- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Call for abstracts: Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI. Rome, 28-31st May 2024.
by Ruairidh McLennan Battleday Jan. 30, 2024

Jan. 30, 2024

We are delighted to announce our call for abstracts for the 5th International Convention on the Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI, to be held in Rome 28-31st May 2024. In this high-profile convention we examine computational accounts of the brain and mind from the perspectives of biocomputation, neural theory, and cognitive science. We then take findings and theory back into the creation of robust, generalizable, and scalable AI: www.neuromonster.org Keynote Speakers Professor Peter Dayan (Max Planck Institute, Tübingen) Professor Sophie Deneve (ENS, Paris) Professor Wolfgang Maass (TUG) Professor Mackenzie Mathis (EPFL) Professor Anne Collins (UC Berkeley) Dr Feryal Behbahani (Google DeepMind) Dr Giovanni Pezzulo (NRC of Italy, Rome) Session Chairs Biocomputation Yasmine Ayman (Harvard) Professor Dan Nicolau Jr (KCL) Neural theory Dr James Whittington (Stanford / Oxford) Dr Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (Champalimaud) Cognitive science Dr Ruairidh Battleday (Harvard / MIT) Dr Antonella Maselli (NRC Italy) AI Dr Ishita Dasgupta (Google DeepMind) Dr Ilia Sucholutsky (Princeton) Confirmed speakers Biocomputation Professor Andrew Adamatzky (UWE) Professor Panayiota Poirazi (FORTH, Crete) Professor Jason Shepherd (Utah) Professor Christine Grienberger (Brandeis) Neural theory Professor Rafal Bogacz (Oxford) Professor Athena Akrami (UCL) Dr Sophia Sanborn (USB / UBC) Dr Lea Duncker (Stanford) Cognitive science Professor Dagmar Sternad (Northeastern) Professor Bill Thompson (UC Berkeley) Professor Samuel McDougle (Yale) Dr Fred Callaway (NYU / Harvard) AI Professor Kevin Ellis (CMU) Professor Najoung Kim (BU, Google) Dr André Barreto (DeepMind) Dr Maria Eckstein (DeepMind) We invite submissions for each session via this Google form: https://forms.gle/u8tJU4PtkT1EKYte7 These will be accepted for poster, spotlight, or a short talk. The submission format is a single A4 sheet containing (at least) an abstract of 250 words, along with any additional material you think valuable. Submission deadline is 28th February AOE. The convention will be held at the Villa Wolkonsky, in San Giovanni, Rome (10 minutes walk from the Colosseum). A limited number of early-bird registrations have been posted on our website! Normal registration will follow after the submission deadline. We hope that you come and join us! The Organizing Committee. -- Dr Ruairidh McLennan Battleday BMBCh (Oxon) PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT

1 0

PhD Position
by Ahmed El Hady Jan. 29, 2024

Jan. 29, 2024

PhD position available : Foraging tasks are emerging as crucial models for naturalistic decision making in rodents . On mechanistic level, those tasks give us the opportunity to understand how individual sensitivities to time and effort drive variability in the strategy of rodents facing an explore vs exploit dilemma. If those questions are of interest to you , there is an opening for a PhD position at the Centuri Turing Center for living systems in Marseille where the project is advised by David Robbe ( INMED, Marseille) , Eloy Christophe ( IRPHE, Marseille) and Ahmed El Hady ( Cluster for Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, Konstanz ). The project will combine theoretical and experimental approaches to understand how foraging strategies vary in terms of their sensitivities to time and effort during a variety of experimental conditions. We are looking for a candidate with a strong quantitative background, capable to developing numerical simulation/model (i.e. strong programing skills) and with a strong taste for animal behavior and cognition For more details and application procedure , please check the website : https://centuri-livingsystems.org/phd2024-19/ Please do not hesitate to get in touch in case you have any questions, Ahmed El hady Dr. Ahmed El Hady Group Leader Cluster for Advanced Study of Collective Behavior Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz Room ZT 907 Postbox 687 Tel.: +49 7531 88-4742

1 0

Second Call for Papers: RaPID-5@LREC-COLING 2024
by Dim X Jan. 27, 2024

Jan. 27, 2024

************************************************************************************* *Second Call for Papers:* The 5th workshop on: "*Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from * * people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric/developmental impairments*" *Workshop*: co-located with LREC-COLING 2024 | Turin, Italy | May 21st, 2024 RaPID-5 serves as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers to exchange insights, methods, and experiences related to collecting and processing data from individuals with mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments. The workshop focuses on creating, processing, and applying such data resources from individuals at different stages and severity levels of these impairments. The ultimate goal of RaPID-5 is to facilitate the study of relationships among linguistic, paralinguistic, and extra-linguistic observations, with applications ranging from aiding diagnosis to enhancing monitoring and predicting individuals at higher risk, ultimately promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across clinical, language technology, computational linguistics, and computer science communities. *Submission deadline*: Sun., 17th of March, 2024 (anywhere on earth - new date!) *Paper submission*: https://softconf.com/lrec-coling2024/rapid2024/ *Website and more details*: https://spraakbanken.gu.se/en/rapid-2024 *Contact*: Dimitrios Kokkinakis *Contact email*: dimitrios.kokkinakis(a)gu.se *Invited Speakers: * - Dr. Alexandra König, BSc MSc PhD, Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique (INRIA); Cobtek (Cognition; Behaviour; Technology) Lab; University Côte d'Azur, France - Prof. Maria Liakata, EPSRC/UKRI Turing Institute AI fellow, Queen Mary University of London, UK *Organizing committee*: - Kathleen C. Fraser, National Research Council, Canada; - Dimitrios Kokkinakis, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; - Kristina Lundholm Fors, Lund University, Sweden; - Charalambos K. Themistocleous, University of Oslo, Norway; - Athanasios Tsanas, The University of Edinburgh, UK; - Fredrik Öhman, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden **************************************************************************************

1 0

Summer school "Cognitive Foundations of Decision-Making" in Rabat, Marocco
by Rava A. da Silveira Jan. 27, 2024

Jan. 27, 2024

Applications are open for the interdisciplinary summer school “*Cognitive** Foundations of Decision-Making.”* The summer school is aimed at young scholars interested in decision-making in general, and the neural and cognitive foundations of decision-making in particular. The summer school will be held on *July 22–27, 2024*, on the beautiful campus of University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, in Rabat, Morocco. Information, including details on how to apply, can be found at https://www.rislab.net/summerschool. The lecturers will include Larbi Alaoui (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Rava Azeredo da Silveira (ENS and University of Basel), Peter Bossaerts (University of Cambridge), Joseph Kable (University of Pennsylvania), Rafael Polania (ETH Zurich), Ryan Webb (University of Toronto).

1 0

Call for Applications & Help Promote: Gatsby Bridging Programme (Maths Summer School)
by Lin, I-Chun Jan. 25, 2024

Jan. 25, 2024

Application deadline: 23 February 2024 (We may need to stop accepting applications before this date if the number received exceeds our capacity to review.) Programme dates: 24 Jun - 9 Aug 2024 (London, UK) Programme details: www.ucl.ac.uk/gatsby/study-and-work/gatsby-bridging-programme The Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL is running the Gatsby Bridging Programme - an intensive, 7-week mathematics summer school. The programme is designed for penultimate/final-year undergraduates and Master’s students (incl. recent graduates) who aspire to pursue a postgraduate research degree in Theoretical Neuroscience or Machine Learning but whose degree course does not have a strong mathematical focus. Participants will attend in-person lectures/tutorials/problem-solving sessions to develop mathematics skills and intuition necessary to enter both fields and have the opportunity to interact with our researchers. We aim to be inclusive and to increase the diversity of students entering both fields. Thus, we strongly encourage applications from students in underrepresented groups in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics. A limited number of bursaries are available to students who may find it difficult to participate for financial reasons. We would also appreciate it if you could help us reach students who may benefit from this programme. Here are some ways you can help us spread the word: * Distributing the Call for Applications email among colleagues and interested students. * Sharing our posts on social media: - X/Twitter: twitter.com/GatsbyUCL/status/1747929384135127272 - Mastodon: neuromatch.social/@GatsbyUCL/111776402260388914 - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/i-chun-lin-49270817_mathematics-summerschool-theoret… Thank you for any support you are willing to give us. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Best, I-Chun -- I-Chun Lin Scientific Programme Manager Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit

1 0

CAJAL Course on Quantitative Approaches to Behavior and Virtual Reality 2024
by Daniel McNamee Jan. 24, 2024

Jan. 24, 2024

CAJAL COURSE ON QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO BEHAVIOR AND VIRTUAL REALITY 2 - 21 June 2024, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal https://cajal-training.org/on-site/quantitative-approaches-to-behaviour-and… Applications deadline: 19 February 2024 DIRECTORS • Benjamin de Bivort (Harvard University, USA) • Ann Kennedy (Northwestern University, USA) * Giorgio Gilestro (Imperial College London, UK) • Daniel McNamee (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal) Quantitative studies of behaviour are fundamental in our effort to understand brain function and malfunction. Recently, the techniques for studying behaviour, along with those for monitoring and manipulating neural activity, have progressed rapidly. Therefore, we are organizing a summer course to provide promising young scientists with a comprehensive introduction to state-of-the-art techniques in quantitative behavioural methods. This course’s content is complementary to other summer courses that focus on measuring and manipulation neurophysiological processes. Our focus is on methodologies to acquire rich data representations of behavior, dissect them statistically, model their dynamics, and integrate behavioral measurements with other kinds of neurobiological data. To this end, students will 1) fabricate devices for recording the behavior of experimental organisms (including flies, fish, and humans), 2) learn, under the guidance of the scientists developing these methods, the modern tools to analyze behavioral data from these organisms, and 3) in a week-long independent project develop and conduct a behavioral study of their own design, with the support and guidance of the course instructors and teaching assistants. The course is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from a variety of disciplines, including neuroscience, biology, ethology, computer science, and psychology. Students are expected to have a keen interest and basic background in neurobiology and behavior, as well as some programming experience. A maximum of 20 students will be accepted. Students of any nationality can apply. We specifically encourage applications from researchers who work in the developing world. Stipends are available. Confirmed faculty: Ahmed Al-Hady (Max Planck Institute, Konstanz, Germany) Kristin Branson (Janelia, USA) Andre Brown (Imperial College, UK) Bing Brunton (U Washington, USA) Iain Couzin (Max Planck Institute, Konstanz, Germany) Serena Ding (Max Planck Institute, Konstanz, Germany) Gonzalo de Polavieja (Champalimaud, Portugal) Kim Hoke (Colorado State University, USA) Karla Kaun (Brown University, USA) Kate Laskowski (UC Davis, USA) Zach Mainen (Champalimaud, Portugal) Talmo Pereira (Salk Institute, USA) Hugo Spiers (UCL, UK) Nachum Ulanovsky (Weizmann Institute, Israel) more to be confirmed! Daniel McNamee (co-director, Champalimaud Research)

1 0

Postdoc in Barcelona
by Quian Quiroga, Rodrigo (Prof.) Jan. 24, 2024

Jan. 24, 2024

POSTDOCTORAL POSITION TO STUDY SINGLE CELL RECORDINGS AND MEMORY FUNCTIONING IN THE HUMAN BRAIN We are looking for a postdoc to study single cell recordings in humans, performed in epileptic patients for curative surgery. The position will be in the recently established group of Prof. Quian Quiroga at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, in Barcelona (https://www.imim.es<https://www.imim.es/>). The project will investigate concept cells (a.k.a. Jennifer Aniston neurons) – neurons in the hippocampus and surrounding areas that selectively fire to specific concepts, like different pictures and the written or spoken name of a particular person (e.g. Quian Quiroga et al, Nature 2005; Quian Quiroga, Cell 2019), which are involved in declarative memory functions. For more details see: https://web.archive.org/web/20220108024112/https://www2.le.ac.uk/centres/cs…<https://web.archive.org/web/20220108024112/https:/www2.le.ac.uk/centres/csn…> The successful candidate will contribute to performing recordings with patients and the analysis / modelling of the data to investigate the role of these neurons in memory. The candidate should have very good quantitative skills (data processing and programing, e.g. in Matlab) and a strong background or interest in neuroscience. To apply send an email to Prof. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (rquian(a)imim.es) including a CV, a letter of motivation and the name of two contacts for references. Deadline for application: Review of applications will begin on the 12th of February 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. Best, Rodrigo Quian Quiroga ICREA Research Professor Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) PRBB Building. Barcelona, Spain

1 0

CSHL 2024 summer course on "Computational Neuroscience: Vision"
by Jonathan Pillow Jan. 24, 2024

Jan. 24, 2024

Hi All, Please consider applying to the CSHL "Computational Neuroscience: Vision" summer course. (See below for details). Applications are due March 15. Thank you! -Jonathan Pillow <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WKqGSEgHdUGUppV…> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WKqGSEgHdUGUppV…> Computational Neuroscience: Vision <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WKqGSEgHdUGUppV…> July 9 - 23, 2024 Applications Due: March 15, 2024 Instructors Emily Cooper, University of California Berkeley Jonathan Pillow, Princeton University John Serences, University of California, San Diego Hands-on Experience with - MATLAB- and Python-based computer tutorials and projects - Visual information processing from the retina to higher cortical areas - Spatial pattern analysis - Motion analysis - Neuronal coding and decoding - Attention - Decision-making 2024 Lecturers Emma Alexander, Northwestern University Mariam Aly, Columbia University Kathryn Bonnen, Indiana University EJ Chichilnisky, Stanford University Marlene Cohen, University of Chicago Rachel Denison, Boston University Lea Duncker, Stanford University Ione Fine, University of Washington Lindsey Glickfeld, Duke University Jennifer Groh, Duke University Kohitij Kar, York University Taraz Lee, University of Michigan J. Anthony Movshon, New York University Stephanie Palmer, University of Chicago Ruth Rosenholtz, M.I.T. Madineh Sedigh-Sarvestani, Cornell University Eero Simoncelli, New York University/Flatiron Institute Stefan Treue, Universität Göttingen - German Primate Center, Germany Jacob Yates, UC Berkeley For further information and to register please visit the Computational Neuroscience: Vision course website. <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WKqGSEgHdUGUppV…>

1 0

Announcing Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course 2024 (OCNC 2024)
by Erik De Schutter Jan. 24, 2024

Jan. 24, 2024

OKINAWA/OIST COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE COURSE 2024 Methods, Neurons, Networks and Behaviors June 17 to July 4, 2024 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan https://groups.oist.jp/ocnc The aim of the Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course is to provide opportunities for young researchers with theoretical backgrounds to learn the latest advances in neuroscience, and for those with experimental backgrounds to have hands-on experience in computational modeling. We invite graduate students and postgraduate researchers to participate in the course, held from June 17th through July 4th, 2024 at an oceanfront seminar house of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. Applications are through the course web page (https://groups.oist.jp/ocnc) only; January 1 - January 31, 2024. Applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance end of March. Like in preceding years, the 19th OCNC will be a comprehensive three-week course covering single neurons, networks, and behaviors with ample time for student projects. The first week will focus exclusively on methods with hands-on tutorials during the afternoons, while the second and third weeks will have lectures by international and local experts. The course has a strong hands-on component based on student proposed modeling or data analysis projects, which are further refined with the help of a dedicated tutor. Applicants are required to propose their project at the time of application. There is no tuition fee. The sponsor will provide lodging and meals during the course. We hope that this course will be a good opportunity for theoretical and experimental neuroscientists to meet each other and to explore the attractive nature and culture of Okinawa, the southernmost island prefecture of Japan. Lecturers: Erik De Schutter (OIST) Kenji Doya (OIST) Tomoki Fukai (OIST) Izumi Fukunaga (OIST) N. Alex Cayco Gajic (École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) Yukiko Goda (OIST) Arvind Kumar (KTH, Stockholm, Sweden) Bernd Kuhn (OIST) Matthew Larkum (Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany) Hakwan Lau (RIKEN CBS, Tokyo, Japan) Sukbin Lim (NYU Shangai, China) Gerald Pao (OIST) Thomas Parr (Oxford University, UK) Sam Reiter (OIST) Kazumasa Tanaka (OIST)

1 2

Modellers Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox (Final Call)
by Stewart Heitmann Jan. 23, 2024

Jan. 23, 2024

Final call for the Modellers Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox. This is an online course is for researchers who wish to build custom dynamical models using the Brain Dynamics Toolbox software. The course focuses on practical programming techniques for the major classes of differential equations (ordinary, partial, delay, stochastic) in computational neuroscience. Example code is provided in all cases. Upon completion, students will be able to turn differential equations into working simulations. Study time is 8 hours. Course Website https://bdtoolbox.teachable.com/p/modellers-workshop Toolbox Website https://bdtoolbox.org Important Dates Enrolments close 31st Jan 2024. Disclaimer The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website.

1 0

Junior Scientists Workshop on Recent Advances in Theoretical Neuroscience, 3-7 June 2024, Trieste (Italy)
by Francesca Mastrogiuseppe Jan. 23, 2024

Jan. 23, 2024

We are delighted to announce the upcoming "Workshop on Recent Advances in Theoretical Neuroscience" taking place from June 3rd to 7th, 2024, at ICTP in Trieste, Italy. The workshop is addressed to early- and mid-career researchers, and will explore the topics of dynamics, plasticity, and computation in neural circuits. *Program overview* The program is structured around a series of in-depth morning presentations delivered by invited speakers, with an emphasis on both mathematical tools and biological implications. In the afternoons, participants will share their own research through contributed talks and poster presentations. The primary objective of this program is to foster a collaborative and prolific exchange of ideas among emerging scientists in the field of Theoretical Neuroscience. *Invited speakers* - Blake Bordelon, Harvard University, USA - Alex Cayco Gajic, Ecole Normale Superieure, France - Lea Duncker, Stanford University, USA - Rodrigo Echeveste, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina - Sukbin Lim, New York University Shanghai, China - Laureline Logiaco, MIT, USA - Marcelo Mattar, New York University, USA - Ulises Pereira, Allen Institute, USA - Alessandro Sanzeni, Bocconi University, Italy - Marine Schimel, Cambridge University, UK - James Whittington, Stanford University, USA *Venue* The workshop will be held at the ICTP Adriatico Guesthouse, a conference facility nestled beside the charming Grignano harbor, just a few minutes' walk from the iconic Miramare Castle. *Registration* There is no registration fee. Additionally, a limited number of grants are available to **fully support** the attendance of selected participants, with priority given to participants joining from the **developing countries**. ICTP can also assist with visa applications. Please note the early deadline for financial/visa support (see below). *Abstract submission* All participants are encouraged to submit an abstract summarizing their ongoing research, eligible for consideration for a poster presentation or a contributed talk. Applications can be submitted via the event website: https://indico.ictp.it/event/10481/ Application deadlines are: - February 23rd, 2024 for applicants requesting financial and/or visa support - March 15th, 2024 for all other applicants Please feel free to reach out with questions or requests. We look forward to your participation for an exciting week together! Best regards, The organizers: Agostina Palmigiano, Francesca Mastrogiuseppe, Alessandro Ingrosso, Sebastian Goldt

1 0

EMBO Practical Course - Barcelona summer school for Advanced Modelling of Behavior (BAMB!), July 16-25, 2024
by Alexandre Hyafil Jan. 23, 2024

Jan. 23, 2024

The Barcelona summer school for Advanced Modelling of Behavior (BAMB! <http://www.bambschool.org>) teaches advanced techniques in model-based analysis of behavior (humans and other species) to cognitive and computational neuroscientists at PhD and early career levels. This will be achieved through structured lectures, talks, hands-on tutorials and group projects aimed at making knowledge obtained directly applicable to the participants' own research. We want the trainees to acquire both the conceptual basis and the technical skills that will enable them to pursue a full modelling approach on their own when they come back to their lab. The course is intended for PhD students and postdocs in cognitive, systems, and computational neuroscience with a solid background in computational/quantitative analysis to benefit maximally from the advanced training offered by the course. Proficiency in either Python or Matlab is also required. We seek a nice blend of experimentalists (cognitive psychology / neuroscience) and theoreticians (with or without experience in cognitive modeling). Scientists from underrepresented groups and countries are especially encouraged to apply. The school is an EMBO Practical Course <https://www.embo.org/conferences-training/> and is organized by the Centre de Recerca Matemática <http://www.crm.cat>. A limited number of travel grants and childcare grants will be available. Organizers: Alex Hyafil (CRM, Barcelona) Marion Rouault (CNRS, Paris Brain Institute) Heike Stein (ENS, Paris) Chris Summerfield (Oxford / Deepmind) Klaus Wimmer (CRM, Barcelona) Confirmed Faculty: Kenji Doya (OIST Okinawa) Maria Eckstein (Deepmind) Alex Hyafil (CRM, Barcelona) Jakob Macke (Tuebingen) Yael Niv (Princeton) Heike Stein (ENS, Paris) Chris Summerfield (Oxford / Deepmind) Anne Urai (Leiden) Klaus Wimmer (CRM, Barcelona) Dates and location: July 16-25, 2024, downtown Barcelona, Spain Applications are open until February 16, 2024. Please see the course website for further details: www.bambschool.org.

1 0

Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain
by Eric Shea-Brown Jan. 22, 2024

Jan. 22, 2024

A warm invitation to apply to join the Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain. This is a computational neuroscience course, centered on student projects that leverage the wealth of Allen Institute data, particularly focused on neurophysiology, population dynamics, behavior, and connectivity data. Co-organized by the Allen Institute and the University of Washington’s Computational Neuroscience Center, the course takes place at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratory in the San Juan Islands. This 2-week residential program is intended for researchers at the PhD student and postdoctoral level with an interest in developing the intersection of their scientific knowledge and their computational skills. While strong coding skills are not a prerequisite, there is a large emphasis on computation and coding during the course. Applications are due by February 1st, 2024. More information can be found on our Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain website. <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://alleninstitute.org/events/summer-worksh…> If you have questions, please contact us at dynamicbrain(a)alleninstitute.org <mailto:dynamicbrain@alleninstitute.org>

1 0

WCCI 2024 in Yokohama: submission deadline Jan 29
by Kenji Doya Jan. 22, 2024

Jan. 22, 2024

WCCI 2024 is a joint conference on Neural Networks, Fuzzy Systems and Evolutionary Computation. The paper submission deadline has been extended to January 29. We hope to see many of you in the waterfront city of Yokohama this summer. === IEEE WCCI 2024 Call for Papers June 30 - July 5, 2024 @ Yokohama, Japan https://2024.ieeewcci.org IEEE WCCI 2024 is the world’s largest technical event on computational intelligence, featuring the three flagship conferences of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) under one roof: The International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), the IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ-IEEE) and the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (IEEE CEC). WCCI and IJCNN Keynote Speakers: * Marios M. Polycarpou, University of Cyprus * Bernadette Bouchon-Meunier, CNRS-Sorbonne Université * Simon See, Nvidia * Saori Tanaka, NAIST & ATR * Akira Oyama, JAXA * Johan Suykens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven * Masashi Sugiyama, Riken & University of Tokyo * Plamen Angelov, Lancaster University * Yukie Nagai, University of Tokyo * Divyashree-Shivakumar Sreepathihalli, Google IMPORTANT DATES - 29 January 2024: Paper Submission Deadline - 15 March 2024: Paper Acceptance Notification - 1 May 2024: Final Paper Submission & Early Registration Deadline - 30 June - 5 July 2024: IEEE WCCI 2024 Yokohama, Japan PAPER SUBMISSION Please read the paper submission guidelines (https://2024.ieeewcci.org/submission) before submitting your papers. * Each paper should not reveal author's identities (double-blind review process). * Papers will be checked for plagiarism. The Program Committee reserves the right to desk-reject a paper if it contains elements that are suspected to be plagiarized. * Submissions should be original and not currently under review at another venue. * Each paper is limited to 8 pages, including figures, tables, and references. A maximum of two extra pages per paper is allowed (i.e, up to 10 pages), at an additional charge of $100 per extra page. * All papers must be submitted through the IEEE WCCI 2024 online submission system. * For special session papers, please select the respective special session title under the list of research topics in the submission system. * In order for your papers to be included in the congress program and in the proceedings, final accepted papers must be submitted, and the corresponding registration fees must be paid by May 1, 2024 (11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth). * IEEE WCCI 2024 will present the Best Overall Paper Awards and the Best Student Paper Awards to recognize outstanding papers published in each of the three conference proceedings (IJCNN 2024, FUZZ-IEEE 2024, IEEE CEC 2024). The awards will be judged by an Awards Committee and the recipient of each award will be given a certificate of the award and a cash prize. * It is the policy of WCCI 2024 that new authors cannot be added at the time of submitting final camera ready papers. Please ensure that you are following this guideline to avoid any issues with publication. * WCCI 2024 adopts EDAS as the submission system, available at the following link: https://edas.info/N31614 NOTE IEEE WCCI 2024 will be primarily an in-person conference. However, the organization acknowledges that for a wide variety of reasons not all members can physically attend the conference and that traveling may simply be impossible. Therefore, the conference will provide the possibility for remote presentation (live online talk with live online Q&A) for remote authors. At least one remote author must register for the conference (regular registration, as IEEE Member or Non-Member). In addition to delivering the live online talk, remote authors are also asked to provide a recording their talk, which will be made available to all attendees to be viewed at their own convenience. The recorded talk will also be used as a backup just in case there are Internet connection problems during the live online talk. Remote attendees can attend only online sessions whereas on-site attendees can attend all sessions (i.e., both online and on-site sessions). ---- Kenji Doya <doya(a)oist.jp> Neural Computation Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan Phone: +81-98-966-8594; Fax: +81-98-966-2891 https://groups.oist.jp/ncu

1 0

3 Year Shanahan Fellowships at Allen Inst. + UW -- apply by Feb 1
by Eric Shea-Brown Jan. 21, 2024

Jan. 21, 2024

Sharing a unique and cool opportunity — the three year Shanahan Foundation Fellowships at the interface of data and neuroscience, open to early-career scholars from diverse disciplines, and co-hosted by the Allen Institute and the University of Washington’s Computational Neuroscience Center and eScience Institute in Seattle. Please head to https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/careers/shanahan-founda… <https://alleninstitute.org/careers/internships-and-postbac/shanahan-foundat…>for more info and to apply to join us in Seattle, by Feb 1!

1 0

Summer research internships at the FlatIron Institute, New York City
by Eero Simoncelli Jan. 20, 2024

Jan. 20, 2024

Graduate students and advanced undergraduates: *Spend a summer doing research at the Flatiron Institute in NYC!* Information about the Center for Computational Neuroscience: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci… Information about our summer internship program (application deadline: 2 Feb 2024): https://apply.interfolio.com/137388 *Eero Simoncelli*Scientific Director | Center for Computational Neuroscience | FlatIron Institute, Simons Foundation Silver Professor | Neural Science, Mathematics, Data Science, and Psychology | New York University https://www.cns.nyu.edu/~eero

1 0

Postdoctoral researcher in computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics
by Daniele Marinazzo Jan. 19, 2024

Jan. 19, 2024

Dear colleagues I am happy to announce a postdoctoral position at Ghent University, Belgium, aligned with the initiatives of the EBRAINS 2.0 project, funded by the European Commission, with dozens of partners performing top level research across Europe. EBRAINS AISBL is a prominent contributor to the European digital neuroscience research infrastructure ( https://www.ebrains.eu/) Our exciting research program centers around DIGITAL TWIN Brain Models, leveraging neuroimaging data and the power of statistical inference. We aim to enhance scalability and reliability, facilitating the translation of personalized predictive medicine into clinical applications and innovations. Our goal is to seamlessly integrate this workflow into the EBRAINS ecosystem. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of the modeling and simulation framework essential for realizing the Digital Twin vision. More specifically, the selected candidate will contribute to building personalized workflows for biologically and anatomically inspired models for multiple datasets and to exploring different strategies for model inversion (from data to model structure and model parameters), exploiting the range of temporal and spatial scales present in EBRAINS. The outcomes will be integrated with data and models following the openMINDS metadata schemes and according to the BIDS standards. Please find all the info (including how to apply) at the link below https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Ghent-Postdoctoral-researcher-in-computational-ne…

1 0

Multiple positions in the Naud Lab
by Richard Naud Jan. 19, 2024

Jan. 19, 2024

Centre for Neural Dynamics and Artificial Intelligence, University of Ottawa We are recruiting multiple postdoctoral fellows and graduate students for projects in NeuroAI. The successful candidate will become an integral part of the Neural Coding lab and participate in a collaborative research environment. We have positions within three larger projects: 1) mathematical modeling of the electrical stimulation of cortex (a project co-lead with MIT and MGH), 2) an applied AI project with high-throughput neuroscience data (part of the Brain-Heart Initiative), 3) plasticity in large spiking neural network for real world applications (sponsored by industrial partners). Ottawa is a vibrant city, capital of Canada. For more information, see https://neurodynamic.uottawa.ca/ottawa.html. Qualifications: physics, computer science, mathematics, or engineering. Start date: As soon as a suitable candidate is found. Submit: CV, statement of research interest and contact for 3 references. Deadline: We will start reviewing applications January 30, 2024. Contact: rnaud(a)uottawa.ca<mailto:rnaud@uottawa.ca> (Richard Naud)

1 0

new neuroscience course for people from machine learning
by Goodman, Daniel F M Jan. 18, 2024

Jan. 18, 2024

Hi everyone, We made a free, open course on neuroscience for people with a machine learning or other quantitative background. You can use it to get started in computational neuroscience or just to indulge your neurocuriousity. I believe that neuroscience and ML can learn from each other and do better together than on their own. The course has 34 short videos from introductory topics right up to recent discoveries we still don't fully understand. We also have practical exercises focussed on open ended discovery, fully compatible with Google Colab. Check out the course website at: https://neuro4ml.github.io/ Over the next year, I'll be turning this into an 'interactive textbook' with videos, text and runnable code in one place, and welcoming contributions on new topics, corrections, etc. through GitHub issues. All our materials are freely licensed for reuse in your own courses too. Why this new course? There's a lot of intro neuroscience courses out there, and a lot of ML for neuroscientists, but I wanted this one to be specifically for quantitative people who are curious about the brain, interested in how it might be similar and different to ML. We hope you'll enjoy it! Thanks! Dan Goodman and Marcus Ghosh Imperial College London

1 0

Call for applications for Systems Vision Science Virtual Summer School & Symposium, June 19 -July 12, 2024
by Pavlovic, Maria Jan. 18, 2024

Jan. 18, 2024

Systems Vision Science Virtual Summer School & Symposium: June 19th - July 12th, 2024 -------------------------------- Applications are invited for a virtual edition <https://summerschool.lizhaoping.org/virtual-systems-vision-science-summer-s chool-symposium-2024/> of the Systems Vision Science Summer School and Symposium that took place in Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tuebingen, Germany in August 2023 <https://summerschool.lizhaoping.org/> . This year, the virtual edition enables students to attend from afar by formal lectures via Zoom and informal and social communications via a Slack channel. Systems Vision Science combines computational, behavioral, and neuroscience methods to discover functions and algorithms for vision in various brain regions and their implementations in neural circuits. This summer school is designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models. The syllabus content will be very similar to the edition in 2023, the learning format, the delivery, and social interactions will be adjusted to suit the virtual format. Experience or knowledge in (A) computational methods, (B) visual psychophysics, and (C) vision neuroscience, is not required. However, experience in at least one of (A), (B), and (C), and a readiness to learn, is expected. The Summer School will be followed by a Systems Vision Science Virtual Symposium on July 12th. All admitted summer school students will be invited to attend this symposium and are encouraged to submit for a presentation at the symposium. The symposium will also feature two invited keynote presentations. A certificate of completion of the summer school course will be provided after the student's successful completion of the summer school. -------------------------------- Important Dates: March 31, 2024 Deadline for applications April 12, 2024 Notification of acceptance April 29, 2024 Registration fees due June 19 - Virtual Systems Vision Science Summer School takes place July 10, 2024 (formal lectures via Zoom and informal and social communications via a Slack channel) July 12, 2024 Virtual Systems Vision Science Symposium takes place (3 -7 pm German time) -------------------------------- Please click here <https://summerschool.lizhaoping.org/virtual-systems-vision-science-summer-s chool-symposium-2024/> to find more details and to apply by March 31, 2024. Summer School admission will be based on interest/motivation and prior knowledge/experience of the applicants, and on how much the applicants could benefit from participation. Please direct inquiries to svs.summerschool(a)tue.mpg.de <mailto:svs.summerschool@tue.mpg.de> -------------------------------- Organizing Team Li Zhaoping Maria Pavlovic Junhao Liang Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics University of Tuebingen www.lizhaoping.org <http://www.lizhaoping.org>

1 0

Announcing Open Source Brain v2.0: NetPyNE, NWB Explorer and JupyterLab; ModelDB models and DANDI Archive datasets
by Padraig Gleeson Jan. 17, 2024

Jan. 17, 2024

<Apologies for cross posting> We would like to announce a major new version of the Open Source Brain platform (v2.0) we have been working on which has a range of new features for you to try: https://v2.opensourcebrain.org. You can create cloud based, persistent workspaces which contain models and data from a number of sources (https://v2.opensourcebrain.org/repositories) including: - All *OSBv1* projects incorporating NeuroML and PyNN models - All *ModelDB* entries - All *BRAIN Initiative DANDI Archive* datasets containing NWB files Inbuilt applications which can open these workspaces include: *- NetPyNE UI*, a 3D graphical application for neuronal simulations (NeuroML compliant) *- NWB Explorer* for opening and visualising data in NWB files *- JupyterLab*, a full interactive Python environment, with a number of computational neuroscience, data analysis and machine learning packages preinstalled. Full documentation is at https://docs.opensourcebrain.org and a Guided Tour introducing the main features of the platform is here <https://docs.opensourcebrain.org/OSBv2/Guided_tour.html>. We are very keen for new users to try out our platform. Please note that you will require a different username/password for OSBv2 from OSBv1. We are also very happy to make dedicated resources available on the platform to support classes/tutorials/computational neuroscience schools. The Open Source Brain Initiative aims to: - Make neuroscience experimental data and computational models from around the world easily findable in a single location - Provide a free to use, collaborative, web based, interactive computing platform that integrates state of the art software tools for accessing and working with large scale data sets and computational models. - Encourage the use of standards for making research outputs more FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable): OSBv2 supports NeuroML for models and NWB for data. Please get in contact if you would like to help us with any of these goals! Regards, The OSB Team

1 0

CFP COMPLEX NETWORKS 2024 Istanbul Turkey December 10 - 12, 2024
by Hocine Cherifi Jan. 17, 2024

Jan. 17, 2024

13 *th **International Conference on Complex Networks & Their Applications* Istanbul, Turkey December 10 - 12, 2024 COMPLEX NETWORKS 2024 <https://complexnetworks.org/> We encourage researchers from diverse disciplines to share their insights, engage in discussions, and contribute to the vibrant field of complex networks. Join us in Istanbul for a stimulating exchange of ideas and collaborations that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Submission Deadline: September 3, 2024 Submission Categories: Full papers (not previously published up to 12 pages) and Extended Abstracts (about published or unpublished research up to 4 pages) are welcome. · *Papers *will be included in the conference *proceedings edited by Springer* · *Extended abstracts* will be published in the *Book of Abstracts (with ISBN)* Publication Opportunities: Extended versions will be invited for publication in *special issues of international journals:* o PLOS <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/> one <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/> o PLOS COMPLEX SYSTEMS <https://journals.plos.org/complexsystems/> o Applied Network Science <https://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/> edited by Springer o Social Network Analysis and Mining <https://link.springer.com/journal/13278> edited by Springer o Advances in Complex Systems <https://www.worldscientific.com/toc/acs/24/02> edited by World Scientific o Entropy <https://www.mdpi.com/journal/entropy> edited by MDPI o Complex Systems <https://www.complex-systems.com/about/> *TOPICS* *Topics include, but are not limited to: * o Models of Complex Networks o Structural Network Properties and Analysis o Complex Networks and Epidemics o Community Structure in Networks o Community Discovery in Complex Networks o Motif Discovery in Complex Networks o Network Mining o Network embedding methods o Machine learning with graphs o Dynamics and Evolution Patterns of Complex Networks o Link Prediction o Multilayer Networks o Network Controllability o Synchronization in Networks o Visual Representation of Complex Networks o Large-scale Graph Analytics o Social Reputation, Influence, and Trust o Information Spreading in Social Media o Rumour and Viral Marketing in Social Networks o Recommendation Systems and Complex Networks o Financial and Economic Networks o Complex Networks and Mobility o Biological and Technological Networks o Mobile call Networks o Bioinformatics and Earth Sciences Applications o Resilience and Robustness of Complex Networks o Complex Networks for Physical Infrastructures o Complex Networks, Smart Cities and Smart Grids o Political networks o Supply chain networks o Complex networks and information systems o Complex networks and CPS/IoT o Graph signal processing o Cognitive Network Science o Network Medicine o Network Neuroscience o Quantifying success through network analysis o Temporal and spatial networks o Historical Networks We look forward to your submissions and your participation in COMPLEX NETWORKS 2024! The Organizers Join us at COMPLEX NETWORKS 2024 <https://www.complexnetworks.org/> *-------------------------* Hocine CHERIFI University of Burgundy Franche-Comté Laboratoire* I*nterdisciplinaire *C*arnot de *B*ourgogne - ICB UMR 6303 CNRS Editor in Chief Plos Complex Systems <https://plos.org/complex-systems-research-journal/#:~:text=PLOS%20Complex%2….> Founding & Adisory Editor Applied Network Science <https://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/> Editorial Board member PLOS One <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/>, IEEE ACCESS <https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/?http%3A%2F%2Fieeeaccess_ieee_org%2F>, Scientific Reports <https://www.nature.com/srep/>, Journal of Imaging <https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jimaging>, Quality and Quantity <https://www.springer.com/journal/11135/>, Computational Social Networks <https://computationalsocialnetworks.springeropen.com/>, Complex Systems <https://www.complex-systems.com/>

1 0

ACDL 2024, 7th Advanced Course on Data Science & Machine Learning - From Deep Learning to Generative AI | June 10-14 | Riva del Sole Resort & SPA - Italy -> Early Registration: by February 23
by Giuseppe Nicosia Jan. 17, 2024

Jan. 17, 2024

* Apologies for multiple copies. Please forward to anybody who might be interested, thanks * #ACDL2024, An Interdisciplinary Course: From Deep Learning to Generative AI ACDL 2024 is a full-immersion 5-day course in Tuscany on cutting-edge advances in AI, Deep Learning, LLMs, Data Sc. & Generative AI with lectures delivered by world-renowned experts. If you want to learn NLP, Generative AI Transformers, Diffusion Models, Large language models, Vision - Large-scale vision models, Vision and language, Beyond vision and language, Multimodal Foundation Models and much more then take part in ACDL 2024! ;-) Riva del Sole Resort & SPA - Tuscany, Italy, June 10-14 https://acdl2024.icas.events acdl(a)icas.cc EARLY REGISTRATION: by February 23 (AoE) https://acdl2024.icas.events/registration/ Oral Presentation Submission Deadline: by February 23 (AoE) LECTURERS: Each Lecturer will hold up to four lectures on one or more research topics. https://acdl2024.icas.events/lecturers/ * Joseph Sifakis, Verimag Laboratory, Grenoble, France *Turing Award* Lecture(s) "Testing systems intelligence - A systems engineering perspective" * Gabriel Barth-Maron, DeepMind, London, UK 4 Lessons on "Multimodal Foundation Models" * Sven Giesselbach, Fraunhofer Institute - IAIS, Germany 5 Lessons on "Introduction on Foundation Models" * Ramin Hasani, MIT, USA 4 Lessons on "Continuous Neural Networks / Liquid Neural Networks" * Nora Kassner, DeepMind, London, UK "Large Language Models: Life after Pre-training" "Large Language Models: Evaluation" "Large Language Models: Reasoning and Factuality" "Large Language Models: Retrieval augmentation and Tool-use" * Petros Koumoutsakos, Harvard University, USA “Machine Learning for Modeling and Control of Complex Systems” 1/2 “Machine Learning for Modeling and Control of Complex Systems” 2/2 “Solving forward and inverse problems with and without neural networks” “Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification” * Maria Liakata, The Alan Turing Institute, UK 4 Lessons on "Longitudinal Language Processing with User Generated Content" * Panos Pardalos, University of Florida, USA Lectures 1-2 TBA Topics: Data Science, Application to Neuroscience * Jakub M. Tomczak, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands 4 Lessons on “Deep Generative Modelling” * Rianne van den Berg, Microsoft Research Amsterdam, The Netherlands 3 Lessons on "Diffusion Models" * Pascal Van Hentenryck, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 3 Lessons on "Fusing Machine Learning and Optimization for Engineering" * Max Welling, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands 3 Lessons on "Generalized Belief Propagation Algorithms for Tensor Network Contractions" More Lecturers TBA TUTORIAL SPEAKERS: TBA Each Tutorial Speaker will hold more than four lessons on one or more research topics. PAST LECTURERS: https://acdl2024.icas.events/past-lecturers/ ACDL 2024 VENUE: Riva del Sole Resort & SPA Località Riva del Sole‚ Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) CAP 58043‚ Tuscany‚ Italy p: +39-0564-928111 e: booking.events(a)rivadelsole.it w: https://www.rivadelsole.it/en/ https://acdl2024.icas.events/venue/ PAST EDITIONS: https://acdl2024.icas.events/past-editions/ REGISTRATION: https://acdl2024.icas.events/registration/ CERTIFICATE & 8 ECTS: PhD students, Postdocs, Industry Practitioners, Junior and Senior Academics, and will be typical profiles of the ACDL attendants. The Course will involve a total of 36-40 hours of lectures, according to the academic system the final achievement will be equivalent to 8 ECTS points for the PhD Students (and some strongly motivated master student) attending the Course. At the end of the course, a formal certificate will be delivered indicating the 8 ECTS points. TO PARTICIPATE IN ACDL 2024, all attendants must (1/2) register for the course (by February 23, 2024) and (2/2) book accommodation at the course venue, Riva del Sole Resort & SPA‚ (by April 23, 2024); all attendants must stay at the Riva del Sole Resort & SPA. Once accommodation has been booked at Riva del Sole Resort & SPA‚ the participant must send this information (including the Booking Number) to the ACDL organizing committee (acdl(a)icas.cc) ACDL is a residential course, so all lecturers and participants must reside in the same Hotel (Riva del Sole Resort & SPA). No exceptions are made. For privacy reasons, the Hotel cannot match people. If you have someone to share the apartment with, please send to the Hotel ( booking.events(a)rivadelsole.it) the name, surname and email address. Otherwise the solution is to book an apartment in single use. Anyone interested in participating in ACDL 2024 should register as soon as possible. See you in Riva del Sole in June! Giuseppe Nicosia & Panos Pardalos - ACDL 2024 Directors. ACDL 2024 Scientific & Organizing Committees. https://acdl2024.icas.events acdl(a)icas.cc 7th Advanced Course on Data Science & Machine Learning - ACDL 2024, 10-14 June, Riva del Sole Resort & SPA, Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) – Tuscany, Italy. An Interdisciplinary Course: Big Data, Deep Learning & AI without Borders Early Registration: by February 23, 2024 (AoE) The Course is equivalent to 8 ECTS points for the PhD Students and the Master Students attending the Course. https://acdl2024.icas.events/ 10th International Conference on Learning, Optimization and Data – LOD 2024, 22–25 September, Riva del Sole Resort & SPA, Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) Tuscany, Italy https://lod2024.icas.events/ lod(a)icas.cc Submission Deadline: March 23 4th Advanced Course and Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience – ACAIN 2024, 22–25 September Riva del Sole Resort & SPA, Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) Tuscany, Italy https://acain2024.icas.events/ acain(a)icas.cc Symposium Submission Deadline: March 23 Early Registration Deadline for the Course: March 23 The Course is equivalent to 8 ECTS points for the PhD Students and the Master Students attending the Course. ICAS - The Interdisciplinary Centre of Advanced Studies https://icas.cc/

1 0

PhD position: Effects of music on sleep EEG
by Martin Dresler Jan. 17, 2024

Jan. 17, 2024

Hi, Within the Lullabyte.org consortium, one additional PhD position needs to filled, combining neuroscience, musicology and AI. The project will investigate the effects of generative music on sleep, as measured by wearable sleep EEG. The position will be integrated into the highly collaborative and interdisciplinary European Marie Curie Network Lullabyte.org, working on the intersection of musicology, sleep research, and AI. It will be mostly based at Endel.io in Berlin, with secondments to the Technical University Dresden and the Donders Institute in Nijmegen/NL. Requirements: training in both music and neuroscience, with a master degree or equivalent in one of the following (or related) fields: musicology, music technology, computer music, neuroscience, psychology. Application until 24-01-2024, starting date as soon as possible. Please send your applications including a brief (1-2 pages) motivation letter, CV, and contact information for two references to miriam.akkermann(a)tu-dresden.de Cheers, Martin Donders Sleep & Memory Lab, Radboud University Medical Center Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, Netherlands https://dreslerlab.org

1 0

Effort and time trade-offs during foraging : PhDD position.
by Ahmed El Hady Jan. 16, 2024

Jan. 16, 2024

Imagine that you need to catch a bus to return home after work. Will you decide to run as fast as possible to catch the first incoming bus? Or will you walk slowly to save your energy after an exhausting day, at the risk of missing this first bus and arriving late at home? Foraging tasks are emerging as crucial models for naturalistic decision making in rodents . On mechanistic level, those tasks give us the opportunity to understand how individual sensitivities to time and effort drive variability in the strategy of rodents facing an explore vs exploit dilemma. If those questions are of interest to you , there is an opening for a PhD position at the Centuri Turing Center for living systems in Marseille where the project is advised by David Robbe ( INMED, Marseille) , Eloy Christophe ( IRPHE, Marseille) and Ahmed El Hady ( Cluster for Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, Konstanz ). The project will combine theoretical and experimental approaches to understand how foraging strategies vary in terms of their sensitivities to time and effort during a variety of experimental conditions. We are looking for a candidate with a strong quantitative background, capable to developing numerical simulation/model (i.e. strong programing skills) and with a strong taste for animal behavior and cognition For more details and application procedure , please check the website : https://centuri-livingsystems.org/phd2024-19/ Please do not hesitate to get in touch in case you have any questions, Ahmed El hady Dr. Ahmed El Hady Group Leader Cluster for Advanced Study of Collective Behavior Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz Room ZT 907 Postbox 687 Tel.: +49 7531 88-4742

1 0

Postdoc position in Montreal (McGill)
by Becket Ebitz Jan. 16, 2024

Jan. 16, 2024

Do you want to know what mice think about when they are on mushrooms? Are you interested in using computational models to compare how mice and humans think? The Behavioural Neurogenomics Lab (https://www.bagotlab.org) at McGill University is looking for a highly motivated computational neuroscience postdoc to lead a newly funded collaboration examining the neural bases of effects of stress and psychedelics on reward processing in mice and humans. This is a fully funded position intersecting computational modeling, neural circuit interrogation and robust behavioural paradigms. Based in Montreal, the candidate will work closely with the Noise Lab at Universite de Montreal (https://ebitzlab.com/) and the Mayo Lab ( https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/leah-mayo) at University of Calgary to develop new approaches for the comparative study of the neural processing of reward. The candidate must have a PhD in computational neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science or a quantitative discipline as well as fluency in Matlab or Python and experience in statistical data analysis and an interest in translational or comparative research. Ideally, the candidate would have some background in cognitive and/or reinforcement learning models, generalized linear models, hidden Markov models or probabilistic graphical models. Anticipated start date April 1, 2024 for an initial term of 1 year with the possibility of renewal. Come join an exciting, diverse team in a unique city with a supportive, and highly collaborative environment! To apply, please send a PDF of your CV to rosemary.bagot(a)mcgill.ca with a list of three potential references to contact. In your email, please describe 1) why you are interested in the position and 2) how your prior experience relates to this research opportunity.

1 0

Overlapping versus non-overlapping community models
by Greg Rosenbaum Jan. 16, 2024

Jan. 16, 2024

I’ve been reading a lot about network community structure, in the context of large-scale brain networks. One of my favorite papers on the subject was Betzel and Bassett (2016) <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811916306152>. However, most papers I’ve read, including Betzel and Bassett (2016), partition a network into disjoint communities. I’ve also encountered some publications that use overlapping communities instead, such as Najafi et al. (2016) <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811916300957.>. This seems like an important choice. I think I agree with Najafi et al. (2016) that overlapping communities can reveal more about brain structure. For example, consider a case of two overlapping communities. They will share a common core – their intersection. Due to how communities are generated, the intersection would necessarily be highly coherent and form a community in its own right at a different resolution. In other words, we’d have two systems that share the same structure, reusing it for different purposes. This kind of reuse is a core principle in system architecture. It makes sense to see it in the brain. However, the two papers I’ve cited are pretty old at this point. Has there developed a consensus about what kind of community model is best suited for studying the brain?

1 0

[Meetings] Deadline reminder: 2024 Nengo Summer School Call For Applications
by Michael Furlong Jan. 15, 2024

Jan. 15, 2024

Dear colleagues, Please note that the deadline for application submission to the Nengo Summer School, February 1st, 2024, is approaching. [All details about this school can be found online at https://www.nengo.ai/summer-school] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce our 9th annual Nengo summer school on large-scale brain modelling and neuromorphic computing. This two-week school will teach participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Summer school participants will be given on-site access to neuromorphic hardware and will learn to run high-level applications using Nengo! More generally, Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems and has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun, which includes spiking deep learning, reinforcement learning, adaptive motor control, and cognitive control networks. For a look at the last in-person summer school, check out this short video: https://youtu.be/vRcN5-0wdQE We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. ***Application Deadline: February 1, 2024*** Format: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modelling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: * interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. BrainDrop, SpiNNaker) * build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated cognitive models using spiking neurons * model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data * use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model  * integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models * interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems * implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models * and much more… Date and Location: June 2nd to June 14th, 2024 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Applications: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summer-school, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Michael Furlong (michael.furlong(a)uwaterloo.ca) The school is partly supported by ABR, Inc. We look forward to hearing from you!

1 0

Postdoc in neural data analysis at the University of Edinburgh
by Angus Chadwick Jan. 15, 2024

Jan. 15, 2024

Dear all, We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on an exciting project developing novel methodologies for analysis of large-scale neural recordings over learning. This project is part of an international collaboration between the labs of Dr Angus Chadwick (University of Edinburgh), Prof Alex Cayco-Gajic (École Normalé Supérieure) and Prof Matthew Perich (Université de Montréal). The successful candidate will build upon a method recently developed by the host lab (Dr Chadwick) together with collaborator Prof Cayco-Gajic (Pellegrino, Cayco-Gajic* and Chadwick*, NeurIPS 2023). The project involves development of novel data-analytic methodologies and application to cutting-edge neural datasets collected during motor and perceptual learning tasks. In particular, the candidate will build upon the recent line of work by the supervisory team: https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.11567 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627322009059 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959438823000843 The role is based primarily at the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation at the University of Edinburgh. Funding is available to undertake extended research visits to the labs of international collaborators at École Normale Supérieure and Université de Montréal. This is a full-time position, with an initial appointment of 18 months, and available to start immediately. There full job ad can be viewed here: https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1… To apply, please email Dr Angus Chadwick at angus dot chadwick at ed.ac.uk with a CV and contact details for two references. Informal inquiries are also encouraged. Applications will be considered until the position is filled, with priority for those submitted before 9th February 2024. Best wishes, Angus Chadwick The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th' ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

1 0

Call for Cosyne workshop contributed short talks
by Cristina Savin Jan. 15, 2024

Jan. 15, 2024

Hello all We invite the community to submit short abstracts on relevant recent results documenting limitations of current tools, unexpected negative results and/or potential new ideas to overcome them. We will select a small number of contributed talks from these submissions as part of our Cosyne “I can't believe it's not better!” workshop. Submissions from junior researchers are particularly welcome. Deadline: January 31st Details about the workshop and the abstract submission process can be found on our workshop webpage: https://cosyne2024-icbinb.github.io/ We look forward to seeing many of you in Cascais! Cristina Savin and Alex Williams

1 0

Professorship in Tübingen: ML for Science
by Philipp Berens Jan. 15, 2024

Jan. 15, 2024

Dear all, we have a faculty position for machine learning for science to fill: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/careers/newsfullview-job-advertiseme… The professorship is part of the Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science“. A successful candidate is expected to carry out internationally competitive research in the field of machine learning in science. Possible research directions could be (but are not limited to) the following ones: Theory of machine learning for science Large language models for science Causal inference in machine learning for science Lifelong and continual learning The deadline is 23 of February. Looking forward to your applications. Philipp Berens -- Professor of Data Science, Director Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health Medical Faculty of the University of Tübingen www.hertie.ai

1 0

PhD positions in brain-like computing and computational neuroscience at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
by Pawel Herman Jan. 14, 2024

Jan. 14, 2024

Dear Colleagues I am writing to draw your attention to two PhD positions in Computational Cognitive Brain Science lab in the Division of Computational Science and Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm: 1) PhD position in brain-like computing (https://www.kth.se/lediga-jobb/681902?l=en) It is linked to the EU-project EXTRA-BRAIN Explainable Trustworthy AI for Data Intensive Applications, which just started in the beginning of the year. One of the key goals of the project is to develop and study brain-like neural network architectures and biologically inspired learning for semi-supervised and unsupervised learning problems. 2) PhD position in cognitive computational neuroscience (https://www.kth.se/lediga-jobb/682809?l=en) The goal of the project is to develop large-scale network-of-networks models to study neural interactions between different cortical and sub-cortical systems orchestrating control of goal-directed behaviour. The project will be conducted in the vibrant interdisciplinary environment including the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University. Application deadline: Feb 5, 2024. Please contact me if you have any questions! Best Pawel Herman ------------------------------------ [cid:image001.jpg@01DA46AE.54130F40] Paweł Herman Associate Professor, PhD, Docent KTH Royal Institute of Technology School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Division of Computational Science and Technology (CST) Lindstedtsvägen 5 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden room 4442 (4th floor, D-building) tel. +46 8 790 6513

1 0

AREADNE 2024 Abstract Submission Open
by John Pezaris Jan. 12, 2024

Jan. 12, 2024

AREADNE 2024 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles Eliopoulos Conference Center, Milos, Greece 25-29 June 2024 http://areadne.org info(a)areadne.org Dear Colleague, We are pleased to announce that abstract submission is now open for poster presentation at AREADNE 2024, 25-29 June 2024, our tenth meeting, to be held at the Eliopoulos Conference Centre in Milos, Greece. Note that this is a change in location from previous meetings. Continuing with the same highly successful format, AREADNE 2024 will bring scientific leaders from around the world to present their theoretical and experimental work on the functioning of neuronal ensembles. The meeting will provide an informal and beautiful setting in which attendees can discuss their recent ideas and discoveries, with a relaxed pace that emphasizes interaction. Please see the Call for Abstracts for additional details, including links for templates, at http://areadne.org/call-for-abstracts Submissions of abstracts for poster presentations are due by 26 Jan 2024; notifications will be provided by late February 2024. We strongly encourage potential attendees to submit an abstract as presenters have registration priority. For information about the conference, please refer to the main web page http://areadne.org or send email to us at info(a)areadne.org . We hope to see you at AREADNE 2024! Best, - J. --- John S. Pezaris, Ph.D. AREADNE 2024 Co-Chair Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114, USA info(a)areadne.org

1 0

ICMNS 2024 - abstract submission deadline reminder
by Áine Byrne Jan. 12, 2024

Jan. 12, 2024

Dear all, A quick reminder that the call for contributed talks and posters at ICMNS 2024 closes on Tuesday (January 16) at 23:59 (GMT). ICMNS 2024 will take place at University College Dublin on the June 12-14 2024. This is the final deadline for submissions. Following a review process, successful submission will be offered a contributed talk or poster, with the top submission(s) being offered a slot in one of our plenary sessions. You can submit your contribution and read more about the conference at our website https://www.danieleavitabile.com/icmns24/ We look forward to welcoming you to Dublin in June. Best wishes, Daniele Avitabile, Áine Byrne, and Jonathan Rubin

1 0

Call for participants -- WasON study
by Davide Coraci Jan. 12, 2024

Jan. 12, 2024

*apologies for cross posting* Dear list members, I'm Davide Coraci from the IMT School Lucca (Italy) <https://www.imtlucca.it/en> (Italy) and I'd like to share with you the *WasON** survey*, a study developed by the SANe <https://momilab.imtlucca.it/research/sane> and the MInD <https://momilab.imtlucca.it/research/mind> units (MoMiLab <https://momilab.imtlucca.it/> research group). We are recruiting participants worldwide and it would be fantastic if you could take part in the study by completing the questionnaire you can find here: https://www.sane-elab.eu/NRIA/welcome.php. The aim of the study is to investigate how *neuroscientists* and researchers (psychologists, cognitive scientists, philosophers, etc.) with some familiarity with neuroimaging techniques draw associations between *cognitive processes* or psychological states and *functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data* observed experimentally. Also, with this brief test, you can assess your ability to predict the task that participants are performing in the scanner by looking at their brain activation. The questionnaire can be completed through PC or smartphone (however, the use of the PC is warmly suggested to visualize the fMRI maps better). Collected data will be completely *anonymous*. Once the questionnaire is finished, you can *check your accuracy* and decide to continue with another set of questions. In this case, please do not close or restart the session, otherwise the system will create another participant ID. We ask you to complete the questionnaire individually. However, after completing the survey you may want to compare your score with one of your lab mates and colleagues. Feel free to forward the link to anyone you think could be interested. If you have any questions or just want to be updated with the results of the study, please do not hesitate to contact me (davide.coraci(a)imtlucca.it) Thank you very much for your availability and your time. All the best, Davide Coraci -- Davide Coraci Phd Student IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca MoMiLab <https://momilab.imtlucca.it> - *Molecular Mind Laboratory* MInD <https://momilab.imtlucca.it/research/mind> - *Models, Inference, and Decisions * https://www.davidecoraci.com/welcome.php

1 0

CFP: IEEE WCCI 2024
by Junichiro Yoshimoto Jan. 12, 2024

Jan. 12, 2024

-- Apologies in advance for multiple postings — IEEE WCCI 2024 Call for Papers June 30 - July 5, 2024 @ Yokohama, Japan https://2024.ieeewcci.org SCOPE IEEE WCCI 2024 is the world’s largest technical event on computational intelligence, featuring the three flagship conferences of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) under one roof: The International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), the IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ-IEEE) and the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (IEEE CEC). IJCNN 2024: The International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN) covers a wide range of topics in the field of neural networks, from biological neural networks to artificial neural computation. IEEE CEC 2024 The IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (IEEE CEC) covers all topics in evolutionary computation from theory to real-world applications. FUZZ-IEEE 2024 The IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ-IEEE) covers all topics in fuzzy systems from theory to real-world applications. IMPORTANT DATES - 15 January 2024: Paper Submission Deadline - 15 March 2024: Paper Acceptance Notification - 1 May 2024: Final Paper Submission & Early Registration Deadline - 30 June - 5 July 2024: IEEE WCCI 2024 Yokohama, Japan PAPER SUBMISSION Please read the paper submission guidelines (https://2024.ieeewcci.org/submission) before submitting your papers. * Each paper should not reveal author's identities (double-blind review process). * Papers will be checked for plagiarism. The Program Committee reserves the right to desk-reject a paper if it contains elements that are suspected to be plagiarized. * Submissions should be original and not currently under review at another venue. * Each paper is limited to 8 pages, including figures, tables, and references. A maximum of two extra pages per paper is allowed (i.e, up to 10 pages), at an additional charge of $100 per extra page. * All papers must be submitted through the IEEE WCCI 2024 online submission system. * For special session papers, please select the respective special session title under the list of research topics in the submission system. * In order for your papers to be included in the congress program and in the proceedings, final accepted papers must be submitted, and the corresponding registration fees must be paid by May 1, 2024 (11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth). * IEEE WCCI 2024 will present the Best Overall Paper Awards and the Best Student Paper Awards to recognize outstanding papers published in each of the three conference proceedings (IJCNN 2024, FUZZ-IEEE 2024, IEEE CEC 2024). The awards will be judged by an Awards Committee and the recipient of each award will be given a certificate of the award and a cash prize. * It is the policy of WCCI 2024 that new authors cannot be added at the time of submitting final camera ready papers. Please ensure that you are following this guideline to avoid any issues with publication. If you encounter any problems with the submission of your papers, please contact the WCCI 2024 Paper Submission Chairs. PAPER SUBMISSION SYSTEM WCCI 2024 adopts EDAS as the submission system, available at the following link: https://edas.info/N31614

1 1

PhD in NeuroAI
by O'Donnell, Cian Jan. 11, 2024

Jan. 11, 2024

We are looking for a computational neuroscience PhD student for a project on “NeuroAI approaches to understanding inter-individual differences in cognition and psychiatric disorders.” The goal is to use populations of deep neural networks as a simple model for populations of human brains, combined with models from evolutionary genetics, to understand the principles underlying the mapping from genotypes to cognitive phenotypes. More details including reading material here: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/1577672. This is a collaborative project with Prof Liam McDaid and Dr Bryan Gardiner at Ulster University, and Dr Kevin Mitchell at Trinity College Dublin. You will join our research group which uses computational tools to do research on synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, autism, and neural data analysis methods: https://odonnellgroup.github.io. You will also be a member of the CNET team in the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (http://isrc.ulster.ac.uk) a community of researchers working across computational and cognitive neuroscience, neurotechnology, neuromorphic engineering, machine learning, robotics and related fields. We are based in the Derry campus of Ulster University. Derry a lively city of ~100K people on the River Foyle in Northern Ireland, UK. It has a highly affordable cost of living, thriving cultural scene, and access to spectacular coastal scenery and the great outdoors in Donegal and the north coast of Northern Ireland. To be eligible for funding, UK-based applicants should have or expect to obtain an upper second or first-class undergraduate or masters degree. International applicants should have a masters degree. Application deadline is 26th February 2024, for a Sept 2024 start. Application info here: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/1577672. Please contact Cian (c.odonnell2(a)ulster.ac.uk<mailto:c.odonnell2@ulster.ac.uk>) if you are interested or have questions. -- Cian O’Donnell Lecturer in Data Analytics School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems Ulster University https://odonnellgroup.github.io This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

1 0

Postdoc on Curiosity in Göttingen
by Ecker, Alexander Jan. 11, 2024

Jan. 11, 2024

We have a postdoc position at the interface of machine learning, cognitive science and neuroscience within a new collaborative center on “Curiosity” (12 PIs, 14 open positions overall) in Göttingen. Here is the call: https://s.gwdg.de/lM9qZr Starting summer 2024, we will investigate curiosity jointly from the perspective of computational neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/681631.html The postdoc position comes with a lot of independence, the opportunity to help shape the research agenda of the center, co-supervise PhD students and is an excellent springboard to an academic career in Europe and beyond. Application deadline is January 15, but we can also accept late applications for a few more days. It helps if you let us know if you’re planning to apply and cannot meet the deadline. PIs are: Nivedita Mani (speaker), Alexander Ecker, Claudia Fichtel, Julia Fischer, Julia Ostner, Viola Priesemann, Hannes Rakoczy, Anne Schacht, Sascha Schroeder, Caspar Schwiedrzik, Oliver Schuelke, Fabian Sinz, Michael Wibral, Florentin Woergoetter A list of all open positions can be found here: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/open+positions/681638.html

1 0

Postdoc in visual/computational neuroscience (NeuroAI) at UCSB
by Michael Beyeler Jan. 10, 2024

Jan. 10, 2024

We are excited to invite a self-driven and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to our team at the Bionic Vision Lab <https://bionicvisionlab.org>, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), led by Assistant Professor Michael Beyeler. This NeuroAI project at the exciting crossroads of visual and computational neuroscience, is part of the NIH BRAIN Initiative that seeks to elucidate how the mouse brain processes visual information during active exploration to support visual navigation. Our recent NeurIPS paper <https://bionicvisionlab.org/publications/2023-12-v1-mouse/> highlighted how a multimodal recurrent net can integrate gaze-contingent visual input with behavioral and temporal dynamics to explain V1 activity in freely moving mice. We are now seeking to extend this work to higher-order visual areas (HVAs) in collaboration with the labs of Spencer Smith (UCSB), Michael Goard (UCSB), and Cris Niell (University of Oregon). What we offer: - A welcoming, inclusive, and collaborative environment that combines expertise in neuroscience, computer science, and cognitive sciences. - A fully funded, unionized position, offering a competitive salary and excellent benefits, for a minimum 2-year commitment. - An opportunity to work with diverse experts and engage with unique neural activity data sets, collected using state-of-the-art techniques. We are looking for: - A passionate individual with a solid foundation in visual and computational neuroscience. - A PhD in (computational) neuroscience, computer science, cognitive sciences, statistics, or a related field - Strong communication and teamwork skills, with proficiency in programming and statistical analysis To apply, please email your CV and contacts for 2-3 references to mbeyeler(a)ucsb.edu. -- Michael Beyeler (he/him/his) Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences bionicvisionlab.org [image: UC Santa Barbara]

1 0

Postdoc Opportunity in Computational Modeling of Theory of Mind (Hamburg, Germany)
by Jan Gläscher Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

Postdoc position in Cognitive Computational Neuroscience for a project on “Recursive Theory of Mind during cooperative and competitive interactions” This project is part of the recently DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1528 “Cognition of Interaction” primarily located at the University of Göttingen and will be conducted in the lab of Dr. Jan Gläscher <http://www.glascherlab.org/> (research group “Valuation and Social Decision-Making”) at the Institute for Systems Neuroscience <https://www.uke.de/english/departments-institutes/institutes/systems-neuros…> of the UKE (headed by Prof. Christian Büchel) in Hamburg, Germany. Research Project Theory of Mind describes a set of abilities that enables humans to think about the others and their actions, goals, and beliefs. In essence, it describes the ability to construct a mental model of others that can be used to make predictions about their next actions. However, these models can include models that the others build of ourselves at which point they become recursive (“I think that you think that I will do X.”). We are investigating the construction of such recursive mental models in the context of a cooperative and competitive social foraging task. We will employ computational modeling of behavior and model-informed analyses of EEG data to identify the neural representation of mental models and RSA and other hyperscanning analyses to detect and characterize within- and between brain connectivity during cooperative and competitive play. Available position A postdoc position for 2 years (until the end of 2025) is available to carry out this ambitious research project under the supervision of myself together with a PhD student working already on the project and in collaboration with other projects of the CRC 1528 in Göttingen. Salary depends on experience and is based on German regulations TVöD-VKA-13 with a factor of 100%. Start date: March 2024 or a 1-3 months later Research environment The CRC 1528 “Cognition of Interaction” <https://uni-goettingen.de/de/652672.html> chaired by Prof. Alexander Gail and consists of PIs Behavioral Biology, Cognitive Psychology, Computational Neuroscience, and Systems Neuroscience. The unit integrates world-class experts in computational modeling and cutting-edge neuroscience research in humans and primates. All projects work on related questions with a lot of opportunities to work and interact with other groups in Göttingen. The “Valuation and Social Decision-Making” <https://glascherlab.org/> group is one of currently 11 research groups <https://www.uke.de/english/departments-institutes/institutes/systems-neuros…> at the Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany. The institute provides a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and highly international research environment with many interactions between its members and several regular common events (e.g. methods meetings, lecture series). Our graduate school <https://www.uke.de/kliniken-institute/institute/systemische-neurowissenscha…> is a member of the Hamburg Brain School <https://hamburgbrainschool.de/> and the Network of European Neuroscience Schools (NENS) <https://www.fens.org/careers/networks/nens>. The lab language is English. The institute hosts a 3T PRISMA MRI scanner, an EEG hyperscanning and eye-tracking lab, TMS, virtual reality and behavioral labs that allow us to easily and quickly acquire data from a variety of complementing modalities. Requirements for the position - Strong motivation and diligence to carry out a challenging and complex, but also exciting research project. - Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience or a related field. - Strong experience in programming (MATLAB, R, Python) - Some prior experience in computational cognitive modeling and neuroimaging analyses Application Applications are accepted until the position is filled. If you are interested, please send a single PDF document including your CV, a brief statement of research interest and research experience (including your modeling experience), and the contact details of two academic references to Jan Gläscher (glaescher(a)uke.de) Informal inquiries are welcome. -- _____________________________________________________________________ Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf; Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts; Gerichtsstand: Hamburg | www.uke.de Vorstandsmitglieder: Prof. Dr. Christian Gerloff (Vorsitzender), Joachim Prölß, Prof. Dr. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, Matthias Waldmann (komm.) _____________________________________________________________________ SAVE PAPER - THINK BEFORE PRINTING

1 0

Open Graduate and Postdoctoral Positions at the NEW Rich Lab at UConn
by Scott Rich Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

Dear Comp-Neuro Listserv, As 2024 has officially begun, my new lab at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Physiology and Neurobiology (PNB) has officially opened. This new computational neuroscience lab will use a wide range of computational techniques, from detailed single-cell modeling to biophysically-motivated neuronal circuits to abstract models of large populations, towards a better understanding of how neuronal heterogeneity drives physiological brain function. To learn more, please peruse my personal website <https://scottrich.mystrikingly.com/> or my profile page on the PNB webpage <https://pnb.uconn.edu/person/scott-rich/> (lab website under construction!). I am recruiting trainees at all levels to build the lab. The official posting for the open Postdoctoral position in my lab is available here <https://jobs.hr.uconn.edu/cw/en-us/job/498073/postdoctoral-research-associa…>. If you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student, you can still apply to the department following the guidelines outlined here <https://pnb.uconn.edu/graduate/graduate-application-and-admission-informati…>. In addition, if you're applying to either position, or just want to express your interest to “stay in the loop” for further updates, please fill out this Google Form <https://forms.gle/r4m5VNZQJDAjKgcM8>. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have. Sincerely, Scott Rich ___________ Sincerely, Scott Rich, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut Department of Physiology and Neurobiology pnb.uconn.edu/person/scott-rich/ <http://pnb.uconn.edu/person/scott-rich/>scottrich.mystrikingly.com <http://scottrich.mystrikingly.com/>

1 0

[job opening] Postdoc in Modeling Decision Making and Memory for Human-Robot Interaction @Delft University of Technology
by Arkady Zgonnikov Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

[apologies for cross-posting] Postdoc Modeling the Dynamics of Decision making and its Interplay with Memory Robots in interactions with humans need to predict their behavior and safely navigate around them. Such predictions can be especially hard when humans exhibit sudden shifts in behavior, often under stress and time pressure. For instance, a pedestrian can decide not to cross the road in front of an autonomous vehicle but then change their mind. Such sudden choice reversals could have particularly strong impact in high-stakes scenarios such as human-robot interactions in traffic. What are the cognitive mechanisms of humans’ changes-of-mind in dynamic tasks under time pressure? How do our past experiences affect such decisions? How can we model the ‘stress factor’ mathematically? In this project, your aim will be to 1) develop a neurally plausible cognitive model to explain changes-of-mind in dynamic decision-making and its interplay with memory, and 2) collect a large-scale online dataset on dynamic decision-making to evaluate the model. This proof-of-concept study will break through the fundamental limitations of the current models and will establish the basis for real-life applications of neurally plausible decision-making models. In this project, you will be able to develop your skills in mathematical modeling and numerical simulation. You will work at TU Delft in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering jointly at the Department of Cognitive Robotics and the Delft Center for Systems and Control, supervised by Dr. Matin Jafarian and Dr. Arkady Zgonnikov. Requirements * PhD in computational cognitive neuroscience or, alternatively, in applied mathematics or control engineering with motivated interest in human cognition * Strong teamwork skills and interest in highly interdisciplinary research * Affinity with teaching and supervising students * Solid programming skills * Proficiency in verbal and written English * Experience with one or more of the following topics is considered a plus * dynamical systems * stochastic differential equations * decision making * memory Conditions of employment * Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (salary indication: € 4.036 - € 5.090 per month gross). The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. * This postdoc position has a fixed-term contract of 12 months. More details/apply via https://www.tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/werken-bij-tu-delft/vacatures/details/… until January 15, 2024. Best regards, Arkady Zgonnikov Assistant Professor Human-Robot Interaction Group Department of Cognitive Robotics Delft University of Technology

1 0

PhD positions in Lifelong Reinforcement Learning at Loughborough University
by Andrea Soltoggio Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

Dear all, I am currently considering applications for fully funded PhD positions in Lifelong Machine (Reinforcement) Learning. The projects aim to advance SoTA lifelong learning AI algorithms towards better knowledge reuse, composability, scalability and transparency. Application areas include Robotics, Cybersecurity and medical data. Some specific projects with application links (more to come soon): * Lifelong Learning for cybersecurity systems: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/compsci/research-degrees/darktrace-stud… * Lifelong machine learning for medical data and personalised medicine https://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/phd-opportuniti… The following recent papers can be helpful to get an overview of our research focus: * Ben-Iwhiwhu, E., Nath, S., Pilly, P. K., Kolouri, S., & Soltoggio, A. (2023). Lifelong reinforcement learning with modulating masks. Transactions on Machine Learning Research https://openreview.net/pdf?id=V7tahqGrOq * Nath, S., Peridis, C., Ben-Iwhiwhu, E., Liu, X., Dora, S., Liu, C., Kolouri, S. and Soltoggio, A., (2023). Sharing Lifelong Reinforcement Learning Knowledge via Modulating Masks. Second Conference on Lifelong Learning Agents (CoLLAs) https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10997 * Ben-Iwhiwhu, E., Dick, J., Ketz, N. A., Pilly, P. K., & Soltoggio, A. (2022). Context meta-reinforcement learning via neuromodulation. Neural Networks, 152, 70-79. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0893608022001368 * Kudithipudi, Dhireesha, et al. (2022). Biological underpinnings for lifelong learning machines. Nature Machine Intelligence 4.3 (2022): 196-210. The positions will be at Loughborough, UK. Loughborough University is renowned for its strong emphasis on practical innovation and industry collaboration. In REF 2021, 94% of the work submitted was judged to be top-rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. The Computer Science Department has a growing research team dedicated to various AI themes and robotics, as well as theoretical Computer Science, cybersecurity and networks. The student will have access to state-of-the-art machine learning servers equipped with A100 GPUs and connected to the Loughborough University high-speed network facilities. Opportunities for exchanges and short visits to world-leading AI laboratories within our extensive collaboration network will be encouraged. The collaborative environment ensures exposure to diverse perspectives and facilitates knowledge exchange. Interested candidates are invited to contact me for further information at a.soltoggio(a)lboro.ac.uk<mailto:a.soltoggio@lboro.ac.uk> Best regards, Andrea -- Dr. Andrea Soltoggio (he/him or they/them) Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Artificial Intelligence Department of Computer Science, School of Science & Intelligent Automation Centre https://www.intelligent-automation.org.uk/about-us/centre-staff & Centre for Information Management https://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sbe/cim/ Haslegrave Building, N.2.03 Loughborough University LE11 3TU, UK Email: a.soltoggio(a)lboro.ac.uk<mailto:a.soltoggio@lboro.ac.uk> Web: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/compsci/staff/dr-andrea-soltoggio.html

1 0

Three fully funded PhD Studentships at Sussex AI
by Thomas Nowotny Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

Dear all, We have three fully-funded (internationals included) PhD studentships available within Sussex AI<https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/ai-research-group/#SussexAI>, starting in September 2024! This is a great opportunity for doctoral research in our interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence based at the University of Sussex<https://www.sussex.ac.uk/>, where we are the focal point for research in AI methods and applications. We encourage prospective students to submit innovative proposals that either: - Engage with theoretical challenges in Artificial Intelligence. - Develop new Artificial Intelligence methods that have the potential to enable novel applications. - Address complex problems requiring research at the intersection of traditional disciplinary boundaries. To find out more information, check out the full advert https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/phd-funding/view/1686-Sussex-AI… Best regards, Thomas (co-director of Sussex AI) -- Prof. Thomas Nowotny Head of AI Research Group CCNR, Sussex Neuroscience Phone: +44-1273-678593 Engineering and Informatics, Fax: +44-1273-877873 University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny<http://sussex.ac.uk/informatics/tnowotny> <../../owa/redir.aspx?C=9e11bb0e527242938402b42d9b5498ea&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsussex.ac.uk%2finformatics%2ftnowotny>

1 0

PhD & postdoc position in computational resilience research
by Janina Hesse Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

The Computational Resilience Research group at the LIR (Mainz, Germany) is hiring PhD students and PostDocs for theoretical projects. By advanced data analysis and the development of dynamical models, we unravel the complex processes that prevent or enable resilience. To that end, we work in close collaboration with our experimental colleagues, using extensive mouse and human data sets from molecular to behavioral. We strive for a diverse, supportive, and collaborative work atmosphere. The position offers excellent interdisciplinary training possibilities at the intersection of modelling, machine learning, and medicine, with ample opportunities for interactions within the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (IQCB) of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz. A typical background would be a Master's/PhD in the life sciences, physics, computer sciences, mathematics, or another quantitative field. For information on how to apply see https://lir-mainz.de/assets/lir_84_doctoral-candidate-or-postdoc_eng-170193… At the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR) in Mainz, Germany, we study resilience - the maintenance or restoration of mental health during or following stressful life events or life circumstances. The LIR is the first center of its kind in Europe, and its main objectives are to understand resilience mechanisms from a neuroscientific point of view, to develop and provide appropriate interventions to strengthen resilience, as well as to promote resilience in living and working environments. Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR) gGmbH Jun.-Prof. Dr. Janina Hesse Group leader Computational Resilience Research janina.hesse(a)lir-mainz.de Wallstraße 7 55122 Mainz https://www.lir-mainz.de   [Icon Description automatically generated with low confidence] Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender: Dr. Frank-Dieter Kuchta Geschaeftsfuehrer: Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb, Prof. Dr. Beat Lutz (wissenschaftlich), Dr. Thorsten Mundi (kaufmaennisch). HRB 48032, Amtsgericht Mainz Diese E-Mail enthaelt vertrauliche und/oder rechtlich geschuetzte Informationen. Wenn Sie nicht der richtige Adressat sind oder diese E-Mail irrtuemlich erhalten haben, informieren Sie bitte sofort den Absender und loeschen Sie diese E-Mail. Das Kopieren sowie die Weitergabe dieser E-Mail und der darin enthaltenen Informationen ist nicht gestattet. This email may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this email in error) please notify the sender immediately and delete this e-mail. Any unauthorized copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this email is strictly forbidden. Unsere Hinweise zum Datenschutz finden Sie hier: https://lir-mainz.de/datenschutz

1 0

Retraction of a fraudulent publication
by Michael Biehl Jan. 8, 2024

Jan. 8, 2024

Dear All. It is my pleasure to announce that a fraudulent and blatantly plagiarized publication from July 2023, (allegedly) about the training of layered neural networks in time-dependent envrionments, has been retracted by the Editorial Office of *MDPI Applied Sciences*, at last. The retraction process took very long and communication was quite unpleasant. *Please see * *https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/2/476* <https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/2/476> *for details and links to the plagiarized original pieces of work. * Note that the term "overlap" in the retraction notice is way too polite in view of the brazen "cut-and-paste" approach of the "authors". They literally copy/pasted essentially all figures and equations from other sources. The text consists of non-sensical gibberish and contains no original results whatsoever. Four referees apparently failed to note the gobbledygook and recognize the plagiarism. Best wishes, Michael Biehl -- --------------------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Michael Biehl Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence P.O. Box 407, 9700 AK Groningen, NL https://www.cs.rug.nl/~biehl m.biehl(a)rug.nl

1 0

Modellers Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox
by Stewart Heitmann Jan. 7, 2024

Jan. 7, 2024

Enrolments are now open for the Modellers Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox. This is an online course for researchers who wish to build custom dynamical models using the Brain Dynamics Toolbox. The course focuses on practical programming techniques for the major classes of differential equations (ordinary, partial, delay, stochastic) that arise in computational neuroscience. Example code is provided in all cases. Upon completion, students will be able to turn custom differential equations into working simulations. Study time is 8 hours. Course Website https://bdtoolbox.teachable.com/p/modellers-workshop Toolbox Website https://bdtoolbox.org Important Dates Enrolments close 31st Jan 2024. Disclaimer The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website.

1 0

From Animals to Animats: 17th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB 2024) - Conference Announcement and Call For Papers
by Jeffrey L Krichmar Jan. 7, 2024

Jan. 7, 2024

Happy New Year! On September 9-12, 2024, UC Irvine will be hosting this year’s From Animals to Animats: 17th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB 2024). The Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB) interdisciplinary conference brings together researchers in artificial intelligence, artificial life, computer science, cybernetics, ethology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, robotics, and many other fields, to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural animals and artificial agents to adapt and survive in complex, dynamic and uncertain environments. Animats denote the connection between animals and synthetic agents. The conference focuses on models and experiments designed to help characterize and compare various organizational principles and architectures underlying adaptive behavior in real animals and in animats. SAB 2024 solicits contributions dealing with any aspect of adaptive behavior. We especially invite submissions from researchers who connect biology and natural behavior to synthetic agents. Conference papers are peer-reviewed and accepted papers will be published in “From Animals to Animats 17. SAB 2024.” Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, Springer Nature. We have a great lineup of confirmed speakers: Oliver Brock – Technische Universitat Berlin Lola Canamero – CY Cergy Paris University Kris Carlson – BrainChip Jeff Clune – The University of British Columbia Jens Krause – Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Maja Mataric – University of Southern California Praveen Pilly – Intelligent Systems Laboratory at HRL Laboratories Jun Tani – Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Janet Wiles – University of Queensland More conference information is available at: https://sites.uci.edu/sab2024/ Venue -------- CalIT2 Auditorium University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697 USA CALL FOR PAPERS - SAB 2024 (April 1, 2024 Deadline) ————————————————————— More details can be found at: https://sab2024.socsci.uci.edu/call-for-papers Important Dates ---------------------- April 1, 2024: Deadline for paper submission April 15, 2024: Deadline for Workshop and tutorial proposals June15, 2024: Notice of acceptance June 30, 2024: Camera-ready papers September 9-12: Conference dates Hope to see you in September! 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 https://sites.uci.edu/sab2024/

1 0

PhD and postdoc position at Jülich Research Center
by Sacha van Albada Jan. 4, 2024

Jan. 4, 2024

PhD and postdoc position in large-scale brain modeling and simulation at Jülich Research Center PhD and postdoc opportunities with a focus on the simulation of large-scale biological neural networks are available in the Theoretical Neuroanatomy group at Jülich Research Center, Germany (https://www.fz-juelich.de/en/inm/inm-6/forschung/theoretical-neuroanatomy) The projects will advance a research program that centers on the full-scale simulation of thalamocortical networks using the simulator NEST. The postdoc position is available in the context of the Henriette Herz Scouting Program of the Humboldt Foundation, and will be offered to a female candidate. The program is particularly aimed at candidates from countries underrepresented in the Humboldt Foundation. We will jointly define a research project and the selected candidate will receive a Humboldt Research Fellowship (https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/apply/sponsorship-programmes/humboldt…) The position is available for 24 months for postdocs up to 4 years after the PhD defense and for 18 months for experienced researchers 4-12 years after the PhD defense. The PhD defense should not be more than 12 years ago, and candidates should not have previous or existing links to Germany in terms of study, research stays, or citizenship. Due consideration will be given to any gaps in the CV due to family care or other personal circumstances. The PhD position is open to candidates regardless of gender. The candidate should have a background in physics, mathematics, computer science, biology (or specifically neuroscience), or engineering. Excellent quantitative and analytical skills are highly valued. We offer a structured program guiding doctoral researchers through the PhD work and plenty of opportunities for local and international collaboration. The researchers will be embedded in a vibrant research institute (https://<https://www.csn.fz-juelich.de/>www.csn.fz-juelich.de<https://www.csn.fz-juelich.de/>). Links also exist to the University of Cologne, so that candidates can gain teaching/tutoring experience. To apply, please send a motivation letter, CV, and university transcripts and certificates to s.van.albada(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:s.van.albada@fz-juelich.de> and to our scientific coordinator Martina Reske (m.reske(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:m.reske@fz-juelich.de>). -- Prof. Sacha Jennifer van Albada Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Tel. +49 2461 61-96808 Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Fax +49 2461 61-9460 Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience & JARA-Institut Brain Structure-Function Relationships (INM-10) Jülich Research Centre Jülich, Germany Computational Neuroanatomy Tel. +49-221-470-3829 Institute of Zoology Fax +49-221-470-4889 University of Cologne Cologne, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH 52425 Jülich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Jülich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Düren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Stefan Müller Geschäftsführung: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lambrecht (Vorsitzende), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Dr. Ir. Pieter Jansens ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

ICDL Confirmed Speakers – paper deadline Jan 8, poster deadline March 1
by nagai.yukie＠mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp Jan. 3, 2024

Jan. 3, 2024

Dear colleagues, Join us in Austin May 20-23 2024 for the IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL). ICDL is an intimate and unique meeting gathering researchers interested in development from the perspective of ecological psychology, robotics, and computation. We have confirmed an amazing list of speakers for the event - including a keynote by Jitendra Malik, the research director for Facebook AI - as well as 20 of the most important thinkers in this space. Our goal is to encourage deep conversations through carefully curated single-track symposia, including: Curiosity-Driven Learning and Predictive Models Yukie Nagai - The University of Tokyo, Japan Elizabeth Bonawitz - Harvard University, USA Gert Westermann - Lancaster University, UK Michael Goldstein - Cornell University, USA Language Development in Humans and Machines Xavier Hinaut - Inria & Bordeaux University, France Casey Lew-Williams - Princeton University, USA Daniel Messinger - University of Miami, USA Catherine Laing - University of York, UK Developmental Machine Learning and Everyday Inputs Karen Adolph - New York University, USA Linda Smith - Indiana University, USA Jochen Triesch - Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Germany Marvin Lavechin - Ecole Normale Supérieure, France Egocentric vision and attention John Franchak - University of California, Riverside, USA Kristen Grauman - The University of Texas at Austin, USA Mary Hayhoe - The University of Texas at Austin, USA Jim Rehg - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA Body Representation and Sensorimotor Organization Daniela Corbetta - The University of Tennessee, USA Matej Hoffmann - Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic Hoshinori Kanazawa - The University of Tokyo, Japan Peter Marshall - Temple University, USA Website: https://la.utexas.edu/users/dil/ICDL_Austin_2024/ Deadline for full paper submissions extended: December 15, 2023, January 8, 2024 Deadline for 1-page poster abstracts and journal track poster submissions: March 1, 2024 Full papers and other submissions are invited on a range of topics including but not limited to: • Embodied learning and development in biological systems and robots • Developmental stages and sensitive periods • Emergence of verbal and nonverbal communication • Curiosity, intrinsic motivations, exploration, play and active learning • Architectures for lifelong learning • Emergence of body and affordance perception • Learning control of body movement • Emotional development and the role of emotion in learning • Prediction, planning, and problem solving • The relationship between evolution and development • Epistemological foundations and philosophical issues • Robotic and computational models of human and animal development • Developmentally-inspired machine learning • Human-robot interaction in developmental contexts • Applications of machine learning to human and animal development Submissions may take the form of full (6-page) papers, 1-page poster abstracts, journal track posters, and workshops or tutorials. Please see below for details on each submission type. Decisions regarding acceptance will be based on technical quality, novelty, and expected interest to the conference’s interdisciplinary audience. In addition to talks and posters originating from these submissions, the conference will feature a keynote speaker as well as several invited symposia showcasing recent research on a set of themes, with different disciplines and perspectives featured, to prompt lively and productive discussion at the conference. Submission types: Full six-page paper submissions Papers of at most 6 pages in IEEE double column format will undergo peer-review, and accepted and presented submissions will be included in the conference proceedings published by IEEE Xplore. Up to two extra pages are acceptable for a publication fee of $100 per page. Accepted papers will be invited for presentation either in oral or poster format Please make use of the template provided at https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html 1-page poster abstracts To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 1-page abstracts. These submissions will not be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during the poster session. Journal-track posters Journal track poster submissions must be about a journal paper that has been published recently (no earlier than December 2022), on a topic relevant to ICDL. Best regards, Yukie Nagai, on behalf of the organizing committees — Yukie Nagai, Ph.D. Project Professor, The University of Tokyo nagai.yukie(a)mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp | https://developmental-robotics.jp CREST Cognitive Feelings: https://cognitive-feeling.jp CREST Cognitive Mirroring: https://cognitive-mirroring.org

1 0

CfP Social Interaction for Human and Virtual Agents
by Treur, J. (Jan) Dec. 29, 2023

Dec. 29, 2023

SIHVA 2024: Computational Modeling of Social Interaction for Human and Virtual Agents Special Session at the 16th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems (ACIIDS 2024) 15-18 April 2024, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE Website: https://aciids.pwr.edu.pl/2024/session.php?acronym=SIHVA Organizers Sophie C.F. Hendrikse University of Amsterdam, Psychological Methods Group E-mail: s.c.f.hendrikse(a)uva.nl<mailto:s.c.f.hendrikse@uva.nl> Jan Treur Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Social AI Group E-mail: j.treur(a)vu.nl<mailto:j.treur@vu.nl> Objectives From a Computer Science or AI perspective, social interaction for human or virtual agents might simply be modeled like exchange of information. However, as many researchers involved in this area know, in a realistic context there is much more to it than that. Some examples of quite relevant aspects are how information about the other agent is represented and interpreted, how the interaction behaviour is context-sensitive and has flexibility in responses, and can be adaptive over time, for example, like in bonding. Research on all of such and other relevant aspects can be addressed in this track. Topics Some of the specific topics covered are (but the scope is not limited to these): * Multimodal interaction * Representing and learning about the other agent, self-other distinction * Social contagion and mirroring * Emergence of similarity during social interaction: homophily, synchrony * Adaptivity of interaction behaviour over shorter and longer time periods * Interpersonal regulation of emotions between agents * Joint-decision making * Collaborative learning * Artificial social systems * Social affective computing * Socially intelligent agents and multi-agent systems Important dates Paper submission: January 5, 2024 (2nd extension) Notification of acceptance: February 28, 2024 Camera-ready papers: March 15, 2024 Registration & payment: March 15, 2024 Conference date: April 15-18, 2024

1 0

Postdoctoral fellowships at the Neuromathematics Center in Sao Paulo State, Brazil
by Antonio Roque Dec. 27, 2023

Dec. 27, 2023

Positions for Postdoctoral Researchers The Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics (NeuroMat), hosted by the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), is offering post-doctoral fellowships for recent PhDs with outstanding research potential. The fellowship will involve collaborations with research teams and laboratories associated with NeuroMat. The research to be developed by the post-doc fellow shall be strictly related to ongoing research lines developed by the NeuroMat team that can be consulted at our website. The project may be developed at the laboratories of USP, campuses of São Paulo or Ribeirão Preto, or at UNICAMP, Campinas, in person. We seek candidates capable of developing independent research in one of the research lines below. 1. Stochastic modeling of neurobiological data. 2. Acquisition, processing, and quantitative analysis of neurobiological data. 3. Instrumentation development associated with brain stimuli. Candidates to the first research line are required to have a strong background in probability theory with emphasis on stochastic processes. Candidates to the second research line are required to have a strong background in neuroscience with previous experience in neurophysiological data acquisition, processing and analysis, and knowledge of computer programming. Candidates to the third research line are required to have a strong background in electronic instrumentation, robotics, programing, and safety in medical equipment. The initial appointment is for one year, with a possible extension, conditional on research progress. The fellowship is competitive at an international level, and fellows benefit from extra funds for travel and research expenses plus limited support for relocation expenses. Application Instructions: Applicants should complete and submit the application form <https://neuromat.numec.prp.usp.br/postdoc/new/>. The following documents and information are requested (please see the form for further details): - Summary of the CV, in the format required by FAPESP (see fapesp.br/en/6351 <http://www.fapesp.br/en/6351> for instructions); - List of publications, with links to those available online. - A summary of the research plan for the next year, up to 5 pages in length. This document must explicitly state for which of the three research lines the candidate has applied. It should also address how this research plan fits within the framework of the NeuroMat research program <https://neuromat.numec.prp.usp.br/scientific-project/>. - Pointers to other research related output, such as software, web pages, and so forth. Candidates should be willing to send copies of publications, if requested. - Any further information deemed relevant to the application. In addition to the above, we require at least two recommendation letters. Those should be mailed by the recommenders directly to postdoc-appl(a)numec.prp.usp.br. Timetable: Candidates are encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience until the deadline of February 02, 2024. Appointment is expected to start by March 2024. The initial period of the position lasts for 12 months, with possible renewals to up to the end of the project, July 31, 2025. This opportunity is open to candidates of any nationality. The selected candidates will be awarded FAPESP Postdoctoral fellowships in the amount of BRL 9,047.40 monthly and a research contingency fund, equivalent to 15% of the annual value of the fellowship, which should be spent on items directly related to the research activity. More details on FAPESP's postdoctoral fellowships are available at: fapesp.br/en/5427 <http://www.fapesp.br/en/5427>. -- Antonio C. Roque Professor Associado Departamento de Fisica FFCLRP, Universidade de Sao Paulo 14040-901 Ribeirao Preto-SP Brazil - Brasil antonior(a)usp.br <antonior(a)ffclrp.usp.br> aroquesilva(a)gmail.com www.sisne.org ORCID: 0000-0003-1260-4840 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1260-4840> ResearcherID: C-2316-2011 <http://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/C-2316-2011> Google Scholar: GqHWF74AAAAJ <http://scholar.google.com.br/citations?user=GqHWF74AAAAJ> CV Lattes: 4609096963207702 <http://lattes.cnpq.br/4609096963207702>

1 0

First Call for Papers: RaPID-5@LREC-COLING 2024
by Dim X Dec. 27, 2023

Dec. 27, 2023

************************************************************************************* *First Call for Papers:* The 5th workshop on: "*Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from * * people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric/developmental impairments*" *Workshop*: co-located with LREC-COLING 2024 | Turin, Italy | May 21st, 2024 RaPID-5 serves as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers to exchange insights, methods, and experiences related to collecting and processing data from individuals with mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments. The workshop focuses on creating, processing, and applying such data resources from individuals at different stages and severity levels of these impairments. The ultimate goal of RaPID-5 is to facilitate the study of relationships among linguistic, paralinguistic, and extra-linguistic observations, with applications ranging from aiding diagnosis to enhancing monitoring and predicting individuals at higher risk, ultimately promoting multidisciplinary collaboration across clinical, language technology, computational linguistics, and computer science communities. *Submission deadline*: Sun., 31st of March, 2024 (anywhere on earth) *Paper submission*: https://softconf.com/lrec-coling2024/rapid2024/ *Website and more details*: https://spraakbanken.gu.se/en/rapid-2024 *Contact*: Dimitrios Kokkinakis *Contact email*: dimitrios.kokkinakis(a)gu.se *Organizing committee*: - Kathleen C. Fraser, National Research Council, Canada; - Dimitrios Kokkinakis, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; - Kristina Lundholm Fors, Lund University, Sweden; - Charalambos K. Themistocleous, University of Oslo, Norway - Athanasios Tsanas, The University of Edinburgh, UK - Fredrik Öhman, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden **************************************************************************************

1 0

Neuro-AI Conference in Chile, April 2024
by Christopher Pack, Dr. Dec. 26, 2023

Dec. 26, 2023

Abstract submission is now open for the Pucón Summit on Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, to be held in Pucón, Chile, from April 8-12, 2024. The Summit will aim to explore the intersection of neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on mechanisms of learning. This event will provide a platform for AI and experimental neuroscience researchers to delve into the mechanisms of learning at the cellular, systems, and behavioral levels. The meeting aims to address three fundamental questions that have been the subject of intense research and theoretical debate: 1) What cellular mechanisms enable learning on different timescales? 2) How do brain networks modify their connectivity to support adaptive behaviors? 3) How do popular AI learning algorithms relate to biological mechanisms of learning at the cellular and systems levels? The emphasis will be on exchanging information between theoretical and experimental scientists. How can AI generate testable predictions for neuroscientists? How can neuroscientific discoveries inform the next generation of AI models? More information is available at the website: https://plena.cenia.cl/<https://plena.cenia.cl/registration/> This five-day meeting will involve talks in the morning, free afternoons for speakers, workshops for students, and round table discussions in the evenings. There is also a possibility of satellite workshops and other activities involving trainees before and after the meeting. Important dates Abstract submission: January 24, 2024 Early registration: February 2, 2024 Regular registration: March 5, 2024 Keynote speakers Sara Solla (Northwestern University) Nelson Spruston (HHMI) Full list of invited talks: https://plena.cenia.cl/speakers/ Chile is renowned for its beautiful landscapes, rich culture, and vibrant research community. We have selected the city of Pucón, as an exceptional venue providing a secluded and conducive environment for stimulating conversations, fruitful collaborations, and unique outdoor activities (i.e., Volcano trekking, river rafting, lake activities, etc.). We hope to see you there. Regards, The Scientific Committee [cid:image003.jpg@01DA37E3.2F598230]Roberto Araya (U. Montreal, Canada) Christopher Pack (McGill University, Canada) Pedro Maldonado (Universidad de Chile, Chile) Markus Diesmann (Jülich Research Center, Germany) For any questions, please contact us by email: plena(a)cenia.cl<mailto:plena@cenia.cl>

1 0

COSYNE 2024: Travel grants; Pre-Cosyne Brainhack
by Tomas Hromadka Dec. 24, 2023

Dec. 24, 2023

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2024 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 29 February - 03 March 2024 Lisbon, Portugal WORKSHOPS 04 March - 05 March 2024 Cascais, Portugal www.cosyne.org ==================================================== IMPORTANT DATES Registration is now open Travel grants applications are now open. Travel grant applications deadlines: *31 December 2023, 11.59PM PST (Undergraduate Travel Grant)* 24 January 2024, 11.59PM PST (Other travel grants) ---------------------------------------------------- COSYNE MEETING & WORKSHOPS ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural basis of behavior, sensory and motor systems, circuitry, learning, neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, neuromodulation, and computation with spiking networks. ----------------------------------------------- TRAVEL GRANTS ----------------------------------------------- Applications are now open for travel grants to attend the conference. Each awardee will receive at least $500 to help offset the costs of travel, registration, and accommodations. Larger grants may be available to those traveling from outside Europe. Special consideration is given to scientists who have not previously attended the meeting, under-represented minorities, students who are attending the meeting together with a mentor, undergraduate students, and authors of submitted Cosyne abstracts. We currently offer five travel grant programs for New Attendees, Presenters, Mentors, Undergraduates, and Childcare travel grants. For details on applying, see www.cosyne.org/travel-grants. ----------------------------------------------------- PRE-COSYNE BRAINHACK ----------------------------------------------------- Pre-COSYNE Brainhack is a satellite event and hackathon from 27-28 February 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal, immediately preceding the COSYNE conference. This hackathon brings together people who are passionate about open science, open-source tools, and collaboration around computational and systems neuroscience. It provides an opportunity for people from different institutions to work together on projects of shared interest and learn from each other. Anyone is welcome to participate. Space is limited to 25 people. To learn more and apply, please visit the Pre-COSYNE Brainhack website: https://pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon2024 ----------------------------------------------------- COSYNE 2024 SPEAKERS ----------------------------------------------------- Blaise Aguera y Arcas (Google Research) Dora Angelaki (NYU) Silvia Arber (U Basel) Laura Busse (LMU Munich) Lars Chittka (Queen Mary U) Kafui Dzirasa (Duke U) Elizabeth Hong (Caltech) Alex Pouget (U Geneva) Rajesh Rao (U Washington) Mac Shine (U Sydney) David Sussillo (Meta Reality Labs & Stanford) Claire Wyart (ICM Brain & Spine Institute) ----------------------------------------------------- COSYNE 2024 COMMITTEES ----------------------------------------------------- COSYNE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Jessica Cardin (Yale) and Blake Richards (McGill) Program Chairs: Bing Brunton (U Washington) and Chandramouli Chandrasekaran (Boston U) Workshop Chairs: SueYeon Chung (NYU/Flatiron) and Andrew Saxe (Oxford) Tutorial Chair: Il Memming Park (Champalimaud) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Kimberly Stachenfeld (DeepMind) and Marcelo Mattar (NYU) DEIA Committee: Hysell Oviedo (Washington U) and Luke Sjulson (Albert Einstein) Fundraising Chair: Michael Long (NYU) Social Media Chair: Sabera Talukder (Caltech) Audio-Video Media Chair: Carlos Stein Brito (Champalimaud) Poster Design: Maja Bialon COSYNE PROGRAM COMMITTEE Bing Brunton (U Washington) Co-chair Chandramouli Chandrasekaran (Boston U) Co-chair Yashar Ahmadian (U Cambridge) Athena Akrami (UCL) Timothy Buschman (Princeton) Alex Cayco Gajic (Ecole Normale Superieure) Hannah Choi (Gatech) Brian DePasquale (Boston U) Sridhar Devarajan (Indian Inst Sci) Laura Driscoll (Stanford) Ann Duan (UCL) Lea Duncker (Stanford) Annegret Falkner (Princeton) Rainer Friedrich (Friedrich Miescher Institute) Juan Gallego (Imperial) Matthew Golub (U Washington) Bilal Haider (Georgia Tech) Kiah Hardcastle (Harvard) Kameron Harris (W Washington U) Santiago Jaramillo (U Oregon) Jonathan Kao (UCLA) Kohitij Kar (York U) Ann Kennedy (Northwestern) Guillaume Lajoie (MILA) Laura Lewis (MIT) Camilo Libedinsky (National U Singapore) Scott Linderman (Stanford) Ashok Litwin-Kumar (Columbia) Emily Mackevicius (Basis) Jorge Mejias (U Amsterdam) Leenoy Meshulam (U Washington) Jonathan Michaels (York U) James Murray (U Oregon) Hendrikje Nienborg (NIH) Gouki Okazawa (Chinese Acad Sci) Marino Pagan (UCL) Chethan Pandarinath (Emory) Il Memming Park (Champalimaud) Hannah Payne (Columbia) Talmo Pereira (Salk) Supratim Ray (Indian Inst Sci) Erin Rich (Mount Sinai) Ben Scott (Boston U) Alireza Soltani (Dartmouth) Nicholas Steinmetz (U Washington) Carsen Stringer (HHMI) Marie Suver (Vanderbilt) Aparna Suvrathan (McGill) John Tuthill (U Washington) Ali Weber (Bryn Mawr) Brady Weissbourd (MIT) Alex Williams (NYU) Klaus Wimmer (CRM) Brad Wyble (Penn State) Dan Yamins (Stanford) COSYNE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Anne-Marie Oswald (U Pittsburgh) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) COSYNE CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org ----------------------------------------------------- COSYNE MAILING LISTS ----------------------------------------------------- Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See www.cosyne.org/mailing-lists lists for details.

1 0

Job offer: schizophrenia, pharmacology, modeling
by BREYTON Martin Dec. 23, 2023

Dec. 23, 2023

Dear all, Please find below the description for an available position at INS in Marseille, France: Main contact : Dr Martin Breyton martin.breyton(a)univ-amu.fr<mailto:martin.breyton@univ-amu.fr> Additional contacts : romain.guilhaumou(a)ap-hm.fr<mailto:romain.guilhaumou@ap-hm.fr>, spase.petkoski(a)univ-amu.fr<mailto:spase.petkoski@univ-amu.fr> REPORTS (bRain modEling and PharmacOclinical Response To Schizophrenia) Description: Schizophrenia affects approximately 0.7 to 1% of the world's population. Although there is a large available therapeutic panel, the clinical effectiveness of the antipsychotics used remains limited with 30 to 50% of schizophrenic patients showing an insufficient response to treatment. At the pharmacological level, drug response results from the interaction of genetic (e.g. drug-metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters, drug targets), personal (e.g. age, sex, disease states, treatment adherence) and environmental factors (e.g. smoking, diet, alcohol habits, drug-drug interactions) that produce interindividual differences in terms of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (de Leon et al., 2009). Currently, only fluid biomarkers are available to optimize exposure to antipsychotics (Therapeutic drug monitoring, TDM and Pharmacogenetics, PGx), but no biomarker is available to optimize the next steps, i.e, the interaction with the receptors, the signal transduction and finally the translation to clinical effect. To fill this void, neuroimaging is a strong candidate and a number of plausible neuroimaging biomarkers have been identified (Kraguljac et al. 2021). Indeed, a modulation of brain connectivity related to response to antipsychotic medication has been described (Mehta et al. 2021). Understanding this modulation thanks to modeling will allow an early stratification of patients before treatment and then an optimization of the treatment for each individual patient (allowing more reliable as well as earlier optimized management). Available data: 100 schizophrenic patients, pharmaco-clinical data, neuroimaging (T1, T2, DTI, rs-fMRI) We are looking for a young researcher (engineer, PhD) from Neurosciences to contribute to this project by performing/participating in the following tasks: * Management, preprocessing and analysis of the clinical database to identify sub-groups of patients at high risk of inadequate antipsychotic drug exposure * Preprocessing and analysis of the neuroimaging data: extraction of biomarkers and comparison between groups * Personalized brain modeling using The Virtual Brain (Sanz-Leon et al. 2015) The ideal candidate should be: * Proficient in Python programming * Familiar with neuro-imaging data * Familiar with computational neurosciences concepts and/or machine learning * Curious about schizophrenia and pharmacology * Have some prior experience in research (internship, publication…) The candidate would work in the Theoretical Neuroscience Group at the Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes (INS, UMR1106, Marseille) under a research engineer contract or similar for 20 months. They will be supervised by a team of pharmacologists and computational neuroscientists. Depending on the quality of the collaboration, and on the advancement of the project, there will be possibilities to extend the collaboration and work on other related projects at INS. References: Kraguljac, Nina V., William M. McDonald, Alik S. Widge, Carolyn I. Rodriguez, Mauricio Tohen, et Charles B. Nemeroff. 2021. « Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Schizophrenia ». The American Journal of Psychiatry 178 (6): 509‑21. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20030340. Leon, Jose de. 2009. « The Future (or Lack of Future) of Personalized Prescription in Psychiatry ». Pharmacological Research 59 (2): 81‑89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2008.10.002. Mehta, Urvakhsh Meherwan, Ferose Azeez Ibrahim, Manu S. Sharma, Ganesan Venkatasubramanian, Jagadisha Thirthalli, Rose Dawn Bharath, Nicolas R. Bolo, Bangalore N. Gangadhar, et Matcheri S. Keshavan. 2021. « Resting-State Functional Connectivity Predictors of Treatment Response in Schizophrenia – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis ». Schizophrenia Research 237 (novembre): 153‑65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.09.004. Sanz-Leon, Paula, Stuart A. Knock, Andreas Spiegler, et Viktor K. Jirsa. 2015. « Mathematical framework for large-scale brain network modeling in The Virtual Brain ». NeuroImage 111 (mai): 385‑430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.01.002.

1 0

Postdoctoral positions in computational neuroscience
by Richard Naud Dec. 22, 2023

Dec. 22, 2023

Centre for Neural Dynamics and Artificial Intelligence, University of Ottawa We are recruiting two postdoctoral fellows. One for a project on large scale spiking neural networks, another for a project involving analysis of high-throughput neural data. The successful candidate will become an integral part of the Neural Coding lab and participate in a collaborative research environment. Ottawa is a vibrant city, capital of Canada. For more information, see https://neurodynamic.uottawa.ca/ottawa.html. For past publications related to this research, see Richard Naud’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=2HXsblgAAAAJ&hl=en And website: https://neurodynamic.uottawa.ca/neuralcoding/index.html Qualifications: Ph. D. in theoretical neuroscience, computer science, or engineering. Start date: As soon as a suitable candidate is found. Submit: CV, statement of research interest and contact for 3 references. Duration: 2 years. Deadline: We will start reviewing applications January 15, 2024. Contact: rnaud(a)uottawa.ca<mailto:rnaud@uottawa.ca> (Richard Naud)

1 0

PhD position call in Barcelona
by Diego Vidaurre Dec. 22, 2023

Dec. 22, 2023

Hello, There is an open call for a PhD in Barcelona working on machine learning using rich longitudinal neuroimaging, genetics and behavioural data, with the aim of predicting disease trajectories in dementia. The position would be in the Centre de Reserca Matemàtica and the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, with me as one of two primary supervisors. Deadline would be mid January. In there is anyone interested, please get in touch. (And please distribute if you can) Thanks d

1 0

PhD project in recurrent neural network models of neural dynamics
by Mark Humphries Dec. 22, 2023

Dec. 22, 2023

A 4-year fully-funded PhD studentship project with Professor Mark Humphries and Professor Stephen Coombes is available for October 2024 start, through the University of Nottingham's BBSRC Doctoral Training Programme. The striatum is central to an extraordinary range of disorders, from Parkinson's disease to OCD, but our best models for its function are outdated and contradicted by recent data. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that the striatum is a special class of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that use purely inhibitory connections. We will build and analyse this class of networks, deriving predictions for the computations that striatum performs, and for the activity of neuron populations in the striatum. We will then test these predictions in two large-scale datasets of population recordings from striatum in freely-exploring mice from the studies of Klaus et al (Neuron, 2017) and Markowitz et al (Cell, 2018). The DTP offers 2 lab rotations and wide-ranging training modules. If successful, the PhD student will join the Humphries' lab ( https://www.humphries-lab.org/) and be part of the School of Psychology's extensive postgraduate support network. Closing date:12 noon (GMT) Friday 12th January 2024. For full studentship details and how to apply see here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/bbdtp/apply/how-to-apply.aspx Professor Mark Humphries | Professor of Computational Neuroscience Lab: humphries-lab.org<https://www.humphries-lab.org/> Twitter: @markdhumphries Public blog: https://medium.com/the-spike Book: "The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds" (Princeton UP) out now in paperback: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691241487/the-spike 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 contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

1 0

Book: Principles of Computational Modelling in Neuroscience
by Gaute Einevoll Dec. 21, 2023

Dec. 21, 2023

We are very pleased to announce our new book: Principles of Computational Modelling in Neuroscience 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, October 2023 Hardback, paperback and ebook. URL: www.cambridge.org/highereducation/isbn/9781108716420 David Sterratt, University of Edinburgh U.K. Bruce Graham, University of Stirling U.K. Andrew Gillies, Psymetrix Limited Gaute Einevoll, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) David Willshaw, University of Edinburgh U.K. Taking a step-by-step approach to modelling neurons and neuralcircuitry, this textbook teaches students how to use computational techniques to understand the nervous system at all levels, using case studies throughout to illustrate fundamental principles. Starting with a simple model of a neuron, the authors gradually introduce neuronal morphology, synapses, ion channels and intracellular signalling. This fully updated new edition contains additional examples and case studies on specific modelling techniques, suggestions on different ways to use this book, and new chapters covering plasticity, modelling extracellular influences on brain circuits, modelling experimental measurement processes, and choosing appropriate model structures and their parameters. The online resources offer exercises and simulation code that recreate many of the book's figures, allowing students to practice as they learn. Requiring an elementary background in neuroscience and high-school mathematics, this is an ideal resource for a course on computational neuroscience. Key features: Presents all models within the context of biological scenarios to connect computational models with real neurobiology. Highlights and explains mathematical details in boxes alongside the main text, so readers can follow the discussion easily and clearly. Shows how to choose an appropriate model structure and to set its parameter values. Demonstrates how to translate a mathematical formulation of a model into a simulation. Prof. Bruce Graham, Emeritus Professor of Computing Science Division of Computing Science and Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA Coauthor of "Principles of Computational Modelling in Neuroscience", CUP, 2nd Edition 2023<https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/principles-of-computational…>.

1 0

NEST Conference 2024 — Save the date 17/18 June 2024
by Hans Ekkehard Plesser Dec. 21, 2023

Dec. 21, 2023

Dear Colleagues, The NEST Initiative is excited to invite everyone interested in Neural Simulation Technology and the NEST Simulator to the NEST Conference 2024. Save the date for the virtual conference taking place on June 17–18, 2024! The annual NEST Conference provides an opportunity for the NEST Community to meet, exchange success stories, swap advice, learn about current developments in and around NEST spiking network simulation and its application. We particularly encourage young scientists to participate in the conference! Registration and abstract submission will open early next year. For more information on the event please visit the conference website https://nest-simulator.org/conference. We are looking forward to seeing you in June and wish you happy holidays and a good start into the new year! Hans Ekkehard Plesser and colleagues [Image] -- Prof. Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Department of Data Science Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no<mailto:hans.ekkehard.plesser@nmbu.no> Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

1 0

PhD position in computational psychiatry / computational neuroscience
by Klaus Obermayer Dec. 21, 2023

Dec. 21, 2023

* * *Neural Information Processing Group @ Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin, Germany))* Faculty IV - Institute of Software Engineering and Theoretical Computer Science *PhD Position in Computational **Psychology**(salary level TV-L E13 100%)* *Visual Information Sampling Using Eye-movements and Overt Attention in Dynamic Scenes*** *Reference number:*IV-790/23 (starting date: May 1st, 2024/ for up to threeyears / closing date for applications for full consideration: January 18th, 2024 / applications will be accepted until the position is filled). *Working field:*This position is part of an interdisciplinary project between psychology, computational neuroscience, and computervision. The successful candidate will conduct model-based data analyses of human behavioral and eye-tracking data andwill perform the computational modelling of eye-movement patterns with help of the ScanDy saccade predictionframework(cf. Roth N., Rolfs M., Hellwich O., and Obermayer K. (2023), Objects Guide Human Gaze Behavior in Dynamic Real-World Scenes, PLoS Comput. Biol. 19, e1011512). Investigations will address the relationship between task, gaze behavior, and scene memorization wheninspecting dynamic scenes andthemechanisms and functional consequences of inter-individual differences inhuman visual sampling strategies. The candidate is supposed to join the PhD program of the Cluster of Excellence “Science of Intelligence” (https://www.scienceofintelligence.de/, specifically projects PJ 01 and PJ 57) which this position is part of. Information about our research group can also be found at https://www.tu.berlin/en/ni. *Requirements:*Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) in Computational Neuroscience, ComputerScience, Physics, Mathematics, or related fields. Applicants should have very good programming skills, a very good command of the Englishlanguage, a solid mathematicalbackground, competence in machine learning, and a strong interest in visual perception. Working experience in the fieldof computational neuroscience and an additional background in psychology and / or neuroscience is an advantage. Please send your application with the usual documents only by e-mail to Prof. Dr. Obermayer at*klaus.obermayer(a)tu-berlin.de*, quoting the *reference number*.

1 1

The Canadian Neuroanalytics Scholars (CNS) Program
by Joern Davidsen Dec. 20, 2023

Dec. 20, 2023

The Canadian Neuroanalytics Scholars (CNS) Program The Canadian Neuroanalytics Scholars (CNS) Program is now accepting Notices of Intent for the 2024 recruitment cycle. Up to 10 scholars will be awarded $70,0000 per year for up to two years, plus access to training and mentorship from CNS Program partners. Who is eligible? The applicant must: * Be affiliated with a Canadian post-secondary institution * Have less than 5 years of full-time training after completion of a doctoral degree * Current PhD students can apply if their degree will be completed before the program start date The proposed supervisor must: * Hold a full-time faculty position at a degree-granting research institution in Canada, such as the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) at the University of Calgary which is one of the Partner Institutes of the CNS Program (potential supervisors in Computational Neuroscience at the HBI can be found here<https://hbi.ucalgary.ca/computational-neuroscience/graduate-specialization/…>) * Conduct research primarily in the field of neuroscience * Only supervise one scholar awarded from this competition; i.e., a supervisor can only be associated with a single applicant Info Sessions: December 21, 9 am MT | Registration<https://em.ucalgary.ca/MTYxLU9MTi05OTAAAAGQHSqYb0R5x2IpQ_ao-XT-9nQ9ZVBFSQ5I…> more in January (see link below) NOI Deadline: January 31, 2024 12 pm (noon) MT Details and Application<https://em.ucalgary.ca/MTYxLU9MTi05OTAAAAGQHSqYb8HOeVw0opHaxQ77YPFe2LoYmeRG…> --- Dr. Jörn Davidsen Professor of Physics & Humboldt Research Fellow University of Calgary www.ucalgary.ca/davidsen<http://www.ucalgary.ca/davidsen>

1 0

Post-doctoral research scientist position: Communication in complex audio-visual virtual environments
by Bernhard Seeber Dec. 20, 2023

Dec. 20, 2023

Dear List, we are inviting applications for a post-doctoral research scientist to join our team for research on communication in complex audio-visual virtual environments. Your responsibilities: - Development of novel techniques for investigating communication ability in interactive audio-visual virtual reality involving the analysis of body, head and facial movements and of gestures - Development of analysis methods for behavioral responses and statistical analysis of the results - Research on binaural hearing and speech in complex acoustic conditions with normal hearing listeners - Publication in English-language scientific journals and presentations at conferences - Supervision of student projects, assistance with teaching and with raising external funding. Your qualifications: - Successfully completed doctoral degree (PhD) in one of the following areas: psychoacoustics, audio technology, virtual reality, speech, multimodal interaction, signal processing, or a related area - Knowledge and experience desirable in designing and analyzing psychophysical experiments, virtual reality techniques, behavior analysis, audio signal processing, machine learning, auditory scene analysis, binaural hearing, speech perception and speech tests - Very good programming skills in Matlab, Python, or C/C++ - Excellent written and oral communication skills as well as experience with scientific publications - Interest in basic research and the development of complex technical systems in virtual reality - Flexibility and good interpersonal skills - Interest in supervising students, helping with teaching and raising external funds. Our offer: We offer you the opportunity to join a dynamic, interdisciplinary team, to work with cutting-edge technical equipment, including an interactive audio-visual virtual reality system hosted in an anechoic chamber, and to learn about the latest methods in hearing research. As part of the DFG collaborative research center "Hearing acoustics: Perceptual principles, Algorithms and Applications" (https://uol.de/en/sfb-1330-hearing-acoustics) you will work closely with our project partners at the University of Oldenburg. Our close interaction with the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience Munich, the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, the Hearing Research Network Munich, our extensive cooperation with industry and with scientific partners, and the numerous talks and courses offered at TUM create an attractive environment with excellent perspectives for personal development. Please see www.aip.cit.tum.de, http://y2u.be/yN7vD1khTOI and www.tum.de for information. The position is available from 01.04.2024 and initially limited to 30.06.2026. Salary is according to the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service of the Länder (TV-L/E13, 100%). TUM strives to raise the proportion of women in its workforce and explicitly encourages applications from qualified women. The position is suitable for disabled persons. Disabled applicants will be given preference in case of generally equivalent suitability, aptitude and professional performance. Munich - the city famous for the Oktoberfest, high-end cars and its unique location to the Alps - is a bustling, international and interesting place to live which offers a wide range of opportunities to engage in cultural and leisurely activities - from opera to skiing. Interested? I look forward to answering your questions on the phone (+49 89 289 28282) or by email. Please send your expressive application by email no later than 31 January 2024 to Prof. Bernhard Seeber, aip(a)ei.tum.de. As part of your application, you provide personal data to the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Please view our privacy policy on collecting and processing personal data in the course of the application process pursuant to Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR) at https://portal.mytum.de/kompass/datenschutz/Bewerbung. By submitting your application you confirm to have read and understood the data protection information provided by TUM. The job advertisement can also be found at: https://portal.mytum.de/jobs/wissenschaftler/NewsArticle_20231220_160335 Have a merry Christmas and all the best for the new year! Bernhard -- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard U. Seeber Audio Information Processing Department of Computer Engineering School of Computation, Information and Technology Technische Universität München Arcisstrasse 21 D-80333 Munich, Germany Office: +49 89 289-28282 Fax: +49 89 289-28211 Mobile: +49 (0)174 928 6338 Visitors: Theresienstrasse 90, building N5, room N6504 Web: www.ce.cit.tum.de/aip https://www.youtube.com/@audioinformationprocessing www.bseeber.de Key affiliations: Department of Computer Engineering, CIT Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE) Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI)

1 0

PhD positions in Neuroscience at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
by Memming Park Dec. 19, 2023

Dec. 19, 2023

Applications are now open <https://fchampalimaud.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b9d91fb510403415e68…> for the International <https://fchampalimaud.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b9d91fb510403415e68…>Neuroscience Doctoral <https://fchampalimaud.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b9d91fb510403415e68…> Programme <https://fchampalimaud.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b9d91fb510403415e68…>. A central goal of the programme is to foster inquiry and discovery by encouraging active participation, critical thinking, and problem-solving among the students. Top evaluated candidates will receive an offer to participate in the PhD programme, which nominally comprises an initial year of classes and lab rotations followed by research in the selected lab. Students will apply for fellowships as part of the curriculum, but success in acquiring external fellowships is not required. A full list of laboratories and their research can be found here <https://fchampalimaud.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b9d91fb510403415e68…> . We’re seeking talented students from all over the world, and from a range of different backgrounds – from life sciences to physics, from mathematics to computer science – to work at the frontiers of knowledge in a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative environment. English is the main language. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: appindp(a)research.fchampalimaud.org Deadline: January 31, 2024 Interviews and open house: Early-mid March 2024 Final results: End of March 2024 2024 edition starting date: September 2024 --- Group Leader, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal Neural Dynamics = CATNIP Lab http://catniplab.github.io/

1 0

PhD position on reservoirs with dynamic synapses (Göttingen, Germany)
by Fauth, Michael Dec. 19, 2023

Dec. 19, 2023

The Institute of Biophysics at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany, is looking to fill a Ph.D. position (German Salary Scale TV-L E13, 75% (29.85 weekly hours) for 3 years). This post is designed to foster young researchers and give the successful applicant the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. The position should be filled by March 1rst 2024 or soon thereafter. The positions will be affiliated with the groups of Dr. Michael Fauth and Prof. Florentin Wörgötter. The Project: Based on mathematical modeling and analysis, we aim to understand how the dynamics of synapses (e.g., synaptic plasticity) will not only shape neuronal activities in recurrent neuronal networks, but also carry out computation. We propose that networks optimally exploit this computational power through continuous rewiring of synapses -- that is creating synapses with different properties and stabilizing synapses with the right dynamics at the right place. We will test this using the abstract framework of reservoir/echo state networks and envision applications both in neuroscience and machine learning. Your Profile: Suitable candidates should have - a Master degree or Diplom in physics, mathematics, computer science or comparable subjects, - excellent mathematical and coding skills (e.g., Python, C++), in particular: -- solid knowledge about linear algebra, differential equations and dynamical systems as well as their numerical simulation, -- basic knowledge in machine learning and optimization as well as computational neuroscience, - good skills in scientific communication (including proficiency in English), - the ability to self-organize and independently solve problems, - and the motivation to perform leading-edge research in a lively, multidisciplinary research environment Optimally, you also have first experiences with - echo state networks and reservoir computing - stochastic processes - information theory - using GPUs for fast computing The Göttingen Campus is a leading center of neuroscience in Europe hosting numerous internationally renowned research institutions, including the University and its Medical Center, the three life science Max Planck Institutes, the European Neuroscience Institute, the German Primate Center, and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Göttingen. The PhD candidate should enroll into the Göttingen Graduate School for Neuroscience, Biophysics and Molecular Bioscience to profit from their excellent training and supervision infrastructure. The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference. Please send your e-mail application, preferably in one single PDF-document, including a letter of interest, your curriculum vitae, copies of your certificates and contact information of at least two references until 21th of January, 2024 to Dr. Michael Fauth, e-mail: mfauth[at]gwdg.de. (Online-)Interviews will likely be held on February 5-7th. We will ask the candidates to give a 10min talk about their previous work (e.g. thesis project). If you have any questions, please contact Dr Michael Fauth via the above e-mail. Please note: With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Hinweisblatt zur Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) https://www.uni-goettingen.de/hinweisdsgvo

1 0

12 PhD positions and 2 PostDoc positions on "Curiosity" - Göttingen
by Viola Priesemann Dec. 19, 2023

Dec. 19, 2023

Dear all, in Göttingen, we have 12 open PhD positions and 2 PostDoc Positions within our new "Graduiertenkolleg" - PhD school on "Curiosity", starting summer 2024. We will investigate "curiosity" jointly from the perspective of computational neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/681631.html PIs include Nivedita Mani, Alex Ecker, Claudia Fichtel, Julia Fischer, Julia Ostner, Hannes Rakoczy, Anne Schacht, Sascha Schroeder, Caspar Schwiedrzik, Oliver Schuelke, Fabian Sinz, Michael Wibral, Florentin Woergoetter, and myself (Viola Priesemann). Please find all open positions here: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/open+positions/681638.html On Wednesday, 20.12.2023 at 12:00 (CET) we will host an informal information session. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (application.priesemann(a)ds.mpg.de) or our coordinator Rowan Titchener rtg2906(a)uni-goettingen.de. Best regards, Viola Priesemann -- Prof. Dr. Viola Priesemann Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization & Georg-August-University Göttingen Am Fassberg 17, 37077 Göttingen https://priesemann-group.github.io www.viola-priesemann.de viola.priesemann(a)ds.mpg.de

1 0

Computational neuroscientist positions at Nathan Kline Institute
by Neymotin, Samuel (NKI) Dec. 18, 2023

Dec. 18, 2023

Several postdoctoral scientist positions are available at the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) for Psychiatric Research (https://www.nki.rfmh.org<https://www.nki.rfmh.org/>) to work on computational neuroscience research funded by NIH and DoD grants. NKI offers the scientists a highly interdisciplinary environment spanning research at cutting-edge electrophysiology labs, high-performance computing for computational neuroscience, and human fMRI behavioral experiments and data analysis. The funded grants at NKI involve collaborations with leading research institutions including Columbia, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, University of Texas, SUNY Downstate, University of Tennessee, Carnegie Mellon University, Brown, and Stanford. Our NIH-funded projects rely on recently developed, detailed biophysical circuit models of the auditory system. Postdocs will use the models to investigate the brain's dynamic circuit motifs underlying internal vs. external-oriented processes in the auditory and interconnected brain areas. Postdocs will build upon models constrained by electrophysiology data and use the models to devise neuromodulation strategies for inducing/suppressing circuit dynamics, testable in vivo. NKI also has NIMH funding to investigate the origin of electrophysiological biomarkers observed in the auditory system of animal models of schizophrenia (mismatch negativity, altered oscillatory patterns), and using modeling to predict circuit-level origins and treatments. An additional NIH-funded BRAIN award uses modeling of the auditory system to optimize new DISC electrodes developed by our colleagues at UTexas, which could dramatically improve brain computer interfaces. Our DoD projects involve developing computational models of the hippocampal and entorhinal cortex circuits used in spatial navigation, higher level decision making circuits including prefrontal cortex, and integrating these circuit models with agents learning to solve spatial navigation tasks using neurobiologically-inspired learning rules. Postdocs will also integrate these models with basal ganglia models that weigh evidence/context for improved decision-making (developed by colleagues at CMU). Postdocs will also work with applied mathematicians and data scientists at University of Tennessee to use topological data analysis to improve understanding the structure and representations of neuronal circuits used in spatial reasoning, facilitated through detailed circuit modeling. Postdocs will also have the opportunity to collaborate with Army Research Lab computational neuroscientists and mathematicians, with the ultimate aim of using the models developed to improve human-agent teaming. Applicants should have a strong background in: multiscale neural modeling using NEURON/NetPyNE, Python software development, neural/electrophysiology data analysis, machine learning, software development, writing/presenting research, and applying for grants. To apply for positions, email a CV and cover letter to Sam Neymotin (samuel.neymotin(a)nki.rfmh.org) The position requires presence at NKI (Orangeburg, New York), with part-time telecommuting allowed. ________________________________ IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail is meant only for the use of the intended recipient. It may contain confidential information which is legally privileged or otherwise protected by law. If you received this e-mail in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it to you, you are strictly prohibited from reviewing, using, disseminating, distributing or copying the e-mail. PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY OF THE ERROR BY RETURN E-MAIL AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEM. Thank you for your cooperation.

1 0

M2 internship on bifurcation detection at Institut de Neuroscience des Systèmes (INS) Marseille, France.
by DEPANNEMAECKER Damien Dec. 18, 2023

Dec. 18, 2023

Dear all, Could you please forward the announcement below to any interested and motivated students? Thanks a lot Damien Depannemaecker M2 internship on bifurcation detection Brief description: For causal estimation in brain pathological conditions, models offer crucial insights into neurophysiological mechanisms. Model-based inference involves constructing a statistical or mechanistic model that captures the essential features of the data-generating process. In this context, simulation-based inference (SBI) using deep neural networks provides an invertible map between parameters and data features. Therefore, there is a need to automatically extract the low-dimensional informative data features, to train the neural networks, the so-called Normalizing-Flows. In this project, our goal is to utilize machine learning algorithms to provide input into the SBI pipeline. The data for this project will be, simulated data from models at different scales and corresponding electrophysiological data such as patch-clamp and intracranial stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings. The objective is to classify seizure onset and bifurcation patterns from the complex biophysical models. The trainee will benefit from the support of the various skills available within our teams. When: For 5 months, the starting date is flexible in the first semester of 2024. Where: Institut de Neuroscience des Systèmes (INS) Théoretical Neuroscience Group (TNG) Faculté de Medécine, Aix-Marseille Université, 27, Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France How to Apply: Send a CV, motivation letter, and two letters of recommendation to: meysam.hashemi(a)univ-amu.fr damien.depannemaecker(a)univ-amu.fr marmaduke.woodman(a)univ-amu.fr

1 0

Fully Funded PhD Position in Theoretical Neuroscience at Donders Institute in the group of Federico Stella
by Stella, F. (Federico) Dec. 17, 2023

Dec. 17, 2023

A fully-funded 4-year PhD position in the group of Federico Stella at Donders Institute in Nijmegen, NL is now available. I have recently started my own group at Radboud University and in the context of my research in theoretical neuroscience I am currently looking for a PhD student starting as early as possible in 2024. The project will focus on the computational investigation of the role of neural reactivations in memory. Since their discovery neural reactivations happening during sleep have emerged as an exceptional tool to investigate the process of memory formation in the brain. This phenomenon has been mostly associated with the hippocampus, an area known for its role in the processing of new memories and their initial storage. Continuous advancements in data acquisition techniques are giving us an unprecedented access to the activity of large-scale networks during sleep, in the hippocampus and in other cortical regions. At the same time, our theoretical understanding of the computations underlying neural reactivations and more in general memory representations, has only began to take shape. Combining mathematical modeling of neural networks and analysis of existing dataset, we will address some key aspects of this phenomenon such as: 1) The role of different sleep phases in regulating the reactivation process and in modulating the evolution of a memory trace. 2) The relationship of hippocampal reactivations to the process of (semantic) learning and knowledge generalization. 3) The relevance of reactivation statistical properties for learning in cortico-hippocampal networks. The successful candidate will carry out their studies at the Donders Institute of Radboud University in Nijmegen. The project will expose the student to a highly interdisciplinary context, rich in experimental and theoretical expertise. Moreover the project will take place in the context of a wider range of scientific collaborations already established in the lab. The ideal candidate has a strong interest in neuroscience; a background in theoretical physics, math or similar quantitative disciplines (familiarity with statistical mechanics and/or dynamical systems is very welcomed); and some degree of computational and programming skills (ideally, knowledge of Matlab and/or Python) The ideal candidate must also be able to carry out their work in an independent, and highly collaborative manner. The starting date is flexible but should be in the first part of 2024. Interested candidates should submit their application to Federico Stella (federico.stella(a)donders.ru.nl) before 14th of January including a CV and a research interest statement. Interviews with short-listed candidates will be held online later in January 2024.

1 0

New Cognitive Science Master's program (cog-SUP) at Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Cité
by Mehdi Khamassi Dec. 15, 2023

Dec. 15, 2023

We are happy to announce the birth of cog-SUP, a new interdisciplinary Master's program in Cognitive Science jointly offered by Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Cité. https://cog-sup.fr cog-SUP is an heir of the Cogmaster (2004-2025), itself a descendant of the DEA of Cognitive Science (1987-2004). As such, our pedagogical team and program benefit from more than 35 years of teaching experience in Cognitive Science in Paris. We offer *a broad interdisciplinary openness and a fundamentally collaborative spirit*, bringing together professors, researchers and students from very different backgrounds, united by common research questions. The large majority of courses are in English (except otherwise stated). The program is structured around *a unified core curriculum complemented by six robust disciplinary tracks*. To maintain a well-balanced and foundationally sound interdisciplinary education, cog-SUP is organized into six tracks: (1) psychology, (2) philosophy, (3) computational linguistics, (4) neuroscience, (5) computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence, (6) cognitive science and society. The program proposes innovative teaching methods, new contents addressing contemporary issues. We are particularly attentive to the human, ecological, societal and ethical issues of cognitive science. The program promotes scientific excellence and human values, within a French open university model, and includes important contributions from academics at CNRS, INSERM, EHESS, APHP, among other institutions. Applications for the M1 year will soon be open at https://cog-sup.fr/application/ *Application deadline: *10 March 2024 *Beginning of the M1-level of the program: *1 September 2024 Applications for the M2 year will take place in the Spring of 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year. *Beginning of the M2-level of the program: *1 September 2025 -- Mehdi Khamassi, PhD, HDR Research director (DR2) at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics Sorbonne Université, Paris, France http://www.isir.upmc.fr Co-resp. of modeling major for the Cogmaster program (until Summer 2025) Ecole Normale Supérieure (PSL University), EHESS, Univ. Paris Cité https://cogmaster.ens.psl.eu Co-director of the new master's program in Cognitive Science (cog-SUP) Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité https://cog-sup.fr Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems National Technical University of Athens, Greece https://www.iccs.gr/en/?noredirect=en_US Main contact details: Mehdi Khamassi Sorbonne Université, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie - ISIR - BC 173 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France tel: + 33 1 44 27 28 85 cell: +33 6 50 76 44 92 email:mehdi.khamassi@sorbonne-universite.fr https://pages2.isir.upmc.fr/mkhamassi/

1 0

Fully Funded Summer Internships at CCN (Flatiron Institute, NYC)
by Matthew Turner Dec. 15, 2023

Dec. 15, 2023

Dear all, The Center for Computational Neuroscience at the Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation will be offering our fully-funded summer internships once again in 2024. More details are included below and on the application page <https://apply.interfolio.com/137388>, and applications are due by February 2, 2024. Please feel welcome to share widely and contact me with any questions. *Summer Interns (Undergraduate, Graduate, and Pre-Doctoral)* *ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW* The Center for Computational Neuroscience (CCN) aims to develop theories, models, and computational methods that deepen our knowledge of brain function — both in health and in disease. CCN takes a “systems" neuroscience approach, building models that are motivated by fundamental principles, that are constrained by properties of neural circuits and responses, and that provide insights into perception, cognition and behavior. This cross-disciplinary approach not only leads to the design of new model-driven scientific experiments, but also encapsulates current functional descriptions of the brain that can spur the development of new engineered computational systems, especially in the realm of machine learning. CCN is one of five centers that make up the Flatiron Institute, an internal scientific unit of the Simons Foundation, focused on computational aspects of a wide range of basic science. The general mission of the Flatiron Institute is to advance scientific research through computational methods, including theory, modeling, simulation and data analysis. CCN’s core research groups include computational vision <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Eero Simoncelli <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/eero-p-simoncelli/>, PI), neural circuits and algorithms <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Dmitri ‘Mitya’ Chklovskii <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/dmitri-mitya-chklovskii/>, PI), neuroAI and geometric data analysis <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (SueYeon Chung <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/sueyeon-chung/>, PI), statistical analysis of neural data <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Alex Williams <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/alex-williams/>, PI). Candidates must select a primary group for their application, and can optionally indicate a secondary group. Candidates specifically interested in contributing to open source software projects at CCN should indicate the NeuroRSE group <https://neurorse.flatironinstitute.org/events/2023/11/17/summer-2024-intern…> as their secondary group. *POSITION SUMMARY * CCN invites applications for paid summer internship positions by motivated students in computational neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, machine learning, computer science or related fields. The purpose of this Summer Internship Program is to allow students studying in a relevant field the opportunity to be employed at the CCN for the purpose of collaborating on a research project with one or more CCN staff mentors. Knowledge of neuroscience is helpful but not required. Interested applicants should review the research group pages listed above, and should describe in their research statement the project on which they'd like to collaborate and the research group(s) with whom they’d like to work. Undergraduate students will be appointed with the title of Summer Research Assistant, graduate students will be appointed with the title of Summer Research Associates, and advanced doctoral students (defined as doctoral students who have passed comprehensive/qualifying exams and are actively working on their thesis) will be appointed as Summer Predoctoral Scholars. CCN Summer Interns are invited to participate as full members of the CCN and Flatiron communities during their term of residency. CCN Summer Interns are assigned a primary mentor and research group within the center, are invited to attend and present within their research group’s meetings, and are also invited to participate in meetings of CCN’s other research groups as well as center- and Flatiron-wide activities such as guest lectures, training on use of the Institute’s robust scientific computing resources, and intern social activities. Finally, Summer Interns will be invited to present their work at an Institute-wide symposium held at the end of the residency period. The CCN Summer Internship Program will take place in-person at the Simons Foundation’s offices in New York City. CCN will provide eligible Summer Interns roundtrip travel to New York City and subsidized housing for the duration of their employment. Intern appointment titles and compensation will be determined based on the intern’s education level and experience. Visit the Summer at Simons page <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/summer-at-simons/>to learn more. *ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES* ● Reporting to the assigned mentor in the CCN, the projects will involve analysis of neuroscience data and modeling networks, applying the skills of analytical calculations and computer programming ● Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required *MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS* *Education:* ● Candidates should be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree program in computational neuroscience, electrical engineering, physics, computer science or related fields. ● Candidates must have permission to participate in the program from their dissertation advisor/PI (CCN PIs will be in touch with advisors directly to confirm). *Experience:* ● Experience with research projects in electrical engineering, computer science physics or related fields is helpful. *Related Skills & Other Requirements:* ● The successful applicant should have experience with programming in Matlab, Python, or C ● The applicant should have satisfactorily completed Cal III and Linear Algebra (NeuroRSE applicants are exempt from this requirement) ● The applicant should have experience with basic optimization and machine learning techniques (Helpful but not required for NeuroRSE candidates) ● Elementary knowledge of neuroscience is helpful *Summer Internship Program and Deadlines* ● Summer Internship Period: May 28 to August 9, 2024 ● Deadline to apply: February 2, 2024 Decisions will be made on a rolling basis through Friday, March 15, 2024. *REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS* ● Curriculum vitae with bibliography; ● Research statement of no more than two pages describing the candidate’s past research experience, the research project on which the candidate would like to work, and the CCN research group(s) with whom the candidate would like to collaborate. *COMPENSATION* ● Interns at the Research Assistant (undergraduate) level will earn $20.00 per hour ● Interns at the Research Associate (graduate) level will earn $25.00 per hour ● Interns at the Predoctoral Researcher (advanced doctoral students) will earn $28.85 per hour. *THE SIMONS FOUNDATION'S DIVERSITY COMMITMENT* Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. To apply, please visit: https://apply.interfolio.com/137388 Cordially, MATTHEW B. TURNER any pronouns Senior Manager for Center Administration | Center for Computational Neuroscience Co-Chair, Flatiron Institute Professional Development Committee Flatiron Institute 917.363.1095 mobile mturner(a)flatironinstitute.org 162 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 simonsfoundation.org/flatiron <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/>

1 0

Full time Lecturer in Computational/Cognitive Neuroscience (Manchester, UK)
by Caroline Lea-Carnall Dec. 14, 2023

Dec. 14, 2023

The University of Manchester wishes to appoint a full-time Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience / Experimental Psychology / Cognitive Neuroscience (Teaching and Research) to join the Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience at the University of Manchester. The successful applicant will have a research profile that has a strong fit to key research themes in the Division. Candidates with demonstrable skills and interests in applying computational approaches to central research questions in experimental psychology and/or cognitive neuroscience are particularly encouraged to apply. The successful applicant will contribute to undergraduate and masters level teaching with a particular focus on contemporary technical research skills (e.g. Python, GitHub, advanced statistical analysis in R). Application deadline: 11th December 2023 Full details and how to apply here: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?isPreview=Yes&jobid=27033&a… Caroline Lea-Carnall, PhD | Lecturer in Neuroscience | School of Health Sciences | Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health The University of Manchester | Room 3.07d, Zochonis Building | Oxford Road | Manchester M13 9PG

1 1

Faculty Positions in Human Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Indiana University-Bloomington
by Zoran Tiganj Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington invite applications for *three* tenured Associate Professor positions in one or more of the following areas: *human intelligence, artificial intelligence, and machine learning* to begin in Fall 2024 or after. Appointments will be in one or more departments, including Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Informatics, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. The positions are part of a new initiative that aims to transform our understanding of human and artificial intelligence, centered around the new Mind Brain Machine Quadrangle and the Luddy Artificial Intelligence Center. IU has long been an international leader in research on cognition across humans, animals, and artificial systems, and how intelligence manifests in embodied cognition. These hires build on existing strengths to position IU at the forefront of new research innovations in our understanding of human and animal cognition, the development of intelligent computing technologies, and the use of machine learning applied to a wide range of phenomena. *Qualifications: *Applicants must have a PhD in cognitive science, computer science, neuroscience, psychology, or a related field, and a record of scholarship, teaching, and professional experience appropriate for a tenured professorship at IU Bloomington. The positions are open at the associate professor levels, but exceptional candidates at the full and assistant professor level may be considered. To advance scholarly innovation and excellence, we especially welcome candidates who will broadly increase the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion through any of the following: their lived experience, research, teaching, and/or mentoring. Candidates should be able to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team environment. *Application Procedures:* To apply, submit a CV, letter of application that describes your research, teaching, and engagement with fostering a diverse and welcoming work environment, and be prepared to provide the names of six references. References will only be contacted for those candidates moving to advanced stages of consideration. Interested candidates should submit applications at: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/21731. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. *Applications received by January 5, 2024 will be given full consideration.* The position’s expected start date is August 1, 2024; however, alternative dates can be considered. All queries about the position or the application procedures may be addressed to faculty1(a)indiana.edu. Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. -------------- Zoran Tiganj, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Indiana University Bloomington https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/ztiganj/ <https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/ztiganj/%E2%80%8B>

1 0

PhD scholarship in neuroimaging and computational neuroscience (IIT, Italy)
by Jean-Charles Rene' Pasquin Mariani Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

Dear comp-neuro list, We propose a four-year studentship aiming to provide students with a multi-disciplinary training in conducting research at the interface of brain functional imaging and computational neuroscience. The project, in partnership with the university of Trento, is directed by Alessandro Gozzi (Functional Neuroimaging Lab, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy) and co-supervised by Stefano Panzeri (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Centre for molecular biology, , Hamburg, Germany). Please refer to this website<https://www.fens.org/careers/job-market/job/116962> for the full offer. See you soon at the doorsteps of the Dolomites. BW, JC Mariani

1 0

Swartz postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical neuroscience at Harvard
by Blum, Kenneth I. Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

The Swartz Program at Harvard University seeks applicants for a postdoctoral fellow in theoretical and computational neuroscience. Based on a grant from the Swartz Foundation, a Swartz postdoctoral fellowship<https://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/research/theory/#swartz> is available at Harvard University with a start date in the summer or fall of 2024. Postdocs join a vibrant group of theoretical<https://websites.harvard.edu/cbs/research/theory/> and experimental neuroscientists plus theorists in allied fields at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science<https://websites.harvard.edu/cbs/>. The Center for Brain Science includes faculty doing research on a wide variety of topics, including neural mechanisms of rodent learning, decision-making, and sex-specific and social behaviors; reinforcement learning in rodents and humans; human motor control; behavioral and fMRI studies of human cognition; circuit mechanisms of learning and behavior in worms, larval flies, and larval zebrafish; circuit mechanisms of individual differences in flies and humans; rodent and fly olfaction; inhibitory circuit development; retinal circuits; and large-scale reconstruction of detailed brain circuitry. Applications will be considered immediately and continuing until the position is filled. Interested applicants should immediately send a CV, statement of research interests, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Haim Sompolinsky (haim(a)fiz.huji.ac.il<mailto:haim@fiz.huji.ac.il>) or Kenneth Blum (kenneth_blum(a)harvard.edu<mailto:kenneth_blum@harvard.edu>). Applications should have “Swartz Fellowship” in the subject line. We strongly welcome applications from persons from underrepresented groups. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.

1 0

Exciting news from INCF: Neuroscience Community & Neuroinformatics special collection
by INCF Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

Exciting news from INCF: 1. Launch of *Neruoscience Community* 2. Contribute to *Neuroinformatics* special collection *1. Launch of Neuroscience Community* Together, INCF and GA4GH has launched the *Neuroscience Community*, connecting global neuroscience and genomic data, and developing standards and systems needed to power data visiting! This new group unites collaborators from around the world to share best practices and improve standards that will expand the responsible use of data. Learn more <http://bit.ly/INCFandGA4GH> *2. Contribute to Neuroinformatics special collection* Are you developing training in computational neuroscience, data science, data management, or neuroinformatics? Please consider sending your work to the special collection at *Neuroinformatics* - Bridging the gap: How neuroinformatics is preparing the next generation of neuroscience researchers. Even better, the collection is guest-edited by INCF! Learn more <https://link.springer.com/collections/hfghcbgaeg>

1 0

Call for Abstracts – Neural Traces 2024: Advanced M/EEG Methods and Clinical Applications Workshop
by Nguyen, Tien Dung Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

Neural Traces 2024: Advanced M/EEG Methods and Clinical Applications Workshop April 10-12, 2024 @ PTB Berlin, Germany https://neuraltraces2024.org<https://neuraltraces2024.org/> | Submission deadline: January 8, 2024 | Registration opening: February 1, 2024 Neural Traces is an onsite, three-day workshop on methods in electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (M/EEG) and their clinical applications. Advances in M/EEG, and the methods employed to extract information from their corresponding signals, have increasingly contributed to our understanding of brain function and network connectivity. In this workshop, we review various methods that have been developed to enable accurate source imaging from these electrophysiological modalities. We also discuss M/EEG signal extraction and interpretation in the context of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. We are soliciting extended abstract submissions for contributed oral and poster presentations. Topics Suitable submissions may cover but are not limited to the following topics: I. Advanced M/EEG data analysis methods: * Signal processing and time series modeling * Forward and inverse modeling * Machine learning and multivariate modeling * Open science (software, data, standards, protocols, ...) II. Clinical applications of M/EEG: * Movement disorders * Aging and dementia * Psychiatric and developmental disorders * Epilepsy * Sleep and consciousness disorders Submission guidelines Title, author list and affiliations, 700-word (maximum) extended abstract outlining the study's background, approach, (preliminary) findings and significance, and references. Optional: figure with a 150-word (maximum) description Registration and on-site participation is required for presenters. Please visit https://neuraltraces2024.org<https://neuraltraces2024.org/> for abstract submission, registration, and further information about the workshop. Important dates * January 8, 2024: Abstract submission closes * February 1, 2024: Workshop registration opens Workshop hosts and support Neural Traces 2024 is organized by the Brain and Data Science Group at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Machine Learning and Inverse Modeling Group at PTB Berlin, and the Uncertainty, Inverse Modeling and Machine Learning (UNIML) Group at Technische Universität Berlin. The Workshop is partially supported by the European Research Council (Funding ID: 758985) and the Helmholtz Fund.

1 0

Modelling with NeuroML: ecosystem updates and pre-print
by Ankur Sinha Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

Dear all, This is to alert you to the availability of exciting new resources for the model description language NeuroML and a recently posted bioRxiv preprint on the ecosystem of NeuroML-compliant tools for data-driven modelling of neurons and circuits. In the preprint (doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.07.570537) we provide a major update on the current scope of the NeuroML standard, the software ecosystem and describe the newly extended online resources for helping researchers incorporate NeuroML into their modelling work. We show how the modular nature and hierarchical structure of NeuroMLv2, combined with the flexibility of coding in Python, has created a powerful "building block" approach for constructing standardised models from scratch. Moreover, we illustrate how the ecosystem of NeuroML compliant tools supports users at all stages of the model development life cycle. This includes automated model validation, advanced analysis, visualisation, and sharing/reuse of models. The paper demonstrates how NeuroML unifies and standardises the diverse approaches to biologically-detailed computational modelling of neural systems, by enabling an ecosystem of interoperable tools that support the FAIR principles and promotes open, transparent and reproducible science. In the newly updated NeuroML online resources (https://docs.neuroml.org) we provide tutorials on how to use NeuroML to build, validate and share standardised models together with extensive documentation on this INCF approved community standard. We hope you find these resources useful for your modelling work. On behalf of the NeuroML community, Ankur Sinha, Padraig Gleeson, and Angus Silver. -- Thanks, Regards, Ankur Sinha (He / Him / His) | https://ankursinha.in Research Fellow at the Silver Lab, University College London | http://silverlab.org/ Free/Open source community volunteer at the NeuroFedora project | https://neuro.fedoraproject.org Time zone: Europe/London

1 0

Seventh Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling
by Jelmer Borst Dec. 13, 2023

Dec. 13, 2023

– ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs – Date: 8-12 April 2024 Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Fee: € 305 (late fee after March 7 will be € 355) More information and registration: http://www.ai.rug.nl/springschool/ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Dear colleagues and students, We are excited to announce the seventh Spring School on Cognitive Modeling in Groningen, from 8-12 April 2024! The Spring School will cover three different modeling paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, and PRIMs. Each of these topics consists of a series of lectures, as well as a number of hands-on exercises (tutorials). Past years have shown that students get most out of the spring school if they really immerse themselves into one modeling paradigm. We therefore recommend you choose one topic for which you will attend both the lectures as well as the tutorials. In addition, you can select a second paradigm, for which you attend the lectures only. To give students a broader picture, there will be multiple guest lectures throughout the week. These lectures will give an introduction to other modeling paradigms, as well as practical research examples to show you what can be done with the modeling paradigms presented! Everyone is encouraged to attend those lectures. To round off the program, there will be a poster session, where students present themselves and their research, as well as a city tour, and our (in)famous spring school dinner. Registration is now open. Please feel free to forward the information to anyone who might be interested in the Spring School, and let us know if you have any questions! We are looking forward to welcoming you (again) in Groningen, The Spring School team springschool(a)rug.nl <mailto:springschool@rug.nl> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ACT-R Teachers: Jelmer Borst & Stephen Jones (University of Groningen) Website: http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/> ACT-R is a high-level cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time experiments to driving a car, learning algebra, and air traffic control. ACT-R can be used to develop process models of a task at a symbolic level. Participants will follow a compressed five-day version of the traditional summer school curriculum. We will also cover the connection between ACT-R and fMRI. Nengo Teacher: Terry Stewart (University of Waterloo) Website: http://www.nengo.ca <http://www.nengo.ca/> Nengo is a toolkit for converting high-level cognitive theories into low-level spiking neuron implementations. In this way, aspects of model performance such as response accuracy and reaction times emerge as a consequence of neural parameters such as the neurotransmitter time constants. It has been used to model adaptive motor control, visual attention, serial list memory, reinforcement learning, Tower of Hanoi, and fluid intelligence. Participants will learn to construct these kinds of models, starting with generic tasks like representing values and positions, and ending with full production-like systems. There will also be special emphasis on extracting various forms of data out of a model, such that it can be compared to experimental data. PRIMs Teacher: Niels Taatgen (University of Groningen) Website: https://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/prims/index.html How do people handle and prioritize multiple tasks? How can we learn something in the context of one task, and partially benefit from it in another task? The goal of PRIMs is to cross the artificial boundary that most cognitive architectures have imposed on themselves by studying single tasks. It has mechanisms to model transfer of cognitive skills, and the competition between multiple goals. In the tutorial we will look at how PRIMs can model phenomena of cognitive transfer and cognitive training, and how multiple goals compete for priority in models of distraction.

1 0

ICMNS 2024 deadline extension for contributed talks and posters
by Avitabile, D. (Daniele) Dec. 12, 2023

Dec. 12, 2023

Dear All, We remind you of the open call for contributed talks and posters for ICMNS 2024, which will take place at University College Dublin on the 12th-14th June 2024. In addition to plenary and invited talks, the conference will feature contributed talks and a poster session. Following a review process, presenters of contributed talks may be offered a slot in one of our plenary sessions. We have extended the deadline for submitting contributed talks and posters to the 16th of January 2024 at 23:59 (GMT), so that there will be one last chance to collect contributions after the Christmas break. This will be the final deadline for submissions. You can submit your contribution and read more about the conference at our website danieleavitabile.com/icmns24 We look forward to receiving your contributions. Daniele Avitabile, Áine Byrne, and Jonathan Rubin

1 0

A podcast about how I introduced neural networks in 1957 and discovered how resonant brain states may become conscious
by Grossberg, Stephen Dec. 12, 2023

Dec. 12, 2023

Dear Comp-neuro colleagues, I have attached below the title and url of a two-hour video podcast about my life and work developing neural network models of how our brains make our minds, and applying them to solve large-scale problems in engineering, technology, and AI. The podcast discussion is wide-ranging, including: How I came to introduce neural networks in 1957 as a college Freshman, and How I came to model how resonant brain processes embody conscious awareness. The title of the podcast is: How Do Resonant Brains Make Conscious Minds? Towards Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness https://lnkd.in/eS8n-ZTj This is a discussion with Tevin Naidu from his series Mind-Body Solution. The podcast was motivated by my Magnum Opus CONSCIOUS MIND, RESONANT BRAIN: HOW EACH BRAIN MAKES A MIND https://lnkd.in/eiJh4Ti that I wrote to be self-contained and non-technical for a general audience. Best, Steve Grossberg Stephen Grossberg Wang Professor of Cognitive and Neural Systems Director, Center for Adaptive Systems Emeritus Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering Boston University sites.bu.edu/steveg/ steve(a)bu.edu<mailto:steve@bu.edu> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Grossberg http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3BIV70wAAAAJ&hl=en https://sites.bu.edu/steveg/files/2021/08/Grossberg-CV-8-14-21.pdf https://youtu.be/9n5AnvFur7I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hBye6JQCh4

1 0

Support the EPSRC/MRC Neurodevelopmental Network Reliability Group!
by Fabrizi, Lorenzo Dec. 12, 2023

Dec. 12, 2023

Hi all, RESPECT 4 Neurodevelopment<https://respect4neurodevelopment.com/> is an EPSRC/ MRC funded UKRI-Network Plus; which aims to make transformative changes in developing child-specific neurotechnologies for the clinic and home. One of the missions of the network is to understand issues around Reliability in EEG, fNIRS and MRI in Neurodevelopment. 🔬🧠👶 We need your support in writing a White Paper that discusses the reliability of neurotech by completing a 10 min questionnaire about what reliability means to you and the procedures you follow in your lab or company to assess reliability. Please find the questionnaire here<https://forms.gle/y9oxZ7RS5t6JYpK37> and complete it before 15th of January 2024. Many thanks from the EPSRC/MRC Neurodevelopmental Network Reliability Group. Lorenzo Fabrizi, PhD Associate Professor Medical Research Foundation Fellow Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology Department Room G17A, Medawar Building Bloomsbury Campus University College London Gower St, London WC1E 6BT office tel. 02031081888 (int. 51888)

1 0

Postdoctoral position in the Rich Lab and the University of Connecticut
by Scott Rich Dec. 11, 2023

Dec. 11, 2023

Dear Comp-Neuro Listserv, The official posting for the open Postdoctoral position in my lab, opening in January at the University of Connecticut's Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, is available here: https://jobs.hr.uconn.edu/cw/en-us/job/498073/postdoctoral-research-associa… <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjobs.hr.u…> I encourage anyone interested in pursuing postdoctoral research in computational neuroscience, particularly those interested in using biophysically motivated models to understand the role of heterogeneity in driving physiologically-relevant brain function, to apply. If you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student, you can still apply to the department following the guidelines outlined here: https://pnb.uconn.edu/graduate/graduate-application-and-admission-informati… In addition, if you're applying to either position, please also fill out this Google Form so that I know to keep an eye out for your application: https://forms.gle/r4m5VNZQJDAjKgcM8 Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have. Sincerely, Scott Rich

1 0

ICANN 2024 - Call for Workshops and Special Sessions
by Sebastian Otte Dec. 11, 2023

Dec. 11, 2023

Call for Workshops and Special Sessions The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2024, the ICANN will take place in Lugano, Switzerland. Conference Dates: September 17 to September 20, 2024 Conference Venue: Campus of the University of Southern Switzerland and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Via la Santa 1, 6962 Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland. Conference Webpage: https://icann2024.org We invite prospective organizers to submit Workshop and Special Session Proposals. Special Sessions focus on specific topics within the general scope of the conference. Their goal is to provide a forum for focalized discussions on state-of-the-art research in their specific field. Special Sessions have the same duration as a standard session (2 hours), and submissions should follow the same format as for the main conference track (12-15 pages, Springer format, peer reviewed). The internal organization of Special Sessions is up to the organizer (for example, it is possible to reserve more time for some distinguished speaker, or for a demonstration). Workshops have a broader focus than Special Sessions; they have the goal to showcase specific methods and applications to the general conference audience. While workshops normally feature peer-reviewed submissions, this is not obligatory for invited speaker(s). They can usually take up the entire conference day (or even more) and may feature a free format with presentations, panel discussions, brainstorming, etc. The program chairs are happy to discuss specific arrangements with prospective organizers. The organizer has the tasks of helping to publicize the special session/workshop, providing a list of scientists who would be invited to submit articles, organizing the review process (if appropriate), and finally chairing the session. Please send a short description of your proposal, including the responsible chairs, to program-committee(a)icann2024.org. We will then get in touch with you. For each accepted Workshop, we offer one free conference registration. Deadline for Workshop and Special Session Proposals: February 1, 2024. Direct all questions to program-committee(a)icann2024.org. Thanks for your contribution! Link to this call: https://e-nns.org/icann2024/call-for-workshops-and-special-sessions/

1 0

Undergraduate Volunteers and Travel Prize for Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI Convention, Rome, 28-31st May 2024
by Battleday, Ruairidh Dec. 11, 2023

Dec. 11, 2023

The organizing committee is recruiting two volunteers to help prepare for and run the 5th International Convention on the Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI: www.neuromonster.org This year's conference is to be held in Rome, 28th-31st May 2024. We are seeking two undergraduate students at British universities to help with conference organization. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and a response sent as soon as a decision is made, via the following link: https://forms.gle/RETRucgZEYPRnfoc8 *Position 1: website and registrations (30 hours before and during the conference)* This position will involve keeping the website updated with speaker information (via Squarespace), ensuring speakers complete registration, and ensuring people that register online complete the full registration process. It will also involve helping the Italian staff with the registration desk on the first day. *Position 2: AV equipment, zoom, and processing recordings (30 hours during and after the conference)* This position will involve making sure the virtual components of the conference are running smoothly, and processing talk recordings after the conference. *Benefits* This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in cognitive science, computational neuroscience, or machine learning and artificial intelligence to become involved in a major international event! Through it, you will meet established and rising stars in the field, gain an appreciation of what research at a graduate level and beyond is like, and understand the workings of a nonprofit and conference. Our previous iterations have been called "the best conference ever" by many attendees! *Requirements* We are looking for two undergraduate students reading for degrees related to cognitive science, computational neuroscience, or machine learning and artificial intelligence at *British Higher Education *universities and / or institutions. Most of all, we are looking for enthusiastic young scientists interested in careers in these three fields! You may apply with a friend or colleague and split the two positions. Conversational-level Italian is preferred, but not essential. *Remuneration* We will cover flights to Rome for the conference from the UK, as well as accommodation and a modest food and drink budget. Any further questions, please feel free to email battleday(a)thinkingaboutthinking.org. -- Dr Ruairidh McLennan Battleday BMBCh (Oxon) PhD Executive Director Thinking About Thinking Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT

1 0

DENDRITES 2024 call for abstracts
by Julijana Gjorgjieva Dec. 10, 2023

Dec. 10, 2023

DENDRITES 2024 EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function 21-24 May 2024, Chania, Crete, GREECE https://meetings.embo.org/event/24-dendrites Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the solicitation of abstracts for short oral or poster presentations at the EMBO Workshop on DENDRITES 2024, which will take place in Chania, Crete on 21-24 May 2024. This is the 5th of a very successful series of meetings on the island of Crete that is dedicated to dendrites. The meeting will bring together scientific leaders from around the globe to present their theoretical and experimental work on dendrites. The meeting program is designed to facilitate discussions of new ideas and discoveries, in a relaxed atmosphere that emphasizes interaction. Please register and submit your abstract online at: https://meetings.embo.org/event/24-dendrites No payment is required for abstract submission. Submissions of abstracts are due by February 9th, 2024. Notifications will be provided by March 1st, 2024 Registration payment due by April 15th, 2024 Potential attendees are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract as presenters will have registration priority. For more information about the conference, please refer to our web site or send email to info(a)mitos.com.gr We look forward to seeing you in person at DENDRITES 2024! The organizers, Julijana Gjorgjieva, Mark Harnett, Lucy Palmer and Yiota Poirazi ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich School of Life Sciences Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 3 85354 Freising, Germany office: +49 8161 71 2709 https://www.mls.ls.tum.de/compneuro/

1 0

Invitation to participate in a study on scientific reasoning
by Dubova, Marina Aleksandrovna Dec. 7, 2023

Dec. 7, 2023

Dear colleague, We are conducting an online study to explore how scientists, like yourself, learn about the world. We are inviting you to participate in the experiment. Study Details The study takes roughly 30 minutes, during which you will be exploring the functions of a fictional brain area by conducting scientific experiments. Your objective will be to learn the link between this neural area and behavioral outcomes. Eligibility 18+ years old Current PhD student or higher in Neuroscience or a similar field (including postdocs, junior & senior faculty, research scientists, etc) Residing in the US Compensation You will receive $10 reimbursement through Paypal, Venmo, or a gift card of your choice. If you are interested in participating in the study, please email Marina Dubova at mdubova(a)iu.edu<mailto:mdubova@iu.edu> to sign up. Thank you for considering participating in this study. Your participation could help shape our understanding of how scientists learn about the world and how this learning could be improved. Best, Marina Dubova and Robert Goldstone Indiana University Cognitive Science Program

1 0

[jobs] 2 four year PhD Scholarships at International Graduate School of Neuroscience in Bochum, Germany
by Laurenz Wiskott Dec. 6, 2023

Dec. 6, 2023

Dear All, the International Graduate School of Neuroscience (https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/index.html) at Ruhr University Bochum (https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de) offers two four year PhD Scholarships financed through the DAAD (https://www.daad.de/en/) for experimentalists as well as computational people. For details see: * General Information: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-information.html * Requirements: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-requirements.html + Please read this carefully before applying. * Application: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-application.html + Deadline is 31.1.2024 Best, Laurenz Wiskott. __________________________________________________________________________ Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott room: NB 3/29 Institut für Neuroinformatik phone: +49 234 32-27997 Fakultät für Informatik fax: +49 234 32-14210 Ruhr Universität Bochum laurenz.wiskott(a)rub.de D-44780 Bochum, Germany https://www.ini.rub.de/PEOPLE/wiskott/ __________________________________________________________________________

1 0

Postdoc on Dravet syndrome modeling: Inria (Montpellier, France) and BCAM (Bilbao, Spain)
by Mathieu Desroches Dec. 6, 2023

Dec. 6, 2023

Dear all, We have funds for a two-year postdoc on Dravet syndrome modeling. This is part of an international collaboration between Inria (Bordeaux, Montpellier, Sophia Antipolis, France) and BCAM - the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (Bilbao, Spain), involving Fabien Campillo <https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Fabien.Campillo/index.html>, Pierre Del Moral <https://people.bordeaux.inria.fr/pierre.delmoral/>, Mathieu Desroches <https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Mathieu.Desroches/> and Serafim Rodrigues <https://www.bcamath.org/en/research/areas/m3a/mcen>. The postdoc will be based at Inria, in Montpellier. The aim of the project is to develop a multiscale model of Dravet syndrome, from ionic channels of interacting neurons to large neural populations. We will use various modeling frameworks, adapted to the scale, from piecewise-deterministic Markov processes to mean-field formalism. The postdoc will perform a mathematical analysis of the models, extensive numerical simulations as well as data analysis using neural recordings from our experimental partners. Regarding profiles that we are seeking, familiarity of the candidate with mathematical modeling in Neuroscience and Markov processes. Ability and willingness to do programming, as well as analyse experimental data, will also be a strong point to select candidates. Please apply online via the following page (deadline: Dec. 31st): https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/2023-06688 https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/2023-06688 If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us directly: Fabien Campillo: fabien.campillo(a)inria.fr <mailto:Fabien.campillo@inria.fr> Mathieu Desroches: mathieu.desroches(a)inria.fr <mailto:mathieu.desroches@inria.fr> Best, Mathieu Desroches. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Mathieu Desroches Research Director (Directeur de Recherche) MathNeuro <https://team.inria.fr/mathneuro/> Project Team Leader Centre Inria d'Université Côte d'Azur, France https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Mathieu.Desroches/

1 0

[Journals] [CFP] Reminder of Special Issue: NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: The Making of Engaging HRI Technology Your Brain Can’t Resist (Deadline Extension - Dec 29)
by NeuroDesign in HRI Dec. 6, 2023

Dec. 6, 2023

Dear Esteemed Roboticist, Neuroscientists, Psychologists and Designers, I hope this email finds you well in your bustling schedule. Just a sweet reminder that the deadline for submitting your paper for the Journal - Frontiers in Robotics and AI, special research topic: NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction, is approaching on December 29th. We truly cherish your insights and are looking forward to reading your contribution. Specifically, for those focusing on the design and theoretical aspects of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), we are particularly interested in submissions that explore the brain's or neural mechanisms' roles in processing information during HRI from cognitive and psychological perspectives. Understanding the fundamental design methodologies, such as robot morphology and interactive behaviors, or theoretical principles, including algorithms and philosophical concepts, is crucial. These insights will guide us in creating more engaging and seamless interactions. Therefore, we are especially eager to receive submissions in the fields of cognitive robotics or neurorobotics, particularly those incorporating user studies in their design of HRI. If you foresee any challenges in meeting the deadline, we kindly request that you notify us as soon as possible. This will allow us to make the necessary adjustments. Depending on your individual circumstances, we may consider extending the deadline to January 2024. Thank you for your commitment and contributions to our field. We eagerly look forward to your submission. Wishing you a wonderful day and smooth writing! Warm regards, Topic Editors NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction For more information, visit our website at https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/51072/neurodesign-in-human-robo… or contact the topic editors at neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com. On Thu, Nov 9, 2023 at 9:08 PM NeuroDesign in HRI <neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com> wrote: > (Call for Papers & Deadline Extension) > > NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: The Making of Engaging HRI > Technology Your Brain Can’t Resist > > We are pleased to announce a call for papers and the extension of the > deadline for the special issue - “NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: > The making of engaging HRI technology your brain can’t resist”. This > special issue will be published in the research topic of the journal - Frontiers > in Robotics and AI and Frontiers in Neurorobotics. In this special issue, > we will discuss the fascinating Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research with > the interfacing of applied neuroscience, psychology and design > methodologies. > > Scope of submissions: > > The complex tapestry of human biology, consciousness, and cognition > presents a unique challenge for technology designed to interact with us. > This complexity demands a multidisciplinary approach that leverages > insights from neuroscience, behavioral psychology, cognitive science, and > artificial intelligence to address the barriers that currently hinder > natural and effective human-robot interaction. > > This special issue aims to bridge the gap between laboratory research and > practical applications, guiding the development of HRI strategies that are > not only technically proficient but also intuitive, engaging, and > cognitively harmonious with human operators. > > Topics: > > We invite original research, review articles, and perspective pieces that > contribute to the following non-exhaustive list of topics: > > 1. Neuroscience-Driven HRI Strategies: > > - Use of neuroimaging tools (fMRI, EEG, fNIRS) to decode brain > activities that can enhance HRI. > > - Translational neuroscience methods to inform and refine HRI design. > > 2. Iterative Development and Brain-Centric Interfaces: > > - Insights from iterative design processes to craft improved human, > brain, and robot interfaces. > > - Integration of human and robot in a symbiotic closed-loop system > through innovative I/O interfaces. > > 3. Invasive and Non-Invasive NeuroDesign Applications: > > - Development of smart wearables, exoskeletons, or implantable devices > monitoring brainwaves and physiological signals. > > - Design of interfaces to track and influence mechanical movements in > tandem with human motion. > > 4. Neurofeedback Devices for Emotional and Behavioral Regulation: > > - Application of devices such as tDCS, tMS, NMES for neural or muscular > stimulation. > > - Exploration of neurofeedback's role in modulating emotional and > behavioral states in HRI contexts. > > 5. AI and Machine Learning in NeuroDesign: > > - Co-design of hardware and software integrating AI to enhance the user > experience. > > - Implementation of machine learning algorithms for a brain-centered > approach in perception and cognition. > > Submission Deadline: > > December 29, 2023 (extended) > > Discounts and Fee Support: > > 1. Frontiers institutional agreements: > https://www.frontiersin.org/about/institutional-partnerships > <https://www.frontiersin.org/about/institutional-partnerships> > > 2. Open-access funding sources: > https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_publication_funds > <https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_publication_funds> > > 3. Frontiers’ fee support program: > https://frontiersin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YqUCmY73k4Gm0u > <https://frontiersin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YqUCmY73k4Gm0u> > > Additionally, separate to fee support, we are currently offering 25% > discounts for Type-A articles and 50% discounts for Type-B articles received > before the manuscript deadline. This is on a first-come-first-served basis. > > A-Type Articles: Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, > Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis & Theory, Clinical Trial, > Registered Report, Technology and Code > > B-Type Articles: Mini Review, Perspective, Case Report, Brief Research > Report > > > How to Submit: > > Please submit your full paper through the journal’s online submission > system. For more information, visit our website at > > > https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/51072/neurodesign-in-human-robo… > > or contact the topic editors at neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com. > > We look forward to your contribution to this cutting-edge topic at the > intersection of technology, brain research, and human-robot symbiosis. > > > Sincerely yours, > > Topic Editors > > NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction >

1 0

CFP - IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning 2024 (Deadline extension)
by nagai.yukie＠mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp Dec. 6, 2023

Dec. 6, 2023

Dear colleagues, IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning 2024 May 20–23, 2024 Austin, TX, USA Website: https://la.utexas.edu/users/dil/ICDL_Austin_2024/ Deadline for full paper submissions: December 15, 2023 January 8, 2024 (no further extension) Deadline for 1-page poster abstracts and journal track poster submissions: March 1, 2024 The IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) conference is a unique meeting gathering researchers from computer science, robotics, psychology, neuroscience, and other disciplines to share and discuss research on how humans and other animals learn and develop and how this can inform and be informed by robotics and machine learning systems. Full papers and other submissions are invited on a range of topics including but not limited to: ● Embodied learning and development in biological systems and robots ● Developmental stages and sensitive periods ● Emergence of verbal and nonverbal communication ● Curiosity, intrinsic motivations, exploration, play and active learning ● Architectures for lifelong learning ● Emergence of body and affordance perception ● Learning control of body movement ● Emotional development and the role of emotion in learning ● Prediction, planning, and problem solving ● The relationship between evolution and development ● Epistemological foundations and philosophical issues ● Robotic and computational models of human and animal development ● Developmentally-inspired machine learning ● Human-robot interaction in developmental contexts ● Applications of machine learning to human and animal development Submissions may take the form of full (6-page) papers, 1-page poster abstracts, journal track posters, and workshops or tutorials. Please see below for details on each submission type. Decisions regarding acceptance will be based on technical quality, novelty, and expected interest to the conference’s interdisciplinary audience. In addition to talks and posters originating from these submissions, the conference will feature a keynote speaker as well as several invited symposia showcasing recent research on a set of themes, with different disciplines and perspectives featured, to prompt lively and productive discussion at the conference. [ Submission types ] ● Full six-page papers Papers of at most 6 pages in IEEE double column format will undergo peer-review, and accepted and presented submissions will be included in the conference proceedings published by IEEE Xplore. Up to two extra pages are acceptable for a publication fee of $100 per page. Accepted papers will be invited for presentation either in oral or poster format. ● Workshops & Tutorials Half-day workshop and tutorials will be held on May 20, 2024 (the first day of the meeting). Proposals should be no more than two pages and should include a title, an abstract, a description of the workshop or tutorial concept, the target audience, a list of presenters, information on whether the session will be open to paper or poster submission, and a link to the workshop or tutorial website if applicable. ● 1-page poster abstracts To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 1-page abstracts. These submissions will not be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during the poster session. ● Journal-track posters Journal track poster submissions must be about a journal paper that has been published recently (no earlier than December 2022), on a topic relevant to ICDL. More detailed instruction regarding paper/abstract submissions is given in the conference website. Best regards, Yukie Nagai, on behalf of the organizing committees — Yukie Nagai, Ph.D. Project Professor, The University of Tokyo nagai.yukie(a)mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp | https://developmental-robotics.jp CREST Cognitive Feelings: https://cognitive-feeling.jp CREST Cognitive Mirroring: https://cognitive-mirroring.org

1 0

3yr CRCNS Postdoctoral Position in Barcelona
by Alex Roxin Dec. 5, 2023

Dec. 5, 2023

The group of Alex Roxin https://sites.google.com/site/alexanderroxin/home at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica https://www.crm.cat/_neuroscience/ is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work on models of the formation and long-term dynamics of memories in the Hippocampus. This project is a collaboration with the Wang lab at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience https://mpfi.org/science/our-labs/wang-lab/ in the framework of the CRCNS program, to study the role of acetylcholine in memory formation. The postdoctoral candidate should have strong quantitative skills. The theoretical side of the project will involve data analysis, modelling, and analytical and numerical analysis of the model. Yearly meetings between the two groups will be held in Barcelona and Florida. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to spend a brief period of time, dates and duration to be determined, at the Wang Lab in Florida. The project officially ends in November 2026 and hence the position can be for a maximum of three years, although this depends on the start date. Interested and highly motivated applicants should send a CV, cover letter and up to three letters of recommendation to Alex Roxin at aroxin(a)crm.cat. Please specify your availability for the start date in the application. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. *Project Summary:* * Nearly a century of clinical and experimental work has shown the hippocampus to be crucial for enabling us to find our way around an environment (spatial memory) and remembering events that occur in our lives (episodic memory). Yet, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the formation and retention of these memories remain largely unknown. The hippocampus receives various neuromodulatory inputs. Among them, cholinergic inputs are critical for forming new memories and regulating memory stability. Cholinergic innervation of the hippocampus progressively degenerates in patients with Alzheimers disease, and the neuronal response to acetylcholine weakens with aging. Thus, addressing how cholinergic activity mediates changes at the cellular, circuit, and behavior levels as memory forms and stabilizes is key to understanding mnemonic processing in health and disease. Ample in vitro evidence suggests muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) modulate synaptic plasticity -- the molecular correlate of learning and memory. However, in vivo evidence for the role of mAChRs in shaping neuronal dynamics during learning remains scarce. In the hippocampal CA1* *region, mAChRs are expressed in multiple cell types and cellular compartments, making it difficult to decipher the contribution of individual elements to the overall network effects of acetylcholine. In CA1 pyramidal neurons, mAChRs are densely clustered at the proximal dendrites, co-localized with the CA3 inputs that convey information about the stored memory. These receptors are ideally situated to modulate pyramidal neurons response to CA3* *inputs and to shape neuronal dynamics through synaptic plasticity. In this project, we hypothesize that mAChRs located on CA1 pyramidal neurons mediate both the formation and stability of the memory-related dynamical activity patterns generated by these neurons. To test this hypothesis, we combine theoretical modeling with in vivo experiments that leverage* *newly developed neuropharmacological tools to target muscarinic acetylcholine receptors with cell-type specificity. Our objective is to elucidate the cholinergic control of plasticity over two distinct stages of the memory process memory formation and stability across multiple levels from cell-typespecific acetylcholine receptors to the development of memory-related neuronal dynamics, and finally to the refinement of behavior.* -- Alex Roxin Computational Neuroscience Group Centre de Recerca Matemàtica Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) https://sites.google.com/site/alexanderroxin/home

1 0

APPLY TO THE THOM YOUNG RESARCHER AWARD
by hocine Cherifi Dec. 5, 2023

Dec. 5, 2023

*YOUNG RESARCHER AWARD* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/young-resarcher-award/> *@ **FRCCS 2024* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> The Young Researcher Award is part of CSS FRANCE's <https://www.cssfrance.org/> global initiative to support early career researchers in their quest to advance the frontiers of science across a broad range of disciplines. It is in place to recognize early career contributions and leadership in research in Complex Systems related fields. It is awarded to young researchers up to *five years* after the Ph.D. completion (date of Ph.D. defense) and the deadline of the call for nomination. *Eligibility* - Applications for this award are welcomed by academia, business, and government scientists. - Eligible candidates should not be older than 35 years. - There should be no more than five years between the date of the Ph.D. defense and the deadline of the call for nomination. - Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. - Any young researcher can be nominated in whatever discipline Complex Systems covers. - Candidates must commit to presenting their work at FRCCS if awarded. *Important dates* · Application deadline: *March 04, 2024* · Notification to applicants: *April 02, 2024* *Application Instruction* *For self-nomination* The application package must contain: - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - Research achievement: a letter describing the context and relevance of the achievement, its scientific impact, and why it deserves an award (maximum two pages). - A long-term research project (maximum two pages) *For supporter nomination* - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - Research achievement: a letter describing the context and relevance of the achievement, its scientific impact, and why it deserves an award (maximum two pages). - A statement from the candidate (maximum two pages) reflects their understanding of how the original scientific research moved science forward. *Application Process* Applications are made via a google form: Fill out the self-nomination form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7JjwOEPF0YYBRHWomS3o-fZ3YXu0a5QU…> or the Supporter nomination form <https://forms.gle/bkVFg9pUvt2f4K1p9> *Note that Google Forms requires you to be signed in to a Google account to upload files and submit your responses. * *Selection Process* FRCCS Award Committee will evaluate all qualified candidates and propose the winner to the Advisory Board of CSS FRANCE, which will make the final decision. *Award Procedure* A prize of 1000 euros is awarded to the winner. The award also covers the registration fee of FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024 to facilitate attendance at the conference. The awardee will be recognized and present his (her) work at FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024. For more information contact: hocine.cherifi(a)gmail.com

1 0

PhD position at Universitat de les Illes Balears
by Catalina Vich Llompart Dec. 5, 2023

Dec. 5, 2023

The Dynamical Systems group at Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) is seeking applications for a PhD student. This Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) funded position will focus on decision making, linking computational models and mathematical analysis to human and rodent data. The successful candidate will be mentored, supervised and trained directly by C.Vich, but they will also work and interact with Prof. Timothy Verstynen (CMU, Psychology) and Prof. Jonathan Rubin (University of Pittsburgh, Mathematics) so they will have to occasionally visit the USA team. The project specifically focuses on how dynamics of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic pathways map to cognitive models of adaptive decision-making, and how these circuits regulate information flow in the mammalian brain. This position will be renewed annually for up to 3 years. Preferred skills from the PhD student: We are looking for highly motivated and self-driven candidate with strong interest in computational neuroscience and significant computational expertise. To be accepted in the PhD program, a MSc degree is required, preferably in mathematical biology, computational biology, dynamical systems or related disciplines. Students who do not hold a MSc degree but hold an undergraduate degree of 300ECTS are also encouraged to apply. A high level of written and spoken English and good programming skills (preferably python) are prioritized. Environment The Universitat de les Illes Balears (https://www.uib.eu <https://www.uib.eu/>) is located in Mallorca, the highest island of the Balearic Islands, at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains, an area declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, as well as being just a few kilometres from Mallorca’s finest beaches. It is also ranked among the top 5 Spanish universities in education and in research quality. The university is well connected with the main city, Palma, and other villages. In fact, it has a bus and underground service with good timetables and frequencies. The accepted student will be a member of the group of Dynamical Systems (SSDD, http://www.ssdd.uib.es <http://www.ssdd.uib.es/>) and the institute of Applied Computing and Community Code (IAC3, http://iac3.uib.es <http://iac3.uib.es/>), with ample opportunities to interact with other young researchers in the fields of physics and mathematics in a highly interactive, dynamic, and multi-cultural environment. To apply For details on how to apply, please contact Catalina Vich by email at catalina.vich(a)uib.es <mailto:catalina.vich@uib.es> showing your interest on applying for this position. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Demographic and cultural diversity will be considered in the selection of the trainee.

1 0

Apply to the Bertalanffy Doctoral Student Award
by hocine Cherifi Dec. 5, 2023

Dec. 5, 2023

*DOCTORAL STUDENT AWARD* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/doctoral-student-award/> *@ **FRCCS 2024* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> The Bertalanffy Doctoral Student Award is part of CSS FRANCE's <https://www.cssfrance.org/> global initiative to support early career researchers in their quest to advance the frontiers of science across a broad range of disciplines. It is in place to recognize early career contributions and leadership in research in Complex Systems related fields. It is awarded to young researchers enrolled in a Ph.D. program. This competition consists in presenting your research in simple terms in a five minutes video to a lay audience. Your presentation should be clear, concise, and convincing. *Eligibility* - Eligible candidates must: - Be under 30. - Be enrolled in a Ph.D. program in whatever discipline Complex Systems covers. - Commit to presenting their work at the French Regional Conference on Complex Systems <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> if awarded - Accept and authorize the use and distribution of videos and photos related to the competition, including on social networks - Have informed their thesis supervisor of their participation in the competition - Present a sufficiently advanced state of the doctoral research project *Important dates* · Application deadline: *March 04, 2024* · Notification to applicants: *April 02, 2024* *Application Instruction* The application package must contain the following: - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - A summary (maximum two pages) presenting the research work, its context, main contribution, and scientific impact. - A 5 minutes video presentation. *Application Process* Applications are made via a google form on the online portal. <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe49vdpumpzjVJJ7_mWgC5zKSLS1AqelD_…> *Note that Google Forms requires you to be signed in to a Google account to upload files and submit your responses. * *Selection Process* FRCCS Award Committee will evaluate all qualified candidates and propose the winner to the Advisory Board of CSS FRANCE, which will make the final decision. *Award Procedure* A prize of 500 euros is awarded to the winner. The award also covers the registration fee of FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024 to facilitate attendance at the conference. The awardee will be recognized and present his (her) work at FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024. For more information contact: hocine.cherifi(a)gmail.com

1 0

4 year fully-funded PhD studentship in ML and Parkinson’s disease at Nottingham
by Mark Humphries Dec. 4, 2023

Dec. 4, 2023

A 4-year fully-funded PhD studentship with Prof Mark Humphries and Dr JeYoung Yung at the University Of Nottingham is available to start September 2024. “Optimising patient selection for Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s disease using multimodal machine learning” Parkinson’s disease has debilitating motor symptoms of tremor in the limbs, slowness of movement, and freezing, unable to move. A highly effective treatment is electrical stimulation deep in the motor regions of the midbrain. But surgery for this deep brain stimulation is only offered to around 2% of all patients, and about a quarter of those who receive it have poor outcomes. Optimising the selection of patients for deep brain stimulation will widen access to treatment, improve treatment outcomes, and prevent harm. The goal of this project is to test how fusing clinical data, neuroimaging, and video assessments could optimise the selection of patients. The project will be in collaboration with MachineMedicine (London), a MedTech company specialising in Parkinson’s disease, and the movement disorders clinical team at St George’s Hospital, London. In joining this collaboration, the PhD student will be trained in data-science and machine learning tools, including how to extract and analyse MRI and fMRI data, in fusing data across modalities, and in developing a machine-learning pipeline for predicting patient outcomes. These predictions will be tested against the 12-month follow-up data from the St George’s trial patients. The student’s further training will include a 3-month placement at MachineMedicine, and visits to St George’s clinic. Closing date:12 noon (GMT) Friday 12th January 2024. For full studentship details and how to apply see here: https://more.bham.ac.uk/mrc-aim/phd-opportunities/ Send all enquires to mark.humphries(a)nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:mark.humphries@nottingham.ac.uk> 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 contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

1 0

Fully-funded PhD in mathematical neuroscience (Sheffield, UK)
by Hazem Toutounji Dec. 3, 2023

Dec. 3, 2023

A fully-funded PhD in mathematical neuroscience is available with Dr Hazem Toutounji and Professor Eleni Vasilaki (University of Sheffield, UK). *Project title: *What can self-connected neurons do? A unifying theory of autaptic neural function in invertebrates and mammals The neuron is the fundamental building block in the nervous systems of all animal species, from C. elegans with its 302 neurons, to humans with their highly evolved cortex alone containing more than 10 billion neurons. The action potential, or spike, is the basic unit of neural signalling. Most neurons communicate through chemical synapses, which project from the axon of one neuron to the cell body or dendrites of another. An autapse is a synapse connecting the neuron to itself. In this project, we will use mathematical modelling to achieve two objectives: 1. Investigate the different roles of autapses in neural processing as observed experimentally. 2. Explore autapses as a potential route to chaos and its role in healthy and pathological neural function. The position is open to UK and overseas applicants. The ideal candidate will have a strong command of mathematical analysis and programming skills. Prior knowledge of dynamical systems theory is desirable. Application deadline: 5pm GMT 24 January 2024 For full details and how to apply see: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/what-can-self-connected-neurons-do-a-… *Please note: *Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact me ( h.toutounji(a)sheffield.ac.uk) to discuss your interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting your application. -- *Dr. rer. nat. Hazem Toutounji (they / them)* *Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience and ECR Champion* *The Neural Dynamics and Computation Lab* Department of Psychology The Neuroscience Institute Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine University of Sheffield ICOSS Building, 4th floor, desk 5 219 Portobello, Broomhall Sheffield S1 4DP, UK

1 0

AREADNE 2024 Call for Abstracts
by John Pezaris Dec. 1, 2023

Dec. 1, 2023

AREADNE 2024 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles Eliopoulos Conference Center, Milos, Greece 25-29 June 2024 http://areadne.org info(a)areadne.org Dear Colleague, We are pleased to announce solicitation of abstracts for poster presentation at AREADNE 2024, 25-29 June 2024, our tenth meeting, to be held at the Eliopoulos Conference Center in Milos, Greece. Note that this is a change in location from previous meetings. Continuing with the same highly successful format, AREADNE 2024 will bring scientific leaders from around the world to present their theoretical and experimental work on the functioning of neuronal ensembles. The meeting will provide an informal and beautiful setting in which attendees can discuss their recent ideas and discoveries, with a relaxed pace that emphasizes interaction. Please see the Call for Abstracts for additional details, including links for templates, at http://areadne.org/call-for-abstracts Submissions of abstracts for poster presentations are due by 26 Jan 2024; notifications will be provided by late February 2024. We strongly encourage potential attendees to submit an abstract as presenters have registration priority. For information about the conference, please refer to the main web page http://areadne.org or send email to us at info(a)areadne.org . We hope to see you at AREADNE 2024! Best, - J. --- John S. Pezaris, Ph.D. AREADNE 2024 Co-Chair Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114, USA info(a)areadne.org

1 0

MSc Internship - Evolving Reservoir Meta-RL - Inria, Bordeaux, France
by Xavier Hinaut Dec. 1, 2023

Dec. 1, 2023

Please find below an offer for an intership from February/March to July/August 2024 in Mnemosyne team at Inria, Bordeaux, France # Title Title: Evolving Reservoirs for Meta Reinforcement Learning # Supervision Xavier Hinaut, Mnemosyne team, Inria Bordeaux Potential collaboration with Clément Moulin-Frier (Flowers Team) & Pierrick Legrand (Astral Team) # Duration: 6 months, spring/summer 2024. Level: Master 2 research internship # Keywords: meta reinforcement learning, reservoir computing, evolutionary computation, neuroevolution, simulation environments, scientific programming with Python. # Research team & internship location Mnémosyne Team: Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, LABRI & Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives (Centre Broca Aquitaine, Carreire campus) https://team.inria.fr/mnemosyne # Project How can a reinforcement learning (RL) agent autonomously learn a diversity of skills with minimal external supervision? Recent works have shown that a single goal-conditioned policy can be trained to solve multiple tasks in parallel (see e.g. Colas et al., 2021 for a recent review). Other works in Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-RL) have shown that artificial agents can “learn how to learn” (hence the term meta-learning) multiple skills without having access to goal-related information (see e.g. Weng, 2019 for an introduction). Meta-RL aims at equipping agents with the ability to generalize to tasks or environments that have not been encountered during training. Two nested processes of adaptation are traditionally considered: an outer adaptation loop optimizing the hyperparameters of an inner adaptation loop. The inner adaptation loop can be a standard RL algorithm operating on a given environment. The outer loop is tuning the hyperparameters of the inner loop such that it performs well on a wide distribution of environments. The end result of this nested training process is an algorithm that learns how to learn, i.e. learns how to adapt to tasks that have never been encountered during training. Works differ in the optimization technique and adaptation mechanism they consider in the two loops. The outer loop often optimizes higher-level structures such as the architecture of a neural network (Baker et al., 2017), the morphology (Gupta et al., 2021), a curiosity module providing intrinsic rewards (Alet et al., 2020) or plasticity rules (Najarro & Risi, 2021), employing either evolutionary or gradient-based optimization. In parallel, Reservoir Computing (RC, (Jaeger 2001+)) is particularly well suited for extracting information from data stream with complex temporal dynamics (e.g. weather forecast or language). It is a machine learning paradigm on sequential data where a recurrent neural network is only partially trained (e.g. only training a linear readout). One of the major interests of these recurrent neural networks is their reduced computational cost and the possibility to learn both in on-line and off-line fashion. They have been successfully applied on a wide variety of tasks, from prediction/generation of chaotic timeseries to discrimination of audio sequences, such as bird song recognition. They offer de facto a fast, simple yet efficient way to train RNNs. This "reservoir of computations" works thanks to random projections in large dimensions, and is thus similar to temporal Support Vector Machines (SVM). In this internship, we will explore how Reservoir Computing can be leveraged in the context of Meta-RL. In this context, we will consider evolving the architecture of a reservoir for performing well on a wide range of RL tasks (see Seoane, 2019 for theoretical arguments on this evolutionary perspective). For this aim, we will use the ReservoirPy Python library developed in the Mnemosyne team (Trouvain & Hinaut, 2022) that we will interface with evolutionary computation algorithms (e.g. Tang et al., 2022). The project will involve: ● Designing of a wide range of RL tasks in an existing simulation environment (ex MuJoCo) ● Learning how to learn multiple tasks without access to the goal information (i.e. meta-RL with a reservoir). ● Evolve reservoir architectures for meta-RL with evolutionary methods # How to apply Contact xavier.hinaut(a)inria.fr with a CV and letter of motivation. We also recommend sending documents or reports describing previous projects you have been working on (even if they are not directly related to the topic), as well as your grades and links to some of your code repositories. # Requirements We are looking for highly motivated MSc students (Master II). Programming skills and prior experience with Python and deep learning frameworks (Pytorch, Tensorflow) are expected. # Other internship offers https://github.com/neuronalX/internships/ # References Alet, F., Schneider, M. F., Lozano-Perez, T., & Kaelbling, L. P. (2020). Meta-learning curiosity algorithms. International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2020). https://openreview.net/forum?id=BygdyxHFDS Baker, B., Gupta, O., Naik, N., & Raskar, R. (2017). Designing neural network architectures using reinforcement learning. ArXiv:1611.02167 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/1611.02167 Botvinick, M., Ritter, S., Wang, J. X., Kurth-Nelson, Z., Blundell, C., & Hassabis, D. (2019). Reinforcement Learning, Fast and Slow. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(5), 408–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.02.006 Colas, C., Karch, T., Sigaud, O., & Oudeyer, P.-Y. (2021). Intrinsically Motivated Goal-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning: A Short Survey. ArXiv:2012.09830 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/2012.09830 Gupta, A., Savarese, S., Ganguli, S., & Fei-Fei, L. (2021). Embodied intelligence via learning and evolution. Nature Communications, 12(1), 5721. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25874-z Jaeger, H. (2007). Echo state network. Scholarpedia, 2(9), 2330. https://doi.org/10.4249/scholarpedia.2330 Najarro, E., & Risi, S. (2021). Meta-Learning through Hebbian Plasticity in Random Networks. ArXiv:2007.02686 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/2007.02686 Sakemi, Y., Morino, K., Leleu, T., & Aihara, K. (2020). Model-size reduction for reservoir computing by concatenating internal states through time. Scientific Reports, 10(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78725-0 Seoane, L. F. (2019). Evolutionary aspects of reservoir computing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 374(1774), 20180377. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0377 Tang, Y., Tian, Y., & Ha, D. (2022). EvoJAX: Hardware-Accelerated Neuroevolution. Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference Companion, 308–311. https://doi.org/10.1145/3520304.3528770 Trouvain, N., & Hinaut, X. (2022). reservoirpy: A Simple and Flexible Reservoir Computing Tool in Python. https://hal.inria.fr/hal-03699931 https://github.com/reservoirpy/reservoirpy Weng, L. (2019, June 23). Meta Reinforcement Learning. https://lilianweng.github.io/posts/2019-06-23-meta-rl/ Xavier Hinaut Inria Research Scientist www.xavierhinaut.com -- +33 5 33 51 48 01 Mnemosyne team, Inria, Bordeaux, France -- https://team.inria.fr/mnemosyne & LaBRI, Bordeaux University -- https://www4.labri.fr/en/formal-methods-and-models & IMN (Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute) -- http://www.imn-bordeaux.org/en --- Our Reservoir Computing library: https://github.com/reservoirpy/reservoirpy

1 0