- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

PhD position on Accelerating motor learning with computational scaffolding (Tel Aviv)
by Jason Friedman April 13, 2020

April 13, 2020

(also see online: http://www.movementscienceslab.com/PhDApril2020.pdf) Tel-Aviv University offers a funded full-time PhD position on “Accelerating motor learning with computational scaffolding” starting in the summer The last few years have seen an amazing explosion in artificial intelligence and machine learning - helping machines learn to perform tasks better. In this project, we will use similar techniques to optimize the human learning experience in learning complex motor behaviour. ------------------------------ *Your tasks* We will tackle the problem of learning complex motor tasks using a technique known as computational scaffolding. You will play a central role in both designing, setting up, running and analyzing the behavioural experiments with human participants, as well as working on the machine learning algorithms to perform the guidance, based on recordings from experts teaching novices. The techniques developed in this project will eventually allow enhanced remote tele-operation for learning new skills and rehabilitation in different populations. The experiments will involve motion capture, recording performance from an electric piano and use of an exoskeleton for guidance. You will be supervised by Dr. Jason Friedman, from the Dept. Physical Therapy & Sagol School of Neuroscience, and the project will be performed collaboratively with the group of Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter, from the NeuroInformatics group at Bielefeld University in Germany. ------------------------------ *Your profile* We expect: - M.Sc or equivalent in Computer Science, Biomedical engineering, Physical Therapy, Neuroscience, Psychology, Physics, Motor Control, or related areas - Knowledge and experience in machine learning and artificial intelligence - Excellent programming skills - Very good English (written and spoken) - Independent, self-reliant and dedicated style of work - Strong organizational and communication skills - Ability to cooperate and to work in a team - A background in music is an advantage ------------------------------ The successful applicant will apply to be a PhD student in the Faculty of Medicine or the Sagol School of Neuroscience. The research will primarily take place on the campus of Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. Tel Aviv University, with over 30,000 students, is the largest university in Israel, with a vibrant research community. The student will receive a stipend at the standard Tel Aviv University rate. ------------------------------ *Application Procedure* Send the following by email to Dr. Jason Friedman (jason(a)tau.ac.il) - A CV - A transcript of your grades from your M.Sc studies - A cover letter describing how you meet the profile and why you are interested in the position - Names, affiliations, and email address of two academic references Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an online video interview Recruitment will take place immediately until a suitable applicant is found -- Jason Friedman, PhD Senior Lecturer Department of Physical Therapy Tel Aviv University email: jason(a)tau.ac.il web: http://curiousjason.com

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Call for Abstracts : the 2020 Conference on the Mathematical Theory of Deep Learning
by Ahmed El Hady April 11, 2020

April 11, 2020

*Call for Abstracts: The 2020 Conference on the Mathematical Theory of Deep Learning* We are now accepting abstracts for poster presentations at DeepMath 2020. DeepMath is a two day conference focused on the theoretical understanding of deep learning and neural networks (for more information see www.deepmath-conference.com <http://www.deepmath-conference.com/>). A principal goal of this conference is to bring together theoreticians working on deep learning from various disciplines and perspectives. We therefore encourage submissions from researchers from diverse disciplines including, but not limited to * Statistics * Physics * Computer science * Neuroscience * Mathematics * Psychology * Engineering Topics may address any area of deep learning research such as * expressivity * generalization * optimization * representations * computation * network architectures * recurrent networks. To complement the wealth of conferences with applications and theory the focus for DeepMath 2020 will be exclusively on the theoretical and mechanistic understanding of the underlying properties of neural networks. Invited speakers for DeepMath 2020 include * Richard Baraniuk (Rice U) * Gitta Kutyniok (TU Berlin) * Eero Simoncelli (NYU) * Rene Vidal (Johns Hopkins) * Lenka Zdeborova (CEA Saclay) * Demba Ba (Harvard U) * Stephanie Jegelka (MIT) * Mikhail Belkin (OSU) Abstracts will not be made public (i.e., no official proceedings), and will be doubly-blind reviewed and selected for quality. All poster submissions should be properly anonymized in order to allow for blind refereeing. *Submissions should be no more than 1 page* although a second page may be used for references. Authors should submit a pdf file prepared using the *Latex style file available here <https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-23451351/documents/5c90d93c12…>* (https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-23451351/documents/5c90d93c12… <https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-23451351/documents/5c90d93c12…>) and should adopt all formatting, subject headings, font sizes, etc. defined therein. Submissions that fail to meet the format requirements will not be reviewed. The first author listed on the abstract is considered to be the presenting author. Each presenting author may submit only one abstract. Investigators interested in having their abstracts considered for presentation should submit their abstracts no later than June 1. Authors may submit their abstracts at: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DEEPMATH2020 <https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DEEPMATH2020> For more information, please visit the conference website at www.deepmath-conference.com <http://www.deepmath-conference.com/>

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Postdoc position, PhD position and further opportunities in the group “Neural network dynamics and computation” (Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer)
by Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer April 10, 2020

April 10, 2020

Postdoc position, PhD position and further opportunities in the group “Neural network dynamics and computation” (Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer) The “Neural network dynamics and computation” group of Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer at Bonn University offers a PhD and a postdoctoral researcher position to study the dynamics, function and evolution of earliest nervous systems. Your research may address a variety of modeling topics and include experiments on jellyfish nervous systems. The experiments are planned in collaboration with Heinz Beck (Department of Epileptology) and Gerhard von der Emde (Institute for Zoology). The German research council (DFG) fully funds the positions via a grant of the program “SPP 2205 - Evolutionary Optimization of Neuronal Processing”. First related results of our group are presented in Pallasdies et al., “From single neurons to behavior in the jellyfish Aurelia aurita” Elife 2019. If you are at an earlier career stage, you may want to write your Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis on the topic. Optimal backgrounds of applicants include theoretical and experimental neuroscience, theoretical physics, computer science, mathematics and (quantitative) biology. If you are interested in more information, see our website (www.neuralnetworkdynamicscomputation.de) and/or contact us via email, for example Raoul-Martin Memmesheimer (rm.memmesheimer(a)uni-bonn.de) or Wilhelm Braun (wbraun(a)uni-bonn.de) We are looking forward to your application!

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Cheng lab - Two PhD positions in Computational Neuroscience
by Vinita Samarasinghe April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Sen Cheng, at the Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, is looking to fill two PhD positions. Both are funded for 3 years and start as soon as possible. The positions are in the field of computational neuroscience and excellent programming skills are mandatory. 1.The successful candidate will study the function of episodic memory in spatial navigation and time series prediction using computational modeling. This research builds on a computational model that was developed in the research group. The model incorporates a virtual environment and machine learning methods such as reinforcement learning, and deep neural networks. This model should be extended to enable the use of episodic memory in reinforcement learning. https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-mitarbeiterin-wis… 2. The successful candidate will develop and study computational models of episodic memory and spatial navigation. The models will be based on biologically plausible spiking neurons and will account for the generation and learning of complex behaviors. The research focus will be on modeling the influence of neuro- and psychopathologies on observable behavior. https://www.stellenwerk-bochum.de/jobboerse/wissenschaftl-mitarbeiterin-wis… The deadline for applications is 30.04.2020 23:59 CEST. For further details regarding the positions and instructions on how to apply please follow the given links. English versions of the postings can also be found at: https://www.ini.rub.de/the_institute/jobs/ Please quote the job number when applying. We look forward to hearing from you! Kind regards, -- Vinita Samarasinghe M.Sc., M.A. Science Manager Arbeitsgruppe Computational Neuroscience Institut für Neuroinformatik Ruhr-Universität Bochum, NB 3/26 Postfachnummer 110 Universitätstr. 150 44801 Bochum Tel: +49 (0) 234 32 27316 Email: samarasinghe(a)ini.rub.de

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12 PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at the Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova
by suwies infn April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

The Padova Neuroscience Center is delighted to announce its call for about 12 fully funded PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at the University of Padova (see flyer: http://pnc.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PhD@PNCFlyer_2020.pdf <http://pnc.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PhD@PNCFlyer_2020.pdf>). The multidisciplinary PhD program includes research lines and methods from Multimodal Imaging, Molecular-Cellular, Cognitive-Affective-Behavioral, Clinical-Translational and Computational Neuroscience. Given the COVID-19 emergency, the time-frame for the application has been postponed to 4th of May-16th of June 2020 (at 1 pm). The details for the application could be found here: http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/ <http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/>. Stay tuned! Interested candidates can also contact us (pnc.generalinfo(a)gmail.com <mailto:pnc.generalinfo@gmail.com>) for further information. Please forward this message to collaborators and students. **** Padova University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe - established in 1222. The University of Padova invests significantly in research activities and projects. Padova, is a small and beautiful town, shaped around the University. Affordable living costs, great food and social life, and you can bike everywhere! ***** Assistant Professor, www.liphlab.com, Physics & Astronomy Dept. Padova Neuroscience Center University of Padova Tel: +39 049 827 71 74 @SamirSuweis https://suweis.github.io/ Why don't you join the next generation publishing experiment with "Peer Community In" - publish and read at no cost and inject more money into research! Check us out @ https://peercommunityin.org https://youtu.be/4PZhpnc8wwo @PeerCommunityIn

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Postdoc job in New York in computational neuroscience - Fall 2020
by Ruben Coen-Cagli April 7, 2020

April 7, 2020

The Laboratory for Computational Neuroscience<https://sites.google.com/site/rubencoencagli> (Coen-Cagli lab) invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the Department of Systems and Computational Biology and Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein) in New York City. Our lab studies how biological sensory systems interpret the surrounding environment. We study probabilistic representations of natural images, to understand visual perception and neural activity in visual-cortical populations. We combine theories of probabilistic neural coding, computer vision and machine learning algorithms, psychophysics, and neurophysiology through collaborations. The candidate is expected to perform research related to these topics. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, with an academic record of scientific excellence and independent research, and a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to biological and neural systems. Prior experience should include areas such as computational neuroscience, machine learning, computer vision, or statistics. We are particularly interested in applicants with a genuine interest in linking theoretical and computational work to quantitative analysis of neurophysiology data, in the context of a NIH funded project<https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9801995&ic…> on natural image processing in the visual cortex. The project is a collaboration with the laboratory of Adam Kohn<https://www.einstein.yu.edu/faculty/10522/adam-kohn/> at Einstein, and the fellow will have the opportunity for substantial interactions with the Kohn lab. Einstein 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 Einstein, including benefits and housing for postdocs, can be found at: https://www.einstein.yu.edu/research/belfer-institute/ The position starts in fall 2020, 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 is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Ruben Coen Cagli, PhD Department of Systems and Computational Biology, and Dominick Purpura Department of Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1300 Morris Park Ave. Price 353B Bronx, 10461. NY office: +1.718.678.1150 web: https://sites.google.com/site/rubencoencagli/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.goo…>

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Extension of CFP SAB 2020: FROM ANIMALS TO ANIMATS 16th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior - Cergy-Pontoise, France, 22-24 Sep 2020 -- deadline: 15th Apr 2020
by alexandre pitti April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020

Extension of Call for papers for the 16th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB2020) SAB 2020 : FROM ANIMALS TO ANIMATS 16 that will be held at Cergy-Paris University (near Paris), France 22-24 september 2020 + workshops day 21st https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ COVID-19 information: the conference is maintained Deadline Extension: 15th of April. the organizers message: the conference is maintained in September and the deadline has been extended to the 15th of April. If you find any difficulty to submit and you are willing to, please contact us. Take care of you and of your relatives. *Invited Speakers* ================== Mehdi Khamassi, ISIR, Paris-Sorbonne University Some applications of the model-based / model-free reinforcement learning framework to Neuroscience and Robotics Bruno Poucet, LNC, Aix-Marseille Université Goal-directed spatial navigation and the hippocampus More speakers TBA *Scope of the Conference* ========================= The objective of this interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers in computer science, artificial intelligence, artificial life, control, robotics, neurosciences, ethology, evolutionary biology and related fields in order to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural and artificial animals to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The conference will focus on experiments with well-defined models including robot models, computer simulation models and mathematical models designed to help characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive behavior in real animals and in synthetic agents, the animats. *Location* ========== Cergy-Paris University, close to Paris, France *Relevant Research Areas* ========================= SAB2020 solicits contributions dealing with any aspect of adaptive behavior in natural and artificial systems. Typical, but not exclusive, topics of interest are: The animat approach Motor control Body and brain co-evolution Self-assembling and self-replication Sensory-motor coordination Action selection and behavioral sequencing Navigation and mapping Internal models and representation Evolution, development and learning Collective and social behavior Applied adaptive behavior Motivation and emotion Communication and language Emergent structures and behaviors Neural correlates of behavior Evolutionary and co-evolutionary approaches Bio-inspired and hybrid robotics Autonomous robotics Humanoid robotics Cognitive and developmental robotics Software agents and virtual creatures Philosophical and psychological issues Animats in education *Conference Format* =================== Following the tradition of SAB conferences, the conference will be single track with additional poster sessions. There will also be a day of tutorials. *Important Dates* ================= The conference will be held between 22-24 Sep 2020 and the 21st of September will be dedicated to workshops and tutorials Submission deadline : 15th of April, 2020 Notification of Acceptance : 15th of May, 2020 Camera ready: 15th of June, 2020 workshops/tutorials: 21st of September, 2020 Venue: 22nd-24th of September, 2020 Workshop/Tutorial Proposal Deadline: 21st May, 2020 Workshop/Tutorial Notification of Acceptance: 31th May, 2020 *Paper Submission Instruction and Publication Details* ====================================================== Submitted papers must not exceed 12 pages. Detailed submission instructions are available from the conference website (https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ or soon http://www.sab2020.org/ ). Special Issue to Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence All accepted papers with oral or poster presentation will be published in Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series conference proceedings. Selected authors may additionally be invited to submit extended versions for a conference Special Issue of the Journal of Adaptive Behavior. *Workshops & tutorials* ======================= The SAB2020 organizing committee invites proposals for workshops and tutorials, which will be held on the 21st of September, 2020. Instructions for preparing the tutorial proposal and further details on the tutorials will be found at http://www.sab2020.sciencesconf.org / http://www.sab2020.org/ *Best Paper Award* ================== Two best paper prizes will be awarded at the end of the conference to honour the authors of papers of exceptional merit. For more information please refer to the official SAB2020 website. *Further Information* ===================== Up-to-date information will be published on the website https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ and http://www.sab2020.org/ . For information about local arrangements, registration forms, etc., please refer to the website or contact the local organizers at the address below. * Organizers * ============== ISAB Philippe Gaussier General Chair, UCP Sofiane Boucenna Program Chair, UCP Nicolas Cuperlier Program Chair, UCP Alexandre Pitti Local Chair and Publicity Chair, UCP *Conference Address* ==================== Cergy-Pontoise, CY Cergy-Paris University. Site Les Chênes *Contact * ========== sab2020(a)sciencesconf.org Alex Pitti Maître de Conférence Laboratoire ETIS, CY Cergy Paris Université, ENSEA, CNRS, UMR8051 http://perso-etis.ensea.fr/alexpitt/ Alex Pitti associate professor Laboratoire ETIS, CY Cergy Paris Université, ENSEA, CNRS, UMR8051 http://perso-etis.ensea.fr/alexpitt/

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Scientific software developer positions at the SimLab Neuroscience, Juelich, Germany
by Abigail Morrison April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020

Dear colleagues, We have two Scientific software developer positions available in the SimLab Neuroscience at the Juelich Supercomputing Centre, Juelich Research Centre, Germany. For the full descriptions and details of how to apply, please see the announcements on our website: Scientific Software Developer - Closed loop simulation engine development https://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2020-106-E… Scientific Software Developer - Neuroscience middleware for High-Performance Computing systems https://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2020-107-E… The deadline for applications is 22 April 2020. All the best, Abigail Morrison -- Prof. Dr. Abigail Morrison IAS-6 / INM-6 / SimLab Neuroscience Jülich Research Center & Computer Science 3 - Software Engineering RWTH Aachen http://www.fz-juelich.de/inm/inm-6 http://www.fz-juelich.de/ias/jsc/slns http://www.se-rwth.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 Volker Rieke Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Postdoctoral fellow position: Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles
by Gulati, Tanuj April 2, 2020

April 2, 2020

Postdoctoral Position – Electrophysiology | Motor Learning | Sleep Motor Systems Neuroscience and Neural Engineering Laboratory We have a NIH-funded postdoctoral position available in the Motor Systems Neuroscience and Neural Engineering Laboratory<https://www.gulatilab.org/> at Cedars-Sinai’s newly formed Center for Neural Science<https://www.cedars-sinai.org/research/areas/neural-science.html> in Los Angeles. Our lab is utilizing a combination of systems neuroscience & neural engineering methods, along with causal manipulation of networks to understand the process of motor skill consolidation in the brain. A specific focus is on sleep’s role in motor learning (Gulati et al, Nat Neurosci 2014; Gulati et al, Nat Neurosci 2017; Kim, Gulati & Ganguly, Cell 2019). We are also utilizing this knowledge to develop novel neurotechnology that promotes motor recovery in motor injuries such as stroke (Gulati et al, J Neurosci 2015; Ramanathan*, Guo*, Gulati* et al, Nat Med 2018). While this published work has looked at motor cortex, our next goal is to record simultaneously from motor cortex and cerebellum in rodents and study the emergence of shared variance as the motor skill consolidates. Postdoctoral fellow will be involved in multi-site recordings as well as data analyses and preparing manuscripts. He/she will also have an opportunity to mentor junior trainees (interns/ graduate students). Salary will follow new California labor laws (current minimum is $54,080) and is negotiable. The position also offers excellent Cedars-Sinai employee benefits. Requirements Applicants are expected to have a PhD in Biomedical Engineering/ Neuroscience or a related discipline. Experience in one or more of the following is needed: data analyses and programming (Matlab/ python)/ animal training/ experimental neurophysiology. Candidates with strong experience in computational analyses but limited experimental experience will also be considered. Application Instructions Interested applicants should contact me with their CV, a letter stating their interests & experiences, and contact information for 2-3 references. Email: tanuj.gulati(a)csmc.edu<mailto:tanuj.gulati@csmc.edu> IMPORTANT WARNING: This message is intended for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is governed by applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this information is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.

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Research assistant position
by Luczak April 2, 2020

April 2, 2020

Research assistant at the University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada Our lab seeks highly motivated individuals with strong computational backgrounds to work at the interface of neuroscience and machine learning. We are especially interested in application of deep neural networks to improve our understanding of neuronal data, and application of recent neuroscience findings to improve performance of deep neural networks. In our lab we also record activity of hundreds of neurons in normal and epileptic animals, and successful candidate is welcome to participate in those projects. Preferred candidate should have strong background in modeling neurons and networks, and should be very familiar with models of synaptic plasticity (e.g. BCM). Our lab at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience in Lethbridge is located in the sunniest area of Canada and next to scenic Rocky Mountains. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Duties and responsibilities: - Compile research results and assist in the analyses. - Analyze data using machine learning methods. - Develops analytical methods for biologically plausible artificial neural networks. - Conduct research and literature reviews. - Participate in scientific discussion groups and seminars. Skills & Qualifications: - 3 years of research work experience. - Having strong background in modeling neurons and networks, and should be very familiar with models of synaptic plasticity. - Familiarity with epilepsy is a plus. - Highly experience in programing with Python and Matlab. - Ability to work with data, applying machine learning methods and deep learning. - Working with computer clusters and cloud computing. - Excellent communication and team work skills. Hours of Work: Full-time, 30 hours per week. Salary: $21.63 /hour Duration: one year Language requirements: English Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Artur Luczak (Luczak(a)uleth.ca) with a copy of their CV and a cover letter. For more information please visit our website at http://lethbridgebraindynamics.com/artur_luczak

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