- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Post-doc positions in Neuromorphic Engineering - SINAPSE/NUS/Singapore
by Andrei Nakagawa March 26, 2018

March 26, 2018

Dear all, On behalf of the* Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE)*, I would like to present an opportunity for Postdoctoral Researchers. The Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) ( www.sinapseinstitute.org) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is looking to hire *two* Postdoctoral Research Associates to enhance their research efforts in *neuromorphic engineering,* *neuromorphic sensing, robotics and prosthetics. * The areas of expertise and experience include: - Integrating multi-modal sensing to improve navigation, manipulation or movement; - Deploying machine learning architectures on robotic/prosthetic devices. - Designing novel mechanisms, for hands and grippers, integrating visual, tactile and haptic sensing; - Implementing bimanual object manipulation algorithms; - Designing spike-based machine learning algorithms. Candidates should have a PhD in engineering, science or related field, have experience in designing complex hardware software systems and developing and applying machine learning architectures for tasks such as object detection (visual/tactile), object tracking and object manipulation. In addition, candidates should have good collaborative and communication skills and be able to work in an interdisciplinary team. We are seeking for creative and imaginative people that are passionate about integrating hardware and software to build biologically inspired systems that perceive, act, and interact with the environment; deploying state-of-the-art machine learning on devices in the real world. We are offering competitive salaries contract and relocation assistance. These are positions without teaching obligations, however applicants with academic aspirations will have the opportunity to supervise undergraduate and graduate students, organize and take part in workshops, and electively get involved in research grants or industry partnerships. To indicate interest, please send a CV to: *Dr. Alcimar Soares* *email: alcimar.soares(a)gmail.com <alcimar.soares(a)gmail.com>.* *Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.* *Environment* SINAPSE is a very exciting place to develop high level and novel research. The lab brings together engineers, scientists and clinical researchers with a common goal of making an impact on society, focused on Neurotechnologies for basic science, clinical application and commercialization. Here, you would find an array of advanced technology: microelectronics for building neural interfaces, imaging tools and technologies for studying function and dysfunction of brain, optical methods for manipulating the nervous system, cognitive and computational methods for assessing neural/brain function, robotics for rehabilitation and neuromorphic systems for modeling the nervous system to inspire the next generation of robots and intelligent machines. The National University of Singapore (NUS) is the leading engineering and scientific institution in Asia centered upon education and basic research. Kind regards, *Andrei Nakagawa Silva, MSc* Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology - SINAPSE National University of Singapore - NUS URL: http://www.sinapseinstitute.org Biomedical Engineering Lab Federal University of Uberlandia URL: http://www.biolab.eletrica.ufu.br/en Contact Skype: andrei.nakagawa1 Phone: +65 9397-7263

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[jobs] Start-up in Berlin seeks biologists for multiple open positions (senior and junior)
by Arnab Chakrabarty March 26, 2018

March 26, 2018

Start-up in Berlin seeks biologists for multiple open positions (senior and junior) neuraltrain GmbH is a newly founded digital health start-up based in Berlin developing innovative, digital mental health solutions. We are looking for biologist(s)/neuroscientist(s) for one of the current projects on a digital therapy solution in depression and affective disorders. Start dates are as soon as possible. RESPONSIBILITIES: * Design, conduct, analyse and present experimental research from the project * In-depth literature review and meta-analyses; in particular, brain oscillations, psychophysics, perceptual learning, depression, internet-based therapy interventions are topics of relevance * Identification and establishment of scientific collaboration with academic partners * Writing reports, grants, publications in English WE DESIRE: * PhD in Neurosciences/ Psychology/ Biology; fresh graduates and post-docs are particularly encouraged to apply * Expertise in the following areas: neuronal oscillations, affective sciences, psychophysics, perceptual learning, EEG, EMG, skin conductance experiments and Depression. * Programming and some app development experience is a strong plus * Experience as an independent researcher in any of the above areas * Knowledge of Python and/or willingness to learn, strong statistical and analytical skills * Entrepreneurial mentality and an ownership/stakeholder attitude to get things done * Knowledge of 'key opinion leaders' in depression and psychiatry, psychology, brain oscillations is a plus You do not have to match all the criteria to apply. We will assess your fit on a case by case basis. We are an equal opportunities employer and favour diversity. We offer a young and dynamic working environment in a hip and exciting co-working space called MINDSPACE right in the heart of Berlin. We are a small, but growing team and are very well-connected in the Digital Health ecosystem. We offer enough flexibility to grow personally and professionally. Location: Berlin Position: Full-time If you feel addressed by this job description, feel encouraged to get in touch at chakrabarty(a)neuraltrain.de<mailto:chakrabarty@neuraltrain.de> with your CV and cover letter describing your motivation for the project and digital health. Dr. Arnab Chakrabarty Founder and CEO, neuraltrain GmbH --- Contact Details: Dr. Arnab Chakrabarty CEO, neuraltrain GmbH Phone: +49 (0)160 97041155 Email: chakrabarty(a)neuraltrain.de<mailto:chakrabarty@neuraltrain.de> --- Company Details: Address: neuraltrain GmbH, c/o F.H. Incubator GmbH, Friedrichstr. 68, 10117 Berlin, Germany Registered at Handelsregister des Registergerichts Charlottenburg; Registernummer: HRB 191630 B UStID: Pending Managing Director: Dr. Arnab Chakrabarty --- This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to company privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.

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Faculty jobs in brain stimulation at Stanford University
by Wei Wu March 26, 2018

March 26, 2018

To whom it may concern, I wanted to share a link to this job posting for those who are interested: http://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/psychiatry/documents/ about_us/FacultyJobs/BrainStimulation.pdf

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11ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python in Camerino, Italy, 3—8 September, 2018
by Jakob Jordan March 25, 2018

March 25, 2018

11ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python ============================================== a Summer School by the G-Node and the University of Camerino https://python.g-node.org Scientists spend more and more time writing, maintaining, and debugging software. While techniques for doing this efficiently have evolved, only few scientists have been trained to use them. As a result, instead of doing their research, they spend far too much time writing deficient code and reinventing the wheel. In this course we will present a selection of advanced programming techniques and best practices which are standard in the industry, but especially tailored to the needs of a programming scientist. Lectures are devised to be interactive and to give the students enough time to acquire direct hands-on experience with the materials. Students will work in pairs throughout the school and will team up to practice the newly learned skills in a real programming project — an entertaining computer game. We use the Python programming language for the entire course. Python works as a simple programming language for beginners, but more importantly, it also works great in scientific simulations and data analysis. We show how clean language design, ease of extensibility, and the great wealth of open source libraries for scientific computing and data visualization are driving Python to become a standard tool for the programming scientist. This school is targeted at Master or PhD students and Post-docs from all areas of science. Competence in Python or in another language such as Java, C/C++, MATLAB, or Mathematica is absolutely required. Basic knowledge of Python and of a version control system such as git, subversion, mercurial, or bazaar is assumed. Participants without any prior experience with Python and/or git should work through the proposed introductory material before the course. We are striving hard to get a pool of students which is international and gender-balanced: see how far we got in previous years <https://python.g-node.org/wiki/archives#stats>! Date & Location =============== 3–8 September, 2018. Camerino, Italy. Application =========== You can apply online: https://python.g-node.org/wiki/applications Application deadline: 23:59 UTC, 31 May, 2018. There will be no deadline extension, so be sure to apply on time. Be sure to read the FAQ before applying: https://python.g-node.org/wiki/faq Participation is for free, i.e. no fee is charged! Participants however should take care of travel, living, and accommodation expenses by themselves. Program ======= • Version control with git and how to contribute to open source projects with GitHub • Best practices in data visualization • Organizing, documenting, and distributing scientific code • Testing scientific code • Profiling scientific code • Advanced NumPy • Advanced scientific Python: decorators, context managers, generators, and elements of object oriented programming • Writing parallel applications in Python • Speeding up scientific code with Cython and numba • Memory-bound computations and the memory hierarchy • Programming in teams Also see the detailed day-by-day schedule: https://python.g-node.org/wiki/schedule Faculty ======= • Ashwin Trikuta Srinath, Cyberinfrastructure Technology Integration, Clemson University, SC USA • Jenni Rinker, Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde Denmark • Juan Nunez-Iglesias, Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne Australia • Nicolas P. Rougier, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Bordeaux France • Pietro Berkes, NAGRA Kudelski, Lausanne Switzerland • Rike-Benjamin Schuppner, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany • Tiziano Zito, freelance consultant, Berlin Germany • Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek, Red Hat Inc., Warsaw Poland Organizers ========== For the German Neuroinformatics Node of the INCF (G-Node) Germany: • Tiziano Zito, freelance consultant, Berlin Germany • Caterina Buizza, Personal Robotics Lab, Imperial College London UK • Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek, Red Hat Inc., Warsaw Poland • Jakob Jordan, Department of Physiology, University of Bern, Switzerland Switzerland For the University of Camerino Italy: • Flavio Corradini, Computer Science Division, School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino Italy • Barbara Re, Computer Science Division, School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino Italy Website: https://python.g-node.org Contact: python-info(a)g-node.org -- Jakob Jordan 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 tel.: +49 2461 61-96450 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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PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience
by Obermayer, Klaus, Prof. Dr. March 25, 2018

March 25, 2018

PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience & Machine Learning Neural Information Processing Group, Fakultät IV, Technische Universität Berlin and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany Salary grade E13 (TV-L Berliner Hochschulen) Duration: max. 5 years Starting date: October 1st, 2018 Working field: The successful candidate is expected to join collaborative research projects at the interface of computational neuroscience and machine learning. The position is also affiliated with the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (https://www.bccn-berlin.de/) and the candidate is welcome to participate in its scientific and training activities. Teaching responsibilities include the supervision of two tutorials per week during the semester associated with the courses taught by the Neural Information Processing Group. For more information about our current research projects see: http://www.ni.tu-berlin.de/. Requirements: Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom or equivalent) in Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science or another MINT subject; very good knowledge of machine learning and Computational Neuroscience; experience in teaching (supervision of tutorials) is desirable; very good German and English skills. How to apply: Please send your written application with the reference number (IV-158/18) and the usual documents to Technische Universität Berlin - Der Präsident - Fakultät IV, Institut für Softwaretechnik und Theoretische Informatik, FG Neuronale Informationsverarbeitung, Prof. Dr. Obermayer, Sekr. MAR 5-6, Marchstr. 23, 10587 Berlin or - preferably - by e-mail to klaus.obermayer(a)tu-berlin.de. Closing date: April 20th, 2018 To ensure equal opportunities between women and men, applications by women with the required qualifications are explicitly desired. Qualified individuals with disabilities will be favored. The TU Berlin values the diversity of its members and is committed to the goals of equal opportunities. Please send copies only. Original documents will not be returned.

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Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) 2018 Computational Summer School
by Matthijs van der Meer March 23, 2018

March 23, 2018

Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) 2018 Computational Summer School https://summer-mind.github.io/ July 30th - August 7th, 2018 Application Deadline: April 29th, 2018 We are delighted to welcome applications for the second annual Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) Computational Summer School. The theme of this year’s summer school is Narratives and Natural Contexts. There has been renewed interest in extending the study of neural and psychological phenomena in highly controlled laboratory settings to more naturalistic paradigms that more closely reflect the rich spatiotemporal structure of the real world. Bridging this divide requires developing new experiments and analytic methods. The goal of our summer school is to provide a forum for gaining hands-on experience with some of the latest computational tools that can help gain insight into understanding how our brains process naturalistic stimuli and contexts. We will offer a mix of expertise at a broad range of spatiotemporal scales and domains (e.g. behavioral, cognitive, social; circuit, whole-brain, and social networks; etc.). In addition, we will maintain our special focus on training students to use and contribute to open-source tools, data sharing, and other “best practices” for open science. For more information, and/or to apply, please visit our website, https://summer-mind.github.io/. Please note that this year’s application deadline is April 29, 2018. You may also find information about last year’s summer school (theme: multiscale network dynamics) along with all course materials here, https://summer-mind.github.io/2017.html. We anticipate a diverse and talented mix of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty will participate in the summer school, and we hope to see you this summer in Hanover! Kind regards, Luke Chang, Jeremy Manning, and Matt van der Meer Directors Jim Haxby, Thalia Wheatley, and Dan Rockmore Advisory Committee This event is sponsored by the Center for Social Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth Research Computing, and Neukom Institute for Computational Sciences at Dartmouth.

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Job openings at Jülich Supercomputing Centre
by Jochen Martin Eppler March 23, 2018

March 23, 2018

Dear all, at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, we currently have two open positions in the context of the Human Brain Project: * Scientific programmer in computational neuroscience<http://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2018-061-EN…> * Senior scientific developer in computational neuroscience<http://www.fz-juelich.de/SharedDocs/Stellenangebote/_common/dna/2018-062-EN…> For details about the institute and the positions, please follow the links. Best regards, Jochen! -- Dr. Jochen Martin Eppler Phone: +49(2461)61-96653 ---------------------------------- Simulation Laboratory Neuroscience Jülich Supercomputing Centre Institute for Advanced Simulation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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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Brain Dynamics Toolbox for Matlab
by Stewart Heitmann March 23, 2018

March 23, 2018

Dear all, The Brain Dynamics Toolbox (http://www.bdtoolbox.org <http://www.bdtoolbox.org/>) is open-source software for simulating dynamical systems in neuroscience. It is for researchers and students who wish to explore mathematical models of brain function using Matlab. It includes a graphical tool for simulating dynamical systems in real-time as well as command-line tools for scripting large-scale simulations. Custom systems of differential equations can typically be defined in less than 100 lines of standard matlab code. The graphical interface is designed to be used as both a research tool and a teaching tool. Its hub-and-spoke architecture allows new combinations of numerical solvers and interactive plots (time plots, phase plots, bifurcation diagrams, space-time plots, etc) to be applied to any model with no additional programming effort. Version 2018a of the Brain Dynamics Toolbox has just been released and is available from http://www.bdtoolbox.org <http://www.bdtoolbox.org/> The Handbook for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox is available from https://www.amazon.com/dp/198057250X <https://www.amazon.com/dp/198057250X> The toolbox will be featured at the at the Australian Connectomics School (ACS-2018) in Melbourne, 30 May to 1 June 2018. Best Regards Stewart Heitmann & Michael Breakspear QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Systems Neuroscience Group

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Now hiring: The Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH - Toronto, Canada
by Sean Hill March 22, 2018

March 22, 2018

The Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics (www.krembilneuroinformatics.ca<http://www.krembilneuroinformatics.ca>) based at CAMH (www.camh.ca<http://www.camh.ca>), and fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Canada, is hiring world-leading specialists to transform our understanding of mental health by organizing, integrating, analyzing, visualizing and modelling data across all levels of the brain —from genes to circuits to behaviour. This multimodal data is gathered across the clinical environment including genetic, epigenetic, MRI, DTI, fMRI, hd-EEG, actigraphy and electronic medical record data. Teams will employ state-of-the-art techniques including topological data analysis, machine learning and multiscale computational modeling to accelerate identification and treatment of mental health disorders. Research is performed in an open, team science environment, with an emphasis on reproducible data-driven research and a patient-centric approach. A focus on global collaboration is key to transforming our understanding of mental health and its treatment. The centre will operate as an incubator for medical technologies to identify, manage and treat mental illness, while shaping policy at national and global levels. The centre is expanding with the following openings (see http://krembilneuroinformatics.ca/apply for full details and to apply): *Independent Scientist for Computational Genomics The Independent Scientist for Computational Genomics will build and lead a team of talented bioinformatics researchers, computational biologists, and computer scientists who employ and develop state-of-the-art genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic analyses and predictive models to provide new insights into mental health and brain disorders in a data driven way, making outcome predictors and identifying optimal intervention opportunities. *Independent Scientist for Brain Circuit Modelling The Independent Scientist for Brain Circuit Modelling will build and lead a team responsible for the development, simulation and analysis of dynamic and perturbable computational models of biophysically detailed brain circuitry (for both preclinical and human brains), integrating genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic data, and ion channel, cellular and synaptic biophysics. The team will work in close collaboration with other groups involved in detailed biophysical modeling, e.g. the Blue Brain Project and Allen Institute for Brain Science. The team will also be responsible for curating and maintaining data, literature and models to enable data-driven modeling of brain circuitry in health and disease, in addition to the concurrent construction of atlases, development of analysis approaches and identification of biomarkers to define mental health and brain disorders in a data driven way, such as aberrant dynamical processes. *Independent Scientist for Whole Brain Modelling The Independent Scientist for Whole Brain Modelling will build and lead a team responsible for the development of dynamic and perturbable causal models of the human brain, in health and in the context of mental illness, incorporating multi-modal neuroimaging and expression data including, but not limited to, structural, functional, diffusion and spectrometry MRI, PET/CT and EEG. The team will also be responsible for the concurrent construction of atlases, development of analysis approaches and identification of biomarkers to define mental health and brain disorders in a data driven manner. *Independent Scientist for Whole Person Modelling The Independent Scientist for Whole Person Modeling will build and lead a team responsible for the development and application of predictive modeling approaches for individual citizen, patient and population trajectories and outcomes. This includes tools, pipelines and approaches for the exploration, visualization and analysis of complex high-dimensional data, with the aim of the data-driven definition of mental health and brain disorders, and the establishment of outcome predictors and identification of optimal intervention opportunities. *Independent Scientist for Brain and Health Knowledge Management The Independent Scientist for Brain and Health Knowledge Management will build and lead a team responsible for organizing and disseminating data, models and literature related to the definition and treatment of mental health disorders to support both researchers and clinicians. This team will maintain and curate ontologies of brain disorders and link to data, analyses, visualizations, literature and models supporting their definition. This clinical support platform will support reasoning and inference across definitions and datasets to bridge psychiatric and neurological disorders. *Knowledge Engineering Lead The Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics is launching a knowledge engineering initiative to structure and map vast quantities of clinical and research data into a unified schema and develop a knowledge graph. This initiative will lay the technical foundation to support supervised and unsupervised content discovery, enable data mining, and facilitate interactive modes of engagement with our data corpus. A new Knowledge Engineering team is being established to spearhead the implementation of this initiative. This is a unique opportunity to partner with world-class researchers in the creation of unprecedented knowledge discovery tools. *Brain Imaging Data Engineer The Brain Imaging Data Engineer role will be accountable for managing and enhancing the solution for collecting, storing, curating and integrating brain imaging data sets across the organization, including, but not limited to the following modalities: MRI, PET and EEG. You will work closely with the senior architects on the technology team as well as collaborating with scientific leads. You will be accountable to evolve the technology solution to keep up with industry changes to ensure the solution remains optimal. *Molecular Data Engineer The Molecular Data Engineer role will be accountable for managing and enhancing the solution for collecting, storing, curating and integrating molecular data sets across the organization. You will work closely with the senior architects on the technology team as well as collaborating with scientific leads. You will be accountable to evolve the technology solution to keep up with industry changes to ensure the solution remains optimal. *Senior Project Manager – BrainHealth Databank The Senior Project Manager will work with multiple stakeholders both internal and external to CAMH and be responsible for the hands-on leadership and oversight for the development and execution of work plans, accountabilities, and timelines associated with the BrainHealth Databank initiative. The BrainHealth Databank platform will be specifically designed to support multidimensional phenotyping studies that combine digital phenotyping and laboratory-based data across existing and future clinical studies at CAMH. All data will be organized within the knowledge graph of the BrainHealth Databank. The platform will support configuration of studies that integrate common data elements and CRFs, wearable and mobile devices, voice samples, electronic medical record (EMR) extracts, outcome assessments and health care system usage. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. AVIS DE CONFIDENTIALITÉ : Ce message électronique, ainsi que tout fichier qui y est joint, est reserve à l'usage exclusif du destinataire visé et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels et privilégiés. Toute lecture, utilisation, divulgation ou distribution non autorisée est interdite. 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CFP, Special session - Hybrid Life: Approaches to integrate biological, artificial and cognitive systems, ALife 2018
by Manuel Baltieri March 21, 2018

March 21, 2018

[Apologies for cross-posting] ********** Call for Papers ********** Special session - Hybrid Life: Approaches to integrate biological, artificial and cognitive systems https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life/ <https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life/> 2018 Artificial Life conference (ALife) Tokyo, JAPAN, 23-27 July 2018 - http://2018.alife.org/ <http://2018.alife.org/> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION: The main focus of ALife research is the study of natural systems with the goal of understanding what life is. More concretely, ALife defines ways to investigate processes that contribute to the formation and proliferation of living organisms. In this session we focus on three common approaches to tackle this investigation, proposing ways to integrate, extend and possibly improve them. More specifically we refer to: 1) the formalisation of the necessary properties for the definition of life, 2) the implementation of artificial agents, and 3) the study of the relation between life and cognition. For this special session we propose to start from these well-established Alife methodologies, and extend them through: a unified formal language for the description and modelling of living, as well as artificial and cognitive systems, e.g. control theory, Bayesian inference, dynamical systems theory, etc., the exploration of biological creatures enhanced by artificial systems (or artificial systems augmented with organic parts) in order to investigate the boundaries between living and nonliving organisms, and the evaluation of coupled biological-artificial systems that could shed light on the importance of interactions among systems for the study of living and cognitive organisms. This special sessions aims to invite contributions from the fields of psychology, computational neuroscience, HCI, theoretical biology, artificial intelligence, robotics and cognitive science to discuss current research on the formalisation, combination and interaction of artificial/living/cognitive systems from theoretical, modelling and implementational perspectives. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: Formalisation of life and cognition (e.g. dynamical systems theory, stochastic optimal control, Bayesian inference, etc.) Cognitive robotics Autopoiesis Life-mind continuity thesis Systems biology Origins-of-life theories with relationships to artificial and cognitive systems Animal-robot interaction Bio-inspired robotics Bio-integrated robotics Human-machine interaction Augmented cognition Sensory substitution Interactive evolutionary computation Artificial perception Important Dates 19th March 2018 – Paper submission deadline 23rd April 2018 – Paper acceptance notification 21st May 2018 – Camera-ready version 23-27th July 2018 – Artificial Life conference (ALife), Tokyo, Japan Paper Submission Papers and abstracts submitted to this special sessions will be reviewed by a selected group of experts from the a-life community as well as from other areas key to our proposal, specifically chosen for this review process. If you are submitting to a special session you will be given the opportunity to select it during the submission process. Submissions to special sessions follow the same format, instructions and deadlines of regular ALife papers. Organizers Manuel Baltieri, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. m.baltieri(a)sussex.ac.uk <mailto:m.baltieri@sussex.ac.uk> Keisuke Suzuki, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. k.suzuki(a)sussex.ac.uk <mailto:filippo.m.bianchi@uit.no> Hiryuki IIzuka, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan hiroyukiiizuka(a)gmail.com <mailto:hiroyukiiizuka@gmail.com> Contacts For questions, enquiries and more information please check our website https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life/ <https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life/> or get in touch with m.baltieri(a)sussex.ac.uk <mailto:m.baltieri@sussex.ac.uk>. All the best, -- Manuel Baltieri, EASy group Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, UK Twitter: @manuelbaltieri

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Abstract submission for Neuroinformatics 2018 in Montréal, Canada is open!
by congress March 21, 2018

March 21, 2018

Dear all, Abstract submission for Neuroinformatics 2018 in Montréal, Canada on August 9-10 is now open! The annual INCF Congress provides a meeting place for researchers in all fields related to neuroinformatics. Join us for keynotes from top neuroscientists, community sessions and poster- and demo sessions. Neuroinformatics 2018 will be a great opportunity to introduce new participants to the field of neuroinformatics and highlight new and innovative tools and approaches. Providing a forum for infrastructure providers and developers of tools, standards, and best practices to help define the capabilities of the global network, receive training on how to participate in the Open, FAIR and Citable global network and learn how to provide better services to their constituents. *Abstract submission deadline is April 30: **neuroinformatics2018.org/abstracts <http://neuroinformatics2018.org/abstracts>* Registration will open shortly. More information: *neuroinformatics2018.org <http://www.neuroinformatics2018.org>* Please spread this information to anyone you feel would be interested in attending. *The International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) is an international non-profit organization devoted to advancing the field of neuroinformatics and global collaborative brain research. Learn more about INCF www.incf.org <http://www.incf.org/>* *We look forward to seeing you in Montréal!* Best Regards The INCF Secretariat <http://www.neuroinformatics2018.org> <http://www.neuroinformatics2018.org>

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DynaSim: A MATLAB/GNU Octave Toolbox for Neural Modeling and Simulation
by Jason Sherfey March 20, 2018

March 20, 2018

Dear Colleagues, We are happy to announce the release of DynaSim, an open-source MATLAB/GNU Octave toolbox for rapid prototyping of neural models and batch simulation management. It was designed to speed up and simplify the process of generating, sharing, and exploring network models of neurons with one or more compartments; it is the first, comprehensive neural modeling and simulation platform developed in MATLAB. It provides C compilation, optimized vector calculations, multi-core processing, and support for compute clusters to overcome the traditionally slow simulation speeds of MATLAB. It is also available for high performance computing via the Neuroscience Gateway web portal. A paper introducing DynaSim was recently published in Frontiers in Neuroinformatics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fninf.2018.00010/full. Documentation is available online at http://dynasimtoolbox.org. We hope this tool reduces barriers for investigating dynamics in neural models, facilitates collaborative modeling, and complements other tools being developed in the neuroinformatics community. Most of all, we hope you find this toolbox useful! Please direct questions to the lead developer, Jason Sherfey < sherfey(a)mit.edu> or the user mailing list: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/dynasim-users. Best regards, Jason Dr. Jason Sherfey Postdoctoral Research Fellow Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory http://JasonSherfey.com

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PhD/postdoc in Sensory and Behavioral Neuroscience, Gjorgjieva and Grunwald Kadow Labs in Frankfurt/Munich
by Gjorgjieva, Julijana March 20, 2018

March 20, 2018

Reminder and deadline extension: The labs of Julijana Gjorgjieva (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany) and Ilona Grunwald Kadow at the TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany invite applications for a fully-funded position (Postdoc or PhD student). We are looking for highly-motivated individuals with a strong quantitative background (in mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, or related fields), experience in programming and data analysis, and a desire to develop cutting-edge experimental techniques. Previous background in neuroscience, imaging or behavioral analysis is a plus! The project will examine the neural basis of need and effort-based decision-making in a collaboration between the Gjorgjieva lab, which develops theoretical models of neural circuit processing, and the Grunwald Kadow lab, which studies neural circuits underlying sensory processing and decision making in animal models. The project aims to uncover circuit principles and behavioral readouts of motivation, persistence, and value perception as a function of internal state or experience (e.g. hunger). In particular, the Grunwald Kadow lab is collecting rich data sets of behavioral trajectories of single Drosophila flies as well as functional imaging data (i.e. multiphoton and light-sheet) of neuronal populations (e.g. modulatory neurons). The project will aim to develop advanced analysis techniques that extract key statistical features of the behavioral trajectories and imaging data, and build mathematical models that reproduce the data and make new predictions to be further tested experimentally. By combining behaviour, genetics and imaging, we will also develop neural circuit models that involve several brain areas, including sensory brain areas and higher cognitive regions of the fly brain (i.e. mushroom body). References: S. Sayin J. Gjorgjieva, I. C. Grunwald Kadow (2018). A neural circuit arbitrates between perseverance and reward in hungry Drosophila. BioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/259119<http://doi.org/10.1101/259119> J. Gjorgjieva, G. Drion and E. Marder (2016). Computational implications of biophysical diversity and multiple timescales in neurons and synapses for circuit performance. Curr Opin Neurobiol 37:44-52. Lewis L, Siju KP, Aso Y, Friedrich AB, Bulteel AJB, Rubin GM, Grunwald Kadow IC (2015). A higher brain circuit for immediate integration of conflicting sensory information in Drosophila. Current Biology PMID: 26299514, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.015 Application: The position will be based at the Technical University of Munich, with frequent visits to the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, two of the most exciting and international cities in Germany. The application deadline has been extended to: April 15, 2018. Applicants will be considered until the position is filled. For further information please visit: http://www.cns.wzw.tum.de and http://www.neuro.wzw.tum.de or email gjorgjieva(a)brain.mpg.de and ilona.grunwald(a)tum.de. To apply, please email the following to: neuro(a)wzw.tum.de (ref. GGK application) 1. A curriculum vitae 2. A letter of motivation explaining your scientific interests, your strengths when working on a problem, why us etc. 3. Contact details for 2 referees 4. A written sample of scientific research, e.g. a manuscript, thesis, or code etc. ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Research Group Leader Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Max-von-Laue-Str. 4, Frankfurt Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich, WZW Freising office: +49 69 850033 3600 http://cns.wzw.tum.de

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Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience -- Deadline April 2
by Jakob Macke March 20, 2018

March 20, 2018

Dear colleagues, final reminder and line-up for the Cajal Computational Neuroscience Course in Lisbon this summer. We extended the deadline to April 2, so there is still time to apply! Best, Jakob Macke CAJAL COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 12 August - 1 September 2018, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal http://www.cccn.pt Applications deadline: 2 April 2018 (midnight, CET time) DIRECTORS • Joe Paton (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal) • Jakob Macke (TU Darmstadt & Research Center Caesar Bonn, Germany) • Christian Machens (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal) Computational Neuroscience is a rapidly evolving field whose methods and techniques are critical for understanding and modelling the brain, and also for designing and interpreting experiments. Mathematical modeling is an essential tool to cut through the vast complexity of neurobiological systems and their many interacting elements. 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 is 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 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, and 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. A four-day pre-school in mathematics and programming is offered for students that want to catch up on their math and programming skills. A maximum of 24 students will be accepted. Students of any nationality can apply. We specifically encourage applications from researchers who work in the developing world. Stipends are available. More information on the course website, http://www.cccn.pt Apply here: http://www.fens.org/Training/CAJAL-programme/CAJAL-courses-2018/CCCN-2018/A… Contact address: Simone Zacarias, simone.zacarias(a)research.fchampalimaud.org Confirmed faculty: Matthias Bethge, University of Tübingen Kevin Briggman, Research Center Caesar, Bonn, Germany Megan Carey, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal Claudia Clopath, Imperial College London, UK Sophie Deneve, ENS Paris, France Rainer Engelken, Columbia University, US Julijana Gjorgjieva, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Pedro Goncalves, Research Center Caesar, Bonn, Germany Michael Häusser, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, UK Andreas Herz, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Germany Simon Laughlin, University of Cambridge, UK Gilles Laurent, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Máté Lengyel, University of Cambridge, UK Jennifer Linden, UCL Ear Institute, UK Elliot Ludvig, Warwick University, UK Anthony Movshon, New York University, USA Maneesh Sahani, Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK Cristina Savin, New York University, USA Jeffrey Taube, Dartmouth College, USA Eero Simoncelli, New York University, USA Tim Vogels, Oxford University, UK Byron Yu, Carnegie Mellon University, USA Jakob Macke www.mackelab.org

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postdoctoral positions in theoretical neuroscience at the Kavli Institute in Trondheim
by Yasser Roudi March 19, 2018

March 19, 2018

Postdoctoral positions in theoretical/computational neuroscience are available at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience/Centre for Neural Computation in Trondheim, Norway. The position(s) is a part of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience. The Centre for Neural Computation is a recently established centre of excellence funded for 10 years by the Norwegian Research Council. We offer an international and multidisciplinary environment in which creativity and scientific discourse is valued and stimulated. Through our widespread network of international collaborations, unique career possibilities are offered. See http://www.ntnu.no/cbm/ for detailed information. The position will be part of the group headed by Professor Yasser Roudi. The position/s will be for 2 years. The successful applicant will take part in mainly independent research in theoretical neuroscience and statistical inference within the Roudi group. The specifics of the projects are up to agreement and discussion and new and novel ideas are highly welcome. Developing models of grid cells and their interactions with hippocampus as well as analysis of neural data from these areas will be one possible directions of research that can be taken during the tenure of the position. For more Information and details about how to apply please see https://www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-stillinger/stilling/149615/post-doc-kavli-i…

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FENS Satellite Meeting on "Receptive Fields: Analysis, Models and Applications": 6 July 2018 - applications open
by Anthony Burkitt March 18, 2018

March 18, 2018

Dear Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the FENS Satellite Meeting on "Receptive Fields: Analysis, Models and Applications", to be held on 6th July 2018. Applications are open at the Workshop website: fenscibf2018.eventbrite.com.au<http://fenscibf2018.eventbrite.com.au> RECEPTIVE FIELDS: ANALYSIS, MODELS AND APPLICATIONS At this FENS satellite meeting, eight world-leading researchers will discuss the latest advances on the formation and analysis of visual receptive fields and place maps, bringing together insights and discoveries from around the world. Topics will include state-of-the-art experimental and computational approaches to receptive field analysis, visual pathways, place maps and adaptation to the statistics of the visual environment. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: • Tatyana Sharpee SALK Institute, USA • Michael Ibbotson National Vision Research Institute, Australia • Yves Fragnac CNRS, France • Jose-Manuel Alonso State University of New York, USA • TR Vidyasagar University of Melbourne, Australia • Dirk Jancke Ruhr University, Germany • Elizabeth Zavitz Monash University, Australia • Simon Schultz Imperial College, UK MEETING DETAILS DATE: Friday, 6 July 2018 TIME: 9am – 5pm CEST / Germany (Berlin) Time VENUE: Hotel NH Collection Berlin Friedrichstraße, Friedrichstraße 96, 10117 Berlin, Germany COST: Early bird fee by 6 April 2018 - €30 ; Standard fee by 22 June 2018 - €50 ; Registration includes refreshments, lunch and snacks. REGISTER HERE URL: fenscibf2018.eventbrite.com.au<http://fenscibf2018.eventbrite.com.au> CONTACT Email: Tenille Ryan (tryan(a)aco.org.au<mailto:tryan@aco.org.au>)

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Failures of adaptively timed hippocampal learning during memory consolidation and Fragile X syndrome
by Grossberg, Stephen March 17, 2018

March 17, 2018

The following two articles model how failures of adaptively timed learning and incentive motivational support by hippocampus (i.e., failure of “time cells”) can cause clinical problems in memory consolidation and Fragile X syndrome: ***************** Franklin, D. J., and Grossberg, S. (2017). A neural model of normal and abnormal learning and memory consolidation: Adaptively timed conditioning, hippocampus, amnesia, neurotrophins, and consciousness. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 17, 24-76. http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13415-016-0463-y This article explains and simulates the kinds of data that many cognitive neuroscientists have reported after the famous case of the amnesic patient HM; namely, how, after some learning occurs, early vs. late lesions of amygdala, hippocampus, or orbitofrontal cortex can cause very different memory consolidation problems. ***************** Grossberg, S., and Kishnan, D. (2018). Neural dynamics of autistic repetitive behaviors and Fragile X syndrome: Basal ganglia movement gating and mGluR-modulated adaptively timed learning. Frontiers in Psychology, Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00269. This article explains how Fragile X syndrome can be caused when mGluR-mediated adaptively timed hippocampal learning and support of motivated attention fail.

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Call for papers - Special issue on Operations Research for Neuroscience II
by Ruben A. Tikidji-Hamburyan March 15, 2018

March 15, 2018

Dear Colleagues, ~~~ Apologies for cross-posting ~~~ We are happy to announce a second special issue on Operations Research for Neuroscience. The special issue will be published in the journal Annals of Operations Research, Springer. We strongly encourage the submission of manuscripts which propose further developments of modern formal theories (such as the free-energy principle, integrated information, Bayesian inference, etc). The use of methods from modern operations research in neuroscience is a prerequisite for any paper submitted to this special issue to enter the reviewing process. Submission deadline: December 1, 2018 Please find the CfP as plain text below or as a pdf file here: CfP - ANOR SI OR for Neuroscience <https://sites.google.com/site/rubentikidjihamburyan/research/CfP-ANOR_SI_OR…> Best, Ruben ____________________________________________________ ― Call for Papers ― Annals of Operations Research Special Issue Operations Research for Neuroscience II ____________________________________________________ After the positive and encouraging response from the scientific and wider community to the special issue Operations Research for Neuroscience, the journal Annals of Operations Research (Springer) now invites submissions of papers to a second special issue on the same subject, called Operations Research for Neuroscience II. Neuroscience, a multidisciplinary science, is concerned with the study of the structure and functions of the nervous system. It comprises aspects of physiology, cellular and molecular biology, as well as behavioral and cognitive science. Recent technological and theoretical advances offer promising opportunities for better understanding of the nervous system at the quantitative level. New optogenetic, in vitro and in vivo multielectrode recording, neuroimaging, brain imaging, and other modern techniques provide high-quality data that can be used in elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of information processing in the nervous system. The rapidly growing pool of experimental data has triggered the development of new mathematical models that can provide new insights into the functioning of the nervous system at various scales, ranging from that of molecular biology to that of the organizational principles of behavior and cognition. Sophisticated analyses of intracellular signaling or dynamics in heterogeneous neural networks, conditional behavior, or connections of brain regions in decision-making lead to theoretical problems, addressed by operations research. Although, operations research is actively used in bottom-up approaches--from experimental observation to consistent theory-- it also widely overlaps modern and rapidly developing formal theories, for example the free-energy principle, integrated information theory, and may others. The special issue will cover a broad range of topics in the field of neuroscience using operations research approaches, methods, and theories. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas and methodologies of neuroscience: o intracellular signaling and regulation o synaptic plasticity o dynamics in heterogeneous neural networks o intelligent systems and control o perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral functions o learning and memory o spatio-temporal network analysis o behavioral economics and finance o linguistics and cognition o combinatorial optimization o signal and information processing o neuroimaging and functional brain imaging processing o computational modeling and simulation o formal theoretical approaches: the free-energy principle, integrated information, Bayesian inference, etc. The use of methods from modern operations research in neuroscience is a prerequisite for any paper submitted to this special issue to enter the reviewing process. Annals of Operations Research is abstracted and indexed in the following databases: Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch), Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, SCOPUS, INSPEC, Zentralblatt Math, Google Scholar, EBSCO, CSA, ProQuest, ABS Academic Journal Quality Guide, Academic OneFile, Academic Search, Computer Abstracts International Database, Computer Science Index, CSA Environmental Sciences, Current Contents/Engineering, Computing and Technology, DBLP, ECONIS, Expanded Academic, International Abstracts in Operations Research, Mathematical Reviews, OCLC, SCImago, STMA-Z, Summon by ProQuest. The Special Issue is officially endorsed by EURO Conference 2018, Valencia. Guest Editors: Erik Kropat, Ruben A. Tikidji-Hamburyan, Gerhard-Wilhelm Weber Important Date: Submission deadline of full papers: December 1, 2018. Submission Details: The format of manuscripts for the Annals of Operations Research as well as guidelines can be found on the web page of Springer, the publisher of the journal: http://www.springer.com/journal/10479/submission. Authors should submit a cover letter mentioning that the paper is for a special issue and a manuscript via the journal's online submission site: http://www.editorialmanager.com/anor. When prompted, please select the article type “S.I.: OR in Neuroscience II”. All papers submitted for publication will be carefully refereed. In case of any question please contact by e-mail one of the following guest editors: Dr. Erik Kropat Department of Computer Science Universität der Bundeswehr München Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39 85577 Neubiberg, Germany E-mail: erik.kropat(a)gmx.de Dr. Ruben A. Tikidji-Hamburyan Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy Health Sciences Center, Louisiana State University New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA E-mail: rtikid(a)lsuhsc.edu Prof. Dr. Gerhard-Wilhelm Weber Faculty of Engineering Management Chair of Marketing and Economic Engineering Poznan University of Technology ul. Strzelecka 11 60-965 Poznan, Poland E-mail: gerhard.weber(a)put.poznan.pl

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ACT-R Summer School application deadline approaching
by db30＠andrew.cmu.edu March 15, 2018

March 15, 2018

The deadline for applications, April 15th, is now only one month away. 2018 ACT-R Summer School and Master Class Carnegie Mellon University July 9-13, 2018 ACT-R is a unified theory of cognition that has been implemented in a software system called a cognitive architecture that can be used to develop computational cognitive models. It has been applied to modeling tasks that range from experimental tasks like simple reaction time and list learning, to real world tasks like driving a car and air traffic control. The 2018 ACT-R Summer School will take place at CMU in Pittsburgh from July 9-13. It consists of both a Summer School for beginning users and a Master Class for more experienced users. The Summer School will train researchers in the use of ACT-R for cognitive modeling using the ACT-R tutorial. Each day will consist of a morning theory lecture covering one or two tutorial units, an afternoon discussion session on the topics of the day, and modeling assignments which participants are expected to complete during the day and evening. The Master Class is organized in parallel with the Summer School. The Master Class offers the opportunity for ACT-R modelers to work on their own projects with guidance from experienced ACT-R researchers. There is no curriculum for the Master Class, but Master Class students are welcome to attend the Summer School lectures and discussion sessions. To provide an optimal learning environment, admission to the Summer School and Master Class will be limited. To apply for the Summer School, please email a curriculum vitae and a statement of purpose to db30(a)andrew.cmu.edu. Demonstrated experience with a modeling formalism similar to ACT-R will strengthen a Summer School application. To apply for the Master Class please email a curriculum vitae along with some information about your level of experience with ACT-R and some details on the project you expect to work on during the Master Class. Applications are due by April 15th and applicants will be notified of admission by April 30th. Admission to the Summer School and Master Class is free. Housing will be available in the CMU dormitories for approximately $65/day (single) or $50/day (shared). More information about ACT-R, including papers published by the ACT-R community, can be found on the ACT-R web site: <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/>. For more information on the Summer School and Master Class you can email Dan Bothell at db30(a)andrew.cmu.edu.

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Call for papers - Special issue on Brain-Computer Interfaces for Human Augmentation
by Davide Valeriani March 15, 2018

March 15, 2018

Dear all, I thought some of you might be interested in contributing to this special issue of Brain Sciences about BCI for human augmentation. The deadline for manuscript submissions is *30 April 2018*. Please do get in touch if you are interested. More info at: *http://bit.ly/bcihuman <http://bit.ly/bcihuman> *or http://www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/special_issues/Brain_Computer_Interface P.S. Apologies for cross-posting. Best regards, Davide -- *Dr Davide Valeriani* Senior Research Officer BCI-NE Lab University of Essex *E* dvaler(a)essex.ac.uk *W* www.davidevaleriani.it

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CFP: The OMG-Emotion Recognition Challenge
by Pablo Barros March 15, 2018

March 15, 2018

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION The One-Minute Gradual-Emotion Recognition (OMG-Emotion) held in partnership with the WCCI/IJCNN 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. https://www2.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/wtm/OMG-EmotionChallenge/ I. Aim and Scope Our One-Minute-Gradual Emotion Dataset (OMG-Emotion Dataset) is composed of 420 relatively long emotion videos with an average length of 1 minute, collected from a variety of Youtube channels. The videos were selected automatically based on specific search terms related to the term ``monologue''. Using monologue videos allowed for different emotional behaviors to be presented in one context and that changes gradually over time. Videos were separated into clips based on utterances, and each utterance was annotated by at least five independent subjects using the Amazon Mechanical Turk tool. To maintain the contextual information for each video, each annotator watched the clips of a video in sequence and had to annotate each video using an arousal/valence scale and a categorical emotion based on the universal emotions from Ekman. We release the dataset with the gold standar for arousal and valence as well the invidivual annotations for each reviewer, which can help the development of different models. We will calculate the final Congruence Correlation Coefficient against the gold standard for each video. We also distribute the transcripts of what was spoken in each of the videos, as the contextual information is important to determine gradual emotional change through the utterances. The participants are encouraged to use crossmodal information in their models, as the videos were labeled by humans without distinction of any modality. We also will let available to the participant teams a set of scripts which will help them to pre-process the dataset and evaluate their model during in the training phase. We encourage the use of neural-computation models based on deep learning, sel-organization and recurrent neural networks, just to mention some of them, as they present the sate-of-the-art performance in such tasks. II. How to Participate To participate, please send us an email to barros(a)informatik.uni-hamburg.de with the title "OMG-Emotion Recognition Team Registration". This e-mail must contain the following information: Team Name Team Members Affiliation Each team can have a maximum of 5 participants. You will receive from us the access to the dataset and all the important information about how to train and evaluate your models. For the final submission, each team will have to send us a .csv file containing the final arousal/valence values for each of the utterances on the test dataset. We also request a link to a GitHub repository where your solution must be stored, and a link to an ArXiv paper with 4-6 pages describing your model and results. The best papers will be invited to submit their detailed research to a journal yet to be specified. Also, the best participating teams will hold an oral presentation about their solution during the WCCI/IJCNN 2018 conference. III. Important Dates Publishing of training and validation data with annotations: March 14, 2018. Publishing of the test data, and an opening of the online submission: April 11, 2018. Closing of the submission portal: April 13, 2018. Announcement of the winner through the submission portal: April 18, 2018. IV. Organization Pablo Barros, University of Hamburg, Germany Egor Lakomkin, University of Hamburg, Germany Henrique Siqueira, Hamburg University, Germany Alexander Sutherland, Hamburg University, Germany Stefan Wermter, Hamburg University, Germany -- Dr.rer.nat. Pablo Barros Postdoctoral Research Associate - Crossmodal Learning Project (CML) Knowledge Technology Department of Informatics University of Hamburg Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 40 42883 2535 Fax: +49 40 42883 2515 barros at informatik.uni-hamburg.de https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/people/barros.html https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/

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Faculty position in Math Biology at NJIT
by Victor Matveev March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

Dear comp-neuro list members, The Department of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level in mathematical biology. A second DMS tenure-track assistant professor position in the broader area of applied mathematics is advertised separately (links provided below). The appointment is to start in Fall 2018. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in mathematics, applied mathematics or a related discipline, with an established record of independent research, strong potential for seeking external research support, and a commitment to teaching at graduate and undergraduate levels. Candidates working in any subfield of mathematical biology will be given consideration. Currently, members of the DMS mathematical biology group are engaged in research in computational neuroscience, biological rhythms, biofluids and mechanosensing. To apply, please visit https://njit.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=35 The second position in applied mathematics is advertised separately at https://njit.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?site=1&id=30 Submissions must include (a) cover letter, (b) resume/CV, (c) research statement, (d) teaching statement, and (e) names and contact information for at least four references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Please direct any questions to the search committee chair, Victor Matveev, at matveev(a)njit.edu. DMS is recognized for its strong program in applied mathematics, which offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, with Ph.D. program tracks in applied mathematics as well as in applied probability and statistics. NJIT is in the University Heights neighborhood next to vibrant downtown Newark, about 12 miles west of New York City. The NJIT campus is adjacent to the campus of Rutgers-Newark, with which it shares several academic programs. DMS has close collaborative ties to the Department of Biological Sciences at NJIT. Excellent potential for outside collaboration is also afforded by the close geographic proximity of NJIT to other prominent centers for biological research such as the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey Medical School, NYU, Columbia University, and Rockefeller University. Apart from mathematical biology, DMS faculty work in diverse fields of applied mathematics including fluid dynamics, granular matter, nonlinear waves, applied analysis, scientific computing, dynamical systems, and probability and statistics. NJIT is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply. -- ___________________________________ Victor Matveev, Professor Applied Math, Biophysics & Neuroscience Department of Mathematical Sciences Graduate Faculty, Dept of Biological Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102-1982 Office: Cullimore Hall 616 E-mail: matveev(a)njit.edu http://web.njit.edu/~matveev/

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Call for contributions: Grenoble Workshop on Models and Analysis of Eye Movements, June 06-08 2018
by Simon Barthelmé March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

Grenoble workshop on models and analysis of eye movements: June 06-08 2018 Eye movements are easy to acquire and highly valuable for the study of cognitive processing. Their analysis presents interesting statistical challenges: scanpaths are complex spatiotemporal signals with relevant information at different spatial and temporal scales, from microsaccades to fixation patterns. The goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers who develop and use models to understand eye-movement data. We welcome contributions on all aspects of eye movement modelling and analysis, from saliency prediction to latent state models. Possible forms of contribution are: oral presentation, poster or demonstration. Deadline for abstract submission: April 22 2018 Deadline for registration: May 13 2018 Invited speakers: - Antje Nuthmann, University of Kiel - Yulia Sandamirskaya, University of Zurich & ETH - Jean Lorenceau, CNRS, LSP, ENS - Jean-Michel Boucheix, LEAD-CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté Location: Grenoble is the largest city in the French Alps, with a large and vibrant academic community. It is easy to get to, with two major airports (Lyon & Geneva) in the vicinity and a TGV connection to Paris. More information and registration at: eyemovements.sciencesconf.org

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Bernstein Conference 2018 - Call for Workshops - New Deadline: March 28, 2018, 3 pm CET
by Kerstin Schwarzwaelder March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience invites proposals for Satellite Workshops directly preceding the Bernstein Conference 2018 in Berlin. ************************************************************** Important Dates: Satellite Workshops: September 25 - 26, 2018 Main Bernstein Conference: September 26 - 28, 2018 New Deadline for Satellite Workshop proposal submission: March 28, 2018, 3 pm CET Notification of Workshop acceptance: April 2018 ************************************************************** Since 2013, the Bernstein Conference hosts pre-conference workshops which 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. The format should be designed to foster debate, rather than a mere series of talks. The selection criteria for Workshop proposals will include scientific excellence, topical relevance and gender diversity. 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. Satellite Workshop schedule: September 25, 2018, 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm September 26, 2018, 8:30 am - noon Workshop proposals are welcome for either half-day or full-day workshops. Workshop costs – FINANCIAL SUPPORT: All organizers and speakers of accepted workshops will receive a waiver for the workshop fee. Organizers of accepted workshops additionally receive a waiver for the main conference. Up to 10 selected workshops can receive financial support up to 1.500,00 € each. Coffee break catering will be provided. For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website http://www.bernstein-conference.de. INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSAL PREPARATION Workshop proposals must contain: 1) Workshop Title 2) Concise description of workshop topic 3) List of potential speakers indicating speaker commitment 4) Optional: a comment on how the organizers plan to achieve gender diversity among speakers Please use the Workshop Proposal Form that can be downloaded here: http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2018/satellite-workshops New Deadline for submission of Workshop proposals: March 28, 2018, 3 pm CET CONTACT: bernstein.network(at)fz-juelich.de We are looking forward to seeing you in Berlin! WORKSHOP SELECTION COMMITTEE: Jakob Macke (Workshop Chair) Tatjana Tchumatchenko (Workshop Vice Chair) Axel Borst Nicolas Brunel Anne Churchland Claudia Clopath Gaute Einevoll Adrienne Fairhall Gilles Laurent (Program Chair) Mate Lengyel Elad Schneidman Susanne Schreiber (Program Vice Chair) Terry Sejnowski Henning Sprekeler (Conference Host) Fred Wolf -- Dr. Kerstin Schwarzwälder Scientific Coordination / Management Officer Please note: Our email addresses have changed. Please use k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9589 mail: k.schwarzwaelder(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:k.schwarzwaelder@fz-juelich.de> web: www.nncn.de<http://www.nncn.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany<https://twitter.com/NNCN_Germany> YouTube: Bernstein TV<https://www.youtube.com/user/BernsteinNetwork> Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.facebook.com/BernsteinNetwork/> LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany<https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/bernstein-network-computational-neuroscien…> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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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University of Melbourne - LECTURER (5 Positions; Female Applicants Only)
by Uwe Aickelin March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

Dear Colleagues, International Women’s Day provided us with the opportunity to reflect upon the diversity within our School. The Melbourne School of Engineering has 182 women academic staff, but this represents just 22 per cent of our total academic numbers. We are committed to remedying this imbalance and lifting the representation of women to 30 per cent by 2022. To help enact this change, I’m pleased to announce five new continuing positions that we are making available to women of exceptional calibre, in all fields of engineering, computing and information systems. The five positions are across the School and we are accepting applications from all related areas. To view complete position descriptions, click here<http://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/894257/lecturer-5-positions-female-ap…>. These positions are a key component of a broad suite of programs we have implemented at MSE that are aimed at increasing the recruitment, retention and promotion of women. Successful appointees will be given the opportunity to play a significant role in realising the industry engagement targets of MSE 2025, develop internationally recognised research portfolios, establish funding streams to support these portfolios, and to enhance interdisciplinary research within and outside the University, whilst contributing to teaching and curriculum development within MSE. Applications for part-time or other flexible working arrangements will be welcomed and will be fully considered subject to meeting the inherent requirements of the position. Close date: 8 Apr 2018 Uwe Aickelin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Professor Uwe Aickelin – Head of School School of Computing and Information Systems Melbourne School of Engineering Level 8, Doug McDonell Building University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia T. +613 8344 3635 E: uwe.aickelin(a)unimelb.edu.au <mailto:uwe.aickelin@unimelb.edu.au> W: http://aickelin.com<http://aickelin.com/>

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