- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Workshop: Dynamics of learning and computations in neuronal circuits, June 27-29, 2018, Göttingen
by farzad Feb. 22, 2018

Feb. 22, 2018

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funded postdoc positions: mechanisms of perception
by Haider, Bilal Feb. 22, 2018

Feb. 22, 2018

Postdoctoral position: Synaptic mechanisms controlling perception The Haider Lab<haider.gatech.edu> in the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech & Emory University seeks a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral fellow for a 3-year funded project examining synaptic and network mechanisms supporting sensory perception. The project offers significant opportunity to learn cutting-edge research techniques in vivo, including neural population recording with high-density silicon electrodes, optogenetic circuit manipulation, and whole-cell patch-clamp recording in mice performing visual behaviors. The ideal candidate has expertise in electrophysiology in vitro or in vivo, and quantitative skill in data acquisition and analysis (preferably with MATLAB). Candidates should have excellent written and verbal communication skills, an inquisitive mindset, and enthusiasm to work in a multi-disciplinary team. The position is funded for up to 3 years, pending satisfactory performance upon annual review. We are enthusiastic to form a diverse, international research group. All candidates will be mentored to obtain independent funding as part of their career development. There is a strong, multidisciplinary concentration of labs focusing on Neuroscience @ GT<http://neuro.gatech.edu/> and at Emory<http://biomed.emory.edu/PROGRAM_SITES/NS/>. Atlanta is vibrant, green, and one of the most affordable and livable major cities of the US. Applications should include a CV, a brief statement of research goals, expected date of availability, and names and contact information of three references. Please email these materials to bilal.haider(a)bme.gatech.edu<mailto:bilal.haider@bme.gatech.edu>. The position is available starting March 2018. The Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering<https://www.bme.gatech.edu/> at Georgia Tech and Emory University is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. The Department is a unique enterprise, spanning two of the top Engineering and Medical institutes in the country. This environment offers unparalleled facilities and resources for the pursuit of understanding neural circuits and their relationship to behavior and neurological dysfunction. Further information and recent lab publications can be found at haider.gatech.edu<file:///C:/Users/bilal/Dropbox/Docs/GTech%20Docs/haider.gatech.edu> Thank you Bilal Haider, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Tech & Emory University 313 Ferst Drive, Suite 3104 Atlanta, GA 30332 tel: +1 404 385 4935 fax: +1 404 385 5044 site: haider.gatech.edu<http://haider.gatech.edu/> twitter: @haiderlab<https://twitter.com/haiderlab>

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MODVIS 2018 - call for papers
by Yalda Mohsenzadeh Feb. 21, 2018

Feb. 21, 2018

We are pleased to announce that Eero Simoncelli (NYU, HHMI) will be keynote speaker at the 7th annual VSS satellite workshop on Computational and Mathematical Models in Vision (MODVIS). MODVIS 2018 will be held May 16-18, at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida (USA), immediately preceding the annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. Submissions consist of single-page extended abstracts that may contain figures and equations, which will be published on the Purdue e-Pubs system. Abstract submission will open on January 8th, 2017, and close on March 4th. For complete details, please visit the MODVIS web site at https://www.conf.purdue.edu/modvis/. on behalf of the MODVIS organizing committee: Yalda Mohsenzadeh (MIT) Jeff Mulligan (NASA Ames Research Center) Zygmunt Pizlo (UC Irvine) Anne Sereno (Purdue University) Qasim Zaidi (SUNY College of Optometry) Michael Rudd (University of Washington)

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Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience - Call for Nominations
by Alexandra Stein Feb. 21, 2018

Feb. 21, 2018

Dear Colleagues, The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience invites nominations for the Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience. The Bernstein Association for Computational Neuroscience presents the award biennially to a scientist in recognition of outstanding research that contributes to the understanding of the functioning of the brain. The major criterion for the award is the impact or potential impact of the recipient's research on the field of brain science. In the spirit of Valentino Braitenberg's own research, special emphasis is given to theoretical studies elucidating the functional implications of brain structures and their neuronal network dynamics. The awardee receives €5.000 prize money, donated by the Autonome Provinz Bozen Südtirol, as well as an invitation to the Bernstein Conference 2018 (including registration fee, travel- and accommodation expenses). The award will be presented together with a Golden Neuron pin in a special award ceremony at the Bernstein Conference, followed by a lecture of the Braitenberg Awardee. Nominations may be submitted by scientists working in the field of computational neuroscience and should include the following documents: - One-page laudation, in which the scientific work of the candidate is honored with regard to the award criteria - CV and list of publications Deadline for nominations is April 30, 2018 by email to a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> Please note that self-nominations are not permitted. The call for nominations can be found under the following URL: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2018/braitenberg_award<http://www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2018/braitenberg_award> For inquiries please contact a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de>. Best regards, Alexandra Stein -- Dr. Alexandra Stein Head of Bernstein Coordination Site 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 9583 mobile: (+49) 0151 67114645 mail: a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> web: www.bernstein-network.de<http://www.bernstein-network.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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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CFP- ACM-THRI Special Issue on Representation Learning for Human and Robot Cognition
by Amir Aly Feb. 21, 2018

Feb. 21, 2018

*ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (T-HRI) * CALL FOR PAPERS **Apologies for cross posting ** We are happy to call for papers for the journal special issue: *"Representation Learning for Human and Robot Cognition"* *Webpage: **https://thri.acm.org/CFP-RLHRC.cfm <https://thri.acm.org/CFP-RLHRC.cfm> * <http://cognitive-mirroring.org/en/events/hai2017_workshop/> *I. Aim and Scope *Intelligent robots are rapidly moving to the center of human environment; they collaborate with human users in different applications that require high-level cognitive functions so as to allow them to understand and learn from human behavior within different Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) contexts. To this end, a stubborn challenge that attracts much attention in artificial intelligence is representation learning, which refers to learning representations of data so as to efficiently extract relevant features for probabilistic, nonprobabilistic, or connectionist classifiers. This active area of research spans different fields and applications including speech recognition, object recognition, emotion recognition, natural language processing, language emergence and development, in addition to mirroring different human cognitive processes through appropriate computational modeling. Learning constitutes a basic operation in the human cognitive system and developmental process, where perceptual information enhances the ability of the sensory system to respond to external stimuli through interaction with the environment. This learning process depends on the optimality of features (representations of data), which allows humans to make sense of everything they feel, hear, touch, and see in the environment. Using intelligent robots could open the door to shed light on the underlying mechanisms of representation learning and its associated cognitive processes so as to take a closer step towards making robots able to better collaborate with human users in space. This special issue aims to shed light on cutting edge lines of interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience, cognitive robotics, and human-robot interaction, focusing on representation learning with the objective of creating natural and intelligent interaction between humans and robots. Recent advances and future research lines in representation learning will be discussed in detail in this journal special issue. *II. Potential Topics* Topics relevant to this special issue include, but are not limited to: - Language learning, embodiment, and social intelligence - Human symbol system and symbol emergence in robotics - Computational modeling for high-level human cognitive functions - Predictive learning from sensorimotor information - Multimodal interaction and concept formulation - Language and action development - Learning, reasoning, and adaptation in collaborative human-robot tasks - Affordance learning - Cross-situational learning - Learning by demonstration and imitation - Language and grammar induction in robots *III. Submission* ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, open-access journal using an online submission and manuscript tracking system. To submit your paper, please: - Go to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/thri and login or follow the "Create an account" link to register. - After logging in, click the "Author" tab. - Follow the instructions to "Start New Submission". - Choose the submission category “*SI: Representation Learning for Human and Robot Cognition*”. *IV. Timline* - Deadline for paper submission: July 1, 2018 - First notification for authors: September 15, 2018 - Deadline for revised papers submission: November 15, 2018 - Final notification for authors: January 15, 2019 - Deadline for submission of camera-ready manuscripts: March 1, 2019 - Expected publication date: May 2019 *V. Guest editors* Takato Horii, The University of Electro-Communications, Japan ( takato(a)uec.ac.jp) Dr. Amir Aly, Ritsumeikan University, Japan (amir.aly(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp) Dr. Yukie Nagai, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan (yukie(a)nict.go.jp) Prof. Takayuki Nagai, The University of Electro-Communications, Japan ( nagai(a)ee.uet.at.jp) --------- *Amir Aly, Ph.D.* Senior Researcher Emergent Systems Laboratory College of Information Science and Engineering Ritsumeikan University 1-1-1 Noji Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan

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PhD Opening - TEMPORAL NETWORKS: FROM NETWORK THEORY TO BRAIN SCIENCE AND NEUROLOGY
by Demian Battaglia Feb. 20, 2018

Feb. 20, 2018

We are seeking for excellent and motivated candidates for a PhD project based at Aix-Marseille University (AMU, southern France) focusing on: TEMPORAL NETWORKS: FROM NETWORK THEORY TO BRAIN SCIENCE AND NEUROLOGY The student will be jointly directed by Alain Barrat (AMU, Center for Theoretical Physics) and Demian Battaglia (AMU, Institute for Systems Neuroscience). The project, with a strong interdisciplinary component, aims at developing new techniques for the extraction and analysis of time-dependent networks of functional connectivity, based on time-series of neural activity, and, in particular, of human intracranial recordings during resting state, task conditions and stimulation. Mean-field whole brain models may also be used to explore the link between Functional Connectivity Dynamics and the underlying collective thalamocortical dynamics. Any application must be formally submitted on a devoted Web Portal: https://doc2amu.univ-amu.fr/en/temporal-networks-from-network-theory-to-bra… DEADLINE: April 9th, 2018 at 23:59 (Paris Time) The selection will occur through a TWO-STEPS EVALUATION, involving a first pre-selection (2 May 2018) and then a competitive oral examination of the retained applicants (31 May - 1 June 2018). ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: - You must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of your research career (career breaks excluded) - You must be at the time of recruitment, in possession/or finalizing the master degree or equivalent - You must be available to engage in the programme at the starting date (October 1st, 2018) - At the time of recruitment, not to have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date (October 1st, 2018) The fellowship of the successful PhD candidate will be co-funded by the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND action within the H2020 Research and Innovation programme of the European Union. Within this programme, the PhD fellows will sign a three-year work contract with numerous advantages: - PhD fellowships above that of a standard French PhD contract (approximately 1625€/month net) - A 500€ travel allowance per year for the fellows to travel between Marseille and their place of origin. - Approx 10’000 € financial support for international research training, conferences and research costs - Tailored training and personalised mentoring within the excellence graduate schools of Aix-Marseille University (NEUROSCHOOL in Neuroscience and CENTURI in Physics of complex living systems) Doctoral fellows will also benefit from support in the administrative procedures, reserved rooms in university housing, several activities to promote integration in the local student life and cultural activities, French language courses covered by the fellowship, etc. For any inquiry feel free to contact us: Demian Battaglia (demian.battaglia(a)univ-amu.fr) Alain Barrat (alain.barrat(a)cpt.univ-mrs.fr)

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Information Theory Tutorial
by James V Stone Feb. 20, 2018

Feb. 20, 2018

For those interested in a gentle introduction to information theory, please see: Information Theory: A Tutorial Introduction by James V Stone Abstract Shannon's mathematical theory of communication defines fundamental limits on how much information can be transmitted between the different components of any man-made or biological system. This paper is an informal but rigorous introduction to the main ideas implicit in Shannon's theory. An annotated reading list is provided for further reading. A pdf file of the article can be downloaded from the Cornell University Library archive: https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05968 Comments and corrections welcome. regards, James V Stone -- Dr James V Stone Honorary Reader, Sheffield University, UK. http://jim-stone.staff.shef.ac.uk/BookBayes2012/books_by_jv_stone/index.html

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Carolina Neurostimulation Conference - May 21-23, 2018, Chapel Hill NC
by Sankar Alagapan Feb. 20, 2018

Feb. 20, 2018

Dear Colleagues, It is with great pleasure that we invite you to participate in the 1st Carolina Neurostimulation Conference (CNC) to be held *May 21-23, 2018 in Chapel Hill, NC, USA*. This is a premier conference for those working to advance our understanding of dynamics of the brain, body, and behavior, investigating the response to stimulation, and translating discoveries into clinical applications. Hosted by the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation <http://www.carolinaneurostimulation.org/>, CNC serves as a platform for networking for all researchers and specialists and exchanging ideas about the latest discoveries and innovations in brain stimulation and clinical treatments. We have a great lineup of speakers including keynotes from *Dr. Sarah Lisanby (NIH) *and* Dr. Kaspar Schindler (Inselspital)*. Central topics for discussion and presentations include TMS, tACS, tDCS, and methods such as modeling, imaging, analysis, and devices. * ------------------------------ * *Registration:* Please register at the link provided here <http://www.neurostimcarolina.org/registration.html> . The deadline for Registration is *May 1st 2018* Regular (Faculty, Postdocs, Industry Professionals) $165 Students (Graduate, Undergraduate) $95 UNC Members *(Registration required)* Free For a full program, and information regarding registration, travel, and accommodations please visit our conference website <http://www.neurostimcarolina.org/>. Like us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/NeurostimCarolina/> for updates. * ------------------------------ * *Abstract Submission for Posters:* In addition to attending the plenary sessions, registrants are invited to participate in the conference’s poster session. Original contributions addressing theory, research, practice, and training/education issues, in any areas of neuromodulation and brain network dynamics are welcome. The deadline for abstract submission is *March 15th 2018.* Authors will be notified of acceptance in the first week of April. *Please follow the guidelines for the submission of your abstract.* · Max 500 words and 1 page including title, author(s), affiliation(s), and main body. · Structure: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions (References and Funding) · File format: single PDF file converted from the provided template <http://www.neurostimcarolina.org/abstract.html> · Email us to submit your abstract (neurostimulation(a)unc.edu) * ------------------------------ * *Travel Awards for Trainees:* We have funds allocated for trainee travel awards. All trainees (undergraduate students, graduate students, post docs, research associates) who will be presenting posters at the conference are eligible for travel awards. To apply for a travel award please complete the form in this link <http://www.neurostimcarolina.org/abstract.html> and email us at neurostimulation(a)unc.edu along with your CV. Please note that you must attend the conference and present your poster to receive the travel award. The deadline for Travel Awards is *March 15th 2018* * ------------------------------ * *Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Workshop:* Trainees and conference attendees are encouraged to attend the preliminary neurostimulation workshop on May 21st, 2018. This one-day innovative hands-on transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) workshop will be taught by Dr. Flavio Frohlich. The workshop will focus on transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with an exciting overview of theory, research, and methods. Click here <http://www.neurostimcarolina.org/workshop.html> for registration information. When completing registration, please be sure to provide feedback regarding your current knowledge of TES as well as some questions or techniques you are interested in. We want this course to be as interactive as possible. Lunch and beverages will be provided. * ------------------------------ * *About the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation:* The Carolina Center for Neurostimulation <http://www.carolinaneurostimulation.org/> is part of the Department of Psychiatry at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is directed by Dr. Flavio Frohlich. Established in 2017, the Center seeks to revolutionize psychiatry and neurology by studying the dynamics of brain, body, and behavior, investigating the response to stimulation, and translating discoveries into clinical treatments.

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[Call for postdoc application] Automated discovery of physico-chemical structures with intrinsically motivated deep learning algorithms
by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer Feb. 20, 2018

Feb. 20, 2018

Call for postdoc application: Automated discovery of physico-chemical structures with intrinsically motivated deep learning algorithms Project Team Inria: Flowers, Inria Bordeaux, https://flowers.inria.fr Contact: Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr Deadline for applying: 19th april 2018 How to apply: send email to PY Oudeyer and post application to https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/fr/offres/2018-00413 Duration: 16 months Scientific context: Intrinsically motivated goal exploration algorithms enable machines to discover repertoires of action policies that produce a diversity of effects in complex environments. In robotics, these exploration algorithms have been shown to allow real world robots to acquire skills such as tool use in high-dimensional continuous state and action spaces (e.g. Baranes and Oudeyer, 2013; Forestier et al., 2017). An example is the Poppy/Explauto experiment with a humanoid robot learning to use tools in a few hours, which obtained the 2nd position in the demonstration competition at NIPS 2016 (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOLAwD4ZTW0 , Forestier et al., 2016). In other domains such as chemistry and physics, they open the possibility to automate the discovery of novel chemical or physical structures produced by complex dynamical systems (e.g. Grizou, Points et al., 2017) However, they have so far assumed that self-generated goals are sampled in a specifically engineered feature space, limiting their autonomy. Recent work has shown how unsupervised deep learning approaches could be used to learn goal space representations (e.g. Péré et al., 2018), but they have focused on goals represented as static target configurations of the environment in robotics sensorimotor spaces. In this project, we will study how these new families of machine learning algorithms can be extended and used for automated discovery of behaviours of dynamical systems in physics/chemistry, through exploration of their parameter space, and when these behaviours are perceived through raw sensors (e.g. pixels of images). Web site of Flowers Lab: https://flowers.inria.fr Post-doctoral researcher work description The work will begin by a familiarization with algorithms for intrinsically motivated exploration with unsupervised learning of goal spaces developed in the team. Then, a few interesting numerical/simulation models of physical/chemical phenomena, associated to rich behavioral patterns (such as Turing-like reaction-diffusion models or oil droplet models), will be selected as a basis for developing and experimenting updates of existing exploration and learning algorithms. These algorithmic updates will focus in particular on the use of recurrent neural networks to learn goal spaces that can encode dynamical phenomena. Several algorithmic implementations will be compared, e.g. using several techniques for encoding times series as goal spaces, and compared using various information theoretic measures of the diversity of discovered behaviours in the target dynamical systems. It will be also possible to test these algorithmic updates in more traditional (simulated) sensorimotor learning problems, using standard benchmarks of the literature (e.g. Open Gym environments or Minecraft/Malmo). Experiments will possibly extend the DeepExplauto open-source library developed in the team, as well as standard Deep Learning libraries for the algorithms. Required knowledge and background: Candidates should have a strong expertise in at least one of these areas: - Experience with Deep Learning algorithms (theory and practical implementations) - Stochastic optimization, black-box optimization - Intrinsically motivated exploration algorithms Knowledge and competence in physics/chemical modelling would be welcome. Other requirements: - strong skills in mathematics, statistical inference, machine learning - Advanced programming skills in script languages like python - Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary project References : Baranes, A., & Oudeyer, P. Y. (2013). Active learning of inverse models with intrinsically motivated goal exploration in robots. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 61(1), 49-73. Forestier, S., Mollard, Y., Caselli, D., & Oudeyer, P. Y. (2016). Autonomous exploration, active learning and human guidance with open-source Poppy humanoid robot platform and Explauto library. In The Thirtieth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS 2016). Grizou, J., Point, L. and the Cronin lab (2017) Tutorial on “Developmental robotics in a chemistry lab », https://croningp.github.io/tutorial_icdl_epirob_2017/. Péré, A., Forestier, S., Oudeyer, P-Y. (2018) Unsupervised learning of goal spaces for intrinsically motivated goal exploration, in proceedings of ICLR 2018. Points, L. J., Taylor, J. W., Grizou, J., Donkers, K., & Cronin, L. (2018). Artificial intelligence exploration of unstable protocells leads to predictable properties and discovery of collective behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201711089. LeCun, Y., Bengio, Y., & Hinton, G. (2015). Deep learning. Nature, 521(7553), 436-444. Keywords: deep learning; intrinsically motivated exploration; unsupervised learning; automated discovery; complex systems; dynamical systems Pierre-Yves Oudeyer Research director, Flowers lab Inria and Ensta ParisTech, France http://www.pyoudeyer.com

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Hand, Brain, and Technology
by Sliman Bensmaia Feb. 20, 2018

Feb. 20, 2018

Call for abstracts Hand, Brain, and Technology August 26-31, 2018 Monte Verita, Switzerland Submission deadline: April 15, 2018 The hand is our primary means to interact with objects and endows us with effortless versatility in these interactions. In the second Hand, Brain, and Technology conference, we focus on the sensory aspect of hand function and its neural basis. We also feature efforts to restore somatosensation in a variety of clinical contexts, including amputation, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Attendance is limited to 100 participants. If you are interested in presenting a short talk or poster, please visit http://www.relab.ethz.ch/hbt2018/abstract-submission.html for instructions. For more information, including the list of speakers, please visit http://www.relab.ethz.ch/hbt2018. … -- Sliman Bensmaia Associate Professor Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy University of Chicago 773.834.5203

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Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2018
by Yiyin Zhou Feb. 19, 2018

Feb. 19, 2018

Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2018 FFBH 2018 <http://fruitflybrain.org/hackathons>March 14, 2018Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 We are pleased to announce the 3rd Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon (FFBH 2018). This hackathon will be focused on open neurophysiology data (electrophysiology, imaging, etc.) of, but not limited to, the fruit fly brain. The hackathon will be focused on the following topics: 1. Promoting *Neurodata Without Board* (NWB) as a standard format for storing and sharing neurophysiology data in general, and extend it to standardize the storage and distribution of fruit fly brain electrophysiology and calcium imaging data, 2. *Queryable* neurophysiology data: organizing neurophysiology data and metadata in a database to make them easily queryable, and developing comprehensive querying tools accordingly, 3. Incorporating queried neurophysiology data into computational study. The goals are to: 1. create a common language for sharing open neurophysiology data, 2. speed up pattern search in the data that can often be tedious and inefficient to do manually, 3. drive the creation of computational models and the validation of them using open data. The hackathon is aimed at three main groups of participants: neurobiologists, modelers and software engineers. We welcome researchers working on the fruit fly brain as well as those working on other model organisms to participate and broaden the discussion in the hackathon. The Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2018 is organized in conjunction with the Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuit, Memory and Computation on March 15-16, 2018. Participants of the hackathon are welcome to attend the workshop. Registration is free but all participants have to register <https://ffbh2018.eventbrite.com/> (*https://ffbh2018.eventbrite.com/ <https://ffbh2018.eventbrite.com/>*). Organizers: Adam Tomkins, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield Nikul Ukani, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University Chung-Heng Yeh, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University Yiyin Zhou, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University More information can be found on the hackathon website: http://fruitflybrain.org/hackathons ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------ Best Regards, Yiyin Zhou, on behalf of the organizers -- Yiyin Zhou Postdoctoral Research Scientist Bionet Group: www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu Department of Electrical Engineering Columbia University

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10th International Neuroscience Conference - Neuronus 2018 (Krakow, Poland)
by Maciej Kosiło Feb. 19, 2018

Feb. 19, 2018

10th Biennial International Neuroscience Conference - Neuronus 2018 IBRO Neuroscience Forum 20- 24th April 2018 Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland The Organizing Committee of NEURONUS 2018 IBRO Neuroscience Forum cordially invites you to participate in the 10th edition of this international neuroscience conference. Neuronus IBRO Neuroscience Forum is one of the largest neuroscience conferences in Europe, creating a space for international networking between scientists of various academic levels. Previous editions drew in a total of over 2500 participants from over 80 different institutions and universities affiliated with 24 countries worldwide. *This year’s program consists of:* - *6 keynote speakers:* prof. Amir Amedi (Hebrew University, Izrael) prof. Ole Jensen (University of Birmingham, Great Britain) prof. Markus Ullsperger (University of Magdeburg, Germany) prof. Yves De Koninck (Laval University, Canada) prof. Thomas Kuner (University of Heidelberg, Germany) prof. Emma Robinson (University Of Bristol, Great Britain) - *Over 25 invited speakers and 15 oral sessions/symposia, spanning 4 categories:* Cognitive Neuroscience Biological Neuroscience Clinical Neuroscience/Neurology Medical Case Reports All information, including a list of invited speakers, is available on our website: *www.neuronusforum.pl <http://www.neuronusforum.pl/> * Abstract submission deadline: 21st February 2018 Passive registration deadline : 10th April 2018 We look forward to seeing you! Organizing Committee Neuronus 2018 IBRO Neuroscience Forum You can also follow us on social media! Facebook: www.facebook.com/NeuronusForum Twitter: www.twitter.com/neuronusforum <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Wolny od wirusów. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Workshop "Stochastic Models in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology" Venice, 5-7 April 2018 - Second Announcement
by Samir Suweis Feb. 19, 2018

Feb. 19, 2018

Dear All, we invite you to the workshop “Stochastic Models in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology” that will be held in Venice, 5-7 April 2018, at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Aim of the workshop is to bring together scientists with different background - people from biology, physics and mathematics - interested in stochastic models in ecology and evolutionary biology, to discuss issues and exchange methods and ideas. A partial list of topics includes: stochastic population dynamics, branching processes, robustness and adaptability of ecosystems, resilience and criticality of ecological systems, models and prediction of biodiversity, molecular evolution, and microbial community dynamics. Invited Speakers (in alphabetical order): J.-F. Arnoldi, E. Baake, J. Dalmau, J. Friedman, A. Lambert, M. Loreau, P. Metha, A. Sanchez, B. Trubenova, I. Mizrahi* (*tbc) The cost for workshop attendance will be 90 Euro, which includes coffee breaks and workshop material. We will also have contributed talks and posters sessions. The call of abstracts will close on March 2, 2018. For abstracts submission use the following EasyChair link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=smeeb2018 <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=smeeb2018> Information on accommodation and workshop programme are available the workshop website <http://www.pd.infn.it/~maritan/veniceworkshop/veniceworkshop.html> Please help us to promote this meeting by forwarding this email to anyone you know might be interested, and especially bring this announcement to the attention of your students or post-docs, who are those most likely not to be on our mailing lists. Apologies if you receive this message multiply. There are 2 free waiver for Ph.D. students and young post-docs offered by Entropy Journal. To apply for the fee waiver, send your abstract through the Easy Chair link in the Abstract submission section, and send an email with your CV to “liph.unipd(a)gmail.com". On the behalf of the workshop organizers, Amos Maritan & Samir Suweis LIPh lab University of Padova http://www.pd.infn.it/~maritan/index.html <http://www.pd.infn.it/~maritan/index.html> Samir Suweis, Ph.D. https://impactstory.org/u/SamirSuweis <https://impactstory.org/u/SamirSuweis> @SamirSuweis Research Scientist (RTDa) LIPh Lab, Physics Department, University of Padova Tel: +39 049 827 72 51 www.pd.infn.it/~maritan/people/Samir/samir.html

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Book Announcement: Elements of Neurogeometry.
by Jean Petitot Feb. 19, 2018

Feb. 19, 2018

Apologies for multiple postings. Dear Colleagues, The following book is now available: "Elements of Neurogeometry. Functional architectures of vision" (Springer). This book describes several mathematical models of the primary visual cortex, referring them to a vast ensemble of experimental data and putting forward an original geometrical model for its functional architectures Using concepts as wavelet analysis; contact, symplectic, and sub-Riemannian geometry, it provides a systematic interpretation of a number of important neurophysiological observations in a welldefined mathematical framework. More information (in particular the Table of contents) can be found on the following web pages: <http://www.springer.com/fr/book/9783319655895>http://www.springer.com/fr/book/9783319655895 <http://jeanpetitot.com/Petitot_Springer/9783319655895-t1(contents).pdf>http://jeanpetitot.com/Petitot_Springer/9783319655895-t1(contents).pdf With my best regards, Jean Petitot

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Postdoctoral position in human intracranial electrophysiology
by Shuo Wang Feb. 16, 2018

Feb. 16, 2018

[Apologies for multiple posting] We invite applicants with strong motivation in investigating the neural mechanisms of visual attention to apply for a postdoctoral position at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI), West Virginia University. The applicant will work on intracranial single-unit recordings from human subjects, investigating questions related to visual saliency and social attention in autism. This will include experimental work with neurosurgical patients (electrophysiology and behavior), data processing and analysis, spike-train analysis, and experimental design. The applicant will have access to state-of-the art equipment, facilities and analytical methods and this research will be in a highly collaborative environment. The applicant will not only collaborate with investigators at the RNI, but also be part of an established team of investigators at both Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Dr. Ueli Rutishauser) and the California Institute of Technology (Dr. Ralph Adolphs), with ample opportunity to learn new techniques and methods. Candidates should have strong programming (Matlab or similar) skills. Expertise in machine learning is desired. Individuals with previous human intracranial EEG experience and/or macaque single neuron recordings that wish to expand into human single-unit recordings are encouraged to apply. For further information, please contact Dr. Shuo Wang at shuo.wang(a)mail.wvu.edu. Further information about the lab can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/shuowangsocialneuroscience/

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Post-Doctoral Fellow, EEG/MEG Processing & Rehab, University of Maryland, Baltimore
by Abarro, Janice Feb. 16, 2018

Feb. 16, 2018

The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, is pleased to announce the availability of post-doctoral research fellowships through the U.S. Administration for Community Living, National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, University of Maryland Advanced Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Training Program, in collaboration with Bioengineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park. The preferred applicant will have a recent doctoral degree, experience in working with EEG/EMG signal processing and rehabilitation robotics, with applications to neurorehabilitation of patients with neurological disorders. To apply, applicants should send a cover letter to include a statement of career goals, CV, and contact information for three references to: Janice Abarro, Research Coordinator jabarro(a)som.umaryland.edu Starting date: Immediate or negotiable. From: Abarro, Janice Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 2:37 PM To: 'comp-neuro(a)neuroinformatics.be' <comp-neuro(a)neuroinformatics.be> Subject: Post to list request Importance: High Hello, Please find the attached job posting to be listed. Please note the postings are attached as a word.doc and .pdf for you to choose the document that meets your needs for posting. We kindly thank you for offering this posting permission. Kind regards, Janice Janice Abarro Research Coordinator Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science jabarro(a)som.umaryland.edu<mailto:jabarro@som.umaryland.edu> [http://medschool.umaryland.edu/media/SOM/Offices-of-the-Dean/Public-Affairs…]

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Postdoc Position: Decision-making in dynamic environments (U Penn/U Houston/CU Boulder)
by Zachary Kilpatrick Feb. 16, 2018

Feb. 16, 2018

We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join an NIH/NSF funded interdisciplinary project that includes Joshua Gold (University of Pennsylvania), Krešo Josić (University of Houston), and Zack Kilpatrick (University of Colorado, Boulder). All three of us will be at the Cosyne meeting in Denver (March 1-4, 2018), so please contact us if you would like to find a time to discuss the position in person. Our aim is to understand how the brain accumulates evidence in dynamic environments. The project is guided by the overriding hypothesis that brain networks involved in decision-making computations incorporate learned expectations of the environment to implement adaptive decision-making. We seek a candidate who can work at the interface of experimental, computational, and theoretical neuroscience. As part of an interdisciplinary team, The candidate will develop models of neural circuits that approximate normative evidence accumulation in dynamic environments. The candidate will also help to validate these models, using behavioral data from humans and neural recordings from primates performing dynamic decision tasks. For further information please contact Krešimir Josić (josic(a)math.uh.edu <mailto:josic@math.uh.edu>) or Zack Kilpatrick (zpkilpat(a)colorado.edu <mailto:zpkilpat@colorado.edu>)

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Several permanent positions in robotics coming up in Plymouth/UK
by Thomas Wennekers Feb. 14, 2018

Feb. 14, 2018

[Apologies for cross-posting] Dear colleagues, The University of Plymouth is seeking to fill *multiple positions* for* Lecturer/Associate Professor in Robotics*. All positions are full-time and of a permanent nature. The School of Computing, Electronics and Mathematics offers a wide range of degree programmes related to Technology in the areas of Robotics, Electronics, Computer Science and Mathematics. The School provides a stimulating teaching and research environment with strong connections to business and industry and offers excellent employment prospects for our graduates. We have a well-established interdisciplinary research base which covers: Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems (CRNS); Security, Communications & Networks; Nanotechnology & Electronics Research and Development. We have vacancies for enthusiastic, innovative and dynamic individuals to join our vibrant School to support Robotics and Machine Learning, especially as applied to solving real-world problems by building systems that can operate in close proximity to people. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to) the development of Soft Robotics, Autonomous Mobile Platforms, Human-Robot Interaction, and Machine Vision Systems using Deep Learning. One current focus in Plymouth is the design and construction of Agricultural Robots for fruit and vegetable harvesting. Applications are invited from experienced academics and/or professional engineers, who can demonstrate a commitment and enthusiasm for innovation in higher education and to the development of the next generation of Professional Engineers. You must have undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in relevant disciplines (such as Engineering/Maths/Physics/Computer Science) together with an international profile and reputation for research excellence. As well as carrying out cutting edge research, you will supervise and contribute to training of Research Assistants (RAs) and PhD students, as well as contributing to teaching within the BEng/MEng/MSc in Robotics, as well as other courses within the School. The Electronics and Robotics subject groups are renowned for excellence in producing high quality practical engineers and you should be able to support hardware and software projects. Apply here: https://hrservices.plymouth.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.o… Contact for informal discussion: Dr Ian Howard, ian.howard(a)plymouth.ac.uk Further information about the school and its courses is available at www.plymouth.ac.uk/compmath with details of our research centre available at www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/crns Closing date: *12midnight, 1st March 2018.* The University of Plymouth is committed to an inclusive culture and respecting diversity, and welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is a Stonewall diversity champion. The University holds a Bronze Athena SWAN Award which recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in STEMM academia. ----------------------------------------- ________________________________ [http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/images/email_footer.gif]<http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/worldclass> This email and any files with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the recipient to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient then copying, distribution or other use of the information contained is strictly prohibited and you should not rely on it. If you have received this email in error please let the sender know immediately and delete it from your system(s). Internet emails are not necessarily secure. While we take every care, Plymouth University accepts no responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan emails and their attachments. Plymouth University does not accept responsibility for any changes made after it was sent. Nothing in this email or its attachments constitutes an order for goods or services unless accompanied by an official order form.

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PhD / PostDoc position in the field of Learning Systems at Ulm University
by Daniel Braun Feb. 14, 2018

Feb. 14, 2018

In the *Institute of Neural Information Processing* of the Faculty of Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology of Ulm University there will be a *PhD / PostDoc position in the field of Learning Systems * to be filled as soon as possible in the newly established research group on “Learning Systems”. The group is interested in the mathematical foundations of intelligent behavior in cognitive systems, including both biological and artificial systems, in particular the information-processing principles underlying learning and decision-making. This requires a combined theoretical and experimental approach. In our theoretical line of work we use methods from machine learning, statistics, physics, information theory and decision theory to investigate the effects of limited resources on learning and decision-making (“bounded rationality”). In our experimental line of work we investigate sensorimotor behavior in humans by using virtual reality technology and robotic interfaces to study learning and decision-making quantitatively under controlled conditions. This interdisciplinary approach unites aspects from both basic and applied research. On a basic level we aim at a quantitative understanding of embodied intelligence, in particular the emergence of cognition from sensorimotor interactions by processes of abstraction and structure learning. On an applied level we are interested in both autonomous robotic systems and human-machine-interactions, as sensorimotor learning and decision-making in artificial systems constitute a cutting-edge technical challenge. The research group is supported by the ERC-project BRISC (Bounded Rationality in Sensorimotor Coordination) https://erc.europa.eu/projects-figures/erc-funded- projects/results?search_api_views_fulltext=BRISC funded by the excellence programme of the European Research Council, in which we aim at a novel information-theoretic understanding of sensorimotor interactions in psychological and technical systems. Ulm University with its more than 10,000 students is Baden-Württemberg’s youngest university. It offers attractive career prospects in a highly innovative research, teaching and work environment at the same time facilitating the reconciliation of work and family life. Embedded within the novel international “Cognitive Systems”-Master’s course, the research group “Learning Systems” is part of the university’s priority programme on human-machine-interaction. Beyond the university, there are plenty of opportunities to cooperate with international partners in Great Britain and the United States. The applicants should have a strong mathematical background, hold a Diploma or Master’s degree in natural science, mathematics, economics, psychology, computer science, engineering or similar and have a keen interest in artificial and natural intelligence. The positions are paid according to German tariff TV-L E13. Exceptional candidates with a Bachelor’s degree can also be considered, albeit with an individual pay scale regulation. The University of Ulm is an equal opportunity employer: Handicapped individuals are strongly encouraged to apply, and so are women in areas in which they are underrepresented. The positions will be filled as soon as possible. Candidates should send a CV, a brief statement of interest and a copy of their highest degree to Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel Alexander Braun daniel.braun(a)uni-ulm.de -- Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel Alexander Braun Institute of Neural Information Processing Faculty of Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology Ulm University James-Franck-Ring D-89081 Ulm Germany phone: +49 (0)731 50 - 24150 <%2B49%20%280%29731%2050%20-%2024158> fax: +49 (0)731 50 - 24156 email: daniel.braun(a)uni-ulm.de

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In memoriam Jean-Marie Cabelguen, January 30 2018.
by Auke Ijspeert Feb. 14, 2018

Feb. 14, 2018

[apologies in case of multiple copies] Dear Colleagues and Friends, It is with a great sadness that we heard that Professor Jean-Marie Cabelguen passed away on January 30, 2018 after battling cancer. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. As a researcher and lecturer in neurophysiology, he made profound contributions towards understanding the neural circuits underlying locomotion in vertebrate animals. A warm and passionate person, Jean-Marie was greatly appreciated by the scientific community to which he belonged. We created a website https://biorob2.epfl.ch/pages/cabelguen/ to allow his colleagues and friends to share some thoughts and memories about him. If you would like to do so, please write your messages (short or long, in any language) as an email to inmemoriam.jmc(a)epfl.ch <mailto:inmemoriam.jmc@epfl.ch>, and they will be posted here. Thank you. Best wishes, Auke Ijspeert, Vanessa Charrier, Dimitri Ryczko, Alessandro Crespi -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Auke Jan Ijspeert Biorobotics Laboratory EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB, ME D1 1226, Station 9 EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Office: ME D1 1226 Tel: +41 21 693 2658 Fax: +41 21 693 3705 www:http://biorob.epfl.ch Email:Auke.Ijspeert@epfl.ch -----------------------------------------------------------------

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Funded PhD: Causality and complexity in human neural dynamics during natural vision
by Anil Seth Feb. 13, 2018

Feb. 13, 2018

A funded PhD position is available at the University of Sussex, UK, application deadline Feb 16 2018. Causality and complexity in human neural dynamics during natural vision A PhD studentship in the area of computational neuroscience is available at the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, within Prof Anil Seth's group based in the Department of Informatics. It is a collaborative project with the group of Prof. Rafael Malach at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and Prof. Ashesh Mehta from the Feinstein Institute in New York. The position is co-funded by the University of Sussex and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). This project offers an exciting opportunity to apply leading-edge analytical methods to unique sources of data, in order to unravel the neural basis of conscious vision. The successful candidate will develop and apply dynamical complexity measures and functional connectivity analysis to detailed intracranial recordings obtained from humans during unconstrained real-world movement, with simultaneous video. A key advantage of this set-up is the availability of extensive high-resolution coverage of the entire (human) visual brain, acquired during ecologically valid visual behaviour. Other sources of data may also be analysed during the project. The overall goal is to work towards an explanatory bridge from network-level neural dynamics to large-scale theories of perception and consciousness (e.g., global workspace theory, predictive processing). More details, including how to apply, are here: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships/view/8… (please note funding is sufficient to cover fees and living expenses for UK/EU students only). Additional details are here: https://www.findaphd.com/search/projectdetails.aspx?PJID=92986 --------------------------------------------- Anil K. Seth, D.Phil. University of Sussex, UK Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Co-Director, Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science Editor-in-Chief, Neuroscience of Consciousness www.anilseth.com<http://www.anilseth.com> @anilkseth

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[meetings] [LM2018] 2nd call for papers
by Vasiliki Vouloutsi Feb. 13, 2018

Feb. 13, 2018

Dear colleagues, Please find below the second call for participation to the 7th edition of Living Machines. Apologies for cross-posting but please share this announcement with your colleagues. Looking forward to seeing you in Paris! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ /Second Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors/ *Living Machines VII: The 7th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems* *16 – 19 July 2018*** To be hosted at the Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle, Grand Amphitéâtre du Museum,and UPMC, Paris, France, EU Accepted papers will be published in Springer/Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence/ Submission deadline: March 12th, 2018 http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2018 <http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2018> _____________________________________________________________________________ ** *ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2018* The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. *Biomimetics*is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems.The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. *Biohybrid*systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The theme of the conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis. The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at past conferences: •Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can interact with their physical and social environments. •Biomimetic computers and architectures —neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for complex adaptive behaviour. •Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair. •Nature-based designs and manufacturing processes. •Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neuronal implants and neuroprosthetics. •Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and advanced prostheses and cyber-physical systems. •Organism-level biohybrids and symbiosis such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. ** *ACTIVITIES* The main conference will take the form of a*three-day single-track oral*and*poster presentation programme*, 17th to 19th July 2018,Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle,Grand Amphitéâtre du Museum,and UPMC,Paris, France, EU. The conference programme will include*five plenary lectures*from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies. The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of*Satellite Events*hosted atÉcole Normale Supérieure, Paris. *SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2018* We invite both*full papers*and*extended abstracts*in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed, and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines Proceedings, published in the*Springer-Verlag/Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence/.* Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career and should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybrid research. More preliminary work is better suited for short paper submission (minimum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no more than three self-citations).Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation with a short podium preview. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal*Connection Science*. *Satellite events* Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for full or half-day*tutorials, symposia*or*workshops*on related themes to be held on the 16^th July atthe École Normale Supérieure in Paris (http://www.ens.fr/en <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.ens.fr_en&d=DwMDaQ&…>). Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event! ** *EXPECTED DEADLINES* March 12th, 2018 Paper submission deadline April 28th, 2018 Notification of acceptance May 15th, 2018 Camera-ready copy July 16th – 19th, 2018 Workshops and Conference ** *SPONSORSHIP* Organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products through conference publications, conference events, and conference publicity areencouraged to contact the organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We also offer a number of attractive options to potential sponsors. *VENUE* Consistent with the Living Machines’ tradition of choosing historical venues at the crossroads between life and human sciences, this year the conference will take place at theMuseum National D’Histoire Naturelle(http://www.mnhn.fr/fr <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.mnhn.fr_fr&d=DwMDaQ…>) a historical museum located in the heart of Paris that for almost 400 years has focused on nature and its relationship with humans. The museum is immersed in history, yet at the heart of current affairs, and is also working to be projected towards the future. Poster sessions will be organized at UPMC. ** *Organising Committee:* *Jose Halloy*,Université Paris Diderot(Local Organizing Chair) *Paul Verschure*, IBEC-BIST (Co-Chair) *Tony Prescott*, University of Sheffield (Steering Committee) *Vicky Vouloutsi,*IBEC-BIST, Barcelona (Programme Chair) *Michael Mangan*, University of Lincoln (Programme Co-Chair) *Nathan Lepora*, University of Bristol (Communications) *Anna Mura*, IBEC-BIST, Barcelona (Web and Communications) *Local**Organising Committee:* *Stéphane Doncieux*, Prof. UMPC, ISIR *Benoît Girard*, DR CNRS, UPMC, ISIR *Emmanuelle Pouydebat*, DR CNRS, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle *Vincent Bels*, Prof. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle -- Vicky Vouloutsi, PhD Postdoc Researcher at the laboratory for Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems (SPECS <http://specs-lab.com/>) mail: vvouloutsi(a)ibecbarcelona.eu <mailto:vvouloutsi@ibecbarcelona.eu> LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-vouloutsi-28496133/> researchgate <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vasiliki_Vouloutsi>

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2 Funded PhD Interdisciplinary Scholarships on Robotics and Brain Science
by Dimitri Ognibene Feb. 12, 2018

Feb. 12, 2018

The Faculty of Science and Health of the University of Essex is pleased to invite applications for 2 Funded PhD positions that will work on the following topics combining Psychology and Robotics (CSEE): 1)http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-transferring-social-skills-from-humans-to-robots <http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-tran…> (deadline 12th March 2018 <http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BHO005/phd-studentship-are-you-looking-at-me-tran…>.) 2)http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-companion-for-carehomes-and-hospitals/ <http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-com…> (deadline 23rd February 2018 <http://jobs.ac.uk/job/BHF222/phd-studentship-careobot-cognitive-robotic-com…>) The post holder will have the opportunity to a) develop new advanced methods for cognitive robots based on machine learning, signal processing and information theory, b) design and perform behavioural experiments with human subjects and c) analyze experimental data in collaboration with experimental neuroscience laboratories. This is part of the Faculty plan to strengthen its interdisciplinary research at the boundaries between Natural and Artificial Intelligence (BCI, ML, AI, Robotics, Psychology and Neuroscience). Other new PhD positions can be found here: https://www1.essex.ac.uk/csee/pg/studentships.aspx <https://www1.essex.ac.uk/csee/pg/studentships.aspx> Additional questions and queries about the studentship can be addressed by contacting the supervisors specified in the call. -- Dimitri Ognibene, PhD School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, UK http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/ <http://sites.google.com/site/dimitriognibenehomepage/> Skype: dimitri.ognibene

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postdoc opening in data analysis for depression DBS at Georgia Tech
by Christopher Rozell Feb. 11, 2018

Feb. 11, 2018

A postdoc position at the intersection of computational neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry and data analysis is available working jointly with the labs of Christopher Rozell and Robert Butera at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA). This BRAIN Initiative research project seeks to develop electrophysiological biomarkers to characterize disease progression and optimize deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant depression. This clinically-focused project (clinical lead is Dr. Helen Mayberg) is a collaboration with Emory University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai that is providing access to one-of-a-kind human electrophysiology data recorded by implanted DBS devices *during therapy* in an experimental trial. The role of our computational team is to develop analysis and modeling approaches to identify electrophysiological signatures that correlate with treatment response and optimize stimulation parameters. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem with real impact on a sick patient population. Applicants should hold a PhD in a related discipline with a strong research record. Experience in advanced techniques for analyzing time-series data (e.g., signal processing and machine learning) is desirable, additional experience in computational neuroscience modeling and working with neurophysiology data is helpful . The labs are committed to the professional development of the members, making it valuable preparation for people who are interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties. Excellent (written and oral) communication skills in English are required. The ideal start date is May 2018. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience. Georgia Tech has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer. Georgia Tech's campus in the heart of midtown Atlanta, which is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas (and entrepreneurial communities) in the United States. Atlanta boasts a wide range of opportunities for recreation, culture, and easy access to domestic and international transportation. Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to christopher.thomas(a)ece.gatech.edu with the subject line "Neuro DBS postdoc". Application review will proceed until the position is filled and should be received by February 19, 2018 for full consideration.

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cosyne workshop on closed-loop stimulation
by Christopher Rozell Feb. 11, 2018

Feb. 11, 2018

We would like to invite you to an upcoming COSYNE workshop that is very relevant for the computational neuroscience community! Title: Closed-loop control of neural systems and circuits for scientific discovery Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Organizers: Christopher Rozell, Garrett Stanley With the advent of new technologies for interfacing with neural systems, there are exciting opportunities emerging that enable us to manipulate neural systems and circuits while simultaneously monitoring their activity. These new sensing and actuation strategies hold the promise of more powerful techniques for functionally dissecting complex neural circuits to uncover their operating principles and potentially develop novel clinical therapies. With a common goal of neural control, a variety of researchers ranging from theorists to experimentalists are currently developing techniques for estimating system states from recorded data and making real-time updates to stimulation. This topic is particularly timely because of the confluence of technological advances in recording, stimulation, and algorithms that enable closed-loop stimulation studies in circuits, and for increasing government and private support for research in these and related areas. Such closed-loop techniques will enable an entirely new class of experimental manipulations that promise new insight into circuit function in health as well as disease. Given that the first papers using closed-loop stimulation of neural circuits have only recently appeared in the literature and there is finally a critical mass of people working on these exciting problems, now is the perfect time to bring a community together around this emerging area. The overarching goal of this workshop is to foster a discussion to illuminate a set of community research goals to accelerate the impact of closed-loop stimulation techniques in neuroscience. This workshop will provide a venue for researchers building the components of these closed-loop stimulation systems and researchers using these tools for scientific discovery and clinical treatments. Specifically, the target audience includes neuroscience researchers who are using (or want to be using) closed-loop stimulation of neural circuits in scientific studies or treatment for disorders, computational neuroscientists developing the foundations for analysis and design of algorithms necessary for closed-loop control (include modeling and state estimation), and neuroengineering researchers building elements of experimental systems (interfaces, algorithms and hardware). Morning session 8:00-8:15a Introduction and opening remarks by organizers and representatives from BRAIN Initiative and IEEE Brain 8:15-8:40a Maryam Shanechi, Dynamic modeling of brain network response to stimulation: a computational framework with binary-noise modulated waveforms 8:40-9:05a Memming Park, Myopic control of neural dynamics 9:05-9:35a Coffee break 9:35-10:00a Danielle Bassett, Perturbation and control of human brain networks 10:00-10:25a Hillel Adesnik, Precise control of neural ensemble activity with multiphoton holographic optogenetics 10:25-11:00a Christopher Rozell & Garrett Stanley, Closed-loop optogenetic control in vivo: tracking dynamics and states Afternoon session 4:30-4:55p Jeanne Paz, Optogenetic Closed loop control of thalamocortical seizures in animal models of genetic and acquired epilepsies 4:55-5:20p Sridevi Sarma, Suppressing seizures via closed-loop stimulation of the epileptogenic zone 5:20-5:50p Coffee break 5:50-6:15p ShiNung Ching, Controlling the Meaning of Spikes: Strategies for Extrinsic Manipulation of Neural Information Processing 6:15-6:40p Chethan Pandarinath, LFADS: a deep learning method to infer latent states and dynamics from neural population activity 6:40-7:30 Panel discussion and concluding remarks

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