- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Fully funded PhD position at BioCruces Health Research Institute, Bilbao, Spain
by Asier Erramuzpe Osakidetza April 11, 2016

April 11, 2016

BioCruces Health Research Institute (Bilbao, Spain) is looking for a PhD student who is a graduate in engineering and has completed a master, in its first year of doctorate or going into it this year. The pre-doc will work on an ongoing project since 2015, Neuroimaging in Parkinson's disease, funded by the ISCIII and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The candidate will work primarily with MR imaging and to a lesser extent retinal images and analysis of cardiovascular signals. The PI of the project would be Juan Carlos Gómez-Esteban, neurologist, Head of group of Neurodegenerative Diseases in BioCruces and Movement Disorders and Parkinson Surgery in the Hospital of Cruces in collaboration with Dr. Iñigo Gabilondo. The website of the group: http://www.biocruces.com/bc5.01 Candidates should have a technical degree and knowledge of at least one programming language (python, matlab or R) and desirably knowledge of the packages SPM, FSL and Freesurfer. The contract will be up to 4 years (2 years extendable to 4 depending on the financing of the project), with a gross salary of € 20,600 per year. Social security contributions and other recruitment costs paid by BioCruces. Application dates are from April 12 to May 11. Candidates are invited to send a motivation letter and the names of one referee to Dr. Gabilondo by mail: igabilon(a)gmail.com Regards

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EEG Data Scientist Position at Stanford in Brain Network Connectivity Research
by Wei Wu April 10, 2016

April 10, 2016

The Laboratory of Amit Etkin, MD PhD at Stanford University is currently accepting applications for a Data Scientist position focused on sophisticated analyses of electroencephalography (EEG) data. The focus of this position is on understanding brain network function, relating EEG to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and application of network analysis tools (e.g. graph theory, network-based statistics, etc). A particular emphasis will be on extending findings in the lab developed using fMRI connectivity analyses to EEG, which can be leveraged as an assessment tool in clinical psychiatric populations. Machine learning methods will also be employed to determine optimal EEG signals. The successful applicant will have an MS or PhD in Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, Psychology, or related fields. Experience with analysis of EEG data is required. Additionally, a strong programming background is important. Duties will also include manuscript preparation, presentation of findings at conferences, and contribution to the preparation of grants. Laboratory and Stanford resources include research-dedicated 3T and 7T MRI scanners, simultaneous EEG/fMRI, multiple high density EEG setups, and concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)/fMRI and concurrent TMS/EEG setups. Salary commensurate with experience. More information about our ongoing studies can be found at: http://etkinlab.stanford.edu<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/>. [http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/images/thumb-home1.jpg]<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/> Etkin Lab - Stanford University School of Medicine<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/> etkinlab.stanford.edu The Etkin Lab strives to understand the neural basis of emotional disorders and their treatment, and to leverage this knowledge to develop novel treatment interventions. To apply, please send a curriculum vitae, a statement describing research interests and relevant background and three letters of recommendations, as well as relevant reprints/preprints of research articles to: Amit Etkin, MD, PhD Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford Neurosciences Institute Stanford University amitetkin(a)stanford.edu

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Call for Submissions to Workshop on Computational Biology at ICML 2016
by Sandhya Prabhakaran April 9, 2016

April 9, 2016

Hi, Please kindly circulate this to interested graduate students, post-docs and faculty. *Call For Submissions We invite submissions to the Workshop on Computational Biology < https://sites.google.com/site/compbioworkshopicml2016/> to be held in conjunction with ICML 2016 <http://icml.cc/2016/> conference in New York City, NY (June 19-24, 2016). In Computational Biology, there has been credible developments in many high-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing, CyToF and single-cell sequencing that enable data generation from many interesting biological systems. The gamut of novel algorithms in Machine Learning makes it very attractive to apply these methods to the challenging biological questions. It therefore only seems befitting to bring together researchers engaged in applying ML in Computational Biology to discuss recent advances in this interdisciplinary field and ongoing developments. We have invited several distinguished speakers from the Computational Biology community to discuss and present their current research. We also invite extended abstracts dealing with applications of ML methods or bioinformatics approaches to biological and biomedical data. *Important Dates Deadline for submissions : May 1, 2016 Notification of acceptance : May 10, 2016 Workshop date : June 24th 2016 (Friday, second day of workshops) *Submission All novel Computational Biology approaches are of interest to the workshop. We welcome original extended abstracts that present recently published work as well as preliminary ideas. Extended abstracts should not exceed 4 pages in length (plus 1 optional page for references) and should be in pdf format (one column, font size 12). The submission need not be anonymized. If the abstract concerns previously published work, please cite the original paper in the workshop submission. All accepted contributions shall be presented at the poster session. Awards for Best Poster Presentations will be sponsored by Google. In addition, a set of best submissions will also have the opportunity to present their work as Contributed Talks, and will receive Travel Awards sponsored by IBM Research. Accepted abstracts will have the option of being published on the workshop website. For authors who do not wish their abstracts to be posted online or become citable, please mention this in the workshop submission. Submissions should be made through the EasyChair < https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=compbioworkshopicml2> system. *Invited Speakers Barbara Engelhardt, Princeton University Jennifer Listgarten, Microsoft Research Christina Leslie, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center *Registration All participants must register for the ICML 2016 conference. *Contact For workshop-related queries please contact: icml2016compbio(a)gmail.com We are looking forward to your submissions! Organizing Committee: Dana Pe'er, Columbia University Elham Azizi, Columbia University Sandhya Prabhakaran, Columbia University Olga Troyanskaya, Princeton University Edoardo Airoldi, Harvard University Volker Roth, University of Basel

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Image Analysis Job Opportunity at Salk Institute
by Uri Manor April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016

Hi everyone, Please spread the word far and wide! Thanks! WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE Job Opportunity – Image Analysis Scientist The Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center has been established at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies as a state-of-the-art research hub to provide advanced and emerging imaging modalities to enable unprecedented insights into the inner workings of cells, tissues and organisms. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced candidate in the field of computational image analysis to serve as an Image Analysis Scientist for the Biophotonics Core Facility. The Image Analysis Scientist will have a principal responsibility to collaborate with the other light and electron microscopy researchers in the Biophotonics Core and the Salk Institute to provide specific expertise for developing custom computer algorithms for complex and novel analyses of raw imaging data, computer data management and developing algorithms for microscopy operations. The Image Analysis Scientist will also develop and publish novel imaging and image analysis techniques in collaboration with the Core Director and Salk faculty. The Image Analysis Scientist will apply existing image processing software to 2D and 3D images and videos, and will also integrate data across different platforms (e.g. correlative EM). Finally, under the supervision and training of the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will become familiar with the microscopes used in the facility, and develop expertise in using the equipment to acquire imaging data optimized for image analysis. Along with the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will train Salk scientists on how to properly acquire high quality quantitative microscopy image data. This is a multi-faceted job that involves the following components: • Image Processing & Data Analysis - With the support of the Core Director, the incumbent will participate in the collaborative development of custom image data analysis and algorithm solutions. • Research Design & Participation - aiding Director and independently assisting users in design of imaging experiments. Educate facility users in the use of facility instrumentation and methods used therein for optimal acquisition of imaging data. • Data Collection & Presentation - collecting and managing data and helping to prepare data for publication & presentation. • User Training - guide and assist Salk researchers in the use of existing image acquisition and processing software. To Apply: Send CV to umanor(a)salk.edu<mailto:umanor@salk.edu> or http://www.salk.edu/about/careers/ (Job # F142) Uri Manor, Ph.D. DIRECTOR WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE PH (858) 453-4100 x2119 M (314) 406-7618 E umanor(a)salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> W http://bpho.salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> [cid:E4C48475-653C-4000-9B8C-437F759B2644@salk.edu] Salk Institute for Biological Studies 10010 N Torrey Pines Rd • La Jolla, CA 92037 WWW.SALK.EDU<http://www.salk.edu>

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Final deadline extension for contributions - Human Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics @ Biorob2016
by Falotico Egidio April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016

Dear colleagues (with advance apologies for any cross-postings), We invite submissions for oral or poster presentations at the Human Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics that will be organized on June 26th, at the sixth IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics BioRob 2016, in Singapore. http://www.sinapseinstitute.org/biorob2016/workshops.php (Conference workshop page) http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016 (Workshop page for contributions) Prospective authors should submit the extended abstract (one A4 page, in PDF format) by April 14th (final deadline extension), 2016. Notification of acceptance will be received no later than April 21th. For submission please refer to the following link: http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016/HBPPaperSubmission… ABSTRACT Neurorobotics is already an established branch of robotics that in the last years, taking advantage from an increase in the accessibility of existing neuroscientific data and knowledge, allowed building robotic systems that can exhibit robustness, adaptability and several features of the human intelligence. Reciprocally, significant developments in robotics and machine learning put robotics in the service of neuroscience as experimental platforms or test-beds of brain models. In the last years, advanced insights and the increasing availability of cheap processing power has led Neurorobotics to follow two tracks of research with different goals and methods: The first track focuses on neuro-inspired computing paradigms that mimic nervous system functions based on Spiking Neural Networks. This does not only foster our understanding of biological systems but also contributes to future technical applications in artificial systems. In the past, limited processing power and the lack of appropriate models and tools shifted the focus of research far away from biological neural networks. Recently a number of projects like the US BRAIN Initiative and the Human Brain Project have taken up the challenge by combining efforts from the fields of neuroscience and computer science to enable the large scale modeling and simulation of biological neural networks with billions of spiking neurons. The second track, extending the theory of classical artificial neural networks, mostly relies on simpler neuron models but integrate them in novel network architectures. These networks are extensively used in robotics, allowing mimicking the function of some brain areas in order to reproduce complex behaviors with a reduced computational cost. This workshop seeks to present and discuss advances in neuroscientific models for cognition and new perspectives in control for robotic applications based on both biologically-inspired and artificial neural networks. The final goal is to bring together researchers from both robotics and neuroscience in order to explore how to maximize the progress at the multidisciplinary frontier evaluating the advantages of both tracks of the Neurorobotics research. TOPICS OF INTEREST - Bio-inspired sensory-motor coordination and adaptive control - Active perception - Neurocontrollers - Self-organization and sensory-motor mapping - Predictive behaviour - Bio-inspired learning robots - Robot imitation and learning by demonstration - Memory-based algorithms - Cognitive behaviours in robots - Reservoir computing - Deep learning - Neuromorphic computing for robotics KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Giorgio Metta (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy) - The use of motor invariants can improve action discrimination Tomohiro Shibata (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan) Functional Robotic Assistance of Human Motor Learning Ruediger Dillman (Research Center for Information Technology, Germany) - Modelling Cortical Sensor-Motor Control Functionalities with a Spiking Neural-Robot Control Simulator Sunil L. Kukreja (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Integration of Neuromorphic Tactile Perception with Haptic Feedback in a Virtual and Augmented Reality World for Advanced Robotic Control Best Regards, Egidio Falotico, Cecilia Laschi (The BioRobotics Institite,Scuola Superiore SantAnna , Italy) Florian Röhrbein, Florian Walter (Technical University of Munich, Germany) Organizers

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PhD position in Slovakia and US
by Norbert Kopco April 7, 2016

April 7, 2016

A PhD position is available in Norbert Kopco's Perception and Cognition Lab at Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia, for a Marie Curie EU-funded project on adaptation and learning in spatial hearing (http://pcl.upjs.sk/grants/alt/) This is an international collaborative project, combining psychophysical, neuroimaging and computational methods. As part of this project, the student would be expected to work on development of modules for an auditory training tame (so, some programing skills are important), and spend up to 12 months in the US, either in Aaron Seitz's Brain Game Center at UC Riverside and/or Erick Gallun's lab at the Portland VA / OHSU (or, possibly with the other members of the consortium). Interested candidates please contact norbert.kopco(a)upjs.sk with a CV and a research statement. Information about PhD student application procedures is available at <http://www.upjs.sk/en/faculty-of-science/foreign-students/>http://www.upjs.sk/en/faculty-of-science/foreign-students/ . -- doc. Norbert Kopco, Ph.D. Assoc Professor / Senior Researcher: Inst of Computer Sci, Faculty of Science, Safarik Univ, Kosice, Slovakia Adjunct: Ctr for Computational Neurosci (CompNet), Boston University & Martinos Ctr for Biomed Imaging, Harvard Med School - Mass Gen Hospital P: +16175759556 F: +14847279884, kopco(a)bu.edu, http://cns.bu.edu/~kopco

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postdoctoral position in cognitive and affective neuroscience
by Steven Greening April 6, 2016

April 6, 2016

Applications are invited for a full-time postdoctoral research fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Greening on projects investigating the neural bases of emotion-cognition interactions. This position involves developing, running, and analyzing data on projects from healthy and mentally ill individuals, and presenting findings in peer-reviewed manuscripts and at conferences in collaboration with Dr. Greening. The research combines behavior and physiology with a multimodal MRI approach, FMRI and DTI, using univariate and multivariate analyses. This is a full-time one-year position with the possibility to renew for a second year. Apply online and view a more detailed ad at: www.lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu. Position #039259

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Post-Doc Opening in Interactive Systems Integration for Assistive Technologies
by Giacinto Barresi April 5, 2016

April 5, 2016

Post-Doc Opening in Interactive Systems Integration for Assistive Technologies Added on: 05/04/2016 - Expires on: 06/05/2016 Info: https://www.iit.it/careers/openings/opening/126-post-doc-opening-in-interac… The Biomedical Robotics Lab at the Department of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), an English-speaking research Institute, is looking for a highly motivated, full-time postdoctoral researcher to work in the areas of interactive systems integration for assistive technologies. This position (within the project TEEP-SLA, funded by Fondazione Roma) is dedicated to research and development of solutions for integrating brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) with interactive systems (multisensory user interfaces, embedded devices) to provide feedback that eases the collection and interpretation of user’s data and commands. This is a new project that aims to create novel assistive technologies for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients. We are especially looking at satisfying the patients’ social interaction and communication needs with innovative patient interfaces and associated robotic technologies. We are looking for an outstanding scientist with a PhD in engineering, robotics, or other fields related to user interfaces and embedded programming. The successful candidate will mainly focus on the development and integration of BCIs with novel wearable sensors and feedback devices able to provide motor/tactile feedback. The scientist will work in a multidisciplinary team including roboticists, biomedical engineers, interaction researchers and healthcare professionals. Field studies (involving patients, their relatives, and healthcare professionals) will be an integral part of the work, serving both to refine system specifications and to assess new technologies. This research will advance the state of the art in BCI control, enabling greatly enhanced patient experience during the use of assistive communication and social interaction systems. The position includes theoretical and hands-on research, supervision of PhD students, and support to general lab activities. Desired qualifications: - PhD degree in engineering, robotics, or related fields. - Experience in user interface development and embedded programming, preferably for biosignals-related applications. - Excellent publication record in interactive systems and real-time embedded systems. - Experience with physical tactile/motor user interfaces. - Experience with interfacing computer systems and technological (e.g. robotic) devices. - Strong interest in assistive technologies and in-field studies. - Creativity and proactive attitude. - Strong communication and English language skills (written and oral) - Independent and persistent personality, strong team player - The salary will depend on qualifications and experience and will include additional health benefits. To apply, please send electronically a detailed CV with list of publications, University transcripts, your best first-author paper, a cover letter outlining motivation and statement of research interests/plan and contact information of at least two references to applications(a)iit.it by May 6th, 2016 stating “TEEP-SLA Post-Doc” in the subject of the e-mail. Only complete applications will be evaluated. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), with its headquarters in Genova, Italy, is a non-profit institution with the primary goal of creating and disseminating scientific knowledge and strengthening Italy’s technological competitiveness. The institute offers state-of-the-art equipment and a top-level interdisciplinary research environment focused on robotics and computer vision, neuroscience, drug discovery, nanoscience and technology. In order to comply with Italian law (art. 23 of Privacy Law of the Italian Legislative Decree n. 196/03), the candidate is kindly asked to give his/her consent to allow IIT to process his/her personal data. We inform you that the information you provide will be solely used for the purpose of assessing your professional profile to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, with its headquarters in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as the Data Holder, using computer and paper-based means, observing the rules on the protection of personal data, including those relating to the security of data. Please also note that, pursuant to art. 7 of Legislative Decree 196/2003, you may exercise your rights at any time as a party concerned by contacting the Data Manager. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Info: https://www.iit.it/careers/openings/opening/126-post-doc-opening-in-interac… Contacts applications(a)iit.it Giacinto Barresi, PhD Post Doc Biomedical Robotics Laboratory Advanced Robotics (ADVR) Department Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova (Italy) Mobile: +39 331 9835396 Email: giacinto.barresi(a)iit.it Webpage: https://iit.it/people/giacinto-barresi

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TEX2016 to close with keynote lecture by Yann LeCun
by Alessandro Treves April 5, 2016

April 5, 2016

Our 9 days of cross-fertilization http://indico.sissa.it/e/tex2016 on language learning will close with the open-ended stimulation provided by a pioneer of the deep learning perspective (on July 15). Students are still invited to apply to the school, before April 15, (no extensions - enough applications already) and free participants are most welcome to join TEX2016 any time; but book your own accommodation! -- Alessandro Treves http://people.sissa.it/~ale/limbo.html SISSA - Cognitive Neuroscience, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy +39-040-3787623+39-040-3787623 Ambassador (BlaBlaCar) +39-349-2504602+39-349-2504602

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MuTE software UPDATE: the graphical user interface is ready
by Alessandro Montalto April 4, 2016

April 4, 2016

Dear all, I am very pleased to announce the availability of the updated version of MuTE, a toolbox that is able to detect directed dynamical influences among time series. This new open source software implements four entropy estimators in both uniform and non-uniform embedding approaches. *The graphical user interface is ready to be used.* Please download the latest version of MuTE here: http://mutetoolbox.guru/downloads/ The GUI has been developed by Frederik Van de Steen: http://mutetoolbox.guru/frederik-van-de-steen/ ******************* Subscribe to the newsletter if you want to be kept updated about future updates of MuTE or follow the toolbox improvements through - twitter: https://twitter.com/mutetoolbox - facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mutetoolbox Best regards, Alessandro Montalto

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[ACM UMAP] Final Call for Tutorials
by Jie Zhang April 4, 2016

April 4, 2016

Final Call for Tutorials ACM UMAP 2016 invites tutorials that address the interests of its varied audience: people new to the User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalisation researchers and practitioners who wish to learn new technologies, users of Personalized technologies, and representatives of government and funding agencies as well as potential private investors in Personalized technologies. We welcome submissions of tutorial proposals on all major topics related to user modeling and personalisation technologies. We especially solicit proposals for tutorials of the following types: -- Tutorials with a coherent theme providing an introduction to new user modeling technologies, methods, techniques, and trends (e.g. exploiting data-mining and big data analytics for user modeling, evaluation methodologies, data visualizationetc.) -- Tutorials describing the application of user modeling and personalization technologies in specific domains (e.g., health sciences, e-government, e-commerce, cultural heritage, education, internet of things, mobile, music, information retrieval, NLP, etc.). -- Tutorials presenting techniques from other fields that are of relevance for user modeling and personalization research, including social sciences, digital humanities, biomedical or cognitive science, and neuroscience research. Tutorials may focus on theoretical topics, however, we encourage organizers to incorporate hands-on sessions where appropriate. The tutorial should reach a good balance between the topic coverage and its relevance to the community. Tutorials can be half a day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours). Timeline for Tutorials Tutorial proposals due: *April 10, 2016* Notification of acceptance: May 5, 2016 Tutorial Days: 13 July (Wednesday) and/or 17 July (Sunday) 2016 Responsibilities Organizers of accepted tutorials are responsible for preparing the materials for attendees (slide sets, additional teaching material, software installation and usage guides for practical hands-on sessions, etc.) to the Tutorial Chairs. The UMAP 2016 Organizing Committee is responsible for providing publicity for the tutorials as part of the conference publicity activities, and on-site logistical support to the organizers and attendees. General Information In the interest of the overall quality of the conference, the Tutorial Chairs reserve the right to merge tutorials and/or adjust the scope thereof in case a minimum number of registrations is not reached by the early registration deadline. Submission details Tutorial proposals should not exceed 5 pages, and should contain the following information: -- Abstract. 200 words maximum, for inclusion on the UMAP2016 website. -- Tutorial description: objectives of the tutorial and relevance to UMAP2016; information about the scope and level of detail of the material to be covered; intended audiences; learning objectives; practical sessions. -- Tutorial length. The tutorial can be full or half day -- Specify other venues to which the tutorial or part thereof has been or will be presented, in addition to explaining how the current tutorial differs from the other editions. Links to the slides of previous tutorial editions (if applicable) should be included in the proposal. -- Brief professional biography of the presenter(s) indicating previous training and speaking experience (such as teaching and tutorial presentation). All proposals will be reviewed by the tutorial chairs and discussed within the organization committee of the UMAP2016. Submission Proposals should be submitted in PDF format by email to the tutorial chairs at workshopumap2016(a)gmail.com by April 10, 2016. Tutorials Chairs Federica Cena, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy, email: cena(a)di.unito.it Jie Zhang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, email: zhangj(a)ntu.edu.sg

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Call for papers - NIAMS'16
by Tolga Tasdizen April 3, 2016

April 3, 2016

Apologies for multiple receptions. Please share with your colleagues who might be interested. Call for papers Workshop on Neuroscientifc Image Analysis at the Microscopic Scale (NIAMS'16) The Workshop on Neuroscientific Image Analysis at the Microscopic Scale (https://sites.google.com/site/niams2016/ <https://sites.google.com/site/niams2016/>) will be held in conjunction with the MICCAI conference (http://www.miccai2016.org/en/ <http://www.miccai2016.org/en/>) on October 17, 2016 in Athens, Greece. Recent advances in labeling and microscopy techniques have revolutionized our ability to visualize neurons and synapses in living brain tissue. The quantitative analysis of vast amounts of imaging data has become a major bottleneck in neuroscience. This workshop focuses on current challenges in processing and analysis of microscopic images in neuroscience. We invite contributions ranging from novel algorithmic strategies in biomedical image processing to specific examples and solutions to key problems in neuroscience research, including: automatic detection, segmentation, tracking, reconstruction, shape analysis, and modeling of spines, dendrites, and neurons in confocal, two photon, super resolution, and electron microscopy data. We will accept the submission of full papers (8pages, LNCS style), which will be reviewed by the program committee consisting of the organizers and the advisory board. The deadline for paper submission is June 24, 2016. The highest quality papers will be selected for (oral and/or poster) presentation. We plan to publish hardcopy proceedings in Springer LNCS. In addition, we intend to organize a special issue in one of the top journals in the field where extended versions of the selected invited papers of the workshop will be published. Important dates Paper submission: June 24, 2016 Notification of acceptance: July 22, 2016 Workshop: October 17, 2016 Organizers Tolga Tasdizen, University of Utah Devrim Unay, İzmir University of Economics Inbal Israely, Champalimaud Foundation Valentin Nagerl, University of Bordeaux / CNRS If you have any questions, please contact Tolga Tasdizen (tolga(a)sci.utah.edu <mailto:tolga@sci.utah.edu>)

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PhD offer in Paris South: Modeling and steering brain oscillations based on in vivo optogenetics data
by Antoine Chaillet April 2, 2016

April 2, 2016

Antoine Chaillet, Alain Destexhe and Mario Sigalotti are proposing a PhD entitled "Modeling and steering brain oscillations based on in vivo optogenetics data", at the interface between control theory and computational neuroscience. Candidates should contact antoine.chaillet(a)centralesupelec.fr for more information. Description: Neuronal oscillations are ubiquitous in the brain, both in health and disease. Nonetheless, the precise role of these oscillations is still a matter of debate, and the mechanisms by which they are generated are still poorly understood. Technological advances offer unprecedented ways to acquire and influence these oscillations. Electrode arrays and electrodes with dense recording plots now provide excellent spatiotemporal resolution of local brain activity. Moreover, the recent advent of optogenetics is revolutionizing the way of stimulating brain structures. The combination of electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics is thus particularly appealing to decipher the mechanisms of oscillation generation, their role in brain functioning, and the development of closed-loop strategies to steer brain oscillations (especially pathological ones). This project aims at developing and validating ad hoc methodologies to model, identify, analyze and control brain oscillations with these experimental tools. The challenges in that direction are numerous due to the nonlinear and spatiotemporal nature of the processes involved. To address these challenges, this project proposes to adapt or develop methodologies from control theory to the brain dynamics specificities. The performance of the developed methodologies will be confronted to experimental data of pathological oscillations linked to parkinsonian symptoms, that were collected on healthy and parkinsonian primates under optogenetics in the ANR project SynchNeuro. The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop a methodological framework, based on control engineering, to address three challenges: 1) development of a spatiotemporal model of specific brain oscillations, whose parameters are identified based on experimental data 2) formal analysis of brain oscillations onset and characterization of their dynamics in terms of magnitude, frequency and phase 3) development of closed-loop photostimulation strategies to disrupt, attenuate, or steer brain oscillations. Supervision: The PhD thesis will be supervised by Antoine Chaillet (L2S), in collaboration with Alain Destexhe (UNIC) and Mario Sigalotti (CMAP). It will take place in Gif sur Yvette (south of Paris), France. Sought candidate: We are looking for a brilliant motivated student, eager to work on an interdisciplinary topic. Strong background in dynamical systems is needed, as well as interest for theoretical developments. Experience in identification based on experimental data, or numerical simulations would be appreciated. No French ability is required. Antoine Chaillet Associate Professor Univ. Paris Sud 11 - L2S - CentraleSupélec 3, rue Joliot Curie 91192 - Gif sur Yvette, France +33 1 69 85 13 83

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EPFL: PhD student position in neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion
by Auke Ijspeert April 2, 2016

April 2, 2016

PhD student position in neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion http://biorob.epfl.ch/openings The Biorobotics laboratory (Biorob, http://biorob.epfl.ch/) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) anticipates to have one open PhD studentship in computational neuroscience and biorobotics. The goal of the project is to develop neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion, together with Marc-Olivier Gewaltig (computational neuroscientist) and Gregoire Courtine (neuroscientist). *The neuromechanical models will include numerical models of spinal cord circuits coupled to biomechanical models of the body. The first target animal will be the mouse; depending on progress, human models might be developed in a second stage. The spinal cord models might also be tested and validated in some of the quadruped robots developed by the Biorobotics laboratory. The position will be fully funded thanks to a grant from the Human Brain Project. EPFL is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe and offers internationally competitive salaries and research infrastructure. Requirements: Candidates need to have a Master degree in a field related to computational neuroscience e.g. in physics or computer science. The ideal candidate for this position should have a strong math background (e.g. in dynamical systems), good programming skills, and interest/expertise in modeling neural circuits and biomechanical systems, and in locomotion. How to apply for the position: Step 1: The position is only open to applicants who have been accepted by the EPFL doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/) The first step is therefore to fill the applications for one of the relevant EPFL doctoral programs in robotics (http://phd.epfl.ch/EDPR) or neuroscience (http://phd.epfl.ch/neuroscience) Step 2: In parallel to step 1, or once accepted by one of the doctoral programs (please specify which doctoral program and the date of acceptance), the application to the position should be sent by email to Prof. Auke Ijspeert and consist of a motivation letter (explaining why you are interested in the project, and why you feel qualified for it) and a copy of the doctoral program application. Informal inquiries about the relevance of an application can be sent to auke.ijspeert(a)epfl.ch (e.g. before or while submitting an application to the doctoral school), but responses can be slow because of a heavy schedule and a filled mail box. Deadline and starting date: Applications will be considered continuously until the position is filled. The starting date is between April and September 2016 (the sooner the better). Note that the doctoral program in robotics (EDRS) has a deadline on April 15 2016, and the one in neuroscience (EDNE) on May 1st 2016. Contact: Information concerning the type of research carried out by the group can be found at http://biorob.epfl.ch/. You should send your application and any inquiry by email to: Prof. Auke Jan Ijspeert <http://biorob.epfl.ch/page38158.html>, auke.ijspeert(a)epfl.ch <mailto:auke.ijspeert@epfl.ch> -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Prof. Auke Jan Ijspeert Biorobotics Laboratory EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Station 9, CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Office: ME D1 1226 Tel: +41 21 693 2658 Fax: +41 21 693 3705 www: http://biorob.epfl.ch Email: Auke.Ijspeert(a)epfl.ch -----------------------------------------------------------------

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[IEEE ICCI*CC'16:] IEEE ICCI*CC’16 Deadline is Extended to April 30 @Stanford Univ. – Computational Intelligence/Cognitive Informatics/Cognitive Computing
by Yingxu Wang April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

Dear Colleagues, Upon numerous requests and due to the recent system instable status of the submission site, deadline for paper submission to IEEE ICCI'CC’16 (15th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics & Cognitive Computing) has been extended to April 30, 2016 (http://www.ucalgary.ca/icci_cc/iccicc-16) Workshops, special sessions proposals, and short papers are welcome. The Proceedings of ICCI*CC'16 will be published by IEEE CS Press. Papers accepted in ICCI*CC’16 will be indexed by EI. Extended versions of selected papers will be published in several EI or SCI indexed journals. Full papers are expected to be around 5-8 pages in IEEE double column format. Short papers (3-4 pages) that report industrial experience, case studies, work in progress, or graduate students’ research are also welcome. Paper submission site is at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccicc2016. The conference will be featured by four keynote speeches such as those of Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh with UC Berkeley and Prof. Bernard Widrow with Stanford University, that highlight cutting-edge theories and novel technologies for cognitive systems and computational intelligence inspired by the brain. We look forward to meeting you at Stanford University during Aug. 22-23, 2016. Sincerely, IEEE ICCI*CC'16 Co-Chairs GENERAL CO-CHAIRS: Bernard Widrow (Stanford) and Yingxu Wang (UofC, Canada) PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS: Newton Howard (MIT) and Kostas Plataniotis (Univ. of Toronto, Canada)_______________________________________________ This message was sent to all subscribers of ieeeicci13-L To unsubscribe, see instructions at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/it/email/mailman E-mail: ieeeicci13-L(a)mailman.ucalgary.ca Homepage: http://mailman.ucalgary.ca/mailman/listinfo/ieeeicci13-l

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Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy special issue / ebook
by Stephen Eglen April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

On behalf of all the editors, I am pleased to announce the release of our special issue on the Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy. All articles have been published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. As of March 2016, all papers are now freely available as an Ebook either in PDF or EPUB format. The aim of this Research Topic is to examine theoretical and experimental work directed at a detailed and comprehensive quantitative understanding of neuroanatomy. Integrating such knowledge with functional data should provide a more complete understanding of how the nervous system in different animal species is organized to generate appropriate behaviour. Home page: http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/2028/quantitative-analysis-of-… Blog page: http://sje30.github.io/post/qan/ Table of contents Editorial: Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy Julian M. L. Budd, Hermann Cuntz, Stephen J. Eglen and Patrik Krieger. A comparison of manual neuronal reconstruction from biocytin histology or 2-photon imaging: morphometry and computer modeling Arne V. Blackman, Stefan Grabuschnig, Robert Legenstein and P. Jesper Sjöström. Automated computation of arbor densities: a step toward identifying neuronal cell types Uygar Sümbül, Aleksandar Zlateski, Ashwin Vishwanathan, Richard H. Masland and H. Sebastian Seung. Functional connectivity estimation over large networks at cellular resolution based on electrophysiological recordings and structural prior Simona Ullo, Thierry R. Nieus, Diego Sona, Alessandro Maccione, Luca Berdondini and Vittorio Murino. Axonal and dendritic density field estimation from incomplete single-slice neuronal reconstructions Jaap van Pelt, Arjen van Ooyen and Harry B. M. Uylings. Slicing, sampling, and distance-dependent effects affect network measures in simulated cortical circuit structures Daniel C. Miner and Jochen Triesch A workflow for the automatic segmentation of organelles in electron microscopy image stacks Alex J. Perez, Mojtaba Seyedhosseini, Thomas J. Deerinck, Eric A. Bushong, Satchidananda Panda, Tolga Tasdizen and Mark H. Ellisman. Three-dimensional distribution of cortical synapses: a replicated point pattern based analysis Laura Anton-Sanchez, Concha Bielza, Angel Merchán-Pérez, José-Rodrigo Rodríguez, Javier DeFelipe and Pedro Larrañaga. The patterning of retinal horizontal cells: normalizing the regularity index enhances the detection of genomic linkage Patrick W. Keeley and Benjamin E. Reese Statistical analysis and data mining of digital reconstructions of dendritic morphologies Sridevi Polavaram, Todd A. Gillette, Ruchi Parekh and Giorgio A. Ascoli Towards a “canonical” agranular cortical microcircuit Sarah F. Beul and Claus C. Hilgetag Generation of dense statistical connectomes from sparse morphological data Robert Egger, Vincent J. Dercksen, Daniel Udvary, Hans-Christian Hege and Marcel Oberlaender Context-aware modeling of neuronal morphologies Benjamin Torben-Nielsen and Erik De Schutter The effects of neuron morphology on graph theoretic measures of network connectivity: the analysis of a two-level statistical model Jugoslava Aćimović, Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen and Marja-Leena Linne Homeostatic structural plasticity can account for topology changes following deafferentation and focal stroke Markus Butz, Ines D. Steenbuck and Arjen van Ooyen Parametric Anatomical Modeling: a method for modeling the anatomical layout of neurons and their projections Martin Pyka, Sebastian Klatt and Sen Cheng Saltatory conduction in unmyelinated axons: clustering of Na+ channels on lipid rafts enables micro-saltatory conduction in C-fibers Ali Neishabouri and A. Aldo Faisal

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Three neuroinformatics positions in ferret brain research
by Rembrandt Bakker April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

(apologies for any cross-postings) In a collaboration between University Medical Center Eppendorf (Hamburg, Germany), the Donders Institute (Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands), and Institute Pasteur (Paris, France), three positions at the postdoc level are available. The research focuses on studying the architecture and connectivity of the ferret brain, encompassing research on architecture and morphology (particularly, cortical folding) of the developing brain as well as the collation and analysis of brain connectivity in the adult brain. The project will make available a public data set of MRI and microscopic images of the developing ferret brain, together with tools for the online annotation of these data. The Nijmegen and Paris components of the research both develop the tools and perform an initial analysis of the MRI and microscopy data. The Hamburg component continues the development of a public online database of brain connectivity in conjunction with the development of an atlas of the adult ferret brain. The three positions are described in detail below. 1. Position at Radboud University. The full text of this position is available here: https://www.academictransfer.com/employer/RUN/vacancy/32519/lang/en/ The summary is: "We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral candidate to contribute to a neuroinformatics platform that allows researchers worldwide to jointly work on the creation of brain atlases. The scientific use case is to build a detailed developmental brain atlas for the ferret. The ferret is special in that the folding patterns of its brain develop after birth, so that the folding process can be studied on the basis of a series of combined MRI and microscopy data sets. Data will be provided by our partner Dr. Roberto Toro from Institute Pasteur in Paris, who is also the creator of the platform prototype (www.siphonophore.org/microdraw) You will work together with Dr. Rembrandt Bakker who leads the Scalable Brain Atlas project (www.scalablebrainatlas.org) The project is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and its French counterpart and is part of a FLAG-ERA funding scheme that falls under the umbrella of the Human Brain Project. Further inquiries: r.bakker(a)fz-juelich.de, p.tiesinga(a)science.ru.nl 2. Position at University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany We seek a Researcher in Neuroinformatics at the predoctoral or postdoctoral level, to curate an online database of ferret brain architecture and connectivity. The position is available immediately and runs until 30th June 2019. Further extensions are possible. The researcher will be expected to continue the conceptual and technical development of the ferretome.org database system, and supervise the population of the database with data collated from the literature as well as newly performed anatomy experiments. Moreover, the researcher will work on the integration of the ferretome with online atlases of the ferret brain. The researcher will be based at the Department of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. The position is part of the Collaborative Research Center 936 (sfb936.net) âMulti-site communication in the brain" and would suit a researcher with background in computer science or biology. In any case, the position requires strong computer skills, particularly in database systems, high proficiency in written and spoken English and great curiosity. The researcher needs to integrate well with a highly multinational, multidisciplinary team at the Department of Computational Neuroscience as well as the Research Center 936. For researchers at the predoctoral level, the position offers the opportunity for obtaining a PhD degree. For further inquiries contact Prof. Claus C. Hilgetag, PhD: c.hilgetag(a)uke.de. 3. Position at Institute Pasteur This position at the postdoctoral level will commence after the microscopy data for the developmental ferret atlas has become available. The candidate should have a background in computational neuroanatomy or neuroinformatics, and preferrably have experience with online development and data visualisation. You will be working together with OphÃ©lie Foubet, who is doing a PhD that focuses on the mechanics of neocortical development. Contact Roberto Toro: roberto.toro(a)gmail.com for details about this position. -- Dr. R. Bakker Forschungszentrum JÃ¼lich / Radboud University Nijmegen +31645774665 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Berkeley course in mining and modeling neuroscience data, July 11-22, 2016
by Jeff Teeters March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016

Call for applications: We invite applicants to the 2016 summer course in "Mining and modeling of neuroscience data" to be held July 11-22 at UC Berkeley. A description of the course is below and also at: http://crcns.org/course Application deadline is April 30. ----- Berkeley summer course in mining and modeling of neuroscience data July 11-22, 2016 Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, UC Berkeley Organizers: Fritz Sommer, Bruno Olshausen & Jeff Teeters (HWNI, UC Berkeley) Scope This course is for students and researchers with backgrounds in mathematics and computational sciences who are interested in applying their skills toward problems in neuroscience. It will introduce the major open questions of neuroscience and teach state-of–the-art techniques for analyzing and modeling neuroscience data sets. The course is designed for students at the graduate level and researchers with background in a quantitative field such as engineering, mathematics, physics or computer science who may or may not have a specific neuroscience background. The goal of this summer course is to help researchers find new exciting research areas and at the same time to strengthen quantitative expertise in the field of neuroscience. The course is sponsored by the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation from a grant supporting activities at the data sharing repository CRCNS.org, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley. Format The course is “hands on” in that it will include exercises in how to use and modify existing software tools and apply them to data sets, such as those available in the CRCNS.org repository. Course Instructors Robert Kass, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Maneesh Sahani, Gatsby Unit, University College London Odelia Schwartz, University of Miami Frederic Theunissen, University of California Berkeley Joshua Vogelstein, Johns Hopkins University Course Moderators Fritz Sommer and Jeff Teeters, Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. Speakers To complement the main course instruction there will be lectures in the evenings by local Berkeley and UCSF neuroscientists presenting their research using quantitative approaches. Requirements Applicants should be familiar with linear algebra, probability, differential and integral calculus and have some experience using MatLab and Python. Each student should bring a laptop with both MatLab and Python installed. Cost There is no cost to attend. Non-local attendees will be reimbursed for qualifying travel and food expenses if receipts are provided. Housing Rooms in a hotel within walking distance to campus will be provided for those attendees who need accommodations. Food Breakfast and some dinners will be provided to all participants as a group. Non-local attendees can purchase food at local stores or restaurants and be reimbursed. How to apply To apply, submit the online form linked from: http://crcns.org/course. A curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation are required. The course is limited to 25 students. Deadlines Applications must be received by the end of April. Notifications of acceptance will be given by May 15. Questions Questions about the course can be sent to course [at] crcns.org. Topics covered (subject to change): Basic approaches: - The problem of neural coding - Spike trains, point processes, and firing rate - Statistical thinking in neuroscience - Theory of model fitting / regularization / hypothesis testing - Overview of stimulus-response function models - Theory of model fitting / regularization / hypothesis testing - Bayesian methods - Spike sorting - Estimation of stimulus-response functionals: regression methods, spike-triggered covariance, - Variance analysis of neural response - Estimation of SNR. Coherence Information theoretic approaches: - Information transmission rates - Scene statistics approaches and neural modeling Techniques for analyzing multiple-electrode and optical neural recordings: - Event sorting in electrophysiology and optical imaging - Optophysiology cell detection - Sparse coding/ICA methods, vanilla and methods including statistical models of nonlinear dependencies - Methods for assessing functional connectivity - Statistical issues in network identification - Low-dimensional latent dynamical structure in network activity–Gaussian process factor analysis/newer methods Analyzing structural data: - Histology cell detection - Statistical connectomics Neuroinformatics topics: - Petascale data storage, exploration, parsing and analysis - Introduction into Neurodata Without Borders data format for Neurophysiology

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Neuroinformatics/Modeling Postdoc Available
by Sharon Crook March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics (Job #11446) We are soliciting applications for a postdoctoral position in the Laboratory for Informatics and Computation in Open Neuroscience at Arizona State University. This laboratory, jointly supervised by Dr. Sharon Crook and Dr. Rick Gerkin, focuses on developing resources for the community for describing, validating and sharing computational models in neuroscience. In addition, lab personnel conduct empirical and modeling studies in order to investigate fundamental questions in neuroscience. The successful candidate will contribute to the development and use of tool chains for model validation and model exchange that revolve around NeuronUnit and NeuroML. The postdoctoral researcher also will have the opportunity to choose the direction of their own modeling studies. Applicants must provide evidence of excellence in sustainable software development, experience in applications in neuroscience, and should also be highly independent, with a strong propensity for interdisciplinary research. Candidates must hold a PhD in neuroscience, computer science, applied mathematics, computational neuroscience or a related discipline by time of appointment and be highly motivated and creative. Experience with some combination of Python, XML, MySQL, Ruby on Rails, and NEURON is desirable. Named the #1 Most Innovative University in the US, Arizona State University offers an exciting research environment in a unique setting. ASU is located in Tempe, Arizona, which offers many rich cultural and outdoor opportunities with access to mountains and canyons visited by people from around the world. All applications must be submitted online through mathjobs at https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/8375 and must include the following: 1) A detailed CV 2) Two recommendation letters 3) A statement of research interest Any questions should be sent by email to Dr. Sharon Crook (sharon.crook(a)asu.edu) and Dr. Rick Gerkin (rgerkin(a)asu.edu) Initial review of applications began January 15, 2016. Applications are reviewed every two weeks until the search is closed. (Search currently continues to be open!) Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

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FINAL REMINDER: Call For Participation: 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop
by Ralph Etienne-Cummings March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

Please see below: *Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop 2016 <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016#TellurideNeuromorphicCognitionEngineer…>* Sunday Jun 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016 - * Telluride Elementary School,Telluride, Colorado * *Applications to the 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop* 2016 NEUROMORPHIC COGNITION ENGINEERING WORKSHOP <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016> <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016>https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016 Sunday June 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016, Telluride, Colorado *IMPORTANT DATES FOR APPLICATION (Instructions are at the bottom of the page)* Application Website Open - 16th February, 2016 Applications Due - 2nd April, 2016 Notification of Acceptance - 15th April, 2016 *Application website: <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040 <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>.* *GOALS:* Neuromorphic engineers design and fabricate artificial neural systems whose organizing principles are based on those of biological nervous systems. Over the past 18 years, this research community has focused on the understanding of low-level sensory processing and systems infrastructure; efforts are now expanding to apply this knowledge and infrastructure to addressing higher-level problems in perception, cognition, and learning. In this 3-week intensive workshop and through the Institute for Neuromorphic Engineering (INE), the mission is to promote interaction between senior and junior researchers; to educate new members of the community; to introduce new enabling fields and applications to the community; to promote on-going collaborative activities emerging from the Workshop, and to promote a self-sustaining research field. *FORMAT:* The three week summer workshop will include background lectures on systems and cognitive neuroscience (in particular sensory processing, learning and memory, motor systems and attention), practical tutorials on emerging hardware design, mobile robots, hands-on projects, and special interest groups. Participants are required to take part and possibly complete at least one of the projects proposed. They are furthermore encouraged to become involved in as many of the other activities proposed as interest and time allow. There will be two lectures in the morning that cover issues that are important to the community in general. Because of the diverse range of backgrounds among the participants, some of these lectures will be tutorials, rather than detailed reports of current research. These lectures will be given by invited speakers. Projects and interest groups meet in the late afternoons, and after dinner. In the early afternoon there will be tutorials on a wide spectrum of topics, including analog VLSI, mobile robotics, vision and auditory systems, central-pattern-generators, selective attention mechanisms, cognitive systems, etc. *2016 TOPIC AREAS:* Decoding Multi-Modal Effects on Auditory Cognition: Edmund Lalor (Trinity College Dublin), Alain de Cheveigne (UPMC, France), Malcolm Slaney (Google), and Shihab Shamma (UM-College Park) Spike-Based Cognition in Active Neuromorphic Systems: Ryad Benjamin Benosman (UPMC, Paris), Cornelia Fermuller (Univ. of Maryland), Garrick Orchard (National University of Singapore), Michele Rucci (Boston University), and Bert Shi (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) Neuromorphic Path Planning for Robots in a Disaster Response Scenario: Jeff Krichmar (University of California, Irvine) and Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Neuromorphic Tactile Sensing:James Wright (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), Jonathan Tapson (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), and Nitish V. Thakor (SINAPSE, Singapore University for Neurotechnology) Computational Neuroscience (invitational mini-workshop): Terry Sejnowski (Salk Institute) *LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENTS:* The summer school will take place in the small town of Telluride, 9000 feet high in southwest Colorado, about 6 hours drive away from Denver (350 miles). There are several small airports (e.g. Montrose) close to Telluride. All facilities within the beautifully renovated public school building are fully accessible to participants with disabilities. Participants will be housed in ski condominiums, within walking distance of the school. Participants are expected to share condominiums. The workshop is intended to be very informal and hands-on. Participants are not required to have had previous experience in analog VLSI circuit design, computational or machine vision, systems level neurophysiology or modeling the brain at the systems level. However, we strongly encourage active researchers with relevant backgrounds from academia, industry and national laboratories to apply, in particular if they are prepared to work on specific projects, talk about their own work or bring demonstrations to Telluride (e.g. robots, chips, software). Wireless internet access will be provided. Technical staff present throughout the workshops will assist with software and hardware issues. We encourage participants to bring along their personal laptop. No cars are required. Given the small size of the town, we recommend that you do not rent a car. Bring hiking boots, warm clothes, rain gear, and a backpack, since Telluride is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unless otherwise arranged with one of the organizers, we expect participants to stay for the entire duration of this three week workshop. *FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:* Notification of acceptances will be mailed out around the April 15th, 2016. The Workshop covers all your accommodations and facilities costs for the 3 weeks duration. You are responsible for your own travel to the Workshop. Registration Fees: For expenses not covered by federal funds, a Workshop registration fee is required. The fee is $1500 per participant for the 3-week Workshop. This is expected from all participants at the time of acceptance. Accommodations: The cost of a shared condominium, typically a bedroom in a shared condo for senior participants or a shared room for students, will be covered for all academic participants. Upgrades to a private rooms or condos will cost extra. Participants from National Laboratories and Industry are expected to pay for these condominiums. The 2016 Workshop and Summer School on Neuromorphic Engineering is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Institute of Neuromorphic Engineering, University of Maryland - College Park, Institute for Neuroinformatics â€“ University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, University of Western Sydney and the Salk Institute. *Workshop Directors:* Cornelia FermÃ¼ller (University of Maryland) Ralph Etienne-Cummings (Johns Hopkins Univ.) Shih-Chii Liu (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Timmer Horiuchi (University of Maryland) Katalin Gotthard (University of Arizona) Michael Pfeiffer (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Francisco Barranco (University of Granada) Former 2007-2013 Workshop Director: Tobi Delbruck (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Workshop Advisory Board: Andreas Andreou (Johns Hopkins University) Andre van Schaik (University Western Sydney, Australia) Avis Cohen (University of Maryland) Barbara Shinn-Cunningham (Boston University) Giacomo Indiveri (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Jonathan Tapson (University Western Sydney, Australia) Malcolm Slaney (Google) Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Rodney Douglas (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Shihab Shamma (University of Maryland) Tobi Delbruck (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) *HOW TO APPLY:* Applicants should be at the level of graduate students or above (i.e. postdoctoral fellows, faculty, research and engineering staff and the equivalent positions in industry and national laboratories). We actively encourage women and minority candidates to apply. Anyone interested in proposing or discussing specific projects should contact the appropriate topic leaders directly. The application website is (after February 16th, 2016): <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040. Application information needed: Contact email address. First name, Last name, Affiliation, valid e-mail address. Curriculum Vitae (a short version, please). One page summary of background and interests relevant to the workshop, including possible ideas for workshop projects. Please indicate which topic areas you would most likely join. Two letters of recommendation (uploaded directly by references). Applicants will be notified by e-mail. 16th February, 2016 - Applications accepted on website 2nd April, 2016 - Applications Due 15th April, 2016 - Notification of Acceptance

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IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 - Extended deadline ( April 15th)
by Arnaud Blanchard March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

Extended Deadline Papers and Workshops Submission ( Friday, April 15th ) Due to several requests, we are extending the deadline of two weeks, till April 15th ! = IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 = The Sixth Joint IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning and on Epigenetic Robotics Cergy-Pontoise / Paris, France September 19-22th, 2016 http://www.icdl-epirob.org <http://www.icdl-epirob.org/> Updates about : * Venue / Lodging == Conference description IEEE ICDL-Epirob is the premier forum for advances in epigenetic robotics and developmental psychology with the focus on learning and development in biological and artificial systems. This single-track conference brings together researchers from cognitive sciences, computer sciences, and robotics to explore their shared interests in autonomous learning and development. The design and study of both robotic and simulated embodied and situated computational models that are inspired by the principles of human development will be presented at the conference. A special event -- the «Babybot challenge» — will see renowned psychologists challenging engineers and modelers in how to use the tools of developmental robotics to replicate and extend the key findings. This year, thanks to special funding from Paris-Seine University, six renowned invited speakers will cover the different facets of the conference. We invite you to participate in IEEE ICDL-Epirob by sharing your research, insights, experience, and enthusiasm. A social event “on the paths of the impressionists” will allow you to discover the old city of Pontoise and Auvers sur Oise where Vincent Van Gogh painted some of his most famous masterpieces. Excursions to Paris, Versailles and Giverny will be proposed for spouses. == Keynote speakers * Tamim Asfour (http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php <http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php>) * Karl Friston (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl <http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl>) * Julie Grezes (http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes… <http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes…>) * Tony Prescott (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott <https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott>) * Daniela Corbetta (http://web.utk.edu/~infntlab <http://web.utk.edu/~infntlab>) == Call for submissions of workshops and papers We invite submissions for this exciting window into the future of developmental sciences. Submissions which establish novel links between brain, behavior and computation are particularly encouraged. == Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * the development of perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, and communication skills in biological systems and robots; * embodiment; * general principles of development and learning; * interaction of nature and nurture; * sensitive/critical periods; * developmental psychology; * developmental stages; * grounding of knowledge and development of representations; * architectures for cognitive development and open-ended learning; * neural plasticity; * statistical learning; * reward and value systems; * intrinsic motivations, exploration and play; * interaction of development and evolution; * use of robots in applied settings such as autism therapy; * epistemological foundations and philosophical issues. Any of the topics above can be simultaneously studied from the neuroscience, psychology or modeling/robotic point of view. == Submissions will be accepted in several formats: 1. Full six-page paper submissions: Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings and will be selected for either an oral presentation or a featured poster presentation. Featured posters will have a 1 minute "teaser" presentation as part of the main conference session and will be showcased in the poster sessions. 2. Two-page poster abstract submissions: To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 2-page abstracts. These submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during poster sessions. 3. Tutorials and workshops: We invite experts in different areas to organize either a tutorial or a workshop to be held on the first day of the conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submission format: two pages. == Call for Tutorials and Workshops We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial or workshop, which will be held on the first day of the conference ( September 19th 2016 ). Participants in tutorials and workshops are asked to register for the main conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshops can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. We would like to receive applications in pdf format for organizing a workshop with the following informations: title / workshop or tutorial organiser's name, research structure and coordinate (email) how many invited presentations/ and 'open' presentations is there a call for posters? what is the timetable website address ? Proposals should be sent to Sofiane Boucenna sofiane.boucenna(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:sofiane.boucenna@u-cergy.fr>, Verena Hafner hafner(a)informatik.hu-berlin.de <mailto:hafner@informatik.hu-berlin.de> & Alex Pitti alexandre.pitti(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:alexandre.pitti@u-cergy.fr> == Important dates * April 15th, 2016, paper and workshops submission EXTENDED DEADLINE * June 1st, 2016, author notification * July 1st, 2016, final version (camera ready) due * September 19th-22nd, 2016, conference == Program committee General chairs: * Minoru Asada Osaka (Japan). * Philippe Gaussier, Cergy-Pontoise (France). Program chairs: * Verena Hafner, Berlin (Germany) * Alexandre Pitti, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Bridge chairs: • David Cohen, Paris (France) • Mathew Schlesinger, Southern Illinois (USA) Publication chairs: * Sofiane Boucenna, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Publicity chairs: * Arnaud Blanchard, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Manuel Lopes, Bordeaux (France) * Yulia Sandamirskaya, Zürich (Switzerland) Local chairs: * Pierre Andry, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Nicolas Cuperlier, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Finance chairs: * Ghilès Mostafaoui, Cergy-Pontoise (France) == Registration fees* Price for : advanced / late registration IEEE Member 380€ / 460€ Non-member 480€ / 560€ IEEE Student member 190€ / 240€ Student non-member 260€ / 280€ IEEE Life member 190€ / 240€ (*) This price includes the social dinner. The registration form and the early registration deadline are coming soon. == Lodging == We are glad to inform you that we have obtained special rates for accommodation during the ICDL-EPIROB 2016 conference (19-22 sept) : All information (english) : http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/ <http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/> Location : approx. 800m from the conference site (University of Cergy-Pontoise) Pictures : http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/accomodation.html <http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/accomodation.html> Conference special rates : * Studio :99€ /night (instead of 124€) - * One-bedroom apartment 40m² :109€ /night (instead of 149€) - * Two-bedroom apartment 70m² :115€ /night (instead of 184€) * Two bedroom apartment deluxe 120m² :180€ /night (instead of 274€) * Two bedroom apartment duplex with terrasse 100m² : 160€ght (instead of 284€) Please note that the rates are "per night", whatever the number of persons. Studio are ok for 1 to 2 persons, while apartments are ok for 1 to 4 persons. HIn order to book, please go to : http://reservation.consolemyroom.com/front126407/front.do?m=booking&custid=… <http://reservation.consolemyroom.com/front126407/front.do?m=booking&custid=…> and apply the discount code : EPIROB2016 when booking Problems for booking ? Please contact us at : icdlepirob2016(a)ensea.fr <mailto:icdlepirob2016@ensea.fr>

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3rd Model-based Neuroscience Summer School, Amsterdam
by Jane Neumann March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

Dear colleagues, June 27-July 1 2016 will see the third Model-Based Neuroscience Summer School, hosted at the University of Amsterdam.   The summer school will provide students with hands-on experience in both cognitive modeling using diffusion and accumulator models and simple neuroscience methods. The program includes a series of lectures on model-based decision neuroscience in both humans and non-human primates from experts including Michael Shadlen, Gordon Logan, Andrew Heathcote, Uta Noppeney, Brandon Turner, Jane Neumann, and Birte Forstmann.    *The summer school is aimed at PhD students and early postdocs who wish to combine cognitive modeling with experimental and theoretical neuroscience research. Students should be familiar with general programming concepts and state in their application which programming languages and software packages they typically use. * The summer school will be co-located at the University of Amsterdam with a one-day symposium on model-based neuroscience of mind wandering, to be held on July 2 2016. The symposium will involve a series of lectures from experts in the scientific study of mind wandering with a focus on model-based neuroscience approaches. The symposium will provide a unique opportunity to see how the concepts introduced in the summer school can provide insight on an important research topic. *Application and registration:*  The registration fee for the summer school is 500 euro. The registration fee for combined attendance at the summer school and the one-day mind wandering symposium is 600 euro. We ask that students make their own housing arrangements. Space is limited, therefore we ask that you provide a statement of interest. We will select students based on the relevance of the summer school to their research. The application deadline is 22 April 2016.   More information about the summer school including teachers, preliminary program and application can be found atwww.modelbasedneuroscience.com We look forward to welcoming you in Amsterdam!   Organization:  Jane Neumann, University Medical Center Leipzig and MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leendert van Maanen, University of Amsterdam  Birte Forstmann, University of Amsterdam Guy Hawkins, University of Amsterdam Andrew Heathcote, University of Tasmania

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Gordon Research Seminar on Neurobiology of Cognition
by Sarah Heilbronner March 29, 2016

March 29, 2016

Dear computational neuroscientists, We would like to invite you to apply to the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Neurobiology of Cognition. The GRS is a unique forum for graduate students and postdocs to present and exchange new data and cutting-edge ideas. Following the GRS, attendees are encouraged to stay for the main Gordon Research Conference (GRC). More information, as well as an online application, can be found here: https://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?id=16594 Please note that, in order to be considered for a talk, abstract must be submitted by April 23. We look forward to seeing you this summer! Best, Sarah Heilbronner & Brian Russ Directors, 2016 GRS on Neurobiology of Cognition

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Postdoctoral position: Goldman lab, UC Davis
by Mark Steven Goldman March 28, 2016

March 28, 2016

At least one postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Goldman in the University of California at Davis Center for Neuroscience. UC Davis is a top-ten public research university (US News & World Report) located 1 hour east from the San Francisco Bay Area and 20 minutes from the state capital of Sacramento. The laboratory works on a broad range of problems in computational neuroscience, ranging from neural coding to dynamics and plasticity of single neurons and networks. Current work has focused especially upon issues related to working memory, neural integration, motor learning, and synaptic plasticity as described below. Projects include but are not limited to: 1) Dissecting the function of a biological neural integrator circuit. Work will be modeling the oculomotor neural integrator, a classic model system for working memory and neural integration that is amenable to in vivo whole-circuit optical recording, dendritic imaging, optogenetic perturbation, pharmacology, and connectomic reconstruction. The goal is to identify the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying neural integration and continuous attractor formation, from subcellular processes to circuits and behavior, as well as to develop optimal experimental design methods for dissecting circuit function. Project in collaboration with the experiments of Dr. Emre Aksay (Weill/Cornell Medical) and connectomic reconstructions of Dr. Sebastian Seung (Princeton University). 2) Mechanisms of analog working memory and neural integration. The goal is to identify novel mechanisms of working memory and neural integration across a range of systems, including mechanisms for context-dependent memory function. 3) Cerebellar mechanisms of motor control and motor learning in the oculomotor system. The goal is to use the oculomotor system as a model system for understanding cerebellar-mediated motor learning. Theory and computational analysis will be used to dissect the circuit mechanisms, sites of plasticity, and broader computational principles underlying oculomotor learning. Theoretical work will provide predictions for, and be conducted in close collaboration with, the experimental laboratories of Dr. Emre Aksay (Weill/Cornell Medical) and Dr. Jennifer Raymond (Stanford University). Candidates are expected to have training in a quantitatively rigorous discipline such as math, physics, engineering, computer science, statistics, or computational neuroscience. Interested candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and contact information for 3 references to: Mark Goldman, msgoldman(a)ucdavis.edu.

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Deadline approaching for Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain
by Adrienne Fairhall March 27, 2016

March 27, 2016

Dear Colleagues, Announcing the Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain 2016, co-organized by the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Computational Neuroscience Program at the University of Washington and directed by Drs. Christof Koch and Adrienne Fairhall. Applications are being accepted until April 1, 2016. This intensive two-week, project-based interdisciplinary course aims to give advanced students in neuroscience, biology, physics, engineering and computer science a rapid introduction to the current state of understanding of the neurobiology of sensory processing, including anatomy, physiology and neural coding and a mentored introduction to Allen Institute open data sets. New this year: In 2016 we will hold an optional one-day Python bootcamp in Seattle on August 20. The workshop begins at Friday Harbor on August 21. Cost: Conference fees, housing and meals during the workshop will be covered by the organizers. Additional expenses, including transportation and incidentals, are the responsibility of the attendee. Please share this information with potential students and others in your department. Details and application form available at http://courses.washington.edu/braindyn/ . Thank you! Adrienne Fairhall University of Washington

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ICMNS 2016: Deadline Extended to Feb. 7, 2016
by Zachary Kilpatrick March 27, 2016

March 27, 2016

*Abstract deadline extended to February 7, 2016* https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/call-for-contributions/> There will also be a prize for best papers. International Conference on Mathematical Neuroscience (ICMNS 2016) at the Congress Center in Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera May 29 to June 1, 2016 Tutorials: May 29 Main Conference: May 30 - June 1 https://icmns2016.inria.fr/ <https://icmns2016.inria.fr/> CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Wulfram Gerstner (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) John Rinzel (New York University) Antoine Triller (École Normale Supérieure de Paris) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Hinke Osinga (U Aukland) Carina Curto (Penn State University) Ruben Moreno-Bote (Foundation Sant Joan de Deu) Hiroya Nakao (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Si Wu (Beijing Normal University) Alex Roxin (Centre de Recerca Matematica) PROGRAM COMMITTEE Toni Guillamon (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) Roland Potthast (U Reading) Gregory Faye (Université Paul Sabatier ) Wilhelm Stannat (TU Berlin) Jonathan Touboul (College de France) Gilles Wainrib (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Suzanne Ditlevsen (University of Copenhagen) Boris Gutkin (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Martin Wechselberger (U Sydney) Jonathan Rubin (U Pittsburgh) Martin Krupa (INRIA Sophia Antipoilis) Carlo Laing (Massey University) Andre Longtin (U Ottawa) Daniele Avitabile (U Nottingham) Jose Carrillo (Imperial College) Pascal Chossat (Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) Carson Chow (National Institutes of Health) Steve Zucker (Yale University) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Rachel Kuske (U British Columbia) Laura Sacerdote (Universita di Torino) Reinhard Hopfner (Johannes-Gutenberg Universitat) Olivier Faugeras (INRIA - Sophia Antipolis) Paul Bressloff (U Utah) Steve Coombes (U Nottingham) CONFERENCE CHAIRS Romain Veltz (INRIA - Sophia Anitpolis) Zachary Kilpatrick (U Houston) Evelyn Buckwar (Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz)

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Two PhD Positions in Computer Vision for Connectomics at INI in Zurich
by Jan Funke March 25, 2016

March 25, 2016

The Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI) of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich has two PhD positions in the field of computer vision for connectomics, i.e., the reconstruction of neural circuits from electron microscopy volumes. The project aims at improving the current state of the art of discrete optimization models for neuron segmentation by investigating new segmentation methods, the incorporation of biological priors, (deep) learning from sample annotations, and the development of large-scale reconstruction pipelines. A detailed description can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hThoBuesWucwCDUmStyCt44VWMscXy9KxBtuyA5… The project will be carried out in collaboration with the HCI Heidelberg (Germany) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain). Generous funding for at least three years will be provided, including travel costs for regular visits of our collaborators and conference fees. Please send us an email with your CV at funke(a)ini.ethz.ch (Jan Funke) for further information. Regards, Jan Funke

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Post-Doc in Bordeaux, application deadline 01/04/2016 (1 week)
by Nicolas P. Rougier March 25, 2016

March 25, 2016

Actor–critic models of the basal ganglia Postdoc in Bordeaux (12 months), France Application deadline 01/04/2016. Details & application at: http://www.inria.fr/institut/recrutement-metiers/offres/post-doctorat/sejou… Nicolas Rougier --- Actor–critic models of the basal ganglia We developed a model of the basal ganglia (Piron et al., 2016) that introduces an action selection mechanism that is based upon the competition between a positive feedback through the direct pathway and a negative feedback through the hyperdirect pathway. The model also exploits the parallel organization of circuits between the basal ganglia and the cortex using segregated loops: one loop allows to choose the cue and one loop allows to make the actual motor selection. Learning occurs between the cognitive cortex and the cognitive striatum using a simple reinforcement learning where the values of the different cues are updated after each decision. As in most computational models of the basal ganglia, this model relies on an actor-critic architecture where the dopamine signal is used to encode the temporal difference prediction error signal in the critic (Joel et al., 2002; Khamassi et al., 2005). However, this algorithm is not very elaborated and its implementation is not biologically plausible since values are stored outside the model. The objectives of this postdoc is thus to review and to re-implement (Python) main actor-critic models of the literature in order to compare them on a common set of decision tasks (two-arm bandit task for example) in terms of biological plausibility and performances. Special attention will be given to the "Primary Value and Learned Value Pavlovian Learning Algorithm" model (O'Reilly, 2007) and the AGREL model (Roefselma et al. 2005). From these replications (that will be published in ReScience), the most plausible and compatible mechanisms will be implemented in our own model of the basal ganglia in order to replace the current reinforcement learning algorithm (Guthrie et al., 2013, Piron et al. 2016). Profiles PhD in computational neuroscience or computer science (machine learning) with strong experience in Python & the scientific Python stack (numpy, scipy, matplotlib, git/github). References • Joel, D., Niv, Y., & Ruppin, E. (2002). Actor–critic models of the basal ganglia: New anatomical and computational perspectives. Neural Networks, 15(4-6), 535–547. • Khamassi, M., Lachèze, L., Girard, B., Berthoz, A., Guillot, A. (2005). Actor-critic models of reinforcement learning in the basal ganglia: From natural to artificial rats. Adaptive Behavior, 13 (2). • Guthrie, M., Leblois, A., Garenne, A., & Boraud, T. (2013). Interaction between cognitive and motor cortico-basal ganglia loops during decision making: a computational study. Journal of Neurophysiology, 109(12). • C. Piron, D. Kase, M. Topalidou, M. Goillandeau, H. Orignac, T. N'Guyen, N.P. Rougier, T. Boraud, The globus pallidus pars interna in goal oriented and habitual behavior. Resolving an old standing paradox, Movement Disorders, (2016), to appear. • O'Reilly, R. C., Frank, M. J., Hazy, T. E., & Watz, B. (2007). PVLV: The Primary Value and Learned Value Pavlovian Learning Algorithm. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(1). • Roelfsema, P.R., van Ooyen A. (2005). Attention-gated reinforcement learning of internal representations for classification. Neural Computation.

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Post-Doctoral Positions at Boston University Investigating Long-Range Neocortical Networks
by Chen, Jerry March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

Post-Doctoral Positions Available --------------------------------- We are a new lab, headed by Jerry Chen, opening our doors in 2016 in the Department of Biology at Boston University SUMMARY: A longstanding goal in neuroscience is to achieve a complete understanding of the central nervous system, from the brain as a whole all the way down to individual neurons and synapses. A fundamental challenge in achieving this goal is bridging knowledge gaps impeded by the difficulty in integrating experimental measurements across different scales. Our lab studies the relationship between local circuits and long-range networks in the mammalian neocortex. We take an integrative approach by combining large-scale in vivo imaging technology with molecular and genetic tools in the awake-behaving animal. RESEARCH PROJECTS: Principles of Long-Range Cortical Communication. We are investigating how behavior-relevant information is processed both locally and globally throughout the neocortex. Using the mouse tactile whisker sensorimotor system as a model for studying long-range cortical communication during sensory processing and decision making, we seek to understand the following questions: - What are the circuits underlying long-range cortical communication? - What are the physiological mechanisms that subserve such operations? - What roles do these processes serve during behavior? Long-Range Cortical Circuits During Development. We are investigating how genes and development define the organization and function of long-range cortical circuits. Gaining a handle on how these circuits form will help us understand the role they serve during behavior. Technologies for Large-Scale Imaging of Neuronal Populations. We recently developed a multi-area two-photon microscope that enables simultaneous functional imaging with cellular resolution across cortical areas. We seek to expand on such methods to enable comprehensive monitoring of neuronal activity across the entire cortex. QUALIFICATIONS: We are seeking highly creative individuals who are interested in pursuing independent projects core to the lab's research interest. A first author publication (submitted or published) is a prerequisite for consideration. While experience with in vivo imaging and rodent behavior and a quantitative background is desired, we are also interested in individuals with a broad range of expertise within and outside of neuroscience. You can even be a mathematician, physicist, engineer, computer scientist, molecular biologist, artist, or musician. Some examples of potential good fits include: - Neurophysiologists with previous experience working with non-human primates interested in addressing similar questions in rodents. - Developmental neurobiologists interested in studying how circuit formation guides circuit function and behavior. - Computational neuroscientists interested in testing theoretical models using experimental data acquired in the lab. - Molecular biologists interested in utilizing molecular and genetic tools for addressing systems-level questions. - Optical engineers interested in developing and applying novel technologies for large-scale recording and stimulation of neuronal populations. For more information, go to www.chen-lab.org. If you are interested in applying, please submit a CV along with 3 references to: jerry(a)chen-lab.org.

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ANNPR 2nd Call for Papers
by Dr. Schwenker March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

**** Please apologize cross-postings. 2nd Call for Papers IAPR TC3 International Workshop on Artificial Neural Networks in Pattern Recognition (ANNPR 2016) September 28-30, 2016 Ulm University, Ulm, Germany ANNPR 2016 invites papers that present original work in areas of neural networks, machine learning and pattern recognition, focusing on both theoretical and applied aspects. Topics of interest include, but not limited to: Methodological Issues - Supervised learning - Unsupervised learning - Combination of supervised and unsupervised learning - Feed-forward, recurrent, and competitive neural nets - Kernel machines - Hierarchical modular architectures and hybrid systems - Combination of neural networks and Hidden Markov models - Multiple classifier systems and ensemble methods - Probabilistic graphical models - Kernel methods - Deep architectures Applications in Pattern Recognition - Image processing and segmentation - Handwritten recognition and Document analysis - Sensor-fusion and multi-modal processing - Feature extraction, dimension reduction - Clustering and vector quantization - Speech and speaker recognition - Data, text, and web mining - Bioinformatics/Cheminformatics Important Dates Paper submission: May 4, 2016 Notification of acceptance: June 22, 2016 Camera ready due: July 6, 2016 Workshop: September 28-30, 2016 General Chairs Friedhelm Schwenker, Ulm University, Germany Hazem Abbas, German University of Cairo, Egypt Neamat El Gayar, Cairo University, Egypt Edmondo Trentin, University of Siena, Italy For more information, please visit us: http://neuro.informatik.uni-ulm.de/ANNPR2016/ -- Dr. Friedhelm Schwenker University of Ulm Institute of Neural Information Processing D-89069 Ulm, Germany phone: +49-731-50-24159 fax: +49-731-50-24156 email: friedhelm.schwenker(a)uni-ulm.de www: http://www.uni-ulm.de/in/neuroinformatik/mitarbeiter/f-schwenker.html

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Master student / intern position available at Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
by Filip Sobczak March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

OPEN POSITION Master student / intern position at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany The Department of High-field Magnetic Resonance at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen is looking for a master’s student or an intern to work under the supervision of Dr. Xin Yu (Group Leader at MPI for Biological Cybernetics). This position is open now until filled. Research description: The project requires applying image processing and computer vision techniques for neuroscientific purposes. The goal is establishing a platform enabling the registration of rat brain MRI scans onto a brain atlas template. This will allow locating specific brain structures in a newly acquired MRI scan. Example applications of the platform are: - increasing the precision of targeting and recording deep brain nuclei, - enabling the use of MRI images as feedback in closed-loop control of a robotic arm operating in a 14T MRI scanner. The candidate should possess sufficient knowledge of image processing techniques to finish the task. Some groundwork has already been done. The Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics is located in Tübingen, Germany. Next door to the MPI for Biological Cybernetics lies the MPI for Intelligent Systems. The Max Planck Society is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and encourages applications from qualified women and minority candidates. Please send your CV (in English) to Dr. Yu if interested. Contact info: Dr. Xin Yu Research Group leader Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Spemannstrasse 41, 72076 Tübingen, Germany E-mail: xin.yu(a)tuebingen.mpg.de , phone: 49 7071 601-740 Website: www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/research/rg/yugroup/ Dr. Yu has published seminal papers on small animal high field MRI in Nature Neuroscience, Nature Methods, Neuron, PNAS, NeuroImage etc.

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Engineering Applications of Neural Networks 2016, 2nd-5th September, Scotland
by Chrisina Jayne March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

Dear Colleague, The 17th International Conference on Engineering Applications of Neural Networks will take place in Aberdeen, Scotland, between 2nd-5th September 2016 (EANN 2016 – http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/index.php) The INNS (International Neural Network Society) is the primary sponsor of EANN. Robert Gordon University, the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) and Visit Aberdeen also sponsor the EANN conference. 6 PhD students studying at Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) universities will have free registration. Authors are invited to submit electronically original, English-language research contributions or experience reports not concurrently submitted elsewhere. The proceedings of the conference will be published in Springer CCIS Series. Extended contributions will also be considered for publication in a Special Issue of Neural Computing and Applications Journal (Springer). In the spirit of the previous EANN conferences, the paper should concentrate on the application rather than just the algorithm or the theory. All application areas are relevant. Novel contributions related to deep learning and application of neural networks to data science applications are encouraged. The deadline for paper submission is 20th April 2016. Proposals for Workshops that examine emerging, innovative, or otherwise provocative issues within the conference area are encouraged as well. Workshop proposals should include a 1-2 page summary of the topic and the names and affiliations of 3-4 panellists who have made a commitment to participate. A mix of industry and academic panel members is recommended. Proposals for 90-minute tutorials are also invited on topics within the conference area. Tutorial proposals must be at most 5 pages, they must identify the intendedaudience, and they must give enough material to provide a sense of what will be covered. Full CFP is available at http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/cfp.php Important deadlines are available at http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/timeline.php Submission page http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/sbmissions.php Keynote Speakers http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/keynote.php Excursion Details http://www.eann.org.uk/eann2016/exc.php If you have any questions please email Chrisina Jayne at ( c.p.jayne(a)rgu.ac.uk) Best wishes, Prof Chrisina Jayne and Prof Lazaros Iliadis Programme Chairs for EANN2016

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PhD Opportunity: Brain stimulation / fMRI / Cortico-cereballar connectivity
by Ramnani, N March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

Dear All, John Rothwell and I would like to invite expressions of interest from prospective PhD students for a project to map cortico-cereballar connectivity using brain stimulation and fMRI. Further details are available here: http://www.pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/NeuroscienceLab/?page_id=192 Deadline: 15th April (but please respond as early as possible to discuss and shape an application in consultation with us). I'd be grateful if you could please forward this message to those who might be interested. Thanks and best wishes, Narender Narender Ramnani Professor of Neuroscience Fellow, Society of Biology Council Member, British Neuroscience Association Brain, Action and Cognition Laboratory Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX, UK. Tel. 01784 443519 www.pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/neurosciencelab<http://www.pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/neurosciencelab> @n_ramnani

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Postdoctoral positions in neuroimaging mapping of early brain development
by gangli March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016

Postdoctoral research associate positions are available at the Infant Brain Mapping Lab of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Our current focuses are to better understand the dynamic and critical early brain development in health and disease, via multimodal neuroimaging analysis. The successful candidate will support our efforts either in advancing neuroimaging analysis technologies or in neuroscience applications. We are seeking highly motivated individuals who have extensive research experience in neuroimaging analysis (e.g., structural, diffusion or functional MRI) and demonstrated academic excellence, including publications in first-class journals and conferences. The candidate for Postdoctoral Research Associate should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields. Good command of programming tools including Matlab, C/C++, Linux, and scripting are necessary to carry out the research work in this group. The successful candidate will be part of a diverse group including neuroscientists, radiologists, psychologists, physicists, biostatistician, and computer scientists, and will build upon the group's extensive foundation on neuroimaging analysis. If interested, please email resume to Dr. Gang Li (gang_li(a)med.unc.edu)

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Deadline (April 1st) for contributions to ICANN 2016 Barcelona is approaching
by antonio March 23, 2016

March 23, 2016

*Please**, excuse****multiple****postings**.** ** **I beg**you **make****maximum publicity****among your****groups****and colleagues.** * Dear colleagues and friends, I invite you to participate in the "25th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks" to be held in Barcelona on 6-9 of September. The congress, in addition to everything that has to do with Neural Networks, addresses some issues in the field of networks and complex systems. *INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS*are the following: *Wlodek Duch *(Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland) *Erkki Oja *(Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland) *Joaquin Fuster *(University of California at Los Angeles, USA) *Murray Shanahan* (Imperial College London, UK) *Günther Palm* (University of Ulm, Germany) *Stephen Coombes *(University of Nottingham, UK) *Etienne Koechlin* (Pierre and Marie Curie University, France) You can participate with an oral presentation, a poster or a written article. The deadline for submitting your abstracts (for oral contributions or posters) or your manuscripts *_ends next_**__**_April 1st_*. You will find more details about how to send contributions in http://icann2016.org/index.php/contributors/submission. More information:www.icann2016.org. Follow us on twitter: @EuNeuralNetSoc Sincerely, ICANN 2016 - Barcelona Antonio J. Pons Rivero General Chair of ICANN 2016 Terrassa School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering (ETSEIAT) Nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear optics and lasers Group BarcelonaTech (UPC) Edifici GAIA Rbla. Sant Nebridi, 22 08222 Terrassa, Spain

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"The neuroscience of decision-making" ~1 week left to submit abstracts
by Paul Cisek March 22, 2016

March 22, 2016

38th International Symposium of the GRSNC The neuroscience of decision-making May 2-3, 2016 Université de Montréal WEBSITE: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/ PROGRAM: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/prog_e.html> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/prog_e.html REGISTRATION: <http://appl.grsnc.umontreal.ca/en/symposium/38s/registration.cfm> http://appl.grsnc.umontreal.ca/en/symposium/38s/registration.cfm POSTER: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/38s_poster.pdf> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/38s_poster.pdf We are pleased to announce the 38th symposium of the Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central (GRSNC) which is entitled "The neurosciences of decision-making". This symposium will be held on May 2-3, 2016 at the Université de Montréal, Pavillon 3200 Jean-Brillant, room B-2245 and the organizers are Drs Paul Cisek (UdeM), Alain Dagher (McGill), Lesley Fellows (McGill), John Kalaska (UdeM) et Peter Shizgal (Concordia). Research on the neural bases of decision-making has experienced a rapid growth in the last 20 years. It addresses a great diversity of questions, ranging from how animals weigh the costs and benefits of different actions to what goes wrong when humans exhibit maladaptive behavior, such as in addiction. In this symposium, we will discuss cutting-edge research on this topic, reviewing the progress that has been made and addressing the central open questions facing this rapidly developing field. In planning the sessions, we have paid particular attention to issues that stretch from the most basic neuroscience all the way to clinical applications. We will highlight converging evidence from the full range of neuroscientific methods applied in this field, considered within a diversity of conceptual frameworks. There will be four sessions of presentations by invited speakers from around the world as well as two contributed poster sessions. The presentations are regrouped in four sessions: * Brain representations of value: Common or multiple (Chairperson: Peter Shizgal) * Encoding and learning values: Neural and computational mechanisms (Chairperson: Alain Dagher) * Decision in the wild (Chairperson: John Kalaska) * Diseases and deviances (Chairperson: Lesley Fellows) Lecturers: Joshua D. Berke, Thomas Boraud, Paul Cisek, Alain Dagher, Peter Dayan, Nathaniel Daw, Lesley Fellows, J. Randall Flanagan, Michael J. Frank, Karl Friston, Hugh Garavan, Paul W. Glimcher, Joseph Kable, Elizabeth A. Murray, Michael L. Platt, David Redish, Michael N. Shadlen, Peter Shizgal, Daphna Shohamy and Jonathan D. Wallis. Submissions are invited for poster presentations. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2016 We would appreciate if you could forward this message to colleagues and students. Manon Dumas for the organizing committee Groupe de recherche sur le système nerveux central (GRSNC) Université de Montréal Département de neurosciences Pavillon Paul-G.-Desmarais, bureau 4115 Courriel: <mailto:m.dumas@umontreal.ca> m.dumas(a)umontreal.ca Téléphone: (514) 343-6366 Télécopieur: (514) 343-6113

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CogModel notes: ICCM16+fellowships/confs/resources/Jobs
by Frank Ritter March 22, 2016

March 22, 2016

The ICCM 2016 announcements drive this email (it will be at Penn State, before CogSci, 3-6 Aug 2016 (hope you can come!). Deadline is approaching and we now have student travel support! There are also numerous timely announcements that indicate new publication outlets (too many conferences, we should talk about this as a community), resources, and jobs in Cog Sci and in cognitive modeling, or jobs that might take modelers. I have also included several unusual items, including some tools. I also should note: This is not our conference: http://www.sci-en-tech.com/ICCM2016 [it is on engineering methods] The 7th International Conference on Computational Methods (ICCM2016) This is also not our conference: https://www.waset.org/conference/2016/08/barcelona/ICCM [same title!] [I have found that the conference committee on this one often do not know they are on the committee! and they are not modellers] If you would like to be removed, please just let me know. I maintain it by hand to keep it small. [Hypertext version available at http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/iccm-mailing-mar2016.html **************** Table of Contents **************** 1. ICCM 2016 Call for papers, due 8 April 16 http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/submissions/ 2. ICCM Student travel support (10) http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/stipend-application/ 3. ICCM Tutorial program call http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/submissions/tutorials/ 4. Fierces meeting in Moscow, 21-24 April 2016 http://school.bicasociety.org/ 5. BICA meeting in NYC, 16-19 July 2016 http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2016/ 20 Apr 2016 paper due date 6. SBP & BRiMS 16-Social Computing, Behavior Representation 28 Jun - 1 Jul 2016 http://sbp-brims.org 7. Nengo Summer School http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool 8. Call for Fourth Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems Northwestern 23-26 Jun 2016 http://www.cogsys.org/ 9. CFP Collective Intelligence 2016 - Call for Papers https://sites.google.com/a/stern.nyu.edu/collective-intelligence-conference… 10. Call for special issues, J of Interaction Science http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/ 11. Call for papers, Holistic approaches for Human-Vehicle Systems IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems 12. Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling 13. Call for Future CogSci Conference Organizers 14. Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science, and Summer program http://www.bscs-us.org/ 15. CogACLL 2016 - First Call of Papers due 8 & 29 May 2016 http://sites.google.com/site/cognitivews2016 16. AHFE 2016 International Conference on Simulation, 27-31 July 2016 17. 15th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop, Due 15 Apr https://sites.google.com/site/ncpw15/ 17b. AGI-16 deadline extended to 1 Apr 16 ** Resources ** 18. Special issue on cognitive engineering, J of Interaction Science http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/about [open access] 19. Oxford books (>$100) get 30% off https://global.oup.com/ 20. Proceedings of Workshop on Cogn Archs for Social HRI https://sites.google.com/site/cogarch4socialhri2016/proceedings 21. BRIMS 2013: introduction to CMOT special issue http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5zo16I6hi0lc9I1 22. BRIMS 2012: introduction to CMOT special issue http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I3 23. MSc Course in Cognitive Systems at Open U of Cyprus ** Jobs ** 24. Tenure Track Asst Prof in Cognitive Psychology at Syracuse U 25. Post-doc/programmer in tutoring/modeling at PSU, July/Aug 2016 26. U of California at Riverside hiring 300 (!) http://clusterhiring.ucr.edu 27. Aerospace Engineering and ethics, PSU full consideration by Jan 2016 28. Visiting Assistant Professor, Bucknell U. Fall 2016 29. Robotics faculty member, Missouri U of S&T Review started 1 feb 16 30. Open/data science developer jobs at Databrary.org https://databrary.org/about/jobs.html 31. Researcher and Engineer positions at ATR Brain Labs, Kyoto, Japan http://www.cns.atr.jp/en/ 32. Postdoctoral Fellow, CMU with Gonzalez http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/ [expired, but recurrent] 33. Positions available at the US Army Res Lab 34. Doctoral Student Fellowship - U of Lausanne, Switzerland 35. PostDoc: compt models of optogenetic stim in epilepsy patients U of Newcastle 36. Research Positions with the US Air Force Res Lab 37. Post-doctoral positions at CMU, DDM Lab 38. Job(s) at Pacific Science, San Diego, CA (rolling deadline) **************************************************************** 1. ICCM 2016 Call for papers, due 8 April 16 http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/submissions/ The ICCM2016 Call for Papers is available for download. Deadline & Submitting All paper, poster, symposium, and tutorial submissions are due on 8 Apr 2016, 5pm EST. They should be submitted via our online submission system: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccm2016 There are three types of submissions: Papers: refereed papers of up to 6 pages. If a submission is accepted to be published as a paper, the paper will be presented at the conference either as a talk or as a poster. Posters: refereed poster abstracts of up to 2 pages. If accepted, the corresponding poster will be presented at the conference in a dedicated poster session. Symposia: refereed symposia abstracts of up to 2 pages. If accepted, the conference committee will contact the authors to help organize and schedule the symposium. A symposium submission should consist of an introduction to the topic of the symposium and a brief description of the speakers. Symposia have a maximum duration of 90 minutes, but can also be shorter. Notification of acceptance expected by 6 May 2016. **************************************************************** 2. ICCM Student travel support (10) http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/stipend-application/ With assistance from National Science Foundation, we have financial support for about ten (10) students to travel to and attend ICCM2016. If you are an interested student, please use the Google Form link (https://script.google.com/macros/s/AKfycby0VHWmhqkMw1OzH-rX4SWBEegeMT8StKkX… submit an stipend application. You will be asked to provide a CV and brief research statement or cover letter in PDF form. The stipend is available to all students (undergraduate, graduate) enrolled at US institutions of higher education, as well as to US citizens enrolled at higher education institutions world-wide. We encourage you to apply, especially if you have not been to ICCM before or if you think you can contribute to the diversity of our community. For full consideration, please submit your application by 7 May 16. Awards will be made starting on that day. **************************************************************** 3. ICCM Tutorial program call http://acs.ist.psu.edu/iccm2016/submissions/tutorials/ The Tutorial and Workshop program of ICCM will be held on August 3, 2016. It will provide conference participants with the opportunity to gain new insights, knowledge, and skills from a broad range of areas in the field of cognitive modeling. Tutorial topics will be presented in a taught format and are likely to range from practical guidelines to theoretical issues or software. Workshops give an opportunity for in-depth discussion on a specific topic important for cognitive modeling. Tutorials at ICCM have been held many times before, and this year's program will be modelled after them and after the series held at the Cognitive Science Conference; please see previous years for examples (2013, 2012). Duration: Each tutorial or workshop is designed to be a half-day or full-day in duration. Half-day tutorials/workshops are about 3 hours long (not including breaks). Full day tutorials/workshops are about 6 hours long (not including breaks). Tutorial participants: Tutorial participants will either be doing cognitive modeling or be interested in learning more. They will be looking for insights into their own areas and summaries of other areas providing tools, techniques, and results to use in their own teaching and research. Most tutorials should be at the introductory graduate school level or slightly higher. That is, the tutorials should be accessible to postgraduate students, but should assume a first degree in one of the cognitive sciences. Queries should be sent to the tutorial chair, Dr. Bill Kennedy wkennedy(a)gmu.edu **************************************************************** 4. Fierces meeting in Moscow, 21-24 April 2016 http://school.bicasociety.org/ A three-day meeting of early-career researchers (students, interns, postdocs, trainees, research staff and faculty, including young scientists from around the world) with world-recognized leading experts in the field of Biologically inspired cognitive architectures. This School will develop future world leadership in the field by young scientists for years to come. The friendly atmosphere of excitement and opportunity will help us to initiate partnership and collaboration using roundtables, breakout groups and discussion panels. Working language of the School is English. An event that will enhance your research career and is likely to change your life. Seats are limited: contact burtsev.m(a)gmail.com, asamsono(a)gmu.edu Sponsored by: Russian Science Foundation National Research Nuclear University «MEPhI», BICA Society **************************************************************** 5. BICA meeting in NYC, 16-19 July 2016 http://bicasociety.org/meetings/2016/ 20 Apr 2016 paper due date [Following numerous requests, the BICA 2016 submission deadline is extended until April 20: http://bica2016.bicasociety.org/deadlines/ -from Samsonovitch] [deadlines are tight, this newsletter might not make it, but, generally you can arrange to talk if you have something to say, and you can attend, of course] BICA 2016 will be hosted as a part of the unified Human-Level Artificial Intelligence Framework event (HLAI-2016) at the New School Center for Transformative Media in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, NY. In addition to BICA 2016, this event will also include AGI-2016 (http://www.agi-conf.org) NeSy-2016 (http://www.neural-symbolic.org) possibly AIC-2016 and more, co-located and immediately following IJCAI-2016 (http://ijcai-16.org) General Chair of HLAI 2016: Tarek R. Besold. BICA 2016 Chair and Point of Contact: Alexei Samsonovich Abstract-only OK for a talk, accepted papers will be published in Elsevier journals BICA (acquires a Thomson Reuters JCR Impact Factor, www.elsevier.com/locate/bica) and Procedia Computer Science (www.journals.elsevier.com/procedia-computer-science/) both indexed in Web of Science and Scopus (attendance is not required for publication). Express your interest via email to alexei(a)bicasociety.org Abstract submission is encouraged by March 16 All kinds of submissions (all venues via EasyChair) due - March 20 Acceptance and Reviewer feedback - on or before April 15 Early-bird registration deadline: April 20 Camera Ready Submission: May 15 Author Registration Deadline: May 15 Conference Dates: July 16 - 19 **************************************************************** 6. SBP & BRiMS 16-Social Computing, Behavior Representation 28 Jun - 1 Jul 2016 http://sbp-brims.org [late breaking results are still open] From: Donald Adjeroh <Donald.Adjeroh(a)mail.wvu.edu> Subject: 2nd Call for Papers: SBP and BRiMS 16 - Social Computing, Behavior Representation SBP and BRiMS 2016 The Conferences on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling and Prediction (SBP) and Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation (BRiMS) will jointly hold their meetings in 2016. 28 Jun - 1 Jul 2016 UCDC Center, Washington DC IMPORTANT DATES -------------------------- Paper registration deadline: 22 Jan 2016 Paper/full text due: 28 Jan 2016 Author notification: 1 Mar 2016 Final Version: 14 Mar 2016 Late-breaking results papers, Demo and Industry Track abstracts due: 1 Feb - 1 May 2016 (rolling) Author notification: 2 weeks after submission Tutorial proposals due: 1 Feb 2016 Pre-conference Tutorial Sessions: 28 Jun 2016 Conference (Single Track): 29 Jun - 1 Jul 2016 ABOUT SBP-BRIMS ------------------------- SBP-BRiMS is a multidisciplinary conference with a selective single paper track and poster session. The conference also invites a small number of high quality tutorials and nationally recognized keynote speakers. The conference has grown out of two related meetings: SBP and BRiMS, which were co-located in previous years. Social computing harnesses the power of computational methods to study social behavior, such as during team collaboration. Cultural behavioral modeling refers to representing behavior and culture in the abstract, and is a convenient and powerful way to conduct virtual experiments and scenario analysis. Both social computing and cultural behavioral modeling are techniques designed to achieve a better understanding of complex behaviors, patterns, and associated outcomes of interest. Moreover, these approaches are inherently interdisciplinary; subsystems and system components exist at multiple levels of analysis (i.e., "cells to societies") and across multiple disciplines, from engineering and the computational sciences to the social and health sciences. The SBP-BRiMS conference invites modeling and simulation papers from academics, research scientists, technical communities and defense researchers across traditional disciplines to share ideas, discuss research results, identify capability gaps, highlight promising technologies, and showcase the state-of-the-art in applications in the areas of cultural behavioral modeling, prediction, and social computing. Please see the SBP-BRiMS16 website for more details. Keynotes and tutorials delivered in the previous SBP and BRiMS meetings are available through the websites http://sbp-conference.org/ and http://cc.ist.psu.edu/BRIMS2015/ . CALL FOR PAPERS ------------------------ Submissions are solicited on research issues, theories, and applications. Topics of interests include the following. Modeling - Intelligent agents and avatars/adversarial modeling - Cognitive robotics and human-robot interaction - Models of reasoning and decision making - Model validation & comparison - Socio-cultural M&S: team/group/crowd/behavior - Physical models of human movement - Performance assessment & skill monitoring/tracking - Performance prediction/enhancement/optimization - Intelligent tutoring systems - Knowledge acquisition/engineering - Human behavior issues in model federations Basic Research on Sociocultural & Behavioral Processes - Group interaction and collaboration - Group formation and evolution - Group representation and profiling - Collective action and governance - Cultural patterns & representation - Social conventions and social contexts - Influence process and recognition - Public opinion representation - Information diffusion - Psycho-cultural situation awareness Methodological Issues - Mathematical foundations - Verification and validation - Sensitivity analysis - Matching technique or method to research questions - Metrics and evaluation - Methodological innovation - Model federation and integration - Evolutionary computing - Optimization Information, Systems, & Network Science - Social medial and social network analysis - Data mining on social media platforms - Diffusion and other dynamic processes over networks - Inference of network topologies and changes over time - Analysis of link formations and link types - Detection of communities and other types of structures in networks - Analysis of high-dimensional networks Military and Intelligence Applications - Evaluation, modeling and simulation - Group formation and evolution in the political context - Technology and flash crowds - Networks and political influence - Group representation and profiling - Reasoning about terrorist group behaviors and policies towards them Health Applications - Social network analysis to understand health behavior - Modeling of health policy and decision making - Modeling of behavioral aspects of infectious disease spread - Intervention design and modeling for behavioral health Other Applications - Economic applications of behavioral and social prediction - Viral marketing - Reasoning about development aid through social modeling - Reasoning about global educational efforts through cognitive simulation FORMAT AND SUBMISSION ------------------------------------ The conference solicits three categories of papers: - Regular papers (max. 10 pages) All topics and authors (academic, government, industry) welcome Published in a Springer volume and online. Plenary or poster presentation. - Late-breaking results (max. 6 pages) All topics and authors welcome. Published online. Typically a poster or plenary presentation. - Demos and Industry Track (2-page abstract, or max. 6 pages) Published online. Typically a poster or demo presentation. The papers must be in English and MUST be formatted according to the Springer-Verlag LNCS/LNAI guidelines. Sample LaTeX and MS Word templates are available at http://www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0. A selection of authors will be invited to contribute journal versions of their papers to one of two planned special issues of Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory and another high-profile journal. The submission website will be available at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sbpbrims2016 For any questions and inquiries concerning submissions, please email the program chairs. PRE-CONFERENCE TUTORIAL SESSIONS ---------------------------------------------------- Several half-day sessions will be offered on the day before the full conference. Sessions will be designed to meet the needs of one of two distinct groups. One group will consist of attendees who have backgrounds in the computational sciences: computer science, engineering, and other mathematically oriented disciplines. Other tutorial sessions will be designed for behavioral and social scientists and others (e.g. those with medical backgrounds or training in public health) who may have limited formal education in the computational sciences. Attendees will gain an understanding of terminology, theories, and general computational techniques, especially with respect to modeling approaches. More details regarding the pre-conference tutorial sessions, including instructors, course content, and registration information will be posted to the conference website (http://sbp-brims.org/) as soon as this information becomes available. POSTER & NETWORKING SESSION --------------------------------------------- We expect to invite the majority of all authors of paper submissions to present a poster at a catered poster and network session. DEMO SESSION --------------------- We invite technical demonstrations from academia, industry and government. Please submit a 2-page abstract. We will provide a desk and power. CHALLENGE PROBLEM -------------------------------- The conference expects to announce a data modeling challenge as in previous years. FUNDING PANEL & CROSS-FERTILIZATION ROUNDTABLES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous SBP conferences have included a Cross-fertilization Roundtable session or a Funding Panel. The purpose of the cross-fertilization roundtables is to help participants become better acquainted with people outside of their discipline and with whom they might consider partnering on future SBP-related research collaborations. The Funding Panel provides an opportunity for conference participants to interact with program managers from various federal funding agencies. Participants for the previous funding panels have included representatives from federal agencies, such as the NSF, NIH, DoD, ONR, AFOSR, USDA, etc. The details for 2016 will be confirmed at a later date. BEST PAPER AWARDS ----------------------------- SBP-BRiMS16 will feature a Best Paper Award and a Best Student Paper Award. All papers are qualified for the Best Paper Award. Papers with student first authors will be considered for the Best Student Paper Award. HOTEL AND LOGISTICS ------------------------------ Information on accommodation and logistics will be provided at the conference website as it becomes available at http://sbp-brims.org/ TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS ------------------------------- Previous SBP and BRiMS conferences provided competitive travel support to participants. It is anticipated that a limited number of travel scholarships will be available on a competitive basis. Additional information will be provided at the SBP-BRIMS Conference website as it becomes available at http://sbp-brims.org/ CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION ======================== CONFERENCE CHAIRS ------------------------ Kathleen M. Carley, CMU Nitin Agarwal, U of Arkansas at Little Rock PROGRAM CHAIRS ------------------------- Dongwon Lee, NSF/PSU, dlee(a)nsf.gov Nathaniel Osgood, U of Saskatchewan, osgood(a)cs.usask.ca David Reitter, PSU, reitter(a)psu.edu Kevin Xu, U of Toledo, kevin.xu(a)utoledo.edu AREA CHAIRS ------------------ David Broniatowski, George Washington U Sibel Adali, RPI Christian Lebiere, CMU Wen Dong, State U of NY, Buffalo (further area chairs to be confirmed.) TUTORIAL CHAIR ---------------------- Yu-Ru Lin, U of Pittsburgh PUBLICITY CHAIRS ------------------------ Donald Adjeroh, West Virginia U Nitin Agarwal, U of Arkansas at Little Rock BRIMS SOCIETY CHAIR ------------------------------ Christopher Dancy II, Bucknell U Important Dates for Paper Submission 17 Mar (midnight PDT): Deadline for paper submission 15 Apr Decisions about paper acceptance 12 May Deadline for final papers 12 May Deadline for early registration 23-26 Jun Conference **************************************************************** 7. Nengo Summer School http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool [ongoing, may have opennings, and may occur next year] From: Peter Blouw <pblouw(a)uwaterloo.ca> To: act-r-users(a)ACTR-SERVER.HPC1.CS.cmu.edu Subject: [ACT-R-users] 2016 Nengo Summer School - Applications Open [All details about this school can be found online at http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the U of Waterloo is inviting applications for our 3rd annual summer school on large-scale brain modeling. This two-week school will teach participants how to use the Nengo software package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1], and provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems to run in simulated and real environments. We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals. No specific training in the use of modeling software is required, but we encourage applications from active researchers with a relevant background in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics, neuromorphic engineering, computer science, or a related field. For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/wy4dNC [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. [http://nengo.ca/publications/spaunsciencepaper] ***Application Deadline: 15 Feb 2016*** Format: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Topics Covered: Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated cognitive models using spiking neurons model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. SpiNNaker) interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models and much more Date and Location: June 5th to June 17th, 2016 at the U of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Applications: Please visit http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (pblouw(a)uwaterloo.ca) We look forward to hearing from you! **************************************************************** 8. Call for Fourth Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems Northwestern 23-26 Jun 2016 http://www.cogsys.org/ Call For Papers Fourth Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems, Northwestern, Evanston, IL, 23-26 Jun 2016 The goal of the Advances in Cognitive Systems conference is to bring together researchers interested in building cognitive systems that focus on high-level cognition and decision making, reliance on rich, structured representations, and incorporation of insights about human thinking. This venue is for dissemination of research results pertaining to the original, yet unanswered, questions of Artificial Intelligence: to produce computational artifacts that reproduce a broad range of human cognitive abilities. The conference welcomes work on any topic related to the representation or organization of complex knowledge structures, their use in multi-step cognition, or their acquisition from experience or instruction. Some functional capabilities that arise in this context include, but are not limited to: - Conceptual Inference and Reasoning - Memory Storage and Retrieval - Language Processing - Social Cognition and Interaction - High-level Execution and Control - Problem Solving and Heuristic Search - Cognitive Aspects of Emotion and Personality - Metacognition and Meta-level Reasoning - Structural Learning and Knowledge Capture - Cognitive Vision and High-level Perception Paper Submission, Review, and Publication Manuscripts are limited to 12 pages. Papers accepted for the conference will be allotted up to an additional four papers for further elaboration. Accepted papers may also be invited to appear in the online journal, Advances in Cognitive Systems. Submissions should be formatted according to instructions provided at http://www.cogsys.org/formatting, which provides Latex and Word templates. Each submission should state explicitly the problem or capability it addresses, describe its response to this problem, make claims about this approach, and provide evidence in support of these claims. Every paper should also discuss related efforts, examine limitations of the reported work, and outline plans for future research. Because the conference aims to encourage research toward a broader understanding of intelligence, its criteria include demonstrating new functionality, integrating different facets of intelligence, presenting a novel approach to an established problem, explaining complex cognition in humans, and formally analyzing a difficult new task. We also welcome submissions on new problems or testbeds that challenge existing approaches. Each submission will be assigned to multiple referees who will evaluate the paper for itscontribution to understanding cognitive systems, clarity of claims about this contribution, convincing evidence in support of those claims, and cogent presentation of its ideas to readers. We encourage authors to examine the review form (http://www.cogsys.org/review-form-2016) before drafting their manuscripts to ensure that their submissions address all of the dimensions on which reviewers will evaluate them. The conference aims to be as inclusive as possible while still fostering innovative research on the computational nature of intelligence. The conference FAQ page (http://www.cogsys.org/faq) attempts to clarify the scope of the event. Authors who have questions about whether their research is appropriate for the meeting should contact the Conference Chairs, via acs2016(a)cs.northwestern.edu, for additional information. Important Dates for Paper Submission March 17th (midnight PDT): Deadline for paper submission April 15th: Decisions about paper acceptance May 12th: Deadline for final papers May 12th: Deadline for early registration June 23-26th: Conference Workshop Proposals ACS invites proposals for half-day or full day workshops to be held at the end of the conference on the afternoon of Sunday, June 26th. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to meet and discuss targeted issues pertaining to cognitive systems - providing an intimate and informal setting for active exchange among researchers, developers, and users on topics of current interest. The format of workshops will be determined by their organizers. Organizers are highly encouraged to propose alternative formats beyond paper/poster presentations, and should encourage the submission and presentation of position papers that discuss new research ideas. Proposals for workshops should be 2-3 pages in length and describe the topic, the format, and an explanation of target participation. Workshop organizers must submit their proposals via email to ACS2016(a)cs.northwestern.edu by March 17th. Conference Chairs Kenneth D. Forbus, Northwestern Thomas Hinrichs, Northwestern Organizing Committee Paul Bello, Naval Research Laboratory Kenneth Forbus, Northwestern Ashok Goel, Georgia Institute of Technology John Laird, U of Michigan Pat Langley, ISLE Sergei Nirenburg, RPI **************************************************************** 9. CFP Collective Intelligence 2016 - Call for Papers https://sites.google.com/a/stern.nyu.edu/collective-intelligence-conference… [program to be posted shortly] To: "naacsos-list(a)lists.andrew.cmu.edu" <naacsos-list(a)lists.andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: Collective Intelligence 2016 - Call for Papers Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2016 19:11:37 +0000 From: Thomas W Malone via Naacsos-list <naacsos-list(a)lists.andrew.cmu.edu> NAACSOS - http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/naacsos/ Call for Papers (Extended Abstracts) https://sites.google.com/a/stern.nyu.edu/collective-intelligence-conference… Collective Intelligence 2016 1-3 June 2016 New York U, New York, NY The annual interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers from the academy, businesses, non-profits, governments and the world at large to share insights and ideas from a variety of fields relevant to understanding and designing collective intelligence in its many forms. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: human computation social computing crowdsourcing crowdfunding wisdom of crowds (e.g., prediction markets) group memory and extended cognition collective decision making and problem-solving participatory and deliberative democracy animal collective behavior organizational design and strategy public policy design (e.g., regulatory reform) ethics of collective intelligence (e.g., "digital sweatshops") computational models of group search and optimization emergence and evolution of intelligence new technologies for making groups smarter Submissions of two types are invited: Reports of original results Demonstrations of tools/technology To encourage a diversity of innovative ideas from a variety of fields, submissions may refer to work that is recently published, under review elsewhere, or in preparation, and may link to up to one publicly accessible paper for the purpose of describing the work in detail. However, submissions will be evaluated solely on the submitted abstract, which must therefore comprise an entirely self-contained description of the work. After review by the Program Committee, a subset of submitted abstracts will be invited for oral presentation with additional presentation as posters and/or demos. A second subset will also be invited exclusively for presentation as posters and/or demos. Authors will not receive detailed feedback from the review process, just an accept/reject decision. The main criteria will be: 1) whether the subject matter is a good fit for the Collective Intelligence conference; 2) whether there are interesting claims made with a promise to present evidence or non-obvious arguments in support of them. The review committee will not assess the validity of the evidence or arguments. Accepted submissions will be compiled into a single report which will be made available to conference participants. We emphasize that abstracts that are distributed to conference participants are not intended to be considered archival publications or to preclude submission of the reported work to archival journals; however, we cannot guarantee that certain journals do not have policies precluding the distribution of extended abstracts. Accepted abstracts will be included as submitted (i.e., submissions should be camera-ready). If your abstract is accepted for presentation or poster session, at least one author has to commit to attending the conference. Please check out prior programs and proceedings to learn more about the Collective Intelligence conference and academic community: (http://www.ci2012.org/) Collective Intelligence Conference Proceedings, MIT, 2012 (http://collective.mech.northwestern.edu/?page_id=217) Collective Intelligence Conference Proceedings, MIT, 2014 (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/collectiveintelligence/schedule/) Collective Intelligence Conference Program, Santa Clara, 2015 DEADLINES Abstract submission deadline | 8 Feb 2016 Midnight PST Program Announcement | 1 Mar 2016 Conference Chair (http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/natalia-levina) Natalia Levina (NYU Stern School of Business) Program Chairs (http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=240491) Karim Lakhani (Harvard Business School) (https://www.si.umich.edu/people/paul-resnick)Paul Resnick (U of Michigan) Program Committee Members (http://tepper.cmu.edu/our-faculty-and-research/about-our-faculty/faculty-pr…) Anita Woolley (CMU) (http://questromapps.bu.edu/mgmt_new/profiles/O%27MahonySiobhan.html) Siobhan O'Mahony (Boston U) (http://web.eecs.umich.edu/%7Ewlasecki/index.html)Walter Lasecki (U of Michigan) (http://yiling.seas.harvard.edu/)Yiling Chen (Harvard) (http://www.wbs.ac.uk/about/person/emmanouil-gkeredakis) Emmanouil Gkeredakis (Warwick Business School) (https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/detail.php?in_spseqno=19289)Sinan Aral (MIT) (https://research.facebook.com/researchers/1471283266479125/lada-adamic/) Lada Adamic (Facebook) (http://www.chabris.com/)Christopher Chabris (Union College) (http://icouzin.princeton.edu/) Iain Couzin (Princeton) The NAACSOS mailing list is a service of NAACSOS, the North American Association for Computational and Organizational Science (http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/naacsos/) To remove yourself from this mailing list, send an email Majordomo(a)lists.andrew.cmu.edu with the following command in the body of your email message: unsubscribe naacsos-list **************************************************************** 10. Call for special issues, J of Interaction Science http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/ The J of Interaction Science: Please contact one of us to discuss any special issue you may wish to organize. Remember, it's never too late or too soon to think about special issues, submission or your own editorial. Prof. Christian Stary, christian.stary(a)jku.at Dr Gisela Susanne Bahr, gbahr(a)fit.edu editorial(a)journalofinteractionscience.com **************************************************************** 11. Call for papers, Holistic approaches for Human-Vehicle Systems IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems Call for Papers IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems Special Issue on: "Holistic approaches for Human-Vehicle Systems: combining models, interactions and control" Ground vehicles operate in a complex human-vehicle-road environment involving numerous levels of interaction among drivers, vehicles, and the ambient within which they travel. Human drivers may be "intelligent controllers" that define the intended driving direction and/or operate (totally or partially) autonomous vehicles. To support the development of safe driver-vehicle interactions in an era of increasing automation, methods for modeling and analyzing the contribution of driver performance are critical and essential. This raises interesting challenges associated with the characterization and modeling of human behaviors, particularly with respect to cognition and neuromuscular dynamics, their implication in closed-loop driver-vehicle performance, and their induced modifications brought about by interaction with the surrounding environment. Specifically, holistic approaches are of interest, which aim at efficiently and quantitatively combine different aspects of the human-vehicle interaction in specific application domains. This special issue focuses on these relevant driver-vehicle interaction topics, with attention paid to the range of vehicles and associated technology currently on the market and emerging in the era of increased automation. The topics of interest include but are not limited to: - Modeling and characterization of driver-vehicle interactions - Human driver modeling: neuromuscular dynamics, skills and learning - Advanced vehicle control systems with driver-in-the-loop - Intelligent and cognitive vehicles - Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) - Modeling and characterization of human drivers' errors - Characterization and quantification of driver's capabilities Important Dates: Manuscript submission: 15 Apr 16 Completion of first round of reviews: 31 Jul 16 Revised manuscript submission: 31 Sep 16 Notification of final decision: 15 Dec 16 Final manuscript submission: 31 Jan 17 Paper should be submitted through http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/thms, with a cover letter that contains the statement: "This manuscript is being submitted to the Special Issue: Modeling, Dynamics, Perception and Control of Human-V ehicle Systems". For detailed submission information, please refer to "Information for Authors" at http://ieee-smc.org/publications/thms-info-for-authors.pdf. Guest Editors: Mara Tanelli, Politecnico di Milano, Italy Dongpu Cao, Cranfield U, UK Rafael Toledo, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain Laura Stanley, Montana State U-Bozeman All enquiries to: mara.tanelli(a)polimi.it **************************************************************** 12. Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling [noted because it is an ongoing event] From: Niels Taatgen <n.a.taatgen(a)rug.nl> Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 09:43:07 +0100 To: <act-r-users(a)andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: [ACT-R-users] Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling NOTE: register before January 31 to avoid late fee Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling - ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, & Accumulator Models - Date: 4-8 April 2016 Location: Groningen, NL Fee: ¤ 200 (late fee ¤50 after 31 Jan) Registration: http://www.ai.rug.nl/springschool The Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling will cover four different modeling paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, and Accumulator models. It thereby offers a unique opportunity to learn the relative strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Each day will consist of four theory lectures, one on each paradigm. Each modeling paradigm also includes hands-on assignments. Although students are free to chose the number of lectures they attend, we recommend students to sign up for lectures on two of the modeling paradigms, and complete the tutorial units for one of the paradigms. At the end of each day there will be a plenary research talk, to show how these different approaches to modeling are applied. Admission is limited, so register soon! ACT-R Jelmer Borst, Hedderik van Rijn, Niels Taatgen (U of Groningen) http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu ACT-R is a high-level cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time experiments to driving a car, learning algebra, and air traffic control. ACT-R can be used to develop process models of a task at a symbolic level. Participants will follow a compressed five-day version of the traditional summer school curriculum. We will also cover the connection between ACT-R and fMRI, and the timing extension to ACT-R. Nengo Terry Stewart (U of Waterloo) 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 Niels Taatgen (U of Groningen) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/actransfer.html How do people handle and prioritize multiple tasks? How can we learn something in the context of one task, and partially benefit from it in another task? The goal of PRIMs is to cross the artificial boundary that most cognitive architectures have imposed on themselves by studying single tasks. It has mechanisms to model transfer of cognitive skills, and the competition between multiple goals. In the tutorial we will look at how PRIMs can model phenomena of cognitive transfer and cognitive training, and how multiple goals compete for priority in models of distraction. Accumulator Models Marieke van Vugt (U of Groningen) Decisions can be described in terms of a process of evidence accumulation, modeled with a drift diffusion mechanism. The advantage of redescribing the behavioral data with an accumulator model is that those can be decomposed into more easily-interpretable cognitive mechanisms such as speed-accuracy trade-off or quality of attention. In this course, you will learn about the basic mechanisms of drift diffusion models and apply it to your own dataset (if you bring one). You will also see some applications of accumulator models in the context of neuroscience and individual differences. Niels Taatgen - Professor n.a.taatgen(a)rug.nl U of Groningen, Artificial Intelligence http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels +31 50 3636435 **************************************************************** 13. Call for Future CogSci Conference Organizers January 2016 Call for Future CogSci Conference Organizers The Cognitive Science Society seeks organizers for the upcoming 2019 and 2020 annual conferences, both of which will take place in North America. Organizers are responsible for the scientific content of the program such as creating the conference theme, inviting keynotes and other symposia, overseeing the submission/review process, and creating the program schedule. Organizers are NOT responsible for budget, administrative details, or other logistics. They will have input in the 2019 and 2020 conference destinations, but it is not required. All organizers (2-4 each year) must possess a PhD and will receive a VIP travel package to the annual conference. Co-organizers do not need to be from the same institution, region, or area of expertise. If you are interested in serving as a conference organizer, please complete the following form by February 15: http://cbs.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3OY0vcVhtVd4ofj (or email Wong). If you have any questions, please direct them to the Conference Officer, Jessica Wong, at cogsci.jessica(a)gmail.com. **************************************************************** 14. Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science, and Summer program http://www.bscs-us.org/ [deadlines may have passed, but ongoing] Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 01:46:03 +0100 (CET) From: Érdi Péter <erdi.peter(a)wigner.mta.hu> Subject: [Comp-neuro] study abroad programs in Budapest BSCS-US announces its two programs in Budapest for 2016. 1. Our regular program: BSCS - BUDAPEST SEMESTER IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY TO NEUROSCIENCE will be held in the Fall of 2016, see http://www.bscs-us.org/ 2. We opened also a new program now in its second year: Systems Neuroscience: a study abroad summer program Program start/end dates 12 June - 5 Aug 2016 The BSCS Systems Neuroscience Program takes place at and academically supervised by the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis U Medical School, Budapest For details, see: http://sysneuro-semester.org/ Inquiry: Péter Érdi (SysNeuro Director; BSCS Co-Director) perdi(a)kzoo.edu, bscs(a)bscs-us.org, jhegedus(a)kzoo.edu **************************************************************** 15. CogACLL 2016 - First Call of Papers due 8 & 29 May 2016 http://sites.google.com/site/cognitivews2016 From: Alessandro Lenci alessandro.lenci(a)unipi.it Subject: [CUNY2016] CogACLL 2016 - First Call of Papers -------- CogACLL 2016 - First Call For Papers -------- ACL 2016 Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of Computational Language Learning (CogACLL) 11 Aug 2016 Berlin, Germany http://sites.google.com/site/cognitivews2016 Deadline for Long and Short Paper Submissions: 8 May 16 (11:59pm GMT -12) Deadline for System Demonstrations: 29 May 16 (11:59pm GMT -12) This workshop is endorsed by http://ifarm.nl/signll/ SIGNLL, the Special Interest Group on Natural Language Learning of the http://www.aclweb.org/ Association for Computational Linguistics. --------------------------------------------------------------- The human ability to acquire and process language has long attracted interest and generated much debate due to the apparent ease with which such a complex and dynamic system is learnt and used on the face of ambiguity, noise and uncertainty. This subject raises many questions ranging from the nature vs. nurture debate of how much needs to be innate and how much needs to be learned for acquisition to be successful, to the mechanisms involved in this process (general vs specific) and their representations in the human brain. There are also developmental issues related to the different stages consistently found during acquisition (e.g. one word vs. two words) and possible organizations of this knowledge. These have been discussed in the context of first and second language acquisition and bilingualism, with crosslinguistic studies shedding light on the influence of the language and the environment. The past decades have seen a massive expansion in the application of statistical and machine learning methods to natural language processing (NLP). This work has yielded impressive results in numerous speech and language processing tasks, including e.g. speech recognition, morphological analysis, parsing, lexical acquisition, semantic interpretation, and dialogue management. The good results have generally been viewed as engineering achievements. Recently researchers have begun to investigate the relevance of computational learning methods for research on human language acquisition and change. The use of computational modeling is a relatively recent trend boosted by advances in machine learning techniques, and the availability of resources like corpora of child and child-directed sentences, and data from psycholinguistic tasks by normal and pathological groups. Many of the existing computational models attempt to study language tasks under cognitively plausible criteria (such as memory and processing limitations that humans face), and to explain the developmental stages observed in the acquisition and evolution of the language abilities. In doing so, computational modeling provides insight into the plausible mechanisms involved in human language processes, and inspires the development of better language models and techniques. These investigations are very important since if computational techniques can be used to improve our understanding of human language acquisition and change, these will not only benefit cognitive sciences in general but will reflect back to NLP and place us in a better position to develop useful language models. Success in this type of research requires close collaboration between the NLP, linguistics, psychology and cognitive science communities. The workshop is targeted at anyone interested in the relevance of computational techniques for understanding first, second and bilingual language acquisition and language change in normal and clinical conditions. Long and short papers are invited on, but not limited to, the following topics: * Computational learning theory and analysis of language learning and organization * Computational models of first, second and bilingual language acquisition * Computational models of language changes in clinical conditions * Computational models and analysis of factors that influence language acquisition and use in different age groups and cultures * Computational models of various aspects of language and their interaction effect in acquisition, processing and change * Computational models of the evolution of language * Data resources and tools for investigating computational models of human language processes * Empirical and theoretical comparisons of the learning environment and its impact on language processes * Cognitively oriented Bayesian models of language processes * Computational methods for acquiring various linguistic information (related to e.g. speech, morphology, lexicon, syntax, semantics, and discourse) and their relevance to research on human language acquisition * Investigations and comparisons of supervised, unsupervised and weakly-supervised methods for learning (e.g. machine learning, statistical, symbolic, biologically-inspired, active learning, various hybrid models) from a cognitive perspective SUBMISSIONS ----------- We invite 3 submission modalities: * Regular long papers (8 content pages + 1 page for references): Long papers should report on original, solid and finished research including new experimental results, resources and/or techniques. * Regular short papers (4 content pages + 1 page for references): Short papers should report on small experiments, focused contributions, ongoing research, negative results and/or philosophical discussion. * System demonstration (2 pages): System demonstration papers should describe and document the demonstrated system or resources. We encourage the demonstration of both early research prototypes and mature systems, that will be presented in a separate demo session. All submissions must be in PDF format and must follow the ACL 2016 formatting requirements. We strongly advise the use of the provided Word or LaTeX template files. For long and short papers, the reported research should be substantially original. The papers will be presented orally or as posters. The decision as to which paper will be presented orally and which as poster will be made by the program committee based on the nature rather than on the quality of the work. Reviewing will be double-blind, and thus no author information should be included in the papers; self-reference should be avoided as well. Papers that do not conform to these requirements will be rejected without review. Accepted papers will appear in the workshop proceedings, where no distinction will be made between papers presented orally or as posters. Submission and reviewing will be electronic, managed by the START system: https://www.softconf.com/acl2016/CogACLL/ --------------------------------------------------------------- PROGRAM COMMITTEE Dora Alexopoulou, U of Cambridge (UK) Afra Alishahi, Tilburg U (Netherlands) Colin Bannard, U of Liverpool (UK) Philippe Blache, LPL-CNRS (France) Antal van den Bosch, Radboud U Nijmegen (Netherlands) Chris Brew, Nuance Communications (USA) Grzegorz Chrupa½a, Saarland U (Germany) Alexander Clark, Royal Holloway, U of London (UK) Robin Clark, U of Pennsylvania Walter Daelemans, U of Antwerp (Belgium) Dan Dediu, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (NL) Barry Devereux, U of Cambridge (UK) Emmanuel Dupoux, ENS - CNRS (France) Afsaneh Fazly, U of Toronto (Canada) Marco Idiart, Federal U of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) Gianluca Lebani, U of Pisa (Italy) Igor Malioutov, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tim O'Donnel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Muntsa Padró, Nuance (Canada) Lisa Pearl, U of California - Irvine Ari Rappoport, The Hebrew U of Jerusalem (Israel) Sabine Schulte im Walde, U of Stuttgart (Germany) Ekaterina Shutova, U of Cambridge (UK) Maity Siqueira, Federal U of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) Mark Steedman, U of Edinburgh (UK) Suzanne Stevenson, U of Toronto (Canada) Remi van Trijp, Sony Computer Science Laboratory Paris (France) Shuly Wintner, U of Haifa (Israel) Charles Yang, U of Pennsylvania Menno van Zaanen, Tilburg U (Netherlands) Alessandra Zarcone, Saarland U (Germany) --------------------------------------------------------------- WORKSHOP ORGANIZERS AND CONTACT Anna Korhonen (U of Cambridge, UK) Alessandro Lenci (U of Pisa, Italy) Brian Murphy (Queen's U Belfast, UK) Thierry Poibeau (LATTICE-CNRS, France) Aline Villavicencio (Federal U of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) For any inquiries regarding the workshop please send an email to cognitive2016(a)gmail.com **************************************************************** 16. AHFE 2016 International Conference on Simulation, 27-31 July 2016 [this has a cognitive architectures track, now] From: "AHFE Conference" <admin(a)ahfe2016.org> Subject: AHFE 2016 International Conference on Simulation (27-31 July 2016 Walt Disney World) Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2016 01:53:35 +0000 AHFE Mailing List Subscription admin(a)ahfe.org?Subject=Subscribe admin(a)ahfe.org?Subject=Unsubscribe Dear Colleagues, This is a gentle reminder for the AHFE 2016 International Conference on Human Factors and Simulation abstract and paper proposal submission extended deadline. The conference will be held at Walt Disney World® Swan and Dolphin Hotel, FL, 27-21 Jul 2016 (http://www.ahfe2016.org/) The 7th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2016) incorporates 26 thematic areas with participation of 2000 researcher and industry participant from more than 62 countries worldwide. Peer-review accepted full papers will be published in the AHFE 2016 proceedings and as chapters in Springer Multi-volume Edited Books under the prestigious series of LNCS Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing/ The extended deadline is approaching quickly! ------------------------------------------------------ Abstract Submission Deadline (500 words): 25 Feb 2016 Submission Website: https://cmt.research.microsoft.com/AHFE2016/ ------------------------------------------------------ Areas of interest include, but are not limited to those listed here: - Simulation of physiological behavior, measures, predictions - Virtual Reality and computer simulation of human behavior and performance - Computational models of human performance - Interaction with virtual environments - Simulator-based evaluations of human factors issues - Assessment of new simulation technologies and total ownership cost aspects - Developments in simulation and virtual environments to address HFergonomics issues - Human performance modelling We are looking forward to receiving your submission and welcoming you to Walt Disney World Florida! Best Regards, AHFE Administration **************************************************************** 17. 15th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop, Due 15 Apr https://sites.google.com/site/ncpw15/ Updated Announcement 10 Mar 2016: New Submission Date, Speaker Titles, Submission + Publication Details NCPW15 - 8-9 Aug 2016 - Philadelphia, PA https://sites.google.com/site/ncpw15/ 15th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop Contemporary Neural Network Models: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Cognition Funded by the W. K. & K. W. Estes Fund, Google DeepMind, and the Rumelhart Emergent Cognitive Functions Fund Organized by: Jay McClelland, Stefan Frank & Daniel Mirman 500-Word Abstracts and Applications to Attend Due: 15 Apr Notification of Acceptance and Travel Awards: 15 May We are pleased to announce a workshop on Contemporary Neural Network Models, bringing the latest developments in Deep Neural Networks, Deep Reinforcement Learning Networks, and Recurrent Neural Networks with Long-Short-Term Memory Units into contact with contemporary cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience research. Plenary speakers are established and emerging experts in the development of deep neural network models of perception, action and cognition, and include authors of Google DeepMind's projects achieving human-level performance in Atari games and Go and in creating innovative Cognitive architectures such as the Neural Turing Machine. The workshop, which continues the (http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/%7Ejxb/NCPW.html) Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW) series, will take place on Aug 8-9, 2016 in Philadelphia - in North America for the first time after 14 previous meetings in Europe. The Workshop has both a research dissemination and tutorial purpose. Research submissions are welcome based on a 500-word abstract for spoken and poster presentations in any area of computational research that applies neural network models or related approaches to understanding human cognition. To foster exchange of ideas, presentation of recently published work or work also submitted elsewhere is welcome, and there will be a publication option for new work. Both junior and senior scientists interested in learning more about the latest developments are encouraged to attend (space is limited and application is required) with or without making a presentation. Thanks to generous support, costs will be low and travel awards will encourage participation by a diverse population of participants with relevant goals. The (https://sites.google.com/site/ncpw15/) conference website provides full details and instructions for those interested in participating. Abstracts and applications to attend are due Apr 15 and notification of acceptance and travel awards will be made by May 15. Keynote Presentations Nikolaus Kriegeskorte, MRC-CBU Cambridge, UK. Deep Convolutional Nets and Biological Object Vision. Marco Zorzi, U of Padova. Unsupervised Deep Learning Models of Perception and Cognition: Space, Numbers, Words Andrew Saxe, Harvard U. A Theory of the Dynamics of Deep Learning: Consequences for Perceptual Learning and Semantic Development Greg Wayne, Google DeepMind. Integrating Neural and Symbolic Computation: The Neural Turing Machine and Beyond Timothy Lillicrap, Google DeepMind. Deep Reinforcement Learning: Algorithms and Applications from Reaching and Grasping to Winning at Go Linda Smith, Indiana U. What's Deep about Deep Learning? What Can it Tell us About the Mind? Workshop Structure Each of the two days of the NCPW workshop will include three 75 minute sessions led by invited speakers. The first five of these sessions will each focus on a different aspect or topic in contemporary neural network research, and each will be led by a different expert. The final session will begin with a commentary by a senior Cognitive Scientist (Linda Smith) followed by a panel discussion with the other five speakers. During lunch each day, the day's speakers will each hold a smaller discussion session with a subset of the workshop participants, and materials will be circulated in advance. Two 1.5-hour sessions each day will be devoted to submitted presentations selected for their scientific value and the extent to which they advance the use of neural network architectures, tools, and concepts in both computational and cognitive (neuro)science domains. A poster session at the end of the first day will allow all of the participants an opportunity to present and obtain feedback from the invited speakers, and to learn from and network with each other. A conference dinner on the first evening and a reception on the second evening will allow for informal interactions. NCPW15 will be complemented by a separate day-long tutorial on Wednesday, August 10, as part of the Cognitive Science Society meeting also in Philadelphia (pending acceptance by the Program Committee). This day-long event will provide additional tutorial presentations, followed by in depth how-to sessions associated with the actual implementation and effective practical mastery of deep learning networks for cognitive science research. Participants, Publication, Travel Awards, Costs, and Logistics The target population is PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and more advanced researchers at any level. Both contributing researchers and non-presenting attendees are welcome to apply. Contributing researchers will be selected based on a 500-word submitted research abstract, according to past policies of NCPW. As noted above, presentation of recently published work or work also submitted elsewhere are welcome. Participants will be invited to contribute otherwise unpublished work to a planned Frontiers in Cognitive Science Research Topic on contemporary neural network models. Selection of non-presenting attendees will be based on the relevance of the workshop to the attendee's goals as described in a short essay as well as a CV and, for junior scientist, a mentor's letter of support. Both trainees and contributing researchers not selected for oral presentations have the option to present a poster in the poster session. A total of 25 travel support awards ($250 domestic/$750 international) are available both for trainees and for contributing researchers to partially defray costs of attendance; support will be awarded based on the criteria above as well as need with attention to encouraging diversity. There is no registration fee for accepted participants. A low-price accommodation option ($50/night) will be available. Application Process and Venue: More detailed information on the application process and the venue are available at the (https://sites.google.com/site/ncpw15/) conference website. The deadline for presentation abstract submissions and for applications to attend will be April 15, 2016, and notification of acceptance and travel awards for trainees and participating researchers will be on 15 May 2016. 17b. AGI-16 deadline extended to 1 Apr 16 http://agi-conf.org/2016 Good news for busy researchers! The paper submission deadline for AGI-16 has been extended till April 1. Recall that the Ninth Annual Conference on Artificial General Intelligence, AGI-16, http://agi-conf.org/2016 will be held in New York City (July 16-19, 2016), as part of a larger event - HLAI-16 HUMAN-LEVEL AI 2016: http://agi-conf.org/hlai2016/ This will be the first-ever Multi-conference focused on the creation of thinking machines with capability at the human level and beyond. Gary Marcus and Stephen Grossberg are lined up as keynote speakers, and will be joined by 2-3 additional prestigious keynotes to be announced shortly. HLAI-16 will include AGI-16, and also BICA-16 (Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures), and the 2016 "Neural-Symbolic Learning and Reasoning" and "AI and Cognition" Workshops. These four conferences are normally held separately each year, at different times and locations. But this year they are coming together in time and space as a unique and unprecedented Multi-conference. Furthermore, the HLAI-16 Multi-conference will occur immediately after the IJCAI-16 (the largest international AI conference), which is also in New York City . AGI-16 will be organized just like previous AGI conferences, with the same focus and structure. Registration for each of the conferences within the multi-conference will be done separately. However, there will be numerous common events: common keynotes, a common poster and demo session, and a common multi-conference banquet. Most importantly, all 4 events will be held together at the New School in lower Manhattan, allowing free and wide-ranging HLAI and AGI discussions among attendees and presenters at all 4 conferences. Why a Human-Level AI Multi-conference in 2016? Looking backward, 2016 is the 60th anniversary of the Dartmouth Conferences, which effectively inaugurated the history of AI and cognitive systems research. Looking forward, 2016 is an unprecedentedly exciting time for AI R&D in general. It is a time when we are seeing a constant stream of practical and theoretical successes in various parts of the AI field. And it is a time when the quest to create AI systems with general intelligence at the human level and beyond is taken more seriously by a broader community than ever before. So 2016 is a perfect year to gather together an unprecedentedly large number of serious researchers and developers in the areas of AGI and Human-Level AI, for sharing ideas and results and planning collaborative R&D. And to top it all off, New York City in the summer is a fantastic place to be. The paper submission deadline has been extended till April 1, 2016; please see: http://agi-conf.org/2016/call-for-papers/ for further relevant dates. Note that the deadline for workshops, tutorials and demos has already passed. Yours, AGI-16 Conference Chair: Ben Goertzel, OpenCog Foundation Program Committee Chairs: Pei Wang, Temple University Bas Steunebrink, Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Organizing Committee: Matthew Ikle, Adams State College, OpenCog Foundation Jose Hernandez-Orallo, Universitat Politècnica de València) Tutorials and Workshops Chair) Brandon Rohrer, Microsoft (Poster and Demo Sessions Chair) Ed Keller, New School (Local Co-chair) AGI Conference Series Chairs: Ben Goertzel, OpenCog Foundation Marcus Hutter, ANU **************************************************************** 18. Special issue on cognitive engineering, J of Interaction Science http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/about [open access] We are writing today to let you know about some recent articles published in our open access journal Journal of Interaction Science (JoIS), and to invite you to be part of it. Chris Stary's Special issue on recent advances in cognitive engineering has been a great success! Here is a list of the articles and the editorial. Please note that we one article is not yet listed here because it is still in production. 1. Patterns to explore cognitive preferences and potential collective intelligence empathy for processing knowledge in virtual settings by Salim Chujfi, Christoph Meinel Journal of Interaction Science 2015, 3:5 (3 September 2015) http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5xzz3I6hg61ejIf 2. Modeling and Supporting Web-Navigation by Herre van Oostendorp, Sonal Aggarwal Journal of Interaction Science 2015, 3:3 (29 July 2015) http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5xzz3I6hg61ejIh 3. Personal ecologies of calendar artifacts by Anke Dittmar, Laura Dardar Journal of Interaction Science 2015, 3:2 (28 July 2015) http://journalofinteractionscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40166… 4. The concept of "presence" as a measure of ecological validity in driving simulators by Christophe Deniaud, Vincent Honnet, Benoit Jeanne, Daniel Mestre Journal of Interaction Science http://news.springer.com/re?l=D0In5xzz3I6hg61ejIj 5. Editorial: Special issue on recent advances in cognitive engineering by Chris Stary, Journal of Interaction Science 2015, 3:4 (28 August 2015) http://journalofinteractionscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40166… The vision of JoIS is based on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary science model for the investigation, development, integration and evaluation of humans interacting with technology. We welcome cross-cutting method developments as well as analytical application studies evaluated in the field. Enjoy some of our latest articles **************************************************************** 19. Oxford books (>$100) get 30% off https://global.oup.com/ Oxford University Press has a spring sale. They publish the Oxford Series on Cognitive Models and Architectures. If you purchase $100 or more, you can have 30% off, not just the cognitive modeling books. The code is 33835 . **************************************************************** 20. Proceedings of Workshop on Cogn Archs for Social HRI https://sites.google.com/site/cogarch4socialhri2016/proceedings Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2016 09:47:08 +0000 From: Severin Lemaignan <severin.lemaignan(a)PLYMOUTH.AC.UK> Subject: 2nd CfP: Cognitive Architectures for Social HRI - Workshop at HRI'16 HRI'16 2nd Workshop on Cognitive Architectures for Social Human-Robot Interaction Full day workshop -- Monday 7th March, 2016 (Christchurch, New Zealand) https://sites.google.com/site/cogarch4socialhri2016/ https://sites.google.com/site/cogarch4socialhri2016/proceedings DESCRIPTION ----------- Cognitive Architectures are constructs (encompassing both theory and models) that seek to account for cognition (over multiple timescales) using a set of domain-general structures and mechanisms. Typically (but not always) inspired by human cognition, the emphasis is on deriving a set of principles of operation not constrained to a specific task or context. This therefore presents a holistic perspective: it forces the system designer to initially take a step back from diving into computational mechanisms and consider what sort of functionality needs to be present, and how this relates to other cognitive competencies. Thus the very process of applying such an approach to HRI may yield benefits, such as the integration of evidence from the human sciences in a principled manner, the facilitation of comparison of different systems (abstracting away from specific computational algorithms), and as a more principled manner to verify and refine the resultant autonomous systems. For HRI, such an approach to building autonomous systems based on Cognitive Architecture - 'cognitive integration' - would emphasise first those aspects of behaviour that are common across domains, before applying these to specific interaction contexts for evaluation. Furthermore, given inspiration from human cognition, it can also inherently take into account the behaviour of the humans with which the system should interact, with the intricacies and sub-optimality that this entails. To date, there have been relatively few efforts to apply such ideas to the context of HRI in a structured manner. The first workshop sought to bring attention to the topic by providing a forum to discuss the reasons and potential for the application of Cognitive Architectures to autonomous HRI systems. In this second workshop, we propose focusing more specifically on the application of Cognitive Architectures to *Social* HRI systems. The format of the workshop is oriented towards discussion shaped by participant contributions, and we expect vibrant interactivity to contribute to the cross-fertilization of ideas in this exciting area. In order to consolidate the outcomes of the workshop, we are planning a special issue (journal TBA), to which we will invite participants to submit extended versions of their workshop papers. To maintain continuity with the workshop, we will expect all submissions to answer the same questions listed above. Given this common ground between submissions, we envisage that this will additionally form a future reference point for the application of Cognitive Architectures to social HRI research and applications. ORGANISERS AND CONTACT ----------------------- Paul Baxter (Plymouth U, UK) paul.baxter(a)plymouth.ac.uk Greg Trafton (Naval Research Laboratory) Séverin Lemaignan (Plymouth U, UK) **************************************************************** 21. BRIMS 2013: introduction to CMOT special issue http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5zo16I6hi0lc9I1 [This is the most recent special issue of Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory to arise from the BRIMS conference] BRIMS 2013: Introduction to CMOT special issue Behavior representation in modeling and simulation: introduction to CMOT special issue: BRiMS 2013 William G. Kennedy, Robert St. Amant & David Reitter, p. 1-3 Abstract: http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5zo16I6hi0lc9I1 Full text PDF: http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5zo16I6hi0lc9I2 An agent-based model of organizational ambidexterity decisions and strategies in new product development Christine Chou, Steven O. Kimbrough, 4-46 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10588-015-9195-8 A longitudinal study of evolving networks in response to natural disaster Alireza Abbasi, Naim Kapucu, 47-70 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10588-015-9196-7 Weekends as social distancing and their effect on the spread of influenza Philip C. Cooley, Sarah M. Bartsch, 71-87 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10588-015-9198-5 Individual and organizational conditions for the emergence and evolution of bandwagons Davide Secchi, Nicole L. Gullekson, 88-133 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10588-015-9199-4 **************************************************************** 22. BRIMS 2012: introduction to CMOT special issue http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I3 [Another special issue of Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory to arise from the BRIMS conference] BRIMS 2012: Introduction to CMOT special issue Behavioral representation in modeling and simulation: introduction to CMOT special issue-BRiMS 2012 Bradley J. Best, William G. Kennedy & Robert St. Amant http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I3 Optimal exploration and exploitation: the managerial intentionality perspective Sasanka Sekhar Chanda & Sougata Ray http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I5 ACT-R models of information foraging in geospatial intelligence tasks Jaehyon Paik & Peter Pirolli http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I7 Modeling the span of control of leaders with different skill sets Walid F. Nasrallah, Charbel J. Ouba, Ali A. Yassine & Issam M. Srour http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9I9 On the robustness of centrality measures against link weight quantization in social networks Sho Tsugawa, Yukihiro Matsumoto & Hiroyuki Ohsaki http://alerts.springer.com/re?l=D0In5x8koI6hi0lc9Ib **************************************************************** 23. MSc Course in Cognitive Systems at Open U of Cyprus From: George Angelos Papadopoulos <george(a)CS.UCY.AC.CY> Subject: MSc Course in Cognitive Systems To: CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS(a)LISTSERV.ACM.ORG MSc Course in Cognitive Systems As we enter the new era of cognitive systems that learn, reason, and interact with humans in a cognitively-compatible manner, we are pleased to announce the start of an innovative distance learning M.Sc. Program in Cognitive Systems. The program is offered jointly by two state universities of Cyprus: the Open U of Cyprus, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, and the U of Cyprus, Departments of Psychology and Computer Science. Courses will be taught in English via live online weekly meetings, exams will be taken in-class at a student's country of residence, and an optional summer camp will be held in Cyprus. Information about the curriculum structure and modules, application deadlines and fees, and financial support opportunities can be found online at: http://cogsys.ouc.ac.cy Applications for the academic year 2016-2017 are accepted online from March 15, 2016. We appreciate your help in circulating this announcement to interested students. A promotional flyer can be downloaded from: http://cogsys.ouc.ac.cy/flyer **************************************************************** 24. Tenure Track Asst Prof in Cognitive Psychology at Syracuse U [slightly out of date, but note that it is multi-year hiring plan] Tenure Track Asst Prof in Cognitive Psychology at Syracuse U. As part of our multiyear hiring plan, the Department of Psychology at Syracuse U invites applications for a full time tenure-track position in Cognitive Psychology to join the Cognition, Brain, & Behavior (CBB) area. The successful candidate is expected to pursue an exceptional program of research using rigorous methods and driven by a strong theoretical foundation to understand fundamental mechanisms underlying cognition. Candidates with a program of research utilizing outstanding quantitative skills will receive special consideration. Applicants for the position should have a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field. Successful candidates will show evidence of (1) high quality scholarship and the potential to build a vigorous program of funded research (2) teaching promise at the undergraduate and graduate levels and (3) promise of excellence in engaging graduate and undergraduate students in research. Responsibilities include maintaining an active program of research, teaching and advising at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and contributing to the CBB program. Information about the department may be found at http://psychology.syr.edu/. CBB has collaborations with the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience program http://neuroscience.syr.edu/index.html. Review of applications will begin 1 Nov 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. The university and department have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. Syracuse U is an equal opportunity, affirmative-action institution. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for these positions. The Department of Psychology and broader Syracuse community provides a rich and supportive environment for inclusive research involving ethnically and economically diverse populations. Syracuse is located in beautiful Upstate New York. The city and surrounding areas offer outstanding school systems, a modest cost of living, proximity to nature (Adirondack Mountains, Thousand Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes) and easy access to major eastern cities. Several major medical centers, including SUNY Upstate Medical Center and the Syracuse VA Medical Center, are in close proximity to Syracuse U and offer opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Applicants must complete a brief online faculty application at https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/61035. Attach electronic copies of your curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing your research and teaching accomplishments and interests and one representative paper. Three letters of recommendation are required. Detailed instructions for uploading their confidential recommendation letter into the system will be sent to references identified in your application. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and will continue until the position is filled. **************************************************************** 25. Post-doc/programmer in tutoring/modeling at PSU, July/Aug 2016 Ritter will have a post-doc position available July/August 2016 for a period of at least one year but more likely 2 or 3 years (subject to continued funding from ONR and successful performance). It will be to work on the D2P tutoring system (http://acs.ist.psu.edu/projects/d2p) and related modeling and experimental studies in learning. Experience with Ruby would be helpful, as well as ACT-R, Lisp, R, Java, and Unity. But strong programming in other areas would be welcome and could transition to our tools. It is similar in many ways to Coty Gonzalez's positions in this message. This is not a formal announcement, but if interested, please let frank.ritter(a)psu.edu know of your interest. Salary is designed to be competeative, and includes some travel, and, of course, writing. **************************************************************** 26. U of California at Riverside hiring 300 (!) http://clusterhiring.ucr.edu Date: Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:04:44 -0800 From: Aaron Seitz <aseitz(a)ucr.edu> To: <comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org> The U of California at Riverside (UCR) is embarking on a major new hiring initiative that will add 300 tenure-track positions in 33 cross-disciplinary areas selected through a peer-reviewed competition (http://clusterhiring.ucr.edu) Over the next three years, UCR will hire multiple faculty members in each area and invest in research infrastructure to support their work. This initiative will build critical mass in vital and emerging fields of scholarship, foster truly cross-disciplinary work and further diversify the faculty at one of America's most diverse research universities. In a major Neuroscience initiative, we seek to hire up to 8 tenure-track or tenured faculty members as part of a cross campus multi-disciplinary effort to study the nervous system (from development, to function, to aging, degeneration and repair). We seek researchers that collectively span multi-disciplinary levels of investigation (molecular mechanisms to circuit analysis to complex behaviors) using state of the art techniques (molecular, optogenetics, behavioral, educational, computational, imaging, genetic and research of clinical populations) applied to experimental model systems of health, injury and disease (invertebrate, vertebrate or human systems). Our goal is to recruit a team of collaborative individuals with an outstanding record, committed to excellence in research, that complement existing campus strengths. Applicants for tenured positions should also demonstrate notable scientific contributions and sustained extramural support. Successful candidates must also have clear potential or demonstrated ability to work successfully with and benefit a diverse student body. UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification. Depending on research focus, training background and career achievements, successful candidates will be appointed at the rank of assistant, associate or full professor within College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Bourns College of Engineering, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Graduate School of Education or the School of Medicine. To foster development of collaborative research across hiring units, the successful candidates will participate in a campus wide seminar program and annual research retreat. Particular strengths on the campus pertinent to this recruitment include sensory processing, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, glial-neuronal interactions, cognitive neurotherapeutics, functional imaging, assessment and interventions of clinical populations, child development, circuits, neurobiology and endocrinology of behavior. Successful candidates will be also expected to contribute to teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels depending upon the college/department to which the candidate is assigned. Advancement through the faculty ranks at the U of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every 2-3 years, each of which includes substantial peer input. The U of California, Riverside is centrally located within the Southern California area and situated in an historic citrus growing area surrounded by mountain ranges. Riverside is an hour away from ski slopes, surfing, or hiking in mountain wilderness or desert environments, and housing in the area is very affordable. The campus is located in close proximity to a host of high profile universities, research institutes, and biotech industries in Southern California. Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D., Pharm D., or equivalent degree and qualify for a tenure track or tenured faculty appointment at the U of California. Applications will be reviewed beginning January 1st and the positions will remain open until filled. To Apply: Please submit the following items electronically through the APRecruit system: Cover Letter, Curriculum vitae, statement of research accomplishments and goals, statement of teaching expertise. Choose the appropriate link based on qualifications Asst Prof - https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00498 Assoc/Full Prof - https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00490 **************************************************************** 27. Aerospace Engineering and ethics, PSU full consideration by Jan 2016 [search might be quite far along, but an interesting position] The Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Rock Ethics Institute (the "Rock") invite nominations and applications for an open-rank tenure-track position starting in 2016. The Department seeks an outstanding individual who is committed to undergraduate and graduate education and to the establishment of an externally-funded research program that supports graduate education. Candidates must possess technical expertise related to the design and engineering of unmanned air vehicles and systems, as well as demonstrable complementary interests in the societal and ethical aspects of such systems. Candidates who can contribute to interdisciplinary and collaborative programs involving UAS and ethics are of primary interest. The research area represented by this search could be viewed as a special aspect of a broader one at the intersection of robotics, cognitive science, human-computer interactions, autonomy, and ethics. Applicants must have a doctorate in engineering or science. This aerospace faculty member will be affiliated with the Penn State Rock Ethics Institute (http://rockethics.psu.edu) We seek candidates who will build on the Rock's tradition of excellence in collaborative, interdisciplinary ethics research and ethically informed decision support for significant societal issues, as well as its success in integrating ethics into the curriculum. Responses received before Jan 2016 are assured full consideration, but the search will remain open until the position is filled. Applicants should submit electronically a single pdf file to job 60531 at www.psu.jobs. The file should contain: a cover letter; a CV; statements of research and teaching interests; a statement of how the candidate's work is relevant to the Rock's vision and how such a position would enhance their own work; and the names and contact information for at least three references. **************************************************************** 28. Visiting Assistant Professor, Bucknell U. Fall 2016 [URL too long] We're looking for a VAP who would begin Fall 2016 (information contained in the link below). Could be useful for some senior grad students there who have a background in CS, or others. https://www.higheredjobs.com/institution/details.cfm?JobCode=176218507&Titl… Chris Dancy <christopher.dancy(a)bucknell.edu> **************************************************************** 29. Robotics faculty member, Missouri U of S&T Review started 1 feb 16 My department is currently searching for a robotics faculty member, specifically human-robot collaboration; control and coordination; sensing, perception, and vision; design, particularly using novel locomotion and materials; (e) innovative applications (factory, mining, surgery, space, harsh environments, etc.). Our department has growing space systems focus with faculty in cube/nanosats, propulsion, tracking and estimation, materials and structures, we are seeking a new key addition in robotics. Information on the faculty positions can be found here: http://mae.mst.edu/department/maejobpositions/ Review started 1 feb 16 Thank you for your help Joshua L. Rovey, Ph.D. Ph: (573) 341-4613 Assoc Prof of Aerospace Eng roveyj(a)mst.edu Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Missouri U of Science & Technology (Formerly U of Missouri-Rolla) Rolla, MO. 65409-0050 http://campus.mst.edu/aplab/ **************************************************************** 30. Open/data science developer jobs at Databrary.org https://databrary.org/about/jobs.html [seems out of date, but this is an ongoing project and has jobs listed on 19 mar 16] From: Rick Gilmore <rogilmore(a)psu.edu> Subject: Open/data science developer jobs at Databrary.org Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2015 10:55:47 -0400 Colleagues, As some of you know, I am co-PI and associate director of the Databrary (http://databrary.org) digital data library. The project is funded by NSF, NICHD, and the Society for Research in Child Development. We have several openings for full-time or contract developers (https://databrary.org/about/jobs.html) An especially urgent need is for a Java developer to help us enhance an open source video coding/tagging/annotation tool called Datavyu (http://datavyu.org) The job posting is here: https://databrary.org/about/jobs/datavyu.html While we have some preference for having a developer in the NYC area for proximity to the NYU-based team, we are open to other arrangements, including the possibility of working remotely from say, State College. Best, Rick O. Gilmore, Ph.D. (814) 865-3664 Assoc Prof of Psychology rogilmore(a)psu.edu Penn State University Park, PA 16801 http://www.personal.psu.edu/rog1 http://gilmore-lab.github.io **************************************************************** 31. Researcher and Engineer positions at ATR Brain Labs, Kyoto, Japan http://www.cns.atr.jp/en/ [these folks made an interesting presentation at BICA this fall] Subject: [Comp-neuro] Researcher and Engineer positions at ATR Brain Labs, Kyoto, Japan Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan, has openings for researcher and research engineer positions and invite applications from people with strong motivations and ambitions in the research project described below. We will study how to analyze multi-modal sensor measurements to create "artificial intelligence with consciousness" by installing a "consciousness module" to man-made information-processing systems. In particular, we will develop and implement machine-learning techniques for attention, which dynamically processes data stream to find where to focus and intensively analyze and picks up information essential for decision-making. Our attention module will be developed for video, audio, and bio signals. Our project is in close collaboration with neuroscientists led by Dr. Ryota Kanai (CEO & Chief Scientist, ARAYA Brain Imaging, Tokyo, Japan). PIs and co-PIs in the project are Dr. Ryota Kanai (ARAYA), Prof. Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Monash U, Australia), Dr. Masafumi Oizumi (RIKEN, Japan), Dr. Motoaki Kawanabe (ATR), and Prof. Takuya Maekawa (Osaka U, Japan). We look forward to your applications and recommendations. Motoaki Kawanabe, Ph.D. Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan = Requirements for Researchers = Applicants must: - have a Ph.D. (or be near completion). - have strong motivations and ambitions to take part in the research above. Successful candidates will have interest in neural and cognitive science with expertise in one or more of the following areas are welcomed: - Machine learning, pattern recognition, signal processing, computer vision, robotics, bio-medical engineering. = Requirements for Research Engineers = Applicants must have strong motivations and ambitions to take part in the research above mainly from program development, data analysis, and experimental support. = Number of openings = A few = Employment conditions = Position : Full-time Researcher / Full-time Research Engineer Tenure : Single year based contract, renewable based on evaluation Treatment: Based on individual performance Work Location: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan = Application materials = Please submit the following five materials to the contact address below, either in printed or electronic form: 1. CV 2. List of publications 3. Reprints of 1-3 major publications (applicants for Researchers) or summary of past projects 4. Essay (up to two pages in A4 or letter size) describing: - Summary of your previous research and/or development - Interests for research - Additional research skills not directly foreseeable from 1 or 2 5. Recommendation letters from more than two researchers * If submitted in printed form, original documents will not be returned. = Judging system = After documentary examination, we ask for presentation and interview if needed = Starting date = Soon (negotiable) = Deadline for application = Opens until positions are filled. = Contact = Department of Dynamic Brain Imaging ATR Cognitive Mechanisms Laboratories (Application for Researcher Position) 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan Email: dbi-cma(a)atr.jp = Use of personal data = All personal data received will be properly managed and only be used for the purpose of recruitment. -- KANEMURA Atsunori, Ph.D. Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR), Kyoto, Japan **************************************************************** 32. Postdoctoral Fellow, CMU with Gonzalez http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/ [expired, but recurrent] [left in because there are often jobs here] JOB OPPORTUNITY: POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW POSITION Starting on Jan 2016 Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory Department of Social and Decision Sciences CMU http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/ Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Fellow position in the Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory (DDMLab: http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/) at CMU. The post-doctoral fellow will be involved in projects related to Network Science, broadly defined, aiming at the study of the formation and behavior of networks departing from the individual behavior. Research will involve investigation of dynamic decision making, and the emergence, maintenance and reduction of trust and credibility with experience. The candidate should have a strong background on behavioral and computational research, and will work with Professor Gonzalez and collaborators from many other universities. The ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. in Psychology, Decision Sciences, or Human Factors Engineering, and should have broad research interests involving human behavior, learning, and decision making from the cognitive, social, and computational science perspectives. The applicant should have a strong behavioral and technical background in modeling (cognitive, mathematical, computational modeling), and must be interested in both, basic and applied areas of psychological research. Particular knowledge on Decisions from Experience and Behavioral Game Theory, literature, experimental methods, and paradigms are a plus. Technical skills in Matlab, R, and Python are ideal. Demonstrated writing ability of research manuscripts is required. The position is a one-year full time position with full benefits with possibility of renewal to a second year. The DDMLab is part of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at CMU, which is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh is one of America's most livable cities (http://www.cmu.edu/student-life/pittsburgh.shtml) and it has a strong university presence with over a dozen colleges and campuses and a great cultural scene. Applicants should send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, relevant journal articles, and three letters of reference before 30 Nov 2015. Please send electronic documents (Word, Pdf) to: coty(a)cmu.edu. Cleotilde Gonzalez <coty(a)cmu.edu> **************************************************************** 33. Positions available at the US Army Res Lab From: "Marge, Matthew R CIV USARMY RDECOM ARL (US)" <matthew.r.marge.civ(a)MAIL.MIL> Subject: Civil service and postdoctoral positions available at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory To: HRI-ANNOUNCEMENT(a)LISTSERV.ACM.ORG The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is seeking both civil service positions and postdoctoral fellows interested in enhancing performance in human-robot interaction. The goal of the Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) program is to maximize the effectiveness of integrating intelligent, autonomous, unmanned technology into the Soldier team through the development of current and future Soldier-system interactions. We seek to identify tools, techniques, and measures that can be used to improve and assess performance for human-systems teams. We are interested in research results that can be applicable across environments, operations, and platforms, including human interactions with microsystems. Specific areas of interest include: manned-unmanned teaming; naturalistic communications including natural language and multimodal interfaces; impact of social and cultural context on human-robot interaction; human-systems team processes & performance; intent; HRI metrics development; trust; situation awareness; and strategies for workload management. Positions are available for conducting research on human-robot interaction at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and Orlando, FL. U.S. citizenship is required. For more information about the U.S. Army Research Lab (Research areas; Post Doctoral Programs): http://www.arl.army.mil If interested, send resume/CV and inquiries to: Susan G. Hill, susan.g.hill.civ(a)mail.mil Keywords: Human-robot interaction; HRI; Manned-unmanned teaming; Human performance; Unmanned systems; Autonomous systems; Intelligent systems; Microsystems; User Interfaces; Trust; Intent; Social-Cultural context; Natural Language; Gesture; Human factors **************************************************************** 34. Doctoral Student Fellowship - U of Lausanne, Switzerland From: "Julian Marewski" <Julian.Marewski(a)unil.ch> To: <act-r-users(a)ACTR-SERVER.HPC1.CS.cmu.edu> Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 14:12:58 +0100 Doctoral Student Fellowship Applicants should be interested in the mathematical or computational modeling of human decision or memory processes, and/or in the cognitive mechanisms underlying bounded and ecological rationality, and/or in ecological approaches to cognition in general. We are also interested in receiving applications from candidates with a background in history or biology, who seek to apply experimental and simulation methods to understand past and modern-day collective behavior in humans (e.g., mass phenomena in World War II or in the Roman military). Knowledge of quantitative research methods, and ideally, programming skills (e.g., MATLAB, R, LISP) is helpful but not required. A university degree in psychology, business, economics, mathematics, computer science, physics, biology, or history is required. Very good English skills are required. The doctoral student position (minimum 60%) can begin as early as August 1st 2016, or later if the candidate asks for a later starting date. The maximum funding period is 5 years, with the first contract being 1 year and then renewable 2X2 years. Successful candidates will obtain a Ph.D. The doctoral student will be mentored by Julian Marewski. The work location is Lausanne Dorigny. Please submit applications by 1 May, but the job offer will remain open until the position is filled. Applications include a cover letter describing research interests and a potential thesis project, curriculum vitae, university transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. The preferred method of submission are PDF files e-mailed to julian.marewski(a)unil.ch. The Department of Organizational Behavior of the Faculty for Business and Economics at the U of Lausanne provides a stimulating, interdisciplinary research environment. We value the diversity of the expertise of the members of the department (we have Ph.D.s in psychology, business, management, and economics; current doctoral students have a Master degree in e.g., psychology, business or physics). We publish in top-tier journals in different disciplines, including Science, Psychological Review, and the American Economic Review. Our department's members come from different countries, and the working language of the department is English. Located near Lake Geneva and surrounded by the Jura Mountains and the French Alps, Lausanne is a beautiful and cosmopolitan spot to live. We have a collegial atmosphere that makes it easy for us to carry out our research. Information about the Department of Organizational Behavior is available at http://www.hec.unil.ch/hec/recherche/unite?set_language=en More information about the position can be inquired directly from julian.marewski(a)unil.ch This is an non-official job description from the U of Lausanne. **************************************************************** 35. PostDoc: compt models of optogenetic stim in epilepsy patients U. of Newcastle Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2016 22:41:04 +0000 From: Marcus Kaiser <m.kaiser(a)newcastle.ac.uk> To: comp-neuro(a)neuroinf.org Subject: [Comp-neuro] PostDoc position: developing computational models of optogenetic stimulation in epilepsy patients a 3-year PostDoc position for developing computational models of optogenetic stimulation in epilepsy patients is available within my lab as part of the CANDO project at Newcastle U. *** About CANDO *** CANDO (Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics, http://www.cando.ac.uk/) is a world-class, multi-site, cross-disciplinary project to develop a cortical implant for optogenetic neural control. The goal is to create a first-in-human trial in patients with focal epilepsy. This seven year, £10M Innovative Engineering for Health Award, funded by the http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/ Wellcome Trust and the http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) involves a team of over 30 neuroscientists, engineers and clinicians based at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/ Newcastle U, http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/electricalengineering Imperial College London, https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys U College London and http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/ The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. *** Available RA position *** As part of this project, the lab of Prof. Marcus Kaiser (http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/) is seeking a talented and enthusiastic research fellow with a PhD awarded, or a PhD thesis about to be submitted, in computational biology or related subjects. Objectives of this position are, first, to develop a detailed simulation of human brain activity at the local and global level of epilepsy patients. Second, the effect of stimulation on ongoing activity will be studied. Third, dynamical systems theory and extensive simulations will be used to find optimal stimulation approaches that can reach desired oscillation patterns with minimal stimulation. Simulations will be informed by invasive recordings and non-invasive brain connectivity measurements in human epilepsy patients. Good communication skills, very strong dynamics modelling skills, and a track record of previous peer-reviewed journal publications. You will have experience with modelling brain rhythms and dynamical systems. The position will include brief visits to our partners in the UK and abroad. *** Research Environment *** Neuroinformatics at Newcastle U in the UK covers a range of topics from electrophysiology to neuroimaging. We are among the pioneers in connectome analysis and the establishment of large-scale neuroscience data management and analysis platforms, e.g. through the £4m EPSRC-funded CARMEN project. Our strength is a close collaboration between computational, experimental, and clinical researchers. We currently have a team of 12 faculty members in the areas of Neuroinformatics and Neurotechnology which is growing to 15 members by the end of this year: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ *** How to Apply *** To apply, follow the information at http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AUD320/research-assistant-associate-computational… The deadline is Thursday 7 April. For further information, contact Marcus.Kaiser(a)ncl.ac.uk Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. https://twitter.com/ConnectomeLab @ConnectomeLab Professor of Neuroinformatics Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group School of Computing Science Newcastle U Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Lab website: http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ Neuroinformatics@Newcastle: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ **************************************************************** 36. Research Positions with the US Air Force Res Lab [some deadlines past, but some not given, and ongoing hiring here it appears] From: "GUNZELMANN, GLENN F DR-03 USAF AFMC 711 HPW/RHAC" <glenn.gunzelmann(a)us.af.mil> To: "act-r-users(a)ACTR-SERVER.HPC1.CS.cmu.edu" <act-r-users(a)ACTR-SERVER.HPC1.CS.cmu.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2016 21:49:50 +0000 Subject: [ACT-R-users] Research Positions with the US Air Force Res Lab **With apologies and respect to our valued colleagues of other nationalities, only US citizens and permanent legal residents of the United States are eligible for these positions.** The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Cognitive Models and Agents Branch has a variety of research positions available for talented cognitive, computational, and computer scientists interested in working on basic and applied cognitive science research. Positions will contribute to various projects spanning the breadth research activities within the branch, including: (a) predictive models of learning and forgetting; (b) decision heuristics; (c) interactive task learning; (d) robustness; (e) simulations of fatigue and vigilance; (f) integrated models of physiology, perception, cognition, and action; (g) autonomous teammates and trainers, and (h) high performance and distributed computing for model testing and validation. We have a number of full-time, paid positions available to qualified and enthusiastic individuals, including at least the following: 1. Full-time government civilian employee (early to mid-career): Focus is on the application of computational cognitive science and artificial intelligence to autonomy. See position description and application instructions here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/427565200 **Note: The application deadline for this is 1 February!! 2. Model developer (multiple opportunities): PhD required. Experience in developing computational models in complex tasks. Preference for a range of experience encompassing multiple modeling approaches spanning multiple levels of abstraction (e.g., Soar; ACT-R; IMPRINT; GOMS) 3. Software engineer: Background/familiarity with cognitive science and artificial intelligence is a benefit 4. Sleep Scientist: Experience in designing and executing experiments involving 24+ hours of total sleep deprivation 5. Research Assistants (B.S. or B.A. in psychology): Experience in experiment design, data collection, and analysis. Experience with R and/or Matlab desired. Experience with EEG also a plus. Excellent writing & communication skills. All positions are located in Dayton, OH, at Wright Patterson AFB. Positions would start as early as June 2016. If interested, please email glenn.gunzelmann(a)us.af.mil. Include a current CV. Glenn Gunzelmann, Ph.D. (937) 938-3554 Senior Research Psychologist glenn.gunzelmann(a)us.af.mil S&T Advisor, Cognitive Models & Agents Branch 711 HPW/RHAC Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7905 **************************************************************** 37. Post-doctoral positions at CMU, DDM Lab Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory Department of Social and Decision Sciences CMU http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/ The Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory (DDMLab: http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab/) at CMU is seeking applications for two post-doctoral research fellows. (1) A first post-doctoral fellow position is funded by The National Science Foundation (NSF), Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences program. This fellow will be involved in theoretical research regarding learning theories of decisions based on experiential and descriptive information. The ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. in Psychology and strong interest in Decision Sciences. The applicant should have a strong experimental background as well as experience or interest in computational/cognitive modeling approaches to explain behavior. Strong behavioral modeling background in reinforcement learning methods and Bayesian learning approaches are a plus. Particular knowledge of the literature related to Decisions from Experience and Behavioral Game Theory is desired. This position has a starting date of May-June 2016. (2) A second post-doctoral fellow position is funded by the Army Research Laboratories (ARL). This fellow will be involved in basic research on Network Science, broadly defined. Our project aim at the study of the formation and behavior of networks departing from individual behavior. Research will involve investigation of dynamic decision making, and the emergence, maintenance and reduction of trust and credibility on information with experience. The ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering or Information Sciences, and should have broad research interests involving human behavior, learning, and decision making from the cognitive, social, and computational science perspectives. The applicant should have a strong behavioral and technical background in modeling (cognitive, mathematical, computational modeling), and must be interested in both, basic and applied areas of psychological research. Particular knowledge on Decisions from Experience, Behavioral Game Theory, Network theory from the experimental and computational perspectives are a plus. The candidate will interact with a large network of collaborators in Engineering and Computer Science. This position has an immediate starting date. Both positions are full time research positions with full benefits for one year, with a possibility of renewal for a second year. All applicants should demonstrate technical skills in Matlab, R, and Python; knowledge in statistics, writing abilities, and good communication skills. Applicants please send: a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, relevant journal articles, and three letters of reference before 15 Mar 2015. A decision will be made by 31 Mar. Please send electronic documents (Word, Pdf) to: coty(a)cmu.edu. The DDMLab is part of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences at CMU, which is located Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh is one of America's most livable cities and it has a strong university presence with over a dozen colleges and campuses and a great cultural scene. 38. Job(s) at Pacific Science, San Diego, CA (rolling deadline) Cognitive Scientist / Senior Scientist Pacific Science & Engineering Group, Inc., San Diego, CA Pacific Science & Engineering (PSE) is seeking a highly qualified professional to join our full-time technical staff as a cognitive scientist. PSE is a San Diego-based, employee-owned, small business, specializing in human factors engineering, research, development, and cognitive engineering services for clients worldwide. We take a scientific approach to improving human performance and in developing and assessing user interfaces in complex work domains, including military, national security, medical, and commercial information systems. Candidates should be capable of working flexibly in small research teams on several concurrent projects, taking leading and supporting roles, as necessary. We are looking for a motivated self-starter. Excellent verbal, technical communication skills are necessary. Desirable education, skills and experience include: - PhD in cognitive science, cognitive or perceptual psychology, human factors, or a related field - Research experience in human cognition or perception in laboratory and applied settings - Experience in measurement of human performance - Research interests in decision-making, automation, modeling and simulation - Experience with task- or user-centered design Responsibilities of the position are: - Perform human factors engineering and applied, cognitive science research - Develop creative and scientifically-based solutions to complex, applied problems - Assume responsibilities and contribute at all levels in small project teams - Prepare, critique and discuss reports and descriptions of research methods and findings, present and publish research PSE provides a flexible work environment, competitive benefits, and compensation based on accomplishment and experience. Some travel is necessary. U.S. Citizenship is required - position requires successful completion of a security clearance for access to classified information. Email resume and statement of interest to Mary Ann King at making(a)pacific-science.com. For additional information, visit www.pacific-science.com. **************************************************************** -30- If you have read this far, try out this podcast on a variety of topics: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl [in our time, BBC] ****************************************************************

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BCF/NWG Course "Analysis and Models in Neurophysiology", Freiburg, Germany
by Birgit Ahrens March 22, 2016

March 22, 2016

*BCF/NWG Course*** *"Analysis and Models in Neurophysiology"*** /Sunday, October 9 - Friday, October 14, 2016 / /Bernstein Center Freiburg, Hansastraße 9a, 79104 Freiburg, Germany/ *Aim of the course:* The course is intended to provide advanced Diploma/Masters and PhD students, as well as young researchers from the neurosciences with approaches for the analysis of electrophysiological data and the theoretical concepts behind them. *The course includes various topics such as*: * Neuron Models and Point Processes (Prof. Stefan Rotter) * Local field potentials (Prof. Ulrich Egert) * Neural Coding (Dr. Robert Schmidt) * Neural Decoding (Prof. Carsten Mehring) The course will consist of lectures in the morning and matching exercises using Matlab and Mathematica in the afternoon. The participants should have a basic understanding of scientific programming. This course is designated especially for advanced diploma/master students and PhD students (preferentially in their first year). *Application:* Please apply by sending one single pdf document containing your CV and a meaningful letter of motivation to nwg-course(a)bcf.uni-freiburg.de <mailto:nwg-course@bcf.uni-freiburg.de>. The letter of motivation should refer to the following points: * Reasons for wanting to take this course * Background in mathematics * Background in scientific programming * Experience in using Matlab and Mathematica * Background in neuroscience The course is limited to 20 participants. *Course fees:*NWG members - free, others - 125€ *Application deadline: *June 15, 2016 *More information: *http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/events/conferences-workshops/201610049-nwgcourse <http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/events/conferences-workshops/20141005-nwgcou…> -- Dr. Birgit Ahrens Teaching & Training Coordinator Bernstein Center Freiburg University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9a D - 79104 Freiburg Germany Phone: +49 (0) 761 203-9575 Fax: +49 (0) 761 203-9559

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Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience 2016
by Máté Lengyel March 22, 2016

March 22, 2016

######### # Reminder: less than a week until the application deadline ######### CAJAL COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 7-27 August 2016, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal + pre-school 2-5 August 2016 http://www.cccn.pt Applications deadline: 28 March 2016 DIRECTORS * Gilles Laurent (Max Plank Institute for Brain Research, Germany) * Máté Lengyel (University of Cambridge, UK) * Christian Machens (Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Portugal) This three-weeks school teaches the central ideas, methods, and practice of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Each morning will be devoted to lectures given by distinguished international faculty on topics across the breadth of experimental and computational neuroscience. During the rest of the day, students will work on research projects in teams of 2-3 people under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Research projects will be proposed by faculty before the course, and will include the modeling of neurons, neural systems, behavior, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data (behavioral data, multi-electrode recordings, calcium imaging data, connectomics data, etc.), and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. The course is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from a variety of disciplines, including neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics and psychology. Students are expected to have a keen interest and basic background in neurobiology, a solid foundation in mathematics, as well as some computer experience. An optional four-day pre-school in mathematics and programming is available to students who want to catch up on or fine-tune their math and programming skills. Essential details: * Course size: 24 students maximum * Fee (which covers tuition, lodging, and meals): 2500 EUR (+ 300 EUR for optional pre-school) * Scholarships and travel stipends are available. * Application deadline: 28 March 2015 * Notification of results: April 2015 Information and application http://www.cccn.pt Contact address: Tânia Li Chen <tania.chen(a)neuro.fchampalimaud.org> FACULTY * Alberto Bernacchia (Cambridge University, UK) * Matthias Bethge (Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Germany) * Dmitri (Mitya) Chklovskii (Simons Center for Data Analysis, USA) * Claudia Clopath (Imperial College London, UK) * Peter Dayan (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Sophie Denève (Institut d'Etudes de la Cognition (IEC), France) * Alain Destexhe (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France) * David Fitzpatrick (Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, USA) * Michael Hausser (Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, UCL, UK) * Moritz Helmstaedter (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany) * Guillaume Hennequin (Cambridge University, UK) * Karel Ježek (Charles University, Czech Republic) * Matthias Kaschube (Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Germany) * Gilles Laurent (MPI Brain Research, Germany) * Peter Latham (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Simon Laughlin (University of Cambridge, UK) * Máté Lengyel (University of Cambridge, UK) * Zhaoping Li (University College London, UK) * Jennifer Linden (Ear Institute, UCL, UK) * Christian Machens (Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Portugal) * Jakob Macke (Center of Advanced European Studies and Research, Germany) * Tom Mrsic-Flogel (University of Basel, Switzerland) * Yael Niv (Princeton Neuroscience Institute, USA) * Maneesh Sahani (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Andreas Tolias (Baylor College of Medicine, USA) * Alessandro Treves (International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Italy) * Daniel Wolpert (Cambridge University, UK)

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2016 NEURON Summer Course
by Ted Carnevale March 21, 2016

March 21, 2016

This year the NEURON Summer Course will be held at the HHMI|Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia. Only a few seats remain open, so you'll have to act quickly if you are interested in taking "NEURON Fundamentals" or "Parallel Simulation with NEURON." The NEURON Fundamentals component, which runs from June 20-24, is suitable for individuals at all levels of expertise. It presents a thorough introduction to computational modeling of neurons and networks of neurons with NEURON, and introduces parallel simulation. Parallel Simulation with NEURON runs from June 25-27 and focuses on the needs of experienced NEURON users who want to create models that will run on parallel hardware. Knowledge of how to write hoc or Python code for NEURON is presumed. You may apply for one or both components, but registration is subject to approval by the course's faculty. Space is limited, and applications are considered in the order received. The application deadline is Friday, May 20, 2016. No applications will be accepted after that date, and there will be no on-site registration. For more information and the on-line application form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/summer2016/summer2016.html --Ted

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PhD studentship, biomedical imaging
by Adam Liska March 21, 2016

March 21, 2016

The Functional Neuroimaging lab at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (https://goo.gl/ArIFrd) Rovereto (Italy), invites applications for a PhD scholarship to investigate the dynamics of macroscale functional connectivity in transgenic mouse models of brain pathology. The lab is equipped with a state-of–the-art 7 Tesla MRI scanner for preclinical research, and is devoted to the use of advanced functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) methods in rodent models to understand how large scale functional activity and network dynamics originate, develop and govern behavioural states. The successful candidate will have a MSc in Neuroscience, Biotechnology Computer Science, physics, or equivalent. Proficiency in computer programming (Matlab) and biomedical image analysis is recommended. This three-year studentship aims to provide the student with a thorough training in conducting research at the interface of biomedical imaging, computational image analysis, and experimental neuroscience. The studentship is part of the international doctoral school in cognitive and brain sciences, in partnership with the University of Trento (http://web.unitn.it/en/cimec/) Final admission to the doctoral school entails a competitive selection process, as per the school regulations (http://web.unitn.it/en/drcimec) The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a private law Foundation, created with the objective of promoting Italy's technological development and higher education in science and technology. Research at IIT is interdisciplinary and addresses basic and applied science through the development of novel technical applications. The Functional Neuroimaging lab is located a the Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences (CNCS) @UNITN in Rovereto, Italy (http://cncs.iit.it/) one of the research nodes set up by IIT. The CNCS is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the investigation of the brain at multiple scales. Please send your application (full CV, two academic referees, copy of master degree thesis, statement of research interest) by email to alessandro.gozzi(a)iit.it no later than May 10th, 2016. Alessandro Gozzi, PhD Senior Scientist, Group Leader Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy Tel: +39 0464 808 701 alessandro.gozzi(a)iit.it

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Postdoc position at LMU Munich
by Stefan Glasauer March 18, 2016

March 18, 2016

Post-doctoral position in Computational Neuroscience Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience at the Center for Sensorimotor Research at the Ludwig-Maximilian University (LMU) Munich (Germany) in association with the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN). Project: US-German Collaborative Research Proposal "Information Processing in Cerebral Cortex for Visual-Oculuomotor Behavior" The project will be performed in close collaboration with the Washington National Primate Research Center (University of Washington, Seattle, US). The successful candidate's task is to perform data analysis and computational modeling of neuronal data acquired in Seattle. A strong background in mathematics and neuroscience as well as a strong interest in Computational Neuroscience is required. The position is limited to three years. Please submit your application preferably in one single PDF-document, including cover letter, CV, list of publications, research proposal/interests and relevant certificates to sglasauer(a)lmu.de The LMU is an equal opportunity employer. For further information please contact: Prof. Dr. Stefan Glasauer Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich Center for Sensorimotor Research Feodor-Lynen-Str. 19, D-81377 Munich, Germany sglasauer(a)lmu.de http://www.bccn-munich.de/people/stefan-glasauer

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job opening
by Tasos_UPatras March 18, 2016

March 18, 2016

Dear colleagues (with advance apologies for any cross-postings), Please find below a job opening in Cognitive Engineering lab of Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) (http://www.sinapseinstitute.org <http://www.sinapseinstitute.org/>) Research Assistant (RA) (Application oriented in Video Game Development) The Singapore Institute For Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) at the National University of Singapore is looking to hire a motivated individual for Research Assistant position for a period of 1 year. The successful candidates will be involved in a project aiming to develop Virtual reality (VR)-based brain augmentation systems including realistic simulations and real-time brain states analysis. Specifically the RA will develop applications, using Unity programming language, in high-definition head-mounted 3-D Virtual Reality (VR) system (Oculus Rift 2) to provide various stimuli. A remote EEG system will be used to monitor the brain activity in real time. Applicants should have either a degree in Computer Sciences and/or working experience in video game developing industry. Candidates with experience in VR game development (both Oculus Rift and room-size VR) and experience with Unity3D game engineering, and proficiency in C++ or Javascript (middleVR preferred) will be preferred. Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested applicants should submit their curriculum vitae to Prof. Anastasios (Tassos) Bezerianos (lsiba(a)nus.edu.sg) Applications will be open until 30 April 2016, or sooner if the position is filled. Best Regards Tassos prof. Anastasios (Tasos) Bezerianos, BS,MS,PhD

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Job opening
by Tasos_UPatras March 18, 2016

March 18, 2016

Dear colleagues (with advance apologies for any cross-postings), Please find below a job opening in Cognitive Engineering lab (http://sinapseinstitute.org/projects/cognitiveengr/ <http://sinapseinstitute.org/projects/cognitiveengr/>) of Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) . Research Assistant/Engineer Position (Science/Engineering oriented for EEG studies) The Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) at the National University of Singapore is looking to hire a motivated individual for Research Assistant/Engineer position for a period of 1 year. The successful candidates will be involved in experiments focused on (1) mental fatigue, (2) mental work load and (3) interventions for brain enhancement. Specifically the RA will be mainly responsible for conducting experiments for recording EEG in laboratory conditions and in Augmented / Virtual Reality Environment. Applicants should have honors degree in Engineering or Physics or Master degree in Biomedical Engineering and/or experience in conducting EEG experiments in the field. The ideal candidate(s) should have a strong background in statistics, and should be able to work independently on tasks such as literature review, subject recruitment, data collection and data management. Ability to program in MATLAB would also be advantageous. Remuneration will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested applicants should submit their curriculum vitae to Prof. Anastasios (Tassos) Bezerianos (lsiba(a)nus.edu.sg <mailto:lsiba@nus.edu.sg>). The positions will be open until 30 April 2016 or sooner if the position is filled. Best Regards Tassos prof. Anastasios (Tasos) Bezerianos, BS,MS,PhD

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Postdoctoral position in visual neurophysiology
by Adam Kohn March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016

Postdoctoral position in visual neurophysiology Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York NY A postdoctoral position is available in the Kohn lab, at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Our lab studies visual processing, cortical plasticity, population coding, perceptual decision making, and corticocortical communication and circuitry. Our experiments involve multielectrode recordings from the visual system of anesthetized and awake, behaving non-human primates. We complement neurophysiological recordings with human perceptual experiments, computational modeling, and optogenetic manipulations. We have robust collaborations with several computational and theoretical neuroscience groups, developing new methods for understanding population codes and corticocortical communication. Einstein offers a vibrant, supportive community of researchers. It is located in a quiet neighborhood of New York, only a short subway ride from Manhattan. The New York City area offers numerous opportunities to interact with experts in a wide variety of neuroscience topics. Experience in neurophysiology, programming, quantitative methods, or behavioral training are desired. Inquires about the position and applications (CV and names and contact information for references) should be sent to adam.kohn(a)einstein.yu.edu<mailto:adam.kohn@einstein.yu.edu>. The position will remain open until filled. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

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PhD studentship in computational/cognitive neuroscience
by Ulrik Beierholm March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016

We have a PhD studentship available with full funding (tuition + stipend) for a project doing computational modeling of human perception, using parametric and non-parametric Bayesian statistical inference methods (PI Dr. Ulrik Beierholm). The funding is only available for EU citizens (sorry!), with starting date October 2016. The studentship will be in the Department of Psychology at Durham University, UK, but with potential for interactions with colleagues in Computer Science, Economics etc. The applicant should have a Master's degree (or similar) in a related topic (neuroscience, psychology, computer science, statistics etc.) with a minimum of a UK upper second (2:1) or an average grade of B for international students. The applicant should also have some programming experience (preferably Matlab or Python), but while the project will involve some experimental work (mainly psychophysics) the applicant does not need any previous experimental experience. The Department offers an exciting and friendly multidisciplinary research environment. The department has excellent technical facilities, including a 3T MRI scanner, EEG labs, laboratories for brain stimulation (TMS, tdCS), motion analysis systems (Vicon, Optitrack), Psychophysiological Research (Biopac), and behavioural experiments, including multiple eye trackers and an acoustically controlled testing chamber. There is also access to the Durham HPC cluster (Hamilton) for numerical simulations. Durham is a beautiful city in the Northeast of England, home to Durham Cathedral, which is part of UNESCO Durham World Heritage Site. Durham University is consistently ranked among the top 100 Universities worldwide (QS World Rankings 2014). If interested email the PI (ulrik.beierholm(a)durham.ac.uk) with any questions. Applications are made through: https://www.dur.ac.uk/psychology/postgraduate/how_to_apply/ Further information about doing a PhD at Durham can be found here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/psychology/postgraduate/phd/ Applications will be processed as they arrive, but we expect to reach a decision before end of April. ------------------------------------------- Ulrik Beierholm, PhD Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience School of Psychology, University of Birmingham http://beierholm.net

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REMINDER: Call for Workshops - Bernstein Conference 2016, extended deadline
by Margret Franke March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and the Bernstein Center Berlin invite proposals for Satellite Workshops directly preceding the Bernstein Conference 2016 in Berlin. ********************************************************************************** Call for Workshop proposals: Workshops: September 20-21, 2016 Main Bernstein Conference: September 21-23, 2016 Deadline for proposal submission: April 3, 2016 Notification of acceptance: April 22, 2016 Conference Registration starts: May 2, 2016 Early Registration Deadline: July 24, 2016 ********************************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference started out as the annual meeting of the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and has become the largest annual single-track Computational Neuroscience conference in Europe in recent years. Since 2013, the Bernstein Conference hosts pre-conference workshops, which have developed swiftly into a well-attended event. They supply a stage to debate topical research questions and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields, different points of view and scientific approaches in an informal setting. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged, and formats are expected that foster debate beyond a mere series of talks. SCHEDULE: September 20, 2016, 14:00 – 18:30. September 21, 2016, 9:00 – 12:30. You may apply for either half-day or full-day workshops. WORKSHOP COSTS: The Bernstein Conference does not provide financial support, but workshop organizers and speakers are offered free workshop registration. Organizers get a waiver for the main conference fee. For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website <http://www.bernstein-conference.de>. DETAILS FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: The Workshop Proposal form can be downloaded here: <http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2016/satellite-workshops>. Deadline for submission of Workshop Proposals: March 18, 2016 CONTACT: <bc16_ws(at)bccn-berlin.de> We are looking forward to welcoming you in Berlin! The program committee ------------------------------- Michael Brecht Gustavo Deco Alain Destexhe Sophie Denève Udo Ernst Adrienne Fairhall Sonja Grün John-Dylan Haynes Andreas Herz Philipp Hövel Richard Kempter Klaus Obermayer Stefan Rotter Susanne Schreiber Henning Sprekeler -- Margret Franke Managing Director Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin phone: (030) 2093-9110 fax: (030) 2093-6771

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1 year postdoc on multisensory and haptic perception
by Marc Ernst March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016

--------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Year Postdoctoral Positions available --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- In the Applied Cognitive Psychology Group headed by Marc Ernst Ulm University, Germany -------------------------------------------------------------- The Applied Cognitive Psychology Group, Ulm University, headed by Prof. Marc Ernst, is inviting applications for 1 year postdoctoral positions on human haptic perception, multisensory interactions and motor control. The positions are within the framework of the European Project "WearHap" (www.wearhap.eu <http://www.wearhap.eu/>), in which 11 renowned university labs from all over Europe with backgrounds in Neuroscience, Psychology, Engineering, and Computer Science work together on the scientific and technological foundations of wearable haptic systems for humans and robots. Our goal in this project is to understand and model the human haptic abilities and to transfer the acquired knowledge towards technical applications developed within this collaborative project. The positions will be embedded in a highly interdisciplinary and international research group lead by Prof. Marc Ernst. The focus of the department is on multisensory perception, perception and action, perceptual learning and human-computer interaction. For the experimental work the group is predominantly relying on behavioral methods from psychophysics and cognitive science. For this, there are many state-of-the-art virtual reality setups available, including different projection systems for visual stimulation, force feedback devices and tactile displays for work on the human haptic system, a noise attenuation camber with an audio setup for work on the auditory system and a treadmill setup including tacking for studies on human locomotion/navigation. For the quantitative modeling of human behavior the group heavily relies on statistical approaches, such as the Bayesian Framework to human perception and action. The successful candidates should fit in with these interests and should have a background in cognitive science, psychology, biology, computer science, engineering or some field related to cognitive psychology. Programming experience will be advantageous. The positions are initially immediately for 1 year until the end of the project. The aim however will be to secure further funding of this line of research in order to also extend this position beyond 1 year. Salary is according to German Public Service regulations. Applications will be considered until the positions are filled. The application should include a cover letter stating the candidates research interests, curriculum vita, reprints (if available), and names of up to three referees. Electronic submissions are preferred. Please send your application documents to the following e-mail address stating the ID: 2013-09-WEARHAP in the subject line: applications(a)marcernst.de <mailto:applications@marcernst.de> ------------------------------------------------ Prof. Dr. Marc O. Ernst Applied Cognitive Psychology Ulm University mail(a)marcernst.de <mailto:mail@marcernst.de>

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postdoc position: computational modeling of neurodegenerative disease (2nd call)
by Christina M. Weaver March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016

*** Second announcement – submit by March 24, 2016 for full consideration *** POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW in Computational Neuroscience Job Description The interdisciplinary research team of Drs Christina Weaver (Mathematics, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA) and Jennifer Luebke (Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA) is launching a project to explore structural and functional abnormalities of neurons in two different mouse models of Huntington’s Disease, and how these abnormalities might contribute to system-level dysfunction. Computational modeling of cortical and striatal neurons (both spatially extended compartmental models and point neuron models) will be conducted in tandem with empirical studies of these same neurons using in vitro slice electrophysiology and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The neuron models developed in this project will be incorporated into models of local microcircuits and larger cortico-striatal networks, likely in collaboration with other research teams, and will be used to inform future experiments. As part of this project, one postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience is available, starting in April 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. Computational modeling of the empirically characterized neurons will use parameter optimization algorithms developed in the Weaver lab. For an overview of our interdisciplinary approach, see our joint publications including Luebke et al., *Cerebral Cortex* (2015), PMID 24323499 and Coskren et al., *J. Comput. Neuro*. (2015), PMID 25527184. The Weaver lab will have close, ongoing collaborations with the Luebke lab, including several visits to Boston where the empirical studies will take place. Initial appointment is for one year, and may be extended to a total of three years. The candidate will be hired by Franklin & Marshall College, though a remote employment arrangement may be possible. Applicants should have a strong background in computational neuroscience, and have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience that integrate modeling, imaging, and physiological experiments. Review of applications will begin immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should send their CV, a brief statement of current and future research interests, and the contact information of three references to christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu. Required Skills Ph.D. or equivalent in computational neuroscience or a related field from an accredited institution Excellent written and verbal communication skills Experience with NEURON compartmental modeling software, conductance-based modeling of single neurons, and/or automated parameter optimization is preferred. Franklin & Marshall College is committed to having an inclusive campus community where all members are treated with dignity and respect. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, the College does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender, sex, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, family or marital status, sexual orientation, or any protected characteristic. Christina M. Weaver, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Franklin & Marshall College P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 17604-3003 Phone: (717) 291-3872 Fax: (717) 358-4507 Email: christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu

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PhD position at LMU Munich, Germany
by Stefan Glasauer March 16, 2016

March 16, 2016

We are looking for a PhD student with a strong interest in human movement sciences and motor learning. How is sensorimotor adaptation acquired and forgotten? Scientific background: Human movement control is highly efficient at minimizing sensorimotor errors and is forced to adjust its strategies to slow changes of a large variety of factors. The motor system is subject to growth, aging, or muscle weakness; the external mechanical environment may change its resistance against the movement; and the sensory system, providing the most important information to estimate the actual and desired state of the ensemble of body and environment, is also subject to systematic changes. Sensorimotor adaptation is often defined as the gradual change of the generated motor commands in response to such systematic changes, but it has been recently recognized that sensorimotor adaptation does not only involve the acquisition of gradual changes in stimulus-response mechanisms, but also different types of meta-learning reflected in 1) gradual changes in the processing of sensorimotor errors driving the adaptation (error sensitivity) and in 2) adjustments of the stability (retention) of the acquired adaptive change. Current project and methods: The current project will investigate dynamics of error sensitivity and retention across repeated sequences of sensorimotor adaptation and deadaptation. Of special interest is the dependence of error sensitivity and retention on error size and consistency. Adaptation experiments will be performed in reaching movements under distorted visual feedback of the hand and in saccadic eye movements to targets displaced during the movement. The data acquisition and analysis is centered on movement trajectories recorded in humans. Candidates should have a strong interest in motor control and learning mechanisms. Skills in mathematical analysis of dynamic systems and computer programming are desirable. The project involves cooperation with laboratories in Toronto (CA) and Seattle (USA). Contact: Dr. Ing. Thomas Eggert e-mail: eggert at lrz.uni-muenchen.de Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany Literature: Straube, A., Deubel, H., Ditterich, J., & Eggert, T. (2001). Cerebellar lesions impair rapid saccade amplitude adaptation. Neurology, 57 (11), 2105-2108. Krüger M, Borbely B, Eggert T, Straube A (2012) Synergistic control of joint angle variability: influence of target shape. Hum Mov Sci 31:1071-1089 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2011.12.002 Borbély BJ, Straube A, Eggert T (2014) Motor synergies during manual tracking differ between familiar and unfamiliar trajectories. Experimental Brain Research 232:889-901 Henriques, D.Y., Filippopulos, F., Straube, A., & Eggert, T. (2014). The cerebellum is not necessary for visually driven recalibration of hand proprioception. Neuropsychologia, 64C, 195-204.

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Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics MSc
by Dietmar Heinke March 16, 2016

March 16, 2016

We invite applications for our MSc program in Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The CNCR MSc course is highly interdisciplinary encompassing psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, computational modelling, neuroimaging, robotics, and patient rehabilitation. The course is designed for those who are interested in applying knowledge of neural systems, brain function, and modelling to research in human cognition, perception, sensory and motor systems as well as the design of bio-inspired and biologically plausible robotic systems. It has a strong research focus with hands-on modules and practical applications. The course is aimed both at students from psychology/neuroscience with a strong quantitative background and at students from computer science and physics who want to apply their knowledge to psychology/neuroscience. The course is organised jointly through the Schools of Psychology and Computer Science. Details about the MSc can be found on this web-page: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/psych/computation-n… Further enquires can be made via email: pg-psychology-admissions(a)contacts.bham.ac.uk<mailto:pg-psychology-admissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk> Application deadline: 30.June. Applications made after this deadline may be considered.

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3 PhD studentships in London
by Alonso, Eduardo March 16, 2016

March 16, 2016

Dear all, City University London is offering 3 fully-funded PhD studentships. Doctoral studentships will provide, for 3 years, an annual bursary of £16,000. They also include full tuition fees. The main focus is the development of computational models of learning and behaviour, with a particular interest in the application of Deep Learning architectures and algorithms. In addition, we want to explore how the resulting models could inform research in learning impairments associated with neurodevelopment disorders. Submission deadline is the 26th of May, with successful applicants starting in Oct 2016. If you are interested, please contact me. Dr Eduardo Alonso Reader in Computing Deputy Head of Department Department of Computer Science School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering City University London London EC1V 0HB United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 7040 4049 E: E.Alonso(a)city.ac.uk http://www.city.ac.uk/people/academics/eduardo-alonso

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A funding opportunity for Assistive Technology for ALS patients
by Neta Zach March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

The ALS Association and Prize4Life's are happy to anounce the launch of a new program to promote ALS technology development- *the ALS Assistive Technology Challenge* <http://www.alsa.org/research/als-assistive-technology-challenge-2.html>*- *a program focused around accelerating the development of communication technologies for locked in patients with development funds of over $500,000. *In the challenge, open until July 29, teams can participate in a $400,000 challenge to develop a prototype that will enable communication for ALS patients. The top finalists will be invited to present their prototype in December 2016 in Dublin where the award winner will be selected. *You can read about it more *here <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-als-association-and-prize4life-…>.*

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Faculty Position in Neural Data and Imaging Sciences, Sabanci Univ., Istanbul
by Mujdat Cetin March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

*Faculty Position in Neural Data and Imaging Sciences at Sabancı University* http://ee.sabanciuniv.edu/en/full-time-faculty-position-neural-data-and-ima… The Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) at Sabancı University, İstanbul, Turkey invites applications for a full-time faculty position in the area of Neural Data and Imaging Sciences with a targeted start date of Fall 2016. The ideal candidate for this position would have a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering, computer science, biomedical engineering, computational neuroscience, or a related field, as well as a strong research and publication record in the area of information extraction from challenging neural data. Particular research areas of interest include but are not limited to neuroinformatics, big neural sensor data analytics, biomedical imaging, brain informatics, signal processing of neural activity, computational neuroimaging, neural image analysis, machine learning for understanding the brain, and connectomics. Sensing/imaging modalities of interest include but are not necessarily limited to MRI, fMRI, DTI, PET, EEG, MEG, ECoG, and several forms of microscopy. Application areas of interest include, but are not limited to healthcare, neurotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, neurorehabilitation, and neurorobotics. The faculty member will have a primary affiliation with the Electronics Engineering program but will be expected to conduct collaborative research with other programs in FENS as well. Applications from candidates at all ranks are encouraged. For candidates at the Assistant Professor level, post-doctoral research experience is a plus. Successful candidates are expected to develop externally-funded internationally-recognized research programs; teach undergraduate and graduate courses; advise and mentor graduate and undergraduate students; and undertake service responsibilities. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to benefit from the state-of-the-art infrastructure of the brand-new Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM), as well as to be involved in the Professional Master’s Program in Data Analytics. Sabancı University, a privately funded premier academic institution, established in 1996 in its state-of-the-art campus located in suburban İstanbul. The university offers 13 undergraduate programs and 38 graduate programs in three faculties (Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Management). The University aims to establish a high standard of academic excellence and a research-oriented atmosphere for its international faculty and students, while nurturing productive relationships particularly with the industries in the region which constitute the industrial heartland of Turkey. The medium of instruction is English. In 2015, Sabancı University ranked 13th globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking of the top 100 universities under 50 years old, and 21st in the THE Asia university rankings. In the recently announced THE ranking of the world’s best small universities in 2016, Sabancı University ranked 10th globally. It ranked first among all universities in Turkey in the University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Index of the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology in 2015. Detailed information about the Electronics Engineering Program at Sabancı University can be found at http://ee.sabanciuniv.edu/ Applicants should submit their applications online through https://crm.sabanciuniv.edu/acadcv/application.php and provide a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, statement of teaching interests, and at least three professional references. Review of applications will begin on May 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled. -- Mujdat Cetin Technical Program Co-chair, IVMSP 2016 -- http://ivmsp2016.org Technical Co-chair, FUSION 2016 -- http://fusion2016.org Faculty Member Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Sabanci University Orhanli, Tuzla 34956, Istanbul, Turkey Phone : +90 (216) 483-9594 Fax : +90 (216) 483-9550 E-mail : mcetin(a)sabanciuniv.edu Web : http://spis.sabanciuniv.edu

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Fully funded postdoctoral position in Machine Learning and Computational Biology at Royal Holloway University of London
by Alberto Paccanaro March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

[Apologies for cross-posting] Application deadline: 10th April 2016 ==================================================== Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at the Department of Computer Science of Royal Holloway, University of London. The successful candidate will work with Prof Alberto Paccanaro on different projects in the area of Systems Biology and Network Medicine -- please see http://www.paccanarolab.org/ for a description of the research carried out in the lab. Candidates should have a PhD degree in a relevant quantitative field (e.g. Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering), a strong background in machine learning and a keen interest in computational biology. Previous experience in the area of graphical models would be an asset for this position. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with members of the interdisciplinary Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology (Computer Science and Biological Sciences) at Royal Holloway and collaborators at Imperial College, University of Tennessee and Yale University. The post is therefore ideal for someone with a computer science or maths background who is looking to move into computational biology. This post is based in the Department of Computer Science in Egham, Surrey where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London (see http://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/) This is a full time post, available immediately, or as soon as possible thereafter for a fixed term period of 30 months. The salary is in the range £33,789 to £39,902 per annum inclusive of London Allowance. The position is funded by a joint BBSRC/NSF grant. To apply go to: https://jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=0316-094 For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Prof Alberto Paccanaro, alberto(a)cs.rhul.ac.uk. The Human Resources Department can be contacted with queries by email at: recruitment(a)rhul.ac.uk. Please quote the reference: 0316-094. Closing Date: Midnight, 10th April 2016. Interview Date: To be confirmed. The College is committed to equality and diversity, and encourages applications from all sections of the community. -- ===================================== Prof. Alberto Paccanaro Department of Computer Science Royal Holloway, University of London Phone: +44 1784 414239 Homepage: http://www.cs.rhul.ac.uk/home/alberto/ Lab page: http://www.paccanarolab.org

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ICLR 2016 Registration Open
by Hugo Larochelle March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

4th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2016) Website: http://www.iclr.cc/ Location: Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 Registration to ICLR 2016 is now open: http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=iclr2016:registration The lower early registration fees and hotel rates are available until April 1st. For more information on ICLR 2016, please visit http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=iclr2016:main. We look forward to seeing you in Puerto Rico! Yoshua Bengio, Université de Montreal, General Chair Yann LeCun, New York University and Facebook, General Chair Hugo Larochelle, Twitter and Université de Sherbrooke, Senior Program Chair Brian Kingsbury, IBM Watson Group, Program Chair Samy Bengio, Google, Program Chair

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Funded vision science PhD opportunities at Royal Holloway, University of London
by Durant, Szonya March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

Please see opportunities below to work with me (Szonya Durant) as supervisor and Angelika Lingnau or Jonas Larsson in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. There are two main proposed areas: Investigating the neural representation of action recognition categories What are the neural sources and function of expectation signals in human visual processing? Both projects involve EEG and fMRI methods, but experience is not essential and training will be provided as part of the PhD. Please email szonya.durant(a)rhul.ac.uk<mailto:szonya.durant@rhul.ac.uk> for more detail on these projects and the application process. Strong students from Psychology/Neuroscience/Cognitive Science/Computer Science/Biological Science/Physics/Mathematics are encouraged to apply. Suitable candidates (in collaboration with the supervisor) will need to develop a PhD proposal, which the department will use to evaluate applications - the department deadline for proposals is the 15th of April (so please get in touch asap). There are 4 paid studentships available in the department for UK and EU students. ********************************************************************** Szonya Durant Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX 01784 276522

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A new julia package for modelling spiking neural network
by Yao Lu March 15, 2016

March 15, 2016

SpikingNetworks.jl <https://github.com/YaoLuCNS/SpikingNetworks.jl> is a julia package for computational neuroscientists to simulate large scale spiking neural network. It is inspired by Brain2 <http://briansimulator.org/>, and achieve most of the functionalities in Brian2 with faster speed, cleaner syntax and flexibility. Julia <http://julialang.org/> is a technical computing language, which relies on LLVM to achieve efficiency comparable to C. Julia has MATLAB-like syntax and is user-friendly to MATLAB users. This this package aims at experienced computational neuroscientists who want faster speed. Yao Lu

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PhD studentships at Keele University - Closing Date: 15 April 2016
by Peter Andras March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

*Fully Funded Computer Science PhD Studentships at Keele University* The Faculty of Natural Sciences at Keele University is pleased to announce up to 7 fully-funded PhD studentships for UK/EU students for start in September/October 2016, as well as opportunities for part-funded PhD studentships for suitable candidates. Applications are invited from high quality prospective doctoral candidates in Computer Science and other disciplines. We welcome candidates with a good fit to our research specialisms and the expertise of our academic staff. Candidates are expected to have a 1st class or 2.1 class undergraduate degree or a Distinction level MSc degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent in the case of candidates from other EU countries). One of our focus areas in Computer Science is *Computational Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering*. A selection of topics of interests in this area is provided below. *Computational Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering*: computational modelling of the stomatogastric nervous system; bio-inspired robot control; computational modelling of cognitive behaviour in bees; neuro-control of evolving artificial creatures; neuro-control of robotic swarms; computational analysis of neuroimaging and multi-electrode array data; human and animal behaviour analysis using accelerometer data; virtual reality and robotics for rehabilitation engineering; analysis and modelling of the impact of neuromodulators in biological neural systems; big data analytics and neuro-degenerative disorders. *Funding* Each fully-funded studentship includes an annual tax-free stipend at RCUK rate plus tuition fees (currently £14,296 for stipend and £4,121 for fees). The funding is available for 3 years. Each studentship has an associated research expense budget (£2,000 – £3,000 per year, depending on the nature of the project, to cover project related consumables and conference travel). Opportunities are also available for candidates from the UK/EU and overseas who can demonstrate that they can fully or partially self-fund. If you are interested in this route, please contact Professor Peter Andras at p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk for a discussion. *Closing Date* The *closing date* for applications is Friday *15 April 2016* Full details and application procedures can be found on the website: http://www.keele.ac.uk/pgresearch/howtoapply/ For the purpose of research proposal applicants should submit an outline of their research interests or of a particular research project that the applicant would like to work on (max. 2 pages). Please send any questions by email to Lisa Cartlidge ( l.j.cartlidge(a)keele.ac.uk) or Ann Billington (a.billington(a)keele.ac.uk)

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Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience/Biophysical Modeling
by Gabbiani, Fabrizio March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience/Biophysical Modeling Computational and Applied Mathematics Rice University and Department of Neuroscience Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas ----- A postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience is available at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, in the laboratories of Steven Cox (Rice University) and Fabrizio Gabbiani (Baylor College of Medicine). Our research focuses on understanding the biophysical mechanisms underlying the implementation of non-linear operations by neurons and neuronal circuits. The postdoctoral research associate will model the cellular and network mechanisms underlying collision avoidance behaviors using advanced mathematical techniques and computer simulations. Modeling will be supported by a large data set of experimental data gathered using electrophysiology, pharmacology, calcium imaging, high-speed video imaging and telemetry. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in computational modeling of single neurons and neuronal circuits. Experience with Matlab and NEURON is required. The position is available for one year, with possibility of renewal for a second year, contingent of performance and funding availability. Salary will be commensurate with level of experience, based on an NIH scale. Applications will be accepted until April 15, 2016. Our labs are located at Rice University and in the adjacent Texas Medical Center, close to many of Houston's cultural and outdoor amenities. For further information about Rice University, the Texas Medical Center and Houston please visit http://www.explore.rice.edu/explore/General_Information.asp or https://www.bcm.edu/about-us/life-in-houston For further informal inquiries and to apply, please send CV, the names and full contact information of two to three references, as well as one to two representative publications to cox(a)rice.edu and gabbiani(a)bcm.edu. Equal Opportunity Employer: Females / Minorities / Veterans/ Disabled / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity.

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Eleventh Advanced Statistics and Data Mining Summer School (Madrid, June 27th - July 8th, 2016)
by asdm＠fi.upm.es March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

Dear colleagues, The Technical University of Madrid (UPM) will once more organize the 'Madrid UPM Advanced Statistics and Data Mining' summer school. The summer school will be held in Boadilla del Monte, near Madrid, from June 27th to July 8th. This year's edition comprises 12 week-long courses (15 lecture hours each), given during two weeks (six courses each week). Attendees may register in each course independently. No restrictions, besides those imposed by timetables, apply on the number or choice of courses. Early registration is now *OPEN*. Extended information on course programmes, price, venue, accommodation and transport is available at the school's website: http://www.dia.fi.upm.es/ASDM There is a 25% discount for members of Spanish AEPIA and SEIO societies. Please, forward this information to your colleagues, students, and whoever you think may find it interesting. Best regards, Pedro Larranaga, Concha Bielza, Bojan Mihaljevic and Laura Anton-Sanchez. -- School coordinators. *** List of courses and brief description *** * Week 1 (June 27th - July 1st, 2016) * 1st session: 9:45-12:45 Course 1: Bayesian Networks (15 h) Basics of Bayesian networks. Inference in Bayesian networks. Learning Bayesian networks from data. Real applications. Practical demonstration: GeNIe, Weka, Bayesia, R. Course 2: Time Series(15 h) Basic concepts in time series. Descriptive methods for time series. Linear models for time series. Extensions. Practical demonstration: R. 2nd session: 13:45-16:45 Course 3: Supervised Pattern Recognition (15 h) Introduction. Assessing the performance of supervised classification algorithms. Preprocessing. Classification techniques. Combining multiple classifiers. Comparing supervised classification algorithms. Practical demonstration: Weka. Course 4: Bayesian Inference (15 h) Introduction: Bayesian basics. Conjugate models. MCMC and other simulation methods. Regression and Hierarchical models. Model selection. Practical demonstration: R and WinBugs. 3rd session: 17:00 - 20:00 Course 5: Neural Networks and Deep Learning (15 h) Introduction. Training algorithms. Learning and Optimization. MLPs in practice. Deep Networks. Course 6: Unsupervised Pattern Recognition (15 h) Introduction to clustering. Data exploration and preparation. Prototype-based clustering. Density-based clustering. Graph-based clustering. Cluster evaluation. Miscellanea. Conclusions and final advise. Practical session: R. * Week 2 (July 4th - July 8th, 2016) * 1st session: 9:45-12:45 Course 7: Statistical Inference (15 h) Introduction. Some basic statistical test. Multiple testing. Introduction to bootstrap methods. Introduction to Robust Statistics. Practical demonstration: R. Course 8: Big Data with Apache Spark (15 h) Introduction. Spark framework and APIs. Data processing with Spark. Spark streaming. Machine learning with Spark MLlib. 2nd session: 13:45-16:45 Course 9: Text Mining (15 h) Introduction. Language Modeling. Text Similarity. Text Classification. Information Extraction. Practical session: Python, with Jupyter notebooks. Course 10: Feature Subset Selection (15 h) Introduction. Filter approaches. Embedded methods. Wrapper methods. Advanced topics. Practical session: R and Weka. 3rd session: 17:00-20:00 Course 11: Support Vector Machines and Regularized Learning (15 h) Introduction. SVM models. SVM learning algorithms. Convex non differentiable optimization. Course 12: Hidden Markov Models (15 h) Introduction. Discrete Hidden Markov Models. Basic algorithms for Hidden Markov Models. Semicontinuous Hidden Markov Models. Continuous Hidden Markov Models. Unit selection and clustering. Speaker and Environment Adaptation for HMMs. Other applications of HMMs. Practical session: HTK.

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Reminder: Deadline is tomorrow (March 15) for Fellowships for IBBM Course in Park City, Utah
by Rob MacLeod March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

Dear Colleagues, Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for all submissions for fellowships to the Image Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) Summer Course in July, 2016. We encourage you to forward this email to your group and your community. If you have any question please let me know. Fellowship Application Deadline : March 15, 2016 Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 15, 2016 Registration Deadline: June 10, 2016 We look forward to welcoming you to Utah this summer. Best, The IBBM Team Park City Summer Course in Image Based Biomedical Modeling July 11-21, 2016 Newpark Resort in Park City, Utah ibbm.sci.utah.edu <http://ibbm.sci.utah.edu/> Contact: ibbm(a)sci.utah.edu <mailto:ibbm@sci.utah.edu> For Graduate Students, Postdocs, Faculty, and Industry. We invite students underrepresented in health-related sciences to apply. This course creates field-specific expertise and hands-on experience in bioelectric or biomechanical problems that arise in current biomedical research and clinical practice. It provides training in numerical methods, image analysis, and computational tools necessary to carry out end-to-end, image-based, subject-specific simulations in bioelectricity or biomechanics, using freely available software. Organizers: Rob Macleod, Jeff Weiss, and Ross Whitaker Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

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CIBB2016 - Computational Intelligence methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
by Andrea Bracciali March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

[Apologies for cross-postings] ======================================================================= CALL FOR PAPERS and SPECIAL SESSIONS ======================================================================= ======================================================================= CIBB 2016 13th International Meeting on Computational Intelligence methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland UK September 1-3 2016 http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/events/cibb2016/ cibb2016(a)gmail.com ======================================================================= Scope The main goal of this 13th edition of the CIBB international conference is to provide a multi-disciplinary forum open to researchers interested in the application of computational intelligence, in a broad sense, to open problems in bioinformatics, biostatistics, systems and synthetic biology and medical informatics. Cutting edge methodologies capable of accelerating life science discoveries will be discussed. Following its tradition and roots, this year's meeting will bring together researchers from the international scientific community interested in advancements and future perspectives in bioinformatics and biostatistics. Also, looking at current trends and future opportunities at the edge of computer and life sciences, the application of computational intelligence to system and synthetic biology, and the consequent impact on innovative medicine will be of great for the conference. Theoretical and experimental biologists are also invited to participate in order to present novel challenges and foster multidisciplinary collaboration. The scientific program of CIBB 2016 will include Keynote Speakers, tutorials and special sessions. Contributed papers will be presented in plenary oral sessions, special sessions, or poster sessions. Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to: · Next generation sequencing bioalgorithms · Multi-omics data analysis · High dimensional statistical analysis of omics data · Algorithms for alternative splicing analysis · Algorithms for molecular evolution and phylogenetic analysis · Methods for the visualization of high dimensional complex omic data · Software tools for bioinformatics · Methods for comparative genomics · Methods for functional classification of genes · Methods for unsupervised analysis, validation and visualization of structures discovered in bio-molecular data · Health-Informatics and Medical Informatics. · Methods for the integration of clinical and genetic data · Heterogeneous data integration and data fusion for diagnostics · Algorithms for pharmacogenomics · Biomedical text mining and imaging · Methods for diagnosis and prognosis within personalized medicine · Statistical methods for the analysis of clinical data · Prediction of secondary and tertiary protein structures · Mass spectrometry data analysis in proteomics · Algorithms for molecular evolution and phylogenetic analysis · Bio-molecular databases and data mining · Mathematical modeling and automated reasoning on biological and synthetic systems · Computational simulation of biological systems · Methods and advances in systems biology · Spatio-temporal analysis of synthetic and biological systems · Network systems biology · Models for cell populations and tissues · Methods for the engineering of synthetic components · Modelling and engineering of interacting synthetic and biological systems · Software tools for bioinformatics, biostatistics, systems and synthetic biology Publication Accepted papers will be presented at the conference (at least one author is expected to register), and will be published on proceedings for conference distribution. Extended and revised versions of the papers presented at CIBB 2016 will be invited for a post-conference monograph. This is traditionally published in the Springer series of Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics (LNBI), (arrangements undergoing). Continuing the tradition of CIBB, we are planning to publish best papers in one (or more, as appropriate) special issue of an international scientific journal (such as BMC Bioinformatics, in the latest editions). Paper Submission Papers must be prepared following the guidelines illustrated on the CIBB web site and should be long between 4 and 6 pages. Papers should be submitted in PDF format on the Easy Chair conference system (link available on the web site). Tutorials and Special Sessions CIBB 2016 will run a number of Tutorials and Special Sessions. Any topic of interest for the conference is eligible for a tutorial. Tutorials typically last from one to three hours. Special sessions focus on a specific, possibly cutting-edge, topic of interest for CIBB 2016. Special session organisers will be responsible for call dissemination, reviewing process and organizing oral presentations. Typically, a special session will have at least 4 accepted papers and may have an invited speaker (to be negotiated). Tutorial proposals including title, one page long abstract, and short CV of presenters, are due by 15th March 2014. Please send proposals to cibb2016(a)gmail.com. Special Session proposals including the session's title and scope, short CV of sessions chairs, preliminary list of at least 4 potential authors are due by 15th March 2014. Proposals of special sessions will be evaluated as soon as they are submitted. A special session must have at least 4 accepted papers. Please send proposals to cibb2016(a)gmail.com Important Dates Tutorial and Special Session proposal: 25th March 2016 Paper submission deadline: 15th May 2016 Notification of acceptance: 22nd June 2016 Final paper due: 8th July 2016 Conference: 1st -3rd September 2016 General Chairs Andrea Bracciali, University of Stirling, UK David Gilbert, Brunel University London, UK Gilbert MacKenzie, UL, ENSAI and Keele, UK Biostatistics Technical Chair Marco Bonetti, Università Bocconi, Italy Bioinformatics Technical Chair Ivan Merelli, ITB-CNR, Italy Local Organizing Committee Chairs Leslie Smith, University of Stirling, UK Giulio Caravagna, Edinburgh University, UK Publicity Chair Francesco Masulli, University of Genoa, Italy Special Session and Tutorial Chair Claudia Angelini, IAC-CNR, Italy Publication Chair Riccardo Rizzo, ICAR-CNR, Italy Steering Commitee Pierre Baldi, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA Elia Biganzoli, University of Milan, Italy Clelia Di Serio, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Italy Alexandru Floares, Oncological Institute Cluj-Napoca, Romania Jon Garibaldi, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom Nikola Kasabov, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand Francesco Masulli, University of Genova, Italy and Temple University, PA, USA Leif Peterson, TMHRI, Houston, Texas, USA Roberto Tagliaferri, University of Salerno, Italy

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PhD student position available at Newcastle University
by Roman Bauer March 14, 2016

March 14, 2016

Dear all, I invite applications for a fully-funded three-year PhD student position at the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr Roman Bauer and Dr Evelyne Sernagor, and do computational modeling as well as wet-lab work on neuronal development in the retina. There is also the possibility for the student to be involved in a collaborative project with CERN openlab and Intel as a project partner. Applicants should be highly motivated and should have a strong background in physics, computer science, neuroscience or a related disciplince. Good computational skills and experience in a major programing language such as C++ or Java are required. The Institute of Neuroscience (IoN) is a well-established research institute integrating over 75 principal investigators, and was ranked in UK top 10 for overall quality of research. The university's Faculty of Medical Sciences, of which IoN is part of, is ranked in the top 50 worldwide for biomedical and health sciences in the Leiden Ranking. More details on this job posting can be found here: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/sources/allstudents/12mrea.html Best regards, Roman Bauer

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PostDoc position: developing computational models of optogenetic stimulation in epilepsy patients
by Marcus Kaiser March 13, 2016

March 13, 2016

Dear all, a 3-year PostDoc position for developing computational models of optogenetic stimulation in epilepsy patients is available within my lab as part of the CANDO project at Newcastle University. *** About CANDO *** CANDO (Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics, http://www.cando.ac.uk/) is a world-class, multi-site, cross-disciplinary project to develop a cortical implant for optogenetic neural control. The goal is to create a first-in-human trial in patients with focal epilepsy. This seven year, £10M Innovative Engineering for Health Award, funded by the Wellcome Trust <http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/> and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) <http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/> involves a team of over 30 neuroscientists, engineers and clinicians based at Newcastle University <http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/>, Imperial College London <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/electricalengineering>, University College London <https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys> and The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust <http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/>. *** Available RA position *** As part of this project, the lab of Prof. Marcus Kaiser ( http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ ) is seeking a talented and enthusiastic research fellow with a PhD awarded, or a PhD thesis about to be submitted, in computational biology or related subjects. Objectives of this position are, first, to develop a detailed simulation of human brain activity at the local and global level of epilepsy patients. Second, the effect of stimulation on ongoing activity will be studied. Third, dynamical systems theory and extensive simulations will be used to find optimal stimulation approaches that can reach desired oscillation patterns with minimal stimulation. Simulations will be informed by invasive recordings and non-invasive brain connectivity measurements in human epilepsy patients. Good communication skills, very strong dynamics modelling skills, and a track record of previous peer-reviewed journal publications. You will have experience with modelling brain rhythms and dynamical systems. The position will include brief visits to our partners in the UK and abroad. *** Research Environment *** Neuroinformatics at Newcastle University in the UK covers a range of topics from electrophysiology to neuroimaging. We are among the pioneers in connectome analysis and the establishment of large-scale neuroscience data management and analysis platforms, e.g. through the £4m EPSRC-funded CARMEN project. Our strength is a close collaboration between computational, experimental, and clinical researchers. We currently have a team of 12 faculty members in the areas of Neuroinformatics and Neurotechnology which is growing to 15 members by the end of this year: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ *** How to Apply *** To apply, follow the information at http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AUD320/research-assistant-associate-computational… The deadline is Thursday 7 April. For further information, contact Prof. Marcus Kaiser, Marcus.Kaiser(a)ncl.ac.uk Best, Marcus -- Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. @ConnectomeLab <https://twitter.com/ConnectomeLab> Professor of Neuroinformatics Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group School of Computing Science Newcastle University Claremont Tower Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Lab website: http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ Neuroinformatics@Newcastle: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk/ -- Best, Marcus -- Marcus Kaiser, Ph.D. @ConnectomeLab <https://twitter.com/ConnectomeLab> Professor of Neuroinformatics Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Biosystems (ICOS) Research Group School of Computing Science Newcastle University Claremont Tower Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK Lab website: http://www.dynamic-connectome.org/ Neuroinformatics@Newcastle: http://neuroinformatics.ncl.ac.uk

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An Invitation and CfP for International Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2016 in Poland
by Grace Allas March 13, 2016

March 13, 2016

CALL FOR PAPERS *** *All registered papers will be submitted to IEEE for potential inclusion to IEEE Xplore* AIPR2016 - The Third International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland September 19-21, 2016 http://sdiwc.net/conferences/aipr2016/ --------------------------------------------------- RESEARCH TOPICS ARE NOT LIMITED TO: • Agent-based Systems • AI and Evolutionary Algorithms • Ant Colony Optimization • Approximate Reasoning • Artificial Immune Systems • Artificial Intelligence in Modeling and Simulation • Artificial Intelligence in Scheduling and Optimization • Artificial Life • Automated Problem Solving • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology • Biometric Authentication • Brain-machine Interfaces • Camera Networks and Vision • Case Studies • Cognitive Systems and Applications • Collective Intelligence • Computer Vision • Data Mining • Decision Support Systems • Differential Evolution • Distributed AI Systems and Architectures • Emerging Technologies • Evolutionary Data Mining • Evolutionary Design • Evolutionary Scheduling • Expert Systems • Fuzzy Computing with Words • Fuzzy Control and Intelligent Systems • Fuzzy Decision Making and Decision Support Systems • Fuzzy Logic and Fuzzy Set Theory • Fuzzy Optimization and design • Fuzzy Pattern Recognition • Fuzzy Systems for Robotics • Game Theory • Hardware Implementations • Heuristic Searching Methods • Integration of AI With Other Technologies • Intelligent Agents • Intelligent Data Mining and Farming • Intelligent Databases • Intelligent Information Systems • Intelligent Networks • Intelligent Tutoring Systems • Intelligent User Interface • Intelligent Web-based Business • Knowledge Engineering • Knowledge Networks and Management • Knowledge-based Recognition • Knowledge-intensive Problem Solving Techniques • Machine Learning • Modeling and Identification • Molecular and Quantum Computing • Motion and Tracking Algorithms and Orientation Estimation • Multi-agent Systems • Multimedia Systems and Applications • Natural Language Processing • Neural Network Theory, Architectures and Applications • Novel Noise Reduction Algorithms • Particle Swarm Optimization • Printing Technologies • Robotics and Related Fields • Rough Sets and Rough Data Analysis • Segmentation Techniques • Signal and Speech Processing • Social Impact of AI • Software Tools for AI • Speech Understanding • Structural and Syntactic Pattern Recognition • Supervised and Unsupervised Learning • Type-2 Fuzzy Logic • Various Applications • Watermarking Methods and Protection • Web Intelligence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPORTANT DATES Submission Deadline : Open from now until August 19, 2016 Notification of Acceptance : 4-7 weeks from the submission date Camera Ready Submission : Open from now until September 09, 2016 Registration Deadline : Open from now until September 09, 2016 All the registered papers will be submitted to IEEE for potential inclusion to IEEE Xplore as well as other Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases. Paper Submission: http://sdiwc.net/conferences/aipr2016/openconf/openconf.php Write us for more details: aipr16(a)diwc.net NOTE: Please see other co-conferences: - The Third International Conference on Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Education Technologies (CSCEET2016) http://sdiwc.net/conferences/csceet2016/ - The International Conference Numerical Methods and Applied Mathematics (NMAM2016) http://sdiwc.net/conferences/nmam2016/ ---------------------------------------

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Ph.D. and PostDoctoral positions on Secure and Fault-Tolerant Implants (2nd call)
by C. Strydis March 13, 2016

March 13, 2016

** Apologies if you receive multiple copies ** Dear colleagues, This is the 2nd call for new job postings in the field of secure and fault-tolerant implants: Our Neural Computing & Implants Lab (www.erasmusbrainproject.nl) of the Neuroscience Department of the Erasmus Medical Center, the Netherlands, is conducting research on next-generation implantable medical devices (IMDs). IMDs are resource-constrained embedded systems with unique functional and quality requirements. The overall objective of the research performed is to deliver techniques at the implant architecture, compiler, system and communication level for achieving by-design IMD security, privacy and fault tolerance. The selected candidates are expected to work on one or more of these intertwining subjects. This research will be part of the SHARCS Horizon 2020 EU-funded project (www.sharcs-project.eu) Collaborative partners are the Delft University of Technology, the Chalmers University of Technology and the National Technical University of Athens. The research group has a solid track record in contributing to design principles of high-performance and low-power embedded computing systems. Erasmus MC is a partner in the HiPEAC European Network of Excellence and an official collaborator in the H2020 Flagship: Human Brain Project (HBP - www.humanbrainproject.eu) Where HBP works on fully simulating the cerebral cortex, Erasmus MC is adding in accurate simulations of the cerebellar cortex. For more details please check the posting here: https://www.hipeac.net/jobs/9013/one-phd-position-and-one-postdoctoral-posi… We would appreciate if you could further disseminate our postings. Kind regards, Christos Strydis -- ============================== Christos Strydis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Neuroscience Department Erasmus Medical Center Wytemaweg 80 (12th floor) Office Ee1210a 3015 CN Rotterdam Tel: +31 - 10 - 70 - 43294 Fax: +31 - 10 - 70 - 44734 E-mail: C.Strydis(a)erasmusmc.nl Web: www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/strydis ==============================

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Ph.D. and PostDoctoral positions on, High-Performance Brain Simulations (2nd call)
by C. Strydis March 13, 2016

March 13, 2016

** Apologies if you receive multiple copies ** Dear colleagues, This is the 2nd call for new job postings in the field of High-Performance Brain Simulations: Our Neural Computing & Implants Lab group (www.erasmusbrainproject.nl) of the Neuroscience Department of the Erasmus Medical Center, the Netherlands, is conducting research on high-performance, large-scale simulations of the human cerebellum. Depending on the neuronal-network size and the modeling accuracy desired, brain-model simulations can rapidly grow to be become exascale order-of-magnitude applications for HPC platforms. By capitalizing on the long-standing expertise and track record of the Neuroscience Department, the overall objective of the research performed is dual: to re-construct in hardware (''in silico'') the human cerebellar cortex and -- in the process -- to develop novel tools for the automatic, seamless and fast simulation of any brain-model ensembles on popular HPC platforms, such as FPGAs, NVidia GP-GPUs, Intel Xeon Phis and Maxeler Dataflow Engines. The selected candidates are expected to work on these topics. This research will be part of the VINEYARD Horizon 2020 EU-funded project (www.vineyard-h2020.eu) Erasmus MC is a partner in the HiPEAC European Network of Excellence and an official collaborator in the H2020 Flagship: Human Brain Project (HBP - www.humanbrainproject.eu) Where HBP works on fully simulating the cerebral cortex, Erasmus MC is adding in accurate simulations of the cerebellar cortex. Collaborative partners are the Delft University of Technology, the Chalmers University of Technology and the National Technical University of Athens. For more details please check the posting here: https://www.hipeac.net/jobs/9011/one-phd-position-and-one-postdoctoral-posi… We would appreciate if you could further disseminate our postings. Kind regards, Christos Strydis -- ============================== Christos Strydis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Neuroscience Department Erasmus Medical Center Wytemaweg 80 (12th floor) Office Ee1210a 3015 CN Rotterdam Tel: +31 - 10 - 70 - 43294 Fax: +31 - 10 - 70 - 44734 E-mail: C.Strydis(a)erasmusmc.nl Web: www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/strydis ==============================

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Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Summer 2016
by Alexey Kuznetsov March 11, 2016

March 11, 2016

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is currently recruiting students for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) titled, "IUPUI REU Program in mathematics with applications to medical sciences, biophysics, and inverse problems." Eight undergraduate students will be accepted into the NSF-funded program for Summer 2016. Students may submit applications at the following website: math.iupui.edu/reu. -- Alexey Kuznetsov Associate Professor Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, IUPUI Science Building, LD 270, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN

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[visum2016] Summer School :: (last) Call for participation!
by Ricardo Sousa March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016

Call for Participation 4th VISion Understanding and Machine intelligence summer school Porto, Portugal 7-14 July, 2016 http://www.fe.up.pt/visum/ |Facebook: http://goo.gl/FbVNtq We invite everyone with interests in computer vision to attend the 4th *VISion Understanding and Machine intelligence summer school, *at ATMOSFERA M in Porto, Portugal. At visum you can find an expert multicultural environment, aiming to foster junior researchers’ awareness of computer vision topics, as well as to enhance all attendees’ knowledge regarding the state of the art, provided by leading international experts on the field. Being an area of great potential in industrial applications with a strong increase in the number of researchers in these last years, *visum* summer school will be an incredible opportunity. Important Dates Application March, 21 Notification of Acceptance March, 25 Early Registration April, 22 Late Registration May, 13 Scholarships *In partnership with APRP, we will provide a grant that covers the registration for an APRP member. Grant will be given according to the relevance of the applicant’s CV. Visum will comprise three main tracks 1. Fundamental subjects 2. Examples of computer vision applications 3. Industrial session Each one with extensive practical “hands-on” sessions *Topics* Biometrics Julian Fierrez Universidad Autónoma de Madrid ES Structure From Motion João Paulo Costeira Instituto Superior Técnico PT Document Image Analysis Alicia Fornes Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ES Human Activity Hatice Gunes University of Cambridge UK Deep Learning Dan Ciresan Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence CH Modelling and Simulation Mauricio Reyes University of Bern CH *Applications* To be announced Industry Track EyeSee Follow Inspiration Movvo Venue visum will take place at ATMOSFERA M, Rua Júlio Dinis, nº 158/160, Porto, Portugal. Location visum will take place in Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, European Best Destination 2012 and Lonely Planet’s top 10 for 2013. Here, you can find famous baroque style monuments, the worldwide known Port Wine cellars, always having the World Heritage Douro River as the background of this youthful, active and charming city. visum’s program includes social activities. Please visit our webpage for up to date information: http://www.fe.up.pt/visum/. We are looking forward for your participation! *visum organising committee* Ana Rebelo, INESC TEC, Universidade do Porto Eduardo M. Pereira, INESC TEC, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Hélder P. Oliveira, INESC TEC, Universidade do Porto Kelwin Fernandes, INESC TEC, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Luís F. Teixeira, INESC TEC, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Pedro Ferreira, INESC TEC, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto Tiago Esteves, INEB, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto *Follow us on:* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/visum/402527539813446 Google+: https://plus.google.com/104076275960053201744/posts Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/visumschool __ Ricardo Sousa, PhDhttp://rsousa.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rsousa email: rsousa _at_ rsousa.org

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CoSMo 2016 - FREE participation!
by Gunnar Blohm March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016

It is our pleasure to announce that thanks to external funding from NIH and Brain Canada, *CoSMo 2016 attendance will be free of charge*! In addition, a limited number of travel scholarships will be available. *Application deadline: Apr 11, 2016* For more information and to apply, please go to <http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/>http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/ Scholarship information and the application form can be found here: http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/application.html Best, Gunnar Blohm, Paul Schrater, and Konrad Körding -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Associate Professor in Computational Neuroscience Association for Canadian Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN) Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology, School of Computing, and Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet) Queen’s University 18, Stuart Street Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3385 Fax: (613) 533-6840 Email: Gunnar.Blohm(a)QueensU.ca Web: http://www.compneurosci.com/

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v5.7 of NeuroMorpho.Org released on 30 May, 2014
by NeuroMorpho Administrator March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016

Version 5.7 of NeuroMorpho.Org was released on 30 May, 2014. The release included 29 new data sets (1341 reconstructions), including from three new animal species (dragonfly, moth, and sheep). The database now contains 11,335 reconstructions from 144 contributing labs. More than 3.2 million reconstructions were downloaded in over 130,000 unique visits from 146 countries. Please visit the What's new<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/WIN.jsp> page for details on data included in this release, including new species strains, brain regions, cell types, and experimental conditions. The Acknowledgements <http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/acknowl.jsp> include details on contributing labs, and the About<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/about.jsp> page provides an updated overview of the repository content. A new user-friendly functionality, OntoSearch<http://neuromorpho.org/neuroMorpho/OntoSearch.jsp>, was introduced in this release, enabling more powerful searches of species and strains with automated synonym translation, taxonomical relations, and keyword auto-completion. The literature coverage database was also updated to include publications through March 2014. We are continuously grateful to all the data owners who freely share their data with the community. We always appreciate any and all feedback and comments. Sincerely, The NeuroMorpho.Org team -- Ruchi Parekh, Ph.D. NeuroMorpho.Org Project Lead Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, and Plasticity Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study MS2A1, George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030 (USA) Ph - +1-703-993-4382<tel:%2B1-703-993-4382> www.neuromorpho.org<http://www.neuromorpho.org/> nmadmin(a)gmu.edu<mailto:nmadmin@gmu.edu>?

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summer internship at Siemens Healthcare (Princeton, NJ)
by Francisco Pereira March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016

Our team at Medical Imaging Technologies, Siemens Healthcare, in Princeton NJ, has a summer intern position, working in a project investigating the representation of semantic information in the brain and how it is used in language. Our goal is to build a computational model of the process of sentence comprehension in a text passage, using text corpora and other linguistic resources, and validate it using behavioral and brain imaging data. The main role of the intern will be to help in developing and implementing methods to extract information from text corpora, as well as models for emulating human performance on a variety of benchmark psychological tests. Examples of tasks you might be asked to do: - generate distributed semantic representations for words/concepts, sentences and passages - extract and combine structured information from text corpora or resources such as WordNet, FrameNet and various knowledge bases - prepare and process text corpora (parse, convert to other formats, etc) - implement evaluation tasks to benchmark the models developed It is an unusual position in that you would be doing machine learning tasks to further cognitive neuroscience goals, gaining experience in both areas. In addition to the core research, we will also be delivering a system to the funding agency; hence, this is a fast-paced project with multiple opportunities for publication. This work is being carried out in collaboration with researchers at MIT, MGH and Princeton University and funded by the IARPA Knowledge Representation in Neural Systems program ( http://www.iarpa.gov/index.php/research-programs/krns ). Requirements: - current student in a graduate program in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Machine Learning - experience developing software in MATLAB, Python or Perl - experience in Computational Linguistics and NLP tasks (e.g. using frameworks such as CoreNLP or NLTK) - availability for at least 3 months (a longer period is possible, and the timeline is flexible) If interested, please send your resume to francisco-pereira(a)siemens.com (your email can serve as a cover letter, if there is anything you would like to elaborate on). thank you! Francisco

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PhD position Mainz, Germany
by Matthias Kaschube March 10, 2016

March 10, 2016

On behalf of Simon Rumpel, University Mainz: 3yr Graduate studentship position Long-term dynamics of sound-evoked activity patterns in mouse auditory cortex University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany A graduate student position is available in the Systemic Neurophysiology Research Group at the University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. The research group of Simon Rumpel is interested in understanding neuronal mechanisms of auditory perception and memory. Combining behavioral training and chronic in vivo two-photon imaging techniques in mice, we have monitored the dynamics of individual synaptic connections (e.g. Moczulska et al., 2013, PNAS; Loewenstein et al., 2015, J. Neurosci.) and analyzed how sounds are encoded in neuronal populations in the neocortex (Bathellier et al., 2012, Neuron). We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a strong interest in learning a variety of experimental and theoretical approaches to solve complex biological problems. The focus of the project is on the establishment and application of chronic imaging of sound-evoked activity patterns in transgenic mouse lines at the mesoscopic scale. This involves in-depth training in physiology, imaging methodology and data analysis. This project is part of an ongoing collaboration with Matthias Kaschube’s computational neuroscience group at the FIAS in Frankfurt and is ideally suited for a person with a background in physics or a related discipline interested to move into the neurosciences. The starting date is September 2016 or later. The applicant should have a master’s degree or diploma at the time of admission, have excellent communication skills, and should be interested in working in a collaborative and international environment. In-depth knowledge in programming (e.g. Matlab) and hardware control is a requirement and previous experience in imaging or neuroscience would be beneficial. · We offer a highly interactive environment with state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment. · The student will be embedded in the Focus Program in Translational Neurosciences (FTN) of the Mainz Neuroscience community (http://www.ftn.uni-mainz.de/eng/index.php <http://www.ftn.uni-mainz.de/eng/index.php>). For further information, or to apply, please contact Prof. Simon Rumpel ( <mailto:sirumpel@uni-mainz.de>sirumpel(a)uni-mainz.de <mailto:sirumpel@uni-mainz.de>). Applications should include a motivation letter including research interests, the CV and email addresses of 1-2 referees. Application deadline is April 30th 2016 -- Prof. Dr. Simon Rumpel Working Group Systemic Neurophysiology Institute of Physiology Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN) University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch Weg 19 55128 Mainz, Germany Tel: +49 (0) 6131 39-27355 E-Mail: sirumpel(a)uni-mainz.de <mailto:sirumpel@uni-mainz.de>

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Recent advances in recurrent network theory workshop at MPI-DS (May 25 - 27)
by farzad March 9, 2016

March 9, 2016

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[UKCI 2016] Call for Papers
by Teng Teck Hou March 9, 2016

March 9, 2016

[Apologies for the cross-postings] ########################################################### CALL FOR PAPERS The 16th Annual UK Workshop on Computational Intelligence, UKCI-2016 September 7-9, 2016, Lancaster, United Kingdom http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/ukci2016/ ########################################################### The 16th Annual UK Workshop on Computational Intelligence, UKCI-2016 this year is being hosted by Lancaster University. UKCI is the premier UK event for presenting leading research on all aspects of Computational Intelligence. The aim of this Workshop is to provide a forum for the academic community and industry to share ideas about developing and using Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques, the new trends and to exchange views and ideas. CI is a rapidly expanding research field, attracting a large number of scientists, engineers and practitioners working in areas such as fuzzy systems, neural networks, evolutionary computation, evolving systems and machine learning. A growing number of companies are employing CI techniques to improve previous solutions and to deal with new problems. These include evolving systems that allow high performance in spite of changes which are either external or internal to the system, thereby increasing the re-usability of developed systems. This also include smart, intelligent and autonomous systems, self-learning, self-adapting, self-calibrating and self-tuning. UKCI-2016 will take place in Lancaster House Hotel, located conveniently within the campus of Lancaster University, few miles from the city centre including Lancaster Castle. The city offers excellent transport links, with easy access to the M6, railway station and ferry links. Beyond the array of activities within the city, Lancaster is close to Britain’s premier tourist area – Lake District, and is home to theatres, museums, Ashton Memorial and Williamson park. #################### Important dates ##################### - Special Session proposals: March 20th, 2016 - Submission of Abstracts: March 20th, 2016 - Paper submission: April 1st, 2016 - Notification of paper acceptance: June 15th, 2016 - Camera-ready submission: July 15th, 2016 ########################################################## #################### Plenary speakers #################### - Jose Principe, Distinguished Professor, University Of Florida, USA - Trevor Martin, Bristol University and Senior Researcher, British Telecom, UK - Xin Yao, School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK - Stephen Fubrer, School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, UK ########################################################## #################### Organizing committees ############### * Honorary Chair - Prof. Janusz Kacprzyk, Fellow Polish Academy of Sciences * General Chair - Prof. Plamen Angelov, Lancaster University * Programme Chairs - Prof. Qiang Shen, Aberystwyth University - Prof. Chrisina Jane, Robert Gordon University * Publication Chair - Dr. Alexander Gegov, Portsmouth University * International Liaison - Ms Azliza Mohd Ali, Lancaster University * Finance Chair - Ms Carol Airey, Lancaster University * Local Organisation Chairs - Dr. John Mariani, Lancaster University - Mr Richard Gnosill, Lancaster University * Publicity Chair - Dr. Teng Teck Hou, Singapore Management University * Awards Chair - Prof. Araceli Sanchis de Miguel, Carlos III University, Spain * Special Session Chair - Prof. Ahmad Lotfi, Nottingham Trent University - Dr. Xiao Jun Zeng, Manchester University ########################################################## ############# Paper Submission and Publication ########### * Papers for UKCI 2016 should be submitted electronically through the Conference website at http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/ukci2016/call-for-papers/, and will be refereed by experts in the fields and ranked based on the criteria of originality, significance, quality and clarity. * Selected papers will be considered for publication, following substantial extension, in a Special Issue of the Soft Computing Journal (Springer). ########################################################## #################### Awards ############################## * A best regular paper and a best student paper will be selected for this award * This best paper award consists of a plaque and a €200 honorarium * The best paper awards are sponsored by Springer ########################################################## ###### Topics and Areas include, but not limited to ###### Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) * Computational intelligence methodology * Computational intelligence for big data * Making Sense from Data (streams) * Knowledge representation * Fuzzy logic, fuzzy systems, approximate reasoning; * New Machine Learning Methodologies * Artificial Neural Networks * Evolutionary computation, swarm intelligence, artificial immune systems, memetic computing, Nature-inspired computing * New and emerging computational intelligence approaches from hybrid learning and systems, molecular and quantum computing * Software agents and multi-agent systems, intelligent control * Intelligent Video Analytics * Applications of computational intelligence techniques in engineering, healthcare, finances, (cyber)security, signal, image and video processing ########################################################## #################### Call for Special Session Proposals ######################### * UKCI-2016 will retain its traditional format of a single track with special sessions on selected “hot” topics. * Please email proposals for special sessions to ukci2016(a)lancaster.ac.uk by 20th March 2016 ########################################################## #################### Co-Sponsors ######################### * Springer * Department of Engineering and the School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University ##########################################################

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TENSS 2016 Call for Applications
by Tomas Hromadka March 9, 2016

March 9, 2016

Dear colleagues, Please find below an announcement about the fifth edition of the Transylvanian Experimental Neuroscience Summer School (TENSS). We would be very grateful if you could forward this announcement to potentially interested people. Also, if you want to support TENSS, please check our crowdfunding campaign: http://igg.me/at/tenss-ed/x. Transylvanian Experimental Neuroscience Summer School (TENSS) June 1-19, 2016. The Pike Lake, Transylvania, Romania www.tenss.ro TENSS will concentrate top-level international expertise to teach a dozen students techniques and concepts in experimental systems neuroscience. We will focus on modern optical and electrophysiological methods to study the connectivity and function of neuronal circuits. The course is designed to be intensive and highly interactive, including both lab sessions and theoretical lectures. Coursework will take place in a land of myth and legend, beyond large forests (Transylvania), on the shores of a picturesque natural reserve called Pike Lake. Applications are welcome from interested (and interesting) graduate students and postdocs. Please note that there is a significant number of fee waivers and travel support grants available for supporting our applicants. Application deadline – March 20th, 2016 Notification of acceptance – April 7th, 2016 Summer School – June 1-19th, 2016 Confirmed lecturers: Albeanu, Florin – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA Bhalla, Upinder – National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India Burrone, Juan – King’s College, London, UK Dickinson, Michael – Caltech, USA Engert, Florian – Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Freund, Tamás – Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary Hangya, Balázs – Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary Hromádka, Tomáš – Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia Hübener, Mark – Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany Ji, Na – HHMI, Janelia Research Campus, VA, USA Kampff, Adam – Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, UK Keller, Georg – Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland Kodandaramaiah, Suhasa – University of Minnesota, MN, USA Monyer, Hannah - University of Heidelberg, Germany Mrsic-Flögel, Tom – Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland Mureșan, Raul – Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Murthy, Venkatesh – Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Portugues, Ruben - Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany Singer, Wolf – Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany Svoboda, Karel – HHMI, Janelia Research Campus, VA, USA Watson, James – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA Zador, Tony - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA Organizers: Mureșan, Raul – Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Kampff, Adam – Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, UK Albeanu, Florin – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA Information about how to apply can be found here: http://tenss.ro/apply/. Best regards, TENSS Organizing Committee contact(a)tenss.ro -- Center for Cognitive and Neural Studies (Coneural) Romanian Institute of Science and Technology Str. Ciresilor 29 400487 Cluj-Napoca, Romania Tel: +40-364-800171; Fax: +40-364-800172 tenss.ro

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CfP: IEEE RO-MAN Workshop on Neuroscience Methods in Human-Robot Interaction
by Burcu Ayşen Ürgen March 8, 2016

March 8, 2016

IEEE RO-MAN 2016 Workshop on Neuroscience Methods in Human-Robot Interaction (New York City, 26-31st August, 2016) Neuroscience methods such as brain imaging are increasingly used to address research questions in robotics, robot-human communication and interaction. This workshop will provide an overview of state-of-the-art work at the intersection of human-robot interaction and human neuroscience, to show how cross-disciplinary collaboration can be a win-win, and to help increase communication between researchers from different yet complementary disciplines, with the hope of catalysing new ideas and collaborations. Neuroscientists with expertise in several topics of interest for RO-MAN 2016 <http://www.ro-man2016.org/> (e.g., embodiment, empathy, social cognition, body movements, gestures, facial expressions, anthropomorphism, learning and imitation, social presence, inference of human states, machine learning and brain-machine interfaces) will introduce the methods used, and present empirical work exemplifying their application to robotics, highlighting not only how such studies have led to insights on neural mechanisms of interaction, communication, and collaboration, but also how the findings inform the design and development of new robots, robot-human collaborative systems, interaction modalities and interfaces. We will solicit papers from the broader community that address these themes. Robotics and neuroscience both being active, rapidly developing, and high priority research areas, and the combination of expertise across disciplines holding great promise for advances in both theory and applications, the workshop will serve an important role by bringing together researchers coming from different backgrounds. Panel sessions will address challenges for interdisciplinary and novel research and discuss ideas for increasing synergy and impact future work. *SPEAKERS* Ayse P. Saygin, PhD (UC San Diego, USA) Emily S. Cross, PhD (Bangor University, UK) Thierry Chaminade, PhD (Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, FRANCE) Susanne Quadflieg, PhD (University of Bristol, UK) James Thompson, PhD (George Mason University, USA) *WORKSHOP ORGANIZERS* Burcu A. Urgen, PhD (University of Parma, ITALY) Ayse P. Saygin, PhD (UC San Diego, USA) Emily S. Cross, PhD (Bangor University, UK) Workshop website: http://neurorobotics.ucsd.edu/ *CALL FOR PAPERS* We solicit full paper submissions from cognitive and social neuroscientists and human-robot interaction researchers with expertise in several topics of interest for RO-MAN 2016 including but not limited to embodiment, empathy, social cognition, nonverbal communication via body movements, gestures, facial expressions, anthropomorphism, learning and imitation, social presence, social knowledge, inference of human states, machine learning and brain-machine interfaces. The submitted papers are intended to include applications of various neuroimaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to topics of relevance to RO-MAN 2016. Observational and behavioural studies may be suitable as long as they are highly cross-disciplinary. Theoretical papers that address the theme of the workshop and RO-MAN 2016 may also be included. The expectation from submissions is to highlight not only how neuroscience studies involving robotics have led to insights on the human cognitive and neural mechanisms of interaction, communication, and collaboration, but also how the findings inform the design and development of new robots, robot-human collaborative systems, interaction modalities and interfaces. *EVALUATION* All submissions will be evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers. The reviewers will evaluate each submission based on how informative the study has been both to human neuroscience AND human-robot interaction as well as the quality of the research methodology. All accepted papers will be published in workshop proceedings. Each paper accepted for an oral or poster presentation has to be presented by one of the authors. *IMPORTANT DEADLINES* Full paper submissions due 05/15/2016. Notifications will be sent by 05/18/2016. Final versions will be submitted by 05/20/2016. *PAPER GUIDELINES* All full paper submissions should follow the guidelines specified in the main conference website, check here <http://www.tc.columbia.edu/conferences/roman2016/submissions/papers/>. *HOW TO SUBMIT* The papers should be emailed to neuroscience.robotics.workshop(a)gmail.com by the deadline: 05/15/2016. -- Burcu Aysen Urgen, PhD Email: burcu.urgen(a)gmail.com Website: http://www.burcuaysenurgen.com

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Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience, RIKEN Brain Science Institute
by Taro Toyoizumi March 8, 2016

March 8, 2016

[Laboratory] Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience at RIKEN Brain Science Institute Lab for Neural Computation and Adaptation (Lab head: Taro Toyoizumi) webpage: http://toyoizumilab.brain.riken.jp/ [Job description] Our lab is interested in dynamic information processing by neural circuits and the modeling of activity-dependent plasticity in the brain. We seek a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a strong analytical background and interest in neuroscience. Applicants should have a PhD in physics, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, or a related area. Candidates who want to bridge theory and experiment in close collaboration with an experimental lab are also encouraged to apply. Current interest of the lab includes: - Elucidating how complex activity dynamics are generated by neural circuits and how the network dynamics influence information processing (PLoS Comput. Biol. 2015; Phys. Rev. E 2011) - Modeling Hebbian and homeostatic synaptic plasticity across developmental stages (Neuron 2014; Neuron 2013) - A statistical mechanics approach to characterize neural codewords and its engineering application (Sci. Rep. 2015; Phys. Rev. E 2015) A high-performance computer cluster is accessible for simulations and data analyses. [Required documents] 1. Complete CV 2. List of publications 3. Contact information for three references [Conditions] 2-year postdoc position with possibility of extension (Full-time position with an annual contract up to 5 years based on the evaluation) RIKEN Brain Science is an international research institute. We use English as the common language for research and for administration. The institute is located in greater Tokyo area, about 30 min from the center of the city by train. webpage: http://www.brain.riken.jp/en/ [Start of Employment] April 1st, 2016 or later (negotiable) [Send application to] toyoizumilab(a)brain.riken.jp [Contract information] Taro Toyoizumi, Ph.D. 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan RIKEN Brain Science Institute Email: toyoizumilab(a)brain.rikne.jp

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PostDoc position in bio-inspired neural networks for robot control
by Falotico Egidio March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

A postdoc position is available at The BioRobotics Insititute, Scuola Superiore SantAnna, Pisa, Italy. http://www.santannapisa.it/en/istituto/biorobotica/biorobotics-institute The position is part of the Human Brain Project SP10 Neurorobotics. The work will be carried out under the supervision of Prof. Cecilia Laschi. The initial appointment is for one year, funding is available for up to 2 years. Start date is 1st April 2016, or as soon as possible thereafter. Position description Goal: Design and development of a sensory-motor coordination control system based on bio-inspired neural network for robots acting in simulated environment. Description: The main research activity concerns the development of brain-inspired computational algorithms for robot control. In particular, the objective of this research is the modelling and implementation in a neural simulator of bio-inspired neural networks for the control of robots performing sensory-motor tasks in simulated environment. The research activity requires in-depth knowledge, proven by previous research or professional activity, of neural computational models. The ideal candidate has also programming experience with C,C++, python, languages. Preference will be given to knowledge of spiking neural networks for robot control. Context The postdoc will be enrolled in the Human Brain Project and in particular in the SP10-Neurorobotics For more information please refer to: http://www.neurorobotics.net/ https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/it/neurorobotics-platform To apply For any question and for application instructions please send an email to Egidio Falotico (egidio.falotico(a)sssup.it) by March 12th. -- Egidio Falotico Computer Scientist PhD in BioRobotics PhD in Cognitive Science The BioRobotics Institute Polo Sant'Anna Valdera - Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna Viale Rinaldo Piaggio, 34 - 56025 - Pontedera (PI) - Italy Phone: +39 050 883 457 e-mail: e.falotico(a)sssup.it

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NBT Analytics is looking for a lead programmer
by Simon-Shlomo Poil March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

Dear all, NBT Analytics is looking for a lead programmer. This Amsterdam based startup focuses on offering comprehensive EEG analyses for clinical trials, with the aim of improving drug development for CNS disorders. Get in touch if interested! Please read more here: http://www.nbt-analytics.com/#career Best regards, -- Dr. Simon-Shlomo Poil Co-founder / Chief Technology Officer NBT Analytics BV Amsterdam Health and Technology Center Paasheuvelweg 25 1105BP Amsterdam The Netherlands Website: https://www.nbt-analytics.com <http://www.nbt-analytics.com/> -- NBT Analytics BV http://www.nbt-analytics.com IMPORTANT: This message and any attachments are intended for the individual or entity named above. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not read, copy, use or disclose this communication to others; also please notify the sender by replying to this message, and then delete it from your system. Thank you.

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Fellowships (fee reduction): Summer Systems Neuroscience study abroad in Budapest
by Érdi Péter March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

Dear Community: Due to the generous support of an anonymous donor, we are now able to offer Fellowships for the Summer study abroad program: http://sysneuro-semester.org/; June 12 - Aug 5 2016, Budapest, leading to a strong fee reduction $3500 (tuition + accommodation). The original fee was $7000. Acceptance on rolling basis, conditional by the closing date of March 21st, 2016. Act rapidly! Systems Neuroscience is a study abroad summer program for undergraduates. Applications and inquiry: bscs(a)bscs-us.org (cc to negyessy.laszlo(a)wigner.mta.hu) Péter Érdi Program Director

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ICDL-EPIROB 2016: approaching deadline ( April 1st ) for papers and workshops submission
by Arnaud Blanchard March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

Approaching deadline ( April 1st ) for papers and workshops submission Call for Papers & Call for Workshops IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 The Sixth Joint IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning and on Epigenetic Robotics Cergy-Pontoise / Paris, France September 19-22th, 2016 http://www.icdl-epirob.org <http://www.icdl-epirob.org/> == Conference description IEEE ICDL-Epirob is the premier forum for advances in epigenetic robotics and developmental psychology with the focus on learning and development in biological and artificial systems. This single-track conference brings together researchers from cognitive sciences, computer sciences, and robotics to explore their shared interests in autonomous learning and development. The design and study of both robotic and simulated embodied and situated computational models that are inspired by the principles of human development will be presented at the conference. A special event -- the «Babybot challenge» — will see renowned psychologists challenging engineers and modelers in how to use the tools of developmental robotics to replicate and extend the key findings. This year, thanks to special funding from Paris-Seine University, six renowned invited speakers will cover the different facets of the conference. We invite you to participate in IEEE ICDL-Epirob by sharing your research, insights, experience, and enthusiasm. A social event “on the paths of the impressionists” will allow you to discover the old city of Pontoise and Auvers sur Oise where Vincent Van Gogh painted some of his most famous masterpieces. Excursions to Paris, Versailles and Giverny will be proposed for spouses. == Keynote speakers * Tamim Asfour (http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php <http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php>) * Karl Friston (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl <http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl>) * Julie Grezes (http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes… <http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes…>) * Tony Prescott (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott <https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott>) * One more to be confirmed == Call for submissions of workshops and papers We invite submissions for this exciting window into the future of developmental sciences. Submissions which establish novel links between brain, behavior and computation are particularly encouraged. == Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * the development of perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, and communication skills in biological systems and robots; * embodiment; * general principles of development and learning; * interaction of nature and nurture; * sensitive/critical periods; * developmental psychology; * developmental stages; * grounding of knowledge and development of representations; * architectures for cognitive development and open-ended learning; * neural plasticity; * statistical learning; * reward and value systems; * intrinsic motivations, exploration and play; * interaction of development and evolution; * use of robots in applied settings such as autism therapy; * epistemological foundations and philosophical issues. Any of the topics above can be simultaneously studied from the neuroscience, psychology or modeling/robotic point of view. == Submissions will be accepted in several formats: 1. Full six-page paper submissions: Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings and will be selected for either an oral presentation or a featured poster presentation. Featured posters will have a 1 minute "teaser" presentation as part of the main conference session and will be showcased in the poster sessions. 2. Two-page poster abstract submissions: To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 2-page abstracts. These submissions will NOT be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during poster sessions. 3. Tutorials and workshops: We invite experts in different areas to organize either a tutorial or a workshop to be held on the first day of the conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submission format: two pages. == Call for Tutorials and Workshops We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial or workshop, which will be held on the first day of the conference. Participants in tutorials and workshops are asked to register for the main conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshops can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. We would like to receive applications in pdf format for organizing a workshop with the following informations: * title / workshop or tutorial * organiser's name, research structure and coordinate (email) * how many invited presentations/ and 'open' presentations * is there a call for posters? * what is the timetable * website address ? Proposals should be sent to Sofiane Boucenna sofiane.boucenna(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:sofiane.boucenna@u-cergy.fr>, Verena Hafner hafner(a)informatik.hu-berlin.de <mailto:hafner@informatik.hu-berlin.de> & Alex Pitti alexandre.pitti(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:alexandre.pitti@u-cergy.fr> == Important dates * April 1st, 2016, paper and workshops submission deadline * June 1st, 2016, author notification * July 1st, 2014, final version (camera ready) due * September 19th-22nd, 2014, conference == Program committee General chairs: * Minoru Asada Osaka (Japan). * Philippe Gaussier, Cergy-Pontoise (France). Program chairs: * Verena Hafner, Berlin (Germany) * Alexandre Pitti, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Bridge chairs: • David Cohen, Paris (France) • Mathew Schlesinger, Southern Illinois (USA) Publication chairs: * Sofiane Boucenna, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Publicity chairs: * Arnaud Blanchard, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Manuel Lopes, Bordeaux (France) * Yulia Sandamirskaya, Zürich (Switzerland) Local chairs: * Pierre Andry, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Nicolas Cuperlier, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Finance chairs: * Ghilès Mostafaoui, Cergy-Pontoise (France)

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2nd Call for Papers: Extracellular Space
by Reinoud Maex March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE http://www.worldscinet.com/jin Call for Papers! Special Issue on Extracellular Space In experimental neuroscience, most electric signals are picked up from the electrolytic (or colloidal) solution that constitutes extracellular (interneuronal) space, yet the origin of these potentials is incompletely understood. Even more, theoreticians have recently argued about the physical principles underlying these phenomena. The present special issue invites experimental and theoretical work that can shed light on electric phenomena in extracellular space, with an emphasis on extracellular potentials and endogenous electric field interactions. The contributions solicited are original research papers and comprehensive reviews on methodological aspects. Submission deadline: 30 September 2016 Contact: Dr. Reinoud Maex reinoud.maex(a)ens.fr Questions that may be addressed are (but are not limited to): 1. The nature of extracellular potentials - What is nature of the electric currents, and what is the velocity (distribution) of the ions involved? Since membrane currents underlie the extracellular currents, what are the relative contributions of synaptic versus voltage-gated channels, excitatory versus inhibitory synapses, capacitive currents? How important are Lorenz forces between currents (due to the generated magnetic fields) and is there a contribution of polarization currents? - Is extracellular space purely resistive, or is a capacitive component involved, and what factors (such as ionic concentration, Debye shielding, etc.) contribute to its resistivity? 2. Modeling of extracellular potentials and electric field interactions - What level of detail is needed to model extracellular electrical phenomena, and which formalism can be employed? How valid is the cable equation, or need slow concentration changes of the major ionic components involved be modeled explicitly? How can LFP calculations be incorporated in simulation software? - Can volume transmission be simulated adequately as volume conductors? Are ephaptic coupling effects adequately simulated in one dimension? 3. Neuronal inference from measured extracellular potentials - What is the importance of the electrode characteristics for the proper interpretation of the measured signals? - What are the underlying assumptions, and limitations, of current-source-density analysis? How valid is the dipole approximation? Why are recent experiments being interpreted in terms of monopoles, and can single-compartmental model neurons generate local field potentials at all? - What can be learned from the power density distribution of signal frequencies? 4. Neurostimulation - What is the effect on neurons of an externally applied current or potential, and what mechanism (or rationale) underlies deep brain stimulation? 5. Physiological roles of extracellular potentials and endogenous electrical fields - Do extracellular potentials contribute to neuron-neuron and neuron-glia communication? Can there be a role for extracellular potentials in the homeostasis, clearance, and volume regulation of extracellular space, and in the control of blood flow and of the blood-brain-barrier. - What is the integrative role of endogenous electrical fields in brain function?

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Research scientist positions at Vicarious
by Dileep George March 7, 2016

March 7, 2016

Vicarious is a research startup with a long term mission to build the first human-level artificial intelligence. We believe that perception, action, reasoning, and language are intimately intertwined and need to be tackled in an integrated framework. Our work is multi-disciplinary and draws upon machine learning, graphical models, neuroscience, cognitive science, and software engineering. Vicarious is one of the few places where you'd hear cortical columns, probabilistic inference, Piagetian learning, stochastic gradient descent, and parallel implementation all discussed in the same meeting. Our strategy involves looking at the whole problem of intelligence while we make progress on different aspects of it. Trying to tackle the whole problem imposes constraints on how the different parts should behave. We have open positions for researchers to work on the following: (1) Visual perception and sensorimotor learning (2) Concept acquisition and reasoning (3) Reinforcement learning and planning (4) Grounded language understanding You will be joining a tight-knit team of scientists and engineers. Using inductive biases drawn from neuroscience, our system requires orders of magnitude less training data than traditional machine learning techniques. Our underlying framework combines advantages of deep architectures and generative probabilistic models. We use modern software engineering practices, and we strive to maintain a codebase and a culture that are a joy to work in. Visit http://www.vicarious.com/about.html for more information about the team. Qualifications/characteristics we are looking for (all are not required, but the more the better): • PhD in CS/EE/Computational Neuroscience or related disciplines. • skilled with graphical models, inference algorithms, deep learning, computer vision, machine learning, optimization • skilled in designing experiments to understand how a complex system works/fails • excellent software engineering skills • curious about how the brain works and interested in exploring how machine learning can benefit from biological constraints • willingness to pursue contrarian ideas Desired personal qualities • Integrity • Ability to admit when wrong • Altruism • Fearlessness working outside your comfort zone • Patience with others • Intellectual breadth • Sense of humor Visit http://careers.vicarious.com to learn more about the open positions and to apply.

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Final Call for Papers: ECCV 2016
by Hamdi Dibeklioglu March 6, 2016

March 6, 2016

Final Call for Papers – European Conference on Computer Vision 2016 Papers in the main technical program must describe high-quality, original research. Topics of interest include all aspects of computer vision and pattern recognition including, but not limited to: • 3D computer vision • Computational photography, sensing and display • Face and gesture • Low-level vision and image processing • Motion and tracking • Optimization methods • Physics-based vision, photometry and shape-from-X • Recognition: detection, categorization, indexing, matching • Segmentation, grouping and shape representation • Statistical methods and learning • Video: events, activities and surveillance • Applications Paper submission deadline: Monday, 14 March 2016 - 11:59 PST. Supplementary materials deadline: Monday, 21 March 2016. Announcement of decisions: Friday, 1 July, 2016. In addition to the main technical program, the conference will include tutorials, workshops, demonstrations, and exhibits. For more information, see http://www.eccv2016.org

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CfP: 2nd Int. Workshop on Machine learning, Optimization & big Data - MOD 2016 - Paper submission deadline: March 31, 2016
by Giuseppe Nicosia March 6, 2016

March 6, 2016

[Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement] [Please kindly help forward it to potentially interested attendees] 2nd International Workshop on Machine learning, Optimization and big Data - MOD 2016 An Interdisciplinary Workshop: Machine Learning, Optimization and Data Science without Borders, Volterra (Pisa) -Tuscany, August 26-29, 2016 http://www.taosciences.it/mod/ modworkshop2016(a)gmail.com CALL FOR PAPERS Paper submission deadline: March 31, 2016 http://www.taosciences.it/mod/call-for-papers/ https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=mod2016 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS + Nello Cristianini, Bristol University, UK + George Michailidis, University of Florida, USA + Stephen H. Muggleton, Imperial College London, UK + Panos Pardalos, University of Florida, USA Other Keynote Speakers will be announced soon POST-PROCEEDINGS by Lecture Notes in Computer Science - Springer JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUE Computational Optimization and Applications Journal - Springer INDUSTRIAL PANEL + Adam Gibson, Data Scientist and co-founder at Skymind, San Francisco, USA - TBC + Giovanni Giuffrida, CEO and co-founder at Neodata Group, Italy + Andy Petrella, Data Scientist and co-founder at Data Fellas, Liège, Belgium - TBC + Daniele Quercia, Head of Social Dynamics group at Bell Labs, Cambridge, UK + Fabrizio Silvestri, Principal Research Scientist at Yahoo London, UK SPECIAL SESSIONS + Deep Learning: Theory, Architectures, Algorithms and Applications + Data-driven Algorithmics – Data for informed decisions + Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithms The MOD 2016 workshop will consist of four days of workshop sessions and special sessions. We invite submissions of papers, abstracts and posters on all topics related to Machine learning, Optimization and Big Data including real-world applications for the workshop proceedings. MOD 2016 Types of Submissions When submitting a paper to MOD 2016, authors are required to select one of the following four types of papers: + Long paper: original novel and unpublished work (max. 12 pages in Springer LNCS format); + Short paper: an extended abstract of novel work (max. 4 pages); + Work for oral presentation only (no page restriction; any format). For example, work already published elsewhere, which is relevant and which may solicit fruitful discussion at the workshop; + Work for poster presentation only. The poster format for the presentation is A0 (118.9 cm high and 84.1 cm wide, respectively 46.8 x 33.1 inch). For research work which is relevant and which may solicit fruitful discussion at the workshop. MOD 2016 Post-Proceedings All accepted long papers will be published in a volume of the series 'Lecture Notes in Computer Science' from Springer after the Workshop. Instructions for preparing and submitting the final versions (camera-ready papers) of all accepted papers will be available later on. All the other papers (short papers, abstract of the oral presentations, poster presentations) will be published on the MOD 2016 web site. Journal Special Issue on Computational Optimization and Applications Journal The top 8-10 accepted articles will have the opportunity to publish a revised and expanded version of their conference paper in the Computational Optimization and Applications Journal – Springer. MOD 2016 Submission System All papers must be submitted using EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=mod2016 The deadline is March 31, 2016 Important Dates for the MOD 2016 Post-Proceedings + Paper Submission Deadline: March 31, 2016 + Decision Notification to Authors: May 1st, 2016 + Camera Ready Submission Deadline: June 1st, 2016 + Deadline for early Registration as Presenting Author: June 1st, 2016 + Late registration: June 2 – August 29, 2016 + On-Site registration: August 26-29, 2016 + MOD 2016 Workshop: August 26-29, 2016 MOD 2016 Program Committee The current MOD 2016 Program Committee includes 300+ confirmed Program Committee members: http://www.taosciences.it/mod/program-committee/ Any questions regarding the submission process can be sent to workshop organizers: modworkshop2016(a)gmail.com We look forward to seeing you in Tuscany! Giovanni Giuffrida, Giuseppe Nicosia & Panos Pardalos - MOD 2016 Chairs. http://www.taosciences.it/mod/ modworkshop2016(a)gmail.com MOD 2015 Edition: http://www.taosciences.it/mod-2015/MOD 2015 MOD 2015 Keynote Speakers: Vipin Kumar, University of Minnesota, USA Panos Pardalos, University of Florida, USA Tomaso Poggio, MIT, USA -- Giuseppe Nicosia, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Computer Engineering Dept of Mathematics & Computer Science University of Catania Viale A. Doria, 6 - 95125 Catania, Italy P +39 095 7383048 nicosia(a)dmi.unict.it http://www.dmi.unict.it/nicosia ================================================================== 3rd International Synthetic & Systems Biology Summer School - SSBSS 2016 * Biology meets Computer Science & Engineering * July 8-14, 2016 - Volterra (Pisa), Tuscany, Italy http://www.taosciences.it/ssbss/ ================================================================== 2nd International Workshop on Machine learning, Optimization & big Data - MOD 2016 August 26-29, 2016 - Volterra (Pisa), Tuscany, Italy http://www.taosciences.it/mod/ ==================================================================

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PhD Studentship ? Interdisciplinary Neuroscience (Deadline March-31)
by mliou March 6, 2016

March 6, 2016

<Apologies for cross-posting> TIGP-Interdisciplinary Neuroscience (INS) ━ Apply Now (Deadline March-31) The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience (INS) graduate program aims to study neuroscience using integrated approaches from chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, imaging, and computer science. Historically, it has been a great challenge to integrate distinct disciplines in order to discover the causes and to explore efficacious treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Therefore, the Neuroscience Program at Academia Sinica (NPAS) has decided to establish the INS graduate program, in training students at the PhD level to perform neuroscience research with multidisciplinary approaches, by teaming up the School of Life Sciences and the School of Medicine at the National Yang-Ming University (NYMU) in 2013 and the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in 2014. Note that NPAS is an on-campus research program that promotes interaction and collaboration under the goal of promoting excellence in neuroscience research and education at the international level. Program Features: 1. Neural Development/Degeneration, 2. Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience, 3. Clinical/Translational Neuroscience, 4. Physiology/Systems Neuroscience, 5. Cognitive/Social Neuroscience, 6. Neuroinformatics/Neural Applied Sciences. Application Features: 1. Integrated neuroscience course, 2. Diverse seminar and international symposiums, 3. Well-equipped core facilities and research resources, 4. Satisfactory stipends and travel grant award, 5. Degree requirement. Requirements: 1. Bachelor/Master degree, 2. English requirements: TOEFL, IELTs or GEPT, 3. GRE, M.S. thesis, or research publication, 4. Transcript, 5. Two recommendation letters, 6. Statement of purpose. For more information, please visit our website: <http://npas.programs.sinica.edu.tw/ins/> http://npas.programs.sinica.edu.tw/ins/ Vira Yang TIGP Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program 128 Academia Road, Section 2 NanKang, Taipei 115, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel: +886-2-27873282 Email: tigpins at gate.sinica.edu.tw

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PhD positions in computational neuroscience
by Mark van Rossum March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

3 YEAR PhD IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH. We invite applications for our PhD programme in COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE at the University of Edinburgh. Applicants need to have UK citizenship, or have been in the UK for the last 3 years. The studentships are ideal for students who want to apply their computational and analytical skills to problems in neuroscience and related fields. The following supervisor have openings: Peggy Seriès: Bayesian approaches to cognition and perception; computational psychiatry. Mark van Rossum: Synaptic plasticity; coding in the visual system; noise in the nervous system. Matthias Hennig: Models of neural networks; homeostasis and development; visual and auditory neuroscience; analysis of large-scale electrophysiological recordings The PhD project can be done in collaboration with one of the many affiliated departments and institutes. Edinburgh has been voted as 'best place to live in Britain', and has many exciting cultural and student activities. Students with a strong background in either computer science, mathematics, physics or engineering are particularly welcome to apply. Motivated students with other backgrounds will also be considered. Application procedure: For more info see http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroscience and contact one of the supervisors listed above. Next, apply at http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degrees/index.php?r=site/view&id=… -- Mark van Rossum, Reader, School of Informatics, U Edinburgh Forum Rm 2.52, 44-131-6511211 The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

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Brain Connectivity Workshop 2016 - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
by Demian Battaglia March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

Brain Connectivity Workshop 2016, Marseille (France) Registration is open now! (reduced rates until March 30th) When: 22nd to 24th June, 2016 Link to official website: http://bcw2016.org We are happy to announce the 15th edition of the Brain Connectivity Workshop (BCW) to take place in Marseille from the 22nd to the 24th of June 2016. The Brain Connectivity Workshop (BCW) is a well-established workshop series, which has been held annually in Europe, USA, Australia and Asia for the last 14 years. BCW is an official satellite of the annual meeting of OHBM, which is held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2016. BCW attracts every year a public of 100-200 participants working in cognitive, computational and clinical neurosciences. The discussions are centered on all themes around brain connectivity including structural and functional imaging, modeling, brain function and clinics. BCW is highly influential in the field due to the traditionally high quality of speakers and a long track record of innovation. For instance, both, the Connectome and The Virtual Brain have been born within the BCW community. The typical BCW format —a first educational day of lectures held by international authorities in their fields, followed by two days of shorter talks with ample time for discussion provides a unique forum for creativity, controversy and brainstorming. BCW 2016, introduced by a first day of tutorials by experts in their field, will feature focused sessions on themes such as perturbing the brain, mapping the brain, and brain dynamics in function (cognition) and dysfunction (epilepsy). NB: Please note that European Cup of Football will be held in France during this period and hotels are going to be booked fast! Confirmed educational lecturers (day 1) and workshop speakers (days 2-3) include: Fabrice Bartolomei (Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France) Michael Breakspear (QIMR, Brisbane, Australia) Vince Calhoun (University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM) Karl Friston (UCL, London, UK) Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez (Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH) Marc Goodfellow (University of Exeter, Exeter, UK) Charles Gray (Montana State University, Bozeman, MT) Claudius Gros (Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) Martin Hoffman-Apitius (Fraunhofer Institute SCAI, St Augustin, Germany) Esther Krook-Magnuson (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN) Pierre Luppi (Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon, France) Randy McIntosh (Baycrest Research Center, Toronto, ON) Lionel Naccache (ICM, Paris, France) Ivan Soltesz (UC Irvine, CA) Olaf Sporns (Indiana University, Bloomington, IN) William Stacey (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI) Gregor Thut (University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK) Stephan Van Gils (University of Twente, Ae Enschede, The Netherlands) Michael Wibral (Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) A special evening lecture will be delivered by Patrick Chauvel (Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France). A detailed program is coming soon. Organizing committee Viktor Jirsa, Chair (INS, Aix-Marseille University, UMR 1106 INSERM) Demian Battaglia, Christian Bénar, Mireille Bonnard, Monique Esclapez (INS, Aix-Marseille University) Andrea Brovelli (INT, Aix-Marseille University), Maxime Guye (CRMBM, Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7339 CNRS & APHM) Ingo Bojak (University of Reading, UK). An event sponsored by: University Aix-Marseille, Ville de Marseille, Brain Products, Bionics, Springer EPJ Nonlinear Biomedical Physics Journal, Codebox, Institute of System Neuroscience Inserm, Institute of Neuroscience Timone, Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, Mediterranean Society of Neuroscience (IBRO member)

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Due March 7: MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course Applications
by Mark Steven Goldman March 5, 2016

March 5, 2016

Applications are open for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course will run from July 27 to August 24, 2016, and the online application form can be found at: https://ws2.mbl.edu/studentapp/studentapp.asp?courseid=MCN The course application deadline is *March 7*. The course covers a range of topics in computational neuroscience including neuronal biophysics, neural coding & information processing, circuit dynamics, learning & memory, motor control, and cognitive processing & disease. In addition, numerous tutorials and problem sets will cover a broad range of computational and mathematical modeling methods. The course strongly emphasizes the collaboration between theory and experiment in solving neuroscience problems, and lectures will be given by a mixture of theorists and experimentalists. The Final weeks of the course are primarily reserved for work on projects that students design in collaboration with the resident faculty. Further information can be found on the MCN website: http://www.mbl.edu/mcn/ 2016 Course Directors: Michale Fee, MIT Mark Goldman, UC Davis 2016 Confirmed Faculty: Larry Abbott, Columbia University Steve Baccus, Stanford University Carlos Brody, Princeton University Emery Brown, MIT Dmitri Chklovskii, Simons Foundation Peter Dayan, University College London Sophie Deneve, Ecole Normale Superieure Uri Eden, Boston University Bard Ermentrout, University of Pittsburgh Adrienne Fairhall, University of Washington Ila Fiete, UT Austin Loren Frank, UCSF Jack Gallant, UC Berkeley Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Maria Geffen, University of Pennsylvania John Huguenard, Stanford University Nancy Kopell, Boston University Eve Marder, Brandeis University Bartlett Mel, University of Southern California Ken Miller, Columbia University Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Sara Solla, Northwestern University Haim Sompolinsky, Hebrew University Michael Stryker, UCSF Josh Tenenbaum, MIT Daniel Wolpert, Cambridge University

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Postdoctoral postions in sensory neuroscience
by Rinberg, Dmitry March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

A postdoctoral positions are available in the Rinberg lab (www.rinberglab.com) at the NYU Neuroscience Institute, to study olfactory information processing in an awake behaving animal. The lab is using electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics, and psychophysics to understand how features of olfactory stimuli are represented in neuronal activity of an awake mouse, and how these features are read by higher brain areas. Postdoctoral researchers will engage in both experimental and computational studies of multineuronal coding in awake, behaving mice. These include, but are not limited to, measurement and analysis of electrophysiological and imaging signals from olfactory bulb and olfactory cortices of the mouse, olfactory psychophysical experiments, and developing new methods for multiunit recordings and stimulations in behaving mice. Candidates with physics and computational backgrounds are very welcome to apply. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and arrange for reference letters to be e-mailed to Dima Rinberg (rinberg(a)nyu.edu) ------------------------------------------------------------ This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. =================================

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Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience
by Maxim Bazhenov March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

Applications are invited for post-doctoral research position in the laboratories of Drs. Nikolai Rulkov and Maxim Bazhenov at the University of California, San Diego to develop novel computational models of large-scale brain dynamics. This project involves close collaboration with experimental and theoretical groups. The ultimate goal of this research is understanding how the large-scale brain dynamics arises from individual dynamics of spiking neurons and synaptic interactions. The successful candidate will be responsible for the design of new classes of thalamic, cortical and hippocampal neuron models based on the discrete time (difference) equations. These models will be used to model brain network dynamics during sleep and wakefulness, as well as guide data analysis and produce novel experimental predictions. Qualified applicants are expected to have experience in dynamical systems, conductance-based neuronal modeling and theory of digital signal processing. Programming experience with C/C++ is required. Knowledge of PYTHON or MATLAB is a plus. The University of California offers excellent benefits. Salary is based on research experience. The initial appointment is for 1 year with a possibility of extension. Applicants should send a brief statement of research interests, a CV and the names of three references to Maxim Bazhenov (bazhenov(a)salk.edu) and Nikolai Rulkov (nrulkov(a)ucsd.edu)

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Postdoc in Warsaw - kernel-based method of electrophysiological source imaging
by Daniel Wójcik March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

https://neuroinflab.wordpress.com/jobs/ POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE: kESI – kernel-based method of electrophysiological source imaging The Neuroinformatics Laboratory (https://neuroinflab.wordpress.com/) at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (NENCKI, www.nencki.gov.pl) headed by Prof. Daniel Wójcik (http://www.neuroinf.pl/Members/danek) invites applications for a postdoctoral position (36 months starting between March 2016 and October 2016) that will be available as part of a nationally funded project (NCN OPUS). The goal of the project is to develop and implement a new technique of source localization of specific events in neural activity, such as a seizure, from multimodal imaging data, including ECoG (strip and grid electrodes), depth electrophysiological recordings, and MRI data from humans. The method will be validated with ground truth model data and tested on clinical data obtained from epilepsy patients. The fellow will build on already existing tools and techniques developed in the lab, see especially Potworowski et al. 2012 and Ness et al. 2015. Requirements: - PhD, preferred in physics/biophysics, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, computational neuroscience or related fields - Strong interest in brain research - Preference for people with experience in one or more of: numerical solutions of PDEs, electrodynamics, computational neuroscience, brain imaging - Advanced programming experience, Python preferred - Exceptional motivation for scientific research (demonstrated in former education record, additional courses completed, list of publications and conferences attended, previous scientific experience, references of the candidate’s thesis advisor, letter-of-intent) - Proficiency in English Application The application should contain the following documents/information: - CV including the list of publications, scholarships and awards, list of computational projects in which the candidate participated (preferably with links to the project website/publication or the candidate’s GitHub account). - Copy of PhD diploma - The applicant should arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to Prof. Wojcik and should provide contact information (email, phone) for the two referees in the cover letter. Application deadline: We are accepting applications until the position is filled Short-listed candidates with the highest score will be selected for personal or online interviews. Start date: between March 2016 and October 2016 The salary is around 5900 PLN / month (around 4200 PLN after taxes and deductions). To apply or ask for further information send email to d.wojcik(a)nencki.gov.pl -- Prof. Daniel K. Wojcik Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Head PhD Studies, Head Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology 3 Pasteur St, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland tel: (+48 22) 5892348 fax: (+48 22) 8225342 skype: danek8317 http://dwojcik.pl/ http://neuroinflab.wordpress.com/ http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0812-9872

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Summer School on Dynamic Field Theory...
by John Spencer (PSY) March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

Greetings Colleagues, I will be teaching a Summer School on Dynamic Field Theory from June 6-17, 2016 at the University of East Anglia. Dynamic field theory is a framework for understanding how the brain gives rise to thinking in real time, and how cognitive decisions leave memory traces that are the basis for learning and development. The Summer School will provide an overview of DFT, using a new text: Dynamic Thinking-A Primer on Dynamic Field Theory. To apply, send a 2-page CV and brief cover letter describing why you want to attend the school to: ssf.advancedtraining(a)uea.ac.uk<mailto:ssf.advancedtraining@uea.ac.uk> Additional details including information on fees can be found at http://www.dynamicfieldtheory.org/engage/ Cheers, John Spencer John P. Spencer, PhD Professor School of Psychology, Room 0.09 Lawrence Stenhouse Building, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom Email: j.spencer(a)uea.ac.uk<mailto:j.spencer@uea.ac.uk> School website: http://www.uea.ac.uk/psy Telephone 01603 593968 [cid:image001.png@01D09851.EF67E200] UK Top 20 (16th Complete University Guide 2015, 18th Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2015-16) UK 2nd for Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2015) World Top 1% (Times Higher Education World Rankings 2015-16) World Top 100 (Leiden Ranking 2015) [facebook]<http://www.facebook.com/ueaofficial> [twitter-old] <http://www.twitter.com/uniofeastanglia> [tumblr] <http://uniofeastanglia.tumblr.com/> [flickr] <http://www.flickr.com/uniofeastanglia> [linkedin] <http://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=12699> [youtube] <http://www.youtube.com/ueaofficial> [cid:image008.png@01CF8BB5.50024060] <http://instagram.com/uniofeastanglia>

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Deadline extension | CENICS 2016 || July 24 - 28, 2016 - Nice, France
by Sandra Sendra March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

INVITATION: ================= The submission deadline is March 23, 2016. Please consider to contribute to and/or forward to the appropriate groups the following opportunity to submit and publish original scientific results to: - CENICS 2016, The Ninth International Conference on Advances in Circuits, Electronics and Micro-electronics Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit extended article versions to one of the IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org ================= ============== CENICS 2016 | Call for Papers =============== CALL FOR PAPERS, TUTORIALS, PANELS CENICS 2016, The Ninth International Conference on Advances in Circuits, Electronics and Micro-electronics General page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/CENICS16.html Submission page: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/SubmitCENICS16.html Event schedule: July 24 - 28, 2016 - Nice, France Contributions: - regular papers [in the proceedings, digital library] - short papers (work in progress) [in the proceedings, digital library] - ideas: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - extended abstracts: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: two pages [in the proceedings, digital library] - posters: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - presentations: slide only [slide-deck posted at www.iaria.org] - demos: two pages [posted at www.iaria.org] - doctoral forum submissions: [in the proceedings, digital library] Proposals for: - mini symposia: see http://www.iaria.org/symposium.html - workshops: see http://www.iaria.org/workshop.html - tutorials: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] - panels: [slide-deck posed on www.iaria.org] Submission deadline: March 23, 2016 Sponsored by IARIA, www.iaria.org Extended versions of selected papers will be published in IARIA Journals: http://www.iariajournals.org Print proceedings will be available via Curran Associates, Inc.: http://www.proceedings.com/9769.html Articles will be archived in the free access ThinkMind Digital Library: http://www.thinkmind.org The topics suggested by the conference can be discussed in term of concepts, state of the art, research, standards, implementations, running experiments, applications, and industrial case studies. Authors are invited to submit complete unpublished papers, which are not under review in any other conference or journal in the following, but not limited to, topic areas. All tracks are open to both research and industry contributions, in terms of Regular papers, Posters, Work in progress, Technical/marketing/business presentations, Demos, Tutorials, and Panels. Before submission, please check and comply with the editorial rules: http://www.iaria.org/editorialrules.html CENICS 2016 Topics (for topics and submission details: see CfP on the site) Call for Papers: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/CfPCENICS16.html ============================================================ Semiconductors and applications Special semiconductors; Tunable bandgap semiconductors; Piezoelectricity; Polarization; Breakdown voltage; Superconductivity; Ferromagnetism; Biocompatibility; Chemical and thermal stability; Power amplification at very high frequencies; High temperature electronics; LEDs and lasers; Photodetectors; Transistors; Piezoelectric filters Design, models and languages Languages and models for specification and design of hardware; Robust, reliable and/or safe embedded electronics; Circuits/hardware description languages; Standards related to design languages; Processor and memory design; Embedded system design; VHDL-related standards; Electronic circuits modelling; Automatic generation of models; Quantitative analysis of models; Distributed CAD systems; Collaborative design based on Internet and WWW; Electronic systems design based on WWW; System- and high-level synthesis, HW/SW codesign Signal processing circuits Signal processing; High-speed signal processing; Multi-scale signal processing and imaging; Asynchronous circuits and systems; High frequency processing; Power and signal amplifiers; Parallel processing circuits; Equalization processing; Compression, transcoding, and applied signal processing Arithmetic computational circuits Operational arithmetic circuits; Basic arithmetic operations; Modular operations; Decimal-floating point operations; Multiple-precision operations; Squaring and exponentiation; Polynomial evaluations; Periodic functions; Operational approximations; Parallel decimal operations Microelectronics Components and circuits for communications; HMIC and MMIC design; Micro-electronics; Nano-electronics; Lasers and mini-lasers; Miniature devices; Low power electronics; Nano-scale electronics materials Electronics technologies Organic optoelectronic; Implantable electronics; Wearable electronics; Low power electronics; Electronic microarray technology and applications; RF and Microwave Special circuits Programmable circuits; Design of reconfigurable micro-chips; VLSI circuits design; Low-noise circuits; Digital modulators; Micro-sensors; Micro-antennas; Thermal circuits; Reconfigurable circuits; Dynamically reconfigurable processors; Oscillators; VCOs and phased-array transmitters Consumer electronics Home-oriented electronics; Biometric circuits; Home gateway; Home theater circuitry; Game systems; Interactive and directed programming electronics; Advanced DVD and CD; Interactive and directed programming electronics Application-oriented electronics Navigation electronics; Industrial electronics; Automotive electronics; Application-oriented electronics; Telemedicine and eHealth electronics; Biochip design for health science applications; Bio-systems and miniature instruments; Biosensors and biosensor networks; Industrial measurement electronics; Industrial control electronics; Energy distribution electronics; Energy saving and conversion circuits; Indoor and outdoor light control systems; Power electronics; Avionics electronics; Railways electronics; Vehicular electronics; Embedded electronics; Process industry electronics ------------------------ CENICS 2016 Committee: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2016/ComCENICS16.html CENICS Advisory Committee Vladimir Privman, Clarkson University - Potsdam, USA Sergey Y. Yurish, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC-Barcelona), Spain Martin Horauer, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Austria Adrian Muscat, University of Malta, Malta CENICS 2016 Research/Industry Chairs Ravi M. Yadahalli, S G Balekundri Institute of Technology, Belagavi, Karnataka, India CENICS 2016 Industry Liaison Chairs Falk Salewski, Muenster University of Applied Sciences, Germany CENICS 2016 Publicity Chair Sandra Sendra Compte, Universidad Polit�cnica de Valencia, Spain CENICS 2016 Special Area Chairs Formalisms Peeter Ellervee, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia Application-oriented Josu Etxaniz Mara�on, University of the Basque Country / Universidad del Pa�s Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea - Bilbao, Spain Sensors Yulong Zhao, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China ==============

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Postdoctoral position in Theoretical Neuroscience
by Yashar Ahmadian March 4, 2016

March 4, 2016

POSITION: Yashar Ahmadian's Theoretical Neuroscience group at University of Oregon, in Eugene, Oregon, is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on developing theoretical models of information processing in animal brains and statistical methods for analyzing high-dimensional neural and behavioral datasets. The position is available immediately, and provides a competitive annual salary and benefits. RESEARCH TOPIC: The driving questions behind our research are: How do large neuronal populations, particularly in sensory cerebral cortex, process inputs and adapt to their statistical structure on multiple time scales? What is the role of these networks' intrinsic dynamics in sensory processing, and the role of horizontal and feedback connections in shaping this dynamics? What general computations can be performed by partially random connectivity, not designed or learned for specific tasks? In the pursuit of these aims we use techniques and concepts from statistical physics, machine learning, random matrix theory, and statistics. We will also develop new statistical methods for uncovering structure in high-dimensional neural data (Calcium-imaging, multi-electrode recordings, EEG). We collaborate closely with experimental labs in systems and cognitive neuroscience in the Institute of Neuroscience at University of Oregon, and some of the projects will involve hands on analysis of experimental data. For more information, please visit: http://uoneuro.uoregon.edu/ahmadian/index.php http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/ ENVIRONMENT: Our group is young and dynamic. We are affiliated with the Biology and Mathematics departments and the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. The Institute of Neuroscience is a closely knit community with lots of cross-talk between computational, systems and cognitive neuroscientists. Eugene is a culturally diverse city, with a beautiful and pristine surrounding geography. Situated in the Willamette valley, we are minutes away from the lush Oregon rain forests and hot springs, an hour away from the Cascade mountain range, and also an hour from the Pacific ocean. QUALIFICATIONS: selection criteria include strong mathematical/analytical skills, programming experience, familiarity with computational neuroscience and/or machine learning, and past research accomplishments. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a quantitative discipline, e.g. physics, engineering, math, machine learning or statistics. Previous experience with neurobiology or a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience is advantageous but not required. APPLICATION: Applicants should submit a statement of research interests (1-2 pages), a current CV, and the names and contacts of 2-3 references. Questions and application material should be emailed to Yashar Ahmadian (yashar(at)uoregon.edu) Application review will begin on March 4 and continue until the position is filled.

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Human Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics @ Biorob2016 - Call for Contributions
by Falotico Egidio March 3, 2016

March 3, 2016

Dear colleagues (with advance apologies for any cross-postings), We invite submissions for oral or poster presentations at the Huma Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics that will be organized on June 26th, at the sixth IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics BioRob 2016, in Singapore. http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016 Prospective authors should submit the extended abstract (one A4 page, in PDF format) by March 30th, 2016 . Notification of acceptance will be received no later than April 8th. For submission please refer to the following link: http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016/HBPPaperSubmission… ABSTRACT Neurorobotics is already an established branch of robotics that in the last years, taking advantage from an increase in the accessibility of existing neuroscientific data and knowledge, allowed building robotic systems that can exhibit robustness, adaptability and several features of the human intelligence. Reciprocally, significant developments in robotics and machine learning put robotics in the service of neuroscience as experimental platforms or test-beds of brain models. In the last years, advanced insights and the increasing availability of cheap processing power has led Neurorobotics to follow two tracks of research with different goals and methods: The first track focuses on neuro-inspired computing paradigms that mimic nervous system functions based on Spiking Neural Networks. This does not only foster our understanding of biological systems but also contributes to future technical applications in artificial systems. In the past, limited processing power and the lack of appropriate models and tools shifted the focus of research far away from biological neural networks. Recently a number of projects like the US BRAIN Initiative and the Human Brain Project have taken up the challenge by combining efforts from the fields of neuroscience and computer science to enable the large scale modeling and simulation of biological neural networks with billions of spiking neurons. The second track, extending the theory of classical artificial neural networks, mostly relies on simpler neuron models but integrate them in novel network architectures. These networks are extensively used in robotics, allowing mimicking the function of some brain areas in order to reproduce complex behaviors with a reduced computational cost. This workshop seeks to present and discuss advances in neuroscientific models for cognition and new perspectives in control for robotic applications based on both biologically-inspired and artificial neural networks. The final goal is to bring together researchers from both robotics and neuroscience in order to explore how to maximize the progress at the multidisciplinary frontier evaluating the advantages of both tracks of the Neurorobotics research. TOPICS OF INTEREST - Bio-inspired sensory-motor coordination and adaptive control - Active perception - Neurocontrollers - Self-organization and sensory-motor mapping - Predictive behaviour - Bio-inspired learning robots - Robot imitation and learning by demonstration - Memory-based algorithms - Cognitive behaviours in robots - Reservoir computing - Deep learning - Neuromorphic computing for robotics KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Giorgio Metta (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy) - The use of motor invariants can improve action discrimination Tomohiro Shibata (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan) Functional Robotic Assistance of Human Motor Learning Ruediger Dillman (Research Center for Information Technology, Germany) - Modelling Cortical Sensor-Motor Control Functionalities with a Spiking Neural-Robot Control Simulator Sunil L. Kukreja (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Integration of Neuromorphic Tactile Perception with Haptic Feedback in a Virtual and Augmented Reality World for Advanced Robotic Control Best Regards, Egidio Falotico, Cecilia Laschi (The BioRobotics Institite,Scuola Superiore SantAnna , Italy) Florian Röhrbein, Florian Walter (Technical University of Munich, Germany) Organizers

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Faculty position in Image and Vision Computing at Edinburgh
by Barbara Webb March 3, 2016

March 3, 2016

Applications are invited for a Lecturer to join the Institute of Perception, Action and Behaviour, part of the School of Informatics, at The University of Edinburgh. For an exceptional candidate, appointment to the position of Senior Lecturer or Reader will be considered. Closing date for applications, 21st March 2016, via form available here: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.disp… The Institute carries out research in Machine Vision, Graphics, and Robotics. It also has substantial cross links to the Institute of Adaptive and Neural Computation. Candidates with an interest in the computational neuroscience of vision, machine learning, or the application of computer vision to robotics are particularly encouraged to apply; but applications in any area of Image and Vision computing will be considered. The School of Informatics plays a leading role in the EPRSC Centres for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, and in Data Science, with opportunities for the appointee to supervise PhD students from the Centres (and from other sources). In partnership with Heriot Watt University, we have recently established the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, with substantial infrastructure funding for robotic platforms and supporting facilities. The University of Edinburgh is also one of the five joint venture partner universities in the UK's Alan Turing Institute for Data Science; this gives rise to opportunities to interact with PhD students, research fellows and senior researchers within the Turing Institute. In addition, there are many opportunities to interact with other parts of the University and beyond in order to further the candidate's research agenda. The successful candidate will have a PhD; experience as an established researcher in Image and Vision Computing; enthusiasm to undertake original research including leading a research group; ability to engage with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and academic supervision; ability to be involved in enhancing eLearning and on-line teaching initiatives. The post is full time and open ended and is available from 4th January 2017. Informal enquiries should be directed to Professor Barbara Webb, Director of the Institute for Perception, Action and Behaviour: B.Webb(a)ed.ac.uk -- The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

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postdoc position in reinforcement learning & sleep
by Benoît Girard March 3, 2016

March 3, 2016

Position description The goal of the post-doc will be to investigate the bridges to be established between the alternation of online & offline processes in reinforcement learning, and the replay processes observed in sleep and resting conditions of animals. The developed models will aim at simulating behavioral and neurophysiological data. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a strong academic record. A background in computational neuroscience or machine learning is required. We specifically seek candidates with significant experience in reinforcement learning. Programming skills in modern C++ and python are expected. Context The DREAM European project (http://www.robotsthatdream.eu/) is focused on thebootstrap of a developmental process allowing a robot to learn about its environment and the objects it contains. DREAM is a project of the FET call (Future and Emerging Technologies) on « Knowing, doing, being: cognition beyond problem solving ». The position proposed here contributes to the DREAM workpackage dedicated to cross fertilization with neuroscience. Thanks to active collaborations with experimentalists, there will be access to fresh animal data. The position will be located in the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR, http://www.isir.upmc.fr) Paris, France. ISIR belongs to the UPMC-Sorbonne Universités which is among the top ranked French universities. ISIR is located in the center of Paris, at walking distance from other academic institutions (Ecole Normale Supérieure, La Sorbonne, Collège de France, etc.), and from famous monuments (Notre Dame, Le Panthéon, etc.). Speaking or understanding french is not required. To apply Applicants should send a CV, letter of motivation (max 2 pages), and 2-3 letters of reference via e-mail to benoit.girard(a)upmc.fr, with [DREAM post-doc] in the subject of the mail. Review of applicants will begin immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. The earliest start date is July 2016. Fiche_poste_post-doc_WP5.pages

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Open positions in research, data science, and machine learning at Spotify
by Zachary Nichols March 2, 2016

March 2, 2016

Spotify is seeking talented researchers and engineers to work on a variety of questions in an open, collaborative environment. Positions include data scientists and engineers with strong software skills, as well as individuals with some software ability who are strong at research design, statistical hypothesis testing, or who have strong domain expertise in relevant areas (such as the psychophysics of audio perception or behavioral modeling). Your work will involve novel research in areas like content recommendation, personalization, optimization, predictive user modeling, and large-scale experiments. You will work with a diverse team to bring research ideas from initial hypotheses, to well-designed experiments, to implementations that can scale to millions of people and billions of data points. Above all, your work will impact the way the world experiences music. The open positions span this process, including: *Research Lead* (New York, NY) *Data Scientist* (New York, NY and Stockholm, Sweden) *Machine Learning Engineer* (New York, NY and Boston, MA) *Data Engineer* (New York, NY and Boston, MA) We also have summer internships available in New York and Boston for undergraduate or graduate students. For more information, or to apply, please see www.spotify.com/jobs/ We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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Post-Doc Position Bioinformatics in Marseille, France: Large-scale brain modeling and machine learning Neurodegenerative Diseases
by OTTEN Lisa March 2, 2016

March 2, 2016

Bioinformatician Neurodegenerative diseases post-Doc position Large-scale brain modeling and machine learning A rare 2-year postdoc position opportunity for a creative & innovative Bioinformatician with a desire to play a key role in the exciting field of neurodegenerative diseases and aging. The Bioinformatician will be based in Marseille (Timone University Hospital Campus) and will have the exciting challenge of combining data mining & modelling algorithms that will direct the future of neurodegenerative disorders treatments. This is a role operating on the forefront of science that will reward the individual through job satisfaction, both career & personal development opportunities. The position is for 1 year starting now, renewable for another year and with a salary commensurate with experience. Working with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, imaging specialists, biologists, engineers, physicists and software engineers, the Bioinformatician will work on parameter inference for connectome-based large-scale brain network models (see The Virtual Brain http://www.thevirtualbrain.org<http://www.thevirtualbrain.org/>) (leader V Jirsa) applied to clinical brain imaging data (EEG, MEG, fMRI) (leader M Guye) and systems biology (leader C Nguyen). In particular, the project will involve the application and evaluation of common Bayesian estimation techniques such as Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo and variational schemes to high-dimensional time-series models of brain activity. Finally, the on-site high-performance cluster will be used to evaluate models on large datasets comprising groups of patients. Minimum Qualifications & Experience: Doctoral degree in the field of computer science, physics, engineering or related fields, ideally with specialization in bio-informatics or computational neuroscience. Good communication skills in English, both oral and written. In particular candidates should be capable of presenting technical information and data to non-experts in a clear and concise manner Desirable Qualifications & Experience: Candidates should be comfortable working with machine learning techniques and programming in a data-friendly language such as MATLAB, Python, R, Julia etc. Experience with nonlinear dynamical systems and signal processing, which play a large role in model construction and preprocessing, are valued but not required. The project is proposed by the Federation Hospitalo-Universitaire DHUNE and funded by Aix-Marseille University A*MIDEX. To learn more about this fascinating role send your CV and covering letter to: Prof Olivier Blin, DHUNE Coordination, Clinical Pharmacology, Timone Hospital, 13385 Marseille Cedex 5. Email: olivier.blin(a)ap-hm.fr Kind regards, Lisa Otten

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Call for Submissions: Doctoral Symposium on Foundations and Applications of Self-* Systems (FAS*W)
by Jan-Philipp Steghöfer March 1, 2016

March 1, 2016

**************************************************************************** FAS*W 2016 (SASO and ICCAC) Call For Doctoral Symposium Submissions Doctoral Symposium on Foundations and Applications of Self-* Systems (FAS*W) Augsburg, Germany, September 12 & 16, 2016 http://fasstar2016.informatik.uni-augsburg.de/ http://iccac2016.se.rit.edu/ http://uni-augsburg.de/saso2016 @SASO2016Conf **************************************************************************** Foundations and Applications of Self* Systems (FAS*) is the umbrella for two closely related but independent conferences, the International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO) and the International Conference on Cloud and Autonomic Computing (ICCAC). The FAS* Doctoral Symposium provides an international forum for PhD Students working in research areas addressed by FAS*. In this forum, PhD students will get unique opportunities to subject their research to the scrutiny of external experts, gain experience in the presentation of research, connect to peers and experts addressing similar problems, and get advice from a panel of internationally leading researchers. Different from the technical tracks of the conference, the FAS* Doctoral Symposium focuses on the specific needs of young researchers at the beginning of their career. As such, particular emphasis will be placed on a critical and constructive feedback that shall help participants to successfully conclude their PhD studies. PhD students working in any area addressed by the FAS* conferences are invited to submit a Doctoral Symposium paper in which they describe the key motivation and objectives of their research project, and reflect on the methodology as well as the current status of their PhD studies. Complementing the thematic focus of FAS*, we particularly solicit contributions in the following areas: * Engineering of self-organizing and self-adaptive systems We solicit theoretical and applied works addressing fundamental principles underlying self-organizing systems, as well as methods that allow to quantify, model and reproduce the self-* characteristics of complex systems in biological, social, physical and technical systems. Examples include mechanisms underlying distributed decision- making and collective intelligence, software engineering challenges in self-adaptive systems, as well as general application of self-* principles in the engineering of technical systems. * Complex Cyber-physical and socio-technical systems We welcome contributions that apply self-* principles to address challenges in the design of complex cyber- physical and socio-technical systems. Particular examples include smart grid infrastructures, sensor networks, opportunistic networking scenarios, as well as large-scale social information systems. Works addressing challenges such as the security, privacy and anonymity of users, or mechanisms to prevent censorship, manipulation or unfairness in socio-technical systems are especially welcome. We further solicit works on socio- technical and socio-economic challenges in P2P systems, such as the design of incentive, trust and reputation mechanisms. * Self-* approaches in Massive-Scale Decentralized Systems Works in this area use self-* approaches to address challenges in the design and operation of massive scale decentralized systems. Examples include Peer-to-Peer technologies, as well as overlay topology management schemes. We are further interested in decentralized data mining and machine learning approaches, as well as decentralized approaches to monitor, model and adapt distributed systems. Works using self-* principles to address the inherent challenges in the design of massive-scale systems with unreliable and heterogeneous are of particular interest. * Autonomic Computing Systems Here we are interested in all works addressing the self-configuration, self-optimization and self-adaptation of cloud computing services, data centers and general distributed computing systems. Examples for questions addressed in this area include the monitoring and modeling of cloud services, the design of efficient resource allocation mechanisms, the application of data mining and machine learning techniques to analyze and predict the behavior of technical systems, as well as the characterization of distributed computing workloads. * Application of Self-* in Robotics and Spatial Computing Finally, we welcome contributions using self-* principles in the areas of robotics, swarm robotics and spatial computing. Here, examples for works of interest include environmental modeling and perception, machine vision, and self-adaptation mechanisms in robotics, distributed coordination and collective intelligence in multi- robot systems, as well as novel paradigms for the programming of autonomous, spatially distributed entities. --------------------------- Submission Instructions --------------------------- Submissions should have a length of max. six pages and be formatted according to the IEEE Computer Society Press proceedings style guide. Authors should submit their papers using the EasyChair installation of the main conference, which is available at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=saso2016 Please note that only single-author submissions are accepted, which focus on the topic of the doctoral work. The name of the supervisor (« supervised by ... ») should be clearly marked below the author’s name in the paper. Submissions should further adhere to the following structure: * Motivation: motivate the open problem that you want to address and briefly summarize existing approaches along with their deficiencies. * Objectives: describe the key objectives of your PhD project and argue how achieving them will solve the open problem outlined in the motivation. * Methodology: outline what methodology you will adopt to meet the objectives of your project. Clearly state on what existing works your work will build. * Research Plan: describe what preliminary results – if any – you have already achieved and summarize your plans for future work. Please add a rough schedule that allows to judge whether your research plan is feasible. Authors of accepted papers shall prepare a final, camera ready version of the paper, taking into account all feedback from reviewers, and formatted according to the IEEE Computer Society Press proceedings style guide. Doctoral Symposium papers will be advertised in the final program, and will be submitted to IEEE Xplore as part of the SASO proceedings. Papers will also be made available in the IEEE Digital Library. -------------------- Review Process -------------------- Each submission will be reviewed by at least two Doctoral Symposium experts (see list below) that cover the different areas of interest of the conference. Submissions will be evaluated based on their relevance to FAS*, the motivation and quality of the proposed research, as well as the suitability of the chosen methodology. Authors of accepted papers will have different opportunities to present their project at the conference. Besides a full presentation during the PhD Symposium session, an “Elevator Pitch Session” will be organized during the main conference, where authors get the chance to briefly showcase their research. In addition, the Best Doctoral Symposium paper will be selected and the award will be presented during the main conference. Finally, selected authors will have the additional chance to present their work via a poster in the poster session of the main conference. --------------------------- Invited Talk --------------------------- To be announced --------------------------- Doctoral Symposium Experts --------------------------- * Ozalp Babaoglu – University of Bologna, IT * Jacob Beal – BBN Technologies, USA * Kurt Geihs – Universitaet Kassel, DE * Tom Holvoet – KU Leuven, BE * Manish Parashar – Rutgers University, USA * Jeremy Pitt – Imperial College London, UK * Mark Jelasity – University of Szeged, HU * Burkhard Stiller – University of Zurich, CH * Giuseppe Valetto – Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, IT * Salim Hariri – University of Arizona, USA * Simon Dobson – University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK * Antonio Bucchiarone - Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, IT To be completed --------------------------- Important Dates --------------------------- Abstract Submission due: May 29, 2016 Paper Submission due: June 12, 2016 Notifications due: July 10, 2016 Camera ready version due: July 24, 2016 Conference date: September 12-16, 2016 --------------------------- Contact Information --------------------------- For any further information, please contact the Doctoral Symposium chairs: Pradeep Murukannaiah Department of Computer Scienc North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA pmuruka(a)ncsu.edu http://www4.ncsu.edu/~pmuruka/ Dr. Ingo Scholtes Chair of Systems Design ETH Zurich CH-8092 Zurich Switzerland ischoltes(a)ethz.ch http://www.ingoscholtes.net

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SSBSS 2016 Call for Oral Presentations/Posters: 8-14 July 2016, Volterra (Pisa) Tuscany, Italy - 3rd Int. Synthetic & Systems Biology Summer School - Application DEADLINE: March 31, 2016
by Giuseppe Nicosia March 1, 2016

March 1, 2016

* Our sincere apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement * Please help us distributing in your circles (emails, blogs, and social networks) the call for participation and call for oral talks/posters for SSBSS 2016. Together we will make SSBSS a great event! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd International Synthetic and Systems Biology Summer School - SSBSS 2016, 8-14 July 2016, Volterra (Pisa) - Tuscany, Italy ssbss.school(a)gmail.com http://www.taosciences.it/ssbss/ https://www.facebook.com/ssbss.school/ https://twitter.com/SchoolSsbss The Synthetic and Systems Biology Summer School (SSBSS) is a full-immersion five-day residential summer school at the Volterra Learning Center (Pisa - Tuscany, Italy) on cutting-edge advances in systems and synthetic biology with lectures delivered by world-renowned experts. The school provides a stimulating environment for students (from Master students to PhD students), Post-Docs, early career researches, academics and industry leaders. Participants will also have the chance to present their results (with Oral Talks and Posters), and to interact with their peers, in a friendly and constructive environment. SSBSS 2016 DEADLINES: Application: March 31, 2016 Notification Acceptance: April 10, 2016 Oral Presentation/Poster Submission: March 31, 2016 Notification of Decision for Oral/Poster Presentation: April 10, 2016 http://www.taosciences.it/ssbss/#application-form SPEAKERS * Yaakov (Kobi) Benenson, Synthetic Biology Group@Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland Lecture 1: The practice of mammalian synthetic biology Lecture 2: Mammalian cell classifiers * Leonidas Bleris, Bioengineering Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA Lecture 1: Genome Editing Technologies and Therapeutic Modalities Lecture 2: Benchmark Circuits and Topological Properties * Domitilla Del Vecchio, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, USA Lecture 1: Modularity in genetic circuits: Dream versus Reality Lecture 2: Engineering Modularity in Genetic Circuits * Diego Di Bernardo, Dept of Chemical Materials and Industrial Production Engineering University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy Lecture 1: "Engineering and Control of Biological Circuits in Yeast" Lecture 2: "Engineering and Control of Biological Circuits in Mammalian Cells * Barbara Di Ventura, Synthetic Biology Group, BioQuant/DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany Lecture 1: Using blue light to control protein localization in living mammalian cells Lecture 2: Using split inteins for protein engineering in living cells * J. Gootenberg, Feng Zhang's Group, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, USA Lectures: TBA * Markus Herrgard, Technical University of Denmark - Biosustain, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Denmark Lecture 1: "Developing an Integrated Cell Factory Design Tool" Lecture 2: "Using Automated Laboratory Evolution to Optimize Cell Factories” * Shalev Itzkovitz, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Lecture 1: "Single Molecule Approaches for Studying Gene Expression in Intact Mammalian Tissues" Lecture 2: "Systems Biology of Stem Cell-Maintained Tissues” * Francesco Ricci, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy Lecture 1: "DNA Nanotechnology Tools and Reactions for Synthetic Biology" Lecture 2: "Nature-inspired DNA-based Nanodevices More speakers will be announced soon! INDUSTRIAL PANEL * Speakers TBA Next Generation Sequencing Workshop – Afternoon July 12th, 2016 * “How fast can we align sequences?” Mario Guarracino, CNR, Italy * “Advanced Bioinformatics tools for NGS” – TBC Luca Zammataro, Yale University, USA Tutorials: * “Detection and analysis of contaminating sequences in NGS sequencing data” Ilaria Granata, CNR, Italy * “Detection and interpretation of circular RNAs in RNA-seq experiments” Parijat Tripathi, CNR, Italy Scientific Committee Jole Costanza, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy Diego Di Bernardo, TeleThon Institute of Genetics & Medicine - TIGEM and University of Napoli "Federico II", Italy Barbara Di Camillo, University of Padova, Italy Simone Furini, University of Siena, Italy Emanuele Domenico Giordano, University of Bologna, Italy Massimo Gulisano, University of Catania, Italy Mario Guarracino, ICAR-CNR, Italy Markus Herrgard, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark Paolo Magni, University of Pavia, Italy Giuseppe Narzisi, New York Genome Center, USA Giuseppe Nicosia, University of Catania, Italy Wieslaw Nowak, Nicholas Copernicus University, Poland Danilo Porro, University of Milano Bicocca, Italy Francesco Ricci, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy Gianna Maria Toffolo, University of Padova, Italy Renato Umeton, MIT, USA Luca Zammataro, Yale University, USA School Directors Diego Di Bernardo, TeleThon Institute of Genetics & Medicine - TIGEM and University of Napoli "Federico II", Italy Giuseppe Nicosia, University of Catania, Italy Luca Zammataro, Yale University, USA See you in Tuscany in July! The Organizing Committee. ssbss.school(a)gmail.com http://www.taosciences.it/ssbss/ https://www.facebook.com/ssbss.school/ https://twitter.com/SchoolSsbss * Apologies for multiple copies. Please forward to anybody who might be interested * * Other Events in Tuscany: * 2nd International Workshop on Machine learning, Optimization and big Data - MOD 2016 An Interdisciplinary Workshop: Machine Learning, Optimization and Data Science without Borders, Volterra (Pisa) -Tuscany, August 26-29, 2016 http://www.taosciences.it/mod/ modworkshop2016(a)gmail.com CALL FOR PAPERS Paper submission deadline: March 31, 2016 http://www.taosciences.it/mod/call-for-papers/ https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=mod2016 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS + Nello Cristianini, Bristol University, UK + George Michailidis, University of Florida, USA + Stephen H. Muggleton, Imperial College London, UK + Panos Pardalos, University of Florida, USA Other Keynote Speakers will be announced soon POST-PROCEEDINGS by Lecture Notes in Computer Science - Springer JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUE Computational Optimization and Applications Journal - Springer -- Giuseppe Nicosia, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Computer Engineering Dept of Mathematics & Computer Science University of Catania Viale A. Doria, 6 - 95125 Catania, Italy P +39 095 7383048 nicosia(a)dmi.unict.it http://www.dmi.unict.it/nicosia ================================================================== 3rd International Synthetic & Systems Biology Summer School - SSBSS 2016 * Biology meets Computer Science & Engineering * July 8-14, 2016 - Volterra (Pisa), Tuscany, Italy http://www.taosciences.it/ssbss/ ================================================================== 2nd International Workshop on Machine learning, Optimization & big Data - MOD 2016 August 26-29, 2016 - Volterra (Pisa), Tuscany, Italy http://www.taosciences.it/mod/ ==================================================================

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PhD position in computational neuroscience at Frankfurt University
by Claudius Gros Feb. 29, 2016

Feb. 29, 2016

I would like to brink your attention our PhD-program in Computational Neurosciences / Complex Dynamical Systems At the Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Frankfurt am Main, Field(s): computational neurosciences, complex systems, theory neural networks, simulated robotics, dynamical systems. Application deadline: April 22, 2016 Contact: Prof. Claudius Gros E-mail: cgr[(a)]itp.uni-frankfurt.de Address: Institute for Theoretical Physics, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt, We are developing new models and generative principles for the brain using a range of toolsets from dynamical systems theory and computational neurosciences. Examples are new objective functions and generating functionals for the sensory-motor loop, transient state dynamics and self-limiting Hebbian plasticity rules. Several subjects are available for the announced PhD thesis including the generation of attractor metadynamics through short-term synaptic plasticity and/or the generation of motor primitives through self-organized embodiment within the sensory-motor loop. The work will include analytical investigations and numerical simulations of neural networks and/or of simulated robots, using the toolset of dynamical systems theory. The candidate should have a Diploma/Master in physics with an excellent academic track record and good computational skills. Experience or strong interest in the fields of complex systems, computational neurosciences, dynamical systems theory and/or artificial or biological cognitive systems is expected. The degree of scientific research experience is expected to be on the level of a German Diploma/Master. The appointment will start summer 2016, for up to three years. Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a list of publications, and arrange for letters of reference to be sent to the address above Claudius Gros http://www.itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros ***************************************** *** Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros *** *** +49 (0)69 798 47818 *** *** http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros *** ***************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------- --- Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, A Primer --- --- A graduate-level textbook, Springer (2008/10/13/15) --- -----------------------------------------------------------

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High performance environment for collaborative neuroscience research
by Ted Carnevale Feb. 28, 2016

Feb. 28, 2016

Please accept our apologies if you have already received a similar message from another source-- Dear colleague: We are trying to gauge the interest among the neuroscience community in a collaborative environment that provides secure data storage and sharing, combined with high performance computing resources like those offered by NSG*. We would greatly appreciate your participation in this survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vY7xXaeXFDb63EbgmgvQ7ZbUNpIopvh6UuTpwYeDmz… which will take about 10 minutes to complete. Please feel free to bring this to the attention of your collaborators or students who might also be interested. Ted Carnevale, Neuroscience Department, Yale University Amit Majumdar, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UCSD *--NSG is the Neuroscience Gateway https://www.nsgportal.org which provides free supercomputing cycles to neuroscientists for using tools such as NEURON, Brian, GENESIS, MOOSE, NEST, PyNN, and FreeSurfer.

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ICANN 2016 Barcelona - EXTENSION of the Last Call for contributions
by Antonio Javier Pons Rivero Feb. 28, 2016

Feb. 28, 2016

*EXTENSION of t**he **Last Call**for Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation and/or Full **P**aper Contribution* *www.icann2016.org* *ICANN 2016 * 25th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks BarcelonaTech (UPC), Barcelona, Spain 6 - 9 September 2016* Special event*: ENNS 25th Anniversary ============================================================ /The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2016 the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (BarcelonaTech) will organis//e the 25th ICANN Conference from //the //6th to //the //9th //of //September 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Universit//at//Pompeu Fabra (UPF)./ *INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS* 1. *Wlodek Duch *(Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland) 2. *Erkki Oja *(Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland) 3. *Joaquin Fuster *(University of California at Los Angeles, USA) 4. *Murray Shanahan* (Imperial College London, UK) 5. *Günther Palm*(University of Ulm, Germany) 6. *Stephen Coombes *(University of Nottingham, UK) 7. *Etienne Koechlin*(Pierre and Marie Curie University, France) *IMPORTANT DATES* */EXTENDED Submission of abstracts and papers: /**1 April 2016 **//EXTENDED /Submission of /**/d/**/emonstration proposals: /**1 April 2016 */Notification of acceptance:/8 May 2016 /Camera-ready paper and registration: /15 May 2016 /Conference dates:/6-9 September 2016 *CONFERENCE TOPICS* ICANN 2016 will feature the main tracks /Brain Inspired Computing/ and /Machine Learning Research/, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: * Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organisation, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. * Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. * Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. *** CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE**S* Early registration fees have been kept particularly low for this kind of event because ENNS and ICANN aim to fully implement the academicnot-for-profit policy. Undergraduate students (Bachelor and Master level): 90 EUR PhD Students: 200 EUR Regular delegates: 250 EUR *ENNS members have a reduction of 40 EUR* Students can apply for ENNS funded travel grants to attend (see the conference website). *CALL FOR CONTRIBUTED SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS* All scientific communications presented at ICANN 2016 will be reviewed and scientifically evaluated by a panel of experts. The conference will feature three categories of communications: - oral communications (15'+5') - poster communications (on permanent display and with a 2-hour presentation) - demonstrations Authors willing to present original contributions for any category must submit a manuscript of a maximum length of 8 pages.Accepted papers of contributing authors will be published in Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. Selected papers will be invited after the conference for a full journal paper submission. Authors willing to present a contribution for oral communications and posters without submitting a full manuscript must submit a 1-page abstract. The abstracts will be published all together in a proceedings section without an author index. In case of programme constraints the priority will be given to original contributions accompanied by a full paper submission. Submission of communications will be online. More details are available on the conference website (http://icann2016.org/index.php/contributors/submission) *BEST PAPER AWARDS* ENNS will sponsor a maximum of four best paper awards, two in the Brain Inspired Computing track (one poster and one oral communication) and, analogously, two in the Machine Learning Research track. All awardees will be presented during the final ceremony. *ORGANISATION** General Chair:*/ Antonio J. Pons Rivero/(UPC Barcelona, Spain)* Local**co-Chairs:* /Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo/(UPF Barcelona, Spain), /Paul Verschure/(UPF Barcelona, Spain) *Organising Committee Chairs:*/ Daniel Malagarriga/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Lara Escuain/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Caroline Kleinheny/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *Honorary Chair: *Alessandro E. P. Villa * Communication* *Chair:*/ Paolo Masulli/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *********************************************** Antonio J. Pons Rivero General Chair of ICANN 2016 Terrassa School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering (ETSEIAT) Nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear optics and lasers Group BarcelonaTech (UPC) Edifici GAIA Rbla. Sant Nebridi, 22 08222 Terrassa, Spain Caroline Kleinheny Secretary of the European Neural Network Society University of Lausanne Internef 137k, Quartier UNIL Dorigny 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland ***********************************************

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CNS*2016 Abstract Deadline extension to March 6, 2016
by Tam, Nicoladie Feb. 27, 2016

Feb. 27, 2016

Abstract Deadline extension to March 6, 2016 This is one and only extension of the abstract submission CNS*2016 Call for Abstracts Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) 25th Annual Meeting Jeju, South Korea July 2-7, 2016 The main meeting (July 3-5) will be preceded by a day of tutorials (July 2) and followed by two days of workshops (July 6-7). Invited Keynote Speakers: * Nicolas Brunel, University of Chicago, USA * Alain Destexhe, CNRS, France * Mitsuo Kawato, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR), Japan * Tatyana Sharpee, Salk Institute, USA Abstract submission<https://ocns.memberclicks.net/cns-2016-abstract-submission> deadline extension: March 6, 2016, 11 pm, Pacific Time, USA Travel award<http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2016-travel-awards> application deadline extension: March 6, 2016 Apply for membership<http://www.cnsorg.org/join-ocns> by March 1, 2016 to ensure the member registration rate for your abstract submission Workshop proposals<http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2016-call-for-workshops> are now being accepted. Note that one of the authors has to register as sponsoring author for the main meeting before abstract submission is possible. In case the abstract is not accepted for presentation, the registration fee will be refunded. For up-to-date conference information, please visit: http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2016

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Postdoctoral position in Multisensory perception and action at New York University Abu Dhabi
by Robert Volcic Feb. 26, 2016

Feb. 26, 2016

The Psychology Department at New York University Abu Dhabi is inviting applications for a fully funded postdoctoral associate position in the area of Psychology with interests in human perceptual and motor systems. The postdoctoral associate will work under the supervision of Dr. Robert Volcic (http://volcic.github.io) and will carry out behavioral studies on human multisensory perception (mainly vision and touch) and action (reaching and grasping). The lab will be equipped with a state of the art system for 3D visualization, a head tracking system, and a motion capture system for monitoring reaching and grasping movements. Moreover, the postdoctoral associate will have access to an eye movement tracker, and to fMRI and EEG facilities. Applicants must hold (or be close to completing) a Ph.D. in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Biology, or related fields. Prior experience in vision/haptic/motor research is important as is programming efficiency. Applications will be accepted immediately and will be considered on a rolling basis. Please visit our website at http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/careers/faculty-positions.html for instructions and information on how to apply. To be considered, all applicants must submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae with full publication list, a statement of research interests, representative publications, expected date of availability, and names of two referees, all in PDF format. If you have any questions, please e-mail robert.volcic(a)nyu.edu. The preferred start date is September 1st, 2016. A later start date is possible based on the needs of the applicant. The duration of employment is for two years with the possibility to renew. This position is based in Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.). The terms of employment are competitive and include housing and other benefits. About NYUAD: New York University has established itself as a Global Network University, a multi-site, organically connected network encompassing key global cities and idea capitals. The network has three foundational degree-granting campuses: New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai, complimented by a network of eleven research and study-away sites across five continents. Faculty and students will circulate within this global network in pursuit of common research interests and the promotion of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary solutions for problems both local and global. Entering its sixth year, NYU Abu Dhabi has recruited a cohort of faculty who are at once distinguished in their research and teaching. Our students are drawn from around the world and surpass all traditional recruitment benchmarks, both US and global. NYU Abu Dhabi’s highly selective liberal arts enterprise is complimented by an institute for advanced research, sponsoring cutting-edge projects across the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, and Engineering. EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled

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CoSMo 2016 registration open
by Gunnar Blohm Feb. 26, 2016

Feb. 26, 2016

*Sixth Annual Computational Sensory-Motor Neuroscience Summer School (CoSMo 2016)* University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA July 31 - August 14, 2016 We would like to invite you to join us for the sixth annual Computational Sensory-Motor Neuroscience Summer School. The course is about experimental, computational and medical aspects of sensory-motor neuroscience with a focus on active learning. Covered topics include multi-sensory integration, motor learning & control, computational methods, sensory-motor transformations and neural coding / decoding. An important focus is on doing research as opposed to just hearing about it. Each teaching module will take up two days with morning lecture sessions. Afternoon sessions involve hands-on Matlab programming, simulation and data-analysis. Newly acquired computational tools can also be applied in 2-week evening group research projects. The course is aimed at students and post-doctoral fellows from diverse backgrounds including Life Sciences, Psychology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Engineering. Basic knowledge in calculus, linear algebra and Matlab is expected. Enrollment will be limited to 40 trainees. *Application deadline: Apr 11, 2016* For more information and to apply, please go to <http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/>http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/ Scholarship information and the application form can be found here: http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/application.html The school is co-organized by Drs Gunnar Blohm, Paul Schrater, and Konrad Körding. This year, it receives funding from the NIH through a Brain Initiative R25 grant and from The Brain Canada Foundation. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Associate Professor in Computational Neuroscience Association for Canadian Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN) Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology, School of Computing, and Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet) Queen’s University 18, Stuart Street Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3385 Fax: (613) 533-6840 Email: Gunnar.Blohm(a)QueensU.ca Web: http://www.compneurosci.com/

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Neuroimaging Data Analyst Position at the University of Illinois at Chicago (Summer/Fall 2016)
by Sylvia Morelli Feb. 25, 2016

Feb. 25, 2016

Drs. Sylvia Morelli and K. Luan Phan are considering applications for a neuroimaging data analyst to work jointly in the Empathy and Social Connection Lab (http://www.morellilab.com/ <http://www.morellilab.com/>) and the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research Program (http://www.psych.uic.edu/research/mood-and-anxiety-disorders-research-progr… <http://www.psych.uic.edu/research/mood-and-anxiety-disorders-research-progr…>) at University of Illinois at Chicago. The data analyst will have the opportunity to analyze several data sets related to social cognitive affective neuroscience (e.g., empathy, social networks, reward learning, decision-making, emotional processing and regulation, fear learning and extinction) in healthy and psychiatric populations (e.g., anxiety and depression), as well as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatment response. The analyst will implement the latest approaches developing in the field of imaging neuroscience — including but not limited to pattern classification, prospective prediction, machine learning, effective connectivity, connectomics/graph theory, computational modeling – and train others (faculty, postdocs, graduate students) on conventional and new analysis techniques. The position will involve analyzing data across multiple modalities including self-report, behavior, psychophysiology (SCR, startle), EEG/ERP, DTI, structural MRI and functional MRI – at single-unit and integrated levels. The data analyst will work amongst diverse investigators across disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry). Successful applicants will have a Masters- or PhD-level degree in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, statistics/biostatistics or mathematics and/or a record of extensive experience in analyzing structural and functional MRI data. Applicants should also be fluent in SPM (or AFNI/BrainVoyager), statistical packages (e.g., Matlab and R), and programming languages (e.g., Unix). Excellent communication (verbal and written) and organizational skills are required. The position will be fully funded for at least 2 years with the potential for a longer-term position. We will review applications beginning March 1, until the position is filled. Applicants should send a CV, a statement describing their qualifications for the position and relevant experience, and the names of 2-3 references that may be contacted for a recommendation to Dr. Morelli (smorelli(a)uic.edu <mailto:smorelli@uic.edu>) and Dr. Phan (klphan(a)psych.uic.edu <mailto:klphan@psych.uic.edu>).

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2 Postdoc positions in modeling dendritic integration and synaptic plasticity
by Walter Senn Feb. 25, 2016

Feb. 25, 2016

Dear Colleagues, dear all, We are inviting applications for 2 postdoc positions (for at least 2 years, earliest start April 1, 2016) in computational neuroscience at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Our research is devoted to models of synaptic plasticity and dendritic integration that serve as a computational paradigm for learning in neuronal networks. We have recently suggested to consider “Learning by the dendritic prediction of somatic spiking” (Neuron 2014) that assigns an intrinsic computational task to neurons and dendrites. This concept will be extended by including dendritic nonlinearities and considering networks of such neuronal prediction elements. The 2 positions are: 1) Postdoc for modeling dendritic integration. We have shown how the error-backpropagation algorithm translates to a dendritic tree that displays NMDA-spikes in individual dendritic branches (PLoS Comp Biol 2016). Along these ideas a biophysical model of dendritic integration will be worked out that makes also contact to Bayesian integration. 2) Postdoc for modeling synaptic plasticity and learning in networks. The neurons as intrinsic prediction elements will be connected to form a network that mimics various learning tasks and that is particularly suited for imitation learning. You will profit from generous travel funding and from collaborations in- and outside the Human Brain Project, and you will also enjoy the beautiful city and surrounding of Switzerland’s capital. Ideal candidates have a strong background in computational neuroscience and machine learning. Please send CV, letter of motivation, and publication list by March 11 to Walter Senn (senn(a)pyl.unibe.ch) and Sabine Herzog (herzog(a)pyl.unibe.ch) With best wishes Walter Senn PS: For recent work of our group see http://www.physio.unibe.ch/~senn/neuroscience.aspx

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Call for Applications: Paul J. Salem Postdoctoral Scholars in Computational Brain Science – Brown Institute for Brain Science
by Michael J Frank Feb. 25, 2016

Feb. 25, 2016

The Brown Institute for Brain Science Initiative for Computation in Brain and Mind <http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu> is seeking applicants for the Paul J. Salem Postdoctoral Scholarships in Brain Science. The postdoctoral scholars will lead an exciting new project at the interface between machine learning and neuroscience. In particular, we are looking for computational neuroscientists interested in the application and development of novel machine learning methods for the analysis of neural recordings. Candidates are expected to have a solid background in modern machine learning and signal processing as well as demonstrated interest in experimental neuroscience. In addition, to conducting primary research with large neural data sets, candidates will be involved in the mentoring of students, and the organization of workshops. Candidates are expected to interact closely with the Neurotechnology group within the Brain Institute. The initial appointment is for 12 months with the potential to renew. The salary is competitive. The start date is negotiable although funding is available now. Research group: *The Initiative for Computation in Brain and Mind (ICBM;* <http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu>http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu) which began Fall 2013 within the Brown Institute for Brain Science, creates an exciting intellectual environment that fosters synergistic collaborations across departments. Groups affiliated with the initiative work on two core levels of computation. The first level focuses on theoretical neuroscience, including computational perception, control over action and learning, and fundamental questions in neuronal networks (synaptic plasticity, circuits, networks, oscillations). The second level focuses on applications and neurotechnology, including brain-machine interfaces, advanced neural data analysis, computer vision, computational psychiatry, and robotics. ICBM has 16 core computational faculty (http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu/people/) spanning six departments, and many more faculty who incorporate computation for theory development, analysis, or both. Computational neuroscience tools at Brown have been applied in projects including brain-machine control of robotic arms in paralyzed humans; models of visual systems in biological organisms and their innovative application for classifying animal behavioral patterns; predicting and quantifying effects of genetics, disease, medications, and brain stimulation on motor and cognitive function; identification of the source of neural rhythms and their roles in sensorimotor function; development of fundamental theories of brain plasticity, and learning; state-of-the art models of machine learning and reinforcement learning in computer science. The Brown Institute for Brain Science (BIBS) advances multidisciplinary research, technology development, and training in the brain sciences. BIBS unites more than 100 faculty from departments across Brown, spanning basic and clinical departments, and physical and biological sciences. BIBS creates opportunities and essential support to advance interdisciplinary research efforts among these groups including training funds to support interdisciplinary scholarship and research. Requirements: Candidates must have received their PhDs within 3 years of the application deadline, and will work under the supervision of faculty members at Brown University who are affiliated with the Initiative for Computation in Brain and Mind. They must have a strong background in computational neuroscience and machine learning, with a track record of relevant publications at top venues (such as NIPS or ICML). Excellent programming skills are required (C/C++/Matlab/Python). Application: Please send your applications by email to cbm-info(a)brown.edu. Please include a brief statement of interests, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and 2-3 letters of reference (addressed directly to cbm-info(a)brown.edu) There is no deadline for the application but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as the position will be filled as soon as a suitable applicant is found. ------------------------------ Michael J Frank, PhD, Professor Laboratory for Neural Computation and Cognition Brown University http://ski.clps.brown.edu (401)-863-6872

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[IEEE ICCI*CC'16:] RE: IEEE ICCI*CC'16 Update
by Yingxu Wang Feb. 24, 2016

Feb. 24, 2016

Dear Colleague, The 15th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics and Cognitive Computing (ICCI*CC'16) will be held at Stanford University, CA, USA during Aug. 22-23, 2016 (http://www.ucalgary.ca/icci_cc/iccicc-16) The IEEE ICCI*CC series is a flagship conference of its field sponsored by IEEE Computer, Computational Intelligence, and SMC Societies. It forms a transdisciplinary field that studies the internal information processing mechanisms of the brain, the underlying abstract intelligence (aI) theories and denotational mathematics, and their engineering applications in cognitive computing, computational intelligence, and cognitive systems. Paper submission is via Easy Chair at: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccicc2016. Submission deadline is approaching on Feb. 29, 2016. Special session papers may get a grace period by coordination of the session chairs. The conference will be featured by a number of keynote speeches that highlight the cutting-edge theories and novel technologies for cognitive systems and computational intelligence inspired by the brain such as: a) Natural Language Understanding vs. Natural Language Precisiation Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh, UC Berkeley, USA b) Hebbian Learning and the LMS Algorithm Prof. Bernard Widrow, Stanford \university, USA c) Deep Learning and Deep Thinking by Cognitive Robots and Computational Intelligent Systems Prof. Yingxu Wang, University of Calgary, Canada You are welcome to submit a paper to IEEE ICCI*CC'16 or to organize a special session related to the theme of the conference. The Proceedings of ICCI*CC'16 will be published by IEEE CS Press and indexed by EI, DBLP, and IEEE eXplore. Selected papers from the proceedings will be published in leading international journals and IEEE transactions. We look forward to having an opportunity to meet you at IEEE ICCI*CC'16. Best regards, Prof. Yingxu Wang IEEE ICCI*CC'16 Co-Chair _______________________________________________ This message was sent to all subscribers of ieeeicci13-L To unsubscribe, see instructions at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/it/email/mailman E-mail: ieeeicci13-L(a)mailman.ucalgary.ca Homepage: http://mailman.ucalgary.ca/mailman/listinfo/ieeeicci13-l

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1st Call for Abstracts: the 8th Int'l Workshop on Guided Self-Organization (GSO-2016, Cancun, Mexico, 7 July 2016)
by Joseph Lizier Feb. 24, 2016

Feb. 24, 2016

Dear All, This is an announcement and Call for Abstracts for the Eighth International Workshop on Guided Self-Organization (GSO-2016) to be held on July 7, 2016 at ALIFE XV in Cancun, Mexico: http://guided-self.org/gso8/ The GSO Workshop will bring together invited experts and researchers in self-organizing systems, with particular emphasis on the information- and network-theoretic foundations of GSO and the information dynamics of complex systems. The following topics are of special interest: information-theoretic measures of complexity, nonlinear dynamics, complex networks, information-driven self-organization (IDSO), applications of GSO to complex networks, distributed computation, machine learning, swarm intelligence, bio-inspired systems, computational neuroscience, systems biology, cooperative and modular robotics, etc. Submissions to the workshop are extended abstracts (one page). If interested in participating, please send an extended abstract (by May 29, 2016) by email to: prokopenko.mikhail(a)gmail.com The notifications are expected by June 10, 2016. Authors of accepted submissions will present the content to the workshop. We expect that selected papers of GSO-2016 will be published in a special issue (research topic) of Frontiers of Robotics and AI, or Artificial Life journals. Please consult above website for more information. Best wishes, Mikhail Prokopenko Carlos Gershenson Daniel Polani <apologies for possible cross-posting>

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Postdoc in Bordeaux, France. Application deadline 01/04/2016.
by Nicolas P. Rougier Feb. 24, 2016

Feb. 24, 2016

Postdoc in Bordeaux, France at the Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute <http://www.imn-bordeaux.org/en/> Application deadline 01/04/2016. Details & application at INRIA website <http://www.inria.fr/en/institute/recruitment/offers/post-doctoral-research-…>. Actor–critic models of the basal ganglia We developed a model of the basal ganglia (Piron et al., 2016) that introduces an action selection mechanism that is based upon the competition between a positive feedback through the direct pathway and a negative feedback through the hyperdirect pathway. The model also exploits the parallel organization of circuits between the basal ganglia and the cortex using segregated loops: one loop allows to choose the cue and one loop allows to make the actual motor selection. Learning occurs between the cognitive cortex and the cognitive striatum using a simple reinforcement learning where the values of the different cues are updated after each decision. As in most computational models of the basal ganglia, this model relies on an actor-critic architecture where the dopamine signal is used to encode the temporal difference prediction error signal in the critic (Joel et al., 2002; Khamassi et al., 2005). However, this algorithm is not very elaborated and its implementation is not biologically plausible since values are stored outside the model. The objectives of this postdoc is thus to review and to re-implement (Python) main actor-critic models of the literature in order to compare them on a common set of decision tasks (two-arm bandit task for example) in terms of biological plausibility and performances. Special attention will be given to the "Primary Value and Learned Value Pavlovian Learning Algorithm" model (O'Reilly, 2007) and the AGREL model (Roefselma et al. 2005). From these replications (that will be published in ReScience <http://rescience.github.io/>), the most plausible and compatible mechanisms will be implemented in our own model of the basal ganglia in order to replace the current reinforcement learning algorithm (Guthrie et al., 2013, Piron et al. 2016). Profiles PhD in computational neuroscience or computer science (machine learning) with strong experience in Python & the scientific Python stack (numpy, scipy, matplotlib, git/github). References • Joel, D., Niv, Y., & Ruppin, E. (2002). Actor–critic models of the basal ganglia: New anatomical and computational perspectives. Neural Networks, 15(4-6), 535–547. • Khamassi, M., Lachèze, L., Girard, B., Berthoz, A., Guillot, A. (2005). Actor-critic models of reinforcement learning in the basal ganglia: From natural to artificial rats. Adaptive Behavior, 13 (2). • Guthrie, M., Leblois, A., Garenne, A., & Boraud, T. (2013). Interaction between cognitive and motor cortico-basal ganglia loops during decision making: a computational study. Journal of Neurophysiology, 109(12). • C. Piron, D. Kase, M. Topalidou, M. Goillandeau, H. Orignac, T. N'Guyen, N.P. Rougier, T. Boraud, The globus pallidus pars interna in goal oriented and habitual behavior. Resolving an old standing paradox, Movement Disorders, (2016), to appear. • O'Reilly, R. C., Frank, M. J., Hazy, T. E., & Watz, B. (2007). PVLV: The Primary Value and Learned Value Pavlovian Learning Algorithm. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(1). • Roelfsema, P.R., van Ooyen A. (2005). Attention-gated reinforcement learning of internal representations for classification. Neural Computation. Nicolas P. Rougier

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Postdoc and PhD positions and further opportunities in the Bernstein group “Neural network dynamics and computation” (Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer)
by Memmesheimer, Raoul M. Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

Postdoc and PhD positions and further opportunities in the Bernstein group “Neural network dynamics and computation” (Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer) There are fully funded positions available at the PhD and at the postdoctoral researcher level in my future group at FIAS Frankfurt, with an envisaged starting date of July 2016. At an earlier career stage, you can write your Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis, or do a short-term internship to get to know research in theoretical neuroscience/neurophysics. Depending on the project and the need, financial support is available. Optimal backgrounds of applicants include theoretical neuroscience and/or theoretical physics, computer science, mathematics, quantitative biology. Under the overarching topic “Bridging the scales: Spiking in artificial and biological neural computation”, we aim to develop spiking networks for the solution of artificial intelligence problems and we aim to understand healthy and pathological spike patterns. Your theoretical work in the group may delineate principles underlying effective computations with spiking neurons, investigate the origins of pathological dynamics in the hippocampus, or explore the impact of coupling nonlinearities found in this brain region. Some of the planned projects are directly guided by recent experimental results and aim at explanations that have been requested by experimentally working collaborative partners. Others have a higher level of abstraction and explore rather principal questions. For the different projects, collaborative partnerships have been arranged with experimentally working scientists at Heidelberg University (group of A. Draguhn) and Bonn University (group of H. Beck), and with theoretically working groups at Columbia University (group of L. Abbott), Radboud Unversity (group of H.J. Kappen) and FIAS Frankfurt (group of Jochen Triesch). Of course I am also happy to discuss your own ideas for your future research in the group. If you are interested in more information, see my website (www.memmesheimer.net) contact me via email (rm3354(a)cumc.columbia.edu) at CoSyne 2016, or, if you are in the neighborhood, drop by at my office at Columbia University. -- Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA Web: www.memmesheimer.net Phone: +1 (646) 774 7329 Email: rm3354(a)cumc.columbia.edu<mailto:rm3354@cumc.columbia.edu>

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2016 Summer workshop on the dynamic brain: applications open
by Adrienne Fairhall Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

View online Announcing the Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain, co-hosted by the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Computational Neuroscience Program at the University of Washington and directed by Drs. Christof Koch and Adrienne Fairhall. This intensive, two-week, projects-based, interdisciplinary course aims to give advanced students in neuroscience, biology, physics, engineering and computer science a rapid introduction to the current state of understanding of the neurobiology of sensory processing, including anatomy, physiology and neural coding. The workshop will include data analyses, Python and other software boot-camps, and lectures, taught by faculty from the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for Brain Science, on topics focused on the mammalian cortex and closely associated satellite structures. Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Feedback | Privacy Policy Copyright ©2016. Allen Institute for Brain Science. All Rights Reserved.

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Post-doctoral Research Fellow - Computational Modelling of Deep brain Stimulation for Parkinson's disease
by Olga Grant Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

Post-doctoral Research Fellow - Computational Modelling of Deep brain Stimulation for Parkinson's disease Highly motivated candidates are invited to join an exciting new project to develop multiscale models of the neuromuscular system for closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS). We are seeking a post-doctoral research fellow to develop models of the electric field around the implanted electrode during deep brain stimulation and its interaction with surrounding neurons. Despite the success of DBS, the mechanisms by which it works are not yet understood. This project aims to address this question and to design closed-loop control strategies for DBS through a combination of computational modelling and experimentation. The project represents an exciting opportunity for enthusiastic candidates to work on a new multidisciplinary research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The Neuromuscular Systems and Neural Engineering Lab is a multidisciplinary research group led by Prof. Madeleine Lowery in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at University College Dublin. Our research involves applying engineering principles, in particular mathematical modelling, signal analysis and experimentation, to understand how the nervous system controls muscle in healthy and diseased states. Through this research we aim to improve our understanding of the neuromuscular system to address fundamental questions in the control of human movement and to develop improved therapeutic and rehabilitation strategies. Candidates should hold a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a related discipline, with prior experience in electromagnetic finite element analysis and/or computational neural modelling. Excellent communication, analytical and programming skills are required. Full details of the position and the application process are available through the UCD Human Resources website ( <https://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/> https://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/) . Informal enquiries may be made to Prof. Madeleine Lowery UCD School of electrical Electronic & Communications Engineering University College Dublin Belfield Dublin 4 Ireland madeleine.lowery(a)ucd.ie Tel. +353 1 716 1911 ____________________________________ Dr Olga M Grant Research Project Manager School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Tel +353 (1) 7161778

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Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience (sensory processing & decision-making)
by Ralf Haefner Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

A postdoctoral position is available in the computational neuroscience group of Ralf Haefner in the department for Brain & Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester (NY). The focus of our group is on understanding the neural basis of perceptual decision-making. Based on the assumption that the brain performs probabilistic inference using an internal model of the world, we ask questions such as: What is the nature of the internal model? How is it learnt? How are posterior beliefs represented by spiking responses of populations of neurons? What algorithm does the brain use to compute its beliefs? How do cognitive priors influence sensory processing? What is the role of attention in a probabilistic inference framework? What is the role of feedback connections to sensory areas more generally? In order to answer these questions, we perform studies ranging from purely theoretical at the interface of neuroscience and machine learning, to neural data analysis, to psychophysics. Our collaborations with electrophysiology labs inside our department (Greg DeAngelis, Jude Mitchell) and externally (e.g. Born lab at Harvard Medical School, Cumming lab at NIH) allow for the testing of theoretical models using state-of-the-art cortical population recordings in behaving animals and, if desired, the opportunity to record your own data. We also collaborate with the theoretical groups of Jakob Macke (Caesar Institute, Bonn) and Stefano Panzeri (IIT in Trieste). For past work indicative of future directions see... Haefner et al. NatNeuro 2013: http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v16/n2/full/nn.3309.html Smolyanskaya et al. Neuron 2015: http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(15)00561-9 Haefner et al. Neuron 2016 (accepted): http://arxiv.org/abs/1409.0257 …and our presentations at the upcoming COSYNE 2016: Poster II-17 (Main Meeting, Fri): Chicharro et. al at Poster III-1 (Main Meeting, Sat): Lange et al. at Talk in “choice-related feedback” Workshop (Tue), Haefner et al. We’re looking for a motivated candidate with strong mathematical and programming skills. The ideal candidate would also be familiar with (or quick to pick up) machine learning techniques, especially relating to inference in probabilistic models, and/or any relevant neuroscience background. The successful candidate with join a highly collaborative department with a strong tradition in probabilistic modeling across a wide range from sensory processing to linguistics (https://www.bcs.rochester.edu/research/index.html <https://www.bcs.rochester.edu/research/index.html> ). The city of Rochester is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York on the edge of the finger lakes region, and has a high quality of life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_New_York <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_New_York> ). Start date and duration are flexible. Please send applications including a brief research statement, a CV and names of 2-3 references by email. I'll be at COSYNE for both conference and workshops and available to meet there in person. Ralf Haefner Assistant Professor Brain & Cognitive Sciences University of Rochester (NY) rhaefner(a)bcs.rochester.edu <mailto:rhaefner@bcs.rochester.edu>

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Postdoc positions: computational modeling of neurodegenerative disease
by Christina M. Weaver Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

Two postdoctoral positions, one empirical and one computational, are available in the interdisciplinary research group of Drs. Jennifer Luebke (Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA) and Christina Weaver (Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA) starting as early as April 2016. The research project involves the assessment of the detailed structure and function of cortical and striatal neurons in mouse models of Huntington’s disease, and computational modeling of these neurons. Experimental approaches will make extensive use of in vitro slice electrophysiology (whole-cell patch-clamp recordings) and cellular imaging techniques (primarily confocal fluorescence microscopy). Computational modeling of the empirically characterized neurons will use parameter optimization algorithms developed in the Weaver lab, and will eventually be incorporated into local microcircuits and larger cortico-striatal networks. For an overview of our interdisciplinary approach, see our joint publications including Luebke et al., *Cerebral Cortex* (2015), PMID 24323499 and Coskren et al., *J. Comput. Neuro*. (2015), PMID 25527184. Applicants should have a strong background in neuroscience and/or modeling, and have a keen interest in imaging, biophysical, and computational approaches in neuroscience research. Review of applications will begin March 10, 2016, and will continue until the positions are filled. Interested applicants should send their CV, a brief statement of current and future research interests, and the contact information of three references to christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu or jluebke(a)bu.edu. Required Skills * For Empirical position (Boston, MA): Experience with electrophysiology and/or confocal imaging is preferred. Additional background or strong interest in computational neuroscience is a plus. * For Modeling position (based in Lancaster, PA with occasional travel to Boston): Experience with NEURON compartmental modeling software and/or automated parameter optimization is preferred. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills * Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent from an accredited institution * We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Job Location Boston, Massachusetts and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States Position Type Full-Time/Regular Salary Conditions and remuneration will be according to the regulations of the National Institutes of Health for postdoctoral trainees. Bottom of Form Christina M. Weaver, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Franklin & Marshall College P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 17604-3003 Phone: (717) 291-3872 Fax: (717) 358-4507 Email: christina.weaver(a)fandm.edu

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2nd call for illusion submissions: the 12th Best Illusion of the Year Contest
by Susana Martinez-Conde Feb. 23, 2016

Feb. 23, 2016

****2nd CALL FOR ILLUSION SUBMISSIONS: THE WORLD'S 12TH ANNUAL BEST ILLUSION OF THE YEARSM CONTEST**** <http://illusionoftheyear.com> http://illusionoftheyear.com We are happy to announce the 12th edition of world's Best Illusion of the YearSM Contest!! Submissions are now welcome! In 2015, the Best Illusion of the YearSM Contest became an annual online event, with the goal of bringing the creativity of the illusion creator community all around the world. Anybody with an internet connection can now participate! No matter where you live, you can be a contestant, and/or vote for the Top 3 winners! Contestants are invited to submit 1-minute videos, in mp4 format, featuring novel illusions (unpublished, or published no earlier than 2015) of all sensory modalities (visual, auditory, etc.) and/or cognitive nature. The content of the 1-minute video presenting your illusion is solely up to you, and the only requirement is that it wows all viewers! Some examples include, but are not limited to: * -A slide presentation, or succession of images, with a voice over (and/or written text, if you prefer) * -A video of yourself describing your illusion * -A video animation/enactment of your illusion An international panel of impartial judges will rate all the videos and narrow them down to the Top 10. Then, online voters around the world will choose their favorite illusions from the Top 10 finalists. All Top 10 finalists will receive a commemorative plaque. In addition, the Top 3 winners will receive cash prizes: $3,000 USD for first place; $2,000 USD for second place, and $1,000 USD for third place. The Judge Panel will rate illusions according to: * -Significance to our understanding of the human mind and brain * -Simplicity of the description * -Sheer beauty * -Counterintuitive quality * -Spectacularity Submissions will be held in strict confidence by the Judge Panel. Only the Top 10 illusions will be posted online, to allow worldwide voting. Participation in the Best Illusion of the YearSM Contest does not preclude you from also submitting your work for publication elsewhere. By participating in the Best Illusion of the YearSM Contest you agree to have your illusion posted on the Contest website, if selected among the Top 10, and included in press releases and other promotional materials/fundraising initiatives for the Contest. You (and your co-authors, if appropriate) will retain the full copyright of your illusion, and receive full credit as illusion creator(s). Illusions submitted to previous editions of the contest can be re-submitted to the 2016 Contest, as long as they meet the above requirements and were not among the Top 10 finalists in previous years. You can send your 1-minute video to Susana Martinez-Conde via email ( <mailto:smart@neuralcorrelate.com> smart(a)neuralcorrelate.com) until April 15, 2016. On behalf of the Executive Board of the Neural Correlate Society: Jose-Manuel Alonso, Stephen Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde, Luis Martinez, Xoana Troncoso, Peter Tse ----------------------------------- Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Physiology & Pharmacology Empire Innovator Scholar Director, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn NY 11203, USA Email: smart(a)neuralcorrelate.com <mailto:smart@neuralcorrelate.com> Phone: +1 718-270-4520 http://smc.neuralcorrelate.com <http://smc.neuralcorrelate.com/>

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2nd announcement: 4th Baltic-Nordic Summer School on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2016)
by Daniel Wójcik Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

4th Baltic-Nordic Summer School on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2016) Understanding neurons, cognition and behavior through neuroinformatics Place: Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, and Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw Warsaw, Poland Time: June 15-18, 2016 More information and applications at http://bit.do/bnni2016 Important dates: 28 February 2016 Application deadline [EXTENDED] 13 March 2016 Acceptance notification 15-18 June 2016 Summer School We invite advanced master students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers to participate in the BNNI 2016 to be held at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology and the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw. The course is interdisciplinary and covers modeling at different levels of organization of the brain, analysis of neural data, brain atlases, and other aspects of neuroinformatics. The course combines lectures, tutorials and computer exercises. This summer school is the fourth in the series of the Baltic-Nordic Courses on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2013 in Kaunas, BNNI 2014 in Tampere, BNNI 2015 in Tartu). The target audience of the course will be advanced master students, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in natural and life sciences, from physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, informatics and information technology, to biology, medicine, and psychology, who would like to get an introduction to neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience. Some experience with programming and quantitative reasoning as well as strong interest in computational and mathematical modeling of the brain are required to benefit from the school. Faculty includes Piotr Durka, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Gaute Einevoll, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway Bruce Graham, University of Stirling, United Kingdom Marja-Leena Linne, Tampere University of Technology, Finland Szymon Łęski, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland Arnd Roth, University College London, UK Ausra Saudargiene, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania Eleni Vasilaki, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom Daniel Wójcik, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland Jarosław Żygierewicz, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Venue The lectures will be held at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the computer classes in the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw. The two buildings are next to each other, they are located at the center of Ochota campus, encompassing a number of university departments and research institutes. Practical arrangements There is a small tuition fee of 100 euros. The organizers will provide teaching, meals and coffee during the course. The participants are expected to cover their travel and health insurance expenses as well as lodging. Small financial support is available for those without funding. Inexpensive lodging for all the students will be organized. The course is supported by the IBRO-PERC committee, University of Warsaw, and the Nencki Institute We are looking forward to welcome you at the BNNI 2016 in Warsaw, Poland! -- Prof. Daniel K. Wojcik Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Head PhD Studies, Head Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology 3 Pasteur St, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland tel: (+48 22) 5892348 fax: (+48 22) 8225342 skype: danek8317 http://dwojcik.pl/ http://neuroinflab.wordpress.com/ http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0812-9872

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Final Program of the Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation
by Aurel A. Lazar Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation Friday and Saturday, March 18-19, 2016 | 501 NWC Building Organizer and Program Chair: Aurel A. Lazar (Columbia University) The goal of the workshop is to bring together researchers interested in developing executable models of neural computa- tion/processing of the brain of model organisms. Of interest are models of computation that consist of elementary units of processing using brain circuits and memory elements. Elementary units of computation/processing include population encod- ing/decoding circuits with biophysically-grounded neuron models, non-linear dendritic processors for motion detection/direction selectivity, spike processing and pattern recognition neural circuits, movement control and decision-making circuits, etc. Memory units include models of spatio-temporal memory circuits, circuit models for memory access and storage, etc. A major aim of the workshop is to explore the integration of various sensory and control circuits in higher brain centers. Program Overview Friday 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM Alexander Borst (MPI Neurobiology), Functional Characterization of the Input Elements to the Drosophila Motion Detector 09:45 AM - 10:30 AM Michael B. Reiser (HHMI Janelia), The Circuit Basis of Directional Selectivity in the Drosophila Visual System 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Coee Break 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Thomas R. Clandinin (Stanford), How Does Contrast Selectivity Emerge in Motion Processing Pathways 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM Chung-Chuan Lo (National Tsing Hua University), The Virtual Fly Brain { from Bench-Top to Cyberspace 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM Lunch Break (On your own, see a list of restaurants in the area on the back) 02:00 PM - 02:45 PM J. Douglas Armstrong (University of Edinburgh), VirtualFlyBrain.org - An Integration Hub for Drosophila Neuroscience 02:45 PM - 03:30 PM Michael Hawrylycz (Allen Institute for Brain Science), Multiscale Gene Expression Signatures in the Mammalian Brain 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM Afternoon Break 04:00 PM - 04:45 PM Gaby Maimon (Rockefeller University), Probing the Neurophysiological Basis of Cognitive Operations in Behaving Drosophila 04:45 PM - 05:30 PM Stanley Heinze (Lund University), Merging Information about Direction and Distance - the Bee Central Complex as the Potential Neural Substrate for Path Integration Saturday 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM Glenn C. Turner (HHMI Janelia), The Mushroom Body and Learning - Flexibly Assigning Valence to Odors 09:45 AM - 10:30 AM Vanessa Ruta (Rockefeller University), Circuit Mechanisms for Flexible Sensory Processing in Drosophila 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Coee Break 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Marta Zlatic (HHMI Janelia), Circuits Principles of Memory-Based Behavioral Choice 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM Friedrich T. Sommer (UC Berkeley), Interplay of Structural and Weight Plasticity: Eects on Memory Capacity and Connections to Cognitive Phenomena 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM Lunch Break (On your own, see a list of restaurants in the area on the back) 02:00 PM - 02:45 PM Mala Murthy (Princeton University), Neural Mechanisms for Dynamic Acoustic Communication in Flies 02:45 PM - 03:30 PM Matthieu Louis (Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona), Bayesian Maggots: Multisensory Integration in the Drosophila Larva 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM Afternoon Break 04:00 PM - 04:45 PM Kwabena Boahen (Stanford University), Neuromorphic Chips: Combining Analog Computation with Digital Communication 04:45 PM - 05:30 PM Panel Discussion: The Logic of NeuroInformation Processing of the Fruit Fly Brain Registration is free but all participants have to register at: https://bcmc16.eventbrite.com/ Workshop Website: http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu/workshops/bcmc/2016 Aurel http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu

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ICANN 2016 Barcelona - Last Call for contributions
by antonio Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

*Last Call for Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation and/or Full **P**aper Contribution* *www.icann2016.org* *ICANN 2016 * 25th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks BarcelonaTech (UPC), Barcelona, Spain 6 - 9 September 2016* Special event*: ENNS 25th Anniversary ============================================================ /The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2016 the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (BarcelonaTech) will organis//e the 25th ICANN Conference from //the //6th to //the //9th //of //September 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Universit//at//Pompeu Fabra (UPF)./ *INVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS* 1. *Wlodek Duch *(Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland) 2. *Erkki Oja *(Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland) 3. *Joaquin Fuster *(University of California at Los Angeles, USA) 4. *Murray Shanahan* (Imperial College London, UK) 5. *Günther Palm*(University of Ulm, Germany) 6. *Stephen Coombes *(University of Nottingham, UK) 7. *Etienne Koechlin*( Pierre and Marie Curie University, France) *IMPORTANT DATES* /Submission of abstracts and papers: /1 March 2016 /Submission of //d//emonstration proposals: /1 March 2016 /Notification of acceptance:/8 May 2016 /Camera-ready paper and registration: /15 May 2016 /Conference dates:/6-9 September 2016 *CONFERENCE TOPICS* ICANN 2016 will feature the main tracks /Brain Inspired Computing/ and /Machine Learning Research/, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: * Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organisation, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. * Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. * Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. *** CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE**S* Early registration fees have been kept particularly low for this kind of event because ENNS and ICANN aim to fully implement the academicnot-for-profit policy. Undergraduate students (Bachelor and Master level): 90 EUR PhD Students: 200 EUR Regular delegates: 250 EUR *ENNS members have a reduction of 40 EUR* Students can apply for ENNS funded travel grants to attend (see the conference website). *CALL FOR CONTRIBUTED SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS* All scientific communications presented at ICANN 2016 will be reviewed and scientifically evaluated by a panel of experts. The conference will feature three categories of communications: - oral communications (15'+5') - poster communications (on permanent display and with a 2-hour presentation) - demonstrations Authors willing to present original contributions for any category must submit a manuscript of a maximum length of 8 pages.Accepted papers of contributing authors will be published in Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. Selected papers will be invited after the conference for a full journal paper submission. Authors willing to present a contribution for oral communications and posters without submitting a full manuscript must submit a 1-page abstract. The abstracts will be published all together in a proceedings section without an author index. In case of programme constraints the priority will be given to original contributions accompanied by a full paper submission. Submission of communications will be online. More details are available on the conference website (http://icann2016.org/index.php/contributors/submission) *BEST PAPER AWARDS* ENNS will sponsor a maximum of four best paper awards, two in the Brain Inspired Computing track (one poster and one oral communication) and, analogously, two in the Machine Learning Research track. All awardees will be presented during the final ceremony. *ORGANISATION** General Chair:*/ Antonio J. Pons Rivero/(UPC Barcelona, Spain)* Local**co-Chairs:* /Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo/(UPF Barcelona, Spain), /Paul Verschure/(UPF Barcelona, Spain) *Organising Committee Chairs:*/ Daniel Malagarriga/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Lara Escuain/(UPC Barcelona, Spain), /Caroline Kleinheny/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *Honorary Chair: *Alessandro E. P. Villa * Communication* *Chair:*/ Paolo Masulli/(ENNS Lausanne, Switzerland) *********************************************** Antonio J. Pons Rivero General Chair of ICANN 2016 Terrassa School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering (ETSEIAT) Nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear optics and lasers Group BarcelonaTech (UPC) Edifici GAIA Rbla. Sant Nebridi, 22 08222 Terrassa, Spain Caroline Kleinheny Secretary of the European Neural Network Society University of Lausanne Internef 137k, Quartier UNIL Dorigny 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland ***********************************************

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CFP-SEARCH 2016: Safe, Energy-Aware, & Reliable Connected Health Workshop
by Youssef Iraqi Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

Apologies if you received multiple copies of this CFP. CALL FOR PAPERS SEARCH 2016: Safe, Energy-Aware, & Reliable Connected Health Workshop https://sites.google.com/site/searchw2016/ In conjunction with The First IEEE Conference on Connected Health: Applications, Systems and Engineering Technologies (CHASE 2016) Washington D.C., June 27-29, 2016 http://conferences.computer.org/chase/ is inviting you to submit your research work to this workshop and also to forward to the appropriate groups this invitation. ------------------------------------- Purpose and scope ------------------------------------- This workshop, organized in conjunction with CHASE 2016, provides an international forum for research community working on energy efficient, green, safe, and reliable connected health research areas. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Energy efficient protocols for connected health. • Energy efficient medical sensors. • Energy optimization in connected health. • Energy efficient resource allocation in connected health. • Safety issues in connected health. • Fault Tolerance in connected health. • Reliability of connected health technologies: m-Health, WBSN. • Safety and security concerns in connected medical devices. • Testing and validation of connected health technologies and architectures. • Simulation based methods in connected health. • Formal methods in connected health. • Surveys and state of the art reports in the area. • Other related topics ------------------------------------- Submission ------------------------------------- Perspective authors are invited to submit their papers using EDAS System (https://edas.info/newPaper.php?c=21965) A full paper should not have more than six (6) IEEE style pages including results, figures and references. One (1) additional page is allowed with a charge of USD100, if accepted. Papers exceeding 7 pages will not be accepted at EDAS, nor will they be reviewed at all. Papers will be reviewed with the standard reviewing procedure (with at least 3 independent anonymous reviews). Accepted papers will be published on IEEE Explore (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/) Authors can use the standard IEEE templates for Microsoft Word or LaTeX formats that can be found at: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html Submission link: http://edas.info/newPaper.php?c=21965 ------------------------------------- Important Dates ------------------------------------- - Papers Submissions Deadline: March 11, 2016 - Notification of Acceptance: April 18, 2016 - Deadline for Author Registration: May 15, 2016 - Deadline for Camera-ready Papers: May 15, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT IEEE POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The IEEE reserves the right to exclude a paper from distribution after the conference (including its removal from IEEE Xplore) if the paper is not presented. Note: To be published in the IEEE Workshop Proceedings and to be eligible for publication in IEEE /Xplore®/, an author of an accepted paper is required to register for the workshop and the paper must be presented by an author of that paper at the workshop unless the TPC Chair grants permission for a substitute presenter arranged in advance of the event and who is qualified both to present and answer questions. Non-refundable registration fees must be paid prior to uploading the final IEEE formatted, publication-ready version of the paper.Papers will be published in the IEEE CHASE 2016 Proceedings and submitted to IEEE /Xplore®/. IEEE CHASE 2016 TPC Chairs. Dr. Youssef Iraqi Associate Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering Department [cid:logo.gif] PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, UAE T +971 (0)2 501 8323 F +971 (0)2 447 2441 Youssef.Iraqi(a)kustar.ac.ae [cid:twitter.jpg]<https://twitter.com/KhalifaUni> [cid:fb.jpg] <https://www.facebook.com/KhalifaUniversity> [cid:youtube.jpg] <http://www.youtube.com/user/KhalifaUniversity> [cid:instagram.jpg] <http://instagram.com/khalifauni> [cid:linkedin.jpg] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/khalifa-university-?trk=biz-companies-cym> [cid:slogan.png]

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Postdoctoral position at Kyoto U
by Hidetoshi Urakubo Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

Dear all, Integrated Systems Biology Lab at Kyoto U (Japan) invites applications for research position for analyses of three-dimensional microscopic images and/or functional magnetic images (fMRI, for example) from the animal/human brain, with a strong motivation into systems/computational neuroscience. We look forward to your applications and recommendations. The full advertisement is available below. On behalf of Prof. Shin Ishii Hidetoshi Urakubo ============================================== Shin Ishii Lab, Dep Sys Sci, Grad Sch Info, Kyoto U Yoshida-Honmachi 36-1, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 Japan Phone: +81-75-753-4908 Fax: +81-75-753-4907 Email: urakubo-h(a)sys.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp ============================================== ============== 1) We are seeking a highly motivated post-doc researcher, with a background in image processing, neuroinformatics, or systems/computational neuroscience. We are conducting a research project, “Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS; http://brainminds.jp/en/ ; Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370: 20140310).” This project aims to map the structure and function of neuronal circuits to understand the vast complexity of the human brain. The candidate will work on the projects on 3D reconstitution of marmoset brain atlas from 3D microscopic images (from EM and/or Optical) under collaboration with experiment teams. 2) We are also seeking a highly motivated post-doc researcher, with a background of systems/computational neuroscience, especially using a combination of brain imaging (EEG, fMRI, etc) and theoretical/computational modeling. Please see our references (Shikauchi and Ishii 2015, Scientific Rep. 5, 17648; Yoshida and Ishii 2006, Neuron 50(5), pp. 781-789). For both of them, a PhD or a MD degree, a proven track record of peer-reviewed publications, and solid communication skills in English and/or Japanese are essential. All projects are done with our tenure track and post-doc researchers of various backgrounds including systems biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, mathematical engineering, and machine learning. Our laboratory also has a strong collaboration with other laboratories in Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) and RIKEN Brain Science Institute. [Job title and Job description] Title is a Full-time Researcher / Full-time Research Engineer The position is open after April 1st 2016 (negotiable) Work location is Yoshidahonmachi 36-1, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-city, Japan. 606-8501 The contract is annually renewable up to 3 years based on the evaluation. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Social insurance will be applied. Days off include weekends, public holidays, Year-end and New Year holidays, Foundation Day, and summer vacation. These and other provisions are in accordance with Kyoto U regulations (Kyoto University’s regultions). [Application and required documents] Please send the following five materials to the address below, either in printed or electronic form: 1. Complete CV 2. List of publications 3. Reprints of 1 to 3 major publications 4. Document (one or two pages in A4 or letter size) describing: - Summary of your previous research - Interests and proposal for research 5. Two letters of recommendation (including one from the current supervisor, if available) [Selection process] Selection will be made based on application screening and interviews. [Requirements] Applicants must: - have a Ph.D. (or be near completion). - have strong motivations and ambitions to participate in the research above. [Number of openings] One or two [Deadline for application] May 1st (will remain open if positions are not filled) [Send application to] Shin Ishii Integrated Systems Biology Laboratory, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan Email: Shin Ishii <ishii-sec(a)sys.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp> http://ishiilab.jp/kyoto/en/

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Call For Participation: 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop
by Ralph Etienne-Cummings Feb. 22, 2016

Feb. 22, 2016

*Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop 2016 Wiki ¶ <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016#TellurideNeuromorphicCognitionEngineer…>* Sunday Jun 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016 - * click here for workshop calendar <https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=hguqv4rgstl12d0m0n6c704nsg%40grou…>, Telluride Elementary School, Telluride, Colorado - click for google map location <https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?ll=37.939984,-107.815039&spn=0.011998…>.* *Applications to the 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop* 2016 NEUROMORPHIC COGNITION ENGINEERING WORKSHOP https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016 Sunday June 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016, Telluride, Colorado *IMPORTANT DATES FOR APPLICATION (Instructions are at the bottom of the page)* Application Website Open - 16th February, 2016 Applications Due - 2nd April, 2016 Notification of Acceptance - 15th April, 2016 *Application website: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040 <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>.* *GOALS:* Neuromorphic engineers design and fabricate artificial neural systems whose organizing principles are based on those of biological nervous systems. Over the past 18 years, this research community has focused on the understanding of low-level sensory processing and systems infrastructure; efforts are now expanding to apply this knowledge and infrastructure to addressing higher-level problems in perception, cognition, and learning. In this 3-week intensive workshop and through the Institute for Neuromorphic Engineering (INE), the mission is to promote interaction between senior and junior researchers; to educate new members of the community; to introduce new enabling fields and applications to the community; to promote on-going collaborative activities emerging from the Workshop, and to promote a self-sustaining research field. *FORMAT:* The three week summer workshop will include background lectures on systems and cognitive neuroscience (in particular sensory processing, learning and memory, motor systems and attention), practical tutorials on emerging hardware design, mobile robots, hands-on projects, and special interest groups. Participants are required to take part and possibly complete at least one of the projects proposed. They are furthermore encouraged to become involved in as many of the other activities proposed as interest and time allow. There will be two lectures in the morning that cover issues that are important to the community in general. Because of the diverse range of backgrounds among the participants, some of these lectures will be tutorials, rather than detailed reports of current research. These lectures will be given by invited speakers. Projects and interest groups meet in the late afternoons, and after dinner. In the early afternoon there will be tutorials on a wide spectrum of topics, including analog VLSI, mobile robotics, vision and auditory systems, central-pattern-generators, selective attention mechanisms, cognitive systems, etc. *2016 TOPIC AREAS:* Decoding Multi-Modal Effects on Auditory Cognition: Edmund Lalor (Trinity College Dublin), Alain de Cheveigne (UPMC, France), Malcolm Slaney (Google), and Shihab Shamma (UM-College Park) Spike-Based Cognition in Active Neuromorphic Systems: Ryad Benjamin Benosman (UPMC, Paris), Cornelia Fermuller (Univ. of Maryland), Garrick Orchard (National University of Singapore), Michele Rucci (Boston University), and Bert Shi (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) Neuromorphic Path Planning for Robots in a Disaster Response Scenario: Jeff Krichmar (University of California, Irvine) and Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Neuromorphic Tactile Sensing:James Wright (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), Jonathan Tapson (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), and Nitish V. Thakor (SINAPSE, Singapore University for Neurotechnology) Computational Neuroscience (invitational mini-workshop): Terry Sejnowski (Salk Institute) *LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENTS:* The summer school will take place in the small town of Telluride, 9000 feet high in southwest Colorado, about 6 hours drive away from Denver (350 miles). There are several small airports (e.g. Montrose) close to Telluride. All facilities within the beautifully renovated public school building are fully accessible to participants with disabilities. Participants will be housed in ski condominiums, within walking distance of the school. Participants are expected to share condominiums. The workshop is intended to be very informal and hands-on. Participants are not required to have had previous experience in analog VLSI circuit design, computational or machine vision, systems level neurophysiology or modeling the brain at the systems level. However, we strongly encourage active researchers with relevant backgrounds from academia, industry and national laboratories to apply, in particular if they are prepared to work on specific projects, talk about their own work or bring demonstrations to Telluride (e.g. robots, chips, software). Wireless internet access will be provided. Technical staff present throughout the workshops will assist with software and hardware issues. We encourage participants to bring along their personal laptop. No cars are required. Given the small size of the town, we recommend that you do not rent a car. Bring hiking boots, warm clothes, rain gear, and a backpack, since Telluride is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unless otherwise arranged with one of the organizers, we expect participants to stay for the entire duration of this three week workshop. *FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:* Notification of acceptances will be mailed out around the April 15th, 2016. The Workshop covers all your accommodations and facilities costs for the 3 weeks duration. You are responsible for your own travel to the Workshop. Registration Fees: For expenses not covered by federal funds, a Workshop registration fee is required. The fee is $1500 per participant for the 3-week Workshop. This is expected from all participants at the time of acceptance. Accommodations: The cost of a shared condominium, typically a bedroom in a shared condo for senior participants or a shared room for students, will be covered for all academic participants. Upgrades to a private rooms or condos will cost extra. Participants from National Laboratories and Industry are expected to pay for these condominiums. The 2016 Workshop and Summer School on Neuromorphic Engineering is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Institute of Neuromorphic Engineering, University of Maryland - College Park, Institute for Neuroinformatics – University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, University of Western Sydney and the Salk Institute. *Workshop Directors:* Cornelia Fermüller (University of Maryland) Ralph Etienne-Cummings (Johns Hopkins Univ.) Shih-Chii Liu (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Timmer Horiuchi (University of Maryland) Katalin Gotthard (University of Arizona) Michael Pfeiffer (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Francisco Barranco (University of Granada) Former 2007-2013 Workshop Director: Tobi Delbruck (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Workshop Advisory Board: Andreas Andreou (Johns Hopkins University) Andre van Schaik (University Western Sydney, Australia) Avis Cohen (University of Maryland) Barbara Shinn-Cunningham (Boston University) Giacomo Indiveri (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Jonathan Tapson (University Western Sydney, Australia) Malcolm Slaney (Google) Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Rodney Douglas (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Shihab Shamma (University of Maryland) Tobi Delbruck (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) *HOW TO APPLY:* Applicants should be at the level of graduate students or above (i.e. postdoctoral fellows, faculty, research and engineering staff and the equivalent positions in industry and national laboratories). We actively encourage women and minority candidates to apply. Anyone interested in proposing or discussing specific projects should contact the appropriate topic leaders directly. The application website is (after February 16th, 2016): https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040 <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>. Application information needed: Contact email address. First name, Last name, Affiliation, valid e-mail address. Curriculum Vitae (a short version, please). One page summary of background and interests relevant to the workshop, including possible ideas for workshop projects. Please indicate which topic areas you would most likely join. Two letters of recommendation (uploaded directly by references). Applicants will be notified by e-mail. 16th February, 2016 - Applications accepted on website 2nd April, 2016 - Applications Due 15th April, 2016 - Notification of Acceptance -- Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, FIEEE Professor and Chairman Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Computational Sensor Motor Systems Lab Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD [image: cid:image001.png@01CFC064.B58B46A0]

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN COMPUTATIONAL COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
by Dirk Bernhardt-Walther Feb. 21, 2016

Feb. 21, 2016

The Cognitive Development Lab at The Ohio State University under the direction of Dr. Vladimir Sloutsky is seeking applicants for a postdoctoral research associate position for an NIH-funded project studying the development and neurobiology of categorization. The successful candidate is expected to work closely with Vladimir Sloutsky, Jay Myung, and Brandon Turner (at Ohio State) and Brad Love (at UCL) on modeling of cross-sectional and longitudinal data, on linking of genetic and behavioral data across development, and on model selection. The postdoc is expected to be an active part of the Cognitive Development lab that has general research interests in the development of cognition and to interact actively with Drs. Myung, Turner, and Love. The position is for three years with a possibility of reappointment. A successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, or related field and have a strong research record and previous experience in computational or statistical modeling. Although previous experience with developmental research is not necessary, special consideration will be given to candidates who have interest in understanding the development of cognition. Primary responsibilities will include active participation in research and collaboration with other members of the lab and the research team. Interested applicants should send a CV, research statement, representative publications, and names of three recommenders to Alicia Sciemca ( alicia.scimeca(a)gmail.com) -- the lab manager at the Cognitive Development Lab. Informal inquires may be sent to Vladimir Sloutsky (sloutsky.1(a)osu.edu) Applications will be received until the position is filled. The earliest start date is Summer of 2016. To learn more about research in the lab, visit our website: http://cogdev.osu.edu

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MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course: Applications due March 7
by Mark Steven Goldman Feb. 20, 2016

Feb. 20, 2016

Applications are open for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course will run from July 27 to August 24, 2016, and the online application form can be found at: https://ws2.mbl.edu/studentapp/studentapp.asp?courseid=MCN The course application deadline is *March 7*. The course covers a range of topics in computational neuroscience including neuronal biophysics, neural coding & information processing, circuit dynamics, learning & memory, motor control, and cognitive processing & disease. In addition, numerous tutorials and problem sets will cover a broad range of computational and mathematical modeling methods. The course strongly emphasizes the collaboration between theory and experiment in solving neuroscience problems, and lectures will be given by a mixture of theorists and experimentalists. The Final weeks of the course are primarily reserved for work on projects that students design in collaboration with the resident faculty. Further information can be found on the MCN website: http://www.mbl.edu/mcn/ 2016 Course Directors: Michale Fee, MIT Mark Goldman, UC Davis 2016 Confirmed Faculty: Larry Abbott, Columbia University Steve Baccus, Stanford University Carlos Brody, Princeton University Emery Brown, MIT Dmitri Chklovskii, Simons Foundation Peter Dayan, University College London Sophie Deneve, Ecole Normale Superieure Uri Eden, Boston University Bard Ermentrout, University of Pittsburgh Adrienne Fairhall, University of Washington Ila Fiete, UT Austin Loren Frank, UCSF Jack Gallant, UC Berkeley Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Maria Geffen, University of Pennsylvania John Huguenard, Stanford University Nancy Kopell, Boston University Eve Marder, Brandeis University Bartlett Mel, University of Southern California Ken Miller, Columbia University Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Sara Solla, Northwestern University Haim Sompolinsky, Hebrew University Michael Stryker, UCSF Josh Tenenbaum, MIT Daniel Wolpert, Cambridge University

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Deadline Extension: GreeNets 2016 - June 27-29, 2016 - Valencia, Spain
by Sandra Sendra Feb. 19, 2016

Feb. 19, 2016

==================================================================================== 3rd EAI International Conference on Green Communications and Networking - GreeNets 2016 June 27-29, 2016 Valencia, Spain http://greenets.org/2016/show/home ==================================================================================== HIGHLIGHTS - Submission Deadline: March 31, 2016 - The event is endorsed by the European Alliance for Innovation, a leading community-based organisation devoted to the advancement of innovation in the field of ICT. - Proceedings are submitted for inclusion to the leading indexing services: DBLP, Google Scholar, Thomson Scientific ISI Proceedings, EI Elsevier Engineering Index, CrossRef, Scopus, as well as ICST's own EU Digital Library (EUDL). - Selected papers will be invited to publish in the EAI Endorsed Transactions on Energy Web and in the special issue of EAI Transactions on Intelligent Communication Protocols and Algorithms. - All accepted papers will be published by Springer and made available through SpringerLink Digital Library, one of the world's largest scientific libraries CALL FOR PAPERS [Scope] Global warming and climate change have been a growing worldwide concern. Six sources, i.e., transportation, power, buildings, industry, agriculture and forestry, and land use, have been identified as major contributors to the rise of global carbon dioxide (CO2). The mobile industry is seen as a potential enabler to reduce greenhouse gases contributed by these six sources provided that appropriate measures are implemented. On the other hand, the mobile industry itself will also contribute to CO2 emission through network operations, mobile equipments, etc. To meet the requirement of low-carbon economy development, it is necessary to reduce the operation expenditure or energy consumption of mobile networks, while maintaining acceptable quality of service. This conference will explore and explain the scope and challenges of designing, building, and deploying GreeNets. In this regard, the conference aims to establish a forum to bring together research professionals from diverse f! ields including green mobile networ ks, system architectures, networking & communication protocols, applications, test-bed and prototype, traffic balance and energy-efficient cooperation transmission, system and application issues related to GreeNets. [Topics] The conference invites original technical papers that were not previously published and are not currently under review for publication elsewhere. Topics include, but are not limited to: - Communications and Networking: Communication techniques and protocols for GreeNets Energy-efficient transmission technologies based on the cooperation communication Scalable and flexible energy efficiency mobile network architectures, deployments, and applications - Energy-efficient network architecture & protocols: Scalability and mobility issues in energy efficiency cross-layer design MAC Protocols and QoS Designing for mobile networks - Systems and Technology: Transactions and workflows in green mobile networks Adaptability and stability of green mobile networks Mobile and multimedia supported green mobile networks Experimental and test bed studies for energy efficiency mobile networks, simulation tools - Energy-efficient management: Energy-efficient traffic balance, cooperation and management Distributed energy efficiency resource management techniques Protocols for cooperative management and control [Publications] Accepted papers will be published in Springer's LNICST series and will appear in the SpringerLink, one of the largest digital libraries online that covers a variety of scientific disciplines, as well as in the ICST's own EU Digital Library (EUDL). LNICST volumes are submitted for inclusion to leading indexing services, including DBLP, Google Scholar, ACM Digital Library, ISI Proceedings, EI Engineering Index, CrossRef, Scopus. Selected papers will be invited to a Special Issue on Green Communications and Networking 2016 in: - International Journal ACM/Springer Mobile Networks & Applications (MONET): http://www.springer.com/engineering/signals/journal/11036 - EAI Transactions on Energy Web http://eai.eu/transaction/energy-web - EAI Transactions on Intelligent Communication Protocols and Algorithms http://eai.eu/transaction/intelligent-communication-protocols-and-algorithms [Paper submission] All the papers formatted according with the instructions have to be submitted through the conference online system at: http://greenets.org/2016/show/initial-submission [Important dates] Full Paper Submission deadline: 31 March 2016 Notification and Registration opens: 25 April 2016 Camera-ready deadline: 22 May 2016 [Conference organising committees] General Chair: Jaime Lloret, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain TPC Chair: Javier Aguiar, University of Valladolid, Spain Publicity and Social Media Chair / Co-Chairs: Kayhan Zrar Ghafoor, Koya University, Iraq Workshops Chair: Sabu M. Thampi, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management- Kerala (IIITM-K), India Sponsorship & Exhibits Chair: Raquel Lacuesta, University of Zaragoza Publications Chair: Jose Miguel Jimenez, Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia,Spain Lorena Parra, Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia,Spain Panels Chair: Milos Stojmenovic, Singidunum University,Belgrade, Serbia Tutorials Chair: Jose Maria Alcaraz, University of the West of Scotland, Scotland,UK Demos, Posters and PhD Track Chair: Gregorio Martinez, University of Murcia, Spain Local Chair: Sandra Sendra, Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Universidad Polit�cnica de Valencia, Spain Web Chair: Alejandro Canovas, Integrated Management Coastal Research Institute, Universidad Polit�cnica de Valencia,Spain ABOUT EAI The European Alliance for Innovation is a dynamic eco-system for fostering ICT enabled innovation to improve European competitiveness and to benefit society. EAI uses open e-platforms to inspire grassroots collaboration among all relevant actors, from organizations to individuals, to stimulate community driven innovation to its institutional and individual members worldwide. Through EAI, organizations find ideas and talent, and individual innovators find organizations for their ingenuity and craft. Join the innovation community at www.eai.eu

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2016 NEURON Summer Course
by Ted Carnevale Feb. 19, 2016

Feb. 19, 2016

The 2016 NEURON Summer Course, which will be held at the HHMI|Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, is now open for registration. The course has two components, which can be taken individually or together depending on your needs and experience with NEURON. NEURON Fundamentals runs from June 20-24. This component presents a thorough introduction to computational modeling of neurons and networks of neurons with NEURON, and introduces parallel simulation. It is suitable for individuals at all levels of expertise. Parallel Simulation with NEURON runs from June 25-27. This component focuses on the needs of experienced NEURON users who want to create models that will run on parallel hardware, and presumes knowledge of how to write hoc or Python code for NEURON. You may apply for one or both components, but registration is subject to approval by the course's faculty. Space is limited, and applications will be considered in the order received. The application deadline is Friday, May 20, 2016. No applications will be accepted after that date, and there will be no on-site registration. For more information and the on-line application form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/summer2016/summer2016.html --Ted

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call for papers: PRNI 2016 submission now open
by Jo Etzel Feb. 19, 2016

Feb. 19, 2016

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

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Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience 2016
by Máté Lengyel Feb. 18, 2016

Feb. 18, 2016

CAJAL COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 7-27 August 2016, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal + pre-school 2-5 August 2016 http://www.cccn.pt Applications deadline: 28 March 2016 DIRECTORS * Gilles Laurent (Max Plank Institute for Brain Research, Germany) * Máté Lengyel (University of Cambridge, UK) * Christian Machens (Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Portugal) This three-weeks school teaches the central ideas, methods, and practice of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Each morning will be devoted to lectures given by distinguished international faculty on topics across the breadth of experimental and computational neuroscience. During the rest of the day, students will work on research projects in teams of 2-3 people under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Research projects will be proposed by faculty before the course, and will include the modeling of neurons, neural systems, behavior, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data (behavioral data, multi-electrode recordings, calcium imaging data, connectomics data, etc.), and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. The course is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from a variety of disciplines, including neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics and psychology. Students are expected to have a keen interest and basic background in neurobiology, a solid foundation in mathematics, as well as some computer experience. An optional four-day pre-school in mathematics and programming is available to students who want to catch up on or fine-tune their math and programming skills. Essential details: * Course size: 24 students maximum * Fee (which covers tuition, lodging, and meals): 2500 EUR (+ 300 EUR for optional pre-school) * Scholarships and travel stipends are available. * Application deadline: 28 March 2015 * Notification of results: April 2015 Information and application http://www.cccn.pt Contact address: Tânia Li Chen <tania.chen(a)neuro.fchampalimaud.org> FACULTY * Alberto Bernacchia (Cambridge University, UK) * Matthias Bethge (Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Germany) * Dmitri (Mitya) Chklovskii (Simons Center for Data Analysis, USA) * Claudia Clopath (Imperial College London, UK) * Peter Dayan (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Sophie Denève (Institut d'Etudes de la Cognition (IEC), France) * Alain Destexhe (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France) * David Fitzpatrick (Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, USA) * Michael Hausser (Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, UCL, UK) * Moritz Helmstaedter (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany) * Guillaume Hennequin (Cambridge University, UK) * Karel Ježek (Charles University, Czech Republic) * Matthias Kaschube (Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Germany) * Gilles Laurent (MPI Brain Research, Germany) * Peter Latham (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Simon Laughlin (University of Cambridge, UK) * Máté Lengyel (University of Cambridge, UK) * Zhaoping Li (University College London, UK) * Jennifer Linden (Ear Institute, UCL, UK) * Christian Machens (Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Portugal) * Jakob Macke (Center of Advanced European Studies and Research, Germany) * Tom Mrsic-Flogel (University of Basel, Switzerland) * Yael Niv (Princeton Neuroscience Institute, USA) * Maneesh Sahani (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience, UCL, UK) * Andreas Tolias (Baylor College of Medicine, USA) * Alessandro Treves (International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Italy) * Daniel Wolpert (Cambridge University, UK)

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Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience, Cambridge
by Máté Lengyel Feb. 18, 2016

Feb. 18, 2016

We are seeking a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work jointly in the Lengyel and Wolpert groups in the Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. Our groups study learning, perception and motor control using theory-driven approaches. The jointly led project will combine human psychophysical experiments and advanced theoretical methods to analyse and model the data. Areas of interest include decision making, active learning, cognitive representations, reinforcement learning. The successful candidate will have - a strong quantitative background - demonstrable interest in theoretical neuroscience as well as carrying out human psychophysical experiments - obtained (or be close to the completion of) a PhD or equivalent in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning or a related field Preference will be given to candidates with - previous experience in computational and / or behavioural neuroscience - sufficient programming skills to run numerical simulations (eg. in C, Python, or MatLab) - expertise with advanced data analysis and Bayesian techniques Salary: £28,982 - £37,768 pa. The funds for this post are available for two years in the first instance. For informal queries, please contact Máté Lengyel <m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk> or Daniel Wolpert <wolpert(a)eng.cam.ac.uk>. Máté Lengyel will also be attending the COSYNE 2016 meeting in Salt Lake City between 25 Feb - 1 Mar where he will be happy to discuss details with potential applicants. -- Mate Lengyel, PhD Computational and Biological Learning Lab Cambridge University Engineering Department Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK tel: +44 (0)1223 748 532, fax: +44 (0)1223 765 587 email: m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk web: www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~m.lengyel

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Call for papers on Biological Applications of Information Theory, a special issue in honor of Claude Shannon's centennial
by Dimitrov, Alexander Feb. 18, 2016

Feb. 18, 2016

In honor of Claude Shannon’s centennial: We are pleased to announce a Special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological, and Multi-Scale Communications on Biological Applications of Information Theory Submission deadline April 30, 2016 Claude Shannon, born April 30, 1916, pioneered the mathematical theory of communication in his 1948 paper in the Bell System Technical Journal. Information theory has since provided the foundation for the digital revolution in communications technology. In addition, it has provided a powerful framework for investigating the fundamental limitations of naturally occurring communications, particularly in biological systems. Early applications included consideration of redundancy reduction in sensory pathways (Attneave 1954, Barlow 1961), ionizing radiation and mutagenesis (Yockey 1958), efficiency of metabolic processes (Johnson and Knudsen 1965), and analysis of reliable computation in the presence of noise (Cowan and Winograd 1963). Modern developments have accelerated in recent years as a result of advances in MEMS/NEMS and systems biology, the emergence of synthetic bacteria and lab/process-on-a-chip techniques, and collection of large data sets in both electrophysiology and cell biology. It is now possible to design chemical “circuits”, custom organisms, micro/nanoscale swarms of devices, and a host of other new systems at small length scales, and across multiple scales (e.g., micro to macro). This success opens up a new frontier for interdisciplinary communications techniques using chemistry, biology, and other principles that have not been considered in the communications literature, as well as creating new ways of understanding the principles underlying communication in biological systems at many scales. The special issue will celebrate Shannon’s centennial by highlighting success stories and current progress in biological and bio-inspired information theory. In particular, we hereby solicit both invited and submitted papers in three interrelated areas: 1. Information theory and cellular/molecular biology/biochemistry (including information theory and intercellular communication); 2. Information theory and neuroscience; and 3. Information-theoretic analysis of biologically inspired communication systems (including nanonetworking and design of biologically implemented information processing networks). Contributions from researchers beyond the IEEE’s typical audience are encouraged. Submission Instructions Submissions will be collected via Manuscript Central, http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tmbmc/ . In your cover letter, state: “This paper is a submission for the Shannon Centennial special issue". For further information, please contact the corresponding guest editor, Prof. Peter Thomas (pjthomas__at__case.edu) Special Issue Guest Editors Prof. Alexander G. Dimitrov Department of Mathematics and Statistics Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA Prof. Faramarz Fekri Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Prof. Aurel Lazar Department of Electrical Engineering Columbia University, New York, New York, USA Prof. Stefan M. Moser Signal and Information Processing Lab (ISI) ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Hsinchu, Taiwan Prof. Peter J. Thomas* Department of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of Biology Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA *corresponding guest editor -- Alexander Dimitrov Department of Mathematics and Statistics Washington State University 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave Vancouver WA 98686 alex.dimitrov(a)wsu.edu http://directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/alexander-dimitrov

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Call for applications: SMART START - a joint training progamm in Computational Neuroscience for young researchers
by Mareike Kardinal Feb. 18, 2016

Feb. 18, 2016

*Call for applications* Ready for a *SMART*/START/ into Computational Neuroscience? We invite first and second-year Master students with a background in related fields to apply to our joint training program *SMART*/START/. The program aims at complementing previous studies with concepts, theories and techniques of Computational Neuroscience. *SMART*/START /consists of two programs. Both of them last one year each and take place at numerous locations of the Bernstein Network and further locations throughout Germany. *SMART*/START /1 provides financial support to then second-year Master students, allowing them to attend supplementary courses and training visits at participating institutions. Students will receive an experienced faculty mentor who will advise and guide them at this educational stage. *SMART*/START /2 provides fully funded positions for pre-PhD students. At the start of the program, these students will have already obtained their Master´s degree and are in the process of selecting a PhD project. *SMART*/START /2 allows them to elaborate their own PhD proposal as a collaborative project between two labs. This comprises exchange visits as well as voluntary attendance of lectures and courses offered by participating institutions. Both *SMART*/START/ programs will commence in the winter term 2016/17. _Deadline for application is Monday, Feb 29, 2016._ More information can be found on our website: www.smartstart-compneuro.de Best regards, Mareike Kardinal -- Dr. Mareike Kardinal Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience Press & Public Relations Officer, Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Hansastr. 9A 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: +49-761-203-9593 mareike.kardinal(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de www.nncn.de Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany

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Mediterranean Neuroscience 2017 - Call for Symposia
by Demian Battaglia Feb. 18, 2016

Feb. 18, 2016

Mediterranean Neuroscience 2017 - Call for Symposia ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next Conference of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (MNS, http://www.mnsociety.net/) will be held in Malta in June 9-12th 2017. The MNS has been created to support and help strengthen all initiatives that bring together neuroscientists from European, Mediterranean and MENA region countries. It is a member society of IBRO (http://ibro.info) belonging to both European and African chapters of the international organization. The MNS works towards three main objectives: 1) Strengthen exchanges between mediterranean neuroscientists 2) Promote education in the neurosciences and increase public awareness of progress made (organizing e.g. Euro-mediterranean master programs) 3) Sustain the Mediterranean Neuroscience Conference, as an open forum for neuroscience discussions and team-building across the North-South shores of the Mediterranean The last Mediterranean Conference of Neuroscience was organized in June 2015 in Sardinia (Italy). The call for symposia for the next MNS conference is now open Symposia dealing with all areas of neuroscience research, including computational and systems neuroscience or neuroimaging are invited. The symposium organizer should submit a proposal in the following format: - Title of the symposium - Name(s) and address(s) of the organizer(s) - General abstract of the symposium describing the aims of the symposium (no more than 500 words) - Name, address, e-mail, Country and title of the presentation of each speaker (no abstracts are requested at this stage) - Use Times New Roman in 12 point and 1.5 spacing, with the title underlined. A typical symposium gathers 4-5 speakers, each addressing the general topic from a different perspective. Total allocated time is 2 hours. The conference language will be English. The participation of scientists from MENA countries, whether as organizers of symposia or as speakers, is highly encouraged. The gender ratio within each proposal will also be taken into account to reach a decision. MNS has limited funding for conferences and does not reimburse speakers expenses. We will offer however a common location, logistic support, allowing a larger visibility for the proposed initiatives. The MNS and its partners will also provide a limited number of stipends for qualified young candidates. Deadline for submitting a proposal is May 15th, 2016. Proposal can be submitted at the website: http://www.mnsociety.net/call-for-symposia/ For informations you can contact: Demian Battaglia (demian.battaglia(a)univ-amu.fr) or Marc Landry (marc.landry(a)u-bordeaux.fr) ----> If you want a mediterranean FENS... propose your symposium and make this Mediterranean Neuroscience conference alive! PS: follow us on Twitter, https://twitter.com/MnSociety

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Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience - Call for Nominations
by Kerstin Schwarzwaelder Feb. 17, 2016

Feb. 17, 2016

Dear Colleagues, The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience <http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association> invites nominations for the *V**alentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience.* The award is biannually presented by the Bernstein Association to a scientist in recognition of outstanding research that contributes to our understanding of the functioning of the brain. The major criterion for the award is the impact or potential impact of the recipient's research on the field of brain science. In the spirit of Valentino Braitenberg's research, special emphasis is given to theoretical studies elucidating the functional implications of brain structures and their neuronal network dynamics. The awardee receives a €5.000 prize donated by the Autonome Provinz Bozen Südtirol as well as complimentary participation (registration, travel, and hotel accomodation) in the Bernstein Conference 2016. Here, the prize is awarded together with a Golden Neuron pin badge in a special ceremony that includes the Valentino Braitenberg lecture given by the awardee. Nominations may be submitted by scientists working in the field of Computational Neuroscience and should include the following documents: - One-page laudation, in which the scientific work of the candidate is honored with regard to the award's criteria - CV and list of publications *Deadline for nominations is **April 30, 2016 *by e-mail to an.huber(a)fz-juelich.de The call for nominations can be found under the followingn URL: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-association/valentino-braitenberg-award-for-comput… For inquiries please contact an.huber(a)fz-juelich.de Best regards, Andrea Huber Brösamle -- Dr. Kerstin Schwarzwälder Bernstein Coordination Site of the National Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Hansastr. 9A 79104 Freiburg Germany phone: +49 761 203 9594 schwarzwaelder(a)bcos.uni-freiburg.de www.nncn.de

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Openings for postdocs in Geneva
by Jolivet, Renaud Feb. 17, 2016

Feb. 17, 2016

(Apologies for cross-posting) I am looking for postdocs to expand my lab and contribute to medical physics activities in our department. My lab is shared between the Département de Physique Nucléaire et Corpusculaire at the University of Geneva (http://dpnc.unige.ch/) and the Experimental Physics Department of CERN (http://home.cern/) with access to a brand new wet lab for experiments at Geneva University Hospitals (http://www.hug-ge.ch/) This is a unique opportunity to work at the interface between physics, biology and medicine with a focus in neuroscience, and to build a vast scientific network in a truly multidisciplinary and international environment. I am particularly interested by candidates with a profile in neuroscience (computational or experimental) to work on two distinct projects. The first (computational) project will build on recent papers investigating [i] the compartmentalisation of energy metabolism in the brain (http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004036; http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0415-11.2011; http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/neuro.14.004.2009) and [ii] how energetic constraints shape information processing in neural networks (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.063; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2012.08.019) The second project will build on yet unpublished data (paper in revision) and investigate the physiology and pathophysiology of microglia in vivo using multiphoton microscopy. Other research directions are possible and can be discussed. It is anticipated that the candidates will apply for their own funding, for instance a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship (or equivalent; see here http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h…) If eligible, candidates could also consider an Ambizione fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation as a path to independence (http://www.snf.ch/en/funding/careers/ambizione/Pages/default.aspx) If you are interested, please contact me at renaud.jolivet(a)unige.ch and send me a CV, list of publications, the names of three references and a brief description of your research interests. More information about life in Geneva can be found here https://www.lonelyplanet.com/switzerland/geneva and here http://www.ville-geneve.ch/welcome-geneva/. The University of Geneva ranks 33 for science worldwide (http://www.shanghairanking.com/FieldSCI2015.html) — Prof. Renaud Jolivet CERN, Experimental Physics Department & University of Geneva, Physics Section +41 22 767 24 70 (CERN) +41 22 379 62 75 (UNIGE) +41 79 830 21 29 (mobile) renaud.blaise.jolivet(a)cern.ch<mailto:renaud.blaise.jolivet@cern.ch> https://sites.google.com/site/renaudjolivet/

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Workshop on neuronal data analyses, June 1-10, 2016
by Artur Luczak Feb. 16, 2016

Feb. 16, 2016

Campus Alberta Neuroscience is pleased to announce the third annual Introductory Workshop on Computational Methods in Neuroscience. This ten-day workshop is comprised of lectures and hands-on Matlab exercises to introduce students to neuronal data analysis methods. The workshop is aimed at graduate students with little prior experience in quantitative methods who want to learn more about Matlab and its application for data analyses. Most costs including registration fees, travel to Lethbridge, accommodation, and most meals will be covered for Alberta trainees. Individuals from outside of Alberta are encouraged to apply, but must cover their own costs. These costs are estimated to be around $1300 (excluding travel). Registration for the workshop is now open; complete applications must be received by March 11, 2016. The workshop will take place at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, June 1 - 10, 2016, and will be followed by an optional online component with more in depth topics. The course Director is Dr. Bruce McNaughton and course instructors include Drs David Euston, Aaron Gruber, Artur Luczak, Masami Tatsuno and Majid Mohajerani. Further information and application details are available at: http://www.albertaneuro.ca/content/computational For any questions please contact: albertaneuro(a)uleth.ca Cheers, Artur ------------------------------------------------ Artur Luczak, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada tel.: (403) 394-3974; fax: (403) 329-2775 http://lethbridgebraindynamics.com/artur_luczak

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Open position in Juelich, Germany: Coordinator Software Development
by Martina Reske Feb. 16, 2016

Feb. 16, 2016

The Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) at Research Center Juelich, Germany, investigates the structure and function of the human brain on different spatial and temporal scales within the research program “Decoding the Human Brain”. The Juelich Supercomputing Centre is home of one of the most powerful machines and has a leading role in the European exascale strategy. Basic neuroscience connects the two research areas as it heavily relies on modeling and simulation, which are necessary to approach the brain’s immense complexity, manage the huge amount of resulting data, and develop reliable control techniques. Acquired knowledge allows for the translation of basic findings into clinical applications to better understand neurological and psychiatric disorders, to refine diagnostic processes, and to develop therapy strategies – crucial tasks we have to face in ageing societies. Additionally, the research lays foundations for novel computer architectures and their operation. The department INM-6, Computational and Systems Neuroscience, develops mathematical models of neuronal dynamics and function. Model-driven analyses of brain activity and structure as well as simulation of biologically realistic models form the core of our work. Together with its partners, INM-6 develops analysis tools and the leading simulation code (NEST) for brain scale networks with cellular resolution in an open source approach. NEST has been under continuous development for 20 years and is serving a world-wide community. The INM-6 hosts also the Coordination Site (BCOS) of the national Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience. The development of corresponding simulation technologies and analysis tools is a major component of our research. The advertised position has a key role in this endeavor. We are looking to recruit a Coordinator Software Development Your Job: * Coordinating the roadmap and releases of NEST, the neural simulation tool * Regular preparation of and participation in coordination meetings and video conferences together with or as substitute for the institute directors * Direct support of scientists and PhD students with respect to software development * Composing research grants and project reports in the field of simulation technology as well as proposals for computing time * Representing the simulation software at international meetings and conferences * Participation in the advancement of programs for the analysis of massively parallel neuronal data * Substituting for the coordinator scientific computing Your Profile: * University degree in the field of computer science, mathematics or physics * Substantial expertise in C, C++ and Python, parallel and distributed computing * Substantial experience in developing complex software * Ability and willingness to work independently and on one’s own responsibility * Experience in leading project teams * Ability and willingness to compose project reports * Expertise in project management and quality assurance * Beneficial: basic knowledge of neuroscience concepts, especially in neuronal dynamics * Confident appearance and ability to work cooperatively in an interdisciplinary environment * Good interpersonal and communication skills * Ability to work in teams * Willingness to travel * Structured and systematic working style * Fluent in English (spoken and written), beneficial: fluent in German Our Offer: * A creative team with an international perspective * Access to world-leading supercomputers and neuromorphic hardware * Possibility to co-determine shape design decisions in a complex software project * close collaboration with the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and its exascale strategy, especially with the Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience * high visibility through participation in and substitution for institute directors at international project meetings, e.g. for the Human Brain Project * Participation in publications in state-of-the-art research in simulation technology * Job in world class science environment at the interface between neuroscience and technology on the most complex known systems * international, interdisciplinary working environment on an attractive research campus, ideally situated between the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Aachen * limited for 2 years with possible longer-term prospects * Salary and social benefits in conformity with the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Civil Service (TVöD). We look forward to receiving your application, preferably online via our online recuirting system (www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2016-018-EN-INM-6.…<http://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2016-018-EN…>) until 14.03.2016, quoting the reference number 2016-018. Martina Reske -- Dr. Martina Reske Scientific Coordinator Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience Jülich Research Centre and JARA Jülich, Germany Work +49.2461.611916 Work Cell +49.151.26156918 Fax +49.2461.619460 www.csn.fz-juelich.de<http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Postdoc research position on diversity of synapses: from biology to network function
by Wolfgang Maass Feb. 15, 2016

Feb. 15, 2016

We are inviting applications for a postdoc position (for at least 2 years, earliest starting date: april 1, 2016). The task of this postdoc is to integrate biological data on synaptic function and synaptic plasticity --including new data on diverse types of synapses-- and to explore possible functional consequences of different types of synapses and plasticity rules in networks of neurons through new theory and models. The need for new theory and models for network plasticity is highlighted for example by the recent review Larsen, R. S., & Sjöström, P. J. (2015). Synapse-type-specific plasticity in local circuits. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 35, 127-135. This postdoc will receive generous travel funds in order to be able to visit and interact with research groups inside and outside the Human Brain Project that study synaptic function and synaptic plasticity from the perspective of molecular biology, neuroscience, and network simulations. New theoretical paradigms for network plasticity will be explored in collaboration with our research team in Graz. Strong research interest and accomplishments, very good communication skills, broad knowledge in neuroscience and/or molecular biology, as well as interest and experience in computer modelling and theory are expected. Please send your CV, publication list, and motivation letter by february 28 to my assistant Daniela Potzinger daniela.potzinger(a)igi.tugraz.at -Wolfgang Maass -- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maass Institut fuer Grundlagen der Informationsverarbeitung Technische Universitaet Graz Inffeldgasse 16b , A-8010 Graz, Austria Tel.: ++43/316/873-5822 Fax ++43/316/873-5805 http://www.igi.tugraz.at/maass/Welcome.html

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Second call for posters/registration: Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision-Making (SBDM), 25-27 May 2016 @ Paris, France
by Mehdi Khamassi Feb. 15, 2016

Feb. 15, 2016

[Please accept our apologies if you get multiple copies of this message] Dear colleagues, Registration is now open for the Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision Making (SBDM), which will take place in Paris on May 25-27th 2016. The nearly final program can be seen here: http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr/view.php/SBDM2016_Program_Titles.pdf If you want to attend SBDM 2016, please fill the registration form at http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr and then follow the instructions received by email. The deadline for poster submission is: April 30th 2016. The deadline for registration is: May 15th 2016. Registration fees (170 euros) include lunches, coffee breaks and social event. Please circulate widely and encourage your colleagues and team members to attend. Best regards The SBDM organizing committee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIXTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOLOGY OF DECISION MAKING (SBDM 2016) May 25-27, 2016, Paris, France Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Hôpital La Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France. & Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. & Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PRESENTATION: The Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision Making will take place on May 25-27, 2016 at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France, with a satellite day at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. The objective of this three day symposium is to gather people from different research fields with different approaches (economics, ethology, psychiatry, neural and computational approaches) to decision-making. The symposium will be a single-track, will last for 3 days and will include 6 sessions: (#1) Cost of control, fatigue and decision-making; (#2) Emotion, stress and decision-making; (#3) Dynamics of decision-making; (#4) Decision-making across primates; (#5) Confidence, mood and decision-making; (#6) Learning, memory and decision-making. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Sébastien Bouret (CNRS - ICM, France) Michael Chee (Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore) Anastasia Christakou (University of Reading, UK) Anne Churchland (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA) Stanislas Dehaene (Collège de France - INSERM - CEA, France) Adele Diederich (Jacobs University, Germany) Tobias H. Donner (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Valérie Dufour (CNRS, France) Shelly Flagel (University of Michigan, USA) Steve Fleming (University College London, UK) Birte U. Forstmann (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Julie Grèzes (CNRS - Ecole Normale Supérieure, France) Cendri Hutcherson (University of Toronto, Canada) Veronika Job (University of Zurich, Switzerland) Mehdi Khamassi (CNRS - Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France) Pascal Mamassian (Ecole Normale Supérieure - CNRS, France) Florent Meyniel (Collège de France - INSERM - CEA, France) Randall O'Reilly (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) Mathias Pessiglione (INSERM - ICM, France) Jonathan Pillow (Princeton University, USA) Timothy J. Pleskac (Max Planck Institute, Germany) Alexandra G. Rosati (Harvard University, USA) Robb Rutledge (University College London, UK) Jérôme Sallet (University of Oxford, UK) Carmen Sandi (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) Daniela Schiller (Mount Sinaï University, USA) Amitai Shenhav (Princeton University, USA) Mark Sheskin (Yale University, USA) Hiromu Tanimoto (Tohoku University, Japan) Angela J. Yu (University of California San Diego, USA) Alexandre Zenon (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium) IMPORTANT DATES: April 30, 2016 Deadline for Poster Submission May 7, 2016 Notification of Poster Acceptance May 15, 2016 Deadline for Registration May 25-27, 2016 Symposium Venue ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Thomas Boraud (CNRS - IMN, Bordeaux, France) Kenji Doya (OIST, Okinawa, Japan) Mehdi Khamassi (CNRS - UPMC, Paris, France) Etienne Koechlin (CNRS - ENS, Paris, France) Mathias Pessiglione (ICM - INSERM, Paris, France) CONTACT INFORMATION : Website, registration, poster submission and detailed program: http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr Contact: sbdm2016 [ at ] isir.upmc.fr / sbdm2016-registration [ at ] isir.upmc.fr -- Mehdi Khamassi, PhD Tenured research scientist (CR1 CNRS) Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics Université Pierre et Marie Curie - BC 173 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France tel: + 33 1 44 27 28 85 fax: +33 1 44 27 51 45 cell: +33 6 50 76 44 92 email: mehdi.khamassi(a)upmc.fr http://people.isir.upmc.fr/khamassi

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CFP 4th International Congress on Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics - NEUROTECHNIX 2016
by Calendar Sites Feb. 15, 2016

Feb. 15, 2016

CALL FOR PAPERS 4th International Congress on Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics NEUROTECHNIX 2016 Website: www.neurotechnix.org November 7 8, 2016 Porto, Portugal <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#11> <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#11> Complete Papers Paper Submission: May 26, 2016 Authors Notification: July 22, 2016 Camera Ready and Registration: September 5, 2016 <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#12> <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#12> Extended Abstracts Paper Submission: July 4, 2016 Authors Notification: September 8, 2016 Camera Ready and Registration: September 22, 2016 <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#41> Workshops Workshop Proposal: August 22, 2016 <http://icete.org/Glossary.aspx#46> Special Sessions Special Session Proposal: August 22, 2016 Tutorials Tutorial Proposal: September 23, 2016 Demos Demo Proposal: September 23, 2016 Panels Panel Proposal: September 23, 2016 Open Communications Paper Submission: September 8, 2016 Authors Notification: September 16, 2016 Camera Ready and Registration: September 28, 2016 Sponsored by: INSTICC Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication Logistics Partner: SCITEVENTS Science and Technology Events Scope: The first research works on neurotechnology can be dated back nearly half a century, but it is in the XXI century that most significant advances are being witnessed. Neurotechnology shows a very high potential of enhancing human activities, involving technologies such as neural rehabilitation, neural prosthesis, neuromodulation, neurosensing and diagnosis, and other combinations of neurological and biomedical knowledge with engineering technologies. NEUROTECHNIX 2016 will be held in conjunction with icSPORTS 2016. PUBLICATIONS All accepted Extended Abstracts will be published in the Book of Abstracts of the congress and on CD-ROM support, without ISBN. All accepted Complete Papers (full and short) will be published in the Congress Proceedings, under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support. All papers presented at the congress venue will also be available at the SCITEPRESS Digital Library. SCITEPRESS is a member of CrossRef and every paper is given a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). The Congress Proceedings will be submitted to appropriate indexes for indexation. AWARDS The awards will be announced and bestowed at the congress closing session. Please check the website for further information: www.neurotechnix.org KEYNOTE LECTURES NEUROTECHNIX 2016 will have several invited keynote speakers, who are internationally recognized experts in their areas. Their names are not yet confirmed. CONGRESS CHAIR Aldo Faisal, Imperial College London, United Kingdom CONGRESS AREAS Each of these topic areas is expanded below but the sub-topics list is not exhaustive. Papers may address one or more of the listed sub-topics, although authors should not feel limited by them. Unlisted but related sub-topics are also acceptable, provided they fit in one of the following main topic areas: 1. NEUROMODULATION AND NEURAL PROSTHESIS 2. NEURAL REHABILITATION 3. NEUROSENSING AND DIAGNOSIS 4. NEUROCOMPUTING AREA 1: NEUROMODULATION AND NEURAL PROSTHESIS * Electrical Stimulation * Deep Brain Stimulation * Optogenetics * Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation * Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) * Biochips and Nanotechnology * Biotechnology * Neuro-interface Prosthetic Devices * Cochlear implants * Bionic Vision * Cybernetics AREA 2: NEURAL REHABILITATION * Brain/Neural Computer Interfaces * Virtual Reality Tools * Stimulation Systems * Robotic Assisted Therapy * Biofeedback Therapy * Assistive Technologies * Mobile Technologies * Telerehabilitation * Applications to Complex Communication Needs * Augmentative and Alternative Communication * Clinical and Social Impact of Neurotechnology * Privacy, Security and Neuroethics * Outcome Measures * Users Perception and Experience on Technologies * Case Studies AREA 3: NEUROSENSING AND DIAGNOSIS * Brain/Neural Computer Interfaces * Virtual Reality Tools * Stimulation Systems * Robotic Assisted Therapy * Biofeedback Therapy * Assistive Technologies * Mobile Technologies * Telerehabilitation * Applications to Complex Communication Needs * Augmentative and Alternative Communication * Clinical and Social Impact of Neurotechnology * Privacy, Security and Neuroethics * Outcome Measures * Users Perception and Experience on Technologies * Case Studies AREA 4: NEUROCOMPUTING * (Artificial) Neural Networks * Brain Models and Functions * Learning Systems and Memory * Self-organization and Evolution * Pattern Recognition * Reverse Engineering the Brain * Information Processing * Simulation Models * Neurobiology * Artificial Life * Cognitive Science and Psychology PROGRAM COMMITTEE www.neurotechnix.org/ProgramCommittee.aspx NEUROTECHNIX Secretariat Address: Av. D. Manuel I, 27A, 2º esq. 2910-595 Setúbal - Portugal Tel.: +351 265 100 033 Fax: +351 265 520 186 e-mail: neurotechnix.secretariat(a)insticc.org Please check further details at the congress website: www.neurotechnix.org

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post-doc position available at HLP/Jaeger lab (Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Rochester)
by Dick Aslin Feb. 14, 2016

Feb. 14, 2016

Kindly post this ad on behalf of my colleague Florian Jaeger: The Human Language Processing Lab (https://www.hlp.rochester.edu/people/) headed by Florian Jaeger at the University of Rochester is searching for an*outstanding post-doctoral researcher* to join our project on *inference and learning during speech perception and adaptation. **Applicants from any fields in the cognitive and language sciences are welcome.** *** *About the position: *We are particularly interested in researchers with a _strong computational background_**(ideally, including Bayesian inference, sampling, etc. though that is not necessary). Expertise in phonetics or speech perception are preferred, but expertise in the relevant inference processes in another perceptual domain (combined with the willingness to acquire expertise in speech) might make for a great fit, too. The core of our research project is behavioral and computational, but expertise in fMRI and, specifically, MVPA and related methods are an additional plus, as there is the potential to collaborate across labs on the neural foundations of speech adaptation (w/ Raj Raizada). The most important thing though is the drive to dig beyond the surface with an interest in understanding the nature of the implicit adaptive processes (and the structure of the representations that support them) that allow robust language understanding (... whether in speech perception or higher levels of language processing). The position will provide NIH-level post-doctoral salaries and travel funding. Start dates could be as early as /now/ or as late as 9/2016. If there is a great fit between the candidate and the project, we can wait. *Interested candidates should contact *HLP lab manager Olga Nikolayeva (onikolay(a)u.rochester.edu) along with a CV and a brief statement of /primary/ research interests (no full research statement necessary, but if there is one we'd be happy to read it). Recommendations are will be elicited after initial review of applications, but applicants are welcome to include them in the initial application. *Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis starting 3/1. *(if you're wondering whether it makes sense to apply, please contact Florian Jaeger at fjaeger(a)bcs.rochester.edu) *About the project: *The project includes research on _lack of invariance, learning in non-stationary environments, inference under uncertainty, causal attribution, and the relation between linguistics and social perception_. Our main goals are 1) to investigate the organization of the implicit probabilistic beliefs that underlie speech perception, such as implicit knowledge about the covariance of socio-indexical features (such as gender, age, dialects, etc.) and phonetic properties 2) to understand how these beliefs are acquired, adapted, and employed in inferences during online language understanding, including drawing on previous experience with talkers and the ability to generalize to similar talkers. For an overview, of our research program and goals, see Kleinschmidt and Jaeger (2015-PsychRev): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259571827_Robust_Speech_Perception… * **About the team / HLP Lab: *HLP lab is part of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Center of Language Sciences. The team currently consists of one post-doctoral fellow and four graduate students (plus other lab members working on other questions). Related projects include work on accent and dialect adaptation (incl. a large project involving researchers in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK), pedagogical use of adaptation in the class room, and L2/Ln learning/teaching (in collaboration with researchers in Hong Kong; see also Pajak et al., 2016-LangLearn). We also investigate similar processes in speech production and in language processing at higher levels of representations (see Fine et al., 2013-PLoS One; Fine and Jaeger, 2016-JEP:LMC; Jaeger & Snider, 2013-Cognition; Yildirim et al., 2015-JML) and language production (e.g., Buz et al., 2015-JML; Seyfarth et al., 2016-JASA; Weatherholtz et al., 2014-LVC). Most recent papers are available via https://www.researchgate.net/profile/T_Florian_Jaeger/contribution.

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Joint Call for Workshop Proposals of SASO 2016 and ICCAC 2016 (FAS*W)
by Jan-Philipp Steghöfer Feb. 12, 2016

Feb. 12, 2016

************************************************************************* FAS*W 2016 (SASO and ICCAC) Call For Workshop Proposals International Workshops on Foundations and Applications of Self-* Systems (FAS*W) Augsburg, Germany, September 12 & 16, 2016 http://fasstar2016.informatik.uni-augsburg.de/ http://iccac2016.se.rit.edu/ http://uni-augsburg.de/saso2016 @SASO2016Conf ************************************************************************* The FAS* 2016 Steering Committee invites proposals for the Workshop Program to be held along with the technical conferences SASO 2016 and ICCAC 2016. FAS*W workshops will provide a meeting for presenting novel ideas in a less formal and possibly more focused way than the conferences themselves. Their aim is to stimulate and facilitate active exchange, interaction, and comparison of approaches, methods, and ideas related to specific topics, both theoretical and applied, in the general area of Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems as well as Cloud and Autonomic Computing. To motivate the discussion and participation of all the workshop attendants, we encourage organizers to get away of the typical "mini-conference" format of a workshop, and include more discussion sessions, panels, etc. Members from all areas of the SASO and ICCAC communities are invited to submit workshop proposals for review. Workshops on global challenges, applications or on new and emerging topics are particularly encouraged. Workshops can vary in length, but most will be one full day in duration. Optionally, if desired by the organizers, workshop proceedings can be published through IEEE. Attendance of workshops will be included in the registration fee for the main SASO/ICCAC conference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Dates ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Workshop proposal submission deadline: April 4, 2016* - Workshop acceptance notification: April 11, 2016* - CfP submission deadline: April 20, 2016 - Workshop paper submission deadline: July 4, 2016 - Workshop paper acceptance notification: July 17, 2016 - Early registration Deadline: TBD - Camera-ready papers due: July 22, 2016 - Workshop notes submission to WS chairs: July 26, 2016 - Workshops dates: September 12 & 16, 2016 * Please submit your workshop proposals as soon as possible (i.e. before April 4)! We will try to decide earlier on workshop acceptance in order to give the organizers more time to solicit papers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAS*W 2016 Workshops - Requirements for Submission ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposals for workshops should be separated in two parts. The first part should be organized as preliminary call for papers or call for participation, depending on the intended format of the workshop, with a maximum of two pages and contain the following information: - Title of the workshop. - A brief technical description of the workshop, specifying the workshop goals, the technical issues that it will address, and the relevance of the workshop to the main conferences. Please specify which of the two main conferences the workshop is assigned to (if any)! - Description of paper review process (if any) and acceptance standards in order to keep the workshop high in quality. Note that papers must be in the same format as the conference proceedings and may not be more than 6 pages in length. - The names, affiliations, postal addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of the proposed workshop organizing committee. This committee should consist of three or four people knowledgeable about the technical issues to be addressed. The organizing committee should include individuals from multiple institutions. - The primary email address for contacting the organizing committee. - Expected duration of the workshop (half or full day). - A brief description of the workshop format. - List of potential program committee members (if applicable), including their title and affiliations. - List of potential invited speakers, panelists, or disputants (if applicable). The second part with a maximum of three pages should contain additional information not suitable for a Call for Papers, including: - A discussion of why and to whom the workshop is of interest. - A list of related workshops held within the last three years, if any, and their relation to the proposed workshop. - Information about previous offerings of the proposed workshop: when and where it has been offered in the past, organizers names and affiliations, number of submissions, acceptances and registered attendees. - An indication of the envisaged acceptance rate (if applicable). - A description of the qualifications of the individual committee members with respect to organizing a SASO or ICCAC workshop, including a list of workshops previously arranged by any members of the proposed organizing committee, if any. - A list of places (distribution lists, web sites, journals, etc.) where the workshop is planned to be advertised. All proposals should be submitted in plain ASCII text or PDF format by electronic mail to the FAS*W 2016 Workshop Chairs, via Monika Lorenz, as described below. The selection of the workshops to be included in the final FAS* 2016 Workshop program will be based upon multiple factors, including: - the scientific/technical interest of the topics, - the quality of the proposal, - complementarity with the conference topics, - balance and distinctness of workshop topics, and - the capacity of the conference workshop program. Note that authors of proposals addressing similar and/or overlapping content areas and/or audiences may be requested to merge their proposals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Responsibilities of FAS* 2016 Workshop Organizers ------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all accepted proposals, FAS* 2016 will be responsible for: - Providing publicity for the workshop series as a whole. - Providing logistical support and a meeting place for the workshops. - Together with the organizers, determining the workshop date and time. - Liaising and coordinating between the workshop chairs,the finance chair, publicity chair, and web chair for FAS*. - Arranging for publication of proceedings. Workshop organizers will be responsible for the following: - Setting up a web site for the workshop. - Advertising the workshop (and the main FAS* conferences), and issuing a call for papers and a call for participation. - Collecting and evaluating submissions, notifying authors of acceptance or rejection on a timely basis, and ensuring a transparent and fair selection process. All workshop organizers commit themselves to adopt the deadlines set by the committee. - Making the pdf of the whole workshop notes available to the workshop chair, as well as a list of audio-visual requirements and any special room requirements. - Writing a 1-page organizers’ introduction for the workshop proceedings. - Ensuring that the workshop organizers and the participants register for the workshop and/or the main conference (at least one author must register for the paper to appear in the proceedings). FAS* reserves the right to cancel any workshop if the above responsibilities are not fulfilled, or if too few attendees register for the workshop to support its running costs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submissions and Inquiries ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please send proposals (as a PDF document) and inquiries to: Monika Lorenz lorenz(a)sra.uni-hannover.de ____________________________________________________________ FAS*W Workshop Chairs Sameh Elnikety Microsoft Research, USA E-Mail: samehe(a)microsoft.com Peter Lewis School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University, UK E-Mail: p.lewis(a)aston.ac.uk Christian Müller-Schloer Institute for Systems Engineering, Leibniz University Hannover, DE E-Mail: cms(a)sra.uni-hannover.de ____________________________________________________________

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2016 Volga Neuroscience Meeting
by Andrey Shilnikov Feb. 12, 2016

Feb. 12, 2016

Hello Comp-Neuro, I would like to distribute the information about the forthcoming meeting and its two workshops: Dynamics in Life Sciences, Neuroscince Applications Computational Neuroscience as a part of 2016 Volga Neuroscience Meeting http://conf.neuro.unn.ru/vnm-2016/ Dates July 24th, 2016 to July 30th, 2016 Venue Saint Petersburg – Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation Let me know if you need further information. Thank you. With best regards, Andrey Andrey Shilnikov, PhD Professor Neuroscience Institute Department of Mathematics & Statistics Georgia State University 100 Piedmont Ave Atlanta GA 30303 tel 404.413.6423 e-mail: ashilnikov(a)gsu.edu<mailto:ashilnikov@gsu.edu> http://www.ni.gsu.edu/~ashilnikov

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New Trieste Encounters in Cognitive Science (TEX) - Language Learning
by Alessandro Treves Feb. 11, 2016

Feb. 11, 2016

We are proud to announce the new Trieste Encounters in Cognitive Science. TEX2016 combines a summer school with an extended symposium, to bring together scientists to discuss Language Learning and share the sun, the sea, what they do not know, the food, the wine, at SISSA and beyond. Language learning is intended to include neuroscience, linguistic theory, cognitive psychology and computational modelling. Classes will be given every morning, July 7-15, by Alex Cristia (Paris), Colin Davis (Bristol), Edmund Rolls (Warwick), Gareth Gaskell (York), Kathy Rastle (London - Royal Holloway), Max Louwerse (Tilburg), Na'ama Friedmann (Tel Aviv), Pino Longobardi (York), Scott Johnson (UCLA), and Vito Pirrelli (Pisa). Tim Shallice, father of cognitive science at SISSA, will also be with us, and with your freely contributed talks, posters, discussion, swimming, doubts and libation, afternoons will stretch into an unmarked inflection. Students are invited to apply to the school, before April 15, 2016, and everybody is invited to join TEX2016 any time. More information at http://indico.sissa.it/e/tex2016 -- Alessandro Treves http://people.sissa.it/~ale/limbo.html SISSA - Cognitive Neuroscience, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy and Master in Complex Actions http://www.mca.sissa.it/

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Postdoctoral Position in Robust Intelligence / Theoretical Neuroscience
by Stepanyants, Armen Feb. 11, 2016

Feb. 11, 2016

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems and the Department of Physics at Northeastern University, Boston, invite applicants for a postdoctoral position in Robust Intelligence / Theoretical Neuroscience available immediately. The successful candidate will work on NSF and AIR FORCE sponsored projects aimed at creating a theoretical framework for the analysis of the effects of learning and robust memory storage on synaptic connectivity in local cortical circuits. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, or related quantitative disciplines. Track record of experience in computational neuroscience, as well as excellent theoretical and computational skills are required. Knowledge of statistical physics, machine learning, cortical neuroanatomy and connectivity is preferred. To apply, please send (1) a CV, including a list of publications, (2) a summary of prior research accomplishments, and (3) names and contact information of three reference providers by email to Prof. Armen Stepanyants, a.stepanyants(a)neu.edu<mailto:a.stepanyants@neu.edu>. The position is available immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. We offer competitive starting salary, $45-55K/year, and comprehensive benefits package. The initial appointment is for one year with the possibility of renewal on a yearly basis. Northeastern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Educational Institution and Employer, Title IX University. More information can be found on the Neurogeometry Lab website, www.neurogeometry.net<http://www.neurogeometry.net>. Armen Stepanyants Associate Professor Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems Northeastern University 110 Forsyth St., Boston, MA 02115 Phone: (617) 373-2944 Fax: (617) 373-2943 http://www.neurogeometry.net/

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FINAL CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: VECPAR 2016 - High Performance Computing for Computational Science
by Carlos Ferreira Feb. 10, 2016

Feb. 10, 2016

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS 12th International Meeting on High-Performance Computing for Computational Science (VECPAR 2016) University of Porto, Porto, Portugal June 27 - 30, 2016 http://vecpar.fe.up.pt/2016/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As part of the 12th VECPAR International Meeting on High Performance Computing for Computational Science, we are seeking proposals for affiliated workshops. The workshops should be focused in fresh topics related to parallel and distributed computational science, from theory to practice, where new ideas, subjects, open problems and works on progress can be discussed and explored. The accepted workshops will be held on 1st of July 2016 and may be organized as half- or full-day. IMPORTANT DATES Deadline for workshop proposals: February 15th, 2016 Notification of acceptance: February 19th, 2016 Deadline for paper submission: To be defined by the chairs Author notification: To be defined by the chairs Camera-ready version of papers: May 15th, 2016 PROPOSALS GUIDELINES Workshop title and acronym; Workshop description (150-200 words) to be included in the VECPAR website; Name and short bio of the workshop proponents; A list of the tentative program committee. Responsibilities of the Workshop Chairs: Prepare a dedicated call for papers; Maintain the workshop website; Define the workshop program committee; Select the papers by a peer review process. PROCEEDINGS The papers of the workshops will be published under the Springer LNCS series. The authors may be asked to revise the paper after the conference in order to meet the series requirements. BUDGET VECPAR 2016 will not pay for travel or other arrangements for workshop organizers or any of their invited guests. HOW TO SUBMIT The workshop proposals should be sent by email to the Workshops Chair: João Manuel R. S. Tavares Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal tavares(a)fe.up.pt Carlos Ferreira [http://www2.isep.ipp.pt/assinatura_email/EMAIL_ISEP.png] ISEP | Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto - PORTUGAL tel. +351 228 340 500 | fax +351 228 321 159 mail(a)isep.ipp.pt | www.isep.ipp.pt<http://www.isep.ipp.pt>

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REMINDER: Call for Workshops - Bernstein Conference 2016
by Philipp Hoevel Feb. 10, 2016

Feb. 10, 2016

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

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Feb. 15 Application Deadline - 2016 Nengo Summer School
by Peter Blouw Feb. 10, 2016

Feb. 10, 2016

[All details about this school can be found online at http://www.nengo.ca/ summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is inviting applications for our 3rd annual summer school on large-scale brain modeling. This two-week school will teach participants how to use the Nengo software package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1], and provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems to run in simulated and real environments. We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals. No specific training in the use of modeling software is required, but we encourage applications from active researchers with a relevant background in psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics, neuromorphic engineering, computer science, or a related field. For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/wy4dNC [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://nengo.ca/publications/spaunsciencepaper] ****Application Deadline: February 15, 2016**** *Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! *Topics Covered*: Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. SpiNNaker) - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more… *Date and Location*: June 5th to June 17th, 2016 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ca/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (pblouw(a)uwaterloo.ca) We look forward to hearing from you!

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DENDRITES 2016, June 18-21, Crete: SECOND CALL FOR ABSTRACTS & REDUCED STUDENT FEES
by Yiota Poirazi Feb. 9, 2016

Feb. 9, 2016

Please post this announcement on the comp-neuro list. many thanks! Yiota Poirazi * ---------------------------------- EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function (DENDRITES 2016)* Heraklion, Crete, Greece June 18-21, 2016 http://dendrites2016.gr/ <http://www.dendrites2016.gr/> info(a)dendrites2016.gr <mailto:info@dendrites.gr> _Organizers:_ Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH Michael Hausser, UCL * * Matthew Larkum, Humboldt University Dear Colleagues, We are happy to announce *reduced registration fees* for students attending DENDRITES 2016: 150 Euro until March 31st. We would also like to remind you that abstracts for poster and oral presentation *are due by* *February 15th, 2016. * Notifications will be provided by February 29th, 2016. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings, methods or databases related to dendrites that fall into one or more of the following domains: * morphological and functional characterizations, * dendritic integration and compartmentalization, * dendritic channel distribution and their functional implications, * molecular pathways and signaling networks, * RNA trafficking and local protein synthesis, * functional or structural plasticity and homeostasis, * the role of dendrites in complex processes, including learning/memory, neural computations etc. Please note that places are limited and subject to availability. Attendees are highly encouraged to submit abstracts for presentations, since presenters will be given priority for registration. Instructions for on-line submission can be found at http://www.dendrites2016.gr/call-for-papers _Invited speakers (scientific talks): _ Claudia Clopath Daniel Dombeck Casper Hoogenraad Arthur Konnerth Attila Losonczy Judit Makara Rishikesh Narayanan Elly Nedivi Jackie Schiller Erin Schuman Idan Segev Nelson Spruston Greg Stuart _Invited speakers (Career Issues in academia):_ Monica Di Luca, FENS President: "Publication issues: right time for a reality check" Camilla Belone, FENS-Kavli Scholar: "Retention of women in high levels of neuroscience - Perspectives" Emre Yaksi, FENS-Kavli Scholar: "Funding opportunities in Neuroscience: how to write a successful grant proposal" Matthew Larkum: "How to write an influential scientific publication" NOTE: The Workshop takes place on the island of Crete and is followed by the AREADNE 2016 meeting <http://areadne.org/> (June 22-26th, 2016), focusing on Research in Encoding And Decoding of Neural Ensembles, on the neighboring island of Sandorini. DENDRITES 2016 participants are encouraged to consider attending both meetings. On behalf of the organizing committee, Yiota Poirazi -- Panayiota Poirazi, Ph.D. Director of Research Computational Biology Laboratory Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) Vassilika Vouton, P.O.Box 1385 GR 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, GREECE Tel: +30 2810 391139 <tel:+30%202810%20391139> Fax: +30 2810 391101 <tel:+30%202810%20391101> Εmail: poirazi(a)imbb.forth.gr <mailto:poirazi@imbb.forth.gr> http://www.dendrites.gr Chair http://www.fens.org/Outreach/FENS-Kavli-Network-of-Excellence/ -

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Postdoc position in multisensory decision making
by Thomas Otto Feb. 9, 2016

Feb. 9, 2016

A *post-doctoral position* is available in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews. The position is part of a BBSRC funded research project on *multisensory decision making*, which will be carried out in the lab of Dr Thomas Otto. The research involves psychophysical experiments as well as mathematical modelling. The position includes funding for career development. The initial appointment is for one year, funding is available for *up to 3 years*. Start date is 1st May 2016, or as soon as possible thereafter. *Applicants *should have strong interests in our research (www.lclab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk) and solid experience with psychophysical experiments or mathematical modelling. Strong candidates will have excellent communication skills in English as well as experience of programming (e.g., MATLAB). A PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, or in a related field is required. Candidates near to completion may also submit applications, indicating the expected date of completion. A more detailed job description can be found online <https://www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/ViewVacancy.aspx?enc=mEgrBL4XQK0+ld8…> under Further Particulars. Informal enquiries are encouraged and can be made to Dr Thomas Otto, Email: to7(a)st-andrews.ac.uk. *Closing Date*: 4 March 2016 We encourage applicants to apply online at www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/welcome.aspx, however if you are unable to do this, please call +44 (0)1334 462571 for an application pack. Please quote ref: AR1745MR Applications are particularly welcome from women who are under-represented in Arts posts at the University. You can find out more about Equality and Diversity at https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk.hr.edi/. The University of St Andrews is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all, which is further demonstrated through its working on the Gender and Race Equality Charters and being awarded the Athena SWAN award for women in science, HR Excellence in Research Award and the LGBT Charter; http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/diversityawards/. The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland (No SC013532). -- Dr. Thomas Otto University of St Andrews School of Psychology and Neuroscience St Mary’s Quad, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, Scotland Phone: +44 (0)1334 462091 http://lclab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

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post-doctoral position in auditory decision-making
by Yale Cohen Feb. 8, 2016

Feb. 8, 2016

The laboratories of Joshua Gold (http://www.med.upenn.edu/goldlab) and Yale Cohen (http://auditoryresearchlaboratory.weebly.com/) at the University of Pennsylvania are seeking highly motivated post-doctoral fellows to participate in a joint research project that tests the contribution of feedback and feedforward connections to auditory decision-making in non-human primates. Candidates should have a PhD. Those with an MD will be considered but only if the candidates have a strong scientific background. A strong candidate will have experience in systems and computational neuroscience; recording and analysis of single- and multi-unit activity and local-field potentials from awake, behaving animals (in particular non-human primates); analysis of behavioral data and electrophysiological data; computational-analysis and programming skills. We are interested in individuals who have a good personality and can interact well with other members of the laboratories. The positions are funded through a joint ONR grant to Cohen and Gold and are available immediately. Salary will be based on experience and the NIH post-doctoral scale. The University of Pennsylvania has an outstanding environment for systems and computational neuroscience. The environment is further enriched by the PIs' ongoing collaborations with other members of the Penn Neuroscience community. For more information or to apply, contact Joshua Gold (jigold at mail.med.upenn.edu) or Yale Cohen (ycohen at mail.med.upenn.edu) Interested applicants should send a CV; a brief statement of research interests; and names of 2-3 referees. -- Yale E. Cohen, Ph.D. Associate Professor Chair, IACUC Department of Otorhinolaryngology:Head and Neck Surgery University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 3400 Spruce - 5 Ravdin Philadelphia, PA 19104 Office: B50 John Morgan Building E-mail: ycohen(a)mail.med.upenn.edu <mailto:ycohen@mail.med.upenn.edu> Phone: 215 898 7504 FAX: 215 898 9994 URL: http://auditoryresearchlaboratory.weebly.com/ <http://www.med.upenn.edu/auditoryresearchlab/>

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CfP - MLUB 2016 - International Workshop on Machine Learning for Understanding the Brain
by Emre Akbas Feb. 7, 2016

Feb. 7, 2016

Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call. 1st International Workshop on Machine Learning for Understanding the Brain, MLUB 2016 June 28-29 2016, Ankara, Turkey http://mlani.ceng.metu.edu.tr/ * Call for papers: International Workshop on Machine Learning for Understanding the Brain (MLUB) welcomes original and unpublished work on theory, systems, algorithms and applications related to Machine Learning and understanding techniques for modeling and analysis of brain in various modalities, such as, fMRI, sMRI, EEG, MEG, fNIRS. The workshop focuses on but is not limited to the following topics: - Learning and inference on neuroimaging data - Cognitive state classification - Functional Connectivity - Sparse Techniques - Multimodal Learning - Multi-Subject Learning - Efficient Algorithms for Large-Scale Data - Brain Network Embedding - Cognitive Computing - Software Simulation of the Brain - Pattern and Object Recognition - Cognitive Machine Learning - Modeling - Vision Models of the Brain - Memory Model of the Brain - Neural Models of the Brain - Visualization - High-Dimensional Neuroimaging Data Visualization - Brain Network Visualization - Network Summarization - Applications - Resting-State Data Analysis - Task-Based Data Analysis - Diagnosis of Diseases - Brain Computer Interface We call for paper contributions with a maximum length of 4 pages (double-column, IEEE style, PDF) for review. Accepted submissions will be assigned to one of the oral sessions. Every accepted submission has to be presented at the workshop by one of the paper's authors. All accepted and presented submissions will be included in the workshop proceedings and will be published by IEEE Xplore. * Important dates: Paper submission deadline: February 26, 2016 Notification of acceptance: March 22, 2016 Camera ready Submission: March 29, 2016 Workshop: June 28-29, 2016 * Keynote talks: Tulay Adali (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Peter Janssen (KU Leuven) * Executive Committee Fatos T. Yarman Vural (Middle East Technical University) Tulay Adali (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Enis Cetin (Bilkent University) Haluk Bingol (Bogazici University) Huseyin Boyaci (Bilkent University) * Technical Program Chairs Sinan Kalkan (Middle East Technical University) Emre Akbas (Middle East Technical University) Mete Ozay (Tohoku University) * For more information: http://mlub.ceng.metu.edu.tr/ <http://mlani.ceng.metu.edu.tr/>

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Ph.D. and PostDoctoral positions on High-Performance Brain Simulations
by C. Strydis Feb. 6, 2016

Feb. 6, 2016

Dear all, Please find below new job postings in the field of High-Performance Brain Simulations: Our Computer Engineering group (www.erasmusbrainproject.nl<http://www.erasmusbrainproject.nl>) of the Neuroscience Department of the Erasmus Medical Center, the Netherlands, is conducting research on high-performance, large-scale simulations of the human cerebellum. Depending on the neuronal-network size and the modeling accuracy desired, brain-model simulations can rapidly grow to be become exascale order-of-magnitude applications for HPC platforms. By capitalizing on the long-standing expertise and track record of the Neuroscience Department, the overall objective of the research performed is dual: to re-construct in hardware (‘in silico’) the human cerebellar cortex and – in the process – to develop novel tools for the automatic, seamless and fast simulation of any brain-model ensembles on popular HPC platforms, such as FPGAs, NVidia GP-GPUs, Intel Xeon Phis and Maxeler Dataflow Engines. The selected candidates are expected to work on these topics. This research will be part of the VINEYARD Horizon 2020 EU-funded project (www.vineyard-h2020.eu<http://www.vineyard-h2020.eu>). Erasmus MC is a partner in the HiPEAC European Network of Excellence and an official collaborator in the H2020 Flagship: Human Brain Project (HBP - www.humanbrainproject.eu<http://www.humanbrainproject.eu>). Where HBP works on fully simulating the cerebral cortex, Erasmus MC is adding in accurate simulations of the cerebellar cortex. Collaborative partners are the Delft University of Technology, the Chalmers University of Technology and the National Technical University of Athens. For more details please check the posting here: https://www.hipeac.net/jobs/9011/one-phd-position-and-one-postdoctoral-posi… Kind regards, Christos Strydis -- ============================== Christos Strydis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Neuroscience Department Erasmus Medical Center Wytemaweg 80 (12th floor) Office Ee1210a 3015 CN Rotterdam Tel: +31 - 10 - 70 - 43294 Fax: +31 - 10 - 70 - 44734 E-mail: C.Strydis(a)erasmusmc.nl<mailto:C.Strydis@erasmusmc.nl> Web: www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/strydis<http://www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/strydis> ==============================

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Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements Workshop, March 7-9
by Bruno OLSHAUSEN Feb. 6, 2016

Feb. 6, 2016

2016 Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements Workshop March 7-9, 2016 Clark-Kerr Campus, Berkeley, CA http://neuroscience.berkeley.edu/2016-neuro-inspired-computational-elements… *About the meeting* Neuro-inspired Computational Elements (NICE) workshops have been held for the last three years, bringing the very wide ranging scientific disciplines (neuroscience: imaging, theory, algorithms), hardware and applications communities looking for a common ground to accelerate the development of next generation of computing approaches. The key outcome will be the further clarification of the value proposition for neuro-inspired/neuromorphic computing: why and how could these systems deliver the performance and efficiency we seek beyond conventional computing approaches? The concurrent task for the workshop is to identify pathways for building and accelerating the evaluation and development of such systems. *Invited Speakers:* William Dally, NVIDIA Ila Fiete, UT Austin Steve Furber, University of Manchester Surya Ganguli, Stanford Jeff Hawkins, Numenta Bruce Hendrickson, Sandia National Laboratories Giacomo Indiveri, University of Zurich Pentti Kanerva, Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience Amir Khosrowshahi, Nervana Systems David Kirk, Nvidia Christof Koch, Allen Institute for Brain Science Aurel Lazar, Columbia Wolfang Maass, Technische Universität Graz Rajit Manohar, Cornell Dharmendra Modha, IBM Christos Papadimitriou, UC Berkeley Alice Parker, USC Michael Schmuker, University of Sussex Narayan Srinivasa, Intel Winfried Wilcke, IBM *To Register* Please click on the following registration page link https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1749241 If you are interested in presenting at the workshop, we ask that you submit an extended abstract (1 page max pdf) during registration. There is an opportunity to upload your abstract at the bottom of the "personal information" page. After your information is entered you will be asked to pay. The 3 day event costs $275.00 per person, plus processing fees. *Hotel ** book by Sunday, Feb. 7 *** A block of rooms has been reserved at the Claremont Hotel for $219 per night, plus taxes and fees. Please click on this link to make a reservation in the room block: https://aws.passkey.com/event/14424359/owner/14188480/home --------------------------------------- Bruno A. Olshausen Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute & School of Optometry Director, Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience UC Berkeley 575A Evans hall, MC 3198 Berkeley, CA 94720-3198 (510) 642-7250 / 2-7206 (fax) http://redwood.berkeley.edu/bruno

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Summer course in Computational Neuroscience: Vision
by Horwitz Lab Feb. 6, 2016

Feb. 6, 2016

*Summer course* COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE: VISION July 11 – July 24, 2016 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY *Application Deadline: March 31, 2016* Co-organized by Geoff Boynton, Greg Horwitz, and Jonathan Pillow, this course is offered every two years and gives 24 graduate students and postdocs the chance for intensive interchange with a diverse faculty in an intellectually stimulating environment. The goal of the course is to introduce students to the processing of visual information as a model for general issues in systems neuroscience. The emphasis is on approaches with strong theoretical bases. In addition to talks by an international faculty, the course offers ample opportunity to interact with the speakers and to apply the knowledge gained in the course through hands-on projects using Matlab. Please see https://meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx?course=C-VISI&year=16 for more information about the course, the faculty, and the application procedure.

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Position available: Doctoral Student in Auditory Neuroscience
by Vollmer, Maike Feb. 5, 2016

Feb. 5, 2016

The Comprehensive Hearing Center (CHC) at the University Hospital of Wuerzburg offers the position of a Doctoral Student in Auditory Neuroscience. The DFG-funded research project (Priority Program 1608) investigates age-dependent effects of unilateral hearing loss on binaural signal processing and tests for neural plasticity and functional recovery using chronic electric stimulation with cochlear implants. The laboratory uses state-of-the art recording techniques across different auditory brain regions in animal models and computational analyses of neural data. In a collaborative team of investigators, corresponding histological and immunohistochemical analyses and modeling of neuronal data are performed. The CHC provides a rich interdisciplinary training environment within one of Germany's largest cochlear implant centers. Candidates can be integrated into the Ph.D. program of the Graduate School of Life Sciences. Applicants should have a Master's degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in biology, bioengineering, neuroscience or related disciplines and show an interest in the auditory system and electrophysiology. Experience with Matlab and computational/programming skills are a plus. The position is available from April 2016 for three years. Applications from severely handicapped persons with basically similar qualification will be given priority. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit a CV, one page statement of research interests, and the name of one referee electronically to: Maike Vollmer, MD PhD Vollmer_M(a)klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de Comprehensive Hearing Center Auditory Neuroscience University Hospital Wuerzburg Josef-Schneider-Strasse 11 97080 Wuerzburg Germany

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PhD student in model-based neuroscience and dynamical systems
by Marieke van Vugt RUG Feb. 4, 2016

Feb. 4, 2016

I am looking for a PhD student to work on a project looking at how computational models of cognition can help to interpret the functional significance of interactions between brain areas. application portal: http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=… <http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=…> PhD position Model-based neuroscience & dynamical systems (1.0 fte) Organisation Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 30,000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge. Job Description We invite applications for a fully-funded four-year PhD student position in the Data Science and Systems Complexity research theme of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. This PhD position is a collaboration between the Cognitive Modeling group (Marieke van Vugt, http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt>, Jelmer Borst, http://www.jelmerborst.nl <http://www.jelmerborst.nl/> , and Niels Taatgen (http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/ <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/>)), the Discrete Technology & Production Automation group (Ming Cao, http://www.rug.nl/staff/m.cao <http://www.rug.nl/staff/m.cao>) and the Software Engineering group (Mircea Lungu, http://www.rug.nl/staff/m.f.lungu/ <http://www.rug.nl/staff/m.f.lungu/> ). The main aim of the project is to understand how brain areas communicate in the service of information processing. To answer this question, we will combine cognitive models of cognition with a dynamical systems analysis of EEG. We have previously shown that cognitive models can be used to help interpret patterns of interaction between brain oscillations in a specific attention task. This project seeks to extend this approach to other tasks, and to link more generally the stable states and state transitions manifesting in EEG to information processing steps predicted by the model. Eventually we hope to develop a general-purpose “brain-activity parser” that can interpret what the interactions between different brain areas may mean. The position is one of the four new PhD positions embedded in the Data Science and System Complexity initiative and thus the student will have ample opportunity to interact with other PhD students and staff who are interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research on large data and complex systems. Qualifications A successful candidate has a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics, Control Engineering, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence or a related field, and solid programming skills. Experience in cognitive neuroscience or EEG analysis is a plus. Good communication skills (both verbal and written) in English are a prerequisite. The candidate should be enthusiastic about research, capable of learning new skills, and happy working both independently and in collaboration with other scientists. Conditions of employment The University of Groningen offers a salary of €2.174 gross per month in the first year up to a maximum of € 2.779 gross per month year (salary scale PhD students Dutch Universities) in the final based on a fulltime position (1.0 fte). The appointment is limited to a period of 4 years, which should be finished with a PhD examination. The first year constitutes a probationary period, with an evaluation of the candidate’s performance after nine months. The objective of this evaluation is to establish whether the candidate will be able to finish a PhD thesis in the remaining 3 years. If the performance evaluation is positive, the candidate’s contract will be extended for a total of 4 years. A training program within the Graduate School of Science is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for additional education and supervising that is specific to your needs. The conditions of employment are available at the University of Groningen website under Human Resources:http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/ <http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/> Starting date The candidate starts as soon as possible, preferably March 1st. Application You may apply for this position before February 16th Dutch local time by means of the application form (see http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=… <http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=…>) Apply with a cover letter (with professional goals and a statement of interest), a curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation (all PDF format). Information Dr. Marieke van Vugt, m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marieke van Vugt, PhD Assistant Professor, Cognitive Modelling Group University of Groningen Bernoulliborg, room 326 Nijenborgh 9 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands phone: +31-6-5195-4984 (cell) +31-50-363-9487 (office) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt> twitter: @mvugt m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> / mkvanvugt(a)gmail.com

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[2nd call for applications] *Graduate Programs in Computational Neuroscience* in Berlin; MSc and PhD; 7 PhD scholarships; deadline March 15, 2015
by Robert Martin Feb. 3, 2016

Feb. 3, 2016

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

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CNS*2016
by Sharon Crook Feb. 2, 2016

Feb. 2, 2016

Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) CNS*2016 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting Jeju Island, South Korea July 2-7, 2016 The main meeting (July 3-5) will be preceded by a day of tutorials (July 2) and followed by two days of workshops (July 6-7). Invited Keynote Speakers: Nicolas Brunel, University of Chicago, USA Mitsuo Kawato, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute, Japan Tatyana Sharpee, Salk Institute, USA Registration opened on January 13, 2016. Abstract submissions are now being accepted and will close on February 28. Workshop proposals are now being accepted. Note that one of the authors must register as sponsoring author for the main meeting before abstract submission is possible. In case the abstract is not accepted for presentation, the registration fee will be refunded. For up-to-date conference information, please visit http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2016-jeju ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OCNS is the international member-based society for computational neuroscientists. Become a member to be eligible for travel awards and more. Visit our website for more information: http://www.cnsorg.org

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Open postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience+machine learning+statistics
by Turaga, Srinivas C Feb. 2, 2016

Feb. 2, 2016

The Turaga Lab is looking for an exceptional postdoctoral researcher, for research at the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience. https://www.janelia.org/lab/turaga-lab —— About the lab —— With recent technological advances in 3d electron microscopy, optogenetics and large-scale chronic in vivo neural imaging, it is now possible to measure and perturb the activity of large populations of neurons, and to map their connectivity. These new data can be used understand how the structure of a neural circuit gives rise to its function. Our lab develops machine learning algorithms to map neural connectivity, and statistical models to characterize neural activity and to relate activity to connectivity. We have pioneered the use of deep-learning based machine learning algorithms to map neural connectivity from 3d electron microscopic images of brain tissue, and we are now working to improve these methods. This involves solving interesting new problems in structured prediction, active learning and unsupervised learning at an unprecedented scale (imagine working with labeled training datasets with 10^9 examples in a 10^6 dimensional feature space and wanting to achieve accuracies of 99.999%!). We are developing novel statistical methods for the analysis of large-scale calcium imaging datasets, and medium-scale connectome datasets, in order to help understand the latent structure of neural activity and neural connectivity. Our ultimate goal is build models combining large-scale activity measurements with structural connectomes in order to relate neural activity to neural connectivity with statistical and mechanistic models. —— About the institute —— HHMI's Janelia Research Campus is a unique, world-class research community near Washington, D.C. dedicated to understanding the function of neural circuits and developing synergistic imaging technology. Our highly collaborative structure is designed to support interdisciplinary work in small lab groups. We seek candidates who are comfortable with risk and are able to think independently to develop novel approaches. —— Applying —— Applicants should have a strong quantitative background with degrees or expertise in machine learning, computational neuroscience, applied mathematics, physics or related discipline. Excellent collaborative programming skills in Python, C/C++, Java or similar languages are essential. To apply, please send me a CV and names and addresses of 2-3 references by email. I will also be attending Cosyne 2016 in Salt Lake City from Feb 25-28 and will be happy to meet you there. Srini Turaga, Group Leader turagas(a)janelia.hhmi.org https://www.janelia.org/lab/turaga-lab Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Janelia Research Campus 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn VA 20147 Office: +1 (571) 209 4131 Fax: +1 (571) 209 4939

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PhD Position: Modelling Gait in People with Parkinsons Disease, University of Exeter
by Tsaneva-Atanasova, Krasimira Feb. 2, 2016

Feb. 2, 2016

Based within the EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, a £2M initiative bringing together mathematicians, statisticians and clinicians, you will work on a project aiming to develop a data-driven mathematical modeling framework in order to study gait impairments in patients with Parkinson’s under the supervision of Prof Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova. To Apply: Candidates with strong quantitative training (e.g. a BSc or MSc in Physics, Mathematics, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, or Engineering) and evidence of scientific achievement are invited to apply. Knowledge of biomechanics and/or neuroscience is a plus. Please apply using the following link: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2057 Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova Professor of Mathematics for Healthcare College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QF, UK tel: +44 (0) 1392 723615 email: k.tsaneva-atanasova(a)exeter.ac.uk<mailto:k.tsaneva-atanasova@exeter.ac.uk> web: http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/kt298 ALTEREGO - Enhancing Social Interaction with an AlterEgo artificial agent http://www.euromov.eu/alterego/homepage

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***INDIN 2016 special session: Cognitive computing for Cyber Physical Systems ***
by Evgeny Osipov Feb. 2, 2016

Feb. 2, 2016

Dear colleagues, Sorry for a possible cross-posting Please consider to submit your publication to special session “Biologically-Inspired Cognitive Architectures in Dependable Cyber-Physical Systems” on IEEE INDIN 2016 >> EXTENDED (FINAL) DEADLINE FEBRUARY 29, 2016 << >> LINK FOR SUBMISSION: http://vps.ieee-ies.org/submit-cgi-bin/authorlogin.pl?event=INDIN16 << >> Choose “SS Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures in Dependable Cyber-Physical Systems” as Technical Track when submitting your contribution. << IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS INDIN’16 18-21 JULY 2016, FUTUROSCOPE-POITIERS, FRANCE Special Session on “Biologically-Inspired Cognitive Architectures in Dependable Cyber-Physical Systems” Organized by IEEE Industrial Electronic Society. Technical Committee on Industrial Informatics. Sub-Committee on Bio-inspired industrial informatics Principal Organizer: Prof. Evgeny Osipov, Luleå University of Technology ———————————————————— INDIN 2016 (http://ieee-indin2016.sciencesconf.org/) is an IEEE International Conference on Industrial Informatics will be held on 18-23 July 2016, Futuroscope-Poitiers, France. The conference is sponsored by IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and Pprime Institute, Futuroscope-Poitiers, France. The proceedings are indexed by the Web of Science. Note that good quality papers may be considered for publication in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics subject to further rounds of review. ———————————————————— Call for Papers Traditional computing architectures are designed to produce reliable systems with specifiable behaviours and properties. Their major strengths come from easiness of inspection, maintenance, interoperability, and reuse. However, all modern computing systems operate based on strict assumptions about their environments, thus are too inflexible to react to changing demands. In critical environments such as industrial automation, smart grids and dependable cyber-physical systems in general, this inflexibility results in serious in many cases life-critical errors. Alternative computing architectures, which greatly borrow their functionality from the versatility and efficiency of systems developed by nature, are known as biologically-inspired cognitive computing architectures (BICA). Traditionally these architectures find their applications in areas like natural language processing, image and speech processing. Very little attention so far was paid at exploring their applicability in the context of dependable industrial systems. This special session solicits contributions exploring diverse applications of BICA architectures for enriching intelligent functionality of industrial systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Associative memory based reasoning • Combined machine learning / BICA solutions • Neural networks in cognitive computing architectures • Cognitive architectures for continuous signal processing • Cognitive fault detection and system identification • Cognitive and hybrid automatic control • Cognitive wireless communications • Symbiosis of cognitive and Von-Neumann computing architectures • Novel application areas and use-cases for BICA architectures in CPS and IoT. • BICA empowered software engineering • Spiking Neural Networks interfacing BICA architectures. Industrial usecases. -- Prof. Evgeny Osipov Dependable Communication and Computation Systems Department of Computer Science Electrical and Space Engineering Luleå University of Technology Tel. +46 920 49 15 78 Web. https://sites.google.com/site/evgenyosipov/

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Ph.D. and PostDoctoral positions on High-Performance Brain Simulations
by C. Strydis Feb. 2, 2016

Feb. 2, 2016

Dear all, Please find below new job postings in the field of High-Performance Brain Simulations https://www.hipeac.net/jobs/9011/one-phd-position-and-one-postdoctoral-posi… Please direct all queries and applications to: c.strydis(a)erasmusmc.nl Lab job listings at: www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/workopen/positions Kind regards, Christos Strydis -- ============================== Christos Strydis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Neuroscience Department Erasmus Medical Center Wytemaweg 80 (12th floor) Office Ee1210a 3015 CN Rotterdam Tel: +31 - 10 - 70 - 43294 Fax: +31 - 10 - 70 - 44734 E-mail: C.Strydis(a)erasmusmc.nl Web: www.erasmusbrainproject.com/index.php/strydis ==============================

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Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience in New York
by Ruben Coen Cagli Feb. 1, 2016

Feb. 1, 2016

Postdoctoral position in the Coen-Cagli Laboratory Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY Start date August 2016 or later We are looking for a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work in the field of computational and systems neuroscience in the laboratory of Ruben Coen-Cagli - Department of Systems and Computational Biology and Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) in New York City (https://sites.google.com/site/rubencoencagli/<https://sites.google.com/site/rubencoencagli/>). Our lab studies how biological sensory systems interpret the surrounding environment. Topics include probabilistic representations of natural images; models of selectivity and variability in large cortical populations; the behavioral consequences of neuronal variability; and uncertainty in visual and auditory perception. We combine theories of probabilistic neural coding, tools from computer vision and machine learning, eye-tracking experiments, and neurophysiology through collaborations. The candidate is expected to perform research related to these topics. The lab features state of the art computing and eye-tracking facilities. Close interaction and collaboration with other members of the department is anticipated. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, with an academic record of scientific excellence and independent research. Prior experience should include areas such as computational neuroscience, machine learning, computer vision, or statistics. Applicants should have a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to biological and neural systems. AECOM offers a vibrant interdisciplinary environment, with a growing systems and computational contingent. It is located in a quiet neighborhood of New York, only a short subway ride from Manhattan. Information about working at the AECOM, including benefits and housing for postdocs, can be found at https://www.einstein.yu.edu/research/belfer-institute/ The position starts in or after August 2016, and is funded for several years, with an initial one year appointment and expectation of extension given satisfactory performance. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. Candidates should send a single pdf file, consisting of a 1-page motivation letter, CV, and publication list to ruben.coencagli(a)gmail.com. Furthermore, candidates should organize two letters of reference, to be sent to the same e-mail address. The position is open until filled. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. ----------------- Ruben Coen-Cagli will be available at Cosyne to meet with candidates.

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Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience at NYU-Shanghai
by Sukbin Lim Feb. 1, 2016

Feb. 1, 2016

Multiple postdoctoral positions are available in Sukbin Lim's lab at NYU-Shanghai as part of NYU’s global network and the NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science (https://shanghai.nyu.edu/research/brain) The overarching goal of our lab is to understand network interactions and dynamics in neuronal systems. In particular, our work is focused on investigating network mechanisms and synaptic plasticity for higher cognitive functions such as learning and memory. More information on the research can be found at http://shanghai.nyu.edu/research/brain/faculty/Sukbin-Lim. Environment: Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU-Shanghai is a multidisciplinary and collaborative research environment. Candidates will be encouraged to collaborate with experimental and computational groups at NYU and NYU-Shanghai, and will have the opportunities to spend time at NYU in New York in case of a collaboration between Shanghai and New York. The initial appointment is for 1 year, renewable up to 3 years subject to progress and globally competitive compensations will be provided. To Apply: Qualified applicants are expected to hold a PhD by the start date of the position in computational and theoretical neuroscience, or related discipline with a strong quantitative training in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Sciences and Engineering. Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB or C/C++) and experience in modeling networks/complex systems will be highly valued. Knowledge of Neuroscience would be a plus. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. To be considered, please send a curriculum vitae, short research statement and the names and contact information of two references to *sukbin.lim(a)**nyu.edu <xinying.cai(a)nyu.edu>*.

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CfP: SASO 2016 - IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems, September 12-16, Augsburg, Germany
by newsletter Jan. 31, 2016

Jan. 31, 2016

************************************************************************* CALL FOR PAPERS Tenth IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO 2016) Augsburg, Germany; 12-16 September 2016 http://uni-augsburg.de/saso2016 @SASO2016Conf ************************************************************************* Part of FAS* - Foundation and Applications of Self* Computing Conferences Co-located with: The International Conference on Cloud and Autonomic Computing (ICCAC 2016) http://iccac2016.se.rit.edu ------------------- Aims and Scope ------------------- The aim of the Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing systems conference series (SASO) is to provide a forum for the foundations of a principled approach to engineering systems, networks, and services based on self-adaptation and self-organization. The complexity of current and emerging networks, software, and services, especially when dealing with dynamics in the environment and problem domain, has led the software engineering, distributed systems, and management communities to look for inspiration in diverse fields (e.g., complex systems, control theory, artificial intelligence, sociology, and biology) to find new ways of designing and managing such computing systems. In this endeavor, self-organization and self-adaptation have emerged as two promising interrelated approaches. They form the basis for many other self-* properties, such as self-configuration, self-healing, or self-optimization. Systems exhibiting such properties are often referred to as self-* systems. The tenth edition of the SASO conference embraces the inter-disciplinary nature and the scientific, empirical, and application dimensions of self-* systems and welcomes novel results on both self-adaptive and self-organizing systems research. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: - Systems theory: theoretical frameworks and models; biologically- and socially-inspired paradigms; inter-operation of self-* mechanisms; - Systems techniques: techniques to specify and analyze self-* systems, like statistical physics, machine learning, multi-agent systems, or other novel techniques; - Systems engineering: reusable mechanisms, design patterns, architectures, methodologies; software and middleware development frameworks and methods, platforms and toolkits; hardware; self-* materials; governance of self-* systems, emergent behavior in self-* systems; - System properties: robustness, resilience, and stability; emergence; computational awareness and self-awareness; reflection; anti-fragility; - Cyber-physical and socio-technical systems: human factors and visualization; self-* social computers; crowdsourcing and collective awareness; human-in-the-loop; - Data-driven approaches: data mining; machine learning; data science and other statistical techniques to analyze, understand, and manage behavior of complex systems; - Education: experience reports; curricula; innovative course concepts; methodological aspects of self-* systems education; - Ethics and Humanities in self-* systems; - Applications and experiences with self-* systems in any of the following domains: + Smart-*: application of self-* principles to smart-grids, smart-cities, smart-environments, smart-vehicles + Industrial automation: embedded self-* systems, adaptive industrial plants, smart industries (Industry 4.0) + Transportation: autonomous vehicles, coordination between vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure, and traffic optimization + Unmanned systems: aerial vehicles, undersea vehicles, other robotic platforms + Internet of Things: challenges, applications, and benefits; self-* for network management, self-* applied to Cybersecurity We are looking for contributions that present novel theoretical or experimental results, novel design patterns, mechanisms, system architectures, frameworks or tools, or practical approaches and experiences in building or deploying real-world systems and applications. Contributions contrasting different approaches for engineering a given family of systems, or demonstrating the applicability of a certain approach for different systems, are equally encouraged. Likewise, papers describing substantial innovation or insights in the use and communication of self-* systems in the classroom are welcome. Where relevant and appropriate, accepted papers will also be encouraged to participate in the Demo or Poster Sessions. -------------------- Important Dates -------------------- Abstract submission: May 2, 2016 Paper submission: May 9, 2016 Rebuttal phase: June 16-20, 2016 Notification: June 23, 2016 Camera ready copy due: July 5, 2016 Conference: September 12-16, 2016 ---------------------------- Submission Instructions ---------------------------- Submissions can be up to 10 pages, formatted according to the standard IEEE Computer Society Press proceedings style guide, and submitted electronically in PDF format. Please register as authors and submit your papers using the SASO 2016 conference management system https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=saso2016. The proceedings will be published by IEEE Computer Society Press, and made available as a part of the IEEE Digital Library. Note that a separate Call for Poster and Demo Submissions will also be issued. As per the standard IEEE policies, all submissions should be original, i.e., they should not have been previously published in any conference proceedings, book, or journal and should not currently be under review for another archival conference. We also highlight IEEE’s policies regarding plagiarism and self-plagiarism (http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/ID_Plagiaris…) --------------------- Review Criteria --------------------- Papers should present novel ideas in the cross-disciplinary research context described in this call, motivated by problems from current practice or applied research. Both theoretical and empirical contributions should be highlighted, substantiated by formal analysis, simulation, experimental evaluations, comparative studies, and so on. Appropriate references must be made to related work. Because SASO is a cross-disciplinary conference, we encourage papers to be intelligible and relevant to researchers who are not members of the same specialized sub-field. Authors are also encouraged to submit papers describing applications. Application papers should provide an indication of the real world relevance of the problem that is solved, including a description of the deployment domain, and some form of evaluation of performance, usability, or comparison to alternative approaches. Experience papers are also welcome, especially if they highlight insights into any aspect of design, implementation or management of self-* systems that would be of benefit to practitioners and the SASO community. All submissions will be rigorously peer reviewed and evaluated on the basis of the quality of their technical contribution, originality, soundness, significance, presentation, understanding of the state of the art, and overall quality. ------------------------------- Conference General Chair ------------------------------- Wolfgang Reif University of Augsburg, DE -------------------- Program Chairs -------------------- Giacomo Cabri, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, IT Gauthier Picard, École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, FR Niranjan Suri, Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition, FL, USA

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Postdoc position in large-scale neural modeling -- Eliasmith lab
by Peter Blouw Jan. 31, 2016

Jan. 31, 2016

In brief, the Eliasmith lab at the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience has a position available for a 2-year postdoc. The focus is on large-scale spiking neural models that exhibit interesting behaviors and run on supercomputing infrastructure. "Interesting behaviour" is broadly defined, including vision, motor control, decision making, any variety of learning, audition, language processing, and so on. Full details below: *SOSCIP/IBM Canada Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF) Research Scientist* Launched in 2012, SOSCIP was founded by seven Ontario universities and IBM Canada Limited as a collaborative research consortium, with a mandate to bring together academic researchers and small- and medium-sized companies to drive innovation using state-of-the-art advanced computing and big data analytics technologies, commercial outcomes for social and economic development in Ontario. New investments from IBM Canada and other stakeholders have enabled SOSCIP to expand its computing platforms and resources to increase capacity and add new members. With the addition of our three new academic partners, membership in the consortium has more than doubled over the last two years to 16 organizations. The IBM Canada Research & Development Centre is expanding, and we are seeking a post-doctoral fellow who has a PhD in Theoretical or Computational Neuroscience or a related field, with strong programming skills and experience in high-performance computing environments. This role will support a research project led by Dr. Chris Eliasmith in the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Eliasmith's lab constructs state-of-the-art, large-scale, neuron-level models of a wide variety of behaviours, recently publishing what remains the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun, in Science. These models are simulated in the software Nengo, which is able to run models on a wide variety of hardware platforms, or 'backends', including neuromorphic hardware. Recently, a backend for BlueGene/Q has been developed, allowing Nengo models, including Spaun, to run on the supercomputers housed at SOSCIP. The successful candidate will focus on scaling up models, including Spaun, to take full advantage of these hardware resources. Scaling will include developing theory and implementation of new behaviours, as well as increasing the biological fidelity of Nengo models. A strong publication record, with demonstrated applications of neural-level models to behaviour (e.g. vision, motor control, memory, decision making, etc.), neuron-level compartmental modeling, various applications of learning (deep learning, reinforcement learning, STDP, etc.), and large-scale modeling are greatly desired. Familiarity with Python, MPI, and Javascript would be beneficial. Education and Experience - PhD in Theoretical or Computational Neuroscience, or a related field - strong programming skills and experience in high-performance computing environments - experience working as part of a research team Work Location: Waterloo, Ontario Term of Contract: 2-years maximum IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

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Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course 2016: one week left to apply
by Erik De Schutter Jan. 29, 2016

Jan. 29, 2016

OKINAWA/OIST COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE COURSE 2016 Methods, Neurons, Networks and Behaviors June 13 - June 30, 2016 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 13th through June 30th, 2016 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 4 - February 5, 2016. Applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance in March. Like in preceding years, 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 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 and may support travel for those without funding. 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. Invited faculty: • Erik De Schutter (OIST) • Sophie Deneve (École Normale Supérieure, France) • Kenji Doya (OIST) • Chris Eliasmith (University of Waterloo, Canada) • Tomoki Fukai (RIKEN BSI, Japan) • Michael Häusser (University College London, UK) • Yukiyasu Kamitani (ATR & Kyoto University, Japan) • Etienne Koechlin (École Normale Supérieure, France) • Bernd Kuhn (OIST) • Stefan Mihalas (Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA) • Partha Mitra (Cold Spring Harbor, USA) • Astrid Prinz (Emory University, USA) • John Rinzel (New York University, USA) • Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama (OIST)

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Conference announcement: "The neuroscience of decision-making"
by Paul Cisek Jan. 28, 2016

Jan. 28, 2016

38th International Symposium of the GRSNC The neuroscience of decision-making May 2-3, 2016 Université de Montréal WEBSITE: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/ PROGRAM: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/prog_e.html> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/prog_e.html REGISTRATION: <http://appl.grsnc.umontreal.ca/en/symposium/38s/registration.cfm> http://appl.grsnc.umontreal.ca/en/symposium/38s/registration.cfm POSTER: <http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/38s_poster.pdf> http://www.grsnc.umontreal.ca/38s/38s_poster.pdf We are pleased to announce the 38th symposium of the Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central (GRSNC) which is entitled "The neurosciences of decision-making". This symposium will be held on May 2-3, 2016 at the Université de Montréal, Pavillon 3200 Jean-Brillant, room B-2245 and the organizers are Drs Paul Cisek (UdeM), Alain Dagher (McGill), Lesley Fellows (McGill), John Kalaska (UdeM) et Peter Shizgal (Concordia). Research on the neural bases of decision-making has experienced a rapid growth in the last 20 years. It addresses a great diversity of questions, ranging from how animals weigh the costs and benefits of different actions to what goes wrong when humans exhibit maladaptive behavior, such as in addiction. In this symposium, we will discuss cutting-edge research on this topic, reviewing the progress that has been made and addressing the central open questions facing this rapidly developing field. In planning the sessions, we have paid particular attention to issues that stretch from the most basic neuroscience all the way to clinical applications. We will highlight converging evidence from the full range of neuroscientific methods applied in this field, considered within a diversity of conceptual frameworks. There will be four sessions of presentations by invited speakers from around the world as well as two contributed poster sessions. The presentations are regrouped in for sessions: * Brain representations of value: Common or multiple (Chairperson: Peter Shizgal) * Encoding and learning values: Neural and computational mechanisms (Chairperson: Alain Dagher) * Decision in the wild (Chairperson: John Kalaska) * Diseases and deviances (Chairperson: Lesley Fellows) Lecturers: Joshua D. Berke, Thomas Boraud, Paul Cisek, Alain Dagher, Peter Dayan, Nathaniel Daw, Lesley Fellows, J. Randall Flanagan, Michael J. Frank, Karl Friston, Hugh Garavan, Paul W. Glimcher, Joseph Kable, Elizabeth A. Murray, Michael L. Platt, David Redish, Michael N. Shadlen, Peter Shizgal, Daphna Shohamy and Jonathan D. Wallis. Submissions are invited for poster presentations. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2016 We would appreciate if you could forward this message to colleagues and students. Manon Dumas for the organizing committee Groupe de recherche sur le système nerveux central (GRSNC) Université de Montréal Département de neurosciences Pavillon Paul-G.-Desmarais, bureau 4115 Courriel: <mailto:m.dumas@umontreal.ca> m.dumas(a)umontreal.ca Téléphone: (514) 343-6366 Télécopieur: (514) 343-6113

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Research Internship position at Numenta
by Subutai Ahmad Jan. 28, 2016

Jan. 28, 2016

RESEARCH INTERNSHIP POSITION IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING NUMENTA, Inc. About Numenta: Numenta was founded in 2005 and is a leader in the emerging field of machine intelligence. Its biologically inspired technology is based on a detailed and evolving theory of the neocortex first described in co-founder Jeff Hawkins’ book, On Intelligence. The current technology can be applied to anomaly detection in servers and applications, human behavior, and geo-spatial tracking data. Numenta is focused on understanding the computational principles behind the cortex in detail, and implementing practical systems that operate on those principles. NuPIC, Numenta's open source code base, is one of the top three most active machine learning projects on Github. For more details, please see www.numenta.com Job description: The Research Group at Numenta is looking for outstanding MS or PhD students or other research scientists for a paid internship during the Spring, Summer or Fall 2016. We are looking for candidates with expertise in Machine Learning, Computational Neuroscience and/or Natural Language Processing. Preference given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas: sequence learning, natural language processing, neuron modeling, and computational models of cortex. Numenta's interns will get exposure to all aspects of Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) learning algorithms, participate in leading edge research in computational neuroscience, and get full clearance to publish their work and research source code. The internship commitment is for 3 to 4 months full time (longer appointments up to one year may be possible). We are located in Silicon Valley (Redwood City, CA). What you can expect to learn and how you might contribute: - The challenges of designing and implementing detailed models of cortical function that can be applied to real-world problems - Gain experience solving hard problems in domains such as natural language processing, streaming analytics, sensorimotor inference, and/or reinforcement learning - Participate in designing functional models of Layers 2/3, 4, 5, and 6, thalamocortical circuits, feedback circuits, and sensorimotor processing - Learn how to contribute to a top open source project, and improve your software engineering skills - Obtain a detailed understanding of Hierarchical Temporal Memory Desired qualifications: - Currently enrolled in a PhD program, or a recent PhD graduate, or equivalent research experience - Strong research background in machine learning or machine intelligence - Strong research background in computational neuroscience - Excellent algorithmic problem solving skills, and the ability to implement solutions in Python, C/C++, Java, etc. - Established track record of publications in leading peer reviewed conferences and journals - Excellent programming skills - Working knowledge of HTM algorithms a plus - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work in a team oriented environment - A belief that the best way to build intelligent machines is to understand the cortex How to apply: Qualified applicants should send the following to interns(a)numenta.com: - Cover letter describing their specific interest in Numenta. Please include any relevant experience with HTM algorithms or NuPIC. - Resume or CV, including list of relevant courses and published papers. Numenta is an equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity. IMPORTANT NOTE: Numenta is unable to consider internship applications from international researchers unless they are US Citizens, hold a Green Card, or are currently enrolled in a US University and eligible for OPT.

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Postdocs integrated into the Human brain Project – specifically data-driven modeling at the subcellular or network levels, or tool development/support
by Jeanette Hällgren Kotaleski Jan. 28, 2016

Jan. 28, 2016

Dear Colleagues, dear all, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, is currently recruiting postdocs to be working within the Human Brain Project. 1) Postdoc/application expert – specifically development of brain modeling tools: Specifically for the current position software applications providing user-friendly interface to cellular-level modelling tools will be developed, supported and used. These will include an optimization framework (for fitting electrical models of neurons to their observed electrical behaviour) and also a morphology pipeline (the tool used to analyse and validate neuron morphologies). More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… 2) Postdoc in computational systems (neuro)biology – specifically synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation: Specifically for the above position data-driven modeling of receptor induced cascades such as GPCR dependent cascades involved in neuromodulation and synaptic signaling will be done. More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… 3) Postdoc in brain simulations - specifically motor control and selection of behaviour: Specifically for the position, modeling of motor control and learning with basal ganglia as important components will be done. The modeling tools are mainly Nest and Neuron. More info and how to apply at: https://intra.kth.se/en/anstallning/karriar/karriar-och-kompetensutveckling… All the best, Jeanette Hellgren Kotaleski Prof, School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

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Master in Brain and Cognition focus on Computational Neuroscience
by Ruben Moreno Bote Jan. 28, 2016

Jan. 28, 2016

Master in Brain and Cognition focus on Computational Neuroscience, Barcelona, Spain. Call for applicants. The Master in Brain and Cognition being offered at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona Spain (http://www.upf.edu/mbc/) opens the rolling application period (deadline is 26th of June 2016). The core of the master's programme is composed of the research groups at UPF's Center for Brain and Cognition (http://cbc.upf.edu) In this email, we emphasize the possibility of participation of outstanding candidates with strong quantitative background, such as physics, mathematics or machine learning eager to learn about computational neuroscience. Candidates with these backgrounds could perform research activity with the following experts in computational neuroscience: Gustavo Deco (http://cns.upf.edu/) Albert Compte (http://complab.fcrb.es/complab/pres) Rubén Moreno-Bote (https://portal.upf.edu/web/ruben-moreno-bote) Overall, the groups participating at the Master are directed by renowned scientists in areas such as computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistics, vision, multisensory perception, human development and comparative cognition https://www.upf.edu/mbc/who_are_we2.html . Students will be exposed to the ongoing research projects at the Center for Brain and Cognition and will be integrated in one of its main research lines, where they will conduct original research for their final project. Please visit the Master’s web page or contact mbc(a)upf.edu for further information. Scientific-related questions such as fit of quantitative backgrounds can be consulted to Rubén Moreno-Bote, ruben.moreno(a)upf.edu -- Rubén Moreno Bote Serra Húnter Professor Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies University Pompeu Fabra La Nau building, office 51017 08018 Barcelona, Spain http://www.upf.edu/pdi/ruben-moreno-bote

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Computational & Cognitive Neuroscience Summer School, in Shanghai
by Murray, John Jan. 28, 2016

Jan. 28, 2016

We are pleased to announce the 6th Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN) Summer School which will take place July 9-27, 2016, on the campus of NYU-Shanghai in Shanghai, China. Designed to emphasize higher cognitive functions and their underlying neural circuit mechanisms, the course aims at training talented and highly motivated students and postdoctoral fellows from Asia and other countries in the world. Applicants with quantitative (including Physics, Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science) or experimental background are welcomed. The lectures will introduce the basic concepts and methods, as well as cutting-edge research on higher brain functions such as decision-making, attention, learning and memory. Modeling will be taught at multiple levels, ranging from single neuron computation, microcircuits and large-scale systems, to normative theoretical approach. Python-based programming labs coordinated with the lectures will provide practical training in important computational methods. Course information is available on the CCN official website: www.ccnss.org<http://www.ccnss.org> Applications are being accepted now through the Cold Spring Harbor Asia website: http://www.csh-asia.org/2016meetings/s-cosyne16.html The application deadline is March 15. Organizers: - Xiao-Jing Wang (New York University) - Zach Mainen (Champalimaud Neuroscience Program) - Si Wu (Beijing Normal University) - Eric DeWitt (Champalimaud Neuroscience Program) - John D. Murray (Yale University) Lecturers: - Yang Dan (University of California, Berkeley) - Gustavo Deco (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) - Stanislas Dehaene (College de France) - Bob Desimone (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) - Michael Hausser (University College London) - Quentin Huys (University of Zurich) - Razvan Pascanu (Google) - Philip Sabes (University of California, San Francisco) - Mariano Sigman (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella) - Mike Shadlen (Columbia University) - Misha Tsodyks (Weizmann Institute) - Daniel Yamins (Stanford University) Feel free to direct any questions to: john.murray(a)yale.edu<mailto:john.murray@yale.edu>

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Postdoctoral research position at the University of Houston
by Kresimir Josic Jan. 27, 2016

Jan. 27, 2016

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

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4th Baltic-Nordic Summer School on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2016)
by Daniel Wójcik Jan. 27, 2016

Jan. 27, 2016

4th Baltic-Nordic Summer School on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2016) Understanding neurons, cognition and behavior through neuroinformatics Place: Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, and Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw Warsaw, Poland Time: June 15-18, 2016 More information and applications at http://bit.do/bnni2016 Important dates: 21 February 2016 Application deadline 13 March 2016 Acceptance notification 15-18 June 2016 Summer School We invite advanced master students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers to participate in the BNNI 2016 to be held at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology and the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw. The course is interdisciplinary and covers modeling at different levels of organization of the brain, analysis of neural data, brain atlases, and other aspects of neuroinformatics. The course combines lectures, tutorials and computer exercises. This summer school is the fourth in the series of the Baltic-Nordic Courses on Neuroinformatics (BNNI 2013 in Kaunas, BNNI 2014 in Tampere, BNNI 2015 in Tartu). The target audience of the course will be advanced master students, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in natural and life sciences, from physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, informatics and information technology, to biology, medicine, and psychology, who would like to get an introduction to neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience. Some experience with programming and quantitative reasoning as well as strong interest in computational and mathematical modeling of the brain are required to benefit from the school. Faculty includes Piotr Durka, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Gaute Einevoll, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway Bruce Graham, University of Stirling, United Kingdom Marja-Leena Linne, Tampere University of Technology, Finland Szymon Łęski, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland Arnd Roth, University College London, UK Ausra Saudargiene, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania Eleni Vasilaki, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom Daniel Wójcik, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland Jarosław Żygierewicz, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Venue The lectures will be held at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the computer classes in the Faculty of Physics of the University of Warsaw. The two buildings are next to each other, they are located at the center of Ochota campus, encompassing a number of university departments and research institutes. Practical arrangements There is a small tuition fee of 100 euros. The organizers will provide teaching, meals and coffee during the course. The participants are expected to cover their travel and health insurance expenses as well as lodging. Small financial support is available for those without funding. Inexpensive lodging for all the students will be organized. The course is supported by the IBRO-PERC committee, University of Warsaw, and the Nencki Institute We are looking forward to welcome you at the BNNI 2016 in Warsaw, Poland! -- Prof. Daniel K. Wojcik Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Head PhD Studies, Head Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology 3 Pasteur St, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland tel: (+48 22) 5892348 fax: (+48 22) 8225342 skype: danek8317 http://dwojcik.pl/ http://neuroinflab.wordpress.com/ http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0812-9872

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Announcement of job opening: Scientist (postdoctoral) position on analysis of Electron Microscopy datasets
by Nuno da Costa Jan. 26, 2016

Jan. 26, 2016

Dear Sir/Madam I would like to announce the following job opening in computational neuroscience mailing list POSITION SUMMARY We are seeking a neuroscientist to lead the effort in image processing , reconstruction and analysis of large scale Electron Microscopy datasets. The scientist will be an essential member of the Neural Coding team studying the relationship between neural circuits and neural dynamics by combining in vivo functional imaging with ex vivo state of the art Electron Microscopy. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES · Collaborate with others to develop a scalable and high throughput image processing pipeline for peta-scale Electron Microscopy datasets. · Collaborate with others to develop a workflow for morphological reconstruction of Electron Microscopy datasets. · Work closely with a team of anatomists, physiologists, theoreticians and modelers to analyze and interpret the relationship between structure and function in cortical networks. · Publish/present findings in peer-reviewed journals/scientific conferences. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS · PhD in Computer Science, Neuroscience, Physics, Biology or related scientific field. (Required) · Excellent programming skills (Required) · A strong interest in understanding neuroanatomy and functional connectivity. (Required) · Experience with large scale datasets. (Preferred) · Experience with Electron Microscopy. (Preferred) Many thanks Nuno Nuno Macarico da Costa Assistant Investigator T: 206.548.8437 [cid:5047F5CE-4C9A-45E6-A13D-A46F96F5F6E6] www.alleninstitute.org<http://www.alleninstitute.org/>

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Sense 2 Synapse Conference, Saturday April 16, The Rockefeller University, New York City
by Christoph Kirst Jan. 26, 2016

Jan. 26, 2016

Dear all, *Sense 2 Synapse* is back and is going to be held on *Saturday, April 16* at *The Rockefeller University,**New York City*, Carson Family Auditorium this year Our confirmed keynote speakers are: *Jeffrey Holt (Harvard University) Vanessa Ruta (Rockefeller University) Anthony Zador (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) Mike Shadlen (Columbia University)* Sense to Synapse is an annual conference for scientists working on the biology of sensory transduction, subsequent neural processing and perception. Primary target audience are scientists from New York-tristate area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), but the event is open to everyone interested in sensory systems. Please save the date; registration will open soon on sense2synapse.com <http://sense2synapse.com>. Give a short talk, present a poster, or just come to network with other scientists. As usual we will have great food, coffee and science. Information on last years event can be found here: http://sense2synapse.com/html/about.html. We hope to see you there! Christoph Krist Tobias Bartsch Gonzalo Otazu (Organizing committee S2S 2016)

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Re: [Comp-neuro] Postdoctoral Position using High-Density Electrophysiology in Behaving Primates
by Nicho Jan. 26, 2016

Jan. 26, 2016

*Postdoctoral Position in Multi-Electrode Cortical Recording and Stimulation in Behaving Primates* A postdoctoral position is available in 2016 to investigate the neural basis of visuo-motor behavior.This project involves high density multi-electrode array recordings and stimulation from motor and premotor cortical sites in monkeys performing complex reaching and grasping movements.Experiments seek to investigate spatio-temporal patterning in single unit and local field potential activity that encodes different aspects of these movements.These experiments also seek to develop decoding algorithms for possible application in brain-machine interfaces.Facilities include a fully equipped electrophysiological laboratory with three 128-channel acquisition systems, a two-link exoskeletal robot, and a camera-based, motion capture system.Expertise in multi-electrode, behavioral electrophysiology is preferred.A strong mathematical, computational, or engineering background is also desirable.Applicants should send a CV and names and addresses of two or three references to Dr. Nicholas Hatsopoulos, Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 East 57^th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 or by e-mail to nicho(a)uchicago.edu <mailto:nicho@uchicago.edu>.

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Postdoc position - human intracranial electrophysiology
by Brett Foster Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

Postdoctoral position in human intracranial electrophysiology and memory – Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston). We invite applicants for a postdoctoral research position at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, focused on studying human episodic memory using intracranial recordings. Specifically, the project will focus on tracking cortical dynamics during the encoding and retrieval of visual stimuli by combining human electrocorticography (ECoG) measurements with multivariate statistical techniques (e.g. machine learning). Applicants should have a PhD in cognitive/computational neuroscience with prior training in the recording and analysis of electrophysiological data. The successful applicant will have expertise in programming time series analysis and multivariate statistics (e.g. matlab/python/r). Previous experience with human intracranial data is ideal but not essential. The successful applicant will also have excellent standards of written English, and data presentation, as shown through previously published work. The position is available from June 2016, for an initial appointment of one year, with renewal subject to review. Salary will be consistent with NIH standards and level of experience. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applicants should send a letter of interest, CV, and 2-3 letters of reference (all pdf) to Dr. Brett Foster: brett.l.foster(a)gmail.com Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Equal Access Employer.

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ANNPR 2016: Call for Papers
by Dr. Schwenker Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

**** Please apologize cross-postings. Call for Papers IAPR TC3 International Workshop on Artificial Neural Networks in Pattern Recognition (ANNPR 2016) September 28-30, 2016 Ulm University, Ulm, Germany ANNPR 2016 invites papers that present original work in areas of neural networks, machine learning and pattern recognition, focusing on both theoretical and applied aspects. Topics of interest include, but not limited to: Methodological Issues - Supervised learning - Unsupervised learning - Combination of supervised and unsupervised learning - Feed-forward, recurrent, and competitive neural nets - Kernel machines - Hierarchical modular architectures and hybrid systems - Combination of neural networks and Hidden Markov models - Multiple classifier systems and ensemble methods - Probabilistic graphical models - Kernel methods - Deep architectures Applications in Pattern Recognition - Image processing and segmentation - Handwritten recognition and Document analysis - Sensor-fusion and multi-modal processing - Feature extraction, dimension reduction - Clustering and vector quantization - Speech and speaker recognition - Data, text, and web mining - Bioinformatics/Cheminformatics Important Dates Paper submission: May 4, 2016 Notification of acceptance: June 22, 2016 Camera ready due: July 6, 2016 Workshop: September 28-30, 2016 General Chairs Friedhelm Schwenker, Ulm University, Germany Hazem Abbas, German University of Cairo, Egypt Neamat El Gayar, Cairo University, Egypt Edmondo Trentin, University of Siena, Italy For more information, please visit us: http://neuro.informatik.uni-ulm.de/ANNPR2016/ -- Dr. Friedhelm Schwenker University of Ulm Institute of Neural Information Processing D-89069 Ulm, Germany phone: +49-731-50-24159 fax: +49-731-50-24156 email: friedhelm.schwenker(a)uni-ulm.de www: http://www.uni-ulm.de/in/neuroinformatik/mitarbeiter/f-schwenker.html

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Two fully funded PhD positions in Computational Neuroscience at Georgia State University
by Yaroslav Molkov Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

Two fully funded doctoral student positions in computational neuroscience for the duration of up to four years with very competitive compensation are available in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Georgia State University. The successful candidates will work with Dr. Yaroslav Molkov and his collaborators on a number of projects including neural control of breathing and locomotion, motor control, body temperature control, etc. For more details, see https://sites.google.com/site/ymolkov/home. The University: http://www.gsu.edu Georgia State University is the Southeast's leading urban research institution. It is on the list of the top 100 public universities for doctoral degrees awarded. More than 250 fields of study are offered through some 55 accredited degree programs at the bachelor's, master’s, specialist and doctoral levels. Our student body is the best qualified and most diverse in our history. More than 40,000 students are seeking degrees at Georgia State, and more than 28,000 of them are on campus each semester. Students come to our campus from every county in Georgia, every state in the nation and 160 countries. The campus is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The Department: http://mathstat.gsu.edu Currently, the department has twenty seven tenured or tenure-track faculty members, fourteen lecturers and academic professionals, and about eighty graduate students. The Department’s faculty members are very active in research and publication. They regularly publish in top-ranked journals, more than 1/3 of the research faculty members are supported by various federally funded grants, and several members have been serving on editorial boards of journals. They have been directing PhD dissertations and MS theses within the department, joint with other departments of the College of Arts and Sciences, and in conjunction with other universities. Please apply at http://cas.gsu.edu/graduate-studies/admissions/ For additional information, contact Dr. Molkov or Dr. Florian Enescu, Graduate Director, Tel: (404) 413-6442, Email: fenescu(a)gsu.edu. ================================= Yaroslav Molkov, PhD Associate Professor Department of Mathematics & Statistics Georgia State University 30 Pryor St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303, Room 722 Phone: (404) 413-6422 Email: ymolkov(a)gsu.edu

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Real World Eye Tracking Course
by Durant, Szonya Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

Real World Eye Tracking Course An introductory course to using eye tracking in real world situations Organized jointly by Acuity Intelligence Ltd. and Dept. of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London Systems used in mini-projects: Tobii Glasses 2, TX300, SMI eye tracking glasses Software used: Tobii Studio, Tobii Glasses 2 software, SMI iView, BeGaze Further possible system demonstrations: Ergoners Dikabils, EyeLink Course outline: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/documents/pdf/course-outline.pdf<https://www.royalholloway..ac.uk/psychology/documents/pdf/course-outline.pdf> Further details: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/psychology/documents/pdf/further-details.pdf Course dates: 9.30am 25 April - 5.30pm 26 April 2016 Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom Prices: Industry £800, HEI staff £400, Postgraduate students £80 (participants can be based in any country) Deadline for registration: 1 Feb 2016 Link for registration: http://onlinestore.rhul.ac.uk/browse/category.asp?compid=1&modid=1&catid=643<http://onlinestore..rhul.ac.uk/browse/category.asp?compid=1&modid=1&catid=6…> Contact: sales(a)acuity-intelligence.com<mailto:sales@acuity-intelligence..com> ********************************************************************** Szonya Durant Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX 01784 276522 ********************************************************************** Szonya Durant Department of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0EX 01784 276522

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Announcing: Computational Approaches to Memory and Plasticity summer course, July 2016
by U.S.Bhalla Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

CAMP@Bangalore 2016 will run from 1 July to 16 July 2016. Please see the course website at http://camp.ncbs.res.in/ CAMP @ Bangalore (Computational Approaches to Memory and Plasticity at NCBS, Bangalore) is a 16-day summer school on the theory and simulation of learning, memory and plasticity in the brain. There is a special emphasis on multiscale phenomena in learning and memory: How do molecular, electrical, and network levels of computation come together to give memory? The course will start with remedial tutorials on neuroscience / math / programming and then work upwards from sub-cellular electrical and chemical signaling in neurons, and onward to micro-circuits and networks. Students worldwide are encouraged to apply. Accommodation and food will be free for the selected students. There is no registration fee. Students are advised to obtain independent travel grants. Last date for applications: 21 February 2016. Instructors include: Tomoki Fukai, (RIKEN BRAIN SCIENCE INSTITUTE, Japan) Alain Destexhe (CNRS, France) Misha Tsodyks (Weizmann Institute, Israel) Upinder Bhalla (NCBS, Bangalore) Rishikesh Narayanan (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) Arvind Kumar (KTH, Stockholm) Sumantra Chattarji (NCBS, Bangalore) Suhita Nadkarni (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune) Raghav Rajan (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune) Course Organizers: Upinder Bhalla (NCBS, Bangalore) Arvind Kumar (KTH Stockholm) Rishikesh Narayanan (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore)

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Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience at Harvard
by Jan Drugowitsch Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

*Postdoctoral position in the Drugowitsch Lab in computational neuroscience* *Location*: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA *Start*: May 2016 or after We are looking for a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work in the field of computational and systems neuroscience in the group of Jan Drugowitsch - Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School ( http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/people/faculty/jan-drugowitsch) The group works on questions of decision-making and navigation under uncertainty, ranging from the level of neural populations to that of behavior. The candidate is expected to perform research related to these topics. Close interaction and collaboration with other members of the department is anticipated. Candidates should have a strong analytical background (e.g., computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, engineering, etc.) and feature an interest in the role of computation in neural populations and in theoretical neuroscience in general. Experience or familiarity with related machine-learning fields is also desirable. Previous experience should include sufficient programming skills to run numerical simulations, Bayesian methods, and expertise in the analysis of dynamical systems. The position starts in or after May 2016, and is funded for several years, with an initial one-year appointment and expectation of extension given satisfactory performance. Salary depends on experience and is at levels above the NIH scale. Candidates should send a single pdf file, consisting of a 1-page motivation letter, CV, and publication list to jan_drugowitsch(a)hms.harvard.edu. Furthermore, candidates should organize two letters of reference, to be sent to the same e-mail address. The position is open until filled. Jan Drugowitsch will be available at the Cosyne conference and workshops for question about the position.

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Fellowships for Image Based Modeling Summer Course in Park City, Utah
by Rob MacLeod Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to inform you that the fellowship application and registration are now open for the Image Based Biomedical Modeling (IBBM) Summer Course in July, 2016. We encourage you to forward this email to your group and your community. If you have any question please let me know. Fellowship Application Deadline : March 15, 2016 Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 15, 2016 Registration Deadline: June 10, 2016 We look forward to welcoming you to Utah this summer. Best, The IBBM Team Park City Summer Course in Image Based Biomedical Modeling July 11-21, 2016 Newpark Resort in Park City, Utah ibbm.sci.utah.edu <http://ibbm.sci.utah.edu/> Contact: ibbm(a)sci.utah.edu <mailto:ibbm@sci.utah.edu> For Graduate Students, Postdocs, Faculty, and Industry. We invite students underrepresented in health-related sciences to apply. This course creates field-specific expertise and hands-on experience in bioelectric or biomechanical problems that arise in current biomedical research and clinical practice. It provides training in numerical methods, image analysis, and computational tools necessary to carry out end-to-end, image-based, subject-specific simulations in bioelectricity or biomechanics, using freely available software. Organizers: Rob Macleod, Jeff Weiss, and Ross Whitaker Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

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MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation - University of Zurich and ETH Zurich
by Michael Pfeiffer Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

We are inviting applications for the MSc program in Neural Systems and Computation, an interdisciplinary program offered as a Joint Master Program by the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The program offers a theoretical and laboratory training in neural computation and systems neuroscience. It offers hands-on knowledge of data gathering, analysis and scientific presentation. Students join an international and interdisciplinary research community with expertise in neuroinformatics, advanced experimental techniques and neuromorphic engineering. Further information can be found on our homepage http://www.nsc.uzh.ch. We offer a specialized full-time Masters program open to students with a Bachelor’s degree in the following disciplines: neurosciences, information technology, electrical engineering, biology, physics, computer sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and mechanical/chemical/control engineering. The core courses (all offered in English) provide a common foundation for students with different educational backgrounds, and cover the following: 1. Systems Neurosciences 2. Neural Computation and Theoretical Neuroscience 3. Neurotechnologies and Neuromorphic Engineering The application deadline for students starting in Fall Semester 2016 is *February 15th 2016*. Details about the application process and required documents can be found here: http://www.nsc.uzh.ch/?page_id=10 Mentors of the program are Richard Hahnloser, Kevan Martin, Klaas Enno Stephan, Giacomo Indiveri, Jean-Pascal Pfister, Mehmet Fatih Yanik, Bruno Weber, Fritjof Helmchen, Valerio Mante, Ruedi Stoop, Tobi Delbruck, Daniel Kiper, Shih-Chii Liu, Michael Pfeiffer, Matthew Cook, Arko Ghosh, and Wolfger von der Behrens. The program is affiliated with the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty (MNF) at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Department (D-ITET) of the ETH Zurich. All applications are handled by the University of Zurich. Application documents should be sent by email to nsc(a)ini.uzh.ch. Best regards, Michael Pfeiffer -- ========================================= Dr. Michael Pfeiffer Postdoc, Program coordinator NSC Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland Tel. +41 44 635 30 45 Fax +41 44 635 30 53 pfeiffer (at) ini.phys.ethz.ch http://www.ini.uzh.ch/~pfeiffer/ =========================================

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SSNR2016: Second Announcement
by Jaime Ibánez Pereda Jan. 25, 2016

Jan. 25, 2016

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this announcement ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *This year the Summer School of Neurorehabilitation and the Demove symposium come together !!!* *2016 School and Symposium in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (SSNR2016)* Baiona, Spain June 6-10 http://www.ssnr2016.org info(a)ssnr2016.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear colleagues, On behalf of all the organizers it is our pleasure to invite you to the *2016 School and Symposium in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (SSNR2016)* that will take place in Baiona (Spain) from June 6-10, 2016. SSNR2016 will provide in depth education on advanced procedures for neurorehabilitation of motor dysfunction, covering -at the basic and advanced levels- practical applications based on innovative neuroprosthetic systems, robotic interfaces and other combinational approaches. This year the Summer School of Neurorehabilitation and the Demove Symposium meet in an intense week to offer you exceptional opportunities to increase your skills and knowledge in the astonishing field of Neural Engineering and Rehabilitation. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Baiona (Spain) on June 2016! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *- Registration -* *Prospective applicants to the School* must fill in the Application Form by March 15, 2016. The admission to the School will be decided upon a selection made by the Steering Committee and until the maximum number of registrations is reached. Earlier registrations will be given priority. Notification of the acceptance will be made by April 1, 2016. The School will begin with a welcome cocktail in the evening of the 5th of June (2016) and it will end on Friday, 10th June 2016. *Participants to the Symposium* can send their contributions by March 15, 2016. After a selection process, accepted articles will be announced to authors by April 1, 2016. The Symposium will take place on the 9th and 10th of June (2016). This Symposium is an integral part of the School, thus School applicants are encouraged to submit their contributions. *- Important Deadlines and Registration Fees-* *School deadlines:* Application: 15/3/2016 Notification: 1/4/2016 Payment: 1/5/2016 Fee (School + Symposium + Half-board accommodation + Welcome Reception + Gala dinner + Social program): 1090 € *Symposium deadlines:* Submission: 15/3/2016 Notification: 1/4/2016 Final submission & payment: 1/5/2016 General fee (Symposium + Lunch + Gala dinner + Social program): 450 € Students fee (Symposium + Lunch + Gala dinner + Social program): 300 € *- Confirmed Plenary speakers-* Prof. Thomas Sinkjaer, Aalborg University (Symposium Keynote Speaker) Prof. John Rothwell, University College London (Symposium Keynote Speaker) Prof. José Principe. University of Florida, USA (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Zev Rymer. Northwestern University, USA(School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Walter Paulus, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany (School Plenary Speaker) Dr. Francesco Lacquaniti, Fondazione Santa Lucia – Rome, Italy (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. David Lloyd, Griffith University – Brisbane, Australia (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Herman van der Kooij, University of Twente, The Netherlands (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Eric Perreault, Northwestern University, USA (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Etienne Burdet, Imperial College, UK (School Plenary Speaker) Prof. Dominique Durand, Case Western University, USA (School Plenary Speaker) *-Confirmed Workshops-* WS1 - Neural interfaces and Wearable robotics in rehabilitation: a clinical perspective Organizer: Jose L. Pons, CSIC. WS2 - Muscle synergies: Looking into the CNS Organizer: Diego Torricelli, CSIC WS3 - Human neuromusculoskeletal modeling Organizers: Massimo Sartori, University Medical Center Goettingen, and Monica Reggiani, University of Padova WS4 - Brain Computer Interfaces: principles and applications in neurorehabilitation Organizer: Arnau Espinosa, Guger Technologies OG WS5 - Virtual Reality and Gaming in Rehabilitation Organizer: A. Gil-Agudo (Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos de Toledo) & Iris Dimbwadyo (La Salle University, Madrid) WS6 – DEMOVE Workshop on ‘Advanced EMG Processing for Man-Machine Interfacing in Neurorehabilitation’ Organizer: Silvia Muceli, Francesco Negro and Utku S. Yavuz. University Medical Center Goettingen, Germany For further and up-to-date information, please visit the conference website: http://www.ssnr2016.org Prof. D. Farina & Prof. José L. Pons Co-Chairs SSNR2016 http://www.ssnr2016.org

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Postdoctoral Research Associate Position in Infant Brain Mapping at UNC-Chapel Hill
by gangli Jan. 24, 2016

Jan. 24, 2016

A postdoctoral research associate position is available at the Infant Brain Mapping Lab of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Our current focuses are to better understand the dynamic and critical early brain development in both health and disease, via multimodal neuroimaging analysis. The successful candidate will support our efforts either in advancing neuroimaging analysis technologies or in neuroscience applications. We are seeking highly motivated individuals who have extensive research experience in neuroimaging analysis (e.g., structural, diffusion or functional MRI) and demonstrated academic excellence, including publications in first-class journals and conferences. The candidate should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics/Statistics, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related fields. Good command of programming tools including Matlab, C++, Linux, and scripting are necessary to carry out the research work in this group. The successful candidate will be part of a diverse group including neuroscientists, radiologists, psychologists, physicists, biostatistician, and computer scientists, and will build upon the group's extensive foundation on neuroimaging analysis. If interested, please email resume to Dr. Gang Li (gang_li(a)med.unc.edu <https://outlook.unc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=r-ilRGXKGkv6jOyzGz3FjAPbDG9VNfM…> ). For more information, please visit: http://www.unc.edu/~gangl/contact.html <https://outlook.unc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=HcVZFV_dUot9RdWseT8XGNDO-UYKJHN…> .

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Intensive summer course at Princeton
by Carlos Brody Jan. 22, 2016

Jan. 22, 2016

Announcing a 4-week Intensive Summer Course at Princeton Neurotechnologies for Analysis of Neural Dynamics Directors: David W. Tank and Michael Berry, Princeton University, Dates: June 12 – July 9, 2016. Application Form and Course Schedule: NAND.princeton.edu <http://nand.princeton.edu/> Application Deadline: Rolling admissions starting February 1, 2016. This course is designed to emphasize the major ways that scientists trained in the physical and information sciences contribute to the advance of neuroscience. It will introduce students with quantitative training in the physical sciences, mathematics or engineering to the concepts and research methodologies of modern neuroscience. Topics covered will range from cellular biophysics to systems neuroscience, including particularly imaging methods for the study of single neurons, networks of neurons and human brain dynamics during execution of behavioral computations. The course will be unique in its focus on neural dynamics at several scales of complexity – cells, circuits, intact brains – and the combination of didactic lectures and laboratory exercises, including cellular biophysics, synaptic interactions and plasticity in neuronal networks, and fMRI imaging of targeted brain regions in human subjects. The course includes substantive instruction in neurotechnologies, ranging from large-scale multi- electrode and optical recording, optogenetic stimulation and mathematical analysis of neural dynamics within the datasets produced by these methods. The capstone of this course will be one-week student-designed research projects integrating concepts and methodologies encountered during the initial formal lectures and laboratory exercises. Women and under-represented minorities are encouraged to apply.

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CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: VECPAR 2016 - High Performance Computing for Computational Science
by Carlos Ferreira Jan. 22, 2016

Jan. 22, 2016

As part of the 12th VECPAR International Meeting on High Performance Computing for Computational Science, we are seeking proposals for affiliated workshops. The workshops should be focused in fresh topics related to parallel and distributed computational science, from theory to practice, where new ideas, subjects, open problems and works on progress can be discussed and explored. The accepted workshops will be held on 1st of July 2016 and may be organized as half- or full-day. IMPORTANT DATES Deadline for workshop proposals: February 15th, 2016 Notification of acceptance: February 19th, 2016 Deadline for paper submission: To be defined by the chairs Author notification: To be defined by the chairs Camera-ready version of papers: May 15th, 2016 PROPOSALS GUIDELINES Workshop title and acronym; Workshop description (150-200 words) to be included in the VECPAR website; Name and short bio of the workshop proponents; A list of the tentative program committee. Responsibilities of the Workshop Chairs: Prepare a dedicated call for papers; Maintain the workshop website; Define the workshop program committee; Select the papers by a peer review process. PROCEEDINGS The papers of the workshops will be published under the Springer LNCS series. The authors may be asked to revise the paper after the conference in order to meet the series requirements. BUDGET VECPAR 2016 will not pay for travel or other arrangements for workshop organizers or any of their invited guests. HOW TO SUBMIT The workshop proposals should be sent by email to the Workshops Chair: João Manuel R. S. Tavares Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal tavares(a)fe.up.pt Carlos Ferreira [http://www2.isep.ipp.pt/assinatura_email/EMAIL_ISEP.png] ISEP | Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 431 4249-015 Porto - PORTUGAL tel. +351 228 340 500 | fax +351 228 321 159 mail(a)isep.ipp.pt | www.isep.ipp.pt<http://www.isep.ipp.pt>

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2 comp neuro PhD studentships in the Clopath lab
by Claudia Clopath Jan. 21, 2016

Jan. 21, 2016

We are pleased to advertise 2 PhD studentships at Imperial College London. They are both collaborative and consist of a main computational part and a small experimental part. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology/cdt/projects/computation_for_moto… http://www.imperial.ac.uk/neurotechnology/cdt/projects/hear_with_plasticity/ Application deadline: 29th of January Best, Claudia Clopath http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/c.clopath/ ****** Biologically inspired computation for real-time motor learning Supervisors: Paul Chadderton Claudia Clopath An important area of robotics research is focused on developing machines that can learn and adapt to changing environments as efficiently as animals. Biological principles underlying the acquisition of motor skills are likely to inspire these new technologies. The aim of our project is to characterise computational principles of motor learning in real time using novel neurophysiological data from a uniquely tractable and well-controlled system, the whisker circuitry of the cerebellar cortex. Neural recordings will reveal how the brain adapts during learning, and will then be used to develop and apply a biologically constrained computational model in an actively sensing robot. ****** Learning to hear with plasticity across multiple timescales Supervisors: Dan Goodman Claudia Clopath Paul Chadderton Humans have a remarkable ability to understand speech in noisy environments such as a crowded pub. Despite advances in speech recognition, the question of how we do this remains largely unsolved. This project aims at understanding how the brain adapts and learns to cope with these difficult listening situations, with the goal of developing better technology for speech processing. It will involve (1) developing mathematical and computational models of hearing and neural adaptation and plasticity, (2) experimental testing (including training in animal electrophysiology and human psychoacoustics), and (3) technology development for speech recognition, hearing aids and cochlear implants. The candidate should be willing to learn experimental techniques (animal electrophysiology and/or human psychophysics), but is not required to have any previous experience.

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PhD positions at NJIT (Fall 2016)
by Victor Matveev Jan. 21, 2016

Jan. 21, 2016

Dear colleagues, The Department of Mathematical Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is inviting strong candidates to apply to one of our graduate Ph.D. program tracks: (1) Applied Mathematics, or (2) Applied Probability & Statistics. The Department's research areas span Mathematical Biology & Computational Neuroscience, Fluid Dynamics & Materials Science, Wave Propagation, Scientific Computing, and Applied Probability and Statistics, including Biostatistics. Teaching and research assistantships are available, and include a tuition waiver and a competitive stipend. For more information, please email us (math(a)njit.edu, CC to: matveev(a)njit.edu, kondic(a)njit.edu) and visit the following pages: http://catalog.njit.edu/graduate/science-liberal-arts/mathematical-sciences… http://catalog.njit.edu/graduate/admissions-financial-support/admissions/ http://math.njit.edu https://web.njit.edu/~matveev/NJIT_DMS_PhD_flyer.pdf Although the NJIT Admissions site lists December 15 2015 as the deadline, applications for Fall 2016 are still considered; we recommend submitting all application materials by February 8, 2016. Sincerely -- Victor Matveev -- _________________________________________________ Victor Matveev, Associate Professor Applied Math, Biophysics & Computational Neuroscience Department of Mathematical Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102-1982 Office: Cullimore Hall 616 E-mail:matveev@njit.edu http://web.njit.edu/~matveev/

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ICLR 2016 Workshop Track - Call for Extended Abstracts
by Hugo Larochelle Jan. 21, 2016

Jan. 21, 2016

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th International Conference on Learning Representations - Workshop Track (ICLR 2016) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website: http://www.iclr.cc/ Workshop Track - Extended abstract deadline: February 18th, 2016 Location: Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 2-4, 2016 Overview -------- It is well understood that the performance of machine learning methods is heavily dependent on the choice of data representation (or features) on which they are applied. Despite the importance of representation learning to machine learning and to application areas such as vision, speech, audio and NLP, there was no venue for researchers who share a common interest in this topic. The goal of ICLR has been to help fill this void. A non-exhaustive list of relevant topics: - unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised representation learning - metric learning and kernel learning - dimensionality expansion - sparse modeling - hierarchical models - optimization for representation learning - learning representations of outputs or states - implementation issues, parallelization, software platforms, hardware - applications in vision, audio, speech, natural language processing, robotics, neuroscience, or any other field ICLR features two tracks: a Conference Track and a Workshop Track. However, this year, conference and workshop submissions are reviewed separately, in two different periods. With the Conference Track already under way, this call for extended abstract is in relation to the Workshop Track. Extended abstracts submitted to the Workshop Track should be 2-3 pages long (excluding references) and describe late-breaking developments. This track is meant to carry on the tradition of the former Snowbird Learning Workshop. These contributions are considered as workshop papers (and can be published elsewhere). They will be lightly reviewed by ICLR reviewers. Note that some of the conference submissions that are not accepted to the Conference Track will also be invited to be presented under the Workshop Track. ICLR Submission Instructions - Workshop Track --------------------------------------------- By February 18th, 2016, 2:00 PM Pacific Standard time, authors must submit the PDF of their extended abstract to openreview. For more information on preparing your extended abstract, including style files and the URL for the openreview ICLR 2016 Workshop Track website, please see http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=iclr2016:main Acceptance decisions of extended abstract will be sent by March 28th. At least one author of each accepted extended abstract will be required to register to the ICLR event and present their work in poster format. Organizers ---------- Yoshua Bengio, Université de Montreal, General Chair Yann LeCun, New York University and Facebook, General Chair Hugo Larochelle, Twitter and Université de Sherbrooke, Senior Program Chair Brian Kingsbury, IBM Watson Group, Program Chair Samy Bengio, Google, Program Chair Contact ------- The organizers can be contacted at iclr2016.programchairs(a)gmail.com

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Senior software developer position available at the SimLab Neuroscience, Juelich Research Centre
by Abigail Morrison Jan. 20, 2016

Jan. 20, 2016

Dear colleagues, we are looking to recruit a senior scientific software developer at the Simulation Lab Neuroscience at the Juelich Research Centre, Germany. Our focus is on exploiting high performance computing to solve fundamental problems in neuroscience. If you have an interest in leading and participating in projects to develop innovative neuroinformatics applications on Europe's finest supercomputers, we would like to hear from you. For a full description and details of how to apply, please see the announcement on our website: http://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2016-001-EN… All the best, Abigail Morrison -- Prof. Dr. Abigail Morrison IAS-6 / INM-6 / SimLab Neuroscience Jülich Research Center & Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Ruhr-University Bochum http://www.fz-juelich.de/inm/inm-6 http://www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/slns http://www.ikn.psy.ruhr-uni-bochum.de Office: +49 2461 61-9805 Fax # : +49 2461 61-9460 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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4 Year Lecturer Position at QUT Across Robotics, Neuroscience and Computer Vision - final call for applications
by Michael Milford Jan. 20, 2016

Jan. 20, 2016

We have a 4 year Lecturer Position available at QUT to work closely with my research group at the boundary between robotics, neuroscience and computer vision, developing Frankenstein models of visual and spatial intelligence that combine the best performing and best understood parts of human, animal and insect brains. Here's the ad: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Some of the highlights: * You'll get to push the boundaries of our understanding of the brain and how we can model it to create new technologies and capabilities for robotics and AI * Minimize that start-up lag: you'll land in the middle of a large research group and have the opportunity to immediately get involved in the supervision of several PhD students working in the area - in fact, your ability to effectively lead and supervise PhD students is critical to this role * Tap into collaborations with some of the world's top roboticists, neuroscientists and computer vision researchers at leading international institutions including David Cox at Harvard University, Michael Hasselmo at Boston University, Andrew Davison at Imperial College London, Barbara Webb at Edinburgh University and many more. * Get access to top local researchers and major projects including the $19,000,000 Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, the $676,000 project this position is associated with, as well as multiple other projects including a $3,000,000 Strategic Investment in Farm Robotics. * You'll have the opportunity to teach into some of the most fun, engaging and fulfilling robotics-related units at our university. Videos of some of the units we teach can be found at https://youtu.be/FBEINbpovBE and https://youtu.be/_2mp98Sk6fQ. * Work in the heart of Brisbane, a modern bustling city of 2 million people, located near to amazing beaches and vast swathes of untouched wilderness. If you love hiking / running / cycling / swimming / surfing / parasailing, you can find it here. Catch a short flight and you're on the Great Barrier Reef or in the Barossa Valley. * Be immersed in a large, very successful and sociable robotics group of more than a hundred academics, postdocs and students, in a brand new building space. Here's the ad again: http://tinyurl.com/nzdujv3 Best regards, Michael Michael Milford Associate Professor | ARC Future Fellow | Microsoft Faculty Fellow | Chief Investigator, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision Australian Centre for Robotic Vision | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science School Science and Engineering Faculty | Queensland University of Technology

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