- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

CNS*2017 Abstract Deadline Extension

by Sharon Crook

Abstract Deadline Extended to March 12 CNS*2017 Call for Abstracts Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) 26th Annual Meeting Antwerp, Belgium July 15-20, 2017 The main meeting (July 16-18) will be preceded by a day of tutorials (July 15) and followed by two days of workshops (July 19-20). Invited Keynote Speakers: Erik De Schutter, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan Panayiota Poirazi, IMBB-Forth, Greece Karl Friston, University College London, UK Sue Denham, University of Plymouth, UK A preliminary program for the workshops is available at: http://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2017-workshops Registration and abstract submission are open. Abstract submission deadline: Extended to March 12, 2017 Travel Award Application deadline: Extended to March 12, 2017 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. Latest safe date for Member applications before abstract submission extended to March 8. For up-to-date conference information, please visit: http://www.cnsorg.org/meetings

March 3, 2017

DEADLINE EXTENDED: MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course applications due March 7

by Mark Steven Goldman

The application deadline for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA has been extended to March 20. The full advertisement is included below: Applications are open for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course will run from July 30 to August 24, 2017, and the online application form can be found at: https://ws2.mbl.edu/studentapp/studentapp.asp?courseid=MCN The course application deadline is *March 20*. 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/ 2017 Course Directors: Michale Fee, MIT Mark Goldman, UC Davis 2017 Confirmed Faculty: Larry Abbott, Columbia University Steve Baccus, Stanford University Joshua Berke, UCSF Carlos Brody, Princeton University Emery Brown, MIT Dmitri Chklovskii, Simons Foundation 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 Stefano Fusi, Columbia University Jack Gallant, UC Berkeley Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Nancy Kopell, Boston University Eve Marder, Brandeis University Bartlett Mel, University of Southern California Jonathan Pillow, Princeton University Cristina Savin, NYU Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Sara Solla, Northwestern University Haim Sompolinsky, Hebrew University Josh Tenenbaum, MIT Xiao-Jing Wang, NYU

March 3, 2017

[ADSAA-BIOMED2017] Adaptive Analysis Applied to Biomedical Data (no publication charges)

by Leonardo Abdala Elias

Dear colleague, Does your research involve adaptive data analysis? We invite you to submit an experimental, theoretical or review paper to ADSAA-BIOMED2017 - Adaptive Analysis Applied to Biomedical Data, a special issue of the journal Advances in Data Science and Adaptive Analysis (http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/adsaa) More information available @ https://easychair.org/cfp/ADSAA-BIOMED2017 Submissions are open @ https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=adsaabiomed2017 Submission deadline: October 31, 2017 No publication charges. Journal listed in SJR. Impact factor 0.92. Experimental, Theoretical and Review papers are accepted. Suggested topics (not limited to): • Empirical Mode Decomposition, Bayesian methods, Kalman filtering, machine learning techniques; • Adaptive analysis applied to biomedical data (e.g., biological signals, such as EMG, ECG, EEG, neural activity, medical images, biomechanical data); • Adaptive analysis in thematic areas such as burgeoning datasets (Big Data) emerging as a result of wearable wireless systems. Contact: adsaabiomed2017(a)easychair.org (mailto:adsaabiomed2017@easychair.org) This special issue is led by the ADSAA-BIOMED2017 team. ADSAA Editor-in-Chief • Prof. Samuel S.P. Shen (http://shen.sdsu.edu/) Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA (Sam.shen(a)sdsu.edu (mailto:Sam.shen@sdsu.edu)) Leading Guest Editors • Prof. Adriano O. Andrade (http://lattes.cnpq.br/1229329519982110) Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil (adriano(a)ufu.br (mailto:adriano@ufu.br)) • Prof. Slawomir J. Nasuto (https://www.reading.ac.uk/biologicalsciences/bme/about/staff/s-j-nasuto.aspx) University of Reading, Reading, UK (s.j.nasuto(a)reading.ac.uk (mailto:s.j.nasuto@reading.ac.uk)) Associated Guest Editors • • Dr. Catherine M. Sweeney-Reed (http://www.kneu.ovgu.de/kneu/en/Research/Research+Groups/Workgroups/Neurocy…) Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (catherine.sweeney-reed(a)med.ovgu.de (mailto:catherine.sweeney-reed@med.ovgu.de)) • Dr. Nicoletta Nicolaou (https://sites.google.com/site/nicolaounikki/home) University of Reading, Reading, UK (n.nicolaou(a)reading.ac.uk (mailto:n.nicolaou@reading.ac.uk)) • Prof. Marcus Fraga Vieira (http://lattes.cnpq.br/4153462617460766) Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil (marcus(a)ufg.br (mailto:marcus@ufg.br)) • Prof. Teodiano Freire Bastos (http://lattes.cnpq.br/3761585497791105) Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil (teodiano.bastos(a)ufes.br (mailto:teodiano.bastos@ufes.br)) • Dr. Sri Krishnan (http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/people/Krishnan.html) Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada (krishnan(a)ryerson.ca (mailto:krishnan@ryerson.ca)) • Dr. Leonardo Abdala Elias (http://lattes.cnpq.br/5429275286295501) University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil (leoelias(a)fee.unicamp.br (mailto:leoelias@fee.unicamp.br)) • Dr. Steffen Walter (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steffen_Walter) University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany (steffen.walter(a)uni-ulm.de (mailto:steffen.walter@uni-ulm.de)) We look forward to receiving your contribution. The ADSAA-BIOMED2017 team Unsubscribe (http://dmanalytics2.com/delivery-unsubscribe?d=CHvgFcXeRP6yA1wqiBnL2g&e=com…) [Image: Direct Mail for Mac] (http://dmanalytics2.com/about-dm?utm_source=fr-ftr&utm_medium=email&utm_con…) This email is powered by Direct Mail for Mac. Learn More (http://dmanalytics2.com/about-dm?utm_source=fr-ftr&utm_medium=email&utm_con…) • Report Spam (http://dmanalytics2.com/report-spam?d=CHvgFcXeRP6yA1wqiBnL2g&e=comp-neuro@n…)

March 3, 2017

Computational & Cognitive Neuroscience Summer School, in Shanghai (deadline March 15)

by Murray, John

We are pleased to announce the 7th Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN) Summer School which will take place July 6-29, 2017, 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: http://www.ccnss.org Applications are being accepted now through the NYU-Shanghai website: https://research.shanghai.nyu.edu/centers-and-institutes/brain/ccnss-2017-a… The application deadline is March 15, 2017. Organizers: - Xiao-Jing Wang (New York University) - Zach Mainen (Champalimaud Neuroscience Program) - Si Wu (Beijing Normal University) - John D. Murray (Yale University) - Eric DeWitt (Champalimaud Neuroscience Program) 2017 Lecturers: - Daphne Bavelier (University of Geneva) - Timothy Behrens (University of Oxford) - Matthew Botvinick (Google DeepMind) - Michael Breakspear (University of Queensland) - Robert Desimone (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) - Jeff Erlich (NYU Shanghai) - Stefano Fusi (Columbia University) - Surya Ganguli (Stanford University) - Michael Hausser (University College London) - Nikolaus Kriegeskorte (MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit) - Yann LeCun (New York University & Facebook AI Research) - Sukbin Lim (NYU Shanghai) - Alex Pouget (University of Geneva) - Matthew Rushworth (University of Oxford) Feel free to direct any questions to: john.murray(a)yale.edu John D. Murray ----------------------------------------------- Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine murraylab.yale.edu -----------------------------------------------

March 3, 2017

RESEARCH FELLOW IN DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION FOR EPILEPSY AND SEIZURE PREDICTION (2 POSITIONS)

by Levin Kuhlmann

Exciting med-tech opportunity at the interface between academia and industry. We are seeking talented research scientists to join a team conducting a clinical trial of a fully implantable system for seizure forecasting and control with epilepsy patients. Requires experience in electrophysiology and neural signal analysis. There are two Research Fellow positions available in our epilepsy research group for a new NHMRC research project titled Critical Slowing in Epilepsy. The research will quantify how the brain changes around times where it is susceptible to seizures. Seizure susceptibility will be studied using a new deep brain stimulation and recording system in a first in man clinical trial in partnership with the medical device company, Medtronic. There are also opportunities to study seizure susceptibility using the one-of-a-kind long-term continuous intracranial electroencephalography database obtained from the clinical trial of the Neurovista Seizure Advisory System. At least one of the Research Fellows will be involved in all aspects of the Medtronic trial, from testing with patients to data analysis and reporting. Testing will involve measuring the interaction between the brain's response to very small electrical stimuli and epilepsy-related changes. Close date: 12 Mar 2017 Contact both Dr Levin Kuhlmann (levink(a)unimelb.edu.au) and Dr Dean Freestone (deanrf(a)unimelb.edu.au) for details. For a position description, selection criteria and to apply visit: http://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/890173/research-fellow-in-deep-brain-…

March 2, 2017

Global Scholar Awards for New Investigators

by Zylberberg, Joel L

Hi All, I want to draw your attention to a new investigator award that is open to faculty working anywhere in the world (and of any nationality). The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Awards<http://www.cifar.ca/global-scholars/> provide $100K (CAD) in unrestricted funds over a 2 year period. In addition to the research funding, the global scholars are appointed as members of the CIFAR research programs that most closely match their work. For the comp-neuro community, I'm guessing that would be either Learning in Machines and Brains<https://www.cifar.ca/research/learning-in-machine-and-brains/>, or Brain, Mind, and Consciousness<https://www.cifar.ca/research/brain-mind-consciousness/>. The programs have small workshop-style meetings for their ~30-40 members a few times per year. Because of the strength of the CIFAR program members (for example, the LMB group is listed here<https://www.cifar.ca/research/learning-in-machine-and-brains/>), these meetings are an extremely valuable opportunity. If you have any colleagues who might be interested in this opportunity, please forward this information on to them. Cheers, __ Joel Zylberberg, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Physiology and Biophysics University of Colorado School of Medicine www.jzlab.org<http://www.jzlab.org> CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, Learning in Machines and Brains program ~the neuroscience is theoretical, but the fun is real

March 1, 2017

Call for Workshops - Bernstein Conference 2017, extended deadline: 15.03.2017

by Zrinka Gattin

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and the Bernstein Center Göttingen invite proposals for Satellite Workshops. Satellite Workshops will directly precede the Bernstein Conference 2017 in Göttingen. ************************************************************** *Important Dates:* _Workshops:_ September 12 - 13, 2017 _Main Bernstein Conference:_ September 13 - 15, 2017 _Deadline for proposal submission:_ *March 15, 2017* _Notification of workshop acceptance:_ April 10, 2017 ************************************************************** Since 2013, the Bernstein Conference hosts pre-conference workshops. They provide a stage to discuss topical research questions, novel scientific approaches and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged. Workshop formats should be designed to foster debate beyond a mere series of talks. 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. _Workshop time frame:_ September 12, 2017, 13:00 - 18:00 September 13, 2017, 9:00 - 12:30 Workshop proposals are welcome for either half-day or full-day workshops. Workshop costs: NEW THIS YEAR – FINANCIAL SUPPORT: For all accepted workshops the registration is free of charge for organizers and speakers. Organizers will also receive a waiver for the main conference fee. New this year: From the accepted workshops a maximum of ten workshops will be selected to each receive financial support of up to 1.500,00 €. For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website http://www.bernstein-conference.de. INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS PREPARATION Workshop proposals must contain: 1) Workshop Title 2) Concise description of workshop topic 3) List of potential speakers indicating speaker commitment Please use the Workshop Proposal Form that can be downloaded here: http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/satellite-workshops *Deadline for submission of Workshop proposals:**March 15, 2017* Accommodation and Hotel Reservation: We strongly recommend early room booking. The number of available accommodation is limited due to several concurrent events. We arranged for room contingents in a variety of hotels that you may book by yourself by email or phone. Please follow the instructions at our Accommodations Web-site (http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/venue/accommodation) We would like to emphasize that these room contingents will be held open up to different expiration dates depending on the hotel (or until they are filled). The earliest expiration date is already end of May 2017 whereas the majority of offers expire at the 12th of July 2017. We strongly encourage participants to share rooms and to book rooms as a group. Groups of three or four are possible if you book a suite. The room contingent contains a set of suits and apartments. We emphasize that it will be very difficult to book accommodation beyond the expiration dates. Please find a list of the hotels at our Accommodations Web-site. CONTACT: contact(a)bccn-goettingen.de We are looking forward to seeing you in Göttingen! WORKSHOP SELECTION COMMITTEE: Florentin Wörgötter (Chair) Marion Silies (co-Chair) Christian Tetzlaff (co-Chair) Matthias Bethge Laura Busse Claudia Clopath Julia Fischer Alexander Gail Richard Hahnloser Claus Hilgetag Peter Jonas Siegrid Löwel Michael Platt Viola Priesemann Nicole Rust Fred Wolf (Conference Chair) -- Dr Zrinka Gattin Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Goettingen Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology (BFNT) Goettingen PhD Program in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Am Fassberg 17 D-37077 Goettingen Phone: +49 (0)551 5176 418 Fax: +49 (0)551 5176 14418 E-Mail:zrinka@nld.ds.mpg.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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 1, 2017

Open position - High resolution fMRI of bistable perception

by Tomas Knapen

Open position - High resolution fMRI of bistable perception Our lab at the *Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam* <http://vu.nl/> has an opening to be filled by either a PhD student (4 years) or junior PostDoc (2-3 years), financed by an NWO-CAS grant <http://www.nwo.nl/en/news-and-events/news/2016/nihc/1-5-million-for-sino-du…> . *Outline of research project* In this project, we will study the interplay between top-down and bottom-up processing in perceptual bistability using functional imaging of cortical laminae at 7T. This project will answer cognitive neuroscience questions from a systems neuroscience perspective. The project involves mathematical modelling of behaviour, detailed psychophysics and eye tracking, as well as the development of state-of-the-art analysis techniques for submillimeter resolution functional imaging. Therefore, the successful applicant will have a background in computation, be a fluent programmer and preferably have experience with high-resolution functional imaging. The project is a collaboration with the Zhang lab at the Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing and the He lab at the University of Minnesota, and will involve regular travel between these labs. *Information & Application* Feel free to contact Tomas Knapen <tknapen(a)gmail.com> for informal inquiries. More information on bistable perception can be found in our soon-to-appear review of the topic on the Annual Reviews of Psychology website <http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-010417-085944>. The lab website can be found at tknapen.github.io, and we are part of the cognitive psychology group <http://vupsy.nl/> in the department of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at the VU. A formal application should contain a CV, two-page statement of interest and two names of persons that can provide letters of recommendation, and be sent to Barbara Goudriaan <http://127.0.0.1:4000/2017/03/01/barbara.goudriaan@vu.nl>, with reference number 00034515 in the subject line of the application email. We will entertain applications continuously from now. *Further particulars * The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel. As an indication, this is a minimum of €2191 gross per month for a PhD position, and €2717 for a PostDoc position, depending on experience. The appointment will be initially for 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it will be extended. You can find information about benefits of employment at www.workingatvu.nl <http://127.0.0.1:4000/2017/03/01/www.workingatvu.nl> Thanks, Tomas TK Signature *Tomas Knapen* Assistant Professor *@* Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam - Cognitive Psychology <http://www.vupsy.nl/> *Contact* tknapen(a)gmail.com || +31 6 34091812 *Web* Lab website <http://tknapen.net/tknapen/> || GitHub profile <https://github.com/tknapen>

March 1, 2017

2x PostDocs in Gazeinformatics @ Imperial College London

by Faisal, Aldo A

Dear All, we are looking to hire 2 PostDocs in Gazeinformatics at the interface of eye movement research, machine learning and computational neuroscience. Below is the ad, feel free to give me a shout for details, best wishes Aldo --- --- Dr Aldo Faisal Director Behaviour Analytics Lab Data Science Institute & Associate Prof in Neurotechnology Department of Bioengineering & Department of Computing Imperial College London London, SW7 2AZ www.FaisalLab.org http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.faisal The Brain & Behaviour Lab of Dr Aldo Faisal is seeking to hire two 2-year Postdoctoral Fellows in Gazeinformatics to work at the interface of eye movement research, machine learning/computational neuroscience and robotics. Fostering interdisciplinary research is core to the lab’s vision and profile sought. The focus area of the project is: 1. To study hierarchical representations for perception-action in a data-driven manner to develop methods for eye movement analysis and prediction of motor actions in complex real-world tasks. 2. To automatically decode action intentions from eye movements and act them out using dextrous robotic interfaces. The technology is meant to restore the ability of paralysed people to interact with the world again. You should have or expect shortly to hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Robot Vision, Robotics, Computer Vision, Neural Engineering, Computational Neuroscience, Computational Eye Movement research or very strong quantitative and programming (e.g. Physics). Research work will involve translational evaluation of the developed technologies with paralysed end-users and industrial partners. You will need to have a thorough understanding of quantitative methods and experience supervising projects, as well as strong analytical and programming skills (e.g. MATLAB, Python, ROS, and/or C/C++). You will have experience in the field/s of; 1. Human robotics or human robotic interaction; 2. Computer vision or robot vision; 3. Neural/ behavioral/ eye-tracking data analysis and modelling; 4. Experimental eye movement research, 5. Computational neuroscience modelling, 6. Data science analysis of human neural or behavioural data, 7. Biomedical engineering or neural engineering development. You must have excellent communication skills and be able to organise your own work and prioritise work to meet deadlines. All applicants must be fluent in spoken and written English. Research Associates will work in the Brain & Behaviour Lab Research group and the Data Science Institute’s Behaviour Analytics Lab (both directed by Dr Aldo Faisal) at the South Kensington Campus.

March 1, 2017

On the existence of a purely abstract cognitive system in the brain that is based on single cells

by Asim Roy

The following paper was published recently in Frontiers in Psychology, Cognition: “The theory of localist representation and of a purely abstract cognitive system: The evidence from cortical columns, category cells and multisensory neurons” http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00186/full On the extensive use of abstract multisensory neurons in the brain There is now substantial neurophysiological evidence for a purely abstract cognitive system in the brain that is based on single cells. The evidence primarily comes from abstract category cells and multisensory neurons. Multisensory neurons provide a remarkable insight to the brain. Ghazanfar & Schroeder (2006) claim that multisensory integration extend into early sensory processing areas of the brain and that neocortex is essentially multisensory. Saleem, Ayaz, Jeffery, Harris & Carandini, M. (2013) report finding nearly half of V1 neurons in mice to be multimodal integrating visual motion and locomotion during navigation. And Klemen & Chambers (2012) notes that there is now “broad consensus that most, if not all, higher, as well as lower level neural processes are in some form multisensory.” So abstractions are used extensively in the brain. And these abstraction are layered, sometimes integrating information from two modalities, sometimes three and so on. Much more evidence is discussed in the paper. On the absence of evidence for distributed representation It is also argued in the paper that there is no evidence for distributed representation in the brain, since, as per McClelland, the dense form (not the sparse form) is the only form that counts. And there is absolutely no evidence for the dense form (Panzeri et al. 2015). On the compatibility of grounded cognition and an abstract cognitive system It is also argued in the paper that such an abstract cognitive system is fully compatible with grounded and embodied cognition. And Barsalou’s (2008, p. 618) statement is very consistent with the claims made in this paper: “From the perspective of grounded cognition, it is unlikely that the brain contains amodal symbols; if it does, they work together with modal representations to create cognition.” One of Barsalou’s questions was (p. 631): “Can empirical evidence be found for the amodal symbols still believed by many to lie at the heart of cognition?” I think there is extensive evidence now that there indeed are amodal symbols in the brain and in the brains of many species. The discovery of this purely abstract cognitive system in the brain has the potential to resolve deep theoretical conflicts in cognitive science that’s almost four decades old. Asim Roy Professor, Information Systems Arizona State University www.lifeboat.com/ex/bios.asim.roy<http://www.lifeboat.com/ex/bios.asim.roy>

Feb. 28, 2017