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FSL course 2022 in Oxford, registration open!
by Rezvan Farahibozorg Aug. 17, 2022

Aug. 17, 2022

Dear all, We are pleased to announce that FSL course 2022 will be held in-person, Sept 19th - 23rd, in Oxford, UK. You can find details and registration info here: https://open.win.ox.ac.uk/pages/fslcourse/website/upcoming.html This intensive course covers the *theory and practice of functional, structural, diffusion and resting state brain imaging analysis*. New and existing users of FSL are welcome on the course, as it aims to cover both basic and more advanced topics. Background concepts and practicalities of the analyses are taught in detailed lectures. These lectures are interleaved with hands-on practical sessions, where attendees learn how to carry out analysis for themselves on real data. The contents covered in the course are primarily aimed at applications in basic neuroscience and clinical research. Please note that the course will be in-person only, with no online or remote attendance option. For COVID safety, including masking, policy please refer to the link above. Looking forward to seeing you then, The FSL Course team ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rezvan Farahibozorg Senior postdoctoral researcher, FMRIB Analysis Group, WIN, NDCN University of Oxford https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/rezvan-farahibozorg -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Workshop on Attention - Call for Papers
by Grace Lindsay Aug. 17, 2022

Aug. 17, 2022

On behalf of the co-organizers, we would like to invite you to submit your work to our NeurIPS workshop on “All things Attention: Bridging Different Perspectives on Attention”. The details of the workshop and submission instructions are as follows: The Thirty Sixth Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) Dec 2, 2022 NeurIPS 2022 is a hybrid Conference https://attention-learning-workshop.github.io/ The All Things Attention workshop aims to foster connections across disparate academic communities that conceptualize "Attention" such as Neuroscience, Psychology, Machine Learning, and Human-Computer Interaction. Workshop topics of interest include (but are not limited to): 1. Relationships between biological and artificial attention 1. What are the connections between different forms of attention in the human brain and present deep neural network architectures? 2. Can the anatomy of human attention models provide useful insights to researchers designing architectures for artificial systems? 3. Given the same task and learning objective, do machines learn attention mechanisms that are different from humans? 1. Attention for reinforcement learning and decision making 1. How have reinforcement learning agents leveraged attention in decision making? 2. Do decision-making agents today have implicit or explicit formalisms of attention? 3. How can AI agents build notions of attention without explicitly baked in notions of attention? 4. Can attention significantly enable AI agents to scale e.g. through gains in sample efficiency, and generalization? 2. Benefits and formulation of attention mechanisms for continual / lifelong learning 1. How can continual learning agents optimize for retention of knowledge for tasks that it already learned? 2. How can the amount of interference between different inputs be controlled via attention? 3. How does the executive control of attention evolve with learning in humans? 4. How can we study the development of attentional systems in infancy and childhood to better understand how attention can be learned? 3. Attention as a tool for interpretation and explanation 1. How have researchers leveraged attention as a visualization tool? 2. What are the common approaches when using attention as a tool for interpretability in AI? 3. What are the major bottlenecks and common pitfalls in leveraging attention as a key tool for explaining the decisions of AI agents? 4. How can we do better? 4. The role of attention in human-computer interaction and human-robot interaction 1. How do we detect aspects of human attention during interactions, from sensing to processing to representations? 2. What systems benefit from human attention modeling, and how do they use these models? 3. How can systems influence a user’s attention, and what systems benefit from this capability? 4. How can a system communicate or simulate its own attention (humanlike or algorithmic) in an interaction, and to what benefit? 5. How do attention models affect different applications, like collaboration or assistance, in different domains, like autonomous vehicles and driver assistance systems, learning from demonstration, joint attention in collaborative tasks, social interaction, etc.? 6. How should researchers thinking about attention in different biological and computational fields organize the collection of human gaze data sets, modeling gaze behaviors, and utilizing gaze information in various applications for knowledge transfer and cross-pollination of ideas? 5. Attention mechanisms in Deep Neural Network (DNN) architectures 1. How does attention in DNN such as transformers relate to existing formalisms of attention in cogsci/psychology? 2. Do we have a concrete understanding of how and if self-attention in transformers contributes to its vast success in recent models such as GPT2, GPT3, DALLE.? 3. Can our understanding of attention from other fields inform the progress we have achieved in recent breakthroughs? SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS We invite you to submit papers (up to 9 pages for long papers and up to 5 pages for short papers, excluding references and appendix) in the NeurIPS 2022 format. <https://neurips.cc/Conferences/2022/PaperInformation/StyleFiles> All submissions will be managed through OpenReview (submission website <https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2022/Workshop/Attention>). The final submission including main paper, references and appendix should not exceed 12 pages. Supplementary Materials uploads are to only be used optionally for extra videos/code/data/figures and should be uploaded separately in the submission website. The review process is double-blind so the submission should be anonymized. Accepted work will be presented as posters during the workshop, and select contributions will be invited to give spotlight talks during the workshop. Each accepted work entering the poster sessions will have an accompanying pre-recorded 5-minute video. Please note that at least one coauthor of each accepted paper will be expected to have a NeurIPS conference registration and participate in one of the poster sessions. Submissions will be evaluated based on novelty, rigor, and relevance to the theme of the workshop. Both empirical and theoretical contributions are welcome. Submissions should not have previously appeared in a journal or conference (including accepted papers to NeurIPS 2022) and should not be submitted to another NeurIPS workshop. Submissions must adhere to the NeurIPS Code of Conduct. The focus of the work should relate to the list of the topics specified below. The review process will be double-blind and accepted submissions will be presented as virtual talks or posters. There will be no proceedings for this workshop, however, authors can opt to have their abstracts/papers posted on the workshop website. We encourage submissions on the following topics from the focus of bridging different perspectives on attention: - Relationships between biological and artificial attention - Attention for reinforcement learning and decision making - Benefits and formulation of attention mechanisms for continual / lifelong learning - Attention as a tool for interpretation and explanation - The role of attention in human-computer interaction and human-robot interaction - Attention mechanisms in Deep Neural Network (DNN) architectures Please submit your papers via the following link: submission website <https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2022/Workshop/Attention> IMPORTANT DATES * Submission deadline: Sep 15, 2022 at 11:59PM (AOE) submission website <https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2022/Workshop/Attention> * Accept/Reject Notification: Oct 12, 2022 * Camera-ready (final) paper deadline: Nov 25, 2022 at 11:59PM (Anywhere on earth) * Workshop: Dec 2, 2022 CONFIRMED SPEAKERS & PANELISTS Speakers: Pieter Roelfsema (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience) James Whittington (University of Oxford) Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research) Erin Grant (UC Berkeley) Henny Admoni (Carnegie Mellon University) Tobias Gerstenberg (Stanford University) Vidhya Navalpakkam (Google Research) Shalini De Mello (NVIDIA) Panelists: David Ha (Google Brain) Pieter Roelfsema (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience) James Whittington (University of Oxford) Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research) Henny Admoni (Carnegie Mellon University) Tobias Gerstenberg (Stanford University) Shalini De Mello (NVIDIA) Ramakrishna Vedantam (Meta AI Research) Megan deBettencourt (University of Chicago) Cyril Zhang (Microsoft Research) ORGANIZERS Akanksha Saran (Microsoft Research, NYC) Khimya Khetarpal (McGill University, Mila Montreal) Reuben Aronson (Carnegie Mellon University) Abhijat Biswas (Carnegie Mellon University) Ruohan Zhang (Stanford University) Grace Lindsay (University College London, New York University) Scott Neikum (University of Texas at Austin, University of Massachusetts) REGISTRATION Participants should refer to the NeurIPS 2022 website ( https://neurips.cc/Conferences/2022/Dates) for information on how to register. CONTACT Please reach out to us at attention-workshop(a)googlegroups.com if you have any questions. We look forward to receiving your submissions! Kind Regards, Workshop Organizers All things Attention- Bridging different perspectives on attention

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Postdoctoral fellowships at the Gatsby Unit
by I-Chun Aug. 16, 2022

Aug. 16, 2022

The Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships in theoretical neuroscience. Successful applicants will carry out original research under the guidance of a faculty member, primarily on one of these research themes: - How dynamical computation in neural systems underlies functions ranging from perceptual inference to deliberation, action selection and execution (mentor: Maneesh Sahani). - Deep learning theory (mentor: Andrew Saxe). Applications close at the end of August 2022. For detailed information on the roles and how to apply, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/gatsby/vacancies About the Gatsby Unit Established in 1998 through a generous grant from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Gatsby Unit has been a pioneering centre for research in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. The Unit provides a unique multidisciplinary research environment with strong links to the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, the ELLIS Unit at UCL, and other neuroscience and machine learning groups at UCL and beyond. -- I-Chun Lin, PhD Scientific Programme Manager Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL i.lin(a)ucl.ac.uk | www.ucl.ac.uk/gatsby | @GatsbyUCL

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2 fully funded PhD positions in Groningen
by Michael Biehl Aug. 16, 2022

Aug. 16, 2022

Please excuse multiple postings Two fully funded PhD positions (4 years) are available at the University of Groningen within the project "Robust Learning of Sparse Representations in Neural Networks". The official job announcement including more details and contact information is now available at https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-0… All applications should be submitted through this website before September 30, 2022. One PhD (PP1) will address the study of "push-pull inhibition" in Deep Learning, supervised by Dr. George Azzopardi (www.cs.rug.nl/~george) Candidates should have a strong background in brain inspired computing and deep learning. The second position (PP2) will be devoted to the statistical physics based analysis of model situations. Candidates for PP2 should have a strong background in (theoretical) physics, ideally with experience in the statistical physics based theory of neural networks and learning. Both positions will be fully funded (4 years) by the Groningen Cognitive Systems and Materials Center https://www.rug.nl/research/fse/cognitive-systems-and-materials/?lang=en -- --------------------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Michael Biehl Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence P.O. Box 407, 9700 AK Groningen The Netherlands https://www.cs.rug.nl/~biehl m.biehl(a)rug.nl

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Two postdoc positions
by Benjamin Dunn Aug. 16, 2022

Aug. 16, 2022

We have two open postdoctoral positions in projects to develop methods for large population neural data. We are looking for good people with backgrounds in statistics, statistical physics, machine learning, topological data analysis, etc., with experience developing and applying methods within neuroscience – ideally with a desire to figure out how the brain works. Many benefits: vacation, parental leave, socialized medicine (it’s Norway), good salary, supportive environment, trees, great science/math, fjords, etc. It’s nice here. Apply and get info more here: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/229369/2-postdoctoral-fellow… And additional questions to benjamin.dunn(a)ntnu.no Benjamin Dunn Associate professor in neural data science Department of Mathematics & Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, NTNU

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Postdoctoral position: Theory of deep learning
by Saxe, Andrew Aug. 16, 2022

Aug. 16, 2022

The Saxe lab<http://saxelab.org> is looking for an outstanding postdoctoral researcher to join the group's research programme at UCL. The role lies at the interface of deep learning theory and theoretical neuroscience and will involve conducting research into artificial deep networks using techniques from applied mathematics. A particular focus is on understanding how depth affects learned representations and network behaviour. Funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit (GCNU) founded in 1998 is a world-leading centre for research in computational theoretical neuroscience and in probabilistic and statistical machine learning. The Unit's co-location with the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL creates the potential for a uniquely close interaction between theory and experiment in neuroscience and the integrated study of perception, control and learning. The appointment will initially be for a period of 2 years with the possibility of extension at the end of the period. To apply see the further details at the link below. Screening starts from Aug 25, 2022. https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?amNvZGU9MTg4NjEyMCZ2dF90ZW1w… Sincerely, Andrew Saxe

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INCF Assembly 2022: Late-breaking abstract submission now open!
by INCF Aug. 12, 2022

Aug. 12, 2022

We are inviting submissions of late-breaking abstracts for INCF Neuroinformatics Assembly 2022 <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/> - *submit your abstracts by Friday August 19!* Curious about which abstracts have already been approved? View the list here <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/2022/abstracts-list>: bit.ly/INCFAppAbs22 The INCF Neuroinformatics Assembly is an interactive event that will take place virtually from September 12-16 on the Gather platform, with poster sessions in Zohuddle. We’ve chosen these platforms specifically to make your experience as close to an in-person experience as possible. *Why is Assembly’s format different from other virtual conferences?* The Gather platform enables you to “walk” around the virtual space and when you get close to other participants they will pop up on live video. This works the same for posters and exhibitor booths and gives you a much more interactive experience than your ordinary virtual conference! The Assembly offers many training opportunities for participants of all career stages - this year we offer a 2 PhD-credit course on “Neuroscience data integration through use of digital brain atlases”. Find more information about this course and other training sessions here <https://neuroinformatics.incf.org/2022/educational-courses>: bit.ly/Assembly2022courses *What is Zohuddle?* It’s an app to simplify virtual networking, specifically the poster session of Assembly. It works by letting you rank the abstracts that interest you the most, then creating a schedule of “huddles” with an integrated video chat for you to meet your matches! *Important dates:* - *Late-breaking abstract submission closes: Aug 19* - Assembly: September 12-16 *Submit your abstracts here: bit.ly/INCFabstracts22 <http://bit.ly/INCFabstracts22>* /The INCF Team

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Two postdoc positions in theoretical neuroscience and nonlinear time-series analysis
by Hideaki Shimazaki Aug. 12, 2022

Aug. 12, 2022

*Call for postdoctoral researcher**s* Two postdoc positions are available in (A) theoretical neuroscience and (B) nonlinear time-series analysis/control (or active inference) under the supervision of Prof. Hideaki Shimazaki. *(A) Theoretical Neuroscience* We've been constructing statistical analysis methods for neural data to test theoretical hypotheses on the information coding, underlying circuitry mechanisms, and principles of adaptation in the brain (e.g., Bayesian brain hypothesis, predictive coding, free energy principles). We use methods in statistical physics and machine learning. See references below for our theoretical approaches to analyzing the dynamics of a neural population. We are looking for a postdoc interested in conducting theoretical studies while working closely with neuronal spiking and/or omics data. The contract is yearly-basis and renewable *until March 31, 2026*. Workplace: Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan *(B) Nonlinear time-series analysis and active inference* Our group strives to understand theoretical principles of organisms' perception and behavior in adapting to the environment and extend the knowledge to create intelligent agents. A postdoc position is available for this research area. We are looking for a postdoc interested in, e.g., Bayesian time-series analysis and control on nonlinear dynamics, the free energy principle, and active inference. The contract is yearly-basis and renewable *until March 31, 2025*. Workplace: Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan A successful applicant should have a Ph.D. in theoretical neuroscience, machine learning, physics, applied mathematics, or engineering, but not limited to these. The applicant should demonstrate research experiences with a strong publication record. Programming skills in Python or willingness to learn it, will be valued. To apply, please send a CV, a statement of research interest (maximum two pages), and contact information of two references to hideaki.shimazaki(a)gmail.com. Please indicate which job you are interested in (A or B, or both). Either English or Japanese is accepted. The starting date is flexible, while earlier arrival is appreciated. Screening starts *from September 16th*. The salary follows the university rule and depends on the expertise of an appointed researcher. Please feel free to send me any informal questions regarding this post. Sincerely, Hideaki Shimazaki, PhD Email: hideaki.shimazaki(a)gmail.com Webpage: http://www.neuralengine.org Ref: Aguilera, M., Moosavi, S. A., & Shimazaki, H. (2021). A unifying framework for mean-field theories of asymmetric kinetic Ising systems. Nature communications, 12, 1197 <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-20890-5>. Donner C, Obermeyer K, Shimazaki H. Approximate inference for time-varying interactions and macroscopic dynamics of neural populations. PLoS Computational Biology (2017) 13(1): e1005309 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005309> Shimazaki H, Amari S, Brown EN, and Gruen S, State-space analysis of time-varying higher-order spike correlation for multiple neural spike train data. PLOS Computational Biology (2012) 8(3): e1002385 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002385>

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International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) Inaugural Meeting - Februrary 2-5, 2023
by Vago, David R (University) Aug. 11, 2022

Aug. 11, 2022

Hello colleagues and friends, Event: 2023 inaugural ISCR Annual Meeting Theme: The Self, Wellbeing, Compassion, and Justice Date: 2-5. February 2023 Location: San Diego, CA USA Host: UCSD Focus of society: To support the independent and collaborative work of scholars, scientists, clinicians, and practitioners who are engaged in the rigorous investigation of traditional and modern forms of contemplative and other mind-body practices. *************************** The International Society for Contemplative Research<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…> invites individuals that support the Society’s aims<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…> to submit Abstracts for the 2023 ISCR Annual Meeting at the University of California, San Diego, February 2-5. Individuals can submit through our Abstract submission system<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…> to present in the following formats: Session (Format) Types (Not Including Lunch/Keynote/Invited Speakers): * Workshop ½ Day (3 hours) * Discussion/Roundtable Session (60 or 90 Minutes) * Symposium/Panel (60 or 90 Minutes) * Oral/Paper Presentation (20 Minutes) (If your Abstract is not selected for an Oral Presentation, you can have it considered for a "Poster" * “Poster” Presentation (or Flash Presentations/Abstract Presentation) (A “Poster” can also be considered for a 2-3 Minute Mini-Oral Presentation) +++ The Call for Abstracts is now open (deadline extended: September 30, 2022) +++ ISCR is committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (see our statement) <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…> and other diversity of thought such as Epistemological Diversity. Preference will be given to Abstracts that address diversity in all its forms. We encourage individuals to Join the Society<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefens…> to enjoy a number of benefits, including reduced registration. Conference registration will open in August 2022, six months before the event dates. Confirmed keynote speakers are: Anil Seth, University of Sussex (UK) Alan Wallace, Center for Contemplative Research and Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies (USA) Kakali Bhattacharya, University of Florida (USA) Michael Yellow Bird, University of Manitoba (Canada) ============================== David R. Vago, Ph.D. Research Associate Professor | Department of Psychology | Vanderbilt Brain Institute | Vanderbilt University Contemplative Neuroscience & Mind-Body Research Laboratory<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conte…> | David.vago(a)vanderbilt.edu<mailto:David.vago@vanderbilt.edu> ------- Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry | Brigham & Women’s Hospital | Teaching Affliate of Harvard Medical School Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuroimagi…> | dvago(a)bwh.harvard.edu<mailto:dvago@bwh.harvard.edu> ------- Research Lead | RoundGlass Living+ Mobile: +1 236-516-6530 [cid316398*image003.png(a)01D81EC5.75001580] ------- Director of Neurosciences, Executive Committee, International Society for Contemplative Research [ISCR]<https://www.contemplativeresearch.org/>

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Information on the upcoming 7th HBP Student Conference on Interdisciplinary Brain Research
by HBP Education Aug. 5, 2022

Aug. 5, 2022

Dear Sir or Madam, We kindly ask you to include our upcoming 7th HBP Student Conference on Interdisciplinary Brain Research in your scientific event calendar or share via your communication channels. Please find further information about the event below and in the attached pdf file. Thank you very much for your support! With kind regards, HBP Education Team ____________________________________________ We are happy to invite you to the 7th HBP Student Conference on Interdisciplinary Brain Research. Please also share this information in your networks! The 7th HBP Student Conference will take place from 18-20 January 2023 in Madrid, Spain. Participation is open to the entire student community and early-career researchers, regardless of whether they are affiliated with the Human Brain Project (HBP) or not. The 7th HBP Student Conference provides an open forum for the exchange of new ideas among early career researchers working across various scientific fields relevant to the Human Brain Project (HBP), such as neuroscience, computer science, robotics, medicine, psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. Attendees will be exposed to the data-driven and multidisciplinary brain research approach of the HBP and will have the opportunity to use the EBRAINS research infrastructure. The conference will provide space for extensive scientific dialogue (both intra- and interdisciplinary) amongst peers and faculty through a variety of discussion sessions, lectures, workshops & hands-on training sessions and social events. Call for Submissions The Conference invites high-quality submissions describing innovative research in all disciplines addressed in the HBP. These contributions can emphasize theoretical or empirical works relating to a wide spectrum of fields including, but not limited to neuroscience, computer science, robotics, medicine, psychology, cognitive science and philosophy. We particularly encourage submissions with a potential to inspire collaboration in the research community by introducing new and relevant problems, concepts, and ideas, even if the work is at an early stage of development. For further information on abstract submission please visit the conference website. The abstract submission deadline is 3 October 2022. Participants are also welcomed without contributing to the scientific programme. Early Bird Registration Deadline: 1 December 2022 Regular Registration Deadline: 4 January 2023 Please register via the conference website. For any further questions, please contact the HBP Education Programme via education(a)humanbrainproject.eu. We are looking forward to an interesting and productive conference! With kind regards, HBP Education Team

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