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University of Surrey: Professorial appointment in the Nature Inspired Computing and Engineering Group
by a.gruning＠surrey.ac.uk Aug. 31, 2016

Aug. 31, 2016

Dear Colleagues, the University of Surrey has a job opening for a professorship, see the details below or at http://jobs.surrey.ac.uk/060916 Best, Andre The University of Surrey is an international university with a world-class research profile and an enterprising spirit. The University has an outstanding record in student employment and teaching excellence. The Department of Computer Science embodies the ethos of “applying theory into practice” across its research and teaching activities. The Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences has an international reputation for research and teaching. Research in the department is focussed on two main areas - Nature Inspired Computing and Engineering (NICE), and Secure Systems, with Surrey hosting one of only 13 Academic Centres of Excellence recognised by GCHQ. This post offers an exciting opportunity for a Professorial appointment in the Nature Inspired Computing and Engineering group. The vision of the group is to better human life and the environment by understanding and simulating how nature works. The successful candidate will provide leadership in research in machine learning at the highest level and develop strategic partnerships. We welcome applications from both academia and industry. We are open to a variety of machine learning and cognitive systems specialisms that are related to, or complement current strengths of the group including (but not limited to): computational intelligence, computational neuroscience, with applications to data-driven engineering optimisation, self-organising and autonomous systems, health care and bioinformatics. It is expected that the post-holder will also contribute to high quality teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate level, for example in data science. The initial focus of the post is working as part of the senior team to drive forward machine learning research within the Department, across the University and internationally with academia and industry. The Department has excellent links with Honda, The Pirbright Institute and Moorfields Hospital. It offers the unique opportunity to grow interdisciplinary research within Surrey, for example with the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences involving the Surrey Sleep Research Centre and within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences which has expertise in machine learning across several of its Departments and research centres. The Department is implementing a strong growth plan which has seen its academic staff base increase by over 35% in the last year, with a focus on security. The Department has now prioritised future growth in the area of machine learning research and immediately after the appointment to this Chair the Department intends to appoint a further faculty member at Lecturer level alongside this post. For an informal discussion about the positions, please contact the Head of Department of Computer Science, Dr Helen Treharne on h.treharne(a)surrey.ac.uk or Professor Paul Krause, Director of Research, on p.krause(a)surrey.ac.uk. A search exercise is being undertaken by Society who will support the University Panel decision to identify the widest possible field of candidates and assist in their assessment. For further details, including job description, person specification and information on how to apply, please contact www.society-search.com quoting reference 0475 or to discuss the position further contact Nina Patel on +(0) 44 20 36530479 The closing date is 3rd October 2016 at 5pm (GMT). Interviews will be held in on 19th and 20th October, in Guildford. Presentations will be given on the afternoon of 19th October 2016 and the interviews will follow on the 20th October, 2016. It is expected that candidates will participate on both days. The start date is anticipated to be April 2017 (or earlier). Visits to Guildford and to the Department can be arranged for short-listed candidates, in advance of the interview date. The University is committed to building a culturally diverse organisation and strongly encourages applications from female and minority candidates. -- Dr Andre Gruning Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) Department of Computer Science University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH United Kingdom

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Workshop in Brisbane, Nov 28-30
by Leonardo Gollo Aug. 30, 2016

Aug. 30, 2016

Dear all, It is a pleasure to announce the 9th Australasian Workshop on Neuro-Engineering and Computational Neuroscience that will be held in Brisbane, Australia, November 28-30. The workshop will bring together researchers at the interface between neuroscience, physics, engineering and psychiatry. Abstract submissions are closing on the 5th of September and there are limited places for the short course on Deep Learning. Topics include: - Theoretical, Mathematical & Computational Neuroscience - Computational Psychiatry - Neuroimaging - Connectomics & Networks - M/EEG & Electrophysiology - Neural Modeling & Engineering - Neuromorphic Engineering - Neuroprosthetics & Brain Machine Interfaces - Neural Information Processing - Neuroinformatics - Cognitive Neuroscience - Systems Neuroscience - Neurostimulation Keynote speakers: - Xiao-Jing Wang, New York University - Rosalyn Moran, University of Bristol - James Rowe, University of Cambridge Additional invited speakers: TBA. Abstract submission: http://conference.qimrberghofer.edu.au/page/NeuroEng/ Kind regards, Leonardo L Gollo, James Roberts, Vinh Nguyen, Michael Breakspear

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Neuroimaging engineer position
by paulo rodrigues Aug. 29, 2016

Aug. 29, 2016

Hi all, We are looking for an experienced and motivated neuroimaging engineer/scientist to start asap. Please send your CV/motivation to team(a)mint-labs.com You are experienced in volumetric, diffusion, rs-fMRI studies, and are not shy about Python, bash, R or whatever tool fits the work? Do you know the plethora of tools like mrtrix, ANTs, freesurfer, dipy, nipype, ...? The challenge is to develop analysis systems for multidimensional medical datasets. Mint Labs is a cloud computing platform that focus on integrating diverse clinical, imaging, genomic, and other data to better evaluate disease progression and response to interventions. You will start a new project focusing on using these methods to answer some pertinent questions in MR. You thrive in developing pipelines to process imaging data, and integrate multiple data points into meaningful group conclusions? Objectives of the position -------------------------- The position hinges on building sophisticated processing pipelines for neuroimaging datasets. Building, improving advanced morphometrics and brain-parcellation techniques in structural MRI, dMRI, rs-fMRI. Support the interaction with several external research partners and clients to develop neuroimaging analysis. About Mint Labs -------------------------- Mint Labs is a Barcelona based startup building a neuroimaging data analytics cloud-based platform. The system employs software tools to integrate thousands of images and data from a patient and creates a specific detailed 3D map of the brain. We can quantify the effect of the treatment in the damage of the brain and characterise patients for clinical trials. The images are directly sent from the scanners to our servers, and there the data is automatically processed and analysed.

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Job offer in computational neuroscience
by Irene Yujnovsky Aug. 26, 2016

Aug. 26, 2016

Hi! we currently have an open post-doctoral position for a neuroinformatician in Marseille, France. You will find the ad below, feel free to diffuse it to potentially interested candidates: *Neuro**informatician/Mathematical modeler* *TNG Team, **Institute of System**Neuroscience (INS**), Marseille, FRANCE***** A post-doctoral position is open in the Theoretical Neurosciences Group (TNG) <http://ins.univ-amu.fr/research-teams/theoretical-neurosciences-group/>directed by Viktor JIRSA at the Institute of System Neuroscience (INS) for an experienced computational neuroscientist to work in modeling brain networks with the aim of creating individual Virtual Patient dementia models using The Virtual Brain platform as framework (see http://www.thevirtualbrain.org) This research project will be conducted in the context of the Aetionomy European consortium (IMI). *Qualification* Candidates must be highly motivated to work on an interdisciplinary project and collaborate with the various members of the consortium. They should have a PhD degree in computational neuroscience, mathematical modeling or equivalent level of knowledge. A strong background in data fitting (Bayesian approaches, Dynamical Causal Modeling (DCM), Monte Carlo techniques) will be highly appreciated. Candidates must be comfortable working in computational environmentsand possess excellent programming skills. Experience with The Virtual Brain platform would be considered an advantage. *The Theoretical Neuroscience group* We are a multi-national team interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying the spatiotemporal organization of large-scale brain networks. Our work comprises mathematical and computational modeling of large-scale network dynamics and human brain imaging data, the development of neuroinformatics tools for studying large-scale brain networks applied to concrete functions, dysfunctions (epilepsy, dementia) and aging. *Terms of salary and employment* A 12-month renewable contract will be established. Salary will depend on the diploma and experience. Operating language in the laboratory is English. Applications including a cover letter, curriculum vitae and the names of two referees should be sent by September 30^th 2016 to: *Dr. Irene Yujnovsky* at irene.yujnovsky(a)univ-amu.frMore information about the INS and the Theoretical Neurosciences Group can be found at: http://bit.ly/29kub1k Thank you very much, Irene Yujnovsky -- --------------------------------------------------- Irene Yujnovsky, PhD Chef de projet EPINEXT Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes Inserm UMR1106 Université Aix-Marseille Faculté de Médecine, 27, Boulevard Jean Moulin 13005 Marseille, France Phone: +33 (0)491324239 email: irene.yujnovsky(a)univ-amu.fr Website: http://epinext.org/

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[IJCNN 2017] Combined Calls
by Teng Teck Hou Aug. 25, 2016

Aug. 25, 2016

[Apologies for cross-postings] ################################################## COMBINED CALLS CALL FOR PAPERS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-papers CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSIONS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-special-sessions CALL FOR WORKSHOPS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-workshops CALL FOR TUTORIALS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-tutorials CALL FOR COMPETITIONS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-competition CALL FOR SPONSORS http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-sponsors International Joint Conference on Neural Networks May 14-19, 2017, Anchorage, Alaska, USA http://www.ijcnn.org/ ################################################## IJCNN is the premier international conference in the area of neural network theory, analysis, and applications. Co-sponsored by the International Neural Network Society (INNS) and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (IEEE-CIS), over the last three decades this conference and its predecessors has hosted [past, present, and future] leaders of neural network research. IJCNN 2017 will feature invited plenary talks by world-renowned speakers in the areas of neural network theory and applications, computational neuroscience, robotics, and distributed intelligence. In addition to regular technical sessions with oral and poster presentations, the conference program will include special sessions, competitions, tutorials and workshops on topics of current interest. The 2017 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN 2017) will be held at the William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, May 14-19, 2017. "... Only in Anchorage can you meet a moose, walk on a glacier and explore a vast, natural park all in a single day. Between mountains and an inlet, surrounded by national parks and filled with Alaska wildlife, Anchorage combines the best of Alaska in a city that has the comforts of home and the hospitality of the Last Frontier. ..." For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook (https://fb.me/ijcnn2017/) and Twitter (@ijcnn2017). ##############################Important Dates############################## * Special Session, Panel Sesion & Competition Proposals September 15, 2016 * Tutorial and Workshop Proposals October 15, 2016 * Paper Submission November 15, 2016 * Paper Decision Notification January 20, 2017 * Camera-Ready Submission February 20, 2017 ########################################################################### ##########################Plenary Speakers########################## * Christof Koch, Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA * Hava Siegelmann, DARPA, and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA * Jose Principle, University of Florida, USA #################################################################### ##########################Call for Special Sessions########################## The IJCNN 2017 Program Committee solicits proposals for special sessions within the technical scopes of the conference. Special sessions, to be organized by international recognized experts, aim to bring together researchers focused in special, novel, and challenging topics. Fast-developing themes such as Deep Learning, Big Data, or applications to fields like chemistry, biology, computer games, robotics, etc. are examples. Papers submitted for special sessions are to be peer-reviewed with the same criteria used for the regular sessions. Researchers interested in organizing special sessions are invited to submit a formal proposal using the on-line form of the Special Sessions webpage. Due to large expected number of submissions, please do not directly email the information to the special session co-chairs Derong Liu, University of Chicago & Chinese Academy of Sciences. Beijing, and Tatiana Tambouratzis, University of Piraeus, Greece. For further details, please refer to http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-special-sessions Any questions regarding this proposal can be asked to the Special Session Chairs: Derong Liu, University of Chicago, USA. E-mail: derong(a)uic.edu Tatiana Tambouriatzis, University of Piraeus, Greece. E-mail: tatianatambouratzis(a)gmail.com ############################################################################ # ##########################Call for Workshops########################## Post-conference workshops offer a unique opportunity for in-depth discussions of specific topics in neural networks and computational intelligence. The workshops should be moderated by scientists or professionals who has significant expertise and /or whose recent work has had a significant impact within their field. IJCNN 2017 will emphasize emerging and growing areas of computational intelligence. Each workshop has a duration of 3 or 6 hours. The format of each workshop will be up to the moderator, and can include interactive presentations as well as panel discussions among participants. These interactions should highlight exciting new developments and current research trends to facilitate a discussion of ideas that will drive the field forward in the coming years. Workshop organizers can prepare various materials including handouts or electronic resources that can be made available for distribution before or after the meeting. Researchers interested in organizing workshops are invited to submit a formal proposal including the following information as a single file (pdf, doc, etc.) to the workshop chair: Title Organizers and their short bio Brief description of the scope and impact of the workshop Timeliness of the topic Confirmed and/or potential speakers Half day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours) Link to organizer's web page and/or workshop web site (optional) For further details, please refer http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-workshops. Any questions regarding this proposal can be asked to the Workshop Chair: Lazaros Iliadis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. E-mail: liliadis(a)fmenr.duth.gr ###################################################################### ##########################Call for Tutorials########################## IJCNN 2017 will feature pre-conference tutorials addressing fundamental and advanced topics in computational intelligence. Tutorial proposals should be emailed to the Tutorial Chair (see below). A tutorial proposal should include the Title Presenter/organizer name(s) and affiliations Expected enrollment Abstract (less than 300 words) Additional outline if needed Presenter/organizer biography Links to the presenter/organizer web page or the tutorial page (optional) The proposal should not exceed two pages in 1.5 space, Times 12 point font. The tutorial format (preliminary) is 1 hour and 45 minutes with a 10-minute break. Researchers interested in organizing workshops are invited to submit a formal proposal. For further details, please refer to http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-tutorials. Any questions regarding this proposal can be asked to the Tutorials Chair: Asim Roy, Arizona State University, USA. E-mail: ASIM.ROY(a)asu.edu ###################################################################### ##########################Call for Competitions########################## Competition organizers are kindly invited to submit their proposals to IJCNN2017 Competition Chair (TBA) by September 15, 2016. The notifications of acceptance of the competition proposals will be provided by TBA and will be shortly publish in the IJCNN 2017 website. Please note that each accepted competition will be published in a separate web link. The competition proposal should contain the following information (please fill out the form at the bottom of this page, or send the required information in the form as a single pdf file to the competition chair [email below]) The aims and objectives of the competition, The rules of the competition, including which data sets will be used, How the competition will serve the neural networks community/society, How to enter the competitions and how to evaluate them, and Which competition platform (or result submission and validation method) you will use (e.g. similar to Kaggle). Summary of performance results directly reported by the competition participants and not verified by the competition organizers are not acceptable. Please note that you need to select a category for your competition from the following list: Category A: You are planning to organise an associated special session, in which the proposal must be submitted separately to the special session chairs. In addition, you require that each team must submit at least one paper to the special session. Category B: You are planning to organise an associated special session, whose proposal must be also submitted separately to the special session chairs. However, submission of papers to the special session by competition participants is not mandatory. Category C: You have no plan to organize an associated special session. Note: For categories B and C, please also indicate whether or not conference participation is required for each entry. Sponsorship A winning certificate and free registration will be provided to the winner of each competition who attends IJCNN 2017. For further details, please refer to http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-competition. If you need any other information, please do not hesitate to contact the IJCNN2017 Competition Chair: Juyang (John) Weng, Michigan State University. E-mail: weng(a)cse.msu.edu ######################################################################### ##########################Call for Sponsors########################## You are invited to support the 2017 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN 2017), organized by the International Neural Network Society (INNS) and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (IEEE-CIS). This is an ideal way to demonstrate your organization's commitment to the field of artificial intelligence including neural networks, biomorphic systems, computational neuroscience, neuroengineering, and many other areas at the frontier of technological innovation and to publicize this support to many leaders and students in the field. Corporate support is typically used to permit a greater number of students to attend IJCNN at reduced fees without increasing the general registration, and to allow student volunteers to receive complimentary registration. Exhibits by sponsors also help inform researchers especially students and postdocs about relevant applications and opportunities. Corporate support can be targeted to a particular event or activity at the Conference. IJCNN 2017 has four sponsorship levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Your support is very important to the conference, and the conference committee ensures that these contributions are well recognized. We list the benefits and costs below. PLATINUM (US$10,000 or greater contribution) You will get 4 free registrations to the main conference and tutorials and workshops, 4 banquet tickets, 3 exhibition tables. You will also get second choice at naming events at the conference. For example, there are generally two receptions, several lunches and coffee breaks, plus a student reception. Naming of events will be decided based on the amount of the contribution and the order received. Your company or institution (with logo and URL) will be listed in all conference announcements, on the advance program, and on the conference web pages, at www.ijcnn.org We will specially acknowledge your company's contribution and offer thanks at the opening and closing sessions of the conference You will have the opportunity to include material and giveaways with the conference material for each attendee You will get early notification direct from the Corporate Support Chair of conference news GOLD SPONSORSHIP (US$5,000 or greater contribution) You will get 3 free registrations to the main conference or tutorials and workshops, 3 banquet tickets, 2 exhibition tables. You will also get third choice at naming events at the conference (after the Platinum). For example, there are generally two receptions, several lunches and coffee breaks, plus a student reception. Naming of events will be decided based on the amount of the contribution and the order received. Your company or institution (with logo and URL) will be listed in all conference announcements, on the advance program, and on the conference web pages, at www.ijcnn.org We will acknowledge your company's contribution and offer thanks at the opening and closing sessions of the conference You will have the opportunity to include material and giveaways with the conference material for each attendee You will get early notification direct from the Corporate Support Chair of conference news SILVER SPONSORSHIP (US$3,000 or greater contribution) You will get 2 free registrations to the main conference or tutorials and workshops, 2 banquet tickets, 1 exhibition table. We will name an event after your company, if there are events left after those named for Platinum and Gold Your company or institution (with logo and URL) will be listed in the advance program, and on the conference web pages, at www.ijcnn.org We will acknowledge your company's contribution and offer thanks at the opening and closing sessions of the conference You will get early notification direct from the Corporate Support Chair of conference news BRONZE SPONSORSHIP (US$1,500 or greater contribution) You will get 1 free registration to the main conference or tutorials and workshops and 1 banquet ticket. Your company or institution (with logo and URL) will be listed in the advance program, and on the conference web pages, at www.ijcnn.org We will acknowledge your company's contribution and offer thanks at the opening and closing sessions of the conference You will get early notification direct from the Corporate Support Chair of conference news Sponsorships at lower levels will be considered, with benefits negotiated between the IJCNN 2017 Sponsorship Chair and the Sponsor. For further details, please refer to http://www.ijcnn.org/call-for-sponsors Any questions regarding this proposal can be asked to the Sponsor Chair: Lipo Wang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. E-mail: elpwang(a)ntu.edu.sg ###################################################################### ############Paper Submission and Publication############ * Regular paper can have up to 8 pages in double-column IEEE Conference format * All papers are to be prepared using IEEE-compliant Latex or Word templates on paper of U.S. letter size. * All submitted papers will be checked for plagiarism through the IEEE CrossCheck system. * Papers with significant overlap with the authors own papers or other papers will be rejected without review. ######################################################## ##################Topics and Areas of Interest################## This conference solicits papers addressing original works in topics and areas of interest including, but are not limited to: NEURAL NETWORK MODELS * Feedforward neural networks * Recurrent neural networks * Self-organizing maps * Radial basis function networks * Attractor neural networks and associative memory * Modular networks * Fuzzy neural networks * Spiking neural networks * Reservoir networks (echo-state networks, liquid-state machines, etc.) * Large-scale neural networks * Other topics in artificial neural networks MACHINE LEARNING * Supervised learning * Unsupervised learning and clustering, (including PCA, and ICA) * Reinforcement learning * Probabilistic and information-theoretic methods * Support vector machines and kernel methods * EM algorithms * Mixture models, ensemble learning, and other meta-learning or committee algorithms * Bayesian, belief, causal, and semantic networks * Statistical and pattern recognition algorithms * Visualization of data * Feature selection, extraction, and aggregation * Evolutionary learning * Hybrid learning methods * Computational power of neural networks * Deep learning * Other topics in machine learning NEURODYNAMICS * Dynamical models of spiking neurons * Synchronization and temporal correlation in neural networks * Dynamics of neural systems * Chaotic neural networks * Dynamics of analog networks * Neural oscillators and oscillator networks * Dynamics of attractor networks * Other topics in neurodynamics COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE * Connectomics * Models of large-scale networks in the nervous system * Models of neurons and local circuits * Models of synaptic learning and synaptic dynamics * Models of neuromodulation * Brain imaging * Analysis of neurophysiological and neuroanatomical data * Cognitive neuroscience * Models of neural development * Models of neurochemical processes * Neuroinformatics * Other topics in computational neuroscience NEURAL MODELS OF PERCEPTION, COGNITION AND ACTION * Neurocognitive networks * Cognitive architectures * Models of conditioning, reward and behavior * Cognitive models of decision-making * Embodied cognition * Cognitive agents * Multi-agent models of group cognition * Developmental and evolutionary models of cognition * Visual system * Auditory system * Olfactory system * Other sensory systems * Attention * Learning and memory * Spatial cognition, representation and navigation * Semantic cognition and language * Neural models of symbolic processing * Reasoning and problem-solving * Working memory and cognitive control * Emotion and motivation * Motor control and action * Dynamical models of coordination and behavior * Consciousness and awareness * Models of sleep and diurnal rhythms * Mental disorders * Other topics in neural models of perception, cognition and action NEUROENGINEERING * Brain-machine interfaces * Neural prostheses * Neuromorphic hardware * Embedded neural systems * Other topics in neuroengineering BIO-INSPIRED AND BIOMORPHIC SYSTEMS * Brain-inspired cognitive architectures * Embodied robotics * Evolutionary robotics * Developmental robotics * Computational models of development * Collective intelligence * Swarms * Autonomous complex systems * Self-configuring systems * Self-healing systems * Self-aware systems * Emotional computation * Artificial life * Other topics in bio-inspired and biomorphic systems APPLICATIONS * Bioinformatics * Biomedical engineering * Data analysis and pattern recognition * Speech recognition and speech production * Robotics * Neurocontrol * Approximate dynamic programming, adaptive critics, and Markov decision processes * Neural network approaches to optimization * Signal processing, image processing, and multi-media * Temporal data analysis, prediction, and forecasting; time series analysis * Communications and computer networks * Data mining and knowledge discovery * Power system applications * Financial engineering applications * Applications in multi-agent systems and social computing * Manufacturing and industrial applications * Expert systems * Clinical applications * Big data applications * Smart grid applications * Other applications CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TOPICS * Hybrid intelligent systems * Swarm intelligence * Sensor networks * Quantum computation * Computational biology * Molecular and DNA computation * Computation in tissues and cells * Artificial immune systems * Other cross-disciplinary topics ################################################################ ##########################Organizing Committee########################## General Chair * Yoonsuck Choe, Texas A and M University, USA Program Chair * Christina Jayne, Robert Gordon University, UK Technical Co-Chairs * Irwin King, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China * Barbara Hammer, University of Bielefeld, Germany Plenary Chair * Cesare Alippi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy Special Session Co-Chairs * Derong Liu, University of Chicago, USA * Tatiana Tambouriatzis, University of Piraeus, Greece Tutorial Chair * Asim Roy, Arizona State University, USA Workshop Chair * Lazaros Iliadis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece Poster Session Chair * Richard Duro, Universidad Coruna, Spain Competition Chair * Juyang (John) Weng, Michigan State University, USA Panels Chair * Robert Kozma, University of Memphis, USA Awards Chair * Nikola Kasabov, Auckland University of Technology, Australia Web Reviews Chair * Tomasz Cholewo, Lexmark International Inc., USA Sponsors & Exhibits Chair * Lipo Wang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Publication Chair * Bill Howell, Natural Resources Canada (retired), Canada International Liaison * Teresa Ludermir, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil European Liaison * Danilo P. Mandic, Imperial College, UK Asia-Pacific Liaison * Minho Lee, Kyungpook National University, Korea Neuroscience Liaison * Péter Érdi, Kalamazoo College, USA Robotics Liaison * Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, INRIA, France Industry Liaison * Sven F. Crone, Lancaster University, UK Publicity Co-Chairs * Giacomo Boracchi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy * Simone Scardapane, Sapienza University, Italy * Teck-Hou Teng, Singapore Management University, Singapore Local Arrangements Co-Chairs * Frank W. Moore, University of Alaska, USA * Kenrick Mock, University of Alaska, USA Registration Chair * Jaerock Kwon, Kettering University, USA Webmaster * Jaewook Yoo, Texas A & M University, USA ####################################################################### ##################Sponsoring Organizations################## * INNS - International Neural Network Society * IEEE - Computational Intelligence Society ############################################################

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[Big Data NLP Workshop @ IEEE Big Data 2016] Call For Papers
by Teng Teck Hou Aug. 24, 2016

Aug. 24, 2016

Big Data and Natural Language Processing workshop hosted at IEEE Big Data 2016 http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/bignlp2016/ The modality of textual data has been somewhat under-represented in big data and data science research thus far. This is despite the fact that large amounts of data are stored in unstructured textual format. We intend that this workshop will address this shortcoming and bring together academic and industrial researchers to exchange cutting edge research in the emerging area of extremely large-scale natural language processing (NLP). This topic has emerged in several areas in parallel in recent years: information retrieval and search engines, text mining, machine learning, web-derived corpus/computational linguistics, digital libraries, high performance and parallel computing. Common to all these areas is some or all of the main parts of the NLP pipeline: collection, cleaning, annotation, indexing, storage, retrieval and analysis of voluminous quantities of naturally occurring language data from the web or large-scale national and international digitisation initiatives. By hosting this event at IEEE Big Data 2016, we hope to encourage the communities to come together to consider synergies between NLP and data science. In this context, numerous issues should be considered including those linked to the five Vs of big data: (a) Volume: is having more data for training and testing NLP techniques always better? (b) Variety: are all types of data available on a sufficiently large scale? (c) Velocity: how are parallel methods best applied to carry out NLP on a large scale? (d) Variability: how does inconsistent data impact on the accuracy of NLP techniques? (e) Veracity: how does the accuracy of data affect inferences that can be drawn from it? Research topics: Topics covered by the workshop include, but are not restricted to, the following: Application focused papers e.g. security informatics Crowdsourcing approaches to large-scale language analysis Use of big data to train/test methods for low resource languages where existing NLP approaches do not exist Efficient NLP for analysing large data sets Challenges of scaling the NLP pipeline Big Data Management for NLP Storage and access for large linguistic data sets Language processing via GPGPUs Parallel and distributed computing techniques for language analysis e.g. HPC, MapReduce, Hadoop, Spark and cloud based machine learning Visualisation methods for the analysis of large corpora Dates: Oct 3, 2016: Due date for full workshop papers submission Oct 25, 2016: Notification of paper acceptance to authors Nov 8, 2016: Camera-ready of accepted papers Dec 5-8, 2016: Workshops Program Chairs: Dr Paul Rayson (Lancaster University, UK) Dr Mark Stevenson (Sheffield University, UK) Dr John Mariani (Lancaster University, UK) Dr Laura Irina Rusu (IBM Research Australia) Gandhi Sivakumar (Watson CoC, IBM Australia) Program committee members: Dr Nikos Aletras (Amazon UK) Dr Enrique Alfonseca (Google Zurich) Professor Laurence Anthony (Waseda University, Japan) Dr Piotr Banski (IDS-Mannheim, Germany) Dr Alistair Baron (Lancaster University, UK) Dr Eddie Bell (Lyst, UK) Matt Coole (Lancaster University, UK) Professor John Keane (University of Manchester, UK) Dr Dawn Knight (Cardiff University, UK) Dr Marc Kupietz (IDS-Mannheim, Germany) Dr Jochen Leidner (Thomson Reuters, UK) Dr Diana Maynard (Sheffield University, UK) Dr Rao Muhammad Adeel Nawab (COMSATS, Pakistan) Dr Sebastian Riedel (UCL, UK) Dr Mahsa Salehi (IBM Research, Australia) Dr Irena Spasic (Cardiff University, UK) Dr Stephen Wattam (Lancaster University, UK)

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Three-year postdoc position at Imperial College London: Computational auditory neuroscience and neurostimulation
by Reichenbach, Johann D T Aug. 18, 2016

Aug. 18, 2016

Applications are invited for a Research Associate (Postdoc) to work on an exciting 3 year project in computational auditory neuroscience and neurostimulation at Imperial College London. The successful candidate will join the group of Dr. Tobias Reichenbach (http://www.bg.ic.ac.uk/research/reichenbach) The project is embedded in The Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/blast-injury) The project's goal is to develop efficient complex transcranial current stimulation techniques that can aid auditory processing. Auditory processing can be impaired due to damage to the neural circuits that are responsible for analysing auditory signals. Such damage to the central nervous system can result from head injury that can, in turn, be caused by secondary and tertiary blast injuries. Recent studies have found that the majority of war veterans that were exposed to at least one blast during their deployment have such auditory processing disorder. In this project we will employ novel computational and experimental insights into the mechanisms of speech processing in the brain to develop efficient types of complex transcranial current stimulation that can aid auditory processing. Applicants should have a PhD in computational neuroscience, engineering, physics or computing with experience in signal processing as well as neurostimulation or -imaging. The salary range is £36,070 - £43,350 per annum. For an informal discussion please contact Dr Tobias Reichenbach (email: reichenbach(a)imperial.ac.uk<mailto:a.kedgley@imperial.ac.uk>; telephone: +44 (0)20 759 46370). Our preferred method of application is online via our website. Please click ‘apply’ below or go to https://www.imperial.ac.uk/job-applicants/ (Select “Job Search” then enter the job title or vacancy reference number into “Keywords”). Please complete and upload an application form as directed quoting reference number EN20160296FH. Further information is also available on the job description. Should you have any queries please contact Ms Mica Jones at mica.jones(a)imperial.ac.uk<mailto:mica.jones@imperial.ac.uk> . The closing date is the 2nd of October 2016.

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Call for Paper MediTec 2016 (International Conference on Medical Engineering, Health Informatics and Technology)
by MediTec 2016 Aug. 13, 2016

Aug. 13, 2016

*(Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this CFP)* *Dear Sir/Madam,* This letter is to formally invite you to participate and submit your research works in the “*2016 International Conference on Medical Engineering, Health Informatics and Technology (MediTec 2016)*” themed "*Smart Systems for Healthcare*" from *17-18 December 2016,* which will take place at United International University (UIU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. *MediTec 2016* is technically co-sponsored by IEEE-EMBS Bangladesh Chapter and IEEE Bangladesh Section. This conference aims to bring together researchers, engineers, doctors, medical practitioners and experts in Bio-medical engineering, Healthcare, Intelligent Systems and Knowledge Management to share their experience, ideas and future scopes. Distinguished scientists, experts from both academia and industries will deliver keynote speeches and invited talks on trends and significant advances in the emerging technologies related to the conference topics. For the list of confirmed speakers, please *click here.* <http://meditec.uiu.ac.bd/speakers/> *Major areas of interest include, but not limited to, are:* 1. Biomedical and Health Informatics 2. Biomedical Signal and Image Processing 3. Therapeutic Systems and Clinical Technologies 4. Neuro and Rehabilitation Engineering 5. Biorobotics, Bionanotechnology and Wearable Biomedical Sensors and Systems 6. Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 7. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 8. ICT, Health and Disabilities Please find the attachment for detailed *Call For Paper* or visit *here* <http://meditec.uiu.ac.bd/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Meditech-2016_A4_Poster…> . *Important Dates:* Paper Submission Deadline 30 August 2016 Acceptance Notification 15 October 2016 Camera Ready Submission 10 November 2016 Registration Early Bird: 15 November 2016 Late: Afterwards All the accepted papers will be included in Conference Proceedings and all the presented papers will be submitted to *IEEE Xplore Digital Library*. Selected papers from the conference proceedings will be invited for possible publication in special issues of some reputed international journals. Paper submission for *MediTec 2016* is now open. *Click here to Submit Your Paper. <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=meditec2016>* For more information, please visit conference website *http://meditec.uiu.ac.bd* <http://meditec.uiu.ac.bd/>*.* Kindly promote *MediTec 2016* to interested individuals, researchers and communities in your vicinity. We look forward to meet you in the conference. Thanking you, Best Regards, Khondaker A. Mamun, *Ph.D.* Conference Chair, MediTec 2016 Email: meditec(a)uiu.ac.bd Cell: +880 1776534220 Director, AIMS Lab (www.aimsl.uiu.ac.bd) Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering ( www.cse.uiu.ac.bd) United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh (www.uiu.ac.bd) Chair, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Bangladesh Chapter Initiator, Bangladesh Research and Awareness Initiative of Neuroscience (BRAIN) Email: k.mamun(a)ieee.org, mamun(a)cse.uiu.ac.bd, k.mamun(a)utoronto.ca, mamun79bd(a)yahoo.com URL: http://cse.uiu.ac.bd/faculty/kmamun/

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programmer wanted -- neuroscience and neuroprosthetics lab
by Sliman Bensmaia Aug. 12, 2016

Aug. 12, 2016

Lab at the cutting edge of neuroscience and neurotechnology looking for a programmer to keep us at the cutting edge! The lab has two general pursuits: discover the neural basis of touch and proprioception – how do patterns of activation in the nerve and in the brain mediate our ability to feel objects by touch and sense the position and movements of our limbs in space? – and to develop a somatosensory neuroprosthesis – How can we recreate the sense of touch by stimulating the nerve or the brain. See http://bensmaialab.org for additional information regarding the lab and the exciting work we are doing. Ideally, looking for a motivated, intelligent individual who works well with people, someone who might be able to make a long term commitment to the lab and help us build something special. JOB SUMMARY Responsible for interfacing the various machines in the lab (robots, sensors, data acquisition systems, etc.) with computers and with each other to run neurophysiological and behavioral experiments with human and non-human primates. EDUCATION Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field of engineering required. EXPERIENCE One year of relevant programming experience required. Experience developing, implementing, debugging and maintaining applications required. Two years of professional programming experience preferred. Experience developing applications using C++, Matlab, Python, Java, MySQL, Visual Basic, and/or any other object oriented programming language preferred. Experience building and debugging electronic systems preferred but not required. Knowledge of electromechanical systems preferred but not required. Interest in and/or knowledge of neurophysiology preferred but not required. -- Sliman Bensmaia Associate Professor Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy University of Chicago 773.834.5203

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Journal of Neural Engineering Special Issue on Open Source Tools in Systems Neuroscience
by Caleb Kemere Aug. 12, 2016

Aug. 12, 2016

We would like to invite you to contribute an article to a Special Issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering on "Open Source Tools in Systems Neuroscience". The last few years have seen an increasing number of community-developed open source projects become instrumental in enabling cutting edge experiments, broadening access to ensemble neural recording techniques in a variety of animal models, and facilitating the adoption of novel technologies (such as optical recording). The goal of this issue is to catalog these projects and provide a curated resource for interested scientists. All open source hardware and software projects which enable neural data acquisition and/or systems neuroscience experiments are welcome. While we are primarily targeting original results which include detailed protocols and technology demonstration, we will also consider submissions which offer updated reviews of previously documented projects. General author guidelines can be found here (https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/jne-iop ) via the 'Instructions, forms and policies' link. At submission, authors should select the 'Special issue article' article type, and then choose the "Open Source Tools in Systems Neuroscience" special issue from the menu at the bottom of the page. The submission deadline is 16 November 2016. We also encourage authors to send a short abstract or tentative title in advance. Please forward this announcement broadly! Thanks, Caleb Kemere, Guest Editor Andrew Malloy, Editor, IOP Publishing

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Neuroscience Gateway Workshop at SFN 2016 meeting
by Ted Carnevale Aug. 10, 2016

Aug. 10, 2016

Space is still open in the workshop Using the Neuroscience Gateway Portal for Parallel Simulation which will be held Saturday, Nov. 12 from 9 AM to noon as a satellite to the 2016 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The Neuroscience Gateway Portal (NSG) is an NSF-supported resource with a simple, convenient user interface, that provides free time on high performance computing hardware for computationally intensive tasks such as large scale simulations and data analysis. Currently installed software includes Brian, GENESIS, MOOSE, NEST, NEURON, PyNN, Freesurfer, and the Virtual Personalized Multimodal Connectome Pipeline. The registration deadline for this workshop is Friday Oct. 28, but it is advisable to sign up early because space is limited. See http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/nsg2016/nsg2016.html for more information and a link to the registration form. --Ted

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[journals] CFP - Special Issue on "Symbol Emergence and Developmental Systems: Social Symbol Grounding and Embodied Cognition in Humans and Robots" - IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems (TCDS)
by Amir Aly Aug. 9, 2016

Aug. 9, 2016

CALL FOR PAPERS **Apologies for cross posting ** *IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems (TCDS)*Special Issue on "*Symbol Emergence and Developmental Systems: Social Symbol Grounding and Embodied Cognition in Humans and Robots*" *I. Aim and Scope *Exploring human cognitive development constitutes a basic step towards endowing robots with high level human-like cognitive functions. Human embodied cognition follows a seamless process of development, which includes the development of sensorimotor skills, understanding concrete ideas and events, using concepts representing physical entities to describe objects, and coordinating multiple abstractions within complex representations. Investigating these aspects that bootstrap human cognitive development – through appropriate theoretical and computational cognitive modeling – allows for making robots capable of handling objects through the cumulative learning experiences that could develop sensorimotor skills, developing social skills through social learning strategies, grounding abstract concepts in the sensorimotor system, and developing linguistic skills in order to represent situations through language within interaction. A symbol system combines a group of tokens into structures and manipulates them through explicit rules to produce new expressions. The task of assigning a meaning to each meaningless symbol in a structure defines the "Symbol Grounding" problem, which has static physical and social components. The "Physical Symbol Grounding" allows an agent to form an internal explicit representation of an external-world referent so as to interpret symbols semantically. Whereas, the "Social Symbol Grounding" allows for developing a common lexicon of symbols grounded in perception information within a population of agents, which could lead to a gradual emergence of language through social interaction. A recent approach to semantically interpreting a symbol system is "Symbol Emergence", which accounts for the dynamic and self-organized nature of symbols that constitute human cognition. These complementary representations of a symbol system are still considered as real challenges in cognitive developmental robotics, and they require more elaborate theoretical and experimental studies in order to better understand the aspects of human behavior development. *II. Themes *This special issue aims to shed light on cutting-edge research lines in cognitive developmental robotics at the intersection of human cognitive science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, language science, and robotics research. Topics relevant to this special issue include, but are not limited to: - Human symbol systems and symbol emergence in robotics. - Cognitive modeling of human behavior. - Language and action development. - Learning from demonstration. - Action sequence learning. - Conceptual spaces for cognitive robotics. - Fluid and embodied construction grammar for cognitive robotics. *III. Submission * Manuscripts should be prepared according to the journal's “Information for Authors” instructions found at http://cis.ieee.org/publications.html, and submissions should be done through the IEEE TCDS Manuscript center: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tcds-ieee (please select the category “SI: Symbol Emergence”). *IV. Important Dates*15 December 2016 – Deadline for papers submission 31 March 2017 – First notification for authors 15 May 2017 – Deadline for revised papers submission 15 June 2017 – Final notification for authors *V. Guest Editors * 1. *Amir Aly*, Ritsumeikan University, Japan ( amir.aly(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp) 2. *Sascha Griffiths*, Queen Mary University of London, UK ( sascha.griffiths(a)qmul.ac.uk) 3. *Francesca Stramandinoli*, IIT, Italy (francesca.stramandinoli(a)iit.it) 4. *Tadahiro Taniguchi*, Ritsumeikan University, Japan ( taniguchi(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp <taniguchi(a)em.ci.ritsumei.ac.jp>) 5. *Paul Vogt*, Tilburg University, The Netherlands (p.a.vogt(a)uvt.nl) More details about the scope of this journal special issue and the guest editors are available on: IEEE_TCDS_SI_CFP.pdf <https://intelligent-robots-ws.ensta-paristech.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/08…> . ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Amir Aly Postdoctoral Research Associate 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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2nd CFP (ICDL-EPIROB 2016): WS on Development of Body Representations
by Matej Hoffmann Aug. 9, 2016

Aug. 9, 2016

*Call for participation: Interdisciplinary workshop on the development of body knowledge in humans and machines.* 19^th September 2016, Cergy-Pontoise / Paris http://bodyschemaworkshop.blogspot.it <http://bodyschemaworkshop.blogspot.it/> held in the framework of ICDL-EPIROB 2016 conference (http://icdl-epirob.org/) Following the previous workshops on the development of body representations in humans and robots at ICDL-EPIROB, we have the pleasure to announce a forthcoming workshop in Cergy-Pontoise / Paris on the 19^th September 2016. The aim of this workshop is to spark collaboration between roboticists and developmental psychologists in order to address the origins of the sensorimotor maps that underlie own body representations in both infants and robots. The development of infants’ body knowledge is a primary object of discovery starting before birth. This construction ultimately enables the infant to efficiently interact with the environment. The specific goal of the organizers is to explore the possibility of developing robotic models inspired by the development of human infant body representations. Presentations will consider body knowledge acquisition from sensorimotor, neural and computational perspectives. After the presentations, the discussion will aim at establishing an integrative framework for understanding a) the development of body knowledge in infants, b) the mechanisms that underlie body knowledge acquisition and c) how robots can be used to replicate developmental patterns and progressions that have been found in human infants. On the one hand such robots can become new modeling tools for empirical sciences – expanding the domain of computational modeling by anchoring it to the physical environment and a physical body. On the other hand, robot controllers endowed with multimodal whole-body awareness typical of humans should increase robots’ autonomy. ___________________________________________________________________________ We invite contributions concerning the development of body knowledge in humans and/or machines. Please submit a one-page abstract describing your poster by *the 20th August 2016* to the following address: *icdlbodyworkshop(a)gmail.com* Presenters of a poster will be expected to be present on the 19th of September 2016 for a teasers-session and for the poster session. During the teasers-session each presenter will introduce their poster in a 2-minute oral presentation (with 2-3 pdf slides). During the poster session they will then have the opportunity to explain their poster and to hand out any leaflets or other information materials they have available for viewers of their poster. *___________________________________________________________________________* *Important dates * Abstract submission: August 20, 2016. Notification of acceptance: August 23, 2016. Submission of 2-3 slides (pdf): September 15, 2016. Workshop day: September 19, 2016. ___________________________________________________________________________ *Speakers* * Prof. Jeffrey Lockman, PhD. Department of Psychology, Tulane University, USA. * Kevin O’Regan, PhD. Research scientist, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France. * Matej Hoffmann, PhD. Researcher, iCub Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy. * Prof. Minoru Asada, PhD. Research director, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Japan. * Andrew Bremner, PhD. Reader in psychology and head of department, Goldsmiths University, London, UK. * Gianluca Baldassare, PhD. Researcher, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Rome, Italy.** *____________________________________________ * ** *Venue* Cergy-Pontoise University: http://www.etis.ensea.fr/neurocyber/ICDL-EPIROB2016/home.php ___________________________________________________________________________ *Website* Please check the website <http://bodyschemaworkshop.blogspot.fr/>http://bodyschemaworkshop.blogspot.fr/for updated information about the workshop! ___________________________________________________________________________ *Organizers* Eszter Somogyi, PhD Postdoc researcher, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris Descartes University, France Matej Hoffmann <https://sites.google.com/site/matejhof/home>, PhD Researcher, iCub Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy Lorenzo Jamone <http://lorejam.blogspot.pt/>, PhD Associate researcher, VisLab, Instituto de Sistemas e Robotica, Lisbon, Portugal ___________________________________________________________________________ *Contact information* Eszter Somogyi, PhD Postdoc researcher, Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Paris Descartes University, France esomogyi(a)gmail.com <mailto:esomogyi@gmail.com> -- Matej Hoffmann, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher iCub Facility Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Morego, 30 16163 Genoa, Italy https://sites.google.com/site/matejhof/home

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Postdoctoral positions in the Human Brain Project
by Andrew Davison Aug. 8, 2016

Aug. 8, 2016

Two postdoctoral positions are available within the Brain Simulation Platform of the Human Brain Project, to work on systematic model validation and on standards for model representation and sharing. The postdocs will work with Dr Andrew Davison and his group in the CNRS UNIC laboratory, located in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. Both projects will involve extensive collaboration with other groups both within and external to HBP. The positions are available immediately, and are funded until 31st March 2018 with future extensions possible. Salary depends on experience, and will be on the standard French research scale. Qualifications: Applicants should have a PhD in computer science, physics, computational neuroscience, systems biology, electrical engineering, or a related discipline, or be nearing completion of PhD studies. Excellent skills in programming (preferably Python) are essential. Expertise in computational neuroscience would be helpful but is not essential, as many aspects of the projects are transversal across simulation-based science. Knowledge of French would be helpful but is not required, as English is the working language of the project. How to apply: Send your CV, a brief statement of research interests and contact information for two references to andrew.davison(a)unic.cnrs-gif.fr. Informal inquiries are also welcome. Further details: The Human Brain Project (HBP; https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/) is an EU Flagship initiative in which over 100 partner institutions are working together to build a completely new information computing technology infrastructure for neuroscience and for brain-related research in medicine and computing, catalysing a global collaborative effort to understand the human brain and its diseases and ultimately to emulate its computational capabilities. The Brain Simulation Platform is a subproject of HBP which aims to provide community-accessible infrastructure for data-driven neuroscience modelling and simulation and to support community-driven models of specific brain regions. The successful candidates will contribute to two tasks: 1. Validation framework. This task will (i) develop services and tools to facilitate validation of data-driven neuroscience models; (ii) collaborate with modelling communities both within and external to HBP to perform model validation. The brain regions currently being actively modelled within HBP include somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus and basal ganglia. 2. Model representation and standards. Performant and standardised model representations and APIs are essential both for efficient HPC simulation workflows and for effective collaboration and sharing in the context of open science. This task will work with community partners and with model developers internal to HBP to adopt and/or develop standards for representing brain models, and for sharing them. The Task will work with the High Performance Computing and Neuromorphic Computing platforms of HBP to ensure that the APIs and model representations are consistent with high performance on both traditional HPC and neuromorphic computing systems. As far as possible the task will use and/or extend existing community standards (e.g. NeuroML, NineML, PyNN). UNIC (Unité de Neurosciences, Information et Complexité; http://www.unic.cnrs-gif.fr/) is a research unit of the CNRS, located on a parkland campus in Gif-sur-Yvette, about 40 minutes from central Paris. UNIC consists of seven research groups, with a shared focus on complexity in the dynamics of neocortical networks during sensory processing and perception, and using a range of experimental, theoretical and informatics approaches.

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Post Doc / PhD position: “Algorithms of the Neocortex” in Frankfurt and Göttingen
by Michael Wibral Aug. 5, 2016

Aug. 5, 2016

Dear Comp-Neuro community, we'll be happy to welcome a PhD or Post-Doc in Frankfurt and Göttingen - see below. Please spread the word. Best Regards, Michael Wibral *Post Doc / PhD position: “Algorithms of the Neocortex” in Frankfurt and Göttingen* ** The group for neural information dynamics at the lab of Prof. Michael Wibral (Goethe University, Frankfurt, and Guest scientist at the MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Göttingen) invites applications for a Post Doc / PhD position in a project on “generic information processing algorithms of the neocortex” for an initial duration of 3 years (PhD), or 2 years (Post Doc) with the possibility of an extension. The goal of the project is to understand from an information theoretic perspective how and why the three elementary operations on information – active storage, transfer and modification – are assigned to the layers and cell types of six-layered cortex. The project will tackle this question via information theoretic analyses of massively parallel electrophysiological recordings from primates and intracellular recordings of pyramidal cells. These insights will inform simulations of neural networks with information theoretic goal functions. The project is a collaborative effort with several partners: The Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation (MPIDS) in Göttingen is known for its achievements in theoretical and computational neuroscience; the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling are the source of important developments in the information theoretic understanding of neural systems; the University of Sydney is leading in the development of measures for local information dynamics. The ideal candidate should have strong mathematical and programming skills and a Master's degree or a PhD in theoretical/computational neuroscience, physics, computer science, cognitive science, or engineering. Previous experience in information theory and neural simulators (e.g. NEST) are a plus but not required. The group of Michael Wibral has been focused on information theoretic analyses of neural networks for many years and is the home of the TRENTOOL and IDTxl toolboxes. Both, Frankfurt and Göttingen offer exceptional scientific communities with leading neuroscience groups at Max Planck Institutes and Universities. At both cities, applicants at the Post Doc level will have the opportunity to teach in English in international Master programs in neuroscience. The Goethe university is an equal opportunities employer committed to increasing the share of women in science. Applicants should send their application, including a CV, all marks from their studies, 2 letters of reference, and a research statement to _wibral(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de <mailto:wibral@em.uni-frankfurt.de>_ . Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30th, 2016 or until the position is filled. Starting dates are flexible but preferably before Jan. 1^st , 2017.

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Research Fellow Position in Neuroinformatics
by Leon French Aug. 3, 2016

Aug. 3, 2016

The Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at CAMH seeks a postdoctoral fellow to join our efforts to understand brain disease. We focus on mining datasets of connectivity, gene expression and epigenetics across the genome and the brain. We employ multifaceted approaches that gain information by using data that crosses scales, modalities, and species. We seek one postdoctoral fellow interested in bioinformatics and neuroscience. The primary project will be to create, explore, and test methods for mapping many genes across neuroanatomy and brain development. Given the polygenic complexity of mental illness, there are many exciting applications for these methods. Our current applications use genes associated with Parkinson’s disease, aging (collaboration with Dr. Etienne Sibille) and intellectual disability (with Dr. John B. Vincent). In addition to this project, there would be opportunities to pursue other research interests. Some of our frequently used keywords give a good description of our work: neuroinformatics, molecular neuroanatomy, genetics, epigenomics, population neuroscience, transcriptomics, machine learning, text mining, neuroimaging, software development, and connectomics. The ideal candidate should have a PhD in computational biology, bioinformatics, computer science or related field with extensive knowledge in genome-wide data integration. Significant interest in neuroscience and experience working with large datasets are requested. Writing manuscripts and applying for independent grants and fellowships will be strongly encouraged. Highly motivated individuals (Ph.D. and/or M.D.) should submit a curriculum vitae, names of 3 references and a cover letter explaining their interest, and a brief description of research experience. Send information to leonfrench+recruit(a)gmail.com You will support a healthy workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable and regulatory requirements. This position will be located at 250 College Street, Toronto.

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PhD / Postdoctoral position on Network Dynamics and Information Processing, Max Planck Institute & UMG, Germany
by Viola Priesemann Aug. 3, 2016

Aug. 3, 2016

PhD / Postdoctoral position "Network Dynamics and Information Processing in Health and Disease" * The project * The project addresses the physiological underpinning of neural network dysfunction in terms of dynamics and information processing in early onset neurological diseases. The successful candidate will combine theoretical approaches with experimental in vivo recordings and with in vitro preparations derived from monogenetic neurological disorders. The study will be backed up by manipulation of classical in vitro networks. Our aim is to gain a mechanistic understanding of disease induced network dysfunction, which allows to understand disease pathophysiology and to develop treatment approaches. * The position * The position is part of an interdisciplinary project between the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, the Bernstein Center and the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. It is embedded in the Göttingen Campus Physics-to-Medicine initiative, which brings together about 30 research groups in the field of physics, theoretical neurosciences, neurology and cardiology with the explicit objective of promoting quantitative biomedicine with a translational perspective. * The Göttingen campus offers * · a strong focus on experimental and theoretical neuroscience, including the Max Planck Institutes for Dynamics and Self-organization, Experimental Medicine, and Biophysical Chemistry, the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, the European Neuroscience Institute, the German Primate Center, and the physics, biology and medical faculties of the Göttingen university. · the possibility of teaching and taking courses within the Neuroscience Graduate schools * The candidate should have * · a Master or PhD degree in theoretical or experimental Neuroscience, or related disciplines (Physics, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, …) · a strong interest to cross disciplinary boundaries in order to gain a quantitative understanding of neurons and networks in health and disease · strong English speaking and writing skills. German speaking skills are not required. * Your application * The Max-Planck society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. Questions can be addressed to Dr. Andreas Neef (andreas(a)nld.ds.mpg.de) Dr. Viola Priesemann (viola(a)nld.ds.mpg.de) or Dr. Hendrik Rosewich (hendrik.rosewich(a)med.uni-goettingen.de) If you are interested in joining our group, please send your CV, transcript of records, contacts of two referees, and a brief statement of interest, quoting reference no. 08-2016, by email in one pdf file to viola(a)nld.ds.mpg.de. Applications received before August, 23rd, 2016 will be given full consideration. -- Dr. Viola Priesemann Bernstein Research Fellow and Group Leader www.nld.ds.mpg.de/people/priesemann

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PostDoc / PhD position: “Algorithms of the Neocortex” in Frankfurt / Göttingen
by Viola Priesemann Aug. 3, 2016

Aug. 3, 2016

*Post Doc / PhD position: “Algorithms of the Neocortex” in Frankfurt / Göttingen* ** The group for neural information dynamics at the lab of Prof. Michael Wibral (Goethe University, Frankfurt, and Guest scientist at the MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organisation, Göttingen) invites applications for a Post Doc / PhD position in a project on “generic information processing algorithms of the neocortex” for an initial duration of 3 years (PhD), or 2 years (Post Doc) with the possibility of an extension. The goal of the project is to understand from an information theoretic perspective how and why the three elementary operations on information – active storage, transfer and modification – are assigned to the layers and cell types of six-layered cortex. The project will tackle this question via information theoretic analyses of massively parallel electrophysiological recordings from primates and intracellular recordings of pyramidal cells. These insights will inform simulations of neural networks with information theoretic goal functions. The project is a collaborative effort with several partners: The Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation (MPIDS) in Göttingen is known for its achievements in theoretical and computational neuroscience; the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling are the source of important developments in the information theoretic understanding of neural systems; the University of Sydney is leading in the development of measures for local information dynamics. The ideal candidate should have strong mathematical and programming skills and a Master's degree or a PhD in theoretical/computational neuroscience, physics, computer science, cognitive science, or engineering. Previous experience in information theory and neural simulators (e.g. NEST) are a plus but not required. The group of Michael Wibral has been focused on information theoretic analyses of neural networks for many years and is the home of the TRENTOOL and IDTxl toolboxes. Both, Frankfurt and Göttingen offer exceptional scientific communities with leading neuroscience groups at Max Planck Institutes and Universities. At both cities, applicants at the Post Doc level will have the opportunity to teach in English in international Master programs in neuroscience. The Goethe university is an equal opportunities employer committed to increasing the share of women in science. Applicants should send their application, including a CV, all marks from their studies, 2 letters of reference, and a research statement to _wibral(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de <mailto:wibral@em.uni-frankfurt.de>_ . Applications will be accepted until Sept. 30th, 2016 or until the position is filled. Starting dates are flexible but preferably before Jan. 1^st , 2017.

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Workshop in Copenhagen, Sept. 14-16
by Henrik Anders Lindén Aug. 2, 2016

Aug. 2, 2016

Dear all, We still have a few free seats for the workshop "How does the brain work?" in Copenhagen, September 14th-16th 2016. This workshop will bring together leading experimentalists and leading theoreticians in neuroscience to openly discuss ideas for a common brain theory. Speaker list: - Dora Angelaki (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA) - Michael Brecht (Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Germany) - Gustavo Deco (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) - Sophie Denève (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) - Alain Destexhe (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, France) - Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington, Seattle, USA) - Riitta Hari (Aalto University, Finland) - John Hertz (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) - Viktor Jirsa (Aix-Marseille Université, France) - Per Roland (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) - Ranulfo Romo (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico) - Idan Segev (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel) - Tatyana Sharpee (Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, USA) - Sara Solla (Northwestern University, Chicago, USA) - Misha Tsodyks (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel) For more information including registration details please see the workshop homepage: http://dsin.ku.dk/calendar/brain_workshop/ Best regards, Per Roland and Henrik Lindén Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen

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Computational Neuroscience workshop Cortona (Italy), September 12-16, 2016
by thierry nieus July 31, 2016

July 31, 2016

Dear colleagues, it is my pleasure to announce the workshop: NeuroMath, Mathematical and Computational Neuroscience: cell, network and data analysis, that will take place in Cortona (Italy), September 12-16, 2016. We have an extensive list of confirmed speakers, experts in their field. These talks will span over several branches of the Neuroscience field with a common focus on the quantitative and mathematical questions lying behind the scientific questions. The workshop will bring together mathematicians, engineers, physicists and biologists and hopefully this will foster discussions across different research fields. The list of confirmed speakers is: http://www.mat.unimi.it/users/naldi/NeuroMath/ISpeakers.html We will allocate some slots for posters (e.g. Tuesday & Friday evening) and oral communications (10-25’, along the days). The accepted abstract will appear in the Springer INdAM series (http://www.springer.com/series/10283) A financial support can be provided for the stay at the meeting upon explicit request together with the submission of an abstract. Conference details: - Registration to the workshop is free but required - Conference registration starts on September 11, 2016 - Early registration deadline: August 31, 2016 - Web page: http://www.mat.unimi.it/users/naldi/NeuroMath/ - Latest news: http://rgs.mat.unimi.it/other-events Hope to see you there! Sincerely The organizing committee: Giovanni Naldi (Dept of Mathemtics, UNIMI, Milano) Thierry Nieus (Istituto Italiano Tecnologia, Genoa) Claudio Canuto (Politecnico of Turin). -- Thierry Nieus, PhD Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Istituto Italiano Tecnologia (IIT) Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa Italy phone: +39 010 71781749 fax: +39 010 71781230 skype: thierry.nieus

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Two PhD positions in closed-loop neural information processing
by Pablo Varona July 30, 2016

July 30, 2016

Dear colleagues, Two doctoral positions are available at the Biological Neurocomputation Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. The research will focus on novel experimental protocols in neuroscience assessing closed-loop information processing. We seek two highly motivated PhD students with a Master's degree at the time of the formalization of the contracts in one of the following (or related) disciplines: computer science, biology, physics, engineering, prosthetics, etc. The first position is available starting October 1st 2016. This position is focused to develop real-time software for neural close-loop interactions. Advanced programming skills are required for this position. Prior experience in real-time software programming will be valuable. Enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research is required. The second position has a mixed experimental and modeling focus and is available starting January 1st 2017. Prior experience in the fields of /in vitro/ electrophysiological recordings, dynamic clamp, EEG, neuroimaging, or computational neuroscience will be valuable. Enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research is required. How to apply: The application deadline for the two positions is September, 15h 2016. Interested candidates, please send CV and two reference letters (including contact information) to gnbuam(a)gmail.com http://www.ii.uam.es/~pvarona http://www.ii.uam.es/~gnb

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Postdoctoral positions in model-based fMRI and brain-inspired AI at KAIST
by Sang Wan Lee July 30, 2016

July 30, 2016

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Postdoctoral Position in Sensory Coding
by Daniel A. Butts July 29, 2016

July 29, 2016

Postdoctoral Position in Sensory Coding Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the Neuroscience Theory Research Group of Dan Butts at the University of Maryland, in suburban Washington DC. Our lab studies how visual perception is constructed across the visual hierarchy, and involves a diversity of projects at the interface of experiment and computation/theory. The postdoctoral position will focus on a collaboration between our lab and that of Bruce Cumming (NIH), studying how neurons that represent the center-of-gaze (fovea) process visual stimuli, which includes accounting for the effects of eye movements. There will also be opportunities to get involved in several other ongoing projects in the lab, as well as in the Cumming lab at NIH (nearby). See our webpage for more information: http://neurotheory.umd.edu We are seeking a researcher with a strong quantitative training as well as broad knowledge of neuroscience, ideally with past work studying problems linked with neurophysiology. The position is available starting immediately, and we are reviewing applications as they come. Please email Dan Butts with a CV, a brief description of your relevant education and research experience, and a list of colleagues that are willing to submit a letter of recommendation. [Letters will be requested for applications with the best fit.] For more information, please see our webpage (above), and please feel free to write Dan Butts. -------------------------------- Daniel A. Butts, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science University of Maryland, College Park USA http://neurotheory.umd.edu

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Ph.D. Scholarships in “Cognitive Dependable Cyber Physical Systems” -- Brandenburg University of Technology
by Douglas Cunningham July 29, 2016

July 29, 2016

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg will launch new thematic clusters in the Graduate Research School (GRS) as part of the strategy to strengthen the research profile of BTU. Thematic clusters are flexible units that shall contribute to the creation of critical masses in the core research areas of BTU. At the same time they are an important instrument of promoting young researchers. Against this backdrop the BTU will establish in October 2016 the thematic cluster “Cognitive Dependable Cyber Physical Systems“ (CD - CPS). Successful applicants are expected to begin their research in October 2016 and the scholarship will be tenable for 36 months. The amount of the scholarship is 1,200 euros per month. The GRS will also offer child support for Ph.D. students with children. Successful candidates will have access to additional funding of the GRS for their doctoral research (e.g. mobility grants etc.). Doctoral studies may be organized within a program of structured doctoral studies towards a “Ph. D. in Dependable Hardware / Software Systems”. Optionally, doctoral students may work towards a “Dr.-Ing.” or a “Dr. rer. nat” degree. The cluster’s research focuses on technical systems that have the ability to perceive, interpret, think, and act intelligently and reliably. These systems need cognitive abilities, such as extracting and interpreting information from complex, noisy, and possibly incomplete data –- often coming from different types of sensor. This information also must be integrated with existing knowledge in order to make informed decisions which guide the system’s behavior, including about how to interact with humans. One critical system function is to monitor system parameters in order to make decisions regarding dependability, reliability, safety, and security. This can help achieve a high degree of “error resilience”. These systems must be trustworthy, dependable, and reliable, especially since they are increasingly being embedded in many aspects of everyday life. The cluster works closely with the Leibniz Institute for Innovative Micorelectronics (IHP). Additional Information about the cluster and the funding program can found at website of the GRS: <www.b-tu.de/researchschool/> . Applicants should have successfully completed a degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science/Informatics, Cognitive Science or a related field. Although the language of working environment and the dissertation is usually German, English is also possible with the consent of the advisor. In addition to the usual application materials (letter of application, CV or résumé, copies of academic degrees), all applicants should send a letter of motivation and a research proposal. The research proposal should be no more than 5 pages, be based on one of the proposed Ph.D. topics listed on the Cluster’s GRS website, and describe past experience or work in the area. Please note that the cluster only accepts complete applications. The application deadline is August 15, 2016. For further information or to submit your application (preferably via email as one PDF), please contact: Prof. Dr. Douglas W. Cunningham BTU Cottbus - Senftenberg Tel.: +49 (0) 355 69 3816 E-Mail: douglas.cunningham(a)b-tu.de

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PhD Studentship in Computational Neuroscience - Ulster-Oxford Collaboration
by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt July 27, 2016

July 27, 2016

Applications are invited for a Research Challenge Fund PhD studentship in Computational Neuroscience tenable in the Faculty of Computing and Engineering at Ulster University, UK. This PhD project, based on a recently awarded UK BBSRC project, is a collaboration between Ulster University and Oxford University on the development of an advanced and realistic computational model of neuronal circuit involves in emotional learning. For more information, please refer to: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/95519/BBSRC-2016-2017-… The computational neuroscience and neural systems research community at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) at Ulster University focuses on both fundamental brain and behavioural sciences, and their applications, including clinical neuroscience and neural engineering. The successful PhD candidate will benefit from the expertise of Ulster's computational neuroscience and machine learning community, and will interact closely with collaborators at Oxford University. The application process for the Ph.D. studentship is opened with a closing date for applications on the 26th August 2016. All applicants should hold a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Statistics, Neuroscience, Biology, or a cognate area. Applications will be considered on a competitive basis with regard to the candidate's qualifications, skills, experience and interests. Successful candidates will enrol as of 1st October 2016, on a full-time programme of research studies leading to the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The studentships, which are highly competitive, will comprise fees together (Home/EU Rate) with an annual stipend of £14,296 and will be awarded for a period of up to three years' subject to satisfactory progress. Applicants must be highly motivated and willing to pursue research and develop skills across disciplines. If you wish to apply for this studentship, please follow the instructions and procedures at: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/phdresearch-degrees/how-to… and https://srssb.ulster.ac.uk/PROD/bwskalog.P_DispChoices Successful students will be based primarily at the ISRC with opportunities to interact with other related ISRC research teams, the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Centre for Stratified Medicine, and other collaborators. The ISRC is situated in the city of Derry~Londonderry, which received the City of Culture 2013 award. If you wish to discuss your proposal or receive advice on this project, please contact: Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin (k.wong-lin(a)ulster.ac.uk) ------------------- Dr. KongFatt Wong-Lin Intelligent Systems Research Centre School of Computing and Intelligent Systems Faculty of Computing and Engineering Ulster University http://isrc.ulster.ac.uk/kwonglin/contact.html ________________________________ This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The University of Ulster was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

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