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Postdoctoral position and lab/manager position available in the Zacks lab
by Jeff Zacks June 8, 2017

June 8, 2017

Dear Colleagues, We have two positions available in the lab; one for a postdoctoral fellow, one for a lab manager/research assistant. Please pass these along to any graduating seniors or nearly-done PhD students you think would be appropriate. Thanks! Jeff Zacks Jeffrey M. Zacks, Ph.D. Associate Chair, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences Professor of Radiology Washington University in Saint Louis 1 Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 314-935-8454 314-935-7588 (fax) jzacks(a)wustl.edu <mailto:jzacks@wustl.edu> http://dcl.wustl.edu/~jzacks 1) Postdoctoral position in the computational cognitive neuroscience of event cognition Dynamic Cognition Lab, Washington University The Dynamic Cognition Lab, headed by Jeff Zacks, seeks a postdoctoral researcher to work on an ONR-funded project examining comprehension and memory of complex, naturalistic events. This effort will involve computational modeling, behavioral experiments, and pattern-based fMRI. It will engage collaborators at Wash U, and also at UC Davis, Princeton, Harvard, and NYU. The position is funded for three years with potential for extended funding. Ideally, candidates will be available to start in Fall 2017. Potential applicants may want to have a look at the lab web site (dcl.wustl.edu <http://dcl.wustl.edu/>) for information on current related research. (See also psychweb.wustl.edu, and neuroscience.wustl.edu for information on related resources.) A PhD in Psychology or Neuroscience is required for this position. Desirable additional qualifications include: * Previous experience with neuroimaging, especially MVPA * An interest in event cognition and memory * A promising publication record To apply, please send a statement of research interests and CV, and have two letters of evaluation sent by faculty familiar with your work. Email submission is fine; please send application materials or questions about the position to jzacks(a)wustl.edu. If you prefer paper mail the address is: Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences Washington University Saint Louis, MO 63130 2) Lab manager/research assistant Washington University in St. Louis, Psychology Department Seeking a motivated associate to assist with behavioral and functional MRI experiments, starting summer 2017. An ideal candidate would be a newly-graduated undergraduate who has a strong curiosity about cognitive and computational neuroscience, and has relevant coursework and laboratory experience in this area. Duties will include interacting with human participants, data collection and analysis, and also managerial functions such as scheduling facilities and coordinating with other research team members. Required qualification: * Undergraduate degree in psychology, neuroscience, or a related field. Desirable qualifications: * Programming skills * Research experience with human subjects * Experience with functional MRI * Experience with film production This full-time, federally funded position provides a great opportunity to gain experience before going on to an advanced degree. St. Louis is a vibrant, affordable city, and Washington University has a rich community of cognitive scientists and neuroscientists. Two-year commitment required. Health benefits provided. To apply, see the PDF application at the Dynamic Cognition Laboratory website, http://dcl.wustl.edu. Jeffrey M. Zacks, Ph.D. Washington University Department of Psychology Campus Box 1125 St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 314.935.8454 jzacks(a)wustl.edu

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Fully-funded PhD studentship in "Data-driven null models for big data networks"
by Mark Humphries June 8, 2017

June 8, 2017

We seek PhD candidates for the project "Data-driven null models for big data networks", supervised by Dr Mark Humphries at the University of Manchester. We are developing network theory approaches to analysing data in systems neuroscience (Humphries, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1101/115485 ). The aim of this PhD project is to develop an analysis framework for separating signal from noise in data-driven networks. We will develop new, flexible data-driven null models for network structure - models that will predict noise. Using these models, we will create powerful ways of extracting the signal network from observed data. With these signal networks, we will then explore how they change the conclusions we can draw from our observed data, what large-scale structures they uncover in the networks, and how they can track changes to networks over time. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as possible. This studentship is MRC-funded, so only open to UK and EU students. More information, and how to apply: https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=78216&LID=1020 Questions: mark.humphries(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:mark.humphries@manchester.ac.uk> Our lab: http://www.systemsneurophysiologylab.manchester.ac.uk/ _____________________________________________________________________________ Dr Mark Humphries | MRC Senior non-Clinical Research Fellow | Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health http://www.systemsneurophysiologylab.manchester.ac.uk/ [0da17e2a-9ed5-496a-b161-9fd4491ce5c7]@markdhumphries <https://twitter.com/markdhumphries> Public blog: https://medium.com/the-spike

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Registration Open - EPFL Online Course: Simulation Neuroscience I
by Eilif Muller June 7, 2017

June 7, 2017

Dear Colleagues, I would like to bring to your attention this upcoming new course on Simulation Neuroscience we are offering online, leveraging the HBP Brain Simulation Platform. It is the first of 3 planned courses through which we will teach students to construct and simulate data-driven microcircuits, like the Blue Brain cortical model. More details are below. Many thanks for forwarding to students who may be potentially interested. Best regards, Eilif ===== ANNOUNCEMENT ===== The Center for Digital Education of the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland in cooperation with the Blue Brian Project is welcoming students to participate in a new online course entitled: Simulation Neuroscience I - Reconstruction of a single neuron Faculty: Prof. Henry Markram, Prof. Idan Segev, Prof. Sean Hill, Prof. Felix Schuermann, Samuel Kerrian, Lida Kanari, Werner Van Geit, Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy, Dr. Eilif Muller Abstract: Simulation Neuroscience is an emerging approach to integrate the knowledge dispersed throughout the field of neuroscience. The aim is to build a unified empirical picture of the brain, to study the biological mechanisms of brain function, behaviour and disease. This is achieved by integrating diverse data sources across the various scales of experimental neuroscience, from molecular to clinical, into computer simulations. In a series of three courses, you will learn to use the state-of-the-art modelling tools of the Human Brain Project Brain Simulation Platform to simulate neurons, build neural networks, and perform your own simulation experiments. This is the first course of the series that will teach you how to digitally reconstruct a single neuron. We invite you to join us and share in our passion to reconstruct, simulate and understand the brain! The course is targeted at senior bachelor, master or PhD students in science or engineering fields looking for an introduction to Simulation Neuroscience. It is a 6 week course, with an estimated course load of 5-7 hours per week. The registration deadline is June 13, 2017 The start date of the course is June 15, 2017 Registration is limited due to available compute resources, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information: https://actu.epfl.ch/news/mooc-simulation-neuroscience-reconstruction-of-a-… ------------- Dr. Eilif Muller Section Manager - In Silico Neuroscience - Experimentation EPFL - Blue Brain Project QIJ 3ème étage CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland Tel: ++41 21 693 0698 Fax: ++41 21 693 5350 www: http://bluebrain.epfl.ch/page-77926-en.html www: http://neuralensemble.org/people/eilifmuller

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Permanent academic positions in computational neuroscience/ machine learning at assistant and associate professor level
by Eleni Vasilaki June 6, 2017

June 6, 2017

There are two permanent academic openings in the Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, in the area of Computational Neuroscience within the Machine Learning group. Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader in Machine Learning and Computational Neuroscience. Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader in Machine Learning and Robotics. Lecturer is roughly equivalent to Assistant professor and Senior Lecturer/Reader to Associate Professor in the US system. Since it was established in 1982, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield has attained an international reputation for its research and teaching. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, we were ranked 5th out of 89 departments in the UK for computer science research. For more information please see: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/dcs/jobs/index Prof. Eleni Vasilaki, DPhil CEng MIET Computer Science, University of Sheffield, www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/~eleni

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Call for participation and posters: IMOL2017 – Third International Workshop on Intrinsically Motivated Open-ended Learning
by Gianluca Baldassarre <gianluca.baldassarre＠istc.cnr.it> June 5, 2017

June 5, 2017

*** Apologies for cross-posting *** Dear colleagues, this mail is to invite you to "IMOL2017 – Third International Workshop on Intrinsically Motivated Open-ended Learning" that will be held in Rome, October 4th-5th-6h, 2017. IMOL 2017 is the third international workshop on Intrinsically Motivated Open-ended Learning. Following previous editions, IMOL 2017 aims to further explore the promise of intrinsically motivated open-ended lifelong learning in robots and artificial systems. *We are opening the call for participation and posters (more details on the website and below) with deadline July 16th, 2017*. More info available at imol-conf.org and below. Best wishes, the organizers: Gianluca Baldassarre, Vieri Giuliano Santucci, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Andrew Barto ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------- *IMOL2017 – Third International Workshop on Intrinsically Motivated Open-ended Learning* Organizers: Gianluca Baldassarre, Vieri Giuliano Santucci, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, Andrew Barto We are pleased to announce the “Third International Workshop on Intrinsically-Motivated Open-ended Development (IMOL2017)”, which will be held in Rome, Italy, on 4-5-6 October 2017 in a beautiful central location. <http://www.residenzadiripetta.com/it/> All information regarding the workshop, including an extended description of the its scope, can be found in the website imol-conf.org Following two previous workshops, the highly focused “Third International Workshop on Intrinsically-Motivated Open-ended Development (IMOL2017)” aims to further explore the promise of intrinsically motivated open-ended lifelong learning. The workshop aims to be a highly interactive event. To this purpose, it will feature high profile keynote presentations and the participation of an audience of about 60 people. It will foster close interaction among the participants by enabling intense peer-to-peer discussions, poster sessions, and collective round tables directed toward specific objectives. It will take place at a lovely venue in the center of Rome fostering interactions, with evenings devoted to autonomous exploration of the city. It will be followed by a call for papers to be published in an open journal special issue (e.g. a Frontiers in Neurorobotics Research Topic). *Aims of the Workshop* The Workshop will occur over three whole days, with the last session of each day dedicated to a plenary discussion targeting three important topics: (1) The identification of the most important open challenges in the field of autonomous open-ended lifelong learning, with the aim of compiling a list of high-impact goals identified as important next-steps. (2) The definition of one or more benchmarks for evaluating models and architectures for autonomous open-ended learning (at a later date, an open competition will be held based on the benchmark). (3) The identification of the most promising approaches and techniques to tackle the open challenges identified under point (1). *Topics of interest* - Autonomous robots lifelong learning - Multi-task reinforcement learning - Deep reinforcement learning - Intrinsic motivations - Curriculum learning - Goal self-generation - Multiple task solution and parameterized skills - Neural/probabilistic representations and abstractions Architectures for open-ended learning - Goal-based skill learning - Knowledge transfer and avoidance of catastrophic forgetting - Compositionality and chunking - Hierarchies of goals and skills - Mitigating risks of real-world deployment of open-ended learning systems *Current list of invited speakers* - Baldassarre, Gianluca - Barto, Andrew - Bellemare, Marc - Calinon, Sylvain - Cangelosi, Angelo - Konidaris, George - Merrick, Kathryn - Natale, Lorenzo - O’Regan, Kevin - Oudeyer, Pierre-Yves - Peters, Jan - Polani, Daniel - Reinhart, Felix - Rolf, Matthias - Ruecker, Elmar - Santucci, Vieri Giuliano - Stulp, Freek - Triesch, Jochen - Uchibe, Eiji *Call for Application* Participation in the workshop is free of charge and includes the lunches for the three days. However, the workshop is limited to a restricted number of people given the capacity of the venue and the aim of the event. Prospective attendees should express their interest in participating by submitting the form downloadable from the link below, and their willingness (or not) to contribute a poster. In this case, people is also invited to submit a short/extended abstract (max 2 pages), possibly including figures. The submissions will be selected on the basis of the quality and of how well they fit the workshop’s aims. Both senior and young researchers, including Ph.D. students, are encouraged to submit to ensure a full representation of the community. Moreover, applicants are also requested to indicate in the form their willingness to participate in a special issue in Frontiers in Neurorobotics. This request aims to investigate the overall interest for the initiative, which will be followed by a standard Frontiers call after the workshop. Application deadline: July 16th, 2017 Notification of acceptance: July 27th, 2017 Please submit the form downloadable here <http://www.imol-conf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMOL2017_ApplicationFor…> and the optional abstract (subject: “IMOL2017 submission: name, last name”) to: *imol.conf(a)gmail.com <imol.conf(a)gmail.com>* ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------- -- .|.CS...|.......|...............|..|......US.|||.|||||.||.||||..|...|....... Gianluca Baldassarre, Ph.D., Laboratory of Computational Embodied Neuroscience, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (LOCEN-ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, I-00185 Roma, Italy E-mail: gianluca.baldassarre(a)istc.cnr.it Web: http://www.istc.cnr.it/people/gianluca-baldassarre Tel: +39 06 44 595 231 Fax: +39 06 44 595 243 Motto: 'Learn from the past, live in(tensely) the present, dream for the future' Life mission statement: 'Serve humanity through core knowledge' ...CS.|||.||.|||.||..|.......|........|...US.|.|....||..|..|......|.........

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We're hiring! New open position at LANVIE - University of Geneva
by Margherita Mauri May 31, 2017

May 31, 2017

Dear All, We are recruiting a research assistant/postdoc for a full time position at the LANVIE https://www.unige.ch/medecine/psyat/en/research-groups/935frisoni/ Please find the job description below: * Field: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive disorders 1. Study of AD biomarkers 2. Study of the biological basis of cognitive impairment due to Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathology (SNAP) and of the interplay between amyloidosis and tau-related Neurodegeneration * Projects: 1. Epinettes database - A clinical database for diagnosis and prognosis of patients consulting at the Memory Clinics of the HUG 2. SNAP - Study of the biological basis of cognitive impairment due to Suspected Non- Alzheimer Pathology 3. Human Brain Project (HBP) - Medical Informatics Platform * Tasks: 1. Image analysis: Analysis of MRI and PET images of the brain finalised to the extraction and study of AD imaging biomarkers and cognitive pathologies (Freesurfer, FSL, Matlab, SPM) 2. Didactics: didactic activities management; MSc student supervision 3. Project management: Clinical ethical submissions; Work and data management; Communication and team management 4. Research tasks: Identification of new research opportunities and submission of project funding applications; presentation of research results according to need, participation in international and local conferences and publication in scientific journals; Identification, development and maintenance of collaborative relationships with current and future KOLs, scientific experts, scientific groups and study sites; Participation in working groups, boards, commission representing a project or the Team ; 5. To be customized basing on CV. Should you are interested in this position, please send your CV, cover letter and list of publication to margherita.mauri(a)unige.ch. Best regards, Margherita Margherita MAURI Assistante de Recherche Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève et Université de Genève LANVIE - Laboratoire de Neuroimagerie du Vieillissement, Chemin du Petit Bel-Air 2 (Bâtiment Voirons) CH 1225 - Chêne Bourg

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Call for Abstracts: Information Processing in Complex Systems
by Eckehard Olbrich May 31, 2017

May 31, 2017

Call for Abstracts The Information Processing in Complex Systems (IPCS'17 https://ipcs.computationalscience.nl/) satellite meeting is organized during the Conference on Complex Systems. Our objective is to provide a forum for researchers who follow an information-theoretic approach to complex systems. Here they can present recent achievements and discuss promising hypotheses and further research directions. It will be a one-day event in September 20, 2017, as part of the Conference on Complex Systems (CCS'17 <http://ccs17.unam.mx/>). This conference is the official annual conference of the Complex Systems Society and is scheduled to convene in September 17-22, 2017. Background All systems in nature can be considered from the perspective that they process information. Information is registered in the state of a system and its elements, implicitly and invisibly. As elements interact, information is transferred. Indeed, bits of information about the state of one element will travel – imperfectly – to the state of the other element, forming its new state. This storage and transfer of information, possibly between levels of a multi level system, is imperfect due to randomness or noise. From this viewpoint, a system can be formalized as a collection of bits that is organized according to its rules of dynamics and its topology of interactions. Mapping out exactly how these bits of information percolate through the system reveals fundamental insights in how the parts orchestrate to produce the properties of the system. A theory of information processing would be capable of defining a set of universal properties of dynamical multi level complex systems, which describe and compare the dynamics of diverse complex systems ranging from social interaction to brain networks, from financial markets to biomedicine. Each possible combination of rules of dynamics and topology of interactions, with disparate semantics could be translated into the language of information processing which in turn will provide a lingua franca for complex systems. Based on the success of the previous year, IPCS’17 will again combine classical and quantum information approaches. If you would like to attend this scientific discourse then you only need to register for CCS’17. Note that the deadline for early registration is June 15. Abstract Submission We invite abstracts for oral presentations of work where information theory is used to tackle a complex systems problem. Our submission page (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ipcs17) is open until June 30, 2017. Please keep the word count for the abstract to max. 300. There is the possibility to upload an extended anstract (single page pdf, one figure). Organizing committee Rick Quax (University of Amsterdam) Eckehard Olbrich (MPI Leipzig) Mile Gu (Nanyang Institute of Technology) Manlio de Domenico (Universitat Rovira i Virgili) For further informations or questions please contact ipcs17(a)easychair.org -- Dr. Eckehard Olbrich Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences Inselstrasse 22 D-04103 Leipzig Germany Tel.: +49 341 9959 568 Fax: +49 341 9959 658 E-mail: olbrich(a)mis.mpg.de

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PhD Studentships in Computational Neuroscience
by Steuber, Volker May 31, 2017

May 31, 2017

PhD Positions in Computational Neuroscience Biocomputation Research Group Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research University of Hertfordshire UK Applications are invited for PhD positions in the Biocomputation Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire. Projects involve the development and simulation of models of neurons and neuronal networks to study information processing in the cerebellum or olfactory system and /or the application of machine learning techniques for the analysis of neural data. A description of our research interests and a list of publications can be found on our webpage (http://biocomputation.herts.ac.uk/).? Applicants should have excellent computational and numerical skills and a very good first degree in computer science, biology, maths, physics, neuroscience, or a related discipline. Successful candidates are eligible for a research studentship award from the University (GBP 14,553 per annum bursary plus payment of the student fees). Applicants from outside the UK or EU are eligible. Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognised as excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework Assessment, with 50% of the research submitted rated as internationally excellent or world leading. The Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research provides a very stimulating environment, offering a large number of specialised and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training and researcher development opportunities. The University is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London.? Please contact Dr Volker Steuber for informal enquiries. Application forms are available under http://www.herts.ac.uk/apply/schools-of-study/computer-science/our-research… and should be returned to Mrs Lorraine Nicholls, Research Student Administrator, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, Tel: 01707 286083. The short-listing process will begin on 16 June 2017.

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Extended Deadline: Coupling & Causality in Complex Systems, Sep 25-27, Cologne, Germany
by Michael von Papen May 30, 2017

May 30, 2017

============================================================== CALL FOR PAPERS (*Extended Deadline June 15*, 2017) http://c3s.uni-koeln.de ============================================================== INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: *Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems* September 25-27, 2017, Cologne, Germany -------------------------------------------------------------- The interdisciplinary conference Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems (C3S) is hosted by the Competence Area 3: Quantitative Modeling of Complex Systems of the University of Cologne (UoC), Germany. It is organized by the Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology, UoC, the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf and the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Research Center Juelich. -------------------------------------------------- *Invited Speakers* Jörg Breitung - Macroeconomic Policy Institute, University of Cologne, Germany David Gross - Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, Germany Philip Holmes - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering / Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, USA Ankit Khambhati - Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, USA Laura Marzetti - Department of Neuroscience, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti - Pescara Arkady Pikovsky - Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University Potsdam, Germany Michael Rosenblum - Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University Potsdam, Germany Jakob Runge - The Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London -------------------------------------------------- *Preliminary Session Program* We will have different sessions with differing topics and each session will be opened by one of the invited speakers. Here is a preliminary version of our program: Session 1 Synchronization I Arkady Pikovsky Session 2 Synchronization II Silvia Daun Session 3 Coupled oscillators I Phil Holmes Session 4 Coupled oscillators II Michael Rosenblum Session 5 Phase coupling Laura Marzetti Session 6 Network structures Ankit Khambati Session 7 Bayesian networks David Gross Session 8 Granger causality I Jörg Breitung Session 9 Granger causality II Esther Florin Session 10 Causal network measures Jakob Runge Further topics of interest for the conference include, amongst others, research and methods development on: functional connectivity, (partial directed) coherence, network topology, graph-theoretic measures, directed graphs, nonlinear dynamics of complex systems, complex spatio-temporal systems, mutual information and transfer entropy. -------------------------------------------------------------- *Scientific Organizing Committee* Silvia Daun - Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Germany Esther Florin - Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology, Düsseldorf, Germany Joachim Gross - Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Glasgow, UK Michael von Papen - Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology, Cologne, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Germany -------------------------------------------------------------- *Abstract* Complex systems such as the human brain, Earth’s climate and economy are characterized by a multitude of coupled processes on different spatial and temporal scales. In order to better understand the dynamics of the system at hand each scientific area has developed specific tools to identify, model and quantify these processes. The conference Coupling and Causality in Complex Systems (C3S) will present a collection of these approaches with the aim to provide scientists with new analysis strategies for their field. The conference focuses on how to characterize a complex system and on the methods for estimating and modeling of statistical coupling (e.g. network coherence, creation and modulation of small networks and local or long-range synchronization by cross frequency phase-phase and phase-amplitude coupling) and causality (e.g. Granger causality, transfer entropy). Therefore, data analysts from different study fields including neuroscience, mathematics, physics, biology, and economy will present their approaches with a particular focus on the methods they use. The aim of this conference is to foster discussions and the transdisciplinary exchange of advanced techniques, methods, and algorithms, thereby stimulating potential future collaborations. -------------------------------------------------------------- *PAPER SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION* Authors are invited to submit conference abstracts with up to 400 words. Authors of exceptional abstracts will be given the opportunity to present their research in a talk. However, poster sessions will be provided with ample time for discussions. For your submission, please use the conference website c3s.uni-koeln.de. To register, please send an email with the subject "registration" to c3s-conference(a)uni-koeln.de. Please be sure to include your full name, your affiliation and whether you qualify as student (also PhD candidates) or not. The registration fee will cover snacks and refreshments during coffee breaks, lunch and a dinner with all participants. Early-bird registration is available until July 10 with a reduced fee of 100 EUR (50 EUR for students), after July 10 the registration fee will be 200 EUR (100 EUR for students). -------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT DATES Paper Submission deadline: June 15, 2017 Author Notification: end June, 2017 Early-bird registration: July 10, 2017 Conference: September 25-27, 2017 ============================================================== Please find the call for papers and more information at the conference website: http://c3s.uni-koeln.de. For questions regarding the conference feel free to contact us via c3s-conference(a)uni-koeln.de. -- ------------------------------------------ UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE Institute of Geophysics & Meteorology Coordinator of Competence Area III: Quantitative Modeling of Complex Systems Dr. Michael von Papen Email: m.papen(a)uni-koeln.de http://www.uni-koeln.de/~vpapenm http://complexsystems.uni-koeln.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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Call for Abstracts: Workshop on Social Learning and Cultural Evolution (SlaCE 2017)
by Julien Hubert May 28, 2017

May 28, 2017

Dear Colleagues, This is a call for abstracts for the Second International Workshop on “Social Learning and Cultural Evolution (SlaCE)”, which will be held at ECAL 2017 in Lyon, France. Organizers: Julien Hubert, j.g.hubert(a)vu.nl <mailto:j.g.hubert@vu.nl> Jacqueline Heinerman, j.v.heinerman(a)vu.nl <mailto:j.v.heinerman@vu.nl> Evert Haasdijk, e.haasdijk(a)vu.nl <mailto:e.haasdijk@vu.nl> Chris Marriott, dr.chris.marriott(a)gmail.com <mailto:dr.chris.marriott@gmail.com> James Borg, j.borg(a)keele.ac.uk <mailto:j.borg@keele.ac.uk> Peter Andras, p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk <mailto:p.andras@keele.ac.uk> Submission deadline: June 27, 2017 Notification of acceptance: July 27, 2017 Submission website: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=slace2017 <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=slace2017> Workshop website: http://www.climbinggiants.com/slace/2/index.html <http://www.climbinggiants.com/slace/2/index.html> Contact e-mail: j.g.hubert(a)vu.nl <mailto:j.g.hubert@vu.nl> ********* DESCRIPTION ******** In social species, learning from others, i.e. social learning, is one of the cornerstones of cognitive development. Social learning has been shown to increase the learning speed of individuals, but also enables them to reach a higher performance in comparison with learning individually. Social learning also enables local populations to develop a culture that can evolve over time. Realising social learning in artificial systems faces many challenges requiring inputs from machine learning, robotics and evolutionary biology. The aim of this workshop is to promote discussions on social learning and cultural evolution with a special emphasis on the future of of the field. Social learning has been actively studied in psychology but is still in its infancy in artificial systems. Many open questions remain, such as when is social learning advantageous, or what kind of information should be transferred. These questions have been studied but a consensus has yet to be reached, mainly because of the difficulty to compare results in social learning due to the absence of a common research framework. This workshop is devoted to discuss and establish such a framework that will push the research forward. The core of the workshop will consist of short presentations from contributors on their work in the field (current or historical), collective research goals and milestones in social learning and cultural evolution or new concepts, modelling techniques or research questions. Presenters are encouraged to address any of the following topics (though this list is not exhaustive): - Social Learning Mechanisms - Social Information Transfer - Transfer learning - The interaction between social and non social learning - The interaction between learning and evolution - Environmental Variability, Environmental Complexity, and Social Learning - Social Learning Strategies - Social Learning and Life History Evolution - Models of Learning in Nature - The Evolution of Culture - Communication - Social Networks and Social Contagion on networks - Group structure and learning bias - Social Robotics - Grounded (Animat) models of Social Learning - Do our definitions match those used in other related fields (i.e Imitation, Culture, ...) - Human Cultural Evolution (Cumulative Culture) - Co-operation - Gene-Culture Co-Evolution/ Dual Inheritance Theory - Philosophy of Culture - Memetics The workshop will conclude with a fishbowl discussion on the future of Social Learning and Cultural Evolution research in ALife. We ask potential contributors to submit an extended abstract (1 page). We are open to presenters who are contributing during the main ECAL conference to also talk about their work during the workshop in order to have additional discussions. PhD students and young career academics who are new to the field are encouraged to submit to this workshop. SLACE-2017 will be held on September 4th 2017, at ECAL 2017 Kind Regards, Julien, James, Jacqueline, Evert, Chris and Peter — Julien Hubert, PhD Computational Intelligence Group Computer Science Department Faculty of Sciences - VU University Amsterdam

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Open position: PhD in signal processing / computational & clinical neuroscience
by Alan May 26, 2017

May 26, 2017

Dear all, Please find an open position for a PhD in signal processing / computational & clinical neuroscience *Project title: ** *NeuroCog – Parkinson action (https://neurocog.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr) Funding body: UGA Contract duration: 3 years Starting date: From September 2017 on. *Job description:* The successful candidate will develop new TMS/EEG methods (acquisition and processing) for early Parkinson’s disease diagnosis that will quantify the impairment of cortical excitability. *Requested expertise: ** *Computer science / Signal processing / Parkinson’s disease / Neuroimaging / Brain stimulation *Project scientific summary:* Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder. Unfortunately, there is no cure for PD and no neuroprotective treatment and about 95% of patients will become demented within 25 years after the diagnosis. The presentation and evolution of PD is highly heterogeneous between patients and some PD phenotypes are more at risk of having a more severe and progressive course of the disease. In particular, although cognitive deficits are very frequent in old patients, in younger patients it is difficult to predict whether they will develop early cognitive disturbances. For this PhD project, we assume that in PD patients with a subtype characterized by prevalent cognitive issues, the impairment of cortical excitability in the fronto-parietal networks would be a new biomarker detectable at an early disease stage. We will thus study the cortical excitability using innovative methodologies that will be first developed in healthy subjects (Harquel et al, 2016; in press) and then longitudinally tested in a cohort of de novo PD patients. Overall, this project investigates PD phenotypes under a neurophysiological perspective that is highly innovative. *Host research groups:* The main goal of the primary host research group (Brain Stimulation & Systems Neuroscience, PI: Olivier David) is to study large-scale brain networks in order to develop new applications of brain stimulation in the field of psychiatry, movement disorders and epilepsy using a translational approach based on clinical and preclinical research. The secondary host lab (Laboratory of Psychology and Neurocognition, PhD co-director: Dr A. Chauvin) is a Cognitive Science Research Unit affiliated to the CNRS (National Institute of Biological Sciences, section 26) and to two universities (University Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble and University of Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambery). Members of the LPNC who compose the TMS group have an interdisciplinary approach which encompasses engineering, experimental psychology; computational and mathematical modelling; neuropsychology; cognitive psychiatry; and neuroimaging. In addition, the PhD fellow will be in constant interaction with the Movement Disorder Unit of CHUGA (PI: Pr E Moro) and other research groups within the NeuroCog project working on the same cohort of PD patients. Very close interactions between experimentalists, methodologists and clinicians, will offer an optimal environment to develop skills of young scientists. Contacts: Dr Olivier David, Research Director, Inserm, Olivier.David(a)inserm.fr. Dr Alan Chauvin, Assistant Professor, UGA, Alan.Chauvin(a)univ-grenoble-alpes.fr. *Please send application including CV, statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of at least two referees.** * References: Harquel, S., Bacle, T., Beynel, L., Marendaz, C., Chauvin, A., & David, O. (2016). Mapping dynamical properties of cortical microcircuits using robotized TMS and EEG: Towards functional cytoarchitectonics. NeuroImage, 135, 115–124. Harquel, S., Diard, J., Raffin, E., Passera, B., DallIgna, G., Marendaz, C., et al. (In press). Automatized set-up procedure for transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols. NeuroImage -- New E-mail : Alan.Chauvin(a)univ-grenoble-alpes.fr -- Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition LPNC CNRS UMR 5105 Université Grenoble Alpes(UGA) Batiment Science de l'Homme et Math (BSHM) 38041 Grenoble Cedex 09 Alan.Chauvin(a)univ-grenoble-alpes.fr 33 (0) 476 825 926

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Two Research Associate/Assistant Positions in Interpersonal Neural Connectivity at Cambridge University
by Dr V Leong May 25, 2017

May 25, 2017

--- TWO RESEARCH ASSOCIATE/ASSISTANT POSITIONS IN INTERPERSONAL NEURAL CONNECTIVITY AVAILABLE --- The Baby-LINC Lab at Cambridge University is seeking two highly-skilled and motivated post-doctoral researchers to join our multidisciplinary data analysis team! We have recently completed an ESRC-funded large-scale EEG hyperscanning study on mother-infant neural coupling in relation to early learning. We are interested in understanding the interpersonal neural oscillatory dynamics that underpin different mother-infant social interactional states (such as joint attention versus inattention). We are also interested in characterizing the topology of coupled neural networks during successful learning and information transfer within mother-infant dyads. Candidates should be able to demonstrate strong technical expertise in one or more of the following areas : 1) Neural connectivity analysis 2) Signal processing (artifact identification and denoising) 3) Information theoretic analysis 4) Machine learning (including Bayesian learning) Applicants should have already obtained (or be about to complete) a PhD in a relevant subject, which may include (but is not limited to) the fields of computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, biomedical physics, and engineering. Excellent programming skills are essential as the post-holder(s) will be expected to contribute to the lab’s in-house library of custom-built analysis scripts. Experience with EEG/MEG analysis is desirable. Excellent organisational and communication skills are essential, as the candidate must work well as part of a larger research team which includes international collaborators. This is an exciting opportunity to join pioneering research in the field of interpersonal neuroscience, at a time when there is growing interest and momentum. Two posts are available. One post, appointed through the University of Cambridge, is available at the level of Research Associate (post-doctoral) or Research Assistant (PhD to be awarded), on a 50% part-time basis. A second full-time (100%) post is available at the level of Research Associate only. This second post will be appointed through Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), but the post-holder will be entirely based in Cambridge. All suitable applicants will automatically be considered for both posts, unless the candidate indicates otherwise. We would like both successful candidates to begin as soon as possible, and no later than 1st August 2017, but flexible working arrangements can be considered. Informal enquiries are welcome, and can be made to Dr Victoria Leong by email (vvec2(a)cam.ac.uk) or telephone (+ 44 1223 333567). For further information, and to apply : http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/13871/ -- Victoria Leong, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) Affiliated Lecturer Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge (UK)

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Postdoc in Connectomics at UPenn
by Ragini Verma May 25, 2017

May 25, 2017

Postdoctoral positions in diffusion imaging are available immediately at the Section of Biomedical Image Analysis (SBIA), Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Candidates must have a background in Electrical or Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Math or MR Physics, with experience in diffusion imaging. Knowledge of maine learning techniques is a plus. Current projects involve work on connectomics, multi-compartment models, edema-invariant tractography and joint structural-functional connectivity analysis and their application to brain tumors, traumatic brain injury and autism. Good programming skills is a must. All projects have a strong emphasis on method development (for technical publications) but require subsequent clinical application of the same. The positions call for interaction with clinical collaborators. Please contact the head of the diffusion group, Ragini Verma (Associate Professor of Radiology) at Ragini.Verma(a)gmail.com and Ragini.Verma(a)uphs.upenn.edu <https://mail.uphs.upenn.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=y44JoDKtWxPkUtTXoC_Nf05OEJx…> .

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2017 Cell Modeling Workshop
by Greg Hood May 25, 2017

May 25, 2017

Dear Colleague, We would like to make you aware of the following workshop to be held at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center: CELL MODELING WORKSHOP Workshop Dates: June 26 - 28, 2017 Application Deadline: June 2, 2017 For more details, or to apply visit: http://mmbios.org/cmw2017 This workshop will cover theory and practice for the design and simulation of cell models focused on diffusion-reaction systems such as neurotransmission, signaling cascades, and other forms of biochemical networks. During the workshop, participants will learn how to use the tools developed by MMBioS to create, run, and analyze models of cellular microphysiology and apply them to their own research questions. This workshop lasts three full days, and attendees are strongly encouraged to bring ideas/data for their own simulation projects. The daily schedule includes theoretical and practical lectures, instructor-guided hands-on tutorials, and opportunities for one-on-one interaction with the instructors on individual project development.

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PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience of perceptual decision-making at UPF (Barcelona)
by Alexandre Hyafil May 24, 2017

May 24, 2017

One fully funded PhD position is available under the supervision of Alexandre Hyafil in the group of Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience of Rubén Moreno Bote. The group is part of the *Center for Brain and Cognition* at the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain ( https://www.upf.edu/web/ruben-moreno-bote) The candidate will study theoretical models of perception in complex environments and design and analysis human experiments to directly test these models. He/she could also be involved in the design and analysis of animal behavioral and multielectrode neural data. Candidates should have *Physics*, *Mathematics* or *Machine Learning* background, ideally with knowledge of *Neuroscience* or *Computational Neuroscience*, and interested in theory and applications. We will also consider candidates with *Psychology* background interested in computational modeling. The candidate will benefit from the stimulating environment of Barcelona area in Theoretical and Systems Neuroscience. Our lab forms part of a larger network of neuroscience labs in Barcelona (http://www. barcelonaneuroscience.com) Candidates, please send a full CV and an extract of grades for degree and master studies should be sent to alexandre.hyafil(a)upf.edu. Deadline: until the position is filled. Starting date: any time between October 2017 and January 2018.

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Post-doctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience
by sujith vijayan May 22, 2017

May 22, 2017

The Neural Dynamics and Neural Engineering Lab at Virginia Tech has an opening for a post-doctoral position in computational neuroscience. This position is for three years and is being funded by the Army Research Office (ARO). The research project will involve employing biophysically based computational models to examine the role of rhythmic activity in the expression of emotional memories during behavior and their consolidation during sleep. An additional aim is to employ the models developed to gain insights into the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Candidates should have a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, computer science, engineering, computational neuroscience, or a related field. Strong programming skills and/or prior experience in modeling would be an asset. Interested candidates should send a CV, a statement of research interests, and the contact information for three references to svijayan9(a)gmail.com. Arrangements can be made to meet with candidates at the Sleep conference in Boston (June 3-7) or at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) conference in Pittsburgh (July 10-14). Best, Sujith

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Postdoctoral Position in Primate Circuits/Systems Neuroscience, Hoffman Lab
by Hoffman, Kari May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017

Postdoctoral Research Position in Neural Circuits of Learning and Memory in Non-human Primates Vanderbilt University, Dr. Kari Hoffman The Perception and Plasticity lab (PI: Kari Hoffman) at Vanderbilt University is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to investigate the neural circuit dynamics underlying memory formation and flexible learning in macaques. Approaches include 1) multi-site electrode array recordings and closed-loop stimulation during visual exploration and 2) high-density wireless recordings during freely-moving tasks and in sleep to identify neural correlates of learning. See http://wp.me/P5TndN-m. Successful candidates will have a PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Neuroscience, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology) and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. Applicants should have experience with macaque behavior or neural ensemble analysis, proficiency in programming/scripting and statistical modeling, and a record of published work related to the areas of interest. The candidate will join a vibrant research community of systems and integrative neuroscience and vision science at Vanderbilt University, including the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and the Vanderbilt Vision Research Center. Vanderbilt University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The start date is flexible. Funding is available for at least three years. The initial appointment will be for one year, with the opportunity for renewal. Applicants should email kari.hoffman(a)vanderbilt.edu<mailto:kari.hoffman@vanderbilt.edu> with a research statement summarizing area of interest, previous accomplishments, and long-term research goals; a CV; and contact information for three references.

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BBP- Postdoctoral Position in Neuro-Glia-Vasculature Modeling
by Daniel Keller May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017

BBP- Postdoctoral Position in Neuro-Glia-Vasculature Modeling A postdoctoral position in modeling of neuro-glia-vasculature is available at the Blue Brain Project at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland (www.epfl.ch) The Blue Brain Project, based in Geneva, Switzerland, performs large-scale simulations of the brain. The neuro-glia-vasculature project will extend the model of astrocytes and vasculature to include better prediction of blood flow and energy usage.The position entails development of methods and systems to perform multi-scale modeling and integrate knowledge of the signaling pathways involved in glial messaging. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience or related field. Experience in modeling of metabolism, blood flow, and/or biochemical signaling cascades is desired. Strong biology and mathematical background, as well as coding competence in Python, C++, and NEURON would also be useful for the position. We are looking for highly motivated individuals to be part of a highly multidisciplinary group working at the interface of neuroscience, physics and computer science. Candidates should possess good writing, collaboration, and communication skills. Selected candidates will join a prestigious project that is pioneering simulation neuroscience research, composed of a young, dynamic, interdisciplinary, and international team. We offer a state-of-the-art working environment based at the Biotech Campus in Geneva ( http://www.campusbiotech.ch/en/ ) with access to cutting edge simulation, informatics and computing facilities. Post-doctoral contracts are generally for one year, renewable for up to two years.Salaries are quite competitive as well, even after taking into account differences in the cost of living. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and a detailed CV in PDF format only, with file name “Surname_position _Cover Letter” and “Surname_positon _CV” electronically to jobs.bbp(a)epfl.ch Please use the reference of the position title in the “object” field.

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PhD position in computational cognitive neuroscience at University of Groningen
by Marieke van Vugt RUG May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017

Dear colleagues, We have a new PhD position in computational cognitive neuroscience as part of a larger COFUND grant to the Data Science and Systems Complexity centre of the University of Groningen. You will work in an interdisciplinary team of scientists from Cognitive Modeling and Control Engineering (including myself and Prof. Ming Cao), on a project that you will be able to help design. The link to the 18 projects (including the computational cognitive neuroscience project in collaboration with Cardiff University) is http://www.rug.nl/research/fse/themes/dssc/cofund/training/ <http://www.rug.nl/research/fse/themes/dssc/cofund/training/> The DSSC Research Training Programme is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND action developed at the University of Groningen that will train 10 PhD students for 4 years to be part of the next generation of interdisciplinary data and complexity experts. Brief description of the COFUND project: Today’s world is a highly complex system that is producing massive amounts of data daily. We can only progress towards urgent global priorities such as sustainable energy, personalized healthcare, safety or the creation of the data- driven economy if we can predict and control the dynamic nature of such systems. This challenge calls for an integrated approach that uses data to understand the behaviour of complex systems and for experts who can handle data and complexity problems for society at large. For more details, DSSC COFUND website is www.rug.nl/dssc-cofund <http://www.rug.nl/dssc-cofund>. Applications should be submitted online <http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=…> by July 15th. The PhD could start anywhere between October 2017 and March 2018. Kind regards, Marieke van Vugt -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marieke van Vugt, PhD Assistant Professor, Cognitive Modelling Group University of Groningen Bernoulliborg, room 326 Nijenborgh 9 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands phone: +31-6-5195-4984 (cell) +31-50-363-9487 (office) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt> twitter: @mvugt m.k.van.vugt(a)rug.nl <mailto:m.k.van.vugt@rug.nl> / mkvanvugt(a)gmail.com

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SCiNDU conference call for abstracts
by Geoffrey Goodhill May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017

SYSTEMS AND COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE DOWNUNDER (SCiNDU) Joint meeting with the 2017 QBI Plasticity Workshop and the 10th Australasian Workshop on Neuro-Engineering and Computational Neuroscience Dec 13-15th 2017 Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/scindu Confirmed speakers: Polina Anikeeva (MIT) Bernard Balleine (UNSW) Daphne Bavelier (U Geneva) John Bekkers (ANU) Kwabena Boahen (Stanford) Tobias Bonhoeffer (Max Planck Martinsried) Rosa Cossart (INMED Marseille) Kenji Doya (Okinawa) Adrienne Fairhall (U Washington) Marta Garrido (U Queensland) Alex Pouget (U Geneva) Pankaj Sah (U Queensland) Andre van Schaik (Western Sydney) Rafael Yuste (Columbia) Abstract submissions for poster presentation are welcome, deadline Oct 1st. Some submissions will be selected for oral presentation. See http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/scindu for more details. Professor Geoffrey J Goodhill Queensland Brain Institute and School of Mathematics & Physics University of Queensland St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia Email: g.goodhill(a)uq.edu.au http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/professor-geoffrey-goodhill

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE, TRUCCOLO LAB, BROWN UNIVERSITY
by Wilson Truccolo May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017

Applications for post-doctoral positions are invited for the Laboratory of Dr. Wilson Truccolo in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. The positions are for the development of data-driven stochastic models of multiscale neural dynamics. Neural data consist of recordings of ensembles of single-neurons and high-density local field potentials obtained via multiple intracortical microelectrode arrays implanted in human and non-human primates. Current research projects include: (1) Role of neuronal network intrinsic dynamics in encoding and decoding of sensorimotor information. (2) Multiscale neocortical dynamics in human focal epilepsy: seizure transition, propagation and termination. (3) Precursor signatures of focal seizure transitions, prediction and control. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in computational/theoretical neuroscience and modeling of stochastic neural dynamics. Related publications can be found on the Truccolo lab website ( http://www.truccololab.com/ <http://dl.dropbox.com/u/983891/Truccolo_home.htm>). Inquiries should be addressed to Dr. Truccolo (wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu) Applications including a CV, statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of three referees should be sent to wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu. -- Wilson Truccolo, Ph.D. Pablo J. Salame '88 Goldman Sachs Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Department of Neuroscience & Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Lab website: http://www.truccololab.com/

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CFP: Latin American Workshop on Computational Neuroscience 2017
by Christian Brackmann May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017

------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- CALL FOR PAPERS Paper Submission Deadline: June 30, 2017 LATIN AMERICAN WORKSHOP ON COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 2017 November 22-24, 2017 Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil. http://www.inf.ufrgs.br/lawcn/ Contact: lawcn2017(a)easychair.org ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Computational neuroscience is the study of brain function regarding the information processing properties of the structures that make up the nervous system. It is an interdisciplinary science that links the diverse fields of neuroscience, as cognitive science, medicine, psychology, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics and even philosophy. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), located in Porto Alegre, in the south of Brazil, has promoted a more restricted version of this Workshop in November 2012. Since then, participants and investigators in the interdisciplinary fields related to Computational Neuroscience are claiming to resume the realization of this event. In this sense, with a broader scope aiming to encourage young researchers and graduate master and doctorate students in all Latin America, this edition will have three main topics: a) neuroscience, b) neuroengineering and c) artificial intelligence and related techniques. The Workshop will consist mainly of the following activities: 1. presentation of up to 8 key renowned international and national researchers; 2. presentation of up to 50 oral presentations; 3. presentation of poster presentations; 4. presentation of practical applications in neuroscience, both from University and from companies active in the field; and 5. practical demonstration of the A2200 Enigma machine, which belongs to the Informatics Institute, as a special tribute to the 105th Birthday Anniversary of Alan Turing, considered one of the founding fathers of Computer Science. All participants who investigate and contribute to the understanding of the properties of the brain, such as Medicine, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Philosophy and others are welcomed. Issues related to the support of Communication and Information Technology and High-Performance Computing in Neuroscience will receive particular attention. UFRGS is happy to welcome LATIN AMERICAN WORKSHOP ON COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE (LAWCN) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. GENERAL INFORMATION IMPORTANT DATES * June 30, 2017: Submission deadline for papers * August 20, 2017: Notification of acceptance * September 10, 2017: Camera-ready papers and copyrights signatures * November 13, 2017: Digital Posters due, which will be digitally presented * November 22-24, 2017: Workshop, UFRGS - Porto Alegre, Brazil. SCOPE LAWCN 2017 covers all aspects of Computational Neuroscience. Although the interdisciplinary nature of the Conference and the stimulus to work at intersections and the frontiers of different disciplines, for the sake of clarifying the scope of the Workshop, topics will be presented on the three main axes. The interest topics include (but are not limited to): a) Neuroscience: * Sensory processing * Network dynamics * Reinforcement learning * Motivation and decision making * Statistical approaches in neuroscience * Systems Neuroscience * Learning and memory Attention * Arousal of Sensory-Motor Integration Learning in networks * Ethical and philosophical issues related to Neuroscience * Educational issues b) Neuroengineering: * Large-scale recordings * Neural signal processing * Neuromodulation * Neuroprosthetics * Robotics * Biomedical devices development * Humanoid robots * Robots for Elderly People * Sensing in Robotics * Fusion of Sensors * Hardware implementations in Neuroscience * Software implementations in Neuroscience * Brain-Computer Interfaces: design and applications * Ethical and philosophical issues related to Neuroengineering * Educational issues c) Artificial Intelligence and related techniques: * Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Neuroscience * Bioinformatics * Clustering and Applications * Computer Vision, Cognitive and Humanoid Vision * Databases, Data Mining, Intelligent Data Analysis, Knowledge-based Systems and Linguistic Tools * Data Visualization and Applications * Deep Learning * Statistical Pattern Recognition/Document Processing and Recognition * Fuzzy and Hybrid Techniques * Geometric Algebra Application in Perception-Action * High-Performance Computing for Pattern Recognition * Image Coding, Processing, and Analysis * Kernel Machines * Mathematical Theory of Computational Neuroscience * Neural Networks * Parallel and Distributed Applications for Computational Neuroscience * Robotics and Humanoids * Shape and Texture Analysis * Signal Processing and Analysis * Spatio-temporal Analysis * Ethical and philosophical issues related to Artificial Intelligence * Educational issues KEYNOTE SPEAKERS LAWCN Organizing Committee is proud to announce the confirmation of the following invited talks: Dr. Francisco Sotres Bayón, Professor of Neurosciences at the National Autonomous University of México(UNAM), México Title of the talk: Understanding the Brain mechanisms of learned and innate motivational conflicts Dr. Laurence Devillers, Professor of Computer Science at Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris, France Title of the talk: Affective and Social Robotics: engagement, evaluation, and ethics Dr. Sen Cheng, Professor of Computational Neuroscience at the Ruhr University Bochum(RUB), Bochum, Germany Title of the talk: Intrinsic Sequences in the hippocampus for spatial navigation and memory storage Dr. Vinicius Rosa Cota, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ), São João del-Rei, Brazil Title of the talk: Toward a neural prosthesis to the epileptic brain by tackling neural hyper synchronism The confirmation of other invited speakers will be done soon. REGISTRATION FEES - Until 30/06/2017 Undergraduate Student: R$ 100,00 Graduate Student: R$ 150,00 Professionals: R$ 200,00 - Until 13/10/2017 Undergraduate Student: R$ 125,00 Graduate Student: R$ 175,00 Professionals: R$ 225,00 - After 14/10/2017 Undergraduate Student: R$ 150,00 Graduate Student: R$ 200,00 Professionals: R$ 250,00 Registrations can be done at http://www2.fundacaomedica. hcpa.ufrgs.br/siafnet/hinscricoesemcursosv3.aspx? 1598,I+LAWCN+-+LATIN+AMERICAN+WORKSHOP+ON+COM PAPER SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATIONS - Papers should be submitted exclusively through EasyChair website: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=lawcn2017 <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=lawcn2017> - Papers will be evaluated based on their originality, quality, and significance of the theoretical and practical contribution to Computational Neuroscience; - Only papers presented at the conference will be included in the proceedings; - All papers (Short and Full) and Digital Posters must be in PDF format and include abstract, figures, tables and references in the minimum/maximum amount of pages (according to the category desired); - Papers can be submitted in four categories (see image bellow): - Short paper not related directly to Computer Science: - Length: between 3 and 8 pages - Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese - Short paper related to Computer Science: - Length: between 6 and 8 pages - Language: English - Full paper not related directly to Computer Science: - Length: between 10 and 15 pages - Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese - Full paper related to Computer Science: - Length: between 10 and 15 pages - Language: English - Papers that are not related directly to Computer Science will be published in the Latin-American Workshop on Computational Neuroscience Proceedings and can be submitted in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Papers that are related to Computer Science will be published in Springer-Verlag Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) Proceedings (ISSN 1865-0929), and the best papers will be indicated to be published in Education, Technology and Culture (ISSN 1808-0588) or IEEE-RITA (ISSN 1932-8540). - Papers (Short and Full) can be selected by the Program Committee for Oral or Poster presentations, regardless its length and category. - At least one author of each accepted paper for oral or poster presentation must register at the conference. If more than one paper per author is accepted, there is an extra registration fee; - Since LAWCN has goals to foster and encourage investigation careers of young and talented researchers, the Program Committee will select the best papers to be published in indexed journals. Contacts with editors have already been made and will continue until the realization of the Workshop to stimulate Science divulgation. - One of the authors must sign and attach a disclosure form if the paper is accepted; - More details about the papers submission process can be found on the Congress web page. LAWCN AWARDS The Program Committee will select the three best oral presentations (one for each main topic of the event) during the workshop. One of the authors of these papers will be entitled to a prize that will consist of amounts up to USD 300 for registration in scientific events in areas related to the Workshop and which occur in 2018, as well as free registration for the next edition of LAWCN. These awards will depend on the amount obtained by the registrations. ORGANIZERS General Chair: Prof. Dr. Dante Augusto Couto Barone, Informatics Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Deputy General Chair: Prof. Dr. Marino Bianchin, Medicine Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Organizing Committee: Christian Puhlmann Brackmann IFFAR, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil Dante Augusto Couto Barone UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Eduardo Oliveira Teles IFBA, Camaçari, BA, Brazil Heron Pereira UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Jaime Andres Riascos Salas UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Paulo Rogério de Almeida Ribeiro UFMA, São Luís, MA, Brazil Pedro Schestatsky UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Rodrigo Alejandro Sierra UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Program Committee: Alexandre César Muniz de Oliveira, Informatics Department, Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís, Brazil Antônio Carlos Roque, Physics and Mathematics Department, São Paulo University (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil Areolino de Almeida Neto, Informatics Department, Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís, Brazil Christian Haag Kristensen, Psychology Faculty, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Dante Augusto Couto Barone, Informatics Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Diana Adamatti, Center of Computational Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil Edson Prestes e Silva Junior, Informatics Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Eduardo López-Larraz, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany Eduardo Vicentini de Medeiros, Experimental Philosophy and Cognitive Studies Laboratory, Vale do Rio dos Sinos University (UNISINOS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Fabrício Lima Brasil, Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences, Santos Dumont Institute (ELS IINN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil Felipe Meneguzzi, Informatics Faculty, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Francisco Sotres Bayón, Celular Physiology Institute, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), México Frederico Augusto Casarsa de Azevedo, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany Gustavo Gauer, Psychology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Hougelle Simplício Gomes Pereira, Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences, Santos Dumont Institute (ELS IINN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil Jés de Jesus Fiais Cerqueira, Electrical Engineer Department, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil Jim Tørresen, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo (UiO), Oslo, Norway Juan Verdejo-Román, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain Luciana Porcher Nedel, Informatics Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Luis Fernando Cardenas Parra, Psychology Department, Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia Marco Rocha Curado, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany Marcos Yuzuru de Oliveira Camada, Electrical Engineering Graduate Course, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin, Medicine Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Miguel Perez Garcia, Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain Olavo Amaral, Biochemical Medicine Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Patricio Donnelly Kehoe, Scientific and Technological Center of Rosario, National University of Rosario (UNR),Rosario, Argentina Paulo Rogério de Almeida Ribeiro, Computer Engineering Department, Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís, Brazil Pedro Schestatsky, Medicine Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Reinhold Scherer, Institute of Neural Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria Renan Cipriano Moioli, Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences, Santos Dumont Institute (ELS IINN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil Risto Ilmoniemi, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering,Aalto University, Helsinki,Finland Rodrigo Alejandro Sierra, Biosciences Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Rukiye Uzun, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering,Bulent Ecevit University (BEU), Zonguldak, Turkey Sen Cheng, Computational Neuroscience Institute, Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), Bochum, Germany Silvio Cesar Cazella, Department of Exact and Applied Social Sciences,Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Victor Christian Paredes Cauna, Texas A&M University, Bryan/College Station, USA Vinicius Rosa Cota, Electrical Engineering Department, Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ), São João del-Rei, Brazil

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Information theory workshop at CNS*2017 -- call for contributed talks
by Joseph Lizier May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the Workshop on Methods of Information Theory in Computational Neuroscience, at CNS*2017, Antwerp, Belgium. The workshop will be held over the final two days of the main conference, July 19 and 20. Our confirmed invited speakers include the following (schedule available soon): * Selin Aviyente, Michigan State University -- "Directed Information: Application to EEG during cognitive control" * Lionel Barnett, University of Sussex -- "Information Transfer in Continuous and Discrete Time" * Karl Friston, University College London -- "Active inference and artificial curiosity" * Renaud Jolivet, University of Geneva -- "Energy-efficient information transfer at synapses" * Lubomir Kostal, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic -- "Reference frame independence as a constraint on the mutual information decomposition" * Joseph T. Lizier, The University of Sydney -- "Estimating information transfer between spike trains" * Daniele Marinazzo, University of Ghent -- "Synergetic and redundant information flow detected by unnormalized Granger causality: application to resting state fMRI" * Jil Meier, Delft University of Technology -- "The epidemic spreading model and the direction of information flow in brain networks" * Viola Priesemann, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization, Goettingen -- TBA * Adrià Tauste, Universitat Pompeu Fabra -- TBA * Tatjana Tchumatchenko, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt -- TBA * Taro Toyoizumi, RIKEN Brain Science Institute -- "A Local Learning Rule for Independent Component Analysis" * Raul Vicente, University of Tartu -- TBA Also, we would like to call for contributions of talks (25 min + 5 min Q&A). If you are interested in contributing such a talk, please send a title and abstract to Joseph Lizier (joseph.lizier(a)sydney.edu.au) by Friday June 2, 2017. Please see our website http://bit.ly/cns2017itw for more details. We hope you will join us there! Organising Committee: Joseph Lizier Viola Priesemann Justin Dauwels Taro Toyoizumi Alexander Dimitrov Lubomir Kostal Michael Wibral

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Call for Abstracts: Bernstein Conference 2017
by Zrinka Gattin May 17, 2017

May 17, 2017

*Call for Abstracts: Bernstein Conference 201**7* *** **Deadline for abstract submission:* June 14, 2017 for abstracts aimed as contributed talks and posters July 31, 2017 abstracts aimed as posters only ************************************************************** Satellite Workshops September 12-13, 2017 Main Conference September 13-15, 2017 PhD Symposium September 12 & 15, 2017 ************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference started out as the annual meeting of the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and has become the largest annual Computational Neuroscience conference in Europe with more than 500 international participants in recent years. This year the conference is organized by the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Göttingen. The main conference (Sep 13-15, 2017) will be accompanied by satellite workshops (Sep 12-13, 2017) and a PhD symposium (Sep 12 & 15, 2017). An important part of the main conference will be the two poster sessions. We are now inviting the submission of abstracts from all relevant areas. Authors of most accepted abstracts will get the chance for a poster presentation, a small number of abstracts will be selected for contributed talks during the main conference. Please note the earlier submission deadline for authors applying for a talk. All accepted abstracts will be published online and will be citable via Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). *DETAILS FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:* Please note that the submission of an abstract does not replace the conference registration (www.bernstein-conference.de/registration <http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/registration>). Poster space is limited and early submission is encouraged. For abstract submission visit: www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2017/abstracts <http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/abstracts> *ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINES:* Posters to be considered as contributed talks: June 14, 2017 Other posters: July 31, 2017 *TRAVEL GRANTS* To support the participation of young researchers at the Bernstein Conference, the Bernstein Coordination Site offers 10 Travel Grants, each endowed with 500 €. Please find further information under www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2017/travel-grant <http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/travel-grant> This year for the first time, the Bernstein Association offers Travel Grants for participation in the Bernstein Conference. Each of the 10 Travel Grants is endowed with 500 €. Please find further information under the link:www.nncn.de/en/bernstein-conference/2017/travel-grant *CONFERENCE DETAILS:* Conference registration is *OPEN* Early registration deadline: July 09, 2017 *ACCOMMODATION AND HOTEL RESERVATION:* *We strongly recommend early room booking!* *The number of available accommodation is limited due to several concurrent events. And many Hotels in Göttingen are already booked out for that week!* We arranged for room contingents in a variety of hotels that you may book by yourself by email or phone. Please follow the instructions at our Accommodations Website (http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2017/venue/accommodation) We would like to emphasize that these room contingents will be held open up to different expiration dates depending on the hotel (or until they are filled). Many expiration dates are already mid of June 2017. We strongly encourage participants to share rooms and to book rooms as a group. *We emphasize that it will be very difficult to book accommodation beyond the expiration dates. * Please find a list of the hotels at our Accommodations Website. VENUE Satellite Workshops, Main Conference and PhD Symposium: The Central Lecture Hall (ZHG), Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany VENUE Public Lecture: Alte Mensa, Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany, September 13, 2017, 8 pm For more information on the conference, please visit the websitehttp://www.bernstein-conference.de We are looking forward to welcoming you in Göttingen! Program chair: Fred Wolf Koordinator: Zrinka Gattin Co-Organizers: Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS): Alexandra Stein, Kerstin Schwarzwaelder -- Dr Zrinka Gattin Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Goettingen Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology (BFNT) Goettingen PhD Program in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Am Fassberg 17 D-37077 Goettingen Phone: +49 (0)551 5176 418 Fax: +49 (0)551 5176 14418 E-Mail:zrinka@nld.ds.mpg.de

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Abstract submission and registration open for Integrated Systems Neuroscience 2017 meeting (September 7-8, Manchester, UK)
by Mark Humphries May 16, 2017

May 16, 2017

We are excited to announce that registration and abstract submission is open for the second Integrated Systems Neuroscience meeting (7-8th September 2017, Manchester, UK) For registration and abstract submission information, please visit: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/conferences-meetings/isn2017/ Deadlines: Abstract submission: June 30th 2017 (Decision: July 28th) Registration: August 11th Meeting information: The goal of this meeting is to present the state-of-the-art in integrated systems and computational approaches to key neural circuits. A poster session with wine reception will be held on the first evening. Confirmed speakers: Rune Berg (Copenhagen University) Tiago Branco (Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits) Neil Burgess (Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL) Megan Carey (Champalimaud Institute, Lisbon) Claudia Clopath (Imperial College, London) Kate Jeffery (UCL) Christian Machens (Champalimaud Institute, Lisbon) Jonathan Pillow (Princeton) Simon Peron (New York University) Manuel Zimmer (IMP, Austria) Organisers: Mark Humphries & Rasmus Petersen (University of Manchester) Sponsors: we gratefully acknowledge the support of the Medical Research Council _____________________________________________________________________________ Dr Mark Humphries | MRC Senior non-Clinical Research Fellow | Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health http://www.systemsneurophysiologylab.manchester.ac.uk/

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