaptive Machines: Combining Development and Learning in Artificial Neural Networks. The topic is the generation of low-level neural network architectures using bio-inspired models and simulations. By emulating the biological process of development, we can incorporate desirable characteristics of natural neural systems into engineered designs and thus move closer towards the creation of brain-like systems. The book includes two broad reviews, summaries of research portfolios from established researchers, and new research contributions. We believe it will form a valuable reference for advanced students and practitioners. See below for the table of contents. http://www.springer.com/engineering/computational+intelligence+and+complexi… http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Adaptive-Machines-Computational-Intelligence/… Best regards, Taras Kowaliw, Nicolas Bredeche, René Doursat (Editors) =-=-=-=-= Table of Contents Artificial Neurogenesis: An Introduction and Selective Review. T. Kowaliw, N. Bredeche, S. Chevallier and R. Doursat A Brief Introduction to Probabilistic Machine Learning and Its Relation to Neuroscience. T. Trappenberg Evolving Culture Versus Local Minima. Y. Bengio Learning Sparse Features with an Auto-Associator. S. Rebecchi, H. Paugam-Moisy and M. Sebag HyperNEAT: The First Five Years. D. D’Ambrosio, J. Gauci and K. Stanley Using the Genetic Regulatory Evolving Artificial Networks (GReaNs) Platform for Signal Processing, Animat Control, and Artificial Multicellular Development. B. Wróbel and M. Joachimczak Constructing Complex Systems Via Activity-Driven Unsupervised Hebbian Self-Organization J. Bednar Neuro-Centric and Holocentric Approaches to the Evolution of Developmental Neural Networks. J. Miller Artificial Evolution of Plastic Neural Networks: A Few Key Concepts. J.-B. Mouret and P. Tonelli

Aug. 29, 2014

Director of Robotics Institute at HKUST

by Bert Shi

Professor Position cum Director of Robotics Institute Applications and nominations are invited for the joint faculty position as Professor cum Director of Robotics Institute in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The successful candidate will hold a joint appointment as a full Professor in two or more of the following departments: Electronic and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management, and Mathematics. HKUST Robotics Institute is a newly established research institute. Its mission is to (i) conduct fundamental and cutting-edge research in the area of robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), manufacturing automation, autonomous systems, and medical robotics; (ii) provide a world class educational platform for robotics teaching and learning; (iii) transfer knowledge related to robotic technology to the community, industry and government; and (iv) create an entrepreneurial environment for students and faculty. Major stakeholders of the Institute include faculty, staff and students of various departments. Applicants/nominees for the position should have a PhD degree, demonstrated leadership abilities, extensive teaching and research experience as well as an ability to interact effectively with students, faculty, industry and the Government. Salary will be highly competitive with generous fringe benefits. Appointment of professorship will be made on substantive terms of service. Fringe benefits including housing, annual leave, medical and dental benefits will be provided where applicable. HKUST is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and has a range of family-friendly policies in place. More information about the School of Engineering is available at: www.seng.ust.hk<http://www.seng.ust.hk/> Applications/Nominations, together with a full curriculum vitae, list of publications, names and contacts of five referees, should be addressed to Professor Amine Bermak, Chair of the Search Committee by email to: drisearch(a)ust.hk<mailto:drisearch@ust.hk> on or before 15 November 2014<x-apple-data-detectors://2>. Review of applications/nominations will start immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. (Information provided by applicants will be used for recruitment and other employment-related purposes.)

Aug. 28, 2014

PhD position in computational neuroimaging

by Igor Yakushev

A PhD position is open in the research group Multimodal Imaging in Normal and Pathological Cognition (Head: Dr. Igor Yakushev) at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany. The project is dedicated to modeling/reconstruction of cerebral networks on the basis of brain images, as obtained using PET, DTI, and fMRI. Disease-related changes in patterns of cerebral connectivity should be quantified in patients with cognitive impairment and subjects at risk. The research group is integrated into the TUM Neuroimaging Center, which possesses a broad methodological and thematic expertise: http://www.tumnic.mri.tum.de/tumnic/index.html The PhD student will be enrolled at the TUM graduate school, which offers a structured curriculum of courses and seminars (in English) and supports participation in conferences and international exchange: http://www.gs.tum.de/en/home/ The Dept. of Nuclear Medicine offers exciting opportunities for neuroimaging research, in an interdisciplinary environment consisting of medical physicists, radiopharmacists and clinicians, and access to state-of-the-art technology including a hybrid PET/MR scanner (Siemens Biograph mMR). Eligible candidates should have a background in applied mathematics, computer science, image analysis or related disciplines. Prior experience with image analysis, Matlab programming and good statistical skills are required. A co-authorship in a scientific paper (at least in submission) is advantageous. The student will be co-supervised by a partner department of the TUM (e.g., Informatics), depending on his/her academic background. The salary/stipend is 1500-2000 EUR net / month, depending on performance of the student and availability of funds. There is no tuition fee at the TUM. The position can commence immediately, by 1.2015 at the latest. Interested researchers should submit their applications including CV, two recommendation letters (or names and contact details of personal references), and a brief letter of motivation to Dr. Yakushev at igor.yakushev(a)lrz.tum.de Applications will be considered until the position has been filled.

Aug. 27, 2014

AES Seizure Prediction Challenge

by Levin Kuhlmann

Posted by Levin Kuhlmann on behalf of Ben Brinkmann Dear Colleagues, We had a phenomenal response to the Seizure Detection challenge (hosted through Kaggle.com<http://kaggle.com/>), which closed last week with 205 teams participating. We would like to call to your attention the AES Seizure Prediction challenge on Kaggle, which is now open to competitors at https://www.kaggle.com/c/seizure-prediction/. There is $USD 20,000 in prize money up for grabs! Sincerely, Ben =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Benjamin H. Brinkmann, PhD Mayo Systems Electrophysiology Lab Alfred 9-441C, SMH 1216 Second St. SW Rochester, MN 55902 (507)538-5719 http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ax95gtwAAAAJ&hl=en ________________________________

Aug. 27, 2014

Re: [Comp-neuro] New Purkinje Neuron Paper

by MICHAEL FORREST

This very recent paper may be of interest to the readership. It investigates and demonstrates the computational power of just a single neuron: the cerebellar Purkinje neuron. Furthermore, it suggests that the sodium-potassium pump is not simply a homeostatic, "housekeeping" molecule - but that it can be a computational element, utilised by the brain for information processing. Forrest MD (2014) Intracellular calcium dynamics permit a Purkinje neuron model to perform toggle and gain computations upon its inputs. Front. Comput. Neurosci. 8:86. Web link to this article at Frontiers (article is free): http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2014.00086/full Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2014 19:54:33 +0200 From: hugues.berry(a)inria.fr To: comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org CC: mauriziodepitta(a)gmail.com Subject: [Comp-neuro] A mailing list for Computational Glioscience Dear colleagues, A spinoff of the recent OCNS workshop on the modelling of glia-neuron interactions, we have started a new mailing list. It is intended to share items of interest (new results, papers, events, trainings, jobs...) to the computational glioscience community, i.e. researchers implicated in the modelling and simulation of glial cells at large (astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells...) and their interactions with neurons. To subscribe, send an email to : sympa(a)inria.fr with the following Subject: subscribe comput-gliosci your_name Sincerely yours Maurizio De Pitta' Hugues Berry-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maurizio De Pitta' - https://sites.google.com/site/mauriziodepitta Hugues Berry - http://www.inrialpes.fr/Berry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project-Team BEAGLE INRIA Rhone-Alpes Université de Lyon LIRIS UMR5205 Antenne INRIA de La Doua Batiment CEI-1 66 Blvd Niels Bohr CS 52132 69603 Villeurbanne cedex France _______________________________________________ Comp-neuro mailing list Comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org http://www.neuroinf.org/mailman/listinfo/comp-neuro

Aug. 26, 2014

Neural Circuits and Behavior Faculty Position

by Olaf Sporns

NEURAL CIRCUITS AND BEHAVIOR FACULTY POSITION, INDIANA UNIVERSITY: The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University -- Bloomington seeks to fill a faculty position at the level of Assistant Professor (tenure-track) to begin August 2015. Applicants for this position must have a doctorate, a strong record of publication, and the potential for research funding. The applicant's research should focus on using innovative experimental techniques in animal models to understand mechanisms and causal relationships between neural circuit activity and ethologically relevant behavior. We seek cutting-edge integration between new and emerging capabilities for large scale recording and/or manipulation of circuits combined with sophisticated analysis of large-scale data. Examples of behaviors of interest include those related to learning and memory, perception, decision making, reward, timing, pain, adaptation to stress, and developmental processes. Experimental techniques include various methods for recording and manipulating neural circuits at single-cell resolution, including multi-electrode recordings, imaging of circuit activity, and optogenetics. Candidates using circuit-based approaches to study preclinical models of schizophrenia, autism, and other difficult to treat psychiatric diseases are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate is expected to assemble a vibrant, externally-funded research program and to achieve excellence in both undergraduate and graduate education. Indiana University is in the midst of a multi-year initiative to build excellence in network science, and it is anticipated that the candidate's research will both benefit from, and contribute to the initiative's computational neuroscience components. To apply, please include a curriculum vita, copies of representative publications, statements of research and teaching interests, and three (3) letters of recommendation. Interested candidates should review the application requirements and submit their application at: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com. Questions regarding the position or application process can be directed to: William P. Hetrick, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, 1101 E. 10th St., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 or via email at whetrick(a)indiana.edu <mailto:whetrick@indiana.edu>. Review of all applications will begin on November 1, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled. Indiana University is an equal opportunity 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. Information about the department and the university is available at *http://psych.indiana.edu/faculty/opportunities.asp * * * -- Olaf Sporns -- @spornslab Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Programs in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405

Aug. 26, 2014

CFP: MLINI 2014 - 4th NIPS Workshop on Machine Learning and Interpretation in Neuroimaging: Beyond the Scanner

by Irina Rish

Call for Papers MLINI 2014 - 4th NIPS Workshop on Machine Learning and Interpretation in Neuroimaging: Beyond the Scanner https://sites.google.com/site/mlininips2014/ Friday, December 12, 2014, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Submission deadline: October 10th, 2014 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 one-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 10, 2014 - paper submission - October 24, 2014 - notification of acceptance/rejection - December 12, 2014 - 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) 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 (CMU)

Aug. 25, 2014

First release of VERTEX cortical tissue LFP simulator

by Marcus Kaiser

Dear colleagues, Many of you may be interested the first release of our VERTEX simulator for biologically realistic models of *primate* cortical tissue. The Virtual Electrode Recording Tool for EXtracellular potentials (VERTEX) is a Matlab tool for simulating extracellular potential recordings in spiking neural network (SNN) models. As a first application, our model allows us to reproduce temporal and spatial gamma oscillation features of in vitro MEA recordings of macaque cortex using more than 100,000 model neurons. However, adapting the code to other species or tissue types is also possible in the future (see FAQ on our website). VERTEX 1.0 Release Features - VERTEX simulator allows large simulations (> 100 000 neurons) on single computers - *In silico* neuronal network model of an *in vitro* brain slice recording - Realistic local field potential recording with “virtual electrodes” at any 3D point - Direct comparisons between simulated and experimentally observed tissue Software, a two-minute introductory video, tutorials, manuals, and a FAQ can be found at: http://www.vertexsimulator.org/ This release is in conjunction with our publication: Tomsett RJ, Ainsworth M, Thiele A, Sanayei M, Chen X, Gieselmann A, Whittington MA, Cunningham MO, Kaiser M. Virtual Electrode Recording Tool for EXtracellular potentials (VERTEX): Comparing multi-electrode recordings from simulated and biological mammalian cortical tissue. Brain Structure and Function (in press) http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00429–014–0793-x <http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00429-014-0793-x> Best, Marcus -- Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. Associate Professor (Reader) in Neuroinformatics School of Computing Science Newcastle University Claremont Tower Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Lab website: http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ Neuroinformatics@Newcastle: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ -- Best, Marcus -- Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. Associate Professor (Reader) in Neuroinformatics School of Computing Science Newcastle University Claremont Tower Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Lab website: http://www. <http://www.biological-networks.org/>dynamic-connectome.org <http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/> Neuroinformatics@Newcastle: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/

Aug. 25, 2014

Research Scientist Computational Neuroscience Position in Toronto

by Frances Skinner

Computational Neuroscience Research Scientist Position The Toronto Western Research Institute of the University Health Network invites applicants to apply for a Scientist position in the area of Computational Neuroscience. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in a relevant field, have research experience and expertise in mathematical and computational modeling techniques, and research interests that complement those of the Institute in “Degenerative Disorders of Aging”. Candidates whose research interests encompass modeling at multiple levels (molecular, cellular, network, systems), and who have experimental and/or collaborative experimental experience are especially encouraged. The successful candidate will have the ability to establish an independent, well-funded program and will be eligible for appointment at the appropriate level within the University of Toronto. Applications must be emailed by October 19th, 2014 and should include: 1) CV, 2) Statement of research interests, and 3) Contact information (including email) for three referees Reply, by email only, and in confidence to: TWRIrecruitment(a)uhnresearch.ca with subject line: CompNeuro University Health Network thanks all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. -- Frances Skinner, PhD TWRI/UHN and Univ Toronto www.skinnerlab.org

Aug. 23, 2014

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE

by Roman Poznanski

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE Volume 13, No.3, September 2014 http://www.worldscinet.com/jin 1. Theoretical predications of the effects of temperature on simulated adaptive processes in human motor nerve axons at 20°C–42°C D. I. Stephanova<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Stephanova%2C+D+I>, M. Daskalova<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Daskalova%2C+M> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500162 2. Motor afferents from the cerebellum, zona incerta and substantia nigra to the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus in the rat Safiye Çavdar<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=%C3%87avdar%2C+S>, Merve Özgür<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=%C3%96zg%C3%BCr%2C+M>, Sanem Pınar Uysal<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Uysal%2C+S+P>, Özge Ceren Amuk<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Amuk%2C+%C3%96+C> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500198 3. An ERP study of simple addition: The semantics and syntax of arithmetic operation signs Shelley Shaul<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Shaul%2C+S>, Pearla Nesher<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Nesher%2C+P> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500186 4. The role of featural processing in other-race face classification advantage: An ERP study Zhenhua Liu<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Liu%2C+Z>, Qinghua Zhang<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Zhang%2C+Q>, Yan Li<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Li%2C+Y>, Yifeng Du<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Du%2C+Y>, Wei Dong<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Dong%2C+W>, Lun Zhao<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Zhao%2C+L> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500125 5. fMRI evidence for dissociation between priming and conscious recognition M. S. Korsnes<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Korsnes%2C+M+S>, S. J. Magnussen<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Magnussen%2C+S+J> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500149 6. Visual MMN elicited by orientation changes of faces Wei Wang<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Wang%2C+W>, Danmin Miao<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Miao%2C+D>, Lun Zhao<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Zhao%2C+L> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500137 7. MEG localization of spike sources in human patients with brain tumors T. Birbilis<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Birbilis%2C+T>, P. Anninos<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Anninos%2C+P>, I. Seimenis<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Seimenis%2C+I>, A. Adamopoulos<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Adamopoulos%2C+A>, A. Kotini<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Kotini%2C+A> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500150 8. Effects of temperature on simulated electrotonic potentials and their current kinetics of human motor axons at 20°C–42°C D. I. Stephanova<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Stephanova%2C+D+I>, M. Daskalova<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Daskalova%2C+M> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500095 9. Color properties of the motion detectors projecting to the goldfish tectum: I. A color matching study Vadim Maximov<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Maximov%2C+V>, Elena Maximova<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Maximova%2C+E>, Ilija Damjanović<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Damjanovi%C4%87%2C+I>, Paul Maximov<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Maximov%2C+P> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500113 10. Neural mechanisms underlying conflict monitoring over risky decision alternatives: Evidence from ERP in a Go/Nogo task Shuzhen Wang<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Wang%2C+S>, Ning Hui<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Hui%2C+N>, Xinsheng Zhou<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Zhou%2C+X>, Kaifeng He<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=He%2C+K>, Yuanyuan Yu<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Yu%2C+Y>, Jing Shuai<http://www.worldscientific.com/action/doSearch?Contrib=Shuai%2C+J> DOI: 10.1142/S0219635214500101 "The only journal that combines mathematical neuroscience and experimental brain research for the advancement of a well-grounded theoretical neuroscience." --Gilbert A. Chauvet, Chief Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, 2002-2007 Indexed in: Index Medicus MEDLINE PubMed Biosis Previews Biological Abstracts INSPEC Science Citation Index Expanded ------- Roman R. Poznanski Professor Laboratory of Biological Modeling The Rockefeller University 1230 York Avenue New York, NY 10065-6399 Office: (212) 327-7646 E-mail: rpoznanski(a)rockefeller.edu http://romanpoznanski.blogspot.com and Chief-Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience http://www.worldscinet.com/jin/mkt/editorial.shtml

Aug. 23, 2014

MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation - University of Zurich and ETH Zurich

by Michael Pfeiffer

We are inviting applications for the MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation, an interdisciplinary program offered as a Joint Master Program by the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The program offers a theoretical and laboratory training in neural computation and systems neuroscience. It offers hands-on knowledge of data gathering, analysis and scientific presentation. Students join an international and interdisciplinary research community with expertise in neuroinformatics, advanced experimental techniques and neuromorphic engineering. Further information can be found on our homepage http://www.nsc.uzh.ch. We offer a specialized full-time Masters program open to students with a Bachelor’s degree in the following disciplines: neurosciences, information technology, electrical engineering, biology, physics, computer sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and mechanical/chemical/control engineering. The core courses (all offered in English) provide a common foundation for students with different educational backgrounds, and cover the following: 1. Systems Neurosciences 2. Neural Computation and Theoretical Neuroscience 3. Neurotechnologies and Neuromorphic Engineering The application deadline for students starting in Spring Semester 2015 is *September 15th 2014*. Details about the application process and required documents can be found here: http://www.nsc.uzh.ch/?page_id=10 The program is affiliated with the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty (MNF) at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Department (D-ITET) of the ETH Zurich. All applications are handled by the University of Zurich. Application documents should be sent to nsc(a)ini.uzh.ch. Michael Pfeiffer -- ========================================= Dr. Michael Pfeiffer Postdoc, Director of Studies NSC Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland Tel. +41 44 635 30 45 Fax +41 44 635 30 53 pfeiffer (at) ini.phys.ethz.ch http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/ =========================================

Aug. 22, 2014

PhD position available at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam

by Andre Marquand

Please see below for a PhD Vacancy at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam for employing pattern recognition methods for neuroimaging data analysis. ----------------------------------------------------------- The project The focus of the proposed PhD project is two-fold; First, the PhD student will will employ advanced computational and statistical methods to evaluate the prognostic value of neuroimaging modalities, biomarker, genetic, environmental and clinical characteristics and their combination to classify the course of depression and anxiety. A second part of the project focuses on employing these methods to disentangle phenotypic heterogeneity of depression by identifying different subtypes based on a rich set of neuroimaging and clinical data and biological protein information, and by exploring the genetic basis of different subtypes and their association with course of depression and treatment response. For these purposes, you will work with data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (www.nesda.nl) in which an extensive battery of detailed longitudinal clinical, biomarker, neuroimaging and genetic data have been collected in a large cohort. You will also work with similar data from other international cohorts, and with data from the MOTAR study (www.motar.nl) in which the effects of antidepressant and running treatments are examined. This project will integrate across these data-sources using a variety of methods, including the application of supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques. You will be involved in the processing of neuroimaging data (structural MRI, functional MRI), associating these data with biomarker, clinical and genetics information and using machine learning methods to classify the patients. You will be working in a multidisciplinary team with young and enthusiastic researchers, who have expertise in psychiatry, genetics, neuroimaging, statistics/engineering and epidemiology. Your challenge As a PhD Student your main tasks and responsibilites are: • Help examine predictors of the naturalistic course and treatment response in depression and anxiety; • Identifying subtypes of depression and anxiety based on multimodal data sources; • Apply unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods, such as Support Vector Machine and/or probabilistic methods, to genetic, multi-modal neuroimaging, clinical and environmental data from the NESDA study, the MOTAR study and other international cohorts; • Write various scientific papers on the above topics, and complete your research with a PhD thesis. Your profile We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher with a strong interest in psychopathology who has the following background and experience: • A strong numerate background (i.e. a Master's degree in computer science, mathematics, engineering, medical image analysis or related discipline), preferably with emphasis on machine learning, pattern classification, and/or multivariate image analysis; • Experience with neuroimage analysis or with (bio) statistics is desirable; • You have excellent statistical and strong computer programming skills (good command of LINUX, scripting, and Matlab); • You have excellent communications skills in English, both written and verbal; • Having experience in writing (international) publication(s) is a plus. Benefits Salary Scale: OIO (EUR 2.200 in the first year that increases to EUR 2.818 gross per month in the fourth year, based on 36 hours per week). We also offer a set 8.3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday pay. For more information about our fringe benefits, please visit http://www.werkenbijvumc.nl/vumc/arbeidsvoorwaarden/ (Dutch version). The PhD position is for four years, you will start with a contract for 12 months. Additional information The Department of Psychiatry of the VU University Medical Center (VUMC) and GGZ inGeest collaborately conduct research, education and academic patient care. The main focus is on depression and anxiety disorders, two common psychiatric disorders with high public health impact. Psychiatric research is embedded in two VU research institutes: EMGO+ and Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam. In this research area more than 150 persons from different disciplines (e.g. psychiatry, psychology, health science) collaborate. Interested? For more information you can contact dr. Lianne Schmaal, via telephone number: +31(0)20 – 788 4592. For more information about the application procedure you can contact mr. Wessel Haytink, recruiter, via telephone number: +31(0)6 – 1066 7718. Please submit your candidacy by latest September 7, 2014 with reference number D2.2014.00077WH via the following link: http://bit.ly/PhDMachineLearning

Aug. 21, 2014

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Computational Brain Modeling and Neural Engineering

by Mark Kramer

A multi-year postdoctoral researcher position in computational neuroscience is available immediately through a collaboration of Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University. The fellow will be tasked to build neural models capable of simulating and predicting human neural dynamics within and among a network of cortical and subcortical areas. These models will inform the design of adaptive “closed loop” stimulation to treat psychiatric disorders. The researcher will work with an interdisciplinary team of clinical and computational researchers at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston University to focus on three central aims: 1) Develop a mean-field computational model of human cortical and subcortical regions, 2) Simulate the impact of electrical stimulation on the model dynamics, 3) Implement data assimilation procedures to link in vivo brain voltage recordings from individual patients to the computational model variables and parameters. Experience in statistics (e.g., parameter estimation, Kalman filtering, particle filtering) and computer programming in MATLAB and C-like languages are required. Knowledge of neuroscience and models of neural population activity are preferred, and we will preferentially interview candidates with prior work in neural simulation or experimental neuroscience. This opportunity is available immediately, and candidates currently available to begin work will be preferred. However, we are happy to negotiate start terms for outstanding candidates. To apply, or for more information about the position, please send an email to Drs. Mark Kramer (mak(a)bu.edu) and Alik Widge (awidge(a)partners.org) Please include an updated CV, names and contact information of three references, and a brief statement of your interest in the position and relevant qualifications. Applications from women and representatives of minority groups are encouraged. See also: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/jobs/446865-postdoctoral-research-… -------- Mark A. Kramer Prof. Math & Stats, BU http://math.bu.edu/people/mak/

Aug. 20, 2014

[COSYNE2015] Call for workshop proposals

by Tomas Hromadka

================================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience (Cosyne) 2015 MAIN MEETING WORKSHOPS Mar 5 - Mar 8, 2015 Mar 9 - Mar 10, 2015 Salt Lake City, Utah Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah http://www.cosyne.org ================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------ CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ------------------------------------------------------------------ PROPOSAL DEADLINE: November 21, 2014. PRE-PROPOSALS: In an effort to coordinate submissions, the organizers are encouraged to submit a pre-proposal by October 31, 2014. Pre-proposals will be shared among submitters. Pre-proposals are requested but not required. The organizers may submit the full proposal by its deadline. A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting (http://www.cosyne.org) The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at http://www.cosyne.org/c/index.php?title=Workshops) Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. Please note that in an effort to enhance the distinctions between workshops, speakers will be asked to commit to only 1-2 workshops. If need be, workshop chairs will work with overcommitted speakers prior to final workshop acceptances to reduce overlap. WORKSHOP DETAILS: - There will be 4-8 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 15 and 80 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (8:00-11:00 AM) and afternoon (4:30-7:30 PM) sessions. - Workshops will be held at Snowbird, a ski resort located 30 miles (typically less than an hour) from the Salt Lake City airport. Buses from the main conference will be provided. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Deadline for pre-proposals: October 31, 2014 Deadline for proposals: November 21, 2014 Format: plain text only -- please no attachments, email to: cosyne15workshops(a)googlegroups.com (Claudia Clopath, Robert Froemke) PRE-PROPOSALS should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). A primary contact should be designated. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with the largest fraction of confirmed speakers. - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs 2 days, please explain why. - A brief resume of the workshop organizer along with a short list of workshop-relevant publications (about half a page total). PROPOSALS should include the list of confirmed speakers in addition to components required for a pre-proposal. Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers and submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can be speakers but need not speak depending on scheduling constraints. SUGGESTIONS: Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend fewer than 10 talks. WORKSHOP COSTS: Detailed registration costs, etc., will be available at cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does NOT provide travel funding for workshop speakers. All workshop speakers are expected to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complementary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with 2 organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE 2015 WORKSHOP CHAIRS: Claudia Clopath (Imperial College London) and Robert Froemke (New York University). QUESTIONS: email: cosyne15workshops(a)googlegroups.com

Aug. 20, 2014

Postdoc Position in Sleep and Cognition Lab

by Sara C. Mednick

The Sleep and Cognition (SaC) Lab of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside has an open position for a postdoc researcher. This researcher will be investigating mechanisms of memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval by using event-related potential (ERP/EEG) during waking and sleep. Successful candidates should have experience in memory research and EEG methodologies, as well as programming skills. Experience in sleep research is not essential. Position is available immediately. Researchers must possess a doctoral degree. The University of California offers excellent benefits. Salary is based on research experience. The initial appointment is for 1 year with a possibility of extension. Please send your CV, statement of research interests and the names of three references or make inquires to Sara C. Mednick smednick(a)ucr.edu. -- Assistant Professor University of California, Riverside Department of Psychology Sleep and Cognition (SaC) Lab www.saramednick.com www.sleepandcognitionlab.org TEDx Talk <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MklZJprP5F0> Amandla awethu!

Aug. 20, 2014

[meetings] Australasian Conference on Artificial Life and Computational Intelligence (ACALCI 2015)

by Stephan Chalup

CfP: Australasian Conference on Artificial Life and Computational Intelligence (ACALCI 2015), 5-7 February 2015, The University of Newcastle, Australia http://www.newcastle.edu.au/ACALCI2015<http://newcastle.edu.au/ACALCI2015> PAPER DEADLINE: 12 September 2014 (extended) NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: 15 October 2014 PAPER FORMAT: 6-14 pages in Springer LNAI style PUBLICATION: Springer-Verlag LNAI are indexed by Scopus, Zentralblatt MATH, IO-Port, MathSciNet, ACM Digital Library, dblp, EI Engineering Index (Compendex and Inspec databases), and the ISI Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI-S), included in ISI Web of Science. A special issue in the journal Connection Science will invite authors of some of the best papers to submit extended versions of their articles. CONFERENCE TOPICS: ACALCI 2015 will be organised in broad technical sessions that bring together experts from many different fields related to Artificial Life and Computational Intelligence. The forum also encourages associated applied research in domains as diverse as health, the creative arts and finance (to name a few). In this context ACALCI encourages presentations, demonstrations, performances and discussions on innovative research and interdisciplinary projects. WORKSHOPS, TUTORIALS and PERFORMANCES: If you would like to organise a workshop, tutorial or performance in connection with ACALCI2015 please contact the organisers as soon as possible. CONFERENCE WEBPAGE: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/ACALCI2015<http://newcastle.edu.au/ACALCI2015> ----------------------- Stephan Chalup, PhD http://www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/stephan-chalup

Aug. 19, 2014

Databrary.org seeks web developer for open source data sharing project

by Rick Gilmore

** Web Developer for Databrary.org ** About Databrary Databrary is a first-of-its-kind web-based data library where scientists who collect and analyze video can store and share their data openly with other researchers. The project is based at New York University (NYU) and Penn State. It has grant support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The overall goal is to accelerate the pace of discovery, improve scientific transparency and accountability, and transform research practices in psychology and developmental science. We are growing a team to design and build new open source solutions for science using the latest technologies. Web Developer position description The Databrary project seeks a motivated and flexible developer to help build a unique web-based data library. You will work with users and a small group of developers to design and build the front end UI and back end tools to enable behavioral researchers to collaborate, store, explore, and access research datasets in ways not possible with any existing tool. The ideal candidate will relish the challenge of building a uniquely powerful set of research tools while working on a small team in a diverse and intellectually stimulating academic environment. Responsibilities - Implement dynamic, modular, and responsive web interfaces to organize, present, and manipulate research materials. - Design, implement, test, and validate JavaScript across browsers and platforms. - Integrate feedback from UI experts and researchers (users) to identify and prioritize new features. - Learn, understand, and reorganize research data as needed for better integration with the site. Qualifications - Background in CS or other relevant field and 3+ years programming experience. - Knowledge of AngularJS or other modern web application frameworks. - Extensive experience with jQuery, JSON, HTML5, and CSS3. - Familiarity with standard UNIX development tools such as git. - Understanding of security and ethical concerns around sensitive data. Preferred - History of contributions to open source projects. - Comfortable with discussing and addressing UX/UI design issues. - Experience using RESTful interfaces for structured data. - Sensitive to performance considerations building big data interfaces. - Basic understanding of scientific practices and research tools, such as Matlab, SPSS, or R. To apply - Send the following to jobs(a)databrary.org: - One page cover letter (PDF). - Resume (PDF). - Links to your open source contributions or other samples of your work.

Aug. 19, 2014

IU Cognitive Science Faculty Search

by Olaf Sporns

Assistant Professor - Embodied Cognitive Science Cognitive Science Program Indiana University The Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University seeks a tenure track junior level appointment in the area of embodied cognitive science. Successful applicants will take a leadership role in the ongoing development of embodied cognition as a research and teaching focus of the program. Indiana University has a strong history in this area, ranging from theoretical foundations to computational and robotics modeling, to experimental approaches in developmental psychology and neuroscience. Although the emphasis of the position is on computational and/or robotic modeling approaches to problems in embodied cognition, candidates are expected to engage with the breadth of experimental programs and philosophical discussion that make up this interdisciplinary research area. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science, Computer Science or a closely related field and will join the faculty of a department or school on the Bloomington campus appropriate to their specific background. Applicants are expected to have a record that demonstrates an excellent potential in the areas of research and teaching. Interested candidates should review the application requirements and submit their applications athttps://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/1006. Questions regarding the position or application process can be directed to Randall Beer, Cognitive Science Search Committee, 819 Eigenmann, 1900 E. 10th St., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47406-7512 orcogsrch(a)indiana.edu. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled. 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. Information about the program and the university is available athttp://www.cogs.indiana.edu/. -- Olaf Sporns -- @spornslab Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Programs in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405

Aug. 19, 2014

Tenure-track faculty position in computational neuroscience

by Adam Kohn

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of the leading medical schools in New York City, is seeking to fill multiple tenure track faculty positions in the newly formed Department of Systems and Computational Biology. Established in April 2008, the main goal of the new department is to advance our understanding of living systems by developing theoretical, computational and experimental approaches to study complex biological systems. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has 750 medical students, 325 graduate students and 360 post-doctoral fellows in training and boasts a strong research faculty covering broad areas of experimental biology, offering outstanding opportunities for collaborative interactions. The 200,000 square foot Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine at Einstein, which opened in late 2007, locates computational, systems, and experimental scientists in physical proximity to foster interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. Highly competitive start-up packages are available. We seek outstanding scientists with broad experience and demonstrated collaborative interactions with experimental or clinical investigators. Candidates should have strength in a physical, mathematical or computational field at the Ph.D. or equivalent level. Experience applying these skills to a biological or biomedical area (demonstrated through publications or support) is also required. Areas of interest that would be advantageous, but not required, are: Systems and Computational Neuroscience — visual processing, cortical computation, or population coding; Systems Evolutionary Biology; and Mathematical and Computational Modeling of Complex Traits. Applicants should send a letter of interest, C.V., statement of research and teaching interests, and names of three referees, in electronic format to: Systems and Computational Biology Search Committee Albert Einstein College of Medicine Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus 1300 Morris Park Ave. Price Center, Rm. 153 Bronx, New York 10461 E-mail Address: sysbio(a)einstein.yu.edu Subject line should be: SCB Faculty Search Yeshiva University is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Aug. 19, 2014

2nd Call for Abstracts for the 7th Int'l Workshop on Guided Self-Organisation (Freiburg, Dec 16-18, 2014)

by Joschka Boedecker

<apologies for possible cross-posting> Dear colleagues, This is the 2nd Call for Abstracts for the Seventh International Workshop on Guided Self-Organisation (GSO-2014) to be held from December 16-18, 2014 in Freiburg, Germany. http://ml.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/events/gso14/index The workshop will bring together researchers from a richly diverse background who share interest in understanding and designing self-organising systems. Of particular interest are well-founded, but general methods for characterizing such systems in a principled way with the view of ultimately allowing them to be guided toward prespecified goals. Information theory, nonlinear dynamics and graph theory are core to many of these methods, and quantifying complexity and its sources is a common theme. This year, the workshop is organised in collaboration with the BrainLinks-BrainTools cluster of excellence at University of Freiburg ( https://www.brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de/ ), and one focus theme will be guided self-organisation in neural systems. Submissions to the workshop are extended abstracts (one-two pages). If interested in participating, send an extended abstract (by September 7th, 2014) by email to: jboedeck at informatik dot uni-freiburg dot de The notifications are expected by September 21st, 2014. Authors of accepted submissions will present the content to the workshop (scheduled 30 minutes presentation). It is expected that post-workshop publication of selected papers will follow in a special journal issue (as has been the case for previous GSO workshops). Please consult the website above and also http://guided-self.org/ for more information. Best wishes, Joschka Boedecker Mikhail Prokopenko Martin Riedmiller

Aug. 19, 2014

PhD Positions Combining Robotics and Neuroscience at the Queensland University of Technology

by Michael Milford

Several PhD positions are available to work on a challenging interdisciplinary research project spanning neuroscience, robotics and computer vision. Project summary: Current robotic and personal navigation systems leave much to be desired; GPS only works in open outdoor areas, lasers are expensive and cameras are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions. In contrast, nature has evolved superb navigation systems. This project will solve the challenging problem of place recognition, a key component of navigation, by modelling the visual recognition skills of humans and the rodent spatial memory system. This approach combines the best understood and most capable components of place recognition in nature to create a whole more capable than its parts. The project will produce advances in robotic and personal navigation technology and lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of the brain. This project is a strongly interdisciplinary one spanning neuroscience, robotics and computer vision and candidates will require experience or a skill set that facilitates this interdisciplinary approach - such as a strong background in computer science with an interest in neuroscience, or a neuroscientist / biologist with strong math and coding skills. PhD candidates will have the very challenging but rewarding task of achieving research breakthroughs that impact multiple disciplines simultaneously, as well as producing innovative technologies based on these breakthroughs. Project Collaborators and Support The project will involve collaboration with leading neuroscientists, roboticists, biologists and computer vision researchers at top international universities including Harvard University and Boston University, as well as local collaborators including The University of Queensland. PhD candidates will pursue an independent interdisciplinary research agenda but will have access to researchers from several major robotics and computer vision initiatives based at QUT, including the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Robotic Vision. How to Apply To apply please go to: https://wiki.qut.edu.au/display/cyphy/Applications+Milford. Scholarships and top-ups are available for high quality applicants. Or contact: Dr Michael Milford: https://wiki.qut.edu.au/display/cyphy/Michael+Milford School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Queensland University of Technology Phone: +61 7 3138 9969 | E-mail: michael DOT milford(a)qut.edu.au Michael Milford |ARC Future Fellow | Microsoft Faculty Fellow | Senior Lecturer | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Science and Engineering Faculty | Queensland University of Technology 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 * Recent Publications * * 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 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

Aug. 19, 2014

Neurocomputing special issue CFP

by Zhijun Yang

Dear Colleagues, Sorry for any possible cross communications. May we draw your attention to a Neurocomputing special issue CFP: Advances on Biological Rhythmic Pattern Generation: Experiments, Algorithms and Application. The full announcement can be found as an internet link below. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/neurocomputing/call-for-papers/special-iss… Instructions for submission: • The submission website for Neurocomputing is located at: http://ees.elsevier.com/neucom/default.asp • To ensure that all relevant manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion into this special issue, it is important that authors select SI: Creating Biology Rhythm when reaching the “Article Type” step in the submission process. We look forward to receiving your contributions to what promises to be an exciting special issue. Best regards, Zhijun Yang -- Zhijun Yang, BEng, MSc, PhD, Lecturer in Design Engineering Department of Design Engineering and Mathematics School of Science and Technology Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK Voice: +44 (0)7882681333

Aug. 16, 2014

Bernstein Conference 2014 - online registration ends August 24

by Kerstin Mosch

Aug. 14, 2014

Graduate studies in the neuroscience of decision-making

by Paul Cisek

Graduate studies in the neuroscience of decision-making Department of neuroscience, laboratory of Paul Cisek Applications are invited for a master's or doctoral studentship in cognitive neuroscience. The successful applicant will join a research group studying the neural mechanisms of decision-making in humans and non-human primates using a combination of computational and experimental techniques. Research in our laboratory involves computational models of the nervous system as well as behavioral experiments, transcranial magnetic stimulation, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and multi-electrode recording from the cerebral cortex and subcortical regions. Depending on the applicant's qualifications and interests, they will help to design and conduct behavioral and neurophysiological experiments, analyze data, develop theoretical models of neural systems, prepare manuscripts for publication, and participate in international conferences. See www.cisek.org/pavel for information on current projects and a list of sample publications. While students with a strong background in mathematics, computer science, or biological sciences are particularly encouraged to apply, all motivated students with an interest in understanding the brain will be considered. The successful applicant will receive a competitive salary in accordance with university guidelines. For further information, please contact Dr. Paul Cisek (paul.cisek(a)umontreal.ca) Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, curriculum vita, copies of academic transcripts, and the names and contact information of 2 references, to: Dr. Paul Cisek Department of neuroscience University of Montréal C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-ville Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, CANADA Phone: 514-343-6111 x4355 Web: www.cisek.org/pavel email: paul.cisek(a)umontreal.ca Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but preference will be given to applications received before August 31, 2014. Interviews may be possible at the Bernstein conference (Göttingen, Sept 2-5, 2014, http://www.bernstein-conference.de/) the INT neuroscience conference (Marseille, Oct 2-3, 2014, http://www.int.univ-amu.fr/2nd-colloque-de-l-INT) or the Society for Neuroscience meeting (Washington DC, November 15-19, 2014, http://www.sfn.org/annual-meeting/neuroscience-2014) Montréal is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities and has been called "Canada's Cultural Capital". It has the highest number of university students per capita in the continent, with more than 17,000 foreign students from 150 countries and among the lowest tuition fees in North America. Montréal's vibrant neuroscience community spans four major universities (University of Montréal, McGill University, Concordia University, and the University of Québec at Montréal) and the Montréal Neurological Institute. The University of Montréal is the largest university in Québec and the second largest in Canada, with over 55,000 students and 10,000 employees. Deeply rooted in Montréal and dedicated to its international mission, the Université de Montréal is one of the top universities in the French-speaking world. The University of Montréal is a French-speaking institution, and most coursework is in French. However, the master's or PhD thesis can be written in French or English. ----------------------------------------------- Paul Cisek, Ph.D. Groupe de recherche sur le système nerveux central Département de neuroscience, local 4117 Université de Montréal C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3J7 Canada Tél: 514-343-6111 x4355 Fax: 514-343-2111 e-mail: paul.cisek(a)umontreal.ca -----------------------------------------------

Aug. 13, 2014

3 open PhD psoitions at the Neuroinformatics Lab at the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany

by Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa

The Neuroinformatics Research Group (Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa) of the Institute of Cognitive Science invites applications for 3 Research Assistants (PhD student level), (Salary level E 13 TV-L 50%) to be filled as soon as possible for a period of three years. The position allows for further scientific qualification. We invite applicants that are interested in research in Neuroinformatics, with an emphasis on dynamical systems, machine learning, virtual reality, computational linguistics and electrophysiology. Candidates will participate in a highly international PhD program on cognitive science (with >40 currently enrolled students) and interdisciplinary research projects that can involve cooperation with other disciplines of our institute. Candidates should be highly motivated to understand the structure of neuronal coding and neuronal representations. To study this, we involve different research strategies that range from the development of highly sophisticated data analysis strategies, to modelling of neuronal processes on the level of recurrent networks. The qualification profile of the candidates can range from a purely mathematical neuroscientist, a dynamical systems researcher to interdisciplinary candidates that share interest in performing experiments with the virtual reality combined with EEG and sophisticated machine learning-based analysis of recorded activity (at http://ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de/en/ni/publications you find an overview of recent research topics). Description of Responsibilities: The successful candidate will be involved in several research projects that range from BSc to MSc projects. The position also involves teaching Cognitive Science courses at BSc and MSc level (2 hours/week). Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have an excellent academic degree (Master/diploma). Applicants should have an excellent knowledge in the field of machine learning, i.e. generalized linear and state space models, kernel methods, reservoir computing and deep learning. Experience or a strong interest in the fields of complex systems, computational neurosciences, dynamical systems theory and the concepts to study these, i.e. bifurcation and stability analysis, and delay- coupled differential equations, measurements of complexity, are encouraged. Experience or a strong interest in experimental methods such as EEG, and virtual reality are highly welcome. In addition, a strong interest or experience in the estimation of causal interactions from time series is welcome. As a certified family-friendly institution, Osnabrück University is committed to furthering the compatibility between work/studies and family life. As an employer, Osnabrück University is particularly concerned with creating equal opportunities for women and men. Women with relevant qualifications are therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the position. Preference will be given to women with equal qualifications. Furthermore, qualified applicants with disabilities will be favored. Applications with the usual documentation, including two letters of recommendation, should be submitted by e-mail in a single PDF file to the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science (office(a)ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de) no later than 08.09.2014. An electronic copy should be sent to Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa (gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de) who can also be contacted for further information. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Professor and Chair of the Neuroinformatics Department Dr. rer. nat. Gordon Pipa Institute of Cognitive Science, Room 31/404 University of Osnabrueck Albrechtstr. 28, 49069 Osnabrueck, Germany tel. +49 (0) 541-969-2277 fax (private). +49 (0) 5405- 500 80 98 home office. +49 (0) 5405- 500 90 95 e-mail: <mailto:gpipa@uos.de> gpipa(a)uos.de webpage: <http://www.ni.uos.de/> http://www.ni.uos.de research gate: <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gordon_Pipa/?ev=prf_act> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gordon_Pipa/?ev=prf_act google scholar: <http://scholar.google.de/citations?user=joR6mgEAAAAJ> http://scholar.google.de/citations?user=joR6mgEAAAAJ Personal Assistent and Secretary of the Neuroinformatics lab: Anna Jungeilges Tel. +49 (0)541 969-2390 Fax +49 (0)541 969-2246 Email: <mailto:anna.jungeilges@uni-osnabrueck.de> anna.jungeilges(a)uni-osnabrueck.de visit us on <http://www.facebook.com/CognitiveScienceOsnabruck> http://www.facebook.com/CognitiveScienceOsnabruck <https://twitter.com/#!/CogSciUOS> https://twitter.com/#!/CogSciUOS

Aug. 13, 2014

Workshop on Stochastic Neural Computation in Paris

by Wolfgang Maass

I am organizing a Workshop on Stochastic Neural Computation on Nov.27 and 28, 2014 in Paris, at the European Institute for Theoretical Neuroscience. You are welcome to attend, and present a poster (if it fits into the context of this workshop). This will be a very informal "working" workshop, where we want to bring together experts from neuroscience, cognitive science, theory, and neuromorphic hardware, that are working on different angles of stochastic neural computation with biological or artificial spiking neurons. The talks will focus on new results. We will also have plenty of time to discuss open problems and challenges that arise. Possibly this meeting could mark the beginning of some loose research network around this exciting research topic. You can find a preliminary program at https://flagship.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/jss/Ag?eMAt=38&showAgenda=x&eKn=SCom… Information on the venue and hotel information is available at https://flagship.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/jss/Ag?eMAt=38&SiD=x&eKn=SComNo27 The participation is free, but prior registration by October 1 is required on https://flagship.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/jss/Ag?eMAt=38&eKrn=SComNo27 Under "Registration type" on the registration page you can indicate whether you want to present a poster (please send title and abstract to me per email). There will be no registration fee. best regards Wolfgang Maass -- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maass Institut fuer Grundlagen der Informationsverarbeitung Technische Universitaet Graz Inffeldgasse 16b , A-8010 Graz, Austria Tel.: ++43/316/873-5822 Fax ++43/316/873-5805 http://www.igi.tugraz.at/maass/Welcome.html

Aug. 13, 2014

Neural plasticity for rich and uncertain robotic information streams, abstract deadline extended 12th September.

by f.vandervelde＠utwente.nl

Dear All, We extended the abstract submission deadline for the research topic “Neural plasticity for rich and uncertain information streams”, hosted by Frontiers in Neurorobotics, due to requests. The new deadline is 12th of September. Note that the paper submission deadline remains unchanged (Jan 12, 2015). Description: Models of adaptation and neural plasticity are often demonstrated in robotic scenarios with heavily pre-processed and regulated information streams to provide learning algorithms with appropriate, well timed, and meaningful data to match the assumptions of learning rules. On the contrary, natural scenarios are often rich of raw, asynchronous, overlapping and uncertain inputs and outputs whose relationships and meaning are progressively acquired, disambiguated, and used for further learning. Therefore, recent research efforts focus on neural embodied systems that rely less on well timed and pre-processed inputs, but rather extract autonomously relationships and features in time and space. In particular, realistic and more complete models of plasticity must account for delayed rewards, noisy and ambiguous data, emerging and novel input features during online learning. Such approaches model the progressive acquisition of knowledge into neural systems through experience in environments that may be affected by ambiguities, uncertain signals, delays, or novel features. This research topic promises to unveil fundamental properties and dynamics of neural learning system that are naturally immersed in a rich information flow. We invite papers describing advances in robotic neural learning systems that model adaptation or plasticity with a rich and realistic stream of information. Abstract Submission Deadline (extended): Sep 12, 2014, Article Submission Deadline: Jan 12, 2015 Topic Editor(s): Andrea Soltoggio, Frank van der Velde Frontiers, a Swiss open-access publisher, recently partnered with Nature Publishing Group to expand its researcher-driven Open Science platform. Frontiers articles are rigorously peer-reviewed, can be disseminated freely and are widely read by your colleagues and by the broader scientific and medical research communities. The idea behind a research topic is to create an organized, comprehensive collection of several contributions, as well as a forum for discussion and debate. Contributions can be articles describing original research, methods, hypothesis & theory, opinions, etc. We have created a homepage on the Frontiers website (Frontiers in Neurorobotics) where all articles will appear after peer-review and where participants in the topic will be able to hold relevant discussions: http://www.frontiersin.org/Neurorobotics/researchtopics/Neural_plasticity_f…. Frontiers will also compile an e-book, as soon as all contributing articles are published, that can be used in classes, be sent to foundations that fund your research, to journalists and press agencies, or to any number of other organizations. As such, a manuscript accepted for publication incurs a publishing fee, which varies depending on the article type. Research Topic manuscripts receive a significant discount on publishing fees. Please take a look at this fee table: http://www.frontiersin.org/about/PublishingFees. Once published, your articles will remain free to access for all readers, and will be indexed in PubMed and other academic archives. As an author in Frontiers, you retain the copyright to your own papers and figures. Should you choose to participate, please confirm by sending me a quick email and then your abstract no later than Sep 12, 2014 using the following link:http://www.frontiersin.org/Neurorobotics/researchtopics/Neural_plastic… With best regards, Frank van der Velde and Andrea Soltoggio Guest Associate Editors, Frontiers in Neurorobotics www.frontiersin.org

Aug. 13, 2014

Seeking community input for Neurodata Without Borders

by Jeff Teeters

Dear Colleague, The Neurodata Without Borders (NWB) project has just started. The project goal is to build a common data format for neurophysiology data from Allen Brain Institute, Janelia Farm and two labs from NYU and Caltech. Although focusing on a limited set of use cases, the project also aims to develop products that will serve the broader community. At this point we would like to solicit community input about ideas/approaches for designing a generalizable neurophysiology data format. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please review the project description at: https://crcns.org/NWB and fill out the questionnaire: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CNTd4M-8kQ_WhEZc7n7WxpTa0LOupt_q3z21E1fRxj… On the basis of the questionnaire responses and ensuing communication, we will organize the first hackathon meeting of the project, to be held November 20 – 22, 2014 (just after SfN) at Janelia Farm, in Ashburn, Virginia. At this hackathon we will discuss in detail the requirements for a common format based on the project use cases and also discuss, compare and evaluate alternative techniques for implementing the common format. More information about the project is available in a recent press release: http://www.kavlifoundation.org/kavli-news/prominent-us-research-institution… Please forward this email to anyone you know with relevant expertise who may be interested in contributing to this project. Thank you, Fritz Sommer and Jeff Teeters Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience UC Berkeley

Aug. 13, 2014

DEADLINE EXTENDED: 8th International Conference on Bio-inspired Information and Communications Technologies (BICT 2014, formerly BIONETICS)

by Jun Suzuki

CFP: 8th International Conference on Bio-inspired Information and Communications Technologies (BICT 2014, formerly BIONETICS) http://www.bionetics.org/ Paper submission deadline extended: September 1, 2014 December 1 (Mon) - December 3, 2014 (Wed) Boston, MA, USA In-corporation with ACM BICT 2014 aims to provide a world-leading and multidisciplinary venue for researchers and practitioners in diverse disciplines that seek the understanding of key principles, processes and mechanisms in biological systems and leverage those understandings to develop novel information and communications technologies (ICT). BICT 2014 targets two thrusts: THRUST 1: Indirect/Weak Bioinspiration (ICT designed after biological principles, processes and mechanisms). Examples include evolutionary computation, artificial gene regulatory networks, neural computation, swarm intelligence, cellular automata, artificial immune systems, artificial life, artificial chemistry, reaction-diffusion computing, simulated annealing, self-organization and network science. THRUST 2: Direct/Strong Bioinspiration (ICT utilizing biological materials and systems). Examples include cellular computing, molecular computing/communication, membrane computing, DNA computing and memory, bacterial computing, Physarum computing and quantum computing. Expected, but not exclusive, topics are: * Signal/information processing and communication for bio-inspired ICT * Algorithms and their applications for bio-inspired ICT * Formal models and methods for bio-inspired ICT * Bio-inspired software and hardware systems * Modeling, simulations and empirical experiments of bio-inspired ICT * Self-* and stability properties in bio-inspired ICT * Security, robustness and resilience in bio-inspired ICT * Design, configuration and management issues in bio-inspired ICT * Software engineering and performance engineering in bio-inspired ICT * Tools, testbeds and deployment aspects in bio-inspired ICT * Applications, experiences and standardization of bio-inspired ICT * Socially-aware, game theoretic and other metaphor-assisted interdisciplinary research Application domains include, but not limited to, autonomic computing, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, computer networks, computer vision, data mining, e-health, green computing and networking, grid/cloud computing, intelligent agents, mechanical engineering, molecular communication, nano-scale computing and networking, optimization, pervasive computing, robotics, security, social networks, software engineering and systems engineering. IMPORTANT DATES: Regular paper submission due: September 1 Short and poster/demo paper submission due: September 22 Notification for regular papers: September 22 Notification for short and poster/demo papers: October 6 Camera ready due: October 13 SPECIAL TRACKS: In addition to the regular track that covers general/mainstream topics, BICT 2014 features the following special tracks that focus on specific, emerging or underrepresented topics. * Artificial, Biological and Bio-Inspired Intelligence (ABBII) * Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering (AISE) * Body Area Soft Computing (BASC) * Biologically-Inspired Process Calculi (BIPC) * Bio-Inspired Machine Vision (BIMV) * Bio-inspired/Biomimetic Microsystems & Microdevices (BMM) * Bio-inspired Wireless Network Security (BWNS) * Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) * Engineering Applications from Molecular and Gene Regulatory Networks (EMNET) * Molecular Communication and Networking (MCN) * Morphogenetic Collective Systems (MCS) * Modularization for Practical Software Engineering (MPSE) * Resilient Networks (RN) * Swarm and Modular Robotics (SAMR) * Smart Body Area Networks (SBAN) * Security and Privacy in Bio-inspired Networks (SPBN) PAPER SUBMISSION: Authors are invited to submit regular papers (up to 8 pages each), short papers (up to 4 pages each) or poster/demo papers (up to 2 pages each) in ACM's paper template. Up to two extra pages are allowed for each paper with extra page charges. See http://bionetics.org/2014/show/initial-submission for more details. PUBLICATION: All accepted paper will be published through ACM Digital Library and submitted for indexing by SI, EI Compendex, Scopus, ACM Library, Google Scholar and many more. Selected papers will be considered for publication in leading journals including: * ACM/Springer Mobile Networks and Applications * Elsevier Information Sciences * Elsevier Nano Communication Networks Journal * Int'l Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering * Cloud-integrated Cyber-Physical Systems (Springer book) KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: * Andrew Adamatzky, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK * Gabriel Ciobanu, Romanian Academy, ICS, Iasi, Romania * Andrew Eckford, York University, Canada * Valeriy Perminov, BioTeckFarm, Ltd., Russia * Hiroki Sayama, SUNY Binghamton, USA * Theresa Schubert, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany * Jon Timmis, University of York, UK * Honggang Wang, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA * Justin Werfel, Harvard University, USA GENERAL CHAIR: Jun Suzuki, University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA PC CHAIR: Tadashi Nakano, Osaka University, Japan PC VICE CHAIRS: Andrew Adamatzky, University of the West of England, UK Gabriel Ciobanu, Romanian Academy, Institute of Computer Science, Romania Douglas Dow, Wentworth Institute of Technology, USA Hiroaki Fukuda, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan Tyler Garaas, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, USA Preetam Ghosh, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Isao Hayashi, Kansai University, Japan Yu-Hsiang Hsu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Saori Iwanaga, Japan Coast Guard Academy, Japan Masao Kubo, National Defense Academy, Japan Paul Leger, Universidad Católica del Norte, Chile Shih-Hsi "Alex" Liu, California State University, Fresno, USA Michael L. Mayo, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, USA Parisa Memarmoshrefi, University of Goettingen, Germany Marjan Mernik, University of Maribor, Slovenia Alan Millard, University of York, UK Michael Moore, USA Marc Pomplun, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA Florian Raudies, Boston University, USA Hiroshi Sato, National Defense Academy, Japan Hiroki Sayama, SUNY Binghamton, USA Tomohiro Shirakawa, National Defense Academy of Japan, Japan Jon Timmis, University of York, UK Athanasios Vasilakos, University of Western Macedonia, Greece Honggang Wang, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, USA Jun Zhou, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Aug. 12, 2014

Parallel computing workshop at SFN 2014 meeting

by Ted Carnevale

What: Using the Neuroscience Gateway Portal for Parallel Simulations A Satellite Symposium at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience Meeting Where: Location to be announced in downtown Washington, DC When: 9 AM - Noon on Saturday, November 15, 2014 Speakers to include: A. Majumdar, S. Sivagnanam, and T. Carnevale Registration deadline: Friday, October 31, 2014 This workshop is for neuroscientists who need to use parallel supercomputers for large modeling projects. With support from NSF, we have been developing the Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG) http://www.nsgportal.org/, which * provides free CPU time on NSF-supported high performance computing resources * has a browser-based interface that simplifies the tasks of uploading models, specifying job parameters, monitoring job status, and storing and retrieving output data * already has many widely-used simulatiors optimally installed and configured, including Brian, GENESIS3, NEST, NEURON, and PyNN The workshop will combine didactic presentations by NSG's developers, discussions with experienced users, and hands on instruction in how to use the portal. Come find out how the NSG can be useful in your own research! For more information and the online registration form see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/nsg2014/nsg2014.html --Ted

Aug. 12, 2014

postdoctoral position, Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's disease, IUPUI and Purdue University

by Leonid Rubchinsky

Postdoctoral opening in computational neuroscience The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the area of mathematical and computational neuroscience. The position is with a collaborative group of scholars from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at IUPUI, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University and the Department of Neurosurgery of the Indiana University School of Medicine. The current research project is aimed at the development of adaptive deep brain stimulators for Parkinson's disease. Part of the duties may also include some teaching in the Mathematical Sciences. The position offers excellent interdisciplinary training possibilities in mathematical biology and computational neuroscience. Qualifications: Applicants are expected to have a Ph.D. in mathematics, physics, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science or other related field. Applicants should have strong quantitative skills in data analysis and modeling and a strong interest in neuroscience applications. Experience in nonlinear dynamics/control theory/neurophysiology is a plus. How to apply: Send your CV with a list of publications, research statement, and arrange two-three recommendation letters to be sent to Dr. Leonid Rubchinsky via e-mail: leo(a)math.iupui.edu. Address all your inquiries to the same e-mail. Alternatively send your application by regular mail to: Dr. Leonid Rubchinsky, Department of Mathematical Sciences, IUPUI, 402 N. Blackford Street, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Screening of applications will continue until position is filled. IUPUI is an EEO/AA Employer, M/F/D. *********************** 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 http://www.math.iupui.edu/~leo 317-274-9745 317-274-3460 (fax) ***********************

Aug. 12, 2014

Job offer: PhD student position

by Seeger, Simone

The Department of Theoretical Neuroscience (Head: Prof. Daniel Durstewitz) at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Mannheim) invites applications for a PhD student position (E 13 TV-L) (50% of the fulltime weekly hours) in the newly founded research group Data-driven network models of higher cognitive functions (Head: Dr. Joachim Hass) to be filled as soon as possible. The position is initially limited for 3 years. The research group develops biologically realistic computational neural network models of the neocortical structures such as the prefrontal cortex and the motor cortex. These models closely adhere to physiological data from both in vitro and in vivo experiments and are used to study higher cognitive functions such as time perception and working memory. The successful candidate will work in the project "The human mirror neuron system - measurement and beyond" funded by the Heidelberg Academy for Sciences and Humanities. The joint project of the Departments of Theoretical Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology of the Central Institute of Mental Health aims at a deeper understanding of the mirror neuron system in humans, which is thought to play a crucial role in social cognition by representing the emotions and intentions of others in the motor cortex. The project combines multimodal measurements (involving fMRI, EEG, transcranial magnetic stimulation and genotyping) with computational modeling. The Central Institute of Mental Health is an internationally renowned research institute for psychiatry and neuroscience as well as a clinic for psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatics (part of the medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg). The research group closely interacts with neurobiologists and psychologists at the institute. The Department of Theoretical Neuroscience is focused on computational modeling and statistical data analysis of prefrontal cortex and hippocampus functions. It is one of the core research units of the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Heidelberg-Mannheim. Access to high-performance computing facilities is provided. Tasks: The project involves the development of a rate-based, brain-scale model as well as the further development of an existing spiking network model of the motor cortex. The resulting twostage model is then being adapted to the multimodal experimental data using stochastic optimization techniques. In particular, the effects of the transcranial magnetic stimulation and different levels of dopamine and oxytocin are to be implemented in the model and directly compared with the experimental data. Participation in the project organization and publication writing is also expected. It is also possible to participate in the analysis of the fMRI data. Requirements: The candidate should have a university degree (master or equivalent) in physics, mathematics, computer science, computational neuroscience or similar, a strong interest in neurobiological research and very good programming skills (ideally in MATLAB and C). Good communication skills in English as well as knowledge in nonlinear dynamics, numerical optimization or neural modeling are also required. Knowledge in neuroscience or experimental psychology is beneficial. Applicants should sent their application documents (cover letter including a brief description of personal qualifications and future research interests, CV and contact details of two personal references) to joachim.hass(a)zi-mannheim.de<mailto:joachim.hass@zi-mannheim.de>. Questions and informal discussions about the position are also welcome under this email address. The call is open until the position is filled. *** Simone Seeger, M.A. Administration Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim J5, 68159 Mannheim Telefon: 0621/1703-1326 oder 06221/54-8310 Fax: 0621/1703-2915 E-Mail: Simone.Seeger(a)zi-mannheim.de<mailto:Simone.Seeger@zi-mannheim.de> Internet: http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de<http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de/> *** Simone Seeger, M.A. Administration Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim J5, 68159 Mannheim Telefon: 0621/1703-1326 oder 06221/54-8310 Fax: 0621/1703-2915 E-Mail: Simone.Seeger(a)zi-mannheim.de<mailto:Simone.Seeger@zi-mannheim.de> Internet: http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de<http://www.bccn-heidelberg-mannheim.de/>

Aug. 12, 2014

Call for Papers: IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine (CIM) Special Issue: "Computational Intelligence for Changing Environments"

by Dr Amir Hussain

Call for Papers (Please also forward to any interested colleagues - with advance apologies for any cross-postings!) IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine (CIM) (http://cis.ieee.org/ieee-computational-intelligence-magazine.html) Special Issue on "Computational Intelligence for Changing Environments" (Submission Deadline: 15 Nov 2014) (http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~ahu/IEEE-CIM-CICE2015.pdf) Guest Editors: Amir Hussain, Dacheng Tao, Jonathan Wu and Dongbin Zhao Aims and Scope: Over the past decade or so, computational intelligence techniques have been highly successful for solving big data challenges in changing environments. In particular, there has been growing interest in so called biologically inspired learning (BIL), which refers to a wide range of learning techniques, motivated by biology, that try to mimic specific biological functions or behaviors. Examples include the hierarchy of the brain neocortex and neural circuits, which have resulted in biologically-inspired features for encoding, deep neural networks for classification, and spiking neural networks for general modelling. To ensure these models are generalizable to unseen data, it is common to assume that the training and test data are independently sampled from an identical distribution, known as the sample i.i.d. assumption. In dynamic and non-stationary environments, the distribution of data changes over time, resulting in the phenomenon of ‘concept drift’ (also known as population drift or concept shift), which is a generalization of covariance shift in statistics. Over the last five years, transfer learning and multitask learning have been used to tackle this problem. Fundamental analyses using probably approximately correct (PAC) and Rademacher complexity frameworks have explained why appropriate incorporation of context and concept drift can improve generalizability in changing environments. It is possible to use human-level processing power to tackle concept drift in changing environments. Concept drift is a real-world problem, usually associated with online and concept learning, where the relationships between input data and target variables dynamically change over time. Traditional learning schemes do not adequately address this issue, either because they are offline or because they avoid dynamic learning. However, BIL seems to possess properties that would be helpful for solving concept drift problems in changing environments. Intuitively, the human capacity to deal with concept drift is innate to cognitive processes, and the learning problems susceptible to concept drift seem to share some of the dynamic demands placed on plastic neural areas in the brain. Using improved biological models in neural networks can provide insight into cognitive computational phenomena. However, a main outstanding issue in using computational intelligence for changing environments and domain adaptation is how to build complex networks, or how networks should be connected to the features, samples, and distribution drifts. Manual design and building of these networks are beyond current human capabilities. Recently, computational intelligence methods has been used to address concept drift in changing environments, with promising results. A Hebbian learning model has been used to handle random, as well as correlated, concept drift. Neural networks have been used for concept drift detection, and the influence of latent variables on concept drift in a neural network has been studied. In another study, a timing-dependent synapse model has been applied to concept drift. These works mainly apply biologically-plausible computational models to concept drift problems. Although these results are still in their infancy, they open up new possibilities to achieve brain-like intelligence for solving concept drift problems in changing environments. Taking the current state of research in computational intelligence for changing environments into account, the objective of this special issue is to collate this research to help unify the concepts and terminology of computational intelligence in changing environments, and to survey state-of-the-art computational intelligence methodologies and the key techniques investigated to date. Therefore, this special issue invites submissions on the most recent developments in computational intelligence for changing environments algorithms and architectures, theoretical foundations, and representations, & their application to real world problems. We also welcome timely surveys & review papers. Topics of Interest include (but are not limited to): • Computational intelligence methodologies and implementation for changing environments • Transfer learning, Multitask learning, Domain adaption • Incremental Learning architectures, Unsupervised and semi-supervised learning architectures • Incremental Knowledge augmentation, Representation learning and disentangling • Incremental Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy systems • Incremental and single-pass data mining • Incremental Neural Clustering & Regression • Incremental Adaptive decision systems • Incremental Feature selection and reduction • Incremental Constructive Learning • Novelty detection in Incremental learning Submission Process The maximum length for the manuscript is typically 25 pages in single column format with double-spacing, including figures and references. Authors should specify in the first page of their manuscripts the corresponding author’s contact and up to 5 keywords. Submission should be made via: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieee-cim-cice2015 Important Dates (for August 2015 Issue) 15th November, 2014: Submission of Manuscripts 15th January, 2015: Notification of Review Results 15th February, 2015: Submission of Revised Manuscripts 15th March, 2015: Submission of Final Manuscripts Guest Editors Professor Amir Hussain, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland UK Email: ahu(a)cs.stir.ac.uk http://cs.stir.ac.uk/~ahu/ Professor Dacheng Tao, University of Technology, Sydney, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia Email: dacheng.tao(a)uts.edu.au Professor Jonathan Wu University of Windsor 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, Canada Email: jwu(a)uwindsor.ca Professor Dongbin Zhao Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China E-mail: dongbin.zhao(a)gmail.com -- The University of Stirling has been ranked in the top 12 of UK universities for graduate employment*. 94% of our 2012 graduates were in work and/or further study within six months of graduation. *The Telegraph The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

Aug. 11, 2014

A mailing list for Computational Glioscience

by Hugues Berry

Dear colleagues, A spinoff of the recent OCNS workshop on the modelling of glia-neuron interactions, we have started a new mailing list. It is intended to share items of interest (new results, papers, events, trainings, jobs...) to the computational glioscience community, i.e. researchers implicated in the modelling and simulation of glial cells at large (astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells...) and their interactions with neurons. To subscribe, send an email to : sympa(a)inria.fr with the following Subject: subscribe comput-gliosci your_name Sincerely yours Maurizio De Pitta' Hugues Berry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maurizio De Pitta' - https://sites.google.com/site/mauriziodepitta Hugues Berry - http://www.inrialpes.fr/Berry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project-Team BEAGLE INRIA Rhone-Alpes Université de Lyon LIRIS UMR5205 Antenne INRIA de La Doua Batiment CEI-1 66 Blvd Niels Bohr CS 52132 69603 Villeurbanne cedex France

Aug. 9, 2014

FW: PhD/Researcher positions in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or Biomedical Engineering

by Morgado Dias

Dear Members, Positions 3 and 4 might be interesting for the community. Best regards, Morgado ------------------------------------------------------ PhD/Researcher positions in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or Biomedical Engineering The research group of Prof. Morgado Dias (Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute - Partner of the Carnegie Mellon University - Portugal program) is looking for PhD students and researchers for: (1) Monitoring and Fault detection in Photovoltaic parks (funded project-1year-possible follow-up with a PhD) (2) 3D Image Processing (funded project-1year- possible follow-up with a PhD) (3) Hardware for Artificial Neural Networks, with emphasis on emerging architectures (PhD, but needs to be externally funded) (4) FPGA prototype for detecting sleep APNEA disorders (PhD – needs to apply to a specific program in Portugal for funding if required) Information about the Institute, University and Region: Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute - Partner of the Carnegie Mellon University - Portugal program, is an innovation institute established as an associated independent non-profit R&D organization whose founding members are the University of Madeira, Madeira Tecnopolo S. A. and Carnegie Mellon University. Recently awarded a 2,4M€ funding, Madeira-ITI operates in the interdisciplinary domain of human-computer interaction encapsulating contributions from computer science, psychology and design in order to address/engage in important scientific and technological challenges that are both relevant to society and have significant economic impact (www.m-iti.org <http://www.m-iti.org> ). The University of Madeira is an active public university integrated in Portuguese Higher Education System and the European Community. Madeira is a small island with paradisiac living conditions and warm people. Recently elected as the Best European Island, you will find in a small place a diversity of landscapes that go from the beach to the mountain with low living costs and almost no crime. Prof. Morgado Dias research expertise includes Artificial Neural Networks, FPGAs and Renewable Energy. More information can be found at: http://www.cee.uma.pt/morgado/ Profile for candidates: (1) A master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering or Computer Engineering (preferred) or an undergraduate degree in the same areas, completed before arrival. (2) Good oral and spoken English as well as good communication skills. TOEFL or IELTS scores are encouraged. At least the English proficiency that fulfills the requirements of CSC applications is necessary. (3) Teamwork spirit. (4) Self-motivation and independent working ability. (5) Knowledge of and research experience related to the above fields are strongly preferred. (6) Previous published work and interest in pursuing a PhD is preferred. Application: If you are interested, please address your motivation letter (with a brief description of yourself, research ability & interest) and CV to: morgadoatuma.pt <mailto:morgado@uma.pt> --- Este email está livre de vírus e malware porque a proteção avast! Antivirus está ativa. http://www.avast.com

Aug. 9, 2014

PhD opportunities at the Queensland Brain Institute

by Geoffrey Goodhill

PhD Positions at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), The University of Queensland Application deadline Oct 1st 2014 The Queensland Brain Institute (www.qbi.uq.edu.au) is seeking exceptional and highly motivated PhD candidates to undertake neuroscience research at its state-of-the-art building located at The University of Queensland’s (UQ) St Lucia campus, Brisbane, Australia. UQ has 45,000 students (12,000 postgraduate) and is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world. QBI is one of UQ’s flagship research institutes, with researchers working to understand the fundamental mechanisms of brain function, and applying such research to the development of new therapeutics to combat diseases where brain function is compromised. The Institute’s multidisciplinary environment is home to more than 400 staff and students. Key areas of interest include: • Ageing Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease • Cognition and Behaviour • Computation and Neuronal Circuits • Neurogenesis and Neuronal Survival • Genetics and Epigenetics • Neuronal Development and Connectivity • Sensory Systems • Synaptic Function Since establishment in 2003 QBI researchers have published >1200 papers in the world’s foremost journals, including 460 in the past 2 years. QBI is 100 metres from UQ's Centre for Advanced imaging (www.cai.uq.edu.au) which houses 7T human and 16.4T animal MRI scanners. Scholarships and Remuneration QBI offers full-time PhD scholarships for outstanding Australian and International students (living allowance AU$25,392 per annum, indexed annually, tax exempt) for 3 years with a possible 6 month extension. In addition, QBI supports high quality domestic and international applicants in their nomination to The University of Queensland’s competitive scholarship rounds (three rounds per year). A QBI top-up scholarship of $5,000 per annum may also be available to successful candidates. Candidates should have a First Class Honours degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience, molecular biology, bioscience, psychology, genetics, physical sciences, engineering, mathematics or a related discipline. Strong academic performance, the commitment to conduct high quality neuroscience research, and published output are highly desirable. For further information on the Basis of Admission to a UQ research higher degree, please visit http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/our-research-degrees. Successful applicants must accept and commence within 6 months of receiving an award. Enquiries and Applications Please review the research interests of QBI Group Leaders at http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/group-leaders and make direct contact with a Group Leader working in an area of greatest interest to you, providing your detailed academic resume and complete academic records (including GPA scores/grades, and grading scale details). The Group Leader will work with you to develop your application for submission to QBI. Applications close on 1 October, 2014 Professor Geoffrey J Goodhill Queensland Brain Institute and School of Mathematics & Physics University of Queensland St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia Email: g.goodhill(a)uq.edu.au http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/professor-geoffrey-goodhill

Aug. 8, 2014

PhD Studentship in Neural Fields and Movement Control, University of Reading, UK

by Ingo Bojak

Aug. 7, 2014

NEURAL COMPUTATION - September 1, 2014

by Terry Sejnowski

Neural Computation - Contents -- Volume 26, Number 9 - September 1, 2014 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/26/9 ----- Article Continuous Closed-loop Decoder Adaptation With a Recursive Maximum Likelihood Algorithm Allows for Rapid Performance Acquisition in Brain-machine Interfaces Siddharth Dangi, Suraj Gowda, Helene Moorman, Amy Orsborn, Kelvin So, Maryam Shanechi, and Jose Carmena Letters Neuronal Spike Train Entropy Estimation by History Clustering Nicholas Watters, and George Reeke Memory Nearly on a Spring: A Mean First Passage Time Approach to Memory Lifetimes Terry Elliott Sparseness, Anti-Sparseness and Anything in Between: The Operating Point of a Neuron Determines Its Computational Repertoire Terry Elliott Sequential Activity in Asymmetrically Coupled Winner-Take-All Circuits Hesham Mostafa, Giacomo Indiveri Synchronization of Stochastic Competitive Neural Networks With Different Time Scales and Reaction-diffusion Terms Yanchao Shi, Peiyong Zhu A Semiparametric Bayesian Model for Detecting Synchrony Among Multiple Neurons Babak Shahbaba, Bo Zhou, Shiwei Lan, Hernando Ombao, David Moorman, and Sam Behseta A Bayesian Model of Polychronicity Mira Guise, Alistair Knott, and Lubica Benuskova A Non-parametric Clustering Algorithm With a Quantile-based Likelihood Estimator Hideitsu Hino, Noboru Murata ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp SUBSCRIPTIONS - 2014 - VOLUME 26 - 12 ISSUES USA Others Electronic Only Student/Retired $70 $193 $65 Individual $124 $187 $115 Institution $1,035 $1,098 $926 Canada: Add 5% GST MIT Press Journals, 238 Main Street, Suite 500, Cambridge, MA 02142-9902 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-orders(a)mit.edu ------------

Aug. 6, 2014

Fellowships in Neural Engineering at the University of Washington

by Adrienne Fairhall

We invite applications for the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Fellowships in Neuroengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. These fellowships will be offered through the recently established UW Institute for Neuroengineering, which aims to aims to solve some of today’s greatest scientific challenges about neural system function by linking advances in biology, computing, devices, data science, and computational neuroscience. These highly selective fellowships will fund research in computational and engineering approaches to neuroscience; joint mentoring between faculty in different disciplines (CS, engineering, mathematics, neurobiology) is strongly encouraged. Applications are due September 1, 2014. Please see http://uwin.washington.edu/post-docs/ for more details of the application procedure.

Aug. 6, 2014

IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control

by Levin Kuhlmann

Dear Colleagues, It is with unbridled excitement that we announce the date of the 7th International Workshop on Seizure Prediction: IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control Date: 3-6 August 2015 Location: Melbourne, Australia Website: www.iwsp7.org<http://www.iwsp7.org> The IWSP series of conferences bring together researchers across multiple disciplines to focus on epilepsy research. This conference will centre on the engineering and science of epilepsy from basic mechanisms and imaging, to computational modelling for analysis and prediction, through to feedback control of epilepsy. Invited Speakers: Samuel Berkovic, University of Melbourne, Australia (Genetics and individual-specific nature of epilepsy) Bin He, University of Minnesota, USA (EEG-based imaging to localise seizure and high frequency activity) Louis Lemieux, University College London, UK (Multi-modal imaging of human epileptic zone and networks) Martha Morrell, Stanford University, Neuropace, USA (Responsive seizure control and clinical implications) John Terry, University of Exeter, UK (Modelling multiscale brain networks: seizure initiation, evolution and prediction) Gregory Worrell, Mayo Clinic, USA (Forecasting epileptic seizures in dogs) Please forward this notice to anyone that you think might be interested. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting! On behalf of the local organizing committee Levin Kuhlmann, PhD David B. Grayden, PhD Mark J. Cook, MD Dean R. Freestone, PhD Alan Lai, PhD Elma O'Sullivan-Greene, PhD Andre Petersen, BSc(hons) Email: organizingcommittee(a)iwsp7.org<mailto:organizingcommittee@iwsp7.org>

Aug. 6, 2014

Wanted: neurotheory postdoc, to catch fireflies

by Xaq Pitkow

POSITION: Xaq Pitkow's Computational Neuroscience group jointly at Rice University and the Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas, is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher who will develop theory and analyses of dynamic neural representations in animal brains. This is for a newly funded project to test how neural computations enable animals to catch fireflies in a virtual reality environment. The project will require multiple interlocking theoretical components and hands-on engagement with neural data analysis. We aim to understand the interplay between vision, spatial navigation, and decision-making in the face of uncertainty during a naturalistic, continuous-time task. LAB ENVIRONMENT: Our research focuses on computational functions of neural networks, especially how they compute properties of the world using ambiguous sensory evidence. A few related topics include: distributed neural representations, biological algorithms for statistical inference, and computation by nonlinear recurrent networks. This project is a close collaboration with the labs of Dora Angelaki, Greg DeAngelis, and Paul Schrater, all highly quantitative researchers in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. QUALIFICATIONS: Important selection criteria include strong mathematical skills, practical knowledge of machine learning tools, and past research accomplishments. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant quantitative discipline, e.g. physics, math, machine learning, or statistics. Previous experience with neurobiology is advantageous but not essential. APPLYING: Applicants should email a letter of research interests and CV to Xaq Pitkow (xaq(a)rice.edu) The position is available immediately, and we look forward to reviewing applications as they arrive.

Aug. 6, 2014

Postdoc position in machine/biological vision – Serre lab, Brown University (Providence, RI)

by Thomas Serre

The computational vision research group, headed by Dr. Thomas Serre at Brown University, has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow to work at the interface between computational neuroscience and computer vision. In particular, we are looking for computer scientists interested in the development of novel machine learning / computer vision algorithms derived from high-fidelity representations of cortical microcircuits to achieve human-like performance on complex information processing tasks. Candidates are expected to have a solid background in modern computer vision and machine learning methods and in particular, strong expertise in optimization techniques and deep learning methods. An interest in biological vision and applications of computer vision to the biological sciences would also be a strong plus. The initial appointment is for 12 months, renewable for another year, and potentially longer depending on funding. The start date is negotiable though an early start is strongly preferred. Salary is commensurate with experience and is competitive. Representative recent work related to the project: D. Reichert & T. Serre. Neuronal synchrony in complex-valued deep networks. International Conference on Learning Representations, 2014 T. Serre and T. Poggio. Reverse-engineering the brain. In: the Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery (CACM), 53(10), pp. 54-61, Oct 2010 Research group: Our research group is located within the Department of Cognitive Linguistic & Psychological sciences at Brown University. We maintain strong ties with the neuroscience, computer science, engineering and applied math departments as part of the Brain Institute. Through Brown’s Center for Computation and Visualization (https://www.ccv.brown.edu) our group has access to a state-of-the-art computing facility with includes over 300K GPU cores and over 500 Teraflops of GPU computing power. Information about Dr. Serre and his research group can be found at http://serre-lab.clps.brown.edu . Requirements: Applicants are expected to have finished, or be about to finish their Ph.D. degrees. They must have a strong background in computer vision and/or machine learning, with a track record of relevant publications at top venues (such as NIPS, CVPR, ICCV, ICML or ECCV). Excellent programming skills are required (C/C++/Matlab/Python). Programming experience in CUDA and/or parallel computing would be a strong plus. Application: Please send your applications by email to serre-admin(a)correct_university_name.edu where correct_university_name should be replaced by brown. Please include a brief statement of interests, a curriculum vita, a list of publications and contact details for 2-3 letters of reference (no letters required at this stage).

Aug. 5, 2014

Two Postdoctoral Positions in Computational Modeling of Primate Motor Control

by Ilya Rybak

=============== Two postdoctoral/research associate positions in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to three years are available in the externally funded project focusing on multiscale computational modeling of motor control mechanisms, involving interactions between basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex, and spinal cord in connection with realistic simulation of pathological changes in motor control during Huntington’s disease. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Ilya Rybak (Dept. of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Yaroslav Molkov (Dept. of Mathematical Science, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA). Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline and have excellent C++ programming skills. Previous experience in computational neuronal modeling is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu) or Dr. Molkov (ymolkov(a)iupui.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 FAX: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak(a)drexel.edu http://neurobio.drexelmed.edu/rybakweb/rybak.html http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/AboutOurFaculty/IlyaARybak.aspx https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilya_Rybak/publications/ http://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=SnA068QAAAAJ http://www.pubfacts.com/author/Ilya+A+Rybak Yaroslav Molkov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Department of Mathematical Sciences 402 N. Blackford St, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Office: LD 224U Phone: (317) 274-6934 Fax: (317) 274-3460 Email: ymolkov(a)iupui.edu

Aug. 4, 2014

Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology

by Aaron Seitz

The Department of Psychology,University of California, Riverside, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Cognitive Psychology, beginning July 1, 2015. We seek applicants whose research examines language learning, at any time scale, and/or bilingualism. The ideal candidate will contribute to our emerging emphasis in experience- dependent change. Applicants should demonstrate a record of research excellence using methodological approaches involving human behavior, neuroimaging, and/or computational modeling. Applicants should be committed to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education. The Ph.D. degree is required at time of hire. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Review of completed applications begins October 10, 2014 and continues until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send a cover letter describing research and teaching interests, their curriculum vitae, reprints and preprints, and arrange to have three letters of recommendation provided, all using the following link: https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00159. Questions about the position should be directed to Professor Christine Chiarello, Chair, Cognitive Area Search Committee, at christine.chiarello(a)ucr.edu. The Riverside campus of the University of California is growing rapidly and has an excellent psychology department with a strong record of success in research, teaching and extramural funding. For information on the Department of Psychology, see our web site at: http://www.psych.ucr.edu. The campus is centrally located in Southern California, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles and less than an hour's drive from the area's mountains, deserts and beaches. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. *Note Applicants who use Interfolio may utilize a feature provided by the Interfolio Service to allow Interfolio to upload their letters directly into AP Recruit without bothering the letter writer. Applicants can input an Interfolio-generated email address in place of their letter writer¹s email address. Interfolio refers to this as online application deliveries. The following link on the Interfolio website shows how to set this up: http://help.interfolio.com/entries/24062742-Uploading-Letters-to-an-Online- application-System ************************************************** Aaron Seitz, Ph.D. Professor Department of Psychology University of California, Riverside 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521 Ph: (951) 827-6422 Fax: (951) 827-3985 Email: aseitz(a)ucr.edu Web: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/ **************************************************

Aug. 4, 2014

Call for Papers: Tha ICIISCT2015 Conference in India

by Grace Allas

[My apology for receiving multiple copies] ----------------------------------------------------------------- http://sdiwc.net/conferences/iciisct2015/ *International Conference on Innovations in Intelligent Systems and Computing Technologies (ICIISCT2015)* September 18-20, 2015 Rajasthan Vidyapeeth (D) University, India Udaipur, Rajasthan, India All registered papers will be included in SDIWC Digital Library. ============================================================== The conference aims to enable researchers build connections between different digital applications. The event will be held over three days, with presentations delivered by researchers from the international community, including presentations from keynote speakers and state-of-the-art lectures. RESEARCH TOPICS ARE NOT LIMITED TO: - Information and Data Management - Social Networks - Data Compression - Information Content Security - E-Technology - Mobile, Ad Hoc and Sensor Network Management - E-Government - Web Services Architecture, Modelling and Design - E-Learning - Semantic Web, Ontologies - Wireless Communications - Web Services Security - Mobile Networking, Mobility and Nomadicity - Quality of Service, Scalability and Performance - Ubiquitous Computing, Services and Applications - Self-Organizing Networks and Networked Systems - Data Mining - Data Management in Mobile Peer-to-Peer Networks - Computational Intelligence - Data Stream Processing in Mobile/Sensor Networks - Biometrics Technologies - Indexing and Query Processing for Moving Objects - Forensics, Recognition Technologies and Applications - Cryptography and Data Protection - Information Ethics - User Interfaces and Usability Issues form Mobile Applications - Fuzzy and Neural Network Systems - Mobile Social Networks - Signal Processing, Pattern Recognition and Applications - Peer-to-Peer Social Networks -Image Processing - Sensor Networks and Social Sensing - Distributed and parallel applications - Social Search - Internet Modeling - Embedded Systems and Software - User Interfaces,Visualization and Modeling - Real-Time Systems - XML-Based Languages - Multimedia Computing - Network Security - Software Engineering - Remote Sensing Researchers are encouraged to submit their work electronically. All papers will be fully refereed by a minimum of two specialized referees. Before final acceptance, all referees comments must be considered. Paper Submission: http://sdiwc.net/conferences/iciisct2015/openconf/openconf.php IMPORTANT DATES: Submission Deadline : open from now until August 18, 2015 Notification of Acceptance : 2 - 4 weeks from the submission date Camera Ready Submission : September 05, 2015 Registration Date : September 05, 2015 Conference Dates : September 18-20, 2015 Contact email: : iciisct2015(a)sdiwc.net

Aug. 2, 2014

PhD position

by Lendasse, Amaury

One PhD student position available (Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant) Topic: Machine Learning for Big Data Where: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA (http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/mie) Starting date: January 15th 2015 Requirements: Applicants should have a keen interest in Machine Learning and hold a Master or equivalent degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or Mathematics. The candidate should have excellent programming skills (e.g. Matlab, Python, C/C++) and good analytic skills. Experience with Big Data in Machine Learning (e.g., Hadoop, MapReduce, GPU computing,...), Data Mining and Data Analysis (time series analysis, visualization,...) are a plus. Minimum TOEFL Score Requirements: a score of 600 or higher on the paper-based (PBT) version of the test, or a score of 100 or higher on the Internet-based version of the test (iBT). The selected candidate will then apply officially to the UIOWA: http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/mie/graduate-program/industrial-engineerin… Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Associate Prof. Lendasse (amaury-lendasse(a)uiowa.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email (subject: PhD Position MIE IOWA) along with a SINGLE PDF file including: (1) a cover letter describing previous experiences and interests (maximum 1 page) (2) Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages) (3) academic transcripts (4) the names and contact information of two or three references (maximum 1 page) (5) Skype Name Application Deadline: August 17th 2014 Amaury Lendasse, Associate Professor Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering 2403 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, USA email: amaury-lendasse(a)uiowa.edu WWW: http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/mie/faculty-staff/amaury-lendasse

Aug. 1, 2014

Kind Reminder:: CFP:: 3rd ICIEIS2014- Poland

by The Third International Conference on Informatics Engineering and Information Science (ICIEIS2014)

| Please accept our apology for multiple posting. THANK YOU | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ The Third International Conference on Informatics Engineering and Information Science (ICIEIS2014) Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland September 22-24, 2014 http://sdiwc.net/conferences/2014/icieis2014/ ============================================================================ The proposed conference will be held at Lodz University of Technology Lodz, Poland from September 22-24, 2014 which aims to enable researchers to build connections between different digital applications. The conference welcomes papers on the following (but not limited to) research topics: - Real-Time Systems - Software Engineering - Biometrics Technologies - Mobile Social Networks - Information Ethics - Information Content Security - Information and Data Management - Network Security - Social Networks - Wireless Communications - Information Propagation on Social Networks Researchers are encouraged to submit their work electronically. All papers will be fully refereed by a minimum of two specialized referees. Before final acceptance, all referees comments must be considered. Important Dates ============================================================================ Submission Date : Open from now until August 20, 2014 Notification of acceptance: 2-3 weeks from the submission date Camera Ready submission : Sept. 12, 2014 Registration : Sept. 12, 2014 Conference dates : Sept. 22-24, 2014

Aug. 1, 2014

Open Position: Software Developer in Neuroinformatics at LMU Munich

by Thomas Wachtler

At the German Neuroinformatics Node (G-Node, http://www.g-node.org) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, a full-time position is available to join the G-Node team in developing neuroinformatics solutions for data management in neurophysiology. Variety and complexity of data in this field bring the challenge of large-scale data access, consistent storage and efficient data analysis. G-Node is interacting closely with research labs to address these challenges with state of the art neuroinformatics methods. Current developments include a data sharing platform and tools for metadata management and data annotation. G-Node is part of the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience (http://nncn.de) is collaborating with the International Neuroinformatics Coordination Facility (INCF, http://incf.org) Secretariat and other INCF National Nodes, and is involved in teaching and training activities. The position involves working in a small team of developers within a lively neuroscience environment, with ample opportunities for bridging between neuroscience research and neuroinformatics. Tasks will include contributing to the development and enhancement of G-Node tools and services (http://www.g-node.org/tools-and-services) working closely with neuroscience laboratories that use, or plan to use, neuroinformatics solutions. Candidates should have excellent programming skills, preferably in Python and C++ or Java, knowledge about relational databases, the ability to work in a team, and a strong interest in the development of novel open-source solutions for neuroscience. Experience in further fields of relevance, such as web development (Javascript, HTML/CSS, web frameworks), semantic web technologies, scientific software and analysis, experimental or computational neuroscience, would be beneficial. The position is available immediately, salary level is according to TV-L, duration is one year with possibility of extension. Severely disabled applicants will be given preference in case of equal qualification. Applications by women are specifically encouraged. Applications should include CV, statement of experience and motivation, and names of referees. Informal inquiries prior to application are welcome. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications should be sent, preferably as pdf file by email, to Thomas Wachtler <wachtler(a)bio.lmu.de> -- Dr. Thomas Wachtler <wachtler(a)bio.lmu.de> Scientific Director German Neuroinformatics Node Department Biology II Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Grosshaderner Str. 2 82152 Planegg-Martinsried Germany

July 31, 2014

Postdoctoral Position in Computational Motor Control

by Jon Sensinger

A postdoctoral position in computational motor control is available to apply optimal control and computational motor control methods to improve the control, sensory feedback, and outcome measures used in prosthetics. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary team at the University of New Brunswick’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering that includes scientists, clinicians, and engineers focused on improving clinically viable prostheses and exoskeleton design and control. He or she will be expected to leverage research from the broader neuroscience research community to develop computational approaches for addressing real-world problems, and will have the opportunity to interact on a daily basis with patients. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Jon Sensinger (Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Canada) Levi Hargrove (Center for Bionic Medicine, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, USA), and Konrad Kording (Northwestern University, Chicago USA). A layman’s overview of the project is video-scribed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEzbuiJi0T0 Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline and have excellent Matlab programming skills. Previous experience in computational motor control or optimal control is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Sensinger (j.sensinger(a)unb.ca<mailto:j.sensinger@unb.ca>) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. Dr. Sensinger will be available to answer questions and discuss this job opportunity with potential candidates at the EMBC 2014 meeting in Chicago, USA (August 27-30). Jon Sensinger, PhD Associate Director, Institute of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering University of New Brunswick http://www.ece.unb.ca/jsensing Twitter: @jsensinger LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jon-sensinger/9a/1b2/a09

July 31, 2014

[meetings] ICANN 2014 - Final Program and Call for Participation

by Stefan Wermter

------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for Participation and Conference Program ICANN 2014: 24th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks 15 - 19 September 2014, University of Hamburg, Germany http://icann2014.org/ =================================================================== We invite you to attend the 2014 International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN), which is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2014 the University of Hamburg will organize the 24th ICANN Conference from 15th to 19th September 2014 in Hamburg, Germany. CONFERENCE PROGRAM: The main conference program is now available. The program includes 72 oral presentations, 33 posters and 2 live Demonstrations. http://icann2014.org/program/ REGISTRATION: The ICANN 2014 registration is open. The full registration costs 490 € and 390 € for students. ENNS members pay a reduced rate of 440 €, and 340 € for students. The registration includes access to scientific sessions and plenary talks, coffee breaks during the main conference, welcome event, conference dinner, one copy of the proceedings (USB), one conference bag. Additional tickets for the conference dinner can be purchased for 70 €. http://icann2014.org/registration/ VENUE AND TRANSPORTATION: Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany, home to over 1.8 million people. Situated at the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe. The University of Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in the north of Germany. The venue of the conference is the ESA building of the University of Hamburg, situated at Edmund-Siemers-Allee near the city centre and easily reachable from Dammtor Railway Station. Hamburg Airport can be reached easily via public transport. ACCOMMODATION: For the accomodation we arranged guaranteed rates for a couple of hotels in Hamburg for ICANN 2014. http://icann2014.org/accommodation/ CHAIRS and ORGANISATION: General Chair: Stefan Wermter (Hamburg, Germany) Program co-Chairs Alessandro E.P. Villa (Lausanne, Switzerland, ENNS President) Wlodzislaw Duch (Torun, Poland, ENNS Past-President) Timo Honkela (Helsinki, Finland) Petia Koprinkova-Hristova (Sofia, Bulgaria) Günther Palm (Ulm, Germany) Cornelius Weber (Hamburg, Germany) Local Organizing Committee Chairs: Sven Magg, Johannes Bauer, Jorge Chacon, Stefan Heinrich, Doreen Jirak, Katja Koesters, Erik Strahl KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Christopher M. Bishop (Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK) Jun Tani (KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea) Paul Verschure (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) Yann LeCun (New York University, NY, USA) Barbara Hammer (Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany) Kevin Gurney (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK) CONFERENCE TOPICS: ICANN 2014 will feature the main tracks Brain Inspired Computing and Machine Learning research, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organization, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://www.icann2014.org *********************************************** Professor Dr. Stefan Wermter Chair of Knowledge Technology Department of Computer Science University of Hamburg Vogt Koelln Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~wermter/ http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/WTM/ ***********************************************

July 31, 2014

FINAL CALL for Goettingen's 12th annual comp-neuro summer course. DEADLINE: Aug. 6th.

by Maximilian Puelma Touzel

Final call for applicants to apply to the 12th summer course on COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE in Göttingen, Germany September 08th - 12th, 2014 Organized by Agostina Palmigiano, Joscha Liedtke and Maximilian Puelma-Touzel Sponsored by -the Bernstein Centre for Computation Neuroscience, Göttingen -the International Max Planck Research School for the Physics of Biological and Complex Systems -the Goettingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences ______________________________ The course is intended to provide graduate students and young researchers from within and outside of neuroscience with working knowledge of theory and analysis methods used in the field and to acquaint them with recent developments therein. The focus of this year's course is modelling and theory of neuronal ensembles. The course includes tutorials and lectures from the following researchers: * Carl Van Vreesijk, Universite Rene Descartes, Paris, France * Claudia Clopath, Imperial College London, London, England * Srdjan Ostojic, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France * Gasper Tkacik, Institute of Science and Technology, Vienna, Austria * Alfonso Renart, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal The course takes place at the Department of Nonlinear Dynamics of the Max-Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen. A course fee of 100 Euro includes participation in the tutorials, study materials, and part of the social events. The number of participants is limited to 30. Course language is English. To apply please fill out the application form at: http://www.bccn-goettingen.de/events/cns-course by *August 6, 2014* Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you in Göttingen, Max Puelma Touzel (on behalf of the organizers) Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Fassberg 17, 37077 Goettingen, Germany +49 551 5176 444 Office +49 (0)176 6 876 2821 Mobile mptouzel(a)nld.ds.mpg.de www.nld.ds.mpg.de

July 29, 2014

Postdoc in computational neuroscience

by Joaquín Navajas

Post doc in computational neuroscience (Centre for Systems Neuroscience - University of Leicester, UK) Spike sorting is the classification of single neurons from extra cellular recordings based on their spike shapes. The main focus of your research will be the study and implementation of optimal spike detection and sorting techniques. For this you will study different techniques to improve the spike detection and sorting results and will then implement these advances in a graphic user interphase and in batch codes to run in matlab. Link for more details: http://www.le.ac.uk/jobs/external/SEN00493_Job_Summary.pdf <https://email.le.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=6xLmoEDA8kadrrcI2z0-IpKjtXikftEISUM…> Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Sue Atkinson, Research Centre Manager, sam45(a)le.ac.uk <https://email.le.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=RXnrNoZO4k-7v7qrCHbb4FuwAk44fdEIFNi…> or 0116 252 3249

July 29, 2014

CNS workshop

by Jonathan Rubin

Dear Comp-Neuro members who are attending the CNS*2014 meeting, We are happy to invite you attend the workshop “Dynamics of Disease States” that will take place on Wednesday, July 30th at the CNS*2014 meeting in Quebec. The workshop will be held in room 2104A and the full program is available at: http://wwwhome.math.utwente.nl/~gilssa/cns2014/?page=program best regards, Stephan van Gils and Jon Rubin

July 28, 2014

Columbia+Janelia postdoc positions: zebrafish computational neuroscience and machine learning

by Liam Paninski

Colleagues, Will you please circulate this postdoc ad amongst your students or anyone else who might be interested: http://grossmancenter.columbia.edu/zebrafish.html? Thank you. Liam Paninski ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Postdoctoral position in large-scale computational neuroscience A full-time postdoctoral position is available immediately, jointly between Columbia University's Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind and HHMI's Janelia Research Campus. The aim is to understand whole-brain activity at the cellular level using large-scale computational methods. The position is co-supervised by Liam Paninski, John Cunningham and Larry Abbott (at Columbia) and Jeremy Freeman and Misha Ahrens (at Janelia Research Campus) and is centered around understanding the dynamics of all neurons in the brain of behaving larval zebrafish. We use light-sheet imaging to record simultaneously from most of the ~10^5 neurons during behavior, and use large-scale cluster computing and machine learning, statistics, and modeling to gain insight into how brain-wide network dynamics underlies behavior. The position will be based at Columbia University and HHMI Janelia Research Campus, and we will encourage applicants to spend time at both campuses. Requirements: Qualifications include primarily a strong research portfolio in computational neuroscience, statistical neuroscience, machine learning, or a related field. Backgrounds in analyzing large neural datasets, modeling complex neural systems, and in cutting-edge machine learning will be particularly valuable. These positions are highly quantitative and highly interdisciplinary; applicants should have a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Machine Learning, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or Computational Neuroscience. Appointment: The initial appointments will be for one year, and are renewable. Salaries will be set based on experience and skills. Applicants should send an email to zebrafish.computation(a)gmail.com providing: 1. a one-page description of past research experience 2. a one-page description of future research interests and goals 3. a resume of educational and research experience, including publications 4. names of three people who could provide letters of reference All materials should be in pdf or plain text. Applications will be reviewed as they arrive until the positions are filled; interested candidates are encouraged to express their interest early. Due to demand, we may not be able to reply to all applications.

July 28, 2014

ONLY FOR STUDENTS - 2 weeks mini computational neuroscience freelance project for students from home

by Robert Schindle

Hello All, We are currently working on a project in the field of computational neuroscience which requires some help with analyzing data and documenting the research within the next 2 weeks. We are looking for someone with good c++ and Python skills. You will be compensated accordingly. If you are interested please contact us immediately so that we can discuss other details and start the work immediately. Thanks a lot, Robert Schindle.

July 28, 2014

Postdoctoral Position- Arizona

by Jean-Marc

The Computational and Experimental Neuroscience Laboratory is looking to fill a position for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. The research project is geared towards understanding the role of awake hippocampal replay in spatial navigation. The techniques used include high density electrophysiology in the behaving rat. The project is multidisciplinary and involves collaboration with a robotics team (University of Florida, Tampa) and a computational neuroscience team (INSERM, Lyon, France). Good communication skills are necessary. This position is appropriate for a computational neuroscientist with some experimental background interested in branching out to experimental neuroscience. Applicants with a subset of the following skill set are strongly encouraged to apply: - Scientific expertise or interests in hippocampus and/or prefrontal-cortex - Electrophysiology (in vivo chronic behaving or in vitro) - Behavioral Neuroscience (rat training/testing) - General laboratory skills (e.g. histology, surgery) - Matlab programming and spike-data analyses Applicant should send a cover letter, CV and the names of at least 2 references to Dr. Jean-Marc Fellous (fellous(a)email.arizona.edu) The search is ongoing and is projected to be completed by October 30th, 2014. Information about the laboratory can be found at: http://amygdala.psychdept.arizona.edu/lab.html The CENL and the University of Arizona are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment and women and minorities are encouraged to apply. The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.

July 26, 2014

Postdoctoral positions: Memory, motor, & learning dynamics

by Mark Goldman

Two theoretical postdoctoral positions and 1-2 collaborative experiment-theory positions are available in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Goldman at the University of California at Davis.The lab works on a broad range of problems in computational neuroscience ranging from neural coding to dynamics and plasticity of single neurons and networks. Immediate funding is available for a range of projects related to working memory, neural integration, motor learning, and synaptic plasticity as described below.The postdoctoral candidate also would have flexibility to work on a range of issues of his or her choosing.Candidates are expected to have strong training in an analytically rigorous discipline such as theoretical neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering.The postdoctoral candidate will have ample opportunity to interact within the vibrant computational and systems neuroscience communities at UC Davis and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and contact information for three references to: Mark Goldman, msgoldman(a)ucdavis.edu. Specific positions with funding include: 1) *Theoretical positions:Dynamics of memory and motor-related neural activity* /Challenging the attractor picture of working memory/.In the traditional attractor picture of working memory, memory storage results from positive feedback processes that lead to the formation of self-sustained attractors.In one project, we are exploring how functionally feedforward, rather than feedback, network architectures can generate flexible codes for storing memories and producing a broad range of input-output transformations.In a second project, we are utilizing methods from engineering control theory to show how balanced cortical networks can utilize negative feedback to stabilize persistent patterns of neural activity. /Multi-scale modeling of neural integration./The oculomotor neural integrator, which transforms eye-velocity encoding motor commands into eye-position encoding commands, is a model system for understanding the mathematical integration of inputs and the maintenance of memory-storing activity.We seek to determine the respective roles of cellular and circuit mechanisms of memory storage in this system.Multi-scale models, from ion channels to behavior, will be generated based upon electrophysiological and optical imaging recordings and optogenetic manipulations performed in our experimental collaborators' laboratories. /Context-dependent memory storage./Recent experiments suggest that the oculomotor neural integrator functions in a context-dependent manner, producing spatially distinct activity patterns depending upon whether eye movements are being made in the context of rapid changes in gaze (saccades) versus smooth tracking of moving objects.We seek to determine the circuit mechanisms underlying this context-dependent activity and to propose general frameworks, applicable to both oculomotor and cortical memory systems, for how multiple context-dependent inputs can be separately stored in a single network. /Role of the granule cell layer in cerebellar motor learning./The eye movement system provides a highly tractable setting for studying motor learning because it is well-characterized experimentally and has fewer degrees of freedom than more complicated movement systems.In collaboration with whole-circuit optical imaging and optogenetic perturbation experiments in the Aksay laboratory at Cornell Medical University and genetic manipulations, electrophysiological recording, and optogenetic perturbations in Jennifer Raymond's laboratory at Stanford University, we are modeling the neural dynamics and coding of cerebellar granule neurons and their relation to Purkinje cell firing and the plasticity of eye movement behaviors. 2) *Experimental positions:* *Development, dynamics, and plasticity of neural networks: *In collaboration with Kim McAllister (kmcallister(a)ucdavis.edu <mailto:kmcallister@ucdavis.edu>), we are seeking to understand the learning rules underlying development and learning in neural networks. We will use cutting-edge technology in patterned substrates, optogenetics, and uncaging in a novel long-term imaging assay for synapse dynamics that allows recording and single synapse or single cell manipulation of neuronal and network activity. These cultured networks will be used to directly test central tenets of Hebbian, spike-timing dependent, and homeostatic learning over development. The applicant will perform these imaging experiments as well as apply theoretical models to better understand and predict our results. *Dynamics of memory and motor-related neural activity:*There are also possibilities for joint experimental-theoretical work with Emre Aksay's laboratory at Weill Medical College of Cornell University (in New York City) on either oculomotor memory storage or cerebellar motor learning, using /in vivo/ two-photon optical recording and stimulation to dissect circuit function and plasticity.Interested candidates should contact Dr. Aksay at ema2004(a)med.cornell.edu <mailto:ema2004@med.cornell.edu>.

July 25, 2014

PhD Position in Brain-Inspired Computing (Theory)

by Mihai A. Petrovici

The Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (Germany) has an immediate opening for a * PhD Position in Brain-Inspired Computing (Theory)* The position is located in the Electronic Vision(s) Lab of Prof. Karlheinz Meier. The group develops large-scale hardware for brain-inspired computing and investigates novel theoretical paradigms of neural computation. The Heidelberg group works on the development of brain-inspired electronic circuits, so-called neuromorphic systems. These systems implement physical models of neurons and synapses in-silico, with fully configurable parameters and connectivity. Throughout a series of international projects, the hardware systems have evolved from single chips to wafer-scale devices with hundreds of thousands of neurons (Schemmel et al., 2010) and are planned to be further scaled up in the framework of the EU Human Brain project (HBP). The configurability of these systems fosters their use as general-purpose emulation devices for neuroscientific research (Pfeil et al., 2013). Their intrinsic parallelism, low power consumption and high acceleration sets them apart from conventional computing architectures. The heterogeneity of neuromorphic substrates requires novel theoretical approaches (Petrovici et al., 2014). The Heidelberg group is also involved in theoretical research and modeling of spike-based computational principles. In particular, the use of stochasticity for Bayesian inference is a major focus. These models provide useful architectures for machine learning, while at the same time advancing the study of possible computational paradigms in the mammalian neocortex (Petrovici et al., 2013). The successful candidate will join the theory and modeling section of the group in developing new stochastic models that exploit the heterogeneity of the hardware substrate, thereby benefitting from its significant speed advantage over conventional simulators. ------------------------------------------ Candidates are expected to hold a Masters degree or equivalent in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science or a related discipline. Knowledge in neuroscience is not required but would be an advantage. The candidates should have a deep interest in theoretical and computational neuroscience, as well as excellent mathematical abilities. An important part of their work will consist in acquiring new skills from various fields of neuroscience, as required by the interdisciplinary nature of the research topic. The successful candidates will use complex simulation software and are therefore required to have very good programming skills. ------------------------------------------ Applications should addressed to Prof. Karlheinz Meier (meierk(a)kip.uni-heidelberg.de) and Mihai Petrovici (mpedro(a)kip.uni-heidelberg.de) including the following information in a single pdf-file : - Statement of research - CV - Two names (with email addresses) of suggested referees - Copies of university degrees and additional certificates - URLs of master /diploma) thesis and related publications

July 25, 2014

CNS*14 Tutorial on Neuronal Model Parameter Search Techniques

by Cengiz Günay

Dear colleagues, You are invited to attend our shortly upcoming full-day tutorial session at CNS*2014 in Quebec City. *Where:* Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) Conference, Quebec City Conference Center, Room 2105 *When:* Saturday July 26, 2014 between 9am - 4:30pm *T9: Neuronal Model Parameter Search Techniques* Parameter tuning of model neurons to mimic biologically realistic activity is a non‐trivial task. Multiple models may exhibit similar dynamics that match experimental data – i.e., there is no single “correct” model. To address this issue, the ensemble modeling technique proposes to represent properties of living neurons with a set of neuronal models. Several approaches to ensemble modeling have been proposed over the years, but the two most prevalent parameter tuning methods are systematic “brute‐force” searches [1, 2] and various evolutionary algorithms‐based techniques [3, 4, 5, 6]. Both approaches relay on traversing a very large parameter space (with thousands to millions of model instances), but utilize diametrically different ways to accomplish that. In both cases, however, entire collections of biologically realistic models are generated, whose neural activity characteristics can then be cataloged and studied using a database [1, 2]. The tutorial covers “tips and tricks,” as well as various pitfalls in all stages of model construction, large‐scale simulations on high performance computing clusters [S2], database construction and analysis of neural data, along with a discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the two parameter search techniques. We will review software implementations for each technique: PANDORA Matlab Toolbox [7][S1] for the brute force method and NeRvolver (i.e., evolver of nerve cells) for evolutionary algorithms. PANDORA was used in recent projects for tuning models of rat globus pallidus neurons [2][M1], lobster pyloric network calcium sensors [8][M2], leech heart interneurons [9][M3,S3] and hippocampal O‐LM interneurons (Skinner Lab, TWRI/UHN and Univ. Toronto). NeRvolver is a prototype of a computational intelligence‐based system for automated construction, tuning, and analysis of neuronal models, which is currently under development in the Computational Intelligence and Bio (logical) informatics Laboratory at Delaware State University [10]. Through the utilization of computational intelligence methods (i.e., Multi‐Objective Evolutionary Algorithms and Fuzzy Logic), the NeRvolver system generates classification rules describing biological phenomena discovered during the process of model creation or tuning. Thus in addition to producing neuronal models, NeRvolver provides–via such rules–insights into the functioning of the biological neurons being modeled. In the tutorial, we will present basic functionalities of the system and demonstrate how to analyze the results returned by the software. We will allocate enough time for Q&A and if participants bring a laptop pre‐loaded with Matlab, they can follow some of our examples. *Lecturers/Organizers:* Cengiz Günay, Anca Doloc-Mihu (Emory University, USA) Vladislav Sekulić (University of Toronto, Canada), Tomasz G. Smolinski (Delaware State University, USA) *References * [1] Astrid A. Prinz, Cyrus P. Billimoria, and Eve Marder. Alternative to hand‐tuning conductance‐based models: Construction and analysis of databases of model neurons. J Neurophysiol, 90:3998–4015, 2003. [2] Cengiz Günay, Jeremy R. Edgerton, and Dieter Jaeger. Channel density distributions explain spiking variability in the globus pallidus: A combined physiology and computer simulation database approach. J. Neurosci., 28(30):7476–91, July 2008. [3] Pablo Achard and Erik De Schutter. Complex parameter landscape for a complex neuron model. PLoS Comput Biol, 2(7):794–804, Jul 2006. [4] Tomasz G. Smolinski and Astrid A. Prinz. Computational intelligence in modeling of biological neurons: A case study of an invertebrate pacemaker neuron. In Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, pages 2964–2970, Atlanta, GA, 2009. [5] Tomasz G. Smolinski and Astrid A. Prinz. Multi‐objective evolutionary algorithms for model neuron parameter value selection matching biological behavior under different simulation scenarios. BMC Neuroscience, 10(Suppl 1):P260, 2009. [6] Damon G. Lamb and Ronald L. Calabrese. Correlated conductance parameters in leech heart motor neurons contribute to motor pattern formation. PLoS One, 8(11):e79267, 2013. [7] Cengiz Günay, Jeremy R. Edgerton, Su Li, Thomas Sangrey, Astrid A. Prinz, and Dieter Jaeger. Database analysis of simulated and recorded electrophysiological datasets with PANDORA’s Toolbox. Neuroinformatics, 7(2):93–111, 2009. [8] Cengiz Günay and Astrid A. Prinz. Model calcium sensors for network homeostasis: Sensor and readout parameter analysis from a database of model neuronal networks. J Neurosci, 30:1686–1698, Feb 2010. NIHMS176368,PMC2851246. [9] Anca Doloc‐Mihu and Ronald L. Calabrese. A database of computational models of a half‐center oscillator for analyzing how neuronal parameters influence network activity. J Biol Phys, 37(3):263–283, Jun 2011. [10] Emlyne Forren, Myles Johnson‐Gray, Parth Patel, and Tomasz G. Smolinski. Nervolver: a computational intelligence‐based system for automated construction, tuning, and analysis of neuronal models. BMC Neuroscience, 13(Suppl 1):P36, 2012. -Cengiz -- Cengiz Gunay Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Biology Visiting Faculty, Dept. of Math & CS Emory University cgunay(a)emory.edu http://www.biology.emory.edu/research/Prinz/Cengiz/

July 24, 2014

Announcement: GENESIS 2.4 beta tutorial at CNS

by Hugo Cornelis

This is a public announcement of the GENESIS-2.4 tutorial at the Computational Neuroscience meeting (CNS) in Quebec City and the official public beta release of GENESIS 2.4. This new release includes support for spike-timing dependent plasticity in large networks of multicompartmental cells, bug fixes, comes with new python utilities and tutorial materials. The "Ultimate GENESIS Tutorial Distribution", included in this release, contains updated course materials for the tutorial Constructing biologically realistic neuron and network models with GENESIS. The tutorial brings together material that is available as separate downloads from the GENESIS web site and through the GENESIS Users Group. It includes several simulator-independent tutorials on biologically realistic neural modeling, as well as both tutorial and research simulations that have been implemented with GENESIS. The latest version of this GENESIS tutorial distribution will be available at http://genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/UGTD.html. The GENESIS tutorial at the CNS meeting is introductory and aimed at people who are new to or have only elementary knowledge about the GENESIS-2 simulator, as well as those who have used GENESIS in the past and would like to learn of new developments in cortical network modeling with GENESIS. * introduction and overview ** Why are we doing this? ** resources ** installation and configuration overview * single neuron modeling and visualization * debugging model and script * fast simulations with hsolve * network modeling * spike-timing dependent plasticity During the last hour of the tutorial, I will show in detail how to technically debug models, scripts and source code, at various levels of implementation. The latest news can always be found at http://genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/ -- Hugo -- Hugo Cornelis Ph.D. GENESIS-3 -- lead architect http://www.genesis-sim.org/ Neurospaces Project Architect http://www.neurospaces.org/

July 23, 2014

Brian tutorial at CNS meeting in Québec City

by Marcel Stimberg

**Brian tutorial at CNS meeting in Québec City** Everyone interested in simulating spiking neural networks is invited to join us for a tutorial on the "Brian simulator": 9am-4.30pm, Saturday, 26th July 2014 in Québec City The tutorial is part of the OCNS meeting's tutorials (http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2014-tutorials) and takes place in room 2101 of the Québec City Conference Center. It will demonstrate the use of Brian 2, a major update of the Brian simulator which further improves its flexibility and adds exciting new code generation abilities. We will provide an introduction to Brian in the morning (no prior knowledge of Brian necessary) and discuss more advanced topics (including the new code generation features) in the afternoon. We recommend participants to install the current version of Brian 2 beforehand; installation instructions, the schedule and additional material can be found here: http://briansimulator.org/brian-tutorial-at-cns-2014/ Best regards, Marcel Stimberg

July 23, 2014

Faculty Position in Computational Neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine

by Jeff Krichmar

Dear Computational Neuroscientists, The following job position may be of interest to many of you. ************************** University of California, Irvine Faculty Position in Computational Neuroscience The Department of Cognitive Sciences (www.cogsci.uci.edu) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for a faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level. We are especially interested in candidates who use mathematical, computational, or robotics approaches to study the neural basis of cognition in any of these areas: (1) vision, hearing, and attention; (2) memory and decision-making; (3) learning and development; (4) language. Applicants whose research relates to human behavior are preferred. A strong record of publications and extramural funding is essential. Exceptional candidates at the Assistant Professor level will also be considered. The online application includes: A cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements, 3 recent publications, and contact information for 3-5 referees. Interested candidates can apply for the position at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF02452. To ensure full consideration, please complete the application by November 15, 2014. The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to excellence through diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. ************************** Best regards, Jeff Krichmar Department of Cognitive Sciences 2328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100 jkrichma(a)uci.edu http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma

July 22, 2014

GENESIS 2.4 beta release and modeling tutorials

by Dave Beeman

There is now a stable public beta release of GENESIS 2.4 available on the web site for the GENESIS neural simulator. Although there have been development releases of GENESIS 3, this is the first new release of GENESIS 2 since the March 2006 release of GENESIS 2.3. This new release was made necessary by the many improvements and user contributions over the past few years, and the incorporation of new objects for efficiently modeling synaptic plasticity in large networks of realistic multicompartmental cells. The final release will be in November 2014. There is also a new July 2014 version of the "Ultimate GENESIS Tutorial Distribution", a complete self-paced GENESIS modeling course, combined with GENESIS binary and source distributions and installation instructions. It provides an easy way to get everything by downloading a single package. This was prepared as course materials for the tutorial "Constructing biologically realistic neuron and network models with GENESIS" to be given on July 26th at CNS 2014. These may be downloaded from the GENESIS 2 home page at http://genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/ Those who wish to follow or contribute to the development of the final release can get the latest versions at the github repository: https://github.com/dbeeman/genesis-2.4beta-files Dave Beeman ------------------------------------------------------------ Prof. David Beeman, GENESIS Users Group Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 email: genesis(a)genesis-sim.org - dbeeman(a)colorado.edu GENESIS 2 WWW site: http://genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/ ------------------------------------------------------------

July 22, 2014

CNS-2014 - Workshop on Cortical Oscillations: Computational Models and Dynamic Mechanisms

by Horacio G. Rotstein

Dear colleague, We would like to bring to your attention the forthcoming Workshop on "Cortical Oscillations: Computational Models and Dynamics Mechanisms" as part of the Computational Neuroscience Meeting, Juy 26 - 31, Quebec City, Canada. The detailed program including the list of speaker and talk titles can be found in the following link: http://web.njit.edu/~horacio/CNS-2014/CNS-2014_WorkshopCorticalOscillations… Sincerely, Mark Kramer and Horacio Rotstein -- Horacio, NY/NJ area. "Az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeide" (Yiddish expression) Horacio G. Rotstein Associate Professor Department of Mathematical Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ, 07102, USA. Graduate Faculty Behavioral Neuroscience Program Rutgers University (NWK) and Federated Department of Biological Sciences Rutgers / NJIT tel: (1-973) 596-5306 e-mail: horacio(a)njit.edu horacior(a)andromeda.rutgers.edu <horacio(a)njit.edu> http://web.njit.edu/~horacio

July 22, 2014

Videos online: Workshop on Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD) and Related Neurological Phenomena

by Markus A Dahlem

*18 VIDEOS online available: * *Workshop on Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD) and Related Neurological Phenomena* http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/video-archive/event/294/2014 Organizers: K. C. Brennan (Neurology,U Utah), Markus A. Dahlem (Physics, Humboldt U, Berlin), Huaxiong Huang (Math. & Statistics, York U), Robert M. Miura (Math. Sci. and Biomedical Eng, NJIT) This workshop brought together a group of researchers from the areas of mathematical modeling and clinicians and experimentalists in neuroscience to address some of the fundamental issues related to neurovascular coupling and cortical spreading depression (CSD) and related neurological phenomenon. 1. Bernice Grafstein: Spreading depression as a holistic process: A historical perspective 2. Cenk Ayata: Spreading depression and the biological heterogeneity of cerebral blood flow response: clues for modeling 3. Huaxiong Huang: Modeling cortical spreading depression and related phenomena 4. Steven Schiff: Unification in the Observation and Control of Spikes, Seizures, and Spreading Depression 5. Jessica Seidel: Cerebral Venous Potassium Efflux During Spreading Depression 6. David Terman: Blocking spreading depolarizations in a neuron/astrocyte network model 7. Jed Hartings: Spreading depolarizations in acute brain injury: mathematical dynamic instability of cerebral cortex? 8. Béla Joós: The Nav coupled left shift model of axon damage: how minor damage can cause major grief 9. Ghanim Ullah: Towards a model-based control of neuronal systems 10. Jorge Manuel Mendez: In vivo cellular dynamics in cortical spreading depression 11. Ernest Barreto: Ion Concentration Dynamics and its Effects on Neuronal Excitability and Bursting 12. Bas-Jan Zandt: Dynamics of single neurons and populations during spreading depolarization 13. Niklas Hübel: Dynamics from seconds to hours in HodgkinHuxley model with time- dependent ion concentrations and buffer reservoirs 14. Markus A. Dahlem: Ghost behavior: Transient localized patterns of CSD in the gyrified human cortex 15. K.C. Brennan: Minimum conditions for the induction of CSD 16. Edward Dudek: Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: electrographic seizures vs background supression 17. David Andrew: Spreading depolarization strength during ischemia determines higher brain susceptibility and lower brain resistance to acute injury 18. Yoichiro Mori: Modeling ionic electrodiffusion and osmosis in spreading depression If you are interested in updates and upcoming events on this topic, please sent an email to dahlem(a)physik.hu-berlin.de -- Dr. Markus A. Dahlem Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin AG NLD Cardiovascular Physics Robert-Koch-Platz 4 10115 Berlin Germany phone: +49 (0)30 2093 99185 email: dahlem(a)physik.hu-berlin.de skype: markus.dahlem web: https://sites.google.com/site/markusadahlem

July 22, 2014

OCNS Workshop on Modeling of Neuron-Glia Interactions, Quebec City, July 30-31.

by Maurizio De Pittà

Dear Sirs, I would kindly ask you to please forward the following message to the comp-neuro mailing list, and further encouraging you to share it with your colleagues. Thanks in advance for your consideration of the matter. Sincerely, Maurizio De Pitta' -------------------------------------------------------------- Dear colleague, we would like to bring at your attention the forthcoming OCNS workshop on "Computational Methods and Modeling of Astrocyte Physiology and Neuron-Glia Interactions". The workshop will take place in Quebec City (Canada) on July 30th-31st, following the main OCNS meeting. The workshop brings together a representative pool of theoreticians involved in modeling of several aspects of astrocyte physiology and neuron-glia interactions, aiming at providing a rare and original occasion to familiarize with the current state of research on the challenging topic of the functional role of neuron-glia interactions. Topics covered by this workshop include: 1. -- Calcium signaling in astrocytes (from subcellular/compartmentalized to network levels); 2. -- Neuron-glia interactions, regulation of synaptic transmission, plasticity and neuronal responses by astrocytes; 3. -- Astrocyte role in homeostasis and neurotrasmitter clearance; 4. -- Information processing by astrocytes. For the detailed program and the list of speakers, you are kindly invited to visit the workshop homepage: https://team.inria.fr/beagle/ocns-2014-workshop/ We encourage you to share this mail with your colleagues and whoever could be interested to attend our workshop. Thanks for your attention. Kind regards, Maurizio De Pitta' Hugues Berry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maurizio De Pitta' - https://sites.google.com/site/mauriziodepitta Hugues Berry - http://www.inrialpes.fr/Berry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project-Team BEAGLE INRIA Rhone-Alpes Université de Lyon LIRIS UMR5205 Antenne INRIA de La Doua Batiment CEI-1 66 Blvd Niels Bohr CS 52132 69603 Villeurbanne cedex France

July 22, 2014

Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience - recent articles

by Stephen Coombes

Dear all, The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience publishes research articles on the mathematical modeling and analysis of all areas of neuroscience. The current list of journal articles is available at http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ : Frequency Preference Response to Oscillatory Inputs in Two-dimensional Neural Models: A Geometric Approach to Subthreshold Amplitude and Phase Resonance Rotstein HG http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/4/1/11 Network Symmetry and Binocular Rivalry Experiments Diekman CO and Golubitsky M http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/4/1/12 Effects of Synaptic Plasticity on Phase and Period Locking in a Network of Two Oscillatory Neurons Akcay Z, Bose A and Nadim F http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/4/1/8 Approximate, not Perfect Synchrony Maximizes the Downstream Effectiveness of Excitatory Neuronal Ensembles Börgers C, Li J and Kopell N http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/4/1/10 Identification of Criticality in Neuronal Avalanches: II. A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of the Driven Case Hartley C, Taylor TJ, Kiss IZ, Farmer SF and Berthouze L http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/content/4/1/9 All articles are Open Access. Best regards, Steve ------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Coombes Professor of Applied Mathematics School of Mathematical Sciences Nottingham, UK Tel: 0115 846 7836 http://www.maths.nott.ac.uk/~sc/ ------------------------------------------------------- This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.

July 18, 2014

Post-doc openings for theoretical neuroscience at UCSF and UCB

by Friedrich Sommer

Post-doctoral fellow in computational/theoretical neuroscience The Chang Lab at UCSF and the Sommer Lab at UCB are jointly seeking two (2) post-doctoral fellows in computational/theoretical neuroscience. Our groups are developing and applying novel computational methods to understand population neural data. The positions have the specific focus on understanding the dynamics of neural population data collected directly from the cortical surface of humans during the perception and production of speech at multiple temporal resolutions. These positions are fully funded as part a collaborative effort between University of California San Francisco, University of California Berkeley, and Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory. This Bay Area collaboration combines UCSF's strong clinical and experimental neuroscience experience with in vivo cortical electrophysiology, UCB's expertise in theoretical neuroscience, statistical learning and data analysis, and LBNL's supercomputing and applied mathematics together with electronics and microfabrication. Successful applicants will have access to the full range of facilities and expertise uniquely allowed by this collaboration. Applicants should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in a quantitative field such as computer science, electrical engineering, physics, or applied mathematics/statistics with a strong publication record. Expertise in theoretical/computational neuroscience or the analysis/modeling of complex dynamical systems is recommended; experience in analyzing the dynamics of population neural recordings is preferred. Applicants must be able to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment and exhibit good communication skills. Experience with scientific programing languages (e.g. C/C++, python, Matlab) is required. Expertise in speech/language and/or high-performance computing is not required, but is beneficial. To apply, please submit a CV and three letters of reference to: changed(a)neurosurgery.ucsf.edu fsommer(a)berkeley.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friedrich T. Sommer, Ph.D, Adjunct Professor Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute UC Berkeley 575A Evans Hall, MC #3198 Berkeley, CA 94720-3198 http://redwood.berkeley.edu/wiki/Fritz_Sommer -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 18, 2014

Neurocomputing special issue CFP

by Zhijun Yang

Dear Colleagues, May we draw your attention to a Neurocomputing special issue CFP: Advances on Biological Rhythmic Pattern Generation: Experiments, Algorithms and Application. The full announcement can be found as an internet link below. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/neurocomputing/call-for-papers/special-iss… Instructions for submission: • The submission website for Neurocomputing is located at: http://ees.elsevier.com/neucom/default.asp • To ensure that all relevant manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion into this special issue, it is important that authors select SI: Creating Biology Rhythm when reaching the “Article Type” step in the submission process. We look forward to receiving your contributions to what promises to be an exciting special issue. Best regards, Zhijun Yang -- Zhijun Yang, BEng, MSc, PhD, Lecturer in Design Engineering Department of Design Engineering and Mathematics School of Science and Technology Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK Voice: +44 (0)7882681333 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that Middlesex University's preferred way of receiving all correspondence is via email in line with our Environmental Policy. All incoming post to Middlesex University is opened and scanned by our digital document handler, CDS, and then emailed to the recipient. If you do not want your correspondence to Middlesex University processed in this way please email the recipient directly. Parcels, couriered items and recorded delivery items will not be opened or scanned by CDS. There are items which are "exceptions" which will be opened by CDS but will not be scanned a full list of these can be obtained by contacting the University.

July 17, 2014

Postdoc position in neural inspired computation

by Aimone, James Bradley

A postdoctoral research position is available for research on neural algorithm development for a neural-inspired computing hardware project within the cognitive modeling group at Sandia National Laboratories. The successful applicant will join a broad interdisciplinary team that includes computational neuroscientists, computer scientists, and electrical engineers focused on developing methods for hardware acceleration of neural algorithms. He or she will be expected to leverage research from the broader neuroscience research community to develop computational approaches for addressing real-world problems. Previous experience both in neuroscience research and in data analytics / machine learning domains is ideal. For more information, please contact Dr. Brad Aimone (technical contact, jbaimon(a)sandia.gov<mailto:jbaimon@sandia.gov> ) or Dr. John Wagner (department manager, jswagne(a)sandia.gov<mailto:jswagne@sandia.gov>). For the full posting, necessary qualifications and application information, go to careers.sandia.gov and search for posting ID 646640 -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Senior Member of Technical Staff Cognitive Modeling Department Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728

July 17, 2014

Research Specialist position at Princeton University

by Francisco Pereira

A Research Specialist position is available in Matthew Botvinick's lab in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, in collaboration with Francisco Pereira at Siemens Corporate Technology. This is a position within a team participating in the IARPA Knowledge Representation in Neural Systems program. The goal of the program is to develop models of how the brain represents conceptual knowledge, and how that knowledge is used when carrying out tasks like reading a sentence. These models will be tested using brain imaging data. The main role in this position is as a programmer writing the code needed to build such models, while also being involved in experiment design and data analysis. Examples of tasks you might be asked to do: - prepare text corpora for use in developing models - implement evaluation tasks that the models developed will be benchmarked with - collect material from online resources and behavioral experiments - prepare stimuli for brain imaging experiments or model building - help in designing and carrying out brain imaging and behavioral experiments - analyze behavioral and brain imaging experimental data It is an unusual position in that you will be gaining experience in both machine learning and cognitive neuroscience. In addition to the core research goals, we will also be delivering a concrete system to the funding agency, and hence this will be a fast-paced project. You will be working directly with the PIs and also graduate students and research scientists in the team. Essential qualifications are experience developing software in MATLAB or Python (Perl is also useful), as well as an undergraduate degree in computer science, biomedical engineering, cognitive neuroscience or a related field. Preferred qualifications are knowledge in natural language processing, machine learning, and collection, preprocessing and analysis of brain imaging data (e.g. SPM, FSL or AFNI). The final candidate will be required to pass a background check successfully. This is a 1 year position, starting as soon as possible, with an additional year possible contingent on funding availability and performance. To apply, please go to https://jobs.princeton.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp and use “Search Open Positions” with requisition number 1400452. Please email francisco.pereira(a)gmail.com with any pre-application inquiries.

July 16, 2014

1st Call for Abstracts for the 7th Int'l Workshop on Guided Self-Organisation (Freiburg, Dec 16-18, 2014)

by Joschka Boedecker

<apologies for possible cross-posting> Dear colleagues, This is an announcement and Call for Abstracts for the Seventh International Workshop on Guided Self-Organisation (GSO-2014) to be held from December 16-18, 2014 in Freiburg, Germany. http://ml.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/events/gso14/index The workshop will bring together researchers from a richly diverse background who share interest in understanding and designing self-organising systems. Of particular interest are well-founded, but general methods for characterizing such systems in a principled way with the view of ultimately allowing them to be guided toward prespecified goals. Information theory, nonlinear dynamics and graph theory are core to many of these methods, and quantifying complexity and its sources is a common theme. This year, the workshop is organised in collaboration with the BrainLinks-BrainTools cluster of excellence at University of Freiburg ( https://www.brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de/ ), and one focus theme will be guided self-organisation in neural systems. Submissions to the workshop are extended abstracts (one-two pages). If interested in participating, send an extended abstract (by September 7th, 2014) by email to: jboedeck at informatik dot uni-freiburg dot de The notifications are expected by September 21st, 2014. Authors of accepted submissions will present the content to the workshop (scheduled 30 minutes presentation). It is expected that post-workshop publication of selected papers will follow in a special journal issue (as has been the case for previous GSO workshops). Please consult the website above and also http://guided-self.org/ for more information. Best wishes, Joschka Boedecker Mikhail Prokopenko Martin Riedmiller

July 16, 2014

Re: [Comp-neuro] Two Postdoctoral Positions in Computational Modeling of Primate Motor Control

by Yaroslav Molkov

Two postdoctoral/research associate positions in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to three years are available in the externally funded project focusing on multiscale computational modeling of motor control mechanisms, involving interactions between basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex, and spinal cord in connection with realistic simulation of pathological changes in motor control during Huntington’s disease. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Ilya Rybak (Dept. of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Yaroslav Molkov (Dept. of Mathematical Science, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA). Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline and have excellent C++ programming skills. Previous experience in computational neuronal modeling is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu) or Dr. Molkov (ymolkov(a)iupui.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. Drs. Rybak and Molkov will be available to answer questions and discuss this job opportunity with potential candidates at the CNS’2014 meeting in Quebec City, Canada (July 26-31). ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 FAX: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak(a)drexel.edu Yaroslav Molkov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Department of Mathematical Sciences 402 N. Blackford St, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Office: LD 224U Phone: (317) 274-6934 Fax: (317) 274-3460 Email: ymolkov(a)iupui.edu

July 15, 2014

Linking Brain Models and Data: An Invitation from James Bonaiuto and Michael A. Arbib

by James Bonaiuto

The USC Brain Project has just released a new version of their neuroinformatics tool, the Brain Operation DataBase (BODB) v4.0. BODB is a tool for modelers and experimentalists to document computational models of the brain and their linkages to summaries of experimental data. Models can be compared in terms of these relations, and experimental data summaries can be visualized in a variety of ways. Groups of users can build collaboratory workspaces which allow them to share groups of models and data and work together to develop new models. This latest version of BODB includes many new features: - Improved search functionality: users can now search federated databases such as CoCoMac (macaque neural connectivity) and Brede (human brain imaging) directly as well as use boolean combinations of search terms - Users can now maintain a list of their favorite entries outside any workspace - Model and BOP diagrams: users can generate clickable and zoomable graphs showing the relationships between brain operating principles (BOPs) and between models and summaries of empirical data (SEDs) - ERP SED visualization: users can view the locations of ERP components on a standard electrode placement system - Improved workspaces: workspaces now include an activity stream, discussion board, and bookmarks. Workspaces administrators can send invitations to other users to join the workspace. - ModelDB import: users can search ModelDB for models and import them to BODB for documentation of their linkage to SEDs - New Documentation System: the new system is far more extensive, is linked from pages on BODB, and users can now search the documentation - Web API: it is now possible to return BODB entries in JSON aand XML format through a simple URL protocol An overview of our general methodology for the neuroinformatics of brain modeling can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24234915. It is just one paper from a special issue of Neuroinformatics (Volume 12, Number 1, January 2014) on “Action, Language and Neuroinformatics” (Michael Arbib, Guest Editor). The Manual for BODB can be found at http://bodb.usc.edu/media/BODB_Manual.pdf. We invite you to register for a free account on BODB and add your own models and experimental data: http://bodb.usc.edu ------------------------------------------------------ James Bonaiuto, PhD Research Associate Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders UCL Institute of Neurology 33 Queen Square, London WC1N3BG, United Kingdom

July 15, 2014

2014 SFN Meeting Workshop: NSG Portal for parallel simulations

by Ted Carnevale

What: Using the Neuroscience Gateway Portal for Parallel Simulations A Satellite Symposium at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience Meeting Where: Lodation to be announced in downtown Washington, DC When: 9 AM - Noon on Saturday, November 15, 2014 Speakers to include: A. Majumdar, S. Sivagnanam, and T. Carnevale Registration deadline: Friday, October 31, 2014 This workshop is intended for neuroscientists who are already using, or would like to use, the Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG http://www.nsgportal.org/) for parallel simulations. The NSG portal eliminates most administrative and technical barriers that face neuroscientists who need to use high performance computing resources for large modeling projects. Its web-based interface simplifies the tasks of uploading models, specifying job parameters, monitoring job status, and storing and retrieving output data. Simulators currently installed include Brian, MOOSE, GENESIS3, NEST, NEURON, and PyNN. The workshop will combine didactic presentations by NSG's developers, discussions with experienced users, and hands on instruction in how to use the portal. For more information and the online registration form see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/nsg2014/nsg2014.html --Ted

July 14, 2014

NEURON course at 2014 SFN Meeting

by Ted Carnevale

Using NEURON to Model Cells and Networks Satellite Symposium, Society for Neuroscience Meeting 9 AM - 5 PM on Friday, November 14, 2014 Speakers include Ted Carnevale, Bill Lytton, and Gordon Shepherd This course emphasizes practical issues that are key to the most productive use of NEURON, an advanced simulation environment for realistic modeling of biological neurons and neural circuits. Through lectures and live computer demonstrations, we will address topics that include the following: Partial list of topics that will be covered: * Efficient design and implementation of models of neurons and networks. * Constructing and managing models with NEURON's GUI, hoc, and Python. * Using the built-in variable-order variable-timestep integrator for improved speed and accuracy. * Parallelizing models of cells and networks to take advantage of multicore PCs and Macs, workstation clusters, and parallel supercomputers. * Expanding NEURON's repertoire of biophysical mechanisms, including an introduction to using the new RxD feature to implement models that involve reactive diffusion. * Databases for empirically-based modeling. Each registrant will receive a comprehensive set of notes. Registration is limited to 25 individuals on a first-come, first-serve basis. The registration deadline is Friday, October 31, 2014. NO on-site registration will be accepted. For more information and the online registration form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/dc2014/dc2014.html --Ted

July 14, 2014

PhD open positions on event-driven robotics

by Chiara Bartolozzi

There are few PhD positions with scholarship for developing event-driven sensors and computation for the humanoid robot iCub at the Italian Institute of Technology. The call, application form and tips on the documentation to send are at the following link: http://www.iit.it/en/openings/phd-calls/2030-phd-course-topic-information.h… 1. Event-driven vision sensors for humanoid robots Tutors: Chiara Bartolozzi Department: iCub Facility (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) http://www.iit.it/en/research/departments/icub-facility.html Description: Carrying out real-world tasks robustly and efficiently is one of the major challenges of robotics. Biology clearly outperforms artificial computing and robotic systems in terms of appropriateness of the behavioural response, robustness to interference and noise, adaptation to ever changing environmental conditions, or energy efficiency. All these properties arise from the characteristics of the radically different style of sensing and computation used by the biological brain. In conventional robots, sensory information is available in a sequence of static frames and high dynamics can be sensed only by increasing the sampling rate. Unfortunately the available bandwidth limits the amount of information that can be transmitted forcing a compromise between resolution and speed. The goal of the proposed theme is the development of bio-inspired event-driven artificial vision sensors that will be mounted and validated on the humanoid robot iCub. The goal is to convey to the robot the most informative signal that it can use to robustly interact with the world. The research will focus on the design of mixed-mode analog/digital circuits for photo-transduction and focal-plane processing. Different architectures and circuits will be considered for the pixel design, evaluating the trade-off between complexity (and fill-in factor) and sensor pre-processing capabilities. Additionally, ad hoc digital asynchronous logic circuits and interfaces based on the "Address Event Representation" protocol will be developed for optimally interfacing the sensor with the robot. Requirements: degree in Electronic Engineering, Physics (or equivalent) and background in Analog and/or Digital Circuit Design, possibly on FPGA programming (VHDL, Verilog). High motivation to work on a robotic platform. Reference: C. Posch, D. Matolin, and R. Wohlgenannt, "A QVGA 143 dB Dynamic Range Frame-Free PWM Image Sensor With Lossless Pixel-Level Video Compression and Time-Domain CDS," IEEE J Solid-State Circuits, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 259-275, Jan. 2011 Contacts: chiara.bartolozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:chiara.bartolozzi@iit.it> 2. Building the neuromorphic iCub Tutors: Chiara Bartolozzi Department: iCub Facility (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) http://www.iit.it/en/research/departments/icub-facility.html Description: Carrying out real-world tasks robustly and efficiently is one of the major challenges of robotics. Biology clearly outperforms artificial computing and robotic systems in terms of appropriateness of the behavioural response, robustness to interference and noise, adaptation to ever changing environmental conditions, or energy efficiency. All these properties arise from the characteristics of the radically different style of sensing and computation used by the biological brain. In conventional robots, sensory information is available in a sequence of static snapshots and high dynamics can be sensed only by increasing the sampling rate. Unfortunately the available bandwidth limits the amount of information that can be transmitted forcing a compromise between resolution and speed. The goal of the proposed theme is the integration of event-driven sensors and computing platforms on the humanoid robot iCub. The goal is to convey to the robot the most informative signal that it can use to robustly interact with the world and provide adequate computing platforms such as the SpiNNaker system. The research will focus on the development of the infrastructure for optimally interfacing event-driven hardware modules based on the Address Event Representation protocol on the iCub. Requirements: degree in Electronic Engineering, Physics (or equivalent) and background on FPGA programming (VHDL, Verilog). High motivation to work on a robotic platform. Reference: C. Bartolozzi, F. Rea, C. Clercq, M. Hofstätter, D. B. Fasnacht, G. Indiveri, and G. Metta, "Embedded neuromorphic vision for humanoid robots," in IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Workshops (CVPRW), 2011, pp. 129-135 Contacts: chiara.bartolozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:chiara.bartolozzi@iit.it> 3. Event-driven vision for the iCub Tutors: Chiara Bartolozzi, Lorenzo Natale Department: iCub Facility (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) http://www.iit.it/en/research/departments/icub-facility.html Description: Interacting with a dynamical environment is one of the major challenges of robotics. Biology clearly outperforms robotic systems when acting in real scenarios in terms of appropriateness of the behavioural response, robustness to interference and noise, adaptation to ever changing environmental conditions, and energy efficiency. All these properties arise from the characteristics of the radically different style of sensing and computation used by the biological brain. In conventional robots, sensory information is available in a sequence of static snapshots and high dynamics can be sensed only by increasing the sampling rate. However the available bandwidth limits the amount of information that can be transmitted forcing a compromise between resolution and speed. Event-driven vision sensors transmit information as soon as a change occurs in their visual field, achieving incredibly high temporal resolution, coupled with extremely low data rate and automatic segmentation of significant events. The proposed theme aims at the exploitation of highly dynamical information from event-driven sensors for robust interaction of the humanoid robot iCub with moving objects. The goal is to develop new techniques for the recognition and prediction of trajectories of moving targets including humans and objects and plan for precise reaching movements, by exploiting the high temporal resolution and compressive signal encoding of event-driven vision sensors mounted on the iCub. The research will focus on the development of the infrastructure for handling event-driven sensory data and of event-driven vision algorithms for motion estimation as well as algorithms for trajectory prediction. Real time behaviour will be achieved by using compressive event driven computation and on-board processing on FPGA. Requirements: degree in Computer Science or Engineering (or equivalent) and background in Computer Vision and/or Machine Learning. High motivation to work on a robotic platform and good computer and FPGA programming skills Reference: Benosman, R.; Clercq, C.; Lagorce, X.; Sio-Hoi Ieng; Bartolozzi, C., "Event-Based Visual Flow," Neural Networks and Learning Systems, IEEE Transactions on , vol.25, no.2, pp.407,417, Feb. 2014, doi: 10.1109/TNNLS.2013.2273537 Contacts: chiara.bartolozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:chiara.bartolozzi@iit.it> , lorenzo.natale(a)iit.it<mailto:lorenzo.natale@iit.it> 4. New techniques for vision-assisted speech processing for the iCub Tutors: Chiara Bartolozzi, Leonardo Badino Department: iCub Facility (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) http://www.iit.it/en/research/departments/icub-facility.html Description: Robust speech detection in realistic environments for human robot interaction is still a challenging task. Vision is currently used for improving speech recognition in noisy acoustic environments, however, the temporal content of the visual information is severely limited by the temporal discretization of the frame-based acquisition. Event-driven vision sensors transmit information as soon as a change occurs in their visual field, achieving incredibly high temporal resolution, coupled with extremely low data rate and automatic segmentation of significant events. The goal of the proposed theme is the exploitation of highly dynamical information from event-driven vision sensors for robust speech processing for the humanoid robot iCub. The goal is to extract visual features and cues from the stream of visual events that are related to speech production landmarks and exploit them for further improving speech recognition. The research will focus on the development of the infrastructure for handling event-driven sensory data and of novel algorithms for extraction of visual features from event-driven cameras. Requirements: degree in Computer Science or Engineering (or equivalent) and background in Auditory Processing and/or Machine Learning. High motivation to work on a robotic platform and good computer and FPGA programming skills. Reference: G. Potamianos, C. Neti, G. Gravier, A. Garg, and A.W.Senior in Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 91 No. 9 September 2003 pp. 1306-1326 Benosman, R.; Clercq, C.; Lagorce, X.; Sio-Hoi Ieng; Bartolozzi, C., "Event-Based Visual Flow," Neural Networks and Learning Systems, IEEE Transactions on , vol.25, no.2, pp.407,417, Feb. 2014, doi: 10.1109/TNNLS.2013.2273537 Contacts: chiara.bartolozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:chiara.bartolozzi@iit.it> , leonardo.badino(a)iit.it<mailto:leonardo.badino@iit.it> Chiara Bartolozzi Researcher Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego, 30 16163 Genoa, Italy Ph: +39 010 7178-1474

July 14, 2014

Two Postdoctoral Positions in Computational Modeling of Primate Motor Control

by Yaroslav Molkov

Two postdoctoral/research associate positions in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to three years are available in the externally funded project focusing on multiscale computational modeling of motor control mechanisms, involving interactions between basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex, and spinal cord in connection with realistic simulation of pathological changes in motor control during Huntington’s disease. This collaborative project is performed jointly by the groups of Drs. Ilya Rybak (Dept. of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and Yaroslav Molkov (Dept. of Mathematical Science, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA). Applicants must have a PhD degree in Neuroscience, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related discipline and have excellent C++ programming skills. Previous experience in computational neuronal modeling is a plus. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu) or Dr. Molkov (ymolkov(a)iupui.edu) by email. To apply, please send an email along with (1) curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests; (3) the names and contact information of three references. Drs. Rybak and Molkov will be available to answer questions and discuss this job opportunity with potential candidates at the CNS’2014 meeting in Quebec City, Canada (July 26-31). ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 FAX: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak(a)drexel.edu Yaroslav Molkov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis Department of Mathematical Sciences 402 N. Blackford St, LD 270, Indianapolis, IN 46202 Office: LD 224U Phone: (317) 274-6934 Fax: (317) 274-3460 Email: ymolkov(a)iupui.edu

July 13, 2014

Job offer in Juelich, Germany - IT-Solutions Architect (f/m)

by Martina Reske

The Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) investigates the structure and function of the brain. The department INM-6 is conducting research in the field of Computational and Systems Neuroscience with currently four work groups and one Helmholtz Young Investigator Group (www.csn.fz-juelich.de<http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de>). The Ju?lich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) as part of the Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS) offers high performance computing resources for scientific and technical applications which are among the most powerful in Europe and worldwide. The Simulation Lab Neuroscience at JSC is dedicated to enabling and supporting the Computational Neuroscience community in leveraging these resources for their research. These institutes are jointly looking for an IT-Solutions Architect (f/m) Your Job: * Design and development of web solutions * Implementation of web sites on the basis of open source solutions (e.g., WordPress/MediaWiki) * Integration of own and third-party components into the web sites * Writing of scripts/programs (e.g. in Python) in a neuroscience environment * Interaction with scientists to find the optimal solution for different situations * Proactive updates and creation of content for web sites in the field of neuroscientific simulation software * Creation of documentation of simulation of software in collaboration with scientists * The successful candidate will work half-time for INM-6 and the Simulation Lab Neuroscience at JSC, respectively. Your Profile: * Completed training in mathematical-technical software development or Bachelor in the area of Computer Science or comparable qualification * Very good knowledge of the relevant web technologies: PHP, MySQL, (X)HTML, JavaScript, CSS * Experience with the administration of web servers under Linux (LAMP) Experience with a common content management system (e.g., WordPress, MediaWiki, Typo3) * Good knowledge of shell and scripting languages like bash and Python * Fluently spoken and written English * Background in neuroscience or another natural science would be a plus * Interest in working with an interdisciplinary team of researchers with highest scientific standards Our Offer: * A diverse range of activities in a creative, interdisciplinary, international team * Forschungszentrum Jülich offers an excellent scientific research infrastructure on a green campus close to Cologne, Düsseldorf and Aachen * Salary and social benefits in conformity with the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service (TVöD). Forschungszentrum Jülich aims to employ more women in this area and therefore particulary welcomes applications from women. We also welcome applications from disabled persons. We look forward to receiving your application, preferably online via our online recruitment system (see here: http://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2014-115-EN…) quoting the reference number 2014-115. Martina Reske -- Dr. Martina Reske Scientific Coordinator Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience Jülich Research Centre and JARA Jülich, Germany Work +49.2461.611916 Work Cell +49.151.26156918 Fax +49.2461.619460 www.csn.fz-juelich.de<http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 11, 2014

Job announcement

by Quel

[sorry for cross-posting] On the behalf of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, *Open position for Professor of Neurosciences in Sao Paulo, Brazil.* A full time endowed position for “Professor of Neurosciences” is available at the Brain Institute at the Albert Einstein Institute for Research and Education (InCe – IIEPAE), São Paulo, Brazil. We seek an outstanding senior researcher as a professor of the Institute. Job description The main goals include the development of research in neuroscience involving ageing processes in the brain and methods to promote healthy ageing. Additional focus includes study of neurodegenerative diseases. The position requires a record of scientific excellence and management experience, as well as vision and motivation to lead and shape a team of researchers. The candidate is expected to lead a strong, internationally competitive research programme, attract external funding and promote an interactive and synergistic research environment in order to develop clinical neuroscience into a center of excellence in biological aspects of ageing. Good communication skills are required to interact with a multidisciplinary team of experienced neurologists, neurosurgeons, scientists, engineers, physicists and psychologists. *Required skills/Qualifications* • Senior researcher with PhD • Experience working as a leading researcher • A strong track record of publications, ideally h-index > 20 Desired skills/Qualifications • MD title • Portuguese speaking *Salary* Salary is provided by a donation (equivalent to a top salary for a physician in Brazil USD120,000.00 – 180,000.00 per year). The position is renewable. The appointment is for 24 months at first. *About Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein* Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein ranks number one in Latin America, was the first hospital outside of USA accredited by the Joint Commission International and possesses a number of ISO certifications. The Brain Institute-IIEPAE has a state-of-the art whole body 3T MR system equipped with 32 channel head coil with protected time for research, integrated with a 64 channel EEG-fMRI system. The facilities also include an fMRI eye-tracking system, TMS and in house stimulus delivery systems for advanced applications. Radiopharmacy laboratories for basic research and clinical application, an experimental core facility with a cell culture laboratory and genome sequencing and an AAALAC certified experimental facility are also available. The institution also holds a postgraduate programme in health sciences, recognized by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES), giving the opportunity to supervise postdoc, PhD and master students. *Apply for position:* The position is open until 31st of July. The top 20 CV will be selected and evaluated by a committee. Please e-mail CV, NIH Biosketch, statement of research interests and contact information of references to: ince(a)einstein.br with “Professor of Neurosciences” in the subject line Brain Institute - Albert Einstein Jewish Institute for Education and Research Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein – www.einstein.br Phone: +55 11 2151-3727 Best regards, Anna *Anna Ringheim Cadete* Coordinator - Brain Institute - IIEP SBIB Hospital Albert Einstein

July 10, 2014

Job opening: 7 PhD positions in Dutch research consortium "Language in Interaction"

by Lorenz, C.M.

Seven PhD Positions in the Dutch Research Consortium 'Language in Interaction' Closing date: 30 September 2014 For more information: http://www.languageininteraction.nl/jobs/id-2nd-phd-call-general.html We are looking for highly motivated PhD candidates to enrich a unique consortium of researchers that aims to unravel the neurocognitive mechanisms of language at multiple levels. The goal is to understand both the universality and the variability of the human language faculty from genes to behaviour. The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. This research consortium sponsored by a large grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO) brings together many of the excellent research groups in the Netherlands with a research programme on the foundations of language. The research team consists of 43 Principal Investigators. In addition to the excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition, our consortium provides state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in the complex research methods that will be invoked to address the scientific questions at the highest level of methodological sophistication. These include methods from genetics, neuroimaging, computational modelling, and patient-related research. This consortium realizes both quality and critical mass for studying human language at a scale not easily found anywhere else. Currently, the consortium advertises seven PhD positions for a period of 4 years. Depending on the PhD position applied for, candidates will be appointed at one of the home institutions of the consortium. These positions provide the opportunity for conducting world-class research as a member of an interdisciplinary team. Click for more information on the PhD positions and how to apply: http://www.languageininteraction.nl/jobs/id-2nd-phd-call-general.html

July 10, 2014

Multiscale analysis of neural spike trains

by Reza Ramezan

Dear Colleagues, I would like to highlight the following paper from our group published in Statistics in Medicine (not a mainstream neuroscience journal). Interested people can receive a free (electronic) copy upon request. Kindest Regards, Reza Ramezan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Multiscale analysis of neural spike trains* <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sim.5923/abstract> Ramezan R, Marriott P, Chenouri S (2014) *Summary:* This paper studies the multiscale analysis of neural spike trains, through both graphical and Poisson process approaches. We introduce the interspike interval plot, which simultaneously visualizes characteristics of neural spiking activity at different time scales. Using an inhomogeneous Poisson process framework, we discuss multiscale estimates of the intensity functions of spike trains. We also introduce the windowing effect for two multiscale methods. Using quasi-likelihood, we develop bootstrap confidence intervals for the multiscale intensity function. We provide a cross-validation scheme, to choose the tuning parameters, and study its unbiasedness. Studying the relationship between the spike rate and the stimulus signal, we observe that adjusting for the first spike latency is important in cross-validation. We show, through examples, that the correlation between spike trains and spike count variability can be multiscale phenomena. Furthermore, we address the modeling of the periodicity of the spike trains caused by a stimulus signal or by brain rhythms. Within the multiscale framework, we introduce intensity functions for spike trains with multiplicative and additive periodic components. Analyzing a dataset from the retinogeniculate synapse, we compare the fit of these models with the Bayesian adaptive regression splines method and discuss the limitations of the methodology. Computational efficiency, which is usually a challenge in the analysis of spike trains, is one of the highlights of these new models. In an example, we show that the reconstruction quality of a complex intensity function demonstrates the ability of the multiscale methodology to crack the neural code. *Keywords: *inhomogeneous Poisson process; multiscale analysis; periodogram; almost periodic intensity function; retinogeniculate synapse; spike train -- Reza Ramezan Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 Canada Office: M3 3018 Phone: (519) 888-4567, ext. 39358 E-mail: rramezan(a)uwaterloo.ca Web: http://www.neuroinformatics.ca

July 9, 2014

2 PhD positions in Computational Neuroscience in Juelich, Germany

by Martina Reske

Dear community, we are seeking two PhD candidates to support our team! Project 1: In the framework of the Klinische Forschergruppe (KFO) 219 "Basal ganglia-cortex loops: Mechanisms of pathologic interactions and their therapeutic modulation" we have an open PhD student position in work package 9: "Mathematical modeling of development and suppression of pathological activation in basal ganglia – cortex loops“. This project focuses on the generation of pathological beta band oscillations in basal ganglia and their susceptibility to suppression by means of pharmacological challenges or deep brain stimulation. Specifically, this projects aims to model dynamics in basal ganglia – thalamus – cortex loops drawing on computational neuroscience approaches and data deriving from other work packages within the research consortium. We are seeking for a candidate with a master’s degree in physics, mathematics or computer science. The candidate will develop microscopic network models and will be supervised by the projects leaders, particularly by a postdoctoral fellow supervising the entire work package as well as Prof. Morrison. Programming expertise is appreciated. The candidate will be primarily based at the Jülich Research Center to foster interactions with theoretical neuroscientists. In addition, the candidate is expected to work jointly with project partners at the University Clinic of Cologne. We offer a position in a creative and international team, themes ranging from computational neuroscience to simulation technology. The Jülich Research Center is one of the largest research centers in Germany, with excellent scientific equipment, located on a green campus, and near the cultural centers Köln, Düsseldorf, and Aachen. The PhD position is available for 3 years, starting as soon as possible. Applications, including a motivation letter, CV, publication list, copies of university certificates, and one reference letter should be sent as a single PDF email attachment (max. 10MB) mentioning the internal reference code KFO219-TP9 to should be sent to: Dr. Martina Reske (m.reske(a)fz-juelich.de) – Scientific Coordinator The call is open until the position has been filled. Project 2: Project title: Neural circuit mechanisms of reinforcement learning Project description: Reinforcement learning is considered to play a major role in decision-making, and impairments in RL have been associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders including addiction and depression. Since it was found that the activity of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons appears to represent the reward prediction error, various brain regions in the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia have been shown to represent several variables appeared in mathematical formulations of RL algorithms. However, underlying mechanisms at the cellular and circuit levels within and between each of those regions remain largely unknown. In this project, we address this issue by developing and study neuronal network models of learning from reward and punishment in the brain's basal ganglia network. The project will be carried out by the group Functional Neural Circuits at the Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) and Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) led by Prof. Abigail Morrison, together with our Japanese collegues (Kenji Morita, University of Tokyo). The project is supported by German Ministry of Science (BMBF) in the framework of the German-Japan cooperation in Computational Neuroscience. The project incorporates tools and methods from different fields, ranging from neuroscience to physics and mathematical modeling to build large scale simulations of neural networks. Supervision is provided by Prof. Abigail Morrison and Dr. Jenia Jitsev, both having considerable experience in neural network modeling, with focus on plasticity and learning. We seek a highly motivated candidate with curiosity and persistence. A preferable candidate will have background and strong Master degree in either in neuroscience, physics, mathematics, biology, computer science or a related field of natural science. The candidate should have experience in basic software engineering techniques (minimal requirement is ability to write clear well-structured code in either C++ or Python). Furthermore, a solid basis in mathematical modelling (handling differential equations, basics of stability analysis) is essential. The most important requirement is the ability to learn new things and to find ways to solve novel problems. The PhD position is available for 3 years, starting as soon as possible. During the PhD, you will also have opportunity to visit conferences, workshops, summer schools and labs of our partners in Tokyo and benefit from their experience, too. You will be a part of a creative and young team, rich with inspiration for the different state-of-the art topics in experimental and theoretical neuroscience, and have the opportunity to take part at the forefront of current neuroscientific research. Research Center Jülich, Germany, is located on a green campus and hosts excellent facilities, including the Jülich Supercomputing Center, and is part of newly starting EU Human Brain Project, the largest neuroscientific initiative to study the brain funded in Europe. Jülich is close to large urban centers like Cologne, Aachen and Düsseldorf and offers thus a rich cultural environment to spend time in. Applications, including a motivation letter, a CV, copies of university certificates, and one letter of reference should be sent as a single PDF email attachment (max. 10MB) mentioning the internal reference code BRDJ-PhD to: Dr. Martina Reske (m.reske(a)fz-juelich.de) – Scientific Coordinator The call is open until the position has been filled. -- Dr. Martina Reske Scientific Coordinator Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience Jülich Research Centre and JARA Jülich, Germany Work +49.2461.611916 Work Cell +49.151.26156918 Fax +49.2461.619460 www.csn.fz-juelich.de ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 9, 2014

Call for Nominations: TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology

by Christopher Honey

APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR INAUGURAL TANG PRIZE FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology. As a Department at a public university, we believe in furthering the science of Psychology in service of enhancing human wellbeing. Applications are encouraged from internationally-recognized scholars in Psychology or a closely-related field who have shown creativity, and rigour in their approach and whose record of achievement has left an indelible mark on the field. This award has been made possible through generous support from the TANG Foundation. The TANG Foundation is a charitable institution with the mandate to raise awareness of the importance of psychological wellbeing in the world. The recipient of the TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology will be awarded a cash prize of $100,000 CAD at a ceremony held on the University of Toronto campus on November 12, 2014. During the campus visit, the recipient will be asked to meet with University of Toronto students and to hold a public lecture. Applicants should outline in no more than two pages the ways in which they have a major impact on the progress of psychology, anywhere in the world, particularly in its application to the psychological wellbeing of humanity. This application letter should highlight how the applicant has contributed to the science, practice, or application of Psychology as it pertains to the understanding, promotion, restoration, or application of psychological methods, research, and techniques in addressing challenges related to wellbeing at the individual or community level. In addition to this application letter, applications should also include a current CV. Nomination packages (application letter and CV) should be submitted electronically in one email by August 15, 2014 to tangprize(a)psych.utoronto.ca. Applicants should also ask three referees, who must be internationally acknowledged experts in the field, to send reference letters directly to the Department via email to tangprize(a)psych.utoronto.ca by August 30, 2014. Up to three additional supporting letters of endorsement from individuals who have been directly impacted by the applicant’s scholarly work and/or who have knowledge of the direct impact of the applicant’s scholarly work can be sent to the same email address by August 30, 2014. For more information on this award, about the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the TANG Foundation, please visit www.psych.utoronto.ca/tangprize.

July 8, 2014

Mini-Conference “The Many Faces of Computation” @ UCSD July 14 & 15

by Santamaria, Cookie

The BioCircuits Institute, Physical Chemistry and The Lindenberg Lab Group Present: Mini-Conference: “The Many Faces of Computation” http://www.kawai.phy.uab.edu/workshops/UCSD2014/ Organizers: Christian Van den Broeck and Katja Lindenberg Contacts: Cookie Santamaria cookie(a)ucsd.edu<mailto:cookie@ucsd.edu> or Katja Lindenberg klindenberg(a)ucsd.edu<mailto:klindenberg@ucsd.edu> July 14-15, 2014 University of California, San Diego Urey Room 2102 Urey Hall<http://maps.ucsd.edu/mapping/viewer/default.htm?mkey=1&lc=open&km=open&rc=c…> Monday July 14 9-10 a.m. Welcome and light snacks 10-11 a.m. Christian Van den Broeck “A short introduction to large deviations” 11 a.m.-12 noon Raul Toral “Efficient sampling of phase space” 12 noon-2 p.m. Lunch break and discussion time 2-3 p.m. Alberto Imparato “Efficiency at maximum power in molecular motors” 3-4 p.m. Ilkay Altintas “Workflow-driven science” 4-5 p.m. Discussion time Tuesday July 15 9-10 a.m. Welcome and light snacks 10-11 a.m. Emre Neftci “From VLSI spiking neurons to practical applications and cognition” 11 a.m.-12 noon Michael Gilson ”Plumbing the depths of entropy and enthalphy in molecular recognition” 12 noon-2 p.m. Lunch break and discussion time 2-3 p.m. Daniel Escaff “Down from systems of infinite to finite numbers of elements: Computational aspects of the analysis of resultant fluctuations” 3-4 p.m. Tristan Webb “Utilizing purely functional parallel strategies for spiking neural network simulations” 4-5 p.m. Discussion time

July 7, 2014

CNS 2014 workshop on using the NSG for parallel simulations

by Ted Carnevale

The Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG) eliminates most administrative and technical barriers to High Performance Computing (HPC) resources, so that computational neuroscientists can readily use simulators such as Brian, GENESIS 3, NEST, NEURON, and PyNN to carry out parallel simulations. To find out how the NSG can accelerate your own modeling project, come to the workshop "Running parallel simulations on HPC resources via the Neuroscience Gateway Portal" which starts at 9 AM on Wednesday, July 30, at the CNS 2014 meeting. The workshop will include a presentation on the NSG itself, plus * presentations by modelers who are using NSG in their research projects --Timothy Rumbell, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA: "Modeling of cortical neurons in aging monkeys", --Marianne Bezaire, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA: "Using the NSG for a large-scale parallel computer model of the CA1 network," * a presentation by a member of the development team of one of the simulators that is available through the NSG --Marcel Stimberg, École Normale Supérieure and Institut de la Vision, Paris, France: "The Brian 2 spiking neuronal network simulation tool" Relevant webpages: http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2014-workshops-program http://www.nsgportal.org/workshop.html

July 7, 2014

ACCV 2014 Workshop: Intelligent Mobile & Egocentric Vision (IMEV 2014)

by Cheston Tan

Call for Papers ACCV 2014 Workshop: Intelligent Mobile & Egocentric Vision (IMEV 2014) November 1 or 2, 2014, Singapore http://mml.citi.sinica.edu.tw/IMEV2014/home.htm The goal of IMEV 2014 is to identify and promote novel computer vision algorithms, systems and frameworks, which are particularly suitable for intelligent and interactive information processing on mobile and wearable computing platforms. This is the 3rd workshop in the series: this year, we expand the scope to include egocentric vision, an exciting emerging topic in computer vision.IMEV 2014 aims to bring together researchers to present latest developments and technical solutions in the domain of intelligent mobile and egocentric vision, including novel algorithms, applications, and systems. Research topics relevant to, but not limited to, the following areas are welcome: Mobile Vision - Feature extraction on mobile devices - Motion analysis and recovery for mobile cameras - Gesture/object/location recognition with mobile cameras - 3D mobile vision - Augmented reality on mobile devices - Human computer interaction with mobile devices - Computer vision applications on hand-held devices - Indexing and retrieval of images and videos for mobile devices - Multi-sensor integration for mobile vision - Hardware and embedded systems for mobile vision - Mobile vision incorporated with robot vision - Related MPEG standards- CDVS (Compact Descriptors for Visual Search) and CDVA (Compact Descriptors for Video Analysis) - Other topics related to mobile vision. Egocentric Vision - Visual feature learning from FPV videos - Egocentric video summarization, life-logging - Social activity analysis from FPV videos - Activity recognition in first-person vision - Eye-gaze tracking & attention modeling - Object recognition & tracking in FPV videos - Scene understanding in first-person video - Human Computer Interaction issues in first-person vision - Privacy issues in first-person video - Other topics related to egocentric vision. Submission should be in the ACCV 2014 format. Please consult the ACCV submission website for the exact formatting and template. IMEV 2014 workshop paper submission website is via the CMT system: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/IMEV2014. The proceedings will be published by Springer in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. Preliminary Important Dates: Paper Submissions Sep 1, 2014 - 23:59 PDT (GMT+8) Author Notification Sep 15, 2014 - 23:59 PDT (GMT+8) Camera Ready Sep 20, 2014 - 23:59 PDT (GMT+8)

July 6, 2014

post-doctoral fellowships in neural correlates of hearing at U. Penn

by Yale Cohen

We are seeking highly motivated post-doctoral fellows to participate in a research program that tests the neural bases of sound perception. This research will be conducted at the University of Philadelphia. The goals of these projects are to test the contribution of various regions of the auditory cortex and prefrontal cortex to sound perception in non-human primates. Candidates should have a PhD. Those with an MD will be considered but only if the candidates have a strong scientific background. A strong candidate will have experience in systems and computational neuroscience; recording and analysis of single- and multi-unit activity and local-field potentials from awake, behaving animals (in particular non-human primates); experience in training animals on operant tasks; analysis of behavioral data and electrophysiological data; computational-analysis skills; and programming skills. We are interested in individuals who have a good personality and can interact well with other members of the laboratory. The positions are funded through two new R01s and are available immediately. One of the grants is funded to Yale Cohen. The second is funded to both Yale Cohen and Yonatan Fishman. Salary will be based on experience and the NIH post-doctoral scale. The University of Pennsylvania has an outstanding environment for neuroscience; in particular, systems and computational neuroscience. The environment is further enriched by the PIs’ ongoing collaborations with other members of the Penn Neuroscience community. For more information or to apply, contact Yale Cohen (YaleECohen(a)gmail.com) or Yon Fishman (yonatan.fishman(a)einstein.yu.edu) Interested applicants should send a CV; a brief statement of research interests; and names of 2-3 referees.

July 4, 2014

Reminder CfP BCBT2014 Summer School, Barcelona, Spain

by BCBT, Bústia Compartida

Dear all, applications and scholarships to attend the BCBT2014 summer school are now open. Do not miss it! Kind regards BCBT2014 *Barcelona Cognition, Brain and Technology Summer School (BCBT2014)* University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. September 1-12, 2014 http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14/ We would like you to join us for the annual *"Barcelona Cognition, Brain and Technology summer school - BCBT2014 *" to be held from September 1-12, 2014 in Barcelona Spain. The summer school is at its seventh edition and is part of a series of events organized by the European coordination action Convergent Science Network of Biomimetics and Neurotechnology (http://csnetwork.eu/) BCBT is positioned at the interface between biology and future and emerging technologies with an emphasis on the principles underlying brains and their translation to avant-garde technologies. BCBT promotes a shared systems-level understanding of the functional architecture of the brain and its possible emulation in artificial systems. This is the 7th year of BCBT, which ran with great success in previous years thanks to an excellent line-up of outstanding speakers (see bcbt.upf.edu for previous editions of the school). BCBT lectures are available online (see http://csnetwork.eu/) as well as the CSN *Podcast interviews *with many of the BCBT speakers.. BCBT caters to the students and researchers involved in projects that are in the ambit of “Bio-ict convergence”, "Brain Inspired ICT", “Cognitive systems-robotics”. BCBT will offer up to 30 student slots for the practical workshops while as many researchers can register to attend the presentations and discussion sessions as are interested. For the lectures the limit will be placed at 60-70 given the capacity of the available lecture theatre. The atmosphere of the BCBT summer school is informal with the goal to stimulate in-depth discussion. There are presentations in the morning, usually 2, with the afternoons reserved for tutorials and projects for student participants and road-mapping workshops or further discussion for senior scientists. For the 2014 edition we plan a *1st week* of the school addressing *Evolutionary and Developmental aspects of nervous systems and behavior *(*Session 1*, 1-5 Sept*)*, while the *2nd week* will include presentations aimed at the investigation of *Core Brain Systems* with emphasis on the basal ganglia (*Session 2*, 8-9 Sept) followed by roadmapping sessions (*Session 3*, 10-11 Sept). Friday 12 is reserved for the presentation of the student projects to which everybody is invited. *Application deadline: August 2nd, 2014* For more information and to apply, please go to http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14 *BCBT offers a number of scholarships.* These are CSN scholarships <http://csnetwork.eu/scholarships> and may cover travel expenses, accommodation and registration fee.http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14 BCBT2014 is supported by the Convergent Science Network of Biomimetics and Neurotechnology (http://csnetwork.eu/) and is co-organized by Paul Verschure (BCBT Chair) SPECS, University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, ES Tony Prescott (BCBT Co-Chair) University of Sheffield, UK Leah Krubizer (BCBT Co-Chair) UC Davis, CA, USA Anna Mura (BCBT Co-Chair) SPECS, University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, ES

July 4, 2014

[job offer] Open-Source 3D printed humanoid robotics: Experienced engineer in electronics

by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer

Job offer at Inria Flowers, France within Poppy Project: Open-Source 3D printed humanoid robotics, http://www.poppy-project.org === Title: Experienced electronics engineer (2 years) === Apply at: pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr and matthieu.lapeyre(a)inria.fr === Context The Flowers lab is a mixed team (Inria/Ensta ParisTech) composed of about 20 researchers and engineers. Flowers is a research team internationally renowned in developmental and humanoid robotics. It collaborates with several European, American and Asian laboratories, and coordinates several European projects. The team is also very active in the dissemination of science among the general public, and regularly participates in exhibitions and collaborations with artists as acting to make younger discover robotics. Web: https://flowers.inria.fr === Mission The research work conducted in the Flowers team led to the conception of Poppy (http://www.poppy-project.org/) one of the first humanoid robot in the world to be both open-source and 3D printed. It aims to become a community and multi-disciplinary platform for exploration and experimentation in robotics for Research, Art and Educational purposes. In its current version, Poppy is about 80cm tall for 3.5 kg. It has 25 joints motorized by Robotis smart-actuators (http://www.robotis.com/xe/dynamixel_en) These servo-motors, although effective, cost about 5.000€ on the 7.500€ of Poppy. Poppy is a low-cost robot in the world of research, however for its educational, training and scientific mediation missions, the cost limit its diffusion. Several improvements should be made in order to take down it cost and make Poppy even more accessible. In a team with a mechanical engineer and relying on existing work as Open Servo (http://openservo.com/) and Supermodified (http://letsmakerobots.com/node/18615) your role will be to work on control and automation of Poppy 2. You will also take involved in the execution of projects related to Poppy, and in a international working environment. === Description Conception of the general electronics architecture of the next versions of Poppy and working on low-cost actuator integration. Development of the library and low level control and integration with pypot (https://github.com/poppy-project/pypot) Profile • Practical experience in the design of electronics boards (electronic design automation (Eagle or KiCad), routing design rules, protection (ESD, short-cut), noise filtering) • Theoretical and practical experience with embedded systems (programming microcontroller, low-level communication, sensors, real time) • Control and design of medium power electronics (control loop, H bridge, design of heat sink) • Familiarity with the Arduino environment • Familiarity with the Python programming language • English proficiency • Team work Requirements • Minimum 2 years of experience • Master degree Benefits • Partial support of transportation costs. • Food restauration available on site. • Dynamic and pleasant working ambiance Additional Information • Duration of contract: 24 months • Estimated date of employment: 1 October 2014 • Monthly gross salary: 2600 euros to 3500 euros (depending on experience). For more information about the position, contact pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr and matthieu.lapeyre(a)inria.fr

July 4, 2014