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Third call for posters/registration: Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision-Making (SBDM), 25-27 May 2016 @ Paris, France
by Mehdi Khamassi April 12, 2016

April 12, 2016

[Please accept our apologies if you get multiple copies of this message] Dear colleagues, Deadlines are approaching concerning submission to/registration for the Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision Making (SBDM), which will take place in Paris on May 25-27th 2016. The full program can be seen here: http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr/view.php/SBDM2016_Program_Titles.pdf If you want to attend SBDM 2016, please fill in the registration form at http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr and then follow the instructions received by email. The deadline for poster submission is: April 30th 2016. The deadline for registration is: May 15th 2016. Registration fees (170 euros) include lunches, coffee breaks and social event. Please circulate widely and encourage your colleagues and team members to attend. Best regards The SBDM organizing committee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIXTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOLOGY OF DECISION MAKING (SBDM 2016) May 25-27, 2016, Paris, France Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Hôpital La Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France. & Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. & Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PRESENTATION: The Sixth International Symposium on Biology of Decision Making will take place on May 25-27, 2016 at the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France, with a satellite day at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. The objective of this three day symposium is to gather people from different research fields with different approaches (economics, ethology, psychiatry, neural and computational approaches) to decision-making. The symposium will be a single-track, will last for 3 days and will include 6 sessions: (#1) Cost of control, fatigue and decision-making; (#2) Emotion, stress and decision-making; (#3) Dynamics of decision-making; (#4) Decision-making across primates; (#5) Confidence, mood and decision-making; (#6) Learning, memory and decision-making. CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: Sébastien Bouret (CNRS - ICM, France) Michael Chee (Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore) Anastasia Christakou (University of Reading, UK) Anne Churchland (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA) Stanislas Dehaene (Collège de France - INSERM - CEA, France) Adele Diederich (Jacobs University, Germany) Tobias H. Donner (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Valérie Dufour (CNRS, France) Shelly Flagel (University of Michigan, USA) Steve Fleming (University College London, UK) Birte U. Forstmann (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Julie Grèzes (CNRS - Ecole Normale Supérieure, France) Cendri Hutcherson (University of Toronto, Canada) Veronika Job (University of Zurich, Switzerland) Mehdi Khamassi (CNRS - Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France) Pascal Mamassian (Ecole Normale Supérieure - CNRS, France) Florent Meyniel (Collège de France - INSERM - CEA, France) Randall O'Reilly (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) Mathias Pessiglione (INSERM - ICM, France) Jonathan Pillow (Princeton University, USA) Timothy J. Pleskac (Max Planck Institute, Germany) Alexandra G. Rosati (Harvard University, USA) Robb Rutledge (University College London, UK) Jérôme Sallet (University of Oxford, UK) Carmen Sandi (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) Daniela Schiller (Mount Sinaï University, USA) Amitai Shenhav (Princeton University, USA) Mark Sheskin (Yale University, USA) Hiromu Tanimoto (Tohoku University, Japan) Angela J. Yu (University of California San Diego, USA) Alexandre Zenon (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium) IMPORTANT DATES: April 30, 2016 Deadline for Poster Submission May 7, 2016 Notification of Poster Acceptance May 15, 2016 Deadline for Registration May 25-27, 2016 Symposium Venue ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Thomas Boraud (CNRS - IMN, Bordeaux, France) Kenji Doya (OIST, Okinawa, Japan) Mehdi Khamassi (CNRS - UPMC, Paris, France) Etienne Koechlin (CNRS - ENS, Paris, France) Mathias Pessiglione (ICM - INSERM, Paris, France) CONTACT INFORMATION : Website, registration, poster submission and detailed program: http://sbdm2016.isir.upmc.fr Contact: sbdm2016 [ at ] isir.upmc.fr / sbdm2016-registration [ at ] isir.upmc.fr -- Mehdi Khamassi, PhD Tenured research scientist (CR1 CNRS) Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics Université Pierre et Marie Curie - BC 173 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France tel: + 33 1 44 27 28 85 fax: +33 1 44 27 51 45 cell: +33 6 50 76 44 92 email: mehdi.khamassi(a)upmc.fr http://people.isir.upmc.fr/khamassi

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Structural-functional brain modules: PhD position at BioCruces Institute, Bilbao, Spain
by Paolo Bonifazi April 12, 2016

April 12, 2016

Within the Computational Neuroimaging group of Prof. Jesus Cortes at the BioCruces Health Research Institute (Bilbao, Spain), we are looking for a PhD student to develop and carry on a project aimed at identifying brain-connectivity biomarkers/descriptors(predictors) for brain pathologies/functional states. The project will rely on subjects/patients databases both acquired locally at the Cruces University Hospital, or provided through external regional/international collaborations or freely available on the web. The core of the study is based on the structural-functional brain modules, recently described in “A novel brain partition highlights the modular skeleton shared by structure and function” ( http://www.nature.com/articles/srep10532) and identified by reconstructing simultaneously on the same subjects brain connectivity networks, using functional and diffusion MRI. The PhD candidate will be also involved on a longitudinal multi-scale study of epileptic networks combining MRI and electrophysiological recordings in epileptic patients undergoing surgery. The project has been recently approved within the RETOS Spanish governmental grants. The PhD candidate will be closely supervised by Prof. J. M. Cortes ( http://www.jesuscortes.info/jesusweb/) and Dr. P. Bonifazi ( http://www.ikerbasque.net/paolo.bonifazi) and will work in close collaboration with the MDs of Neurology, Neurophysiology and Neurosurgery Division of the Cruces Hospital. The contract will be up to 3/4 years, with a gross salary of € 20,600 per year, with social security contributions and other recruitment costs paid by the host research institute (BioCruces). Deadline for application is May the 11th. Candidates with a deep interest in Neuroscience or Complex Networks and preferably with a solid background in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering or Medicine, are invited to send a motivation letter and the names of two referee to Dr. P. Bonifazi at paol.bonifazi(a)gmail.com. We look forward your interest, Yours Paolo Bonifazi

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PhD positions on Multiscale Modelling of the Neuromuscular System for Deep Brain Stimulation
by Olga Grant April 11, 2016

April 11, 2016

Background Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an effective, safe and reversible method for treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. It involves implanting electrodes in the brain to stimulate neurons responsible for symptoms including tremor, slowed movement and stiffness. Despite its success, the methods by which DBS works are not yet known and many questions remain to be answered in order to realize its full potential. Research within our group aims to improve our understanding of DBS and to identify new approaches for stimulation using computer models of networks of neurons within the brain and the neuromuscular system. Applications are invited for two full time PhD positions focusing on 1) Development of computational models of the neuromuscular system and 2) Closed loop control of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. The start date for both projects will be September 2016 Who Should Apply Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second class honours Bachelors or Masters degree in Electrical, Electronic or Biomedical Engineering (or a related discipline). Suitable candidates will have a strong interest in biomedical/neural engineering and neuroscience. Excellent analytical, computer programming and communications skills are essential. Funding This project is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. Studentships cover tuition fees for EU applicants and a tax free stipend of €18,000 per year. An annual allowance is provided for research consumables and for conference attendance. How to Apply Please send a cover letter describing your experience and interest in this project (1 page max), CV, and academic transcripts to Prof. Madeleine Lowery UCD School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering University College Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4 Ireland E-mail: neuromuscular(a)ucd.ie <mailto:neuromuscular@ucd.ie> Tel. +353 (1) 716 1911 ____________________________________ Dr Olga M Grant Research Project Manager School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Tel +353 (1) 7161778

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CORRECTION: Job opportunity for Image Analysis Scientist at Salk
by Uri Manor April 11, 2016

April 11, 2016

The previous version of this announcement listed the job number as F142. The correct number is F143. I apologize for the inconvenience. WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE Job Opportunity – Image Analysis Scientist The Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center has been established at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies as a state-of-the-art research hub to provide advanced and emerging imaging modalities to enable unprecedented insights into the inner workings of cells, tissues and organisms. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced candidate in the field of computational image analysis to serve as an Image Analysis Scientist for the Biophotonics Core Facility. The Image Analysis Scientist will have a principal responsibility to collaborate with the other light and electron microscopy researchers in the Biophotonics Core and the Salk Institute to provide specific expertise for developing custom computer algorithms for complex and novel analyses of raw imaging data, computer data management and developing algorithms for microscopy operations. The Image Analysis Scientist will also develop and publish novel imaging and image analysis techniques in collaboration with the Core Director and Salk faculty. The Image Analysis Scientist will apply existing image processing software to 2D and 3D images and videos, and will also integrate data across different platforms (e.g. correlative EM). Finally, under the supervision and training of the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will become familiar with the microscopes used in the facility, and develop expertise in using the equipment to acquire imaging data optimized for image analysis. Along with the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will train Salk scientists on how to properly acquire high quality quantitative microscopy image data. This is a multi-faceted job that involves the following components: • Image Processing & Data Analysis - With the support of the Core Director, the incumbent will participate in the collaborative development of custom image data analysis and algorithm solutions. • Research Design & Participation - aiding Director and independently assisting users in design of imaging experiments. Educate facility users in the use of facility instrumentation and methods used therein for optimal acquisition of imaging data. • Data Collection & Presentation - collecting and managing data and helping to prepare data for publication & presentation. • User Training - guide and assist Salk researchers in the use of existing image acquisition and processing software. To Apply: http://www.salk.edu/about/careers/ (Job # F143) Uri Manor, Ph.D. DIRECTOR WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE PH (858) 453-4100 x2119 M (314) 406-7618 E umanor(a)salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> W http://bpho.salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> [cid:E4C48475-653C-4000-9B8C-437F759B2644@salk.edu] Salk Institute for Biological Studies 10010 N Torrey Pines Rd • La Jolla, CA 92037 WWW.SALK.EDU<http://www.salk.edu>

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Fully funded PhD position at BioCruces Health Research Institute, Bilbao, Spain
by Asier Erramuzpe Osakidetza April 11, 2016

April 11, 2016

BioCruces Health Research Institute (Bilbao, Spain) is looking for a PhD student who is a graduate in engineering and has completed a master, in its first year of doctorate or going into it this year. The pre-doc will work on an ongoing project since 2015, Neuroimaging in Parkinson's disease, funded by the ISCIII and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The candidate will work primarily with MR imaging and to a lesser extent retinal images and analysis of cardiovascular signals. The PI of the project would be Juan Carlos Gómez-Esteban, neurologist, Head of group of Neurodegenerative Diseases in BioCruces and Movement Disorders and Parkinson Surgery in the Hospital of Cruces in collaboration with Dr. Iñigo Gabilondo. The website of the group: http://www.biocruces.com/bc5.01 Candidates should have a technical degree and knowledge of at least one programming language (python, matlab or R) and desirably knowledge of the packages SPM, FSL and Freesurfer. The contract will be up to 4 years (2 years extendable to 4 depending on the financing of the project), with a gross salary of € 20,600 per year. Social security contributions and other recruitment costs paid by BioCruces. Application dates are from April 12 to May 11. Candidates are invited to send a motivation letter and the names of one referee to Dr. Gabilondo by mail: igabilon(a)gmail.com Regards

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EEG Data Scientist Position at Stanford in Brain Network Connectivity Research
by Wei Wu April 10, 2016

April 10, 2016

The Laboratory of Amit Etkin, MD PhD at Stanford University is currently accepting applications for a Data Scientist position focused on sophisticated analyses of electroencephalography (EEG) data. The focus of this position is on understanding brain network function, relating EEG to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and application of network analysis tools (e.g. graph theory, network-based statistics, etc). A particular emphasis will be on extending findings in the lab developed using fMRI connectivity analyses to EEG, which can be leveraged as an assessment tool in clinical psychiatric populations. Machine learning methods will also be employed to determine optimal EEG signals. The successful applicant will have an MS or PhD in Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, Psychology, or related fields. Experience with analysis of EEG data is required. Additionally, a strong programming background is important. Duties will also include manuscript preparation, presentation of findings at conferences, and contribution to the preparation of grants. Laboratory and Stanford resources include research-dedicated 3T and 7T MRI scanners, simultaneous EEG/fMRI, multiple high density EEG setups, and concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)/fMRI and concurrent TMS/EEG setups. Salary commensurate with experience. More information about our ongoing studies can be found at: http://etkinlab.stanford.edu<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/>. [http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/images/thumb-home1.jpg]<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/> Etkin Lab - Stanford University School of Medicine<http://etkinlab.stanford.edu/> etkinlab.stanford.edu The Etkin Lab strives to understand the neural basis of emotional disorders and their treatment, and to leverage this knowledge to develop novel treatment interventions. To apply, please send a curriculum vitae, a statement describing research interests and relevant background and three letters of recommendations, as well as relevant reprints/preprints of research articles to: Amit Etkin, MD, PhD Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford Neurosciences Institute Stanford University amitetkin(a)stanford.edu

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Call for Submissions to Workshop on Computational Biology at ICML 2016
by Sandhya Prabhakaran April 9, 2016

April 9, 2016

Hi, Please kindly circulate this to interested graduate students, post-docs and faculty. *Call For Submissions We invite submissions to the Workshop on Computational Biology < https://sites.google.com/site/compbioworkshopicml2016/> to be held in conjunction with ICML 2016 <http://icml.cc/2016/> conference in New York City, NY (June 19-24, 2016). In Computational Biology, there has been credible developments in many high-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing, CyToF and single-cell sequencing that enable data generation from many interesting biological systems. The gamut of novel algorithms in Machine Learning makes it very attractive to apply these methods to the challenging biological questions. It therefore only seems befitting to bring together researchers engaged in applying ML in Computational Biology to discuss recent advances in this interdisciplinary field and ongoing developments. We have invited several distinguished speakers from the Computational Biology community to discuss and present their current research. We also invite extended abstracts dealing with applications of ML methods or bioinformatics approaches to biological and biomedical data. *Important Dates Deadline for submissions : May 1, 2016 Notification of acceptance : May 10, 2016 Workshop date : June 24th 2016 (Friday, second day of workshops) *Submission All novel Computational Biology approaches are of interest to the workshop. We welcome original extended abstracts that present recently published work as well as preliminary ideas. Extended abstracts should not exceed 4 pages in length (plus 1 optional page for references) and should be in pdf format (one column, font size 12). The submission need not be anonymized. If the abstract concerns previously published work, please cite the original paper in the workshop submission. All accepted contributions shall be presented at the poster session. Awards for Best Poster Presentations will be sponsored by Google. In addition, a set of best submissions will also have the opportunity to present their work as Contributed Talks, and will receive Travel Awards sponsored by IBM Research. Accepted abstracts will have the option of being published on the workshop website. For authors who do not wish their abstracts to be posted online or become citable, please mention this in the workshop submission. Submissions should be made through the EasyChair < https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=compbioworkshopicml2> system. *Invited Speakers Barbara Engelhardt, Princeton University Jennifer Listgarten, Microsoft Research Christina Leslie, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center *Registration All participants must register for the ICML 2016 conference. *Contact For workshop-related queries please contact: icml2016compbio(a)gmail.com We are looking forward to your submissions! Organizing Committee: Dana Pe'er, Columbia University Elham Azizi, Columbia University Sandhya Prabhakaran, Columbia University Olga Troyanskaya, Princeton University Edoardo Airoldi, Harvard University Volker Roth, University of Basel

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Image Analysis Job Opportunity at Salk Institute
by Uri Manor April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016

Hi everyone, Please spread the word far and wide! Thanks! WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE Job Opportunity – Image Analysis Scientist The Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center has been established at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies as a state-of-the-art research hub to provide advanced and emerging imaging modalities to enable unprecedented insights into the inner workings of cells, tissues and organisms. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced candidate in the field of computational image analysis to serve as an Image Analysis Scientist for the Biophotonics Core Facility. The Image Analysis Scientist will have a principal responsibility to collaborate with the other light and electron microscopy researchers in the Biophotonics Core and the Salk Institute to provide specific expertise for developing custom computer algorithms for complex and novel analyses of raw imaging data, computer data management and developing algorithms for microscopy operations. The Image Analysis Scientist will also develop and publish novel imaging and image analysis techniques in collaboration with the Core Director and Salk faculty. The Image Analysis Scientist will apply existing image processing software to 2D and 3D images and videos, and will also integrate data across different platforms (e.g. correlative EM). Finally, under the supervision and training of the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will become familiar with the microscopes used in the facility, and develop expertise in using the equipment to acquire imaging data optimized for image analysis. Along with the Core Director, the Image Analysis Scientist will train Salk scientists on how to properly acquire high quality quantitative microscopy image data. This is a multi-faceted job that involves the following components: • Image Processing & Data Analysis - With the support of the Core Director, the incumbent will participate in the collaborative development of custom image data analysis and algorithm solutions. • Research Design & Participation - aiding Director and independently assisting users in design of imaging experiments. Educate facility users in the use of facility instrumentation and methods used therein for optimal acquisition of imaging data. • Data Collection & Presentation - collecting and managing data and helping to prepare data for publication & presentation. • User Training - guide and assist Salk researchers in the use of existing image acquisition and processing software. To Apply: Send CV to umanor(a)salk.edu<mailto:umanor@salk.edu> or http://www.salk.edu/about/careers/ (Job # F142) Uri Manor, Ph.D. DIRECTOR WAITT ADVANCED BIOPHOTONICS CORE PH (858) 453-4100 x2119 M (314) 406-7618 E umanor(a)salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> W http://bpho.salk.edu<mailto:tberggren@salk.edu> [cid:E4C48475-653C-4000-9B8C-437F759B2644@salk.edu] Salk Institute for Biological Studies 10010 N Torrey Pines Rd • La Jolla, CA 92037 WWW.SALK.EDU<http://www.salk.edu>

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Final deadline extension for contributions - Human Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics @ Biorob2016
by Falotico Egidio April 8, 2016

April 8, 2016

Dear colleagues (with advance apologies for any cross-postings), We invite submissions for oral or poster presentations at the Human Brain Project workshop on Neurorobotics that will be organized on June 26th, at the sixth IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics BioRob 2016, in Singapore. http://www.sinapseinstitute.org/biorob2016/workshops.php (Conference workshop page) http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016 (Workshop page for contributions) Prospective authors should submit the extended abstract (one A4 page, in PDF format) by April 14th (final deadline extension), 2016. Notification of acceptance will be received no later than April 21th. For submission please refer to the following link: http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/biorob2016/HBPPaperSubmission… ABSTRACT Neurorobotics is already an established branch of robotics that in the last years, taking advantage from an increase in the accessibility of existing neuroscientific data and knowledge, allowed building robotic systems that can exhibit robustness, adaptability and several features of the human intelligence. Reciprocally, significant developments in robotics and machine learning put robotics in the service of neuroscience as experimental platforms or test-beds of brain models. In the last years, advanced insights and the increasing availability of cheap processing power has led Neurorobotics to follow two tracks of research with different goals and methods: The first track focuses on neuro-inspired computing paradigms that mimic nervous system functions based on Spiking Neural Networks. This does not only foster our understanding of biological systems but also contributes to future technical applications in artificial systems. In the past, limited processing power and the lack of appropriate models and tools shifted the focus of research far away from biological neural networks. Recently a number of projects like the US BRAIN Initiative and the Human Brain Project have taken up the challenge by combining efforts from the fields of neuroscience and computer science to enable the large scale modeling and simulation of biological neural networks with billions of spiking neurons. The second track, extending the theory of classical artificial neural networks, mostly relies on simpler neuron models but integrate them in novel network architectures. These networks are extensively used in robotics, allowing mimicking the function of some brain areas in order to reproduce complex behaviors with a reduced computational cost. This workshop seeks to present and discuss advances in neuroscientific models for cognition and new perspectives in control for robotic applications based on both biologically-inspired and artificial neural networks. The final goal is to bring together researchers from both robotics and neuroscience in order to explore how to maximize the progress at the multidisciplinary frontier evaluating the advantages of both tracks of the Neurorobotics research. TOPICS OF INTEREST - Bio-inspired sensory-motor coordination and adaptive control - Active perception - Neurocontrollers - Self-organization and sensory-motor mapping - Predictive behaviour - Bio-inspired learning robots - Robot imitation and learning by demonstration - Memory-based algorithms - Cognitive behaviours in robots - Reservoir computing - Deep learning - Neuromorphic computing for robotics KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Giorgio Metta (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy) - The use of motor invariants can improve action discrimination Tomohiro Shibata (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan) Functional Robotic Assistance of Human Motor Learning Ruediger Dillman (Research Center for Information Technology, Germany) - Modelling Cortical Sensor-Motor Control Functionalities with a Spiking Neural-Robot Control Simulator Sunil L. Kukreja (National University of Singapore, Singapore) Integration of Neuromorphic Tactile Perception with Haptic Feedback in a Virtual and Augmented Reality World for Advanced Robotic Control Best Regards, Egidio Falotico, Cecilia Laschi (The BioRobotics Institite,Scuola Superiore SantAnna , Italy) Florian Röhrbein, Florian Walter (Technical University of Munich, Germany) Organizers

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PhD position in Slovakia and US
by Norbert Kopco April 7, 2016

April 7, 2016

A PhD position is available in Norbert Kopco's Perception and Cognition Lab at Safarik University in Kosice, Slovakia, for a Marie Curie EU-funded project on adaptation and learning in spatial hearing (http://pcl.upjs.sk/grants/alt/) This is an international collaborative project, combining psychophysical, neuroimaging and computational methods. As part of this project, the student would be expected to work on development of modules for an auditory training tame (so, some programing skills are important), and spend up to 12 months in the US, either in Aaron Seitz's Brain Game Center at UC Riverside and/or Erick Gallun's lab at the Portland VA / OHSU (or, possibly with the other members of the consortium). Interested candidates please contact norbert.kopco(a)upjs.sk with a CV and a research statement. Information about PhD student application procedures is available at <http://www.upjs.sk/en/faculty-of-science/foreign-students/>http://www.upjs.sk/en/faculty-of-science/foreign-students/ . -- doc. Norbert Kopco, Ph.D. Assoc Professor / Senior Researcher: Inst of Computer Sci, Faculty of Science, Safarik Univ, Kosice, Slovakia Adjunct: Ctr for Computational Neurosci (CompNet), Boston University & Martinos Ctr for Biomed Imaging, Harvard Med School - Mass Gen Hospital P: +16175759556 F: +14847279884, kopco(a)bu.edu, http://cns.bu.edu/~kopco

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postdoctoral position in cognitive and affective neuroscience
by Steven Greening April 6, 2016

April 6, 2016

Applications are invited for a full-time postdoctoral research fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Greening on projects investigating the neural bases of emotion-cognition interactions. This position involves developing, running, and analyzing data on projects from healthy and mentally ill individuals, and presenting findings in peer-reviewed manuscripts and at conferences in collaboration with Dr. Greening. The research combines behavior and physiology with a multimodal MRI approach, FMRI and DTI, using univariate and multivariate analyses. This is a full-time one-year position with the possibility to renew for a second year. Apply online and view a more detailed ad at: www.lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu. Position #039259

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Post-Doc Opening in Interactive Systems Integration for Assistive Technologies
by Giacinto Barresi April 5, 2016

April 5, 2016

Post-Doc Opening in Interactive Systems Integration for Assistive Technologies Added on: 05/04/2016 - Expires on: 06/05/2016 Info: https://www.iit.it/careers/openings/opening/126-post-doc-opening-in-interac… The Biomedical Robotics Lab at the Department of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), an English-speaking research Institute, is looking for a highly motivated, full-time postdoctoral researcher to work in the areas of interactive systems integration for assistive technologies. This position (within the project TEEP-SLA, funded by Fondazione Roma) is dedicated to research and development of solutions for integrating brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) with interactive systems (multisensory user interfaces, embedded devices) to provide feedback that eases the collection and interpretation of user’s data and commands. This is a new project that aims to create novel assistive technologies for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients. We are especially looking at satisfying the patients’ social interaction and communication needs with innovative patient interfaces and associated robotic technologies. We are looking for an outstanding scientist with a PhD in engineering, robotics, or other fields related to user interfaces and embedded programming. The successful candidate will mainly focus on the development and integration of BCIs with novel wearable sensors and feedback devices able to provide motor/tactile feedback. The scientist will work in a multidisciplinary team including roboticists, biomedical engineers, interaction researchers and healthcare professionals. Field studies (involving patients, their relatives, and healthcare professionals) will be an integral part of the work, serving both to refine system specifications and to assess new technologies. This research will advance the state of the art in BCI control, enabling greatly enhanced patient experience during the use of assistive communication and social interaction systems. The position includes theoretical and hands-on research, supervision of PhD students, and support to general lab activities. Desired qualifications: - PhD degree in engineering, robotics, or related fields. - Experience in user interface development and embedded programming, preferably for biosignals-related applications. - Excellent publication record in interactive systems and real-time embedded systems. - Experience with physical tactile/motor user interfaces. - Experience with interfacing computer systems and technological (e.g. robotic) devices. - Strong interest in assistive technologies and in-field studies. - Creativity and proactive attitude. - Strong communication and English language skills (written and oral) - Independent and persistent personality, strong team player - The salary will depend on qualifications and experience and will include additional health benefits. To apply, please send electronically a detailed CV with list of publications, University transcripts, your best first-author paper, a cover letter outlining motivation and statement of research interests/plan and contact information of at least two references to applications(a)iit.it by May 6th, 2016 stating “TEEP-SLA Post-Doc” in the subject of the e-mail. Only complete applications will be evaluated. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), with its headquarters in Genova, Italy, is a non-profit institution with the primary goal of creating and disseminating scientific knowledge and strengthening Italy’s technological competitiveness. The institute offers state-of-the-art equipment and a top-level interdisciplinary research environment focused on robotics and computer vision, neuroscience, drug discovery, nanoscience and technology. In order to comply with Italian law (art. 23 of Privacy Law of the Italian Legislative Decree n. 196/03), the candidate is kindly asked to give his/her consent to allow IIT to process his/her personal data. We inform you that the information you provide will be solely used for the purpose of assessing your professional profile to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, with its headquarters in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as the Data Holder, using computer and paper-based means, observing the rules on the protection of personal data, including those relating to the security of data. Please also note that, pursuant to art. 7 of Legislative Decree 196/2003, you may exercise your rights at any time as a party concerned by contacting the Data Manager. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Info: https://www.iit.it/careers/openings/opening/126-post-doc-opening-in-interac… Contacts applications(a)iit.it Giacinto Barresi, PhD Post Doc Biomedical Robotics Laboratory Advanced Robotics (ADVR) Department Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova (Italy) Mobile: +39 331 9835396 Email: giacinto.barresi(a)iit.it Webpage: https://iit.it/people/giacinto-barresi

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TEX2016 to close with keynote lecture by Yann LeCun
by Alessandro Treves April 5, 2016

April 5, 2016

Our 9 days of cross-fertilization http://indico.sissa.it/e/tex2016 on language learning will close with the open-ended stimulation provided by a pioneer of the deep learning perspective (on July 15). Students are still invited to apply to the school, before April 15, (no extensions - enough applications already) and free participants are most welcome to join TEX2016 any time; but book your own accommodation! -- Alessandro Treves http://people.sissa.it/~ale/limbo.html SISSA - Cognitive Neuroscience, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy +39-040-3787623+39-040-3787623 Ambassador (BlaBlaCar) +39-349-2504602+39-349-2504602

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MuTE software UPDATE: the graphical user interface is ready
by Alessandro Montalto April 4, 2016

April 4, 2016

Dear all, I am very pleased to announce the availability of the updated version of MuTE, a toolbox that is able to detect directed dynamical influences among time series. This new open source software implements four entropy estimators in both uniform and non-uniform embedding approaches. *The graphical user interface is ready to be used.* Please download the latest version of MuTE here: http://mutetoolbox.guru/downloads/ The GUI has been developed by Frederik Van de Steen: http://mutetoolbox.guru/frederik-van-de-steen/ ******************* Subscribe to the newsletter if you want to be kept updated about future updates of MuTE or follow the toolbox improvements through - twitter: https://twitter.com/mutetoolbox - facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mutetoolbox Best regards, Alessandro Montalto

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[ACM UMAP] Final Call for Tutorials
by Jie Zhang April 4, 2016

April 4, 2016

Final Call for Tutorials ACM UMAP 2016 invites tutorials that address the interests of its varied audience: people new to the User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalisation researchers and practitioners who wish to learn new technologies, users of Personalized technologies, and representatives of government and funding agencies as well as potential private investors in Personalized technologies. We welcome submissions of tutorial proposals on all major topics related to user modeling and personalisation technologies. We especially solicit proposals for tutorials of the following types: -- Tutorials with a coherent theme providing an introduction to new user modeling technologies, methods, techniques, and trends (e.g. exploiting data-mining and big data analytics for user modeling, evaluation methodologies, data visualizationetc.) -- Tutorials describing the application of user modeling and personalization technologies in specific domains (e.g., health sciences, e-government, e-commerce, cultural heritage, education, internet of things, mobile, music, information retrieval, NLP, etc.). -- Tutorials presenting techniques from other fields that are of relevance for user modeling and personalization research, including social sciences, digital humanities, biomedical or cognitive science, and neuroscience research. Tutorials may focus on theoretical topics, however, we encourage organizers to incorporate hands-on sessions where appropriate. The tutorial should reach a good balance between the topic coverage and its relevance to the community. Tutorials can be half a day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours). Timeline for Tutorials Tutorial proposals due: *April 10, 2016* Notification of acceptance: May 5, 2016 Tutorial Days: 13 July (Wednesday) and/or 17 July (Sunday) 2016 Responsibilities Organizers of accepted tutorials are responsible for preparing the materials for attendees (slide sets, additional teaching material, software installation and usage guides for practical hands-on sessions, etc.) to the Tutorial Chairs. The UMAP 2016 Organizing Committee is responsible for providing publicity for the tutorials as part of the conference publicity activities, and on-site logistical support to the organizers and attendees. General Information In the interest of the overall quality of the conference, the Tutorial Chairs reserve the right to merge tutorials and/or adjust the scope thereof in case a minimum number of registrations is not reached by the early registration deadline. Submission details Tutorial proposals should not exceed 5 pages, and should contain the following information: -- Abstract. 200 words maximum, for inclusion on the UMAP2016 website. -- Tutorial description: objectives of the tutorial and relevance to UMAP2016; information about the scope and level of detail of the material to be covered; intended audiences; learning objectives; practical sessions. -- Tutorial length. The tutorial can be full or half day -- Specify other venues to which the tutorial or part thereof has been or will be presented, in addition to explaining how the current tutorial differs from the other editions. Links to the slides of previous tutorial editions (if applicable) should be included in the proposal. -- Brief professional biography of the presenter(s) indicating previous training and speaking experience (such as teaching and tutorial presentation). All proposals will be reviewed by the tutorial chairs and discussed within the organization committee of the UMAP2016. Submission Proposals should be submitted in PDF format by email to the tutorial chairs at workshopumap2016(a)gmail.com by April 10, 2016. Tutorials Chairs Federica Cena, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy, email: cena(a)di.unito.it Jie Zhang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, email: zhangj(a)ntu.edu.sg

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Call for papers - NIAMS'16
by Tolga Tasdizen April 3, 2016

April 3, 2016

Apologies for multiple receptions. Please share with your colleagues who might be interested. Call for papers Workshop on Neuroscientifc Image Analysis at the Microscopic Scale (NIAMS'16) The Workshop on Neuroscientific Image Analysis at the Microscopic Scale (https://sites.google.com/site/niams2016/ <https://sites.google.com/site/niams2016/>) will be held in conjunction with the MICCAI conference (http://www.miccai2016.org/en/ <http://www.miccai2016.org/en/>) on October 17, 2016 in Athens, Greece. Recent advances in labeling and microscopy techniques have revolutionized our ability to visualize neurons and synapses in living brain tissue. The quantitative analysis of vast amounts of imaging data has become a major bottleneck in neuroscience. This workshop focuses on current challenges in processing and analysis of microscopic images in neuroscience. We invite contributions ranging from novel algorithmic strategies in biomedical image processing to specific examples and solutions to key problems in neuroscience research, including: automatic detection, segmentation, tracking, reconstruction, shape analysis, and modeling of spines, dendrites, and neurons in confocal, two photon, super resolution, and electron microscopy data. We will accept the submission of full papers (8pages, LNCS style), which will be reviewed by the program committee consisting of the organizers and the advisory board. The deadline for paper submission is June 24, 2016. The highest quality papers will be selected for (oral and/or poster) presentation. We plan to publish hardcopy proceedings in Springer LNCS. In addition, we intend to organize a special issue in one of the top journals in the field where extended versions of the selected invited papers of the workshop will be published. Important dates Paper submission: June 24, 2016 Notification of acceptance: July 22, 2016 Workshop: October 17, 2016 Organizers Tolga Tasdizen, University of Utah Devrim Unay, İzmir University of Economics Inbal Israely, Champalimaud Foundation Valentin Nagerl, University of Bordeaux / CNRS If you have any questions, please contact Tolga Tasdizen (tolga(a)sci.utah.edu <mailto:tolga@sci.utah.edu>)

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PhD offer in Paris South: Modeling and steering brain oscillations based on in vivo optogenetics data
by Antoine Chaillet April 2, 2016

April 2, 2016

Antoine Chaillet, Alain Destexhe and Mario Sigalotti are proposing a PhD entitled "Modeling and steering brain oscillations based on in vivo optogenetics data", at the interface between control theory and computational neuroscience. Candidates should contact antoine.chaillet(a)centralesupelec.fr for more information. Description: Neuronal oscillations are ubiquitous in the brain, both in health and disease. Nonetheless, the precise role of these oscillations is still a matter of debate, and the mechanisms by which they are generated are still poorly understood. Technological advances offer unprecedented ways to acquire and influence these oscillations. Electrode arrays and electrodes with dense recording plots now provide excellent spatiotemporal resolution of local brain activity. Moreover, the recent advent of optogenetics is revolutionizing the way of stimulating brain structures. The combination of electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics is thus particularly appealing to decipher the mechanisms of oscillation generation, their role in brain functioning, and the development of closed-loop strategies to steer brain oscillations (especially pathological ones). This project aims at developing and validating ad hoc methodologies to model, identify, analyze and control brain oscillations with these experimental tools. The challenges in that direction are numerous due to the nonlinear and spatiotemporal nature of the processes involved. To address these challenges, this project proposes to adapt or develop methodologies from control theory to the brain dynamics specificities. The performance of the developed methodologies will be confronted to experimental data of pathological oscillations linked to parkinsonian symptoms, that were collected on healthy and parkinsonian primates under optogenetics in the ANR project SynchNeuro. The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop a methodological framework, based on control engineering, to address three challenges: 1) development of a spatiotemporal model of specific brain oscillations, whose parameters are identified based on experimental data 2) formal analysis of brain oscillations onset and characterization of their dynamics in terms of magnitude, frequency and phase 3) development of closed-loop photostimulation strategies to disrupt, attenuate, or steer brain oscillations. Supervision: The PhD thesis will be supervised by Antoine Chaillet (L2S), in collaboration with Alain Destexhe (UNIC) and Mario Sigalotti (CMAP). It will take place in Gif sur Yvette (south of Paris), France. Sought candidate: We are looking for a brilliant motivated student, eager to work on an interdisciplinary topic. Strong background in dynamical systems is needed, as well as interest for theoretical developments. Experience in identification based on experimental data, or numerical simulations would be appreciated. No French ability is required. Antoine Chaillet Associate Professor Univ. Paris Sud 11 - L2S - CentraleSupélec 3, rue Joliot Curie 91192 - Gif sur Yvette, France +33 1 69 85 13 83

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EPFL: PhD student position in neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion
by Auke Ijspeert April 2, 2016

April 2, 2016

PhD student position in neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion http://biorob.epfl.ch/openings The Biorobotics laboratory (Biorob, http://biorob.epfl.ch/) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) at EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) anticipates to have one open PhD studentship in computational neuroscience and biorobotics. The goal of the project is to develop neuromechanical models of vertebrate locomotion, together with Marc-Olivier Gewaltig (computational neuroscientist) and Gregoire Courtine (neuroscientist). *The neuromechanical models will include numerical models of spinal cord circuits coupled to biomechanical models of the body. The first target animal will be the mouse; depending on progress, human models might be developed in a second stage. The spinal cord models might also be tested and validated in some of the quadruped robots developed by the Biorobotics laboratory. The position will be fully funded thanks to a grant from the Human Brain Project. EPFL is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe and offers internationally competitive salaries and research infrastructure. Requirements: Candidates need to have a Master degree in a field related to computational neuroscience e.g. in physics or computer science. The ideal candidate for this position should have a strong math background (e.g. in dynamical systems), good programming skills, and interest/expertise in modeling neural circuits and biomechanical systems, and in locomotion. How to apply for the position: Step 1: The position is only open to applicants who have been accepted by the EPFL doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/) The first step is therefore to fill the applications for one of the relevant EPFL doctoral programs in robotics (http://phd.epfl.ch/EDPR) or neuroscience (http://phd.epfl.ch/neuroscience) Step 2: In parallel to step 1, or once accepted by one of the doctoral programs (please specify which doctoral program and the date of acceptance), the application to the position should be sent by email to Prof. Auke Ijspeert and consist of a motivation letter (explaining why you are interested in the project, and why you feel qualified for it) and a copy of the doctoral program application. Informal inquiries about the relevance of an application can be sent to auke.ijspeert(a)epfl.ch (e.g. before or while submitting an application to the doctoral school), but responses can be slow because of a heavy schedule and a filled mail box. Deadline and starting date: Applications will be considered continuously until the position is filled. The starting date is between April and September 2016 (the sooner the better). Note that the doctoral program in robotics (EDRS) has a deadline on April 15 2016, and the one in neuroscience (EDNE) on May 1st 2016. Contact: Information concerning the type of research carried out by the group can be found at http://biorob.epfl.ch/. You should send your application and any inquiry by email to: Prof. Auke Jan Ijspeert <http://biorob.epfl.ch/page38158.html>, auke.ijspeert(a)epfl.ch <mailto:auke.ijspeert@epfl.ch> -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Prof. Auke Jan Ijspeert Biorobotics Laboratory EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Station 9, CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Office: ME D1 1226 Tel: +41 21 693 2658 Fax: +41 21 693 3705 www: http://biorob.epfl.ch Email: Auke.Ijspeert(a)epfl.ch -----------------------------------------------------------------

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[IEEE ICCI*CC'16:] IEEE ICCI*CC’16 Deadline is Extended to April 30 @Stanford Univ. – Computational Intelligence/Cognitive Informatics/Cognitive Computing
by Yingxu Wang April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

Dear Colleagues, Upon numerous requests and due to the recent system instable status of the submission site, deadline for paper submission to IEEE ICCI'CC’16 (15th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Informatics & Cognitive Computing) has been extended to April 30, 2016 (http://www.ucalgary.ca/icci_cc/iccicc-16) Workshops, special sessions proposals, and short papers are welcome. The Proceedings of ICCI*CC'16 will be published by IEEE CS Press. Papers accepted in ICCI*CC’16 will be indexed by EI. Extended versions of selected papers will be published in several EI or SCI indexed journals. Full papers are expected to be around 5-8 pages in IEEE double column format. Short papers (3-4 pages) that report industrial experience, case studies, work in progress, or graduate students’ research are also welcome. Paper submission site is at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iccicc2016. The conference will be featured by four keynote speeches such as those of Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh with UC Berkeley and Prof. Bernard Widrow with Stanford University, that highlight cutting-edge theories and novel technologies for cognitive systems and computational intelligence inspired by the brain. We look forward to meeting you at Stanford University during Aug. 22-23, 2016. Sincerely, IEEE ICCI*CC'16 Co-Chairs GENERAL CO-CHAIRS: Bernard Widrow (Stanford) and Yingxu Wang (UofC, Canada) PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS: Newton Howard (MIT) and Kostas Plataniotis (Univ. of Toronto, Canada)_______________________________________________ This message was sent to all subscribers of ieeeicci13-L To unsubscribe, see instructions at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/it/email/mailman E-mail: ieeeicci13-L(a)mailman.ucalgary.ca Homepage: http://mailman.ucalgary.ca/mailman/listinfo/ieeeicci13-l

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Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy special issue / ebook
by Stephen Eglen April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

On behalf of all the editors, I am pleased to announce the release of our special issue on the Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy. All articles have been published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. As of March 2016, all papers are now freely available as an Ebook either in PDF or EPUB format. The aim of this Research Topic is to examine theoretical and experimental work directed at a detailed and comprehensive quantitative understanding of neuroanatomy. Integrating such knowledge with functional data should provide a more complete understanding of how the nervous system in different animal species is organized to generate appropriate behaviour. Home page: http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/2028/quantitative-analysis-of-… Blog page: http://sje30.github.io/post/qan/ Table of contents Editorial: Quantitative Analysis of Neuroanatomy Julian M. L. Budd, Hermann Cuntz, Stephen J. Eglen and Patrik Krieger. A comparison of manual neuronal reconstruction from biocytin histology or 2-photon imaging: morphometry and computer modeling Arne V. Blackman, Stefan Grabuschnig, Robert Legenstein and P. Jesper Sjöström. Automated computation of arbor densities: a step toward identifying neuronal cell types Uygar Sümbül, Aleksandar Zlateski, Ashwin Vishwanathan, Richard H. Masland and H. Sebastian Seung. Functional connectivity estimation over large networks at cellular resolution based on electrophysiological recordings and structural prior Simona Ullo, Thierry R. Nieus, Diego Sona, Alessandro Maccione, Luca Berdondini and Vittorio Murino. Axonal and dendritic density field estimation from incomplete single-slice neuronal reconstructions Jaap van Pelt, Arjen van Ooyen and Harry B. M. Uylings. Slicing, sampling, and distance-dependent effects affect network measures in simulated cortical circuit structures Daniel C. Miner and Jochen Triesch A workflow for the automatic segmentation of organelles in electron microscopy image stacks Alex J. Perez, Mojtaba Seyedhosseini, Thomas J. Deerinck, Eric A. Bushong, Satchidananda Panda, Tolga Tasdizen and Mark H. Ellisman. Three-dimensional distribution of cortical synapses: a replicated point pattern based analysis Laura Anton-Sanchez, Concha Bielza, Angel Merchán-Pérez, José-Rodrigo Rodríguez, Javier DeFelipe and Pedro Larrañaga. The patterning of retinal horizontal cells: normalizing the regularity index enhances the detection of genomic linkage Patrick W. Keeley and Benjamin E. Reese Statistical analysis and data mining of digital reconstructions of dendritic morphologies Sridevi Polavaram, Todd A. Gillette, Ruchi Parekh and Giorgio A. Ascoli Towards a “canonical” agranular cortical microcircuit Sarah F. Beul and Claus C. Hilgetag Generation of dense statistical connectomes from sparse morphological data Robert Egger, Vincent J. Dercksen, Daniel Udvary, Hans-Christian Hege and Marcel Oberlaender Context-aware modeling of neuronal morphologies Benjamin Torben-Nielsen and Erik De Schutter The effects of neuron morphology on graph theoretic measures of network connectivity: the analysis of a two-level statistical model Jugoslava Aćimović, Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen and Marja-Leena Linne Homeostatic structural plasticity can account for topology changes following deafferentation and focal stroke Markus Butz, Ines D. Steenbuck and Arjen van Ooyen Parametric Anatomical Modeling: a method for modeling the anatomical layout of neurons and their projections Martin Pyka, Sebastian Klatt and Sen Cheng Saltatory conduction in unmyelinated axons: clustering of Na+ channels on lipid rafts enables micro-saltatory conduction in C-fibers Ali Neishabouri and A. Aldo Faisal

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Three neuroinformatics positions in ferret brain research
by Rembrandt Bakker April 1, 2016

April 1, 2016

(apologies for any cross-postings) In a collaboration between University Medical Center Eppendorf (Hamburg, Germany), the Donders Institute (Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands), and Institute Pasteur (Paris, France), three positions at the postdoc level are available. The research focuses on studying the architecture and connectivity of the ferret brain, encompassing research on architecture and morphology (particularly, cortical folding) of the developing brain as well as the collation and analysis of brain connectivity in the adult brain. The project will make available a public data set of MRI and microscopic images of the developing ferret brain, together with tools for the online annotation of these data. The Nijmegen and Paris components of the research both develop the tools and perform an initial analysis of the MRI and microscopy data. The Hamburg component continues the development of a public online database of brain connectivity in conjunction with the development of an atlas of the adult ferret brain. The three positions are described in detail below. 1. Position at Radboud University. The full text of this position is available here: https://www.academictransfer.com/employer/RUN/vacancy/32519/lang/en/ The summary is: "We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral candidate to contribute to a neuroinformatics platform that allows researchers worldwide to jointly work on the creation of brain atlases. The scientific use case is to build a detailed developmental brain atlas for the ferret. The ferret is special in that the folding patterns of its brain develop after birth, so that the folding process can be studied on the basis of a series of combined MRI and microscopy data sets. Data will be provided by our partner Dr. Roberto Toro from Institute Pasteur in Paris, who is also the creator of the platform prototype (www.siphonophore.org/microdraw) You will work together with Dr. Rembrandt Bakker who leads the Scalable Brain Atlas project (www.scalablebrainatlas.org) The project is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and its French counterpart and is part of a FLAG-ERA funding scheme that falls under the umbrella of the Human Brain Project. Further inquiries: r.bakker(a)fz-juelich.de, p.tiesinga(a)science.ru.nl 2. Position at University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany We seek a Researcher in Neuroinformatics at the predoctoral or postdoctoral level, to curate an online database of ferret brain architecture and connectivity. The position is available immediately and runs until 30th June 2019. Further extensions are possible. The researcher will be expected to continue the conceptual and technical development of the ferretome.org database system, and supervise the population of the database with data collated from the literature as well as newly performed anatomy experiments. Moreover, the researcher will work on the integration of the ferretome with online atlases of the ferret brain. The researcher will be based at the Department of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. The position is part of the Collaborative Research Center 936 (sfb936.net) âMulti-site communication in the brain" and would suit a researcher with background in computer science or biology. In any case, the position requires strong computer skills, particularly in database systems, high proficiency in written and spoken English and great curiosity. The researcher needs to integrate well with a highly multinational, multidisciplinary team at the Department of Computational Neuroscience as well as the Research Center 936. For researchers at the predoctoral level, the position offers the opportunity for obtaining a PhD degree. For further inquiries contact Prof. Claus C. Hilgetag, PhD: c.hilgetag(a)uke.de. 3. Position at Institute Pasteur This position at the postdoctoral level will commence after the microscopy data for the developmental ferret atlas has become available. The candidate should have a background in computational neuroanatomy or neuroinformatics, and preferrably have experience with online development and data visualisation. You will be working together with OphÃ©lie Foubet, who is doing a PhD that focuses on the mechanics of neocortical development. Contact Roberto Toro: roberto.toro(a)gmail.com for details about this position. -- Dr. R. Bakker Forschungszentrum JÃ¼lich / Radboud University Nijmegen +31645774665 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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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Berkeley course in mining and modeling neuroscience data, July 11-22, 2016
by Jeff Teeters March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016

Call for applications: We invite applicants to the 2016 summer course in "Mining and modeling of neuroscience data" to be held July 11-22 at UC Berkeley. A description of the course is below and also at: http://crcns.org/course Application deadline is April 30. ----- Berkeley summer course in mining and modeling of neuroscience data July 11-22, 2016 Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, UC Berkeley Organizers: Fritz Sommer, Bruno Olshausen & Jeff Teeters (HWNI, UC Berkeley) Scope This course is for students and researchers with backgrounds in mathematics and computational sciences who are interested in applying their skills toward problems in neuroscience. It will introduce the major open questions of neuroscience and teach state-of–the-art techniques for analyzing and modeling neuroscience data sets. The course is designed for students at the graduate level and researchers with background in a quantitative field such as engineering, mathematics, physics or computer science who may or may not have a specific neuroscience background. The goal of this summer course is to help researchers find new exciting research areas and at the same time to strengthen quantitative expertise in the field of neuroscience. The course is sponsored by the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation from a grant supporting activities at the data sharing repository CRCNS.org, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley. Format The course is “hands on” in that it will include exercises in how to use and modify existing software tools and apply them to data sets, such as those available in the CRCNS.org repository. Course Instructors Robert Kass, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Maneesh Sahani, Gatsby Unit, University College London Odelia Schwartz, University of Miami Frederic Theunissen, University of California Berkeley Joshua Vogelstein, Johns Hopkins University Course Moderators Fritz Sommer and Jeff Teeters, Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. Speakers To complement the main course instruction there will be lectures in the evenings by local Berkeley and UCSF neuroscientists presenting their research using quantitative approaches. Requirements Applicants should be familiar with linear algebra, probability, differential and integral calculus and have some experience using MatLab and Python. Each student should bring a laptop with both MatLab and Python installed. Cost There is no cost to attend. Non-local attendees will be reimbursed for qualifying travel and food expenses if receipts are provided. Housing Rooms in a hotel within walking distance to campus will be provided for those attendees who need accommodations. Food Breakfast and some dinners will be provided to all participants as a group. Non-local attendees can purchase food at local stores or restaurants and be reimbursed. How to apply To apply, submit the online form linked from: http://crcns.org/course. A curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation are required. The course is limited to 25 students. Deadlines Applications must be received by the end of April. Notifications of acceptance will be given by May 15. Questions Questions about the course can be sent to course [at] crcns.org. Topics covered (subject to change): Basic approaches: - The problem of neural coding - Spike trains, point processes, and firing rate - Statistical thinking in neuroscience - Theory of model fitting / regularization / hypothesis testing - Overview of stimulus-response function models - Theory of model fitting / regularization / hypothesis testing - Bayesian methods - Spike sorting - Estimation of stimulus-response functionals: regression methods, spike-triggered covariance, - Variance analysis of neural response - Estimation of SNR. Coherence Information theoretic approaches: - Information transmission rates - Scene statistics approaches and neural modeling Techniques for analyzing multiple-electrode and optical neural recordings: - Event sorting in electrophysiology and optical imaging - Optophysiology cell detection - Sparse coding/ICA methods, vanilla and methods including statistical models of nonlinear dependencies - Methods for assessing functional connectivity - Statistical issues in network identification - Low-dimensional latent dynamical structure in network activity–Gaussian process factor analysis/newer methods Analyzing structural data: - Histology cell detection - Statistical connectomics Neuroinformatics topics: - Petascale data storage, exploration, parsing and analysis - Introduction into Neurodata Without Borders data format for Neurophysiology

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Neuroinformatics/Modeling Postdoc Available
by Sharon Crook March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics (Job #11446) We are soliciting applications for a postdoctoral position in the Laboratory for Informatics and Computation in Open Neuroscience at Arizona State University. This laboratory, jointly supervised by Dr. Sharon Crook and Dr. Rick Gerkin, focuses on developing resources for the community for describing, validating and sharing computational models in neuroscience. In addition, lab personnel conduct empirical and modeling studies in order to investigate fundamental questions in neuroscience. The successful candidate will contribute to the development and use of tool chains for model validation and model exchange that revolve around NeuronUnit and NeuroML. The postdoctoral researcher also will have the opportunity to choose the direction of their own modeling studies. Applicants must provide evidence of excellence in sustainable software development, experience in applications in neuroscience, and should also be highly independent, with a strong propensity for interdisciplinary research. Candidates must hold a PhD in neuroscience, computer science, applied mathematics, computational neuroscience or a related discipline by time of appointment and be highly motivated and creative. Experience with some combination of Python, XML, MySQL, Ruby on Rails, and NEURON is desirable. Named the #1 Most Innovative University in the US, Arizona State University offers an exciting research environment in a unique setting. ASU is located in Tempe, Arizona, which offers many rich cultural and outdoor opportunities with access to mountains and canyons visited by people from around the world. All applications must be submitted online through mathjobs at https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/8375 and must include the following: 1) A detailed CV 2) Two recommendation letters 3) A statement of research interest Any questions should be sent by email to Dr. Sharon Crook (sharon.crook(a)asu.edu) and Dr. Rick Gerkin (rgerkin(a)asu.edu) Initial review of applications began January 15, 2016. Applications are reviewed every two weeks until the search is closed. (Search currently continues to be open!) Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

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FINAL REMINDER: Call For Participation: 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop
by Ralph Etienne-Cummings March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

Please see below: *Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop 2016 <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016#TellurideNeuromorphicCognitionEngineer…>* Sunday Jun 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016 - * Telluride Elementary School,Telluride, Colorado * *Applications to the 2016 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop* 2016 NEUROMORPHIC COGNITION ENGINEERING WORKSHOP <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016> <https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016>https://neuromorphs.net/nm/wiki/2016 Sunday June 26th - Saturday July 16th, 2016, Telluride, Colorado *IMPORTANT DATES FOR APPLICATION (Instructions are at the bottom of the page)* Application Website Open - 16th February, 2016 Applications Due - 2nd April, 2016 Notification of Acceptance - 15th April, 2016 *Application website: <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040 <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040>.* *GOALS:* Neuromorphic engineers design and fabricate artificial neural systems whose organizing principles are based on those of biological nervous systems. Over the past 18 years, this research community has focused on the understanding of low-level sensory processing and systems infrastructure; efforts are now expanding to apply this knowledge and infrastructure to addressing higher-level problems in perception, cognition, and learning. In this 3-week intensive workshop and through the Institute for Neuromorphic Engineering (INE), the mission is to promote interaction between senior and junior researchers; to educate new members of the community; to introduce new enabling fields and applications to the community; to promote on-going collaborative activities emerging from the Workshop, and to promote a self-sustaining research field. *FORMAT:* The three week summer workshop will include background lectures on systems and cognitive neuroscience (in particular sensory processing, learning and memory, motor systems and attention), practical tutorials on emerging hardware design, mobile robots, hands-on projects, and special interest groups. Participants are required to take part and possibly complete at least one of the projects proposed. They are furthermore encouraged to become involved in as many of the other activities proposed as interest and time allow. There will be two lectures in the morning that cover issues that are important to the community in general. Because of the diverse range of backgrounds among the participants, some of these lectures will be tutorials, rather than detailed reports of current research. These lectures will be given by invited speakers. Projects and interest groups meet in the late afternoons, and after dinner. In the early afternoon there will be tutorials on a wide spectrum of topics, including analog VLSI, mobile robotics, vision and auditory systems, central-pattern-generators, selective attention mechanisms, cognitive systems, etc. *2016 TOPIC AREAS:* Decoding Multi-Modal Effects on Auditory Cognition: Edmund Lalor (Trinity College Dublin), Alain de Cheveigne (UPMC, France), Malcolm Slaney (Google), and Shihab Shamma (UM-College Park) Spike-Based Cognition in Active Neuromorphic Systems: Ryad Benjamin Benosman (UPMC, Paris), Cornelia Fermuller (Univ. of Maryland), Garrick Orchard (National University of Singapore), Michele Rucci (Boston University), and Bert Shi (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) Neuromorphic Path Planning for Robots in a Disaster Response Scenario: Jeff Krichmar (University of California, Irvine) and Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Neuromorphic Tactile Sensing:James Wright (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), Jonathan Tapson (MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University), and Nitish V. Thakor (SINAPSE, Singapore University for Neurotechnology) Computational Neuroscience (invitational mini-workshop): Terry Sejnowski (Salk Institute) *LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENTS:* The summer school will take place in the small town of Telluride, 9000 feet high in southwest Colorado, about 6 hours drive away from Denver (350 miles). There are several small airports (e.g. Montrose) close to Telluride. All facilities within the beautifully renovated public school building are fully accessible to participants with disabilities. Participants will be housed in ski condominiums, within walking distance of the school. Participants are expected to share condominiums. The workshop is intended to be very informal and hands-on. Participants are not required to have had previous experience in analog VLSI circuit design, computational or machine vision, systems level neurophysiology or modeling the brain at the systems level. However, we strongly encourage active researchers with relevant backgrounds from academia, industry and national laboratories to apply, in particular if they are prepared to work on specific projects, talk about their own work or bring demonstrations to Telluride (e.g. robots, chips, software). Wireless internet access will be provided. Technical staff present throughout the workshops will assist with software and hardware issues. We encourage participants to bring along their personal laptop. No cars are required. Given the small size of the town, we recommend that you do not rent a car. Bring hiking boots, warm clothes, rain gear, and a backpack, since Telluride is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unless otherwise arranged with one of the organizers, we expect participants to stay for the entire duration of this three week workshop. *FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:* Notification of acceptances will be mailed out around the April 15th, 2016. The Workshop covers all your accommodations and facilities costs for the 3 weeks duration. You are responsible for your own travel to the Workshop. Registration Fees: For expenses not covered by federal funds, a Workshop registration fee is required. The fee is $1500 per participant for the 3-week Workshop. This is expected from all participants at the time of acceptance. Accommodations: The cost of a shared condominium, typically a bedroom in a shared condo for senior participants or a shared room for students, will be covered for all academic participants. Upgrades to a private rooms or condos will cost extra. Participants from National Laboratories and Industry are expected to pay for these condominiums. The 2016 Workshop and Summer School on Neuromorphic Engineering is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Institute of Neuromorphic Engineering, University of Maryland - College Park, Institute for Neuroinformatics â€“ University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, University of Western Sydney and the Salk Institute. *Workshop Directors:* Cornelia FermÃ¼ller (University of Maryland) Ralph Etienne-Cummings (Johns Hopkins Univ.) Shih-Chii Liu (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Timmer Horiuchi (University of Maryland) Katalin Gotthard (University of Arizona) Michael Pfeiffer (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Francisco Barranco (University of Granada) Former 2007-2013 Workshop Director: Tobi Delbruck (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Workshop Advisory Board: Andreas Andreou (Johns Hopkins University) Andre van Schaik (University Western Sydney, Australia) Avis Cohen (University of Maryland) Barbara Shinn-Cunningham (Boston University) Giacomo Indiveri (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Jonathan Tapson (University Western Sydney, Australia) Malcolm Slaney (Google) Jennifer Hasler (Georgia Institute of Technology) Rodney Douglas (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) Shihab Shamma (University of Maryland) Tobi Delbruck (Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) *HOW TO APPLY:* Applicants should be at the level of graduate students or above (i.e. postdoctoral fellows, faculty, research and engineering staff and the equivalent positions in industry and national laboratories). We actively encourage women and minority candidates to apply. Anyone interested in proposing or discussing specific projects should contact the appropriate topic leaders directly. The application website is (after February 16th, 2016): <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040> https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/7040. Application information needed: Contact email address. First name, Last name, Affiliation, valid e-mail address. Curriculum Vitae (a short version, please). One page summary of background and interests relevant to the workshop, including possible ideas for workshop projects. Please indicate which topic areas you would most likely join. Two letters of recommendation (uploaded directly by references). Applicants will be notified by e-mail. 16th February, 2016 - Applications accepted on website 2nd April, 2016 - Applications Due 15th April, 2016 - Notification of Acceptance

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IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 - Extended deadline ( April 15th)
by Arnaud Blanchard March 30, 2016

March 30, 2016

Extended Deadline Papers and Workshops Submission ( Friday, April 15th ) Due to several requests, we are extending the deadline of two weeks, till April 15th ! = IEEE ICDL-EPIROB 2016 = The Sixth Joint IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning and on Epigenetic Robotics Cergy-Pontoise / Paris, France September 19-22th, 2016 http://www.icdl-epirob.org <http://www.icdl-epirob.org/> Updates about : * Venue / Lodging == Conference description IEEE ICDL-Epirob is the premier forum for advances in epigenetic robotics and developmental psychology with the focus on learning and development in biological and artificial systems. This single-track conference brings together researchers from cognitive sciences, computer sciences, and robotics to explore their shared interests in autonomous learning and development. The design and study of both robotic and simulated embodied and situated computational models that are inspired by the principles of human development will be presented at the conference. A special event -- the «Babybot challenge» — will see renowned psychologists challenging engineers and modelers in how to use the tools of developmental robotics to replicate and extend the key findings. This year, thanks to special funding from Paris-Seine University, six renowned invited speakers will cover the different facets of the conference. We invite you to participate in IEEE ICDL-Epirob by sharing your research, insights, experience, and enthusiasm. A social event “on the paths of the impressionists” will allow you to discover the old city of Pontoise and Auvers sur Oise where Vincent Van Gogh painted some of his most famous masterpieces. Excursions to Paris, Versailles and Giverny will be proposed for spouses. == Keynote speakers * Tamim Asfour (http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php <http://h2t.anthropomatik.kit.edu/english/21_66.php>) * Karl Friston (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl <http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl>) * Julie Grezes (http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes… <http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/social-cognition-group/membres-100/faculty-177/grezes…>) * Tony Prescott (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott <https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/tony-prescott>) * Daniela Corbetta (http://web.utk.edu/~infntlab <http://web.utk.edu/~infntlab>) == Call for submissions of workshops and papers We invite submissions for this exciting window into the future of developmental sciences. Submissions which establish novel links between brain, behavior and computation are particularly encouraged. == Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * the development of perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, social, and communication skills in biological systems and robots; * embodiment; * general principles of development and learning; * interaction of nature and nurture; * sensitive/critical periods; * developmental psychology; * developmental stages; * grounding of knowledge and development of representations; * architectures for cognitive development and open-ended learning; * neural plasticity; * statistical learning; * reward and value systems; * intrinsic motivations, exploration and play; * interaction of development and evolution; * use of robots in applied settings such as autism therapy; * epistemological foundations and philosophical issues. Any of the topics above can be simultaneously studied from the neuroscience, psychology or modeling/robotic point of view. == Submissions will be accepted in several formats: 1. Full six-page paper submissions: Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings and will be selected for either an oral presentation or a featured poster presentation. Featured posters will have a 1 minute "teaser" presentation as part of the main conference session and will be showcased in the poster sessions. 2. Two-page poster abstract submissions: To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 2-page abstracts. These submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during poster sessions. 3. Tutorials and workshops: We invite experts in different areas to organize either a tutorial or a workshop to be held on the first day of the conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshop can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. Submission format: two pages. == Call for Tutorials and Workshops We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial or workshop, which will be held on the first day of the conference ( September 19th 2016 ). Participants in tutorials and workshops are asked to register for the main conference. Tutorials are meant to provide insights into specific topics as well as overviews that will inform the interdisciplinary audience about the state-of-the-art in child development, neuroscience, robotics, or any of the other disciplines represented at the conference. A workshop is an opportunity to present a topic cumulatively. Workshops can be half- or full-day in duration including oral presentations as well as posters. We would like to receive applications in pdf format for organizing a workshop with the following informations: title / workshop or tutorial organiser's name, research structure and coordinate (email) how many invited presentations/ and 'open' presentations is there a call for posters? what is the timetable website address ? Proposals should be sent to Sofiane Boucenna sofiane.boucenna(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:sofiane.boucenna@u-cergy.fr>, Verena Hafner hafner(a)informatik.hu-berlin.de <mailto:hafner@informatik.hu-berlin.de> & Alex Pitti alexandre.pitti(a)u-cergy.fr <mailto:alexandre.pitti@u-cergy.fr> == Important dates * April 15th, 2016, paper and workshops submission EXTENDED DEADLINE * June 1st, 2016, author notification * July 1st, 2016, final version (camera ready) due * September 19th-22nd, 2016, conference == Program committee General chairs: * Minoru Asada Osaka (Japan). * Philippe Gaussier, Cergy-Pontoise (France). Program chairs: * Verena Hafner, Berlin (Germany) * Alexandre Pitti, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Bridge chairs: • David Cohen, Paris (France) • Mathew Schlesinger, Southern Illinois (USA) Publication chairs: * Sofiane Boucenna, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Publicity chairs: * Arnaud Blanchard, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Manuel Lopes, Bordeaux (France) * Yulia Sandamirskaya, Zürich (Switzerland) Local chairs: * Pierre Andry, Cergy-Pontoise (France) * Nicolas Cuperlier, Cergy-Pontoise (France) Finance chairs: * Ghilès Mostafaoui, Cergy-Pontoise (France) == Registration fees* Price for : advanced / late registration IEEE Member 380€ / 460€ Non-member 480€ / 560€ IEEE Student member 190€ / 240€ Student non-member 260€ / 280€ IEEE Life member 190€ / 240€ (*) This price includes the social dinner. The registration form and the early registration deadline are coming soon. == Lodging == We are glad to inform you that we have obtained special rates for accommodation during the ICDL-EPIROB 2016 conference (19-22 sept) : All information (english) : http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/ <http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/> Location : approx. 800m from the conference site (University of Cergy-Pontoise) Pictures : http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/accomodation.html <http://www.olivarius-cergy.com/en/accomodation.html> Conference special rates : * Studio :99€ /night (instead of 124€) - * One-bedroom apartment 40m² :109€ /night (instead of 149€) - * Two-bedroom apartment 70m² :115€ /night (instead of 184€) * Two bedroom apartment deluxe 120m² :180€ /night (instead of 274€) * Two bedroom apartment duplex with terrasse 100m² : 160€ght (instead of 284€) Please note that the rates are "per night", whatever the number of persons. Studio are ok for 1 to 2 persons, while apartments are ok for 1 to 4 persons. HIn order to book, please go to : http://reservation.consolemyroom.com/front126407/front.do?m=booking&custid=… <http://reservation.consolemyroom.com/front126407/front.do?m=booking&custid=…> and apply the discount code : EPIROB2016 when booking Problems for booking ? Please contact us at : icdlepirob2016(a)ensea.fr <mailto:icdlepirob2016@ensea.fr>

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