- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

registration for RLDM2015 is now open (early registration deadline: April 21st)

by Yael Niv

The 2nd Multidisciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making (RLDM2015) www.rldm.org June 7-10, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada ====================================================== Registration for RLDM2015 is now open at http://rldm.org/rldm2015/registration/ Early registration fees for the meeting and tutorials are $250 CAD for predoc/postdoc, $480 CAD for regular registration, and $590 CAD for industry. Main meeting only is somewhat cheaper, but you miss out on the wonderful tutorials (http://rldm.org/rldm2015/tutorials/) Registration fees include three light breakfasts, all coffee breaks, two lunches, and one banquet dinner. ** Early registration ends April 21st ** We are excited to announce that RLDM2015 attracted 127 submissions. Accept/reject notifications will be sent by March 28. The list of invites speakers is already available at http://rldm.org/rldm2015/invited-speakers2015/ We look forward to seeing you in Alberta! The RLDM2015 organizing committee -------- To ensure that you receive future announcements about RLDM2015 please join our mailing list at http://tinyurl.com/RLDMlist (you must log in to google to see the "join list" button, and choose 'all emails' in the options).

March 19, 2015

Post-doc in MEG- EEG based neuroimaging and/or real-tierm EEG

by Alex Ossadtchi

Higher School of Economics is pleased to announce new CAS-funded post-doctoral posts at the Neuroimaging and BCI Group <http://www.hse.ru/en/cdm-centre/Methods>. Research topics include: novel methods for solving EEG and MEG inverse problem, source space analysis of synchrony, techniques for improvement of neurofeedback efficacy and motor imagery BCI. The laboratory is a structural part of the HSE’s Centre for Cognition & Decision Making <http://www.hse.ru/en/cdm-centre> with ample collaboration opportunities within the Centre as well as with other research groups at HSE, within Russia, and internationally. Research facilities include multi-channel EEG, navigated TMS-EEG, behavioral, and eye-tracking equipment. The Center also provides access to MEG, fMRI and a range of neurological populations. This new international group collaborates with a number of leading researchers around the world including Richard Leahy(University of Southern California), Sylvain Baillet, Karim Jerbi (McGill University), Judson Brewer (University of Massachusetts at Amherst), Mark Pflieger (Cortech Solutions, USA), Dirk de Ridder (University of Otago). The post holders will have an advantage of being able to further define and expand the group’s research programme. Further to working on the group's current research strands, the successful candidates will also be encouraged to pursue their own research program. The job involves: - working under the direct supervision of Prof. Alexei Ossadtchi <http://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/96086377> - participants are encouraged to pursue their own research in source analysis using EEG and MEG measurements, source space analysis of synchrony, developing techniques for improvement of neurofeedback efficacy and motor imagery BCI. - writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals in co-authorship with the members of the Lab - some teaching as well as public presentations of candidate’s own research are also encouraged - participation in organization of the events and other contribution to the Lab’s development Requirements: - Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics or related discipline - Demonstrated skills in signal processing and analysis of multidimensional real life data - Familiarity with Matlab and Ptython - Fluent English (knowledge of Russian is not required) - Demonstrated ability and high motivation to conduct high-quality research publishable in quality international peer-reviewed journals General conditions for Post-Doctoral Research positions can be found here <http://cas.hse.ru/general_postdoc>. Appointments will be normally made for one year. Please apply via online application form <http://cas.hse.ru/en/expresspolls/poll/144697605.html> and attach you CV and research statement. Two letters of recommendations should be sent directly to fellowship(a)hse.ru <https://mail2.hse.ru/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=rCOCfgIWdO7CcYm5xF0qVx2XV9ZQ4EG2j8…> by April 1, 2015. The HSE <http://hse.ru/en> is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university providing unique research opportunities.

March 18, 2015

postdoc position available

by Dick Aslin

POSTDOC: Harvard/Rochester project on cognitive neuroscience (EEG and fNIRS) in human infants Funding from NSF is expected for a 1.5-year postdoc to collect and analyze datasets gathered from human infants while they view visual stimuli or listen to language stimuli. This is a joint project between the Rochester Babylab (Richard Aslin, PI) and the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience lab at Harvard (Charles Nelson, PI). Rochester lab: http://babylab.bcs.rochester.edu/ Boston lab: http://www.childrenshospital.org/research-and-innovation/research/labs/nels… The goal of the project is to gather EEG and fNIRS data from 3- to 12-month-olds and merge these datasets, within-subjects at each age, using multivariate pattern classification and representational similarity analysis methods. The successful candidate could reside either in Rochester, NY or Boston, MA, with some travel expected between both sites. The preferred skill set consists of one or more of the following: experience with the testing of human infants, collection and analysis of EEG data, collection and analysis of fNIRS or fMRI data, use of machine learning techniques such as MVPA, fluency in Matlab. A machine learning consultant on the grant (Radislaw Cichy) will provide guidance for many of the analyses. Candidate must have a PhD (or firm plans to defend their dissertation no later than August of 2015). Preferred start date is July 1, 2015. Interested applicants should forward a cover letter, CV, and the names of three references to Richard Aslin: aslin(a)mail.cvs.rochester.edu. Review of application materials will begin on May 1 and continue until a candidate has been chosen. -- NOTE: new email address is aslin(a)mail.cvs.rochester.edu Richard N. Aslin William R. Kenan Professor Brain and Cognitive Sciences University of Rochester http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/faculty/aslin_richard/

March 18, 2015

on behalf of Boris Gutkin - postdoc position Moscow

by Reinoud Maex

Please reply to boris.gutkin(a)gmail.com. Theoretical Neuroscience Group Postdoctoral research positions. Deadline: April 1, 2015 Theoretical Neuroscience — computational and mathematical approaches to understanding neural function and cognition. Research interests of the Theoretical Neuroscience Group at the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making are wide ranging, carried out in collaboration with the experimental labs at the research center and the faculty of applied mathematics. Research themes include models of social decision-making, computational neuroeconomics, information processing in neurons and circuits as well as computational approaches to drug addiction and role of oscillations in cognition. The group is linked with the Group for Neural Theory at the Ecole Normale Superior in Paris, where research internships and visiting positions can be made available. We are seeking highly qualified and motivated candidate with backgrounds in quantitative disciplines: applied mathematics, physics, computer science or engineering. Programming skills and ability to carry put interdisciplinary projects are required. Ability to work with data is recommended. Candidates will be trained in model building, analysis and will be offered advanced training in neuroscience and cognitive psychology. Candidates will be expected to develop independent research projects and collaborations under the direction of the group leading scientists. Publications in international peers reviewed venues are expected as tangible out outcomes of the research. Group leader — Boris Gutkin. General conditions for Post-Doctoral Research positions can be found here. Appointments will be normally made for one year. Please apply via online application form and attach you CV and research statement. Two letters of recommendations should be sent directly to fellowship(a)hse.ru by April 1, 2015. The HSE is a young, dynamic, fast-growing Russian research university providing unique research opportunities.

March 18, 2015

Workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT

by Alessandro Torcini

Here is the First Announcement of the 10th SICC International Tutorial Workshop on "Topics in nonlinear dynamics" <<Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT>> to be held on September 07-09, 2015 in Turin, Italy Organizers: Fernando Corinto (Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy) Alessandro Torcini (ISC-CNR, Florence, Italy) This workshop "Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT” offers an unique opportunity to meet researchers working across (and between) disciplines linked to Computational Neuroscience. In particular, computational neuroscients, neurophysiologists and neural engineers will have the opportunity to present their most recent results to a young audience, constituted mainly by PhD students, and to interact directly among them. The program ranges from nonlinear dynamical approaches to the understanding of neural computation to physiology, from the simulations of brain circuits to the development of engineering devices and platforms for neuromorphic computation. The speakers will be specifically advised to perform didactic presentations of their results in order to allow the active participation to the discussion of young PhD students from different disciplines as well as to researchers interested in the field of Computational Neuroscience. Specific poster sessions will be organized with the purpose on one side to allow the young participants to present their latest results and on the other side to increase the opportunity of networking among the participants and renowed experts of the discipline. This workshop represents the 10th of a series of tutorial workshops annually organized by the Italian Society of Chaos and Complexity (SICC) to explore the emergence of new research fields, where nonlinear dynamics and control theory can play a relevant role. These workshops have been traditionally devoted to an audience mainly constituted by PhD students or young researchers working in complex systems. A poster session will be running during all the event and aimed to let all the participants to present their recent results. More information on the workshop can be found in the web page: http://www.neuro-eng-comp.polito.it/workshop/ Confirmed invited speakers include Cristina Becchio (University of Turin, Italy) Ruben Moreno Bote (CIBERSAM - Barcelona, Spain) George Bourianov (Intel/University of Texas at Austin, USA) Emilio Carbone (University of Turin, Italy) Stephen Coombes (University of Nottingham, UK) Steve Furber (The University of Manchester, UK) Julius Georgiou (University of Cyprus, Cyprus) Viktor Jirsa (INSERM - Marseille, France) Luke P. Lee (UC Berkeley, USA) Stefano Luccioli (ISC CNR - Florence, Italy) Maurizio Mattia (ISS - Roma, Italy) Benedetto Sacchetti (University of Turin, Italy) Maria Sanchez-Vives (IDIBAPS - Barcelona, Spain) Ronald Tetzlaff (TU Dresden, Germany) The workshop is kindly supported by the: SICC - Italian Society for Chaos and Complexity, IEEE Circuits and Systems Society - CASS Surplus Funds CRT Foundation, Marie Curie Initial Training project NETT - Neural Engineering Transformative Technologies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)

March 18, 2015

joint experiment & theory postdoc position

by Mark Goldman

A postdoctoral position that combines experimental & theoretical investigation of neural networks (see position description below) is available jointly between the laboratories of Drs. Mark Goldman and Kim McAllister at the University of California at Davis. UC Davis is a top-ten public research university (US News & World Report) located 1 hour east from the San Francisco Bay Area and 20 minutes from the state capital of Sacramento. Candidates are expected to have training in both performing experiments and background in an analytically rigorous discipline such as computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Interested candidates should send a CV, brief statement of previous research and future research interests, and contact information for three references to: Mark Goldman, msgoldman(a)ucdavis.edu and Kim McAllister, kmcallister(a)ucdavis.edu. * Development, dynamics, and plasticity of neural networks: *We are seeking to understand the learning rules underlying development and learning in neural networks. We will use cutting-edge technology in patterned substrates, optogenetics, and uncaging in a novel long-term imaging assay for synapse dynamics that allows recording and single synapse or single cell manipulation of neuronal and network activity. These cultured networks will be used to directly test central tenets of Hebbian, spike-timing dependent, and homeostatic learning. The applicant will perform these imaging experiments as well as apply theoretical models to better understand and predict experimental findings.

March 17, 2015

Postdoctoral positions available in group for neural theory, Paris

by Sophie Deneve

Two postdoctoral positions are available in the group of Sophie Deneve, Ecole Normale supérieure, Paris. Positions are for two years, and comes with competitive salary and generous equipment and travel funds. The team is part of the “Group for neural theory” ( http://iec-lnc.ens.fr/group-for-neural-theory/) and surrounded by top-level theoretical and experimental labs. Candidates are expected to have a solid training in the field of computational neuroscience, proven quantitative and programming skills and a strong interest in integrative neuroscience. Starting dates are flexible, but should preferentially occur before September 2015. Candidates should send their application to sophie.deneve(a)ens.fr by *March 31, 2015*. Please mention “postdoctoral candidate” in the subject of the email. Application should take the form of a single PDF file, containing a CV, motivation letter, names and email addresses of 2 to 3 referees. No official letter of recommendations are required, as the referees will be contacted directly. Main research directions in the lab are: Efficient coding in spiking networks (theory and data analyses). Probabilistic approaches to sensory processing (theory and data analyses). Hierarchical inference and learning in neural networks, application to schizophrenia (psychophysics experiment and theory) Candidates should send their application to sophie.deneve(a)ens.fr by *March 31, 2015*. Please mention “postdoctoral candidate” in the subject of the email. Application should take the form of a single PDF file, containing a CV, motivation letter, names and email addresses of 2 to 3 referees. No official letter of recommendations are required, as the referee will be contacted directly. -- Dr Sophie Deneve Group for Neural Theory Laboratoire de Neurosciences cognitives ENS-INSERM 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France Tel. (+33) (0)1 44 32 26 35

March 17, 2015

BCF/NWG Course "Analysis and Models in Neurophysiology" 2015 at the Bernstein Center Freiburg, Germany

by Birgit Ahrens

*BCF/NWG Course*** *"Analysis and Models in Neurophysiology"*** /Sunday, October 4 - Friday, October 9, 2015 / /Bernstein Center Freiburg, Hansastraße 9a, 79104 Freiburg, Germany/ *Aim of the course:* The course is intended to provide advanced Diploma/Masters and PhD students, as well as young researchers from the neurosciences with approaches for the analysis of electrophysiological data and the theoretical concepts behind them. *The course includes various topics such as*: * Neuron Models and Point Processes (Prof. Stefan Rotter) * Local field potentials (Prof. Ulrich Egert) * Neural Coding (Dr. Robert Schmidt) * Neural Decoding (Prof. Carsten Mehring) The course will consist of lectures in the morning and matching exercises using Matlab and Mathematica in the afternoon. The participants should have a basic understanding of scientific programming. This course is designated especially for advanced diploma/master students and PhD students (preferentially in their first year). *Application:* Please apply by sending *one pdf document* containing your CV and a meaningful letter of motivation to nwg-course(a)bcf.uni-freiburg.de <mailto:nwg-course@bcf.uni-freiburg.de>. The letter of motivation should refer to the following points: * Reasons for wanting to take this course * Background in mathematics * Background in scientific programming * Experience in using Matlab and Mathematica * Background in neuroscience The course is limited to 20 participants. *Course fees:*NWG members - 50€, others - 125€ *Application deadline: *June 30, 2015 *More information: *http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/events/conferences-workshops/20151004-nwgcourse <http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/events/conferences-workshops/20141005-nwgcou…> *-- Dr. Birgit Ahrens --* Teaching & Training Coordinator Bernstein Center Freiburg University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9a D - 79104 Freiburg Germany Phone: +49 (0) 761 203-9575 Fax: +49 (0) 761 203-9559

March 17, 2015

Postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience at University of Pennsylvania

by Maria Geffen

A postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience is available at the Laboratory of Auditory Coding at the University of Pennsylvania under direction of Dr. Maria Neimark Geffen. We are looking for a talented, energetic, ambitious and creative scientist to join our team in studying the neuronal mechanisms of auditory perception and learning. For more details, go to http://www.med.upenn.edu/hearing <http://www.med.upenn.edu/hearing> Requirements: A doctoral degree in quantitative science (physics/chemistry/computational biology/neuroscience etc.), math/applied math or computer science (can be expected); proficiency in computer programming; excellent mathematical skills. Recommended: Coursework or experience in systems neuroscience, computational neuroscience, and/or linguistics. To apply, please email a short paragraph with your research interests, a CV and copies of your publications or pre-prints to mgeffen(a)med.upenn.edu _________________________________ Maria Neimark Geffen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Department of Neuroscience Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania 5 Ravdin 3400 Spruce St. Philadelphia PA 19104 Tel.: 215.898.0782 Fax: 215.898.9994 mgeffen(a)med.upenn.edu http://www.med.upenn.edu/hearing

March 16, 2015

Deadline Approaching: 2015 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop- Call For Applicants

by Ralph Etienne-Cummings

> > > *-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > **Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop* > > > > *2015 Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop* > > *Telluride, Colorado, June 28th - July 18th, 2015* > > > > CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Deadline is April 2nd, 2015 > > NEUROMORPHIC COGNITION ENGINEERING WORKSHOP > > www.ine-web.org > > > > Sunday June 28th - Saturday July 18th, 2015, Telluride, Colorado > > > > ine-web.org/workshops/workshops-overview/index.html and the workshop wiki > is at https://neuromorphs.net/ > > > > 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. > > > > *2015 TOPIC AREAS:* > > > > *Human Auditory Cognition: Communicating with EEG and Virtual Reality > Links (The Matrix)*: Shihab Shamma (UM-College Park), Malcolm Slaney > (Microsoft), Edward Lalor (Trinity College, Dublin), and Alain de Cheveigne > (UPMC, France) > > > > *Manipulation Actions: Movements, Forces and Affordances: *Cornelia > Fermüller (UMCP), Michael Pfeiffer (INI-UZH), Ryad Benosman (UPMC, Paris), > and Andreas Andreou (JHU) > > > > *Neuromorphic Natural Language Processing:* John Harris (UFL, > Gainesville) and Chris Huyck (Middlesex University) > > > > *Spike-Based Cognitive Computing: Seeing, Hearing, and Thinking with > Spikes: *Arindam Basu (NTU, Singapore) and John Arthur (IBM Research > Almaden) > > > > *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). Great Lakes Aviation and America West Express airlines provide > daily flights directly into 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 will have a network of PCs running LINUX > and Microsoft Windows for the workshop projects. 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, > 2015. The Workshop covers all your accommodations and facilities costs for > the 3 weeks duration. You are responsible for your own travel to the > Workshop, however, sponsored fellowships will be available as described > below to further subsidize your cost. > > > > Registration Fees: For expenses not covered by federal funds, a Workshop > registration fee is required. The fee is TBD 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. > > > > Fellowships: This year we will offer one Fellowship program to subsidize > your costs: > > The EU-CSNII Fellowship (http://csnetwork.eu/) which is funded by the 7th > Research Framework Program FP7-ICT-CSNII-601167. The top 8 EU applicants > will be reimbursed for their registration fees ($1250), subsistence/travel > subsidy (up to Euro 2000) and accommodations cost ($1500). The registration > and accommodation costs will go directly to the INE (the INE will reimburse > them). > > > > We invite applications for a three-week summer workshop that will be held > in Telluride, Colorado. Sunday June 28th - Saturday July 18th, 2015. The > application deadline is Wednesday, April 2nd and application instructions > are described at the bottom of this document. > > > > The 2015 Workshop and Summer School on Neuromorphic Engineering is > sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Institute of Neuromorphic > Engineering, DARPA, Office of Naval Research, The EU-Collaborative > Convergent Science Network (CNS-II), University of Maryland - College Park, > Institute for Neuroinformatics – University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, > Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Boston > University, University of Western Sydney and the Salk Institute. > > > > Directors: > > Cornelia Fermuller, University of Maryland, College Park > > Ralph Etienne-Cummings, Johns Hopkins University > > Shih-Chii Liu, Institute of Neuroinformatics, UNI/ETH Zurich, Switzerland > > Timothy Horiuchi, University of Maryland, College Park > > > > 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, Uni/Eth Zurich, > Switzerland > > Jonathan Tapson, University Western Sydney, Australia > > Malcolm Slaney, Microsoft Research > > Jennifer Hasler, Georgia Institute of Technology > > Rodney Douglas, Institute of Neuroinformatics, Uni/Eth Zurich, Switzerland > > Shihab Shamma, University of Maryland > > Tobi Delbruck, Institute of Neuroinformatics, Uni/Eth Zurich, Switzerland > > > > Previous year workshop can be found at: > <http://ine-web.org/workshops/workshops-overview/index.html> participant’s > registration fees after receipt from CSNII), while the subsistence/travel > reimbursement will be provided directly to the participants by the CSNII at > the University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. > > 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 23rd, 2015): > > ine-web.org/telluride-conference-2015/apply-info > > > > 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. > > 23rd February, 2015 - Applications accepted on website > > 2nd April, 2015 - Applications Due > > 15th April, 2015 - Notification of Acceptance > > > > -- > Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, FIEEE > Professor and Chairman > Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering > Computational Sensor Motor Systems Lab > Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics > The Johns Hopkins University > Baltimore, MD > [image: cid:image001.png@01CFC064.B58B46A0] > > -- Ralph Etienne-Cummings, PhD, FIEEE Professor and Chairman Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Computational Sensor Motor Systems Lab Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD [image: cid:image001.png@01CFC064.B58B46A0]

March 16, 2015

Senior lectureship in computer science (machine learning / biocomputation)

by Steuber, Volker

Senior Lecturer in Computer Science School of Computer Science University of Hertfordshire Hatfield, Hertfordshire UK Salary: £37,394 to £47,328 per annum depending on skills and experience FTE: Full time position Duration of contract: Permanent Closing date: 26 March 2015 Applications are invited for two posts of Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the School's teaching and curriculum development activities, and to strengthen its research activities. We are looking to recruit specifically computer scientists with specialist interests in machine learning related to biocomputation (including computational neuroscience), with the flexibility to teach across mainstream topics in computer science. The School has an international reputation for teaching and research, with 58 academic staff, 20 adjunct lecturer staff, and 65 research students and postdoctoral research staff. With a history going back to 1958, the School teaches one of the largest cohorts of undergraduate students in the UK, and also delivers a thriving online computer science degree programme. The University of Hertfordshire is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London. The person appointed will be expected to contribute to learning and teaching relevant to core computer science topics, participate in curriculum review and development, design and develop new modules, and supervise student projects at all levels. The appointee will strengthen the research culture in the School by pursuing research as part of a larger research team, seeking external funding, publishing papers, supervising research students, and participating in commercial activity as appropriate. Preference will be given to candidates who can contribute to teaching and research in databases or machine learning. You must hold a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, possess excellent communication skills in English and the ability to teach at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It is desirable that candidates have a track record of publication, external research funding, collaboration across disciplines, experience of different types of assessment and higher education quality assurance. They should also have the ability to play a role in the routine running of the School of Computer Science. The University is required to meet UKVI visa regulations. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK will have to satisfy UKVI regulations before they can be appointed. Application should be made through http://www.herts.ac.uk/contact-us/jobs-and-vacancies/academic-vacancies (reference 012476). For informal enquiries contact Prof William Clocksin (Dean of School, w.clocksin(a)herts.ac.uk) or Dr Volker Steuber (Head of the Biocomputation Research Group, v.steuber(a)herts.ac.uk)

March 13, 2015

RTXI-2015 - real-time electrophysiology

by Butera, Robert J

Dear Colleagues: I am writing to invite you to attend RTXI-2015, May 7-8, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. This two-day meeting focuses on the application of real-time computing methods to scientific and clinical applications in neuroscience and other application areas. While targeting users of our RTXI software (http://www.rtxi.org) participation by anyone working in the topic areas is welcome. For those of you who recall the “GTReal” meeting in 2005 and "BUReal" meeting in 2006, this is a successor to that meeting. What has changed in 10 years? In short, our ability to sense and measure with newer modalities, and applications moving from the scale of intracellular studies (e.g., dynamic clamp) to multichannel scientific and clinical applications with closed loop devices. Invited speakers: Chuck Dorval, University of Utah: Closed-loop neuromodulation - exposing pitfall and promises of preclinical trials via RTXI Scott Stanslinski, Medtronic: Challenges in clinical neuromodulation: transitioning from open-loop to active-sensing and closed-loop methods Flavio Frolich, University of North Carolina: Rational design of non-invasive (feedback) brain stimulation Astrid Prinz, Emory University: Synaptic feedback strategies that minimize neuronal oscillator variability Dieter Jaeger, Emory University: Real-time interactions with the mouse motor thalamus in vitro and in vivo Topics include: - Dynamic clamp and similar methods - Closed-loop neural stimulation - Cardiac dynamics and control - Applications to neurological disease (Parkinson's, epilepsy, etc.) - Open-source software development The meeting is in small setting (max. 200 attendees) with a single talk track, workshops for those new and experienced using RTXI, and posters. Registration is $75 for students and $125 for all others, and includes breakfast and lunch on both days. Fee waivers are also available. The venue is the Georgia Academy of Medicine, located 2 blocks south of the Midtown MARTA station. See http://rtxi.org/conference for more information about the meeting, invited speakers, and registration information. Supported by NIH via the RTXI project and the Neural Engineering Center at Georgia Tech. -- Robert Butera, PhD, PE Professor, School of ECE and Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of BME Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ph: 404-894-2935 FAX: 404-385-5044 admin: 404-894-1359

March 13, 2015

CFP 3rd International Congress on Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics - NEUROTECHNIX 2015

by Calendar Sites

CALL FOR PAPERS 3rd International Congress on Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics NEUROTECHNIX 2015 Website: http://www.neurotechnix.org November 16 17, 2015 Lisbon, Portugal Complete Papers Paper Submission: June 30, 2015 Authors Notification: September 1, 2015 Camera Ready and Registration: September 14, 2015 Extended Abstracts Paper Submission: September 2, 2015 Authors Notification: October 6, 2015 Camera Ready and Registration: October 13, 2015 Sponsored by: INSTICC-Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication In Cooperation with: APEEGNC Associação Portugues de EEG e Neurofisiologia Clínica NN Neurotech Network INNS The International Neural Network Society NNN Nansen Neuroscience Network WFNR World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation Logistics Partner: SCITEVENTS Science and Technology Events The first research works on neurotechnology can be dated back nearly half a century, but it is in the XXI century that most significant advances are being witnessed. Neurotechnology shows a very high potential of enhancing human activities, involving technologies such as neural rehabilitation, neural prosthesis, neuromodulation, neurosensing and diagnosis, and other combinations of neurological and biomedical knowledge with engineering technologies. PUBLICATIONS All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, under an ISBN reference, on paper and on CD-ROM support. SCITEPRESS is member of CrossRef ( <http://www.crossref.org/> http://www.crossref.org/) All papers presented at the conference venue will be available at the <http://www.scitepress.org/DigitalLibrary/Default.aspx> SCITEPRESS Digital Library. The proceedings will be submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (ISI), INSPEC, DBLP, EI (Elsevier Index) and Scopus. AWARDS The awards will be announced and bestowed at the conference closing session. CONGRESS AREAS Each of these topic areas is expanded below but the sub-topics list is not exhaustive. Papers may address one or more of the listed sub-topics, although authors should not feel limited by them. Unlisted but related sub-topics are also acceptable, provided they fit in one of the following main topic areas: 1. NEURAL REHABILITATION 2. NEUROSENSING AND DIAGNOSIS 3. NEUROCOMPUTING 4. NEUROMODULATION AND NEURAL PROSTHESIS AREA 1: NEURAL REHABILITATION * Brain/Neural Computer Interfaces * Virtual Reality Tools * Stimulation Systems * Robotic Assisted Therapy * Biofeedback Therapy * Assistive Technologies * Mobile Technologies * Telerehabilitation * Applications to Complex Communication Needs * Augmentative and Alternative Communication * Clinical and Social Impact of Neurotechnology * Privacy, Security and Neuroethics * Outcome Measures * Users Perception and Experience on Technologies * Case Studies AREA 2: NEUROSENSING AND DIAGNOSIS * Neural Signal Processing * Real Time Monitoringof Neuromuscular and Neural Activity * EEG and EMG Signal Processing and Applications * Brain imaging * Magnetic Resonance Imaging * Electrical and Magnetic Recordings * Positron Emission Tomography * Optical Imaging Techniques * Neuroimaging * Mobile and Embedded Devices * Monitoring Systems and Techniques * Remote Neurosensing * Diagnostic Sensors * Sleep Analysis * Intelligent Diagnosis Systems AREA 3: NEUROCOMPUTING * (Artificial) Neural Networks * Brain Models and Functions * Learning Systems and Memory * Self-organization and Evolution * Pattern Recognition * Reverse Engineering the Brain * Information Processing * Simulation Models * Neurobiology * Artificial Life * Cognitive Science and Psychology AREA 4: NEUROMODULATION AND NEURAL PROSTHESIS * Electrical Stimulation * Deep Brain Stimulation * Optogenetics * Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation * Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) * Biochips and Nanotechnology * Biotechnology * Neuro-interface Prosthetic Devices * Cochlear implants * Bionic Vision * Cybernetics KEYNOTE LECTURE Thomas Stieglitz, University of Freiburg, Germany CONGRESS CHAIR Aldo Faisal, Imperial College London, United Kingdom PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS Hermano Igo Krebs, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States Antonio Pedotti, Politecnico di Milano, Italy PROGRAM COMMITTEE <http://www.neurotechnix.org/ProgramCommittee.aspx> http://www.neurotechnix.org/ProgramCommittee.aspx NEUROTECHNIX SECRETARIAT Address: Av. D. Manuel I, 27A, 2º esq. 2910-595 Setúbal Portugal Tel.: +351 265 100 033 Fax: +44 203 014 8813 e-mail: <mailto:neurotec.secretariat@insticc.org> neurotechnix.secretariat(a)insticc.org Please check further details at the conference website ( <http://www.neurotechnix.org> http://www.neurotechnix.org) --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com

March 13, 2015

Bernstein Conference: Call for Workshops ends on Sunday!

by Seeger, Simone

The National Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience invites proposals for Satellite Workshops directly preceding the Bernstein Conference 2015 in Heidelberg ********************************************************************************** Call for Workshop proposals: Workshops: September 14, 2015 (Main Bernstein Conference: September 15-17, 2015) Deadline of proposal submission: March 15, 2015 Notification of acceptance: April 20, 2015 Conference Registration starts: April 27, 2015 Early Registration Deadline: July 21, 2015 ********************************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference started out as the annual meeting of the National Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience and has become the largest single-track Computational Neuroscience conference in Europe in recent years. Since 2013, the Bernstein Conference hosts pre-conference workshops, which have developed swiftly into a well-attended event. They supply a stage to debate topical research questions and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields, different points of view and scientific approaches in an informal setting. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged. SCHEDULE: September 14, 2015, 9:00 – 18:30. You may apply for either half-day or full-day workshops. Workshop costs: The Bernstein Conference does not provide financial support, but workshop organizers and speakers are offered free workshop registration and reduced fees for the main conference. For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website<http://www.bernstein-conference.de>. DETAILS FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: The Workshop Proposal form can be downloaded here<http://www.nncn.de/de/bernstein-conference/2015/satellite-workshops/worksho…>. Deadline for submission of Workshop Proposals: March 15, 2015 We are looking forward to meeting you in Heidelberg! THE WORKSHOP PROGRAM COMMITTEE Matthias Bethge (Bernstein Center Tübingen) Upinder Bhalla (NCBS, Bangalore) Carlos Brody (Princeton University) Gustavo Deco (University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona) Andreas Draguhn (Bernstein Center Heidelberg-Mannheim) Daniel Durstewitz (Bernstein Center Heidelberg-Mannheim) Gaute Einevoll (Norvegian University of Life Sciences, Aas) Andreas Herz (Bernstein Center Munich) Peter Kirsch (Bernstein Center Heidelberg-Mannheim) Sara Solla (Northwestern University, Evanston)

March 13, 2015

Swinburne Brain Imaging Symposium 2015: Principles and Applications of Magnetoencephalography

by David Liley

Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, is hosting a workshop to promote the unique capabilities of magnetoencephalography for basic and clinical research and clinical decision making. Running over two days from 29 to 30 July 2015 it will feature invited talks from some of the fields most important research leaders and a MEG data analysis hands-on computer workshop. Invited Speakers: Mark Woolrich (Oxford) Krish Singh (Cardiff) Vladimir Litvak (UCL) Suresh Muthukumaraswamy (Auckland) Blake Johnson (Macquarie) In addition to the keynote speakers and computer workshop there will also be an open poster session for registrants to present their work in any of the following or related thematic areas: magnetoencephalography, electroencephalography, clinical monitoring, neuroimaging, TMS, tDCS, tACS or brain-computer interfaces Poster abstract submission deadline: 15th May 2015. Notification of acceptance: 29th May 2015. Invited Symposia & Cocktail Poster Session – 29-30 July 2015: Early bird registration: full: AU$300; Student/Post-docs: AU$80. Early bird registration deadline: 26th June 2015. Standard registration: full: AU$450; Student/Early Career Researcher: AU$120. Hands-on MEG Data analysis workshop (spaces limited to 30) – 30 July afternoon: Early bird registration: full: AU$100; Student/Post-docs: AU$40. Early bird registration deadline: 26th June 2015. Standard registration: full: AU$150; Student/Early Career Researcher: AU$60. For further information on the invited speakers as well as the preliminary workshop program, and how to submit abstracts and register visit: http://www.research.swinburne.edu.au/our-research/events/neuroimaging-sympo… We’d also like to draw your attention to the meeting “IWSP7: Epilepsy Mechanisms, Models, Prediction & Control” which will be held in Melbourne Australia from August 3-6 2015. For details visit http://www.iwsp7.org<http://www.iwsp7.org/> Please forward this notice to anyone that you think might be interested. On behalf of the organizing committee David Liley, MBChB, PhD Brian Cornwell, PhD Email: megsymposium(a)swin.edu.au<mailto:megsymposium@swin.edu.au>

March 12, 2015

Brain, Minds and Machines Summer Course 2015 (Deadline = March 16th)

by Kreiman, Gabriel

Brains, Minds and Machines Summer Course 2015 http://www.mbl.edu/education/special-topics-courses/brains-minds-and-machin… When: August 13 – September 3, 2015 Where: Woods Hole, Massachusetts (MBL) Directors: Gabriel Kreiman, Tomaso Poggio (L. Mahadevan, honorary director) Application deadline: March 16, 2015 This intensive three-week course will give advanced students a “deep end” introduction to the problem of intelligence – how the brain produces intelligent behavior and how we may be able to replicate intelligence in machines. Today’s AI technologies, such as Watson and Siri and Deep Learning, are impressive, but their domain specificity and reliance on vast numbers of labeled examples are obvious limitations; few view this as brain-like or human intelligence. The synergistic combination of cognitive science, neurobiology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science holds the promise to build much more robust and sophisticated algorithms implemented in intelligent machines *and* to begin understanding how the brain produces the mind. The goal of this course is to help produce a community of leaders that is equally knowledgeable in neuroscience, cognitive science, and computer science. The first half of the course will focus on the intersection between biological and computational aspects of learning and vision. The second half will focus on high-level social cognition and artificial intelligence, as well as audition, speech and language processing. Throughout the course, students will participate in tutorials to gain hands on experience with these topics. The course will include presentations by world leaders in the field, discussions with relevant industrial companies interested in AI, hands-on tutorials, evening debates and discussions. Additionally, students will be working on cutting-edge research projects directly guided and mentored by the faculty. This course is organized by the Center for Minds, Brains and Machines: https://cbmm.mit.edu/ Course instructors will include: Tomaso Poggio Gabriel Kreiman Nancy Kanwisher Winrich Freiwald Matt Wilson Josh Tenenbaum Liz Spelke Boris Katz L Mahadevan Jim DiCarlo Aude Oliva Josh McDermott Projects will be cross-disciplinary and include access to the iCub humanoid robot and Google Glass. We will also be hosting an Evening Lecture Series, including speakers from both industry and academia, in the fields of neuroscience, computer science, and cognitive science. Speakers include: Larry Abbott Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Dorin Comaniciu, Siemens Corporate Technology Ammon Shashua, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mobileye, OrCam Eero Simoncelli, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University Gabriel Kreiman klab.tch.harvard.edu Use "9265358979" anywhere in the message body to ensure that your message navigates through anti spam filters

March 12, 2015

3 Research Assistants at the Institute of Cognitive Scinece

by Peter König

The Neurobiopsychology Research Group (Prof. Dr. Peter König) of the Institute of Cognitive Science invites applications for *3 Research Assistants *** *(Salary level E 13 TV-L, 50 %)* ** to be filled as soon as possible for a period of 3 years. *Description of Responsibilities:* The positions involve participation in the research activities within the European Community funded research project /Socialising Sensori-Motor Contingencies./ This project investigates processing multimodal information and sensorimotor integration under natural conditions and utilizes a variety of methods. They include behavioral studies, psychophysical methods, physiological measurements (EEG, MEG, TMS), methods of sensory augmentation, mathematical modelling, computer simulations and brain-computer interfaces. *Required Qualifications:* Applicants are expected to have an excellent academic degree (Master, Diploma or PhD), experience in several of the domains listed above, a good record in statistical methods including multivariate analyses and Bayesian technics, good programming skills as well as a good command of the English language. As a certified family-friendly institution, Osnabrück University is committed to furthering the compatibility between work/studies and family life. As an employer, Osnabrück University is particularly concerned with creating equality opportunities for women and men. Woman with relevant qualifications are therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the positions. Preference will be given to women with equal qualifications. Qualified applicants with disabilities will be favored. Applications with the usual documentation should be submitted by e-mail in a *_single_* PDF-file to Prof. Dr. Peter König (pkoenig(a)uni-osnabrueck.de <mailto:pkoenig@uni-osnabrueck.de>) with a cc to office(a)ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de <mailto:office@ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de>no later than *March 31, 2015*. Further information can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Peter König (pkoenig(a)uni-osnabrueck.de) -- *http://www.facebook.com/CognitiveScienceOsnabruck* Prof. Dr. Peter König Institute of Cognitive Science University Osnabrück Albrechtstr. 28 49076 Osnabrück +49 541 969 2399 http://cogsci.uni-osnabrueck.de/~NBP/

March 12, 2015

One Postdoc and one PhD position in computational neuroimaging/neuroscience

by s.ghebreab＠uva.nl

One Postdoc position available in Computational neuroimaging with deep learning and one PhD position in Visual computational neuroscience. Both positions are part of research that bridges state-of-the-art vision technology of the Intelligent Systems Lab Amsterdam (ISLA, Science Faculty), with the state-of-the-art in brain imaging offered by the Cognitive Neuroscience Group Amsterdam (CNGA, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences). Both groups are part of the University of Amsterdam and enjoy a world-class reputation, ISLA for computer vision and search engine technology (discovering concepts in images and video) and CNGA for the neural basis of visual perception.. For position and application details see: - Postdoc Position 1: http://www.uva.nl/over-de-uva/werken-bij-de-uva/vacatures/item/15-050.html - PhD Position 2: http://www.uva.nl/over-de-uva/werken-bij-de-uva/vacatures/item/15-077.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Dr. Sennay Ghebreab Head of Studies Social Sciences, Amsterdam University College Associate professor (adjunct), Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam Tel: +31-20-5258844, Email: s.ghebreab(a)uva.nl, http://www.sennay.net <http://www.sennay.net/> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

March 12, 2015

NEST User and Developer Workshop, 20-22 April 2015, Geneva

by Hans Ekkehard Plesser

Dear Colleagues! The NEST simulator is used by a growing number of neuroscientist. To strengthen the growing NEST community and foster the dialog between NEST users across a broad spectrum of modelling approaches, as well as between users and developers, we would like to invite you to the First NEST User Workshop, Monday 20 April (evening) til Wednesday 22 April (late afternoon) at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. The workshop is primarily intended for users and developers of NEST and you will benefit most if you already have practical experience with NEST. However, if you are interested in using NEST in the future, this workshop will also be useful for you. We will present the new NEST Git Repository and Code Review Platform as part of the workshop. For a limited number of participants, we offer the possibility to present your scientific work done with NEST. If you are interested in presenting, please contact the workshop organizers Hans Ekkehard Plesser (hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no) Marc-Oliver Gewaltig (marc-oliver.gewaltig(a)epfl.ch) For more information and registration, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nest-user-workshop-tickets-15974979594 Registration is free, but limited. Registration deadline: 11 April 2015 We can offer (very) limited travel support to younger participants, kindly provided by the HBP Education Program. This workshop is organized in collaboration between the NEST Initiative and the HBP Education Program. We are looking forward to seeing you in Geneva! Hans E Plesser Marc-Oliver Gewaltig http://www.nest-initiative.org http://humanbrainproject.eu — Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser, Associate Professor Acting section Head Dept. of Mathematical Sciences and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no Home http://arken.umb.no/~plesser

March 12, 2015

Students: spend the summer improving brain research software tools in Google Summer of Code

by Malin Sandström

Hi all, (apologies for cross-posting) are you a student interested in brain research and software development? Or do you know one? This year again, INCF is participating as mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code, a global program that offers students stipends to spend the summer writing code for open source projects. INCF has 27 project proposals offered by mentors from the international research community, many of them with a computational neuroscience slant. All projects deal with development and/or improvement of open source tools that are used in the neuroscience community. You can see our full list of projects here: https://incf.org/gsoc/2015/proposals To be eligible, students must fulfill the Google definition of 'student': an individual enrolled in or accepted into an accredited institution including (but not necessarily limited to) colleges, universities, masters programs, PhD programs and undergraduate programs. Student applications open on *Monday, March 16.* <https://incf.org/gsoc/2015/proposals> Please forward to anyone you think might be interested! Best regards, Malin Sandström (INCF org admin for GSoC) GSoC questions welcome to: gsoc(a)incf.org -- Malin Sandström, PhD Community Engagement Officer malin.sandstrom(a)incf.org International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility Karolinska Institutet Nobels väg 15 A SE-171 77 Stockholm Sweden http://www.incf.org

March 12, 2015

What is the precision of synaptic plasticity?

by Terry Sejnowski

http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/03/11/016329 Hippocampal Spine Head Sizes are Highly Precise Thomas M Bartol, Cailey Bromer, Justin P Kinney, Michael A Chirillo, Jennifer N Bourne, Kristen M Harris, Terrence J Sejnowski The size of an EPSP is highly correlated with the the spine head volume for excitatory synapses on pyramidal cells. Spine heads on a dendrite originating from the same axon had the same volume, regardless of whether they were large or small. This has implications for the precision of the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity. Terry -----

March 12, 2015

[meetings] Living Machines IV: Final Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors

by Nathan F Lepora

______________________________________________________________ Final Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors Living Machines IV: The 4th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems 28th to 31st July 2015 http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines To be hosted at the La Pedrera Barcelona, Spain In association with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Accepted papers will be published in Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence Submission deadline March 16th, 2015 ______________________________________________________________ ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2015 The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. Biohybrid systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The following are some examples: • Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their environments. • Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair. • Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for intelligent behaviour. • Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants. • Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and intelligent prostheses. • Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. ACTIVITIES The main conference will take the form of a three-day single-track oral and poster presentation programme, 29th to 31st July 2015, hosted at the La Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain. The conference programme will include five plenary lectures from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies. Agreed speakers are: Roger Quinn, Robots Insect Locomotion (Case Western Reserve University) Ryad Benosman, Neuromorphic. Event-based time oriented vision (Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, France) Barbara Mazzolai, Biomimetic Robots (IIT@SSSA, Italy) Robert Richardson, Exploration Robotics (Leeds University, UK) Jose Halloy, Collective intelligence in natural and artificial systems (Université Paris Diderot LIED) Also a special talk on Biomimetics in Design Nimish Biloria, Bio-inspired performative design (TU Delf University of Technology, The Netherlands) The full conference will be preceded by a day of Satellite Events hosted by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2015 We invite both full papers and short papers in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines 2015 proceedings which we expect to be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series. Full papers (minimum 8 and up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career but should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybid research; more preliminary work would be better suited to shorter paper submission (minimum 4 pages with a maximum of eight references and no more than two self-citations) Further details of submission formats will be circulated in an updated CfP and will be posted on the conference web-site. http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines/conf2015/submission Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. Satellite events Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for 1-day tutorials, symposia or workshops on related themes to be held 27-28th July at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is a lot of flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event! EXPECTED DEADLINES March 16th, 2015 Paper submission deadline May 1st, 2015 Notification of acceptance May 22nd, 2015 Camera ready copy July 28th-31st 2015 Conference SPONSORSHIP Living Machines 2015 is sponsored by the Convergent Science Network (CSN) for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN is an EU FP7 Future Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity that also organises two highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer School on Brain, Technology and Cognition (http://bcbt.upf.edu and the Capocaccia Neuromorphic Cognitive Engineering Workshop. The 2015 Living Machines conference will also be hosted and sponsored by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Call for Sponsors. Other organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products to through conference publications, the conference web-site, and conference publicity are encouraged to contact the conference organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We offer a number of attractive and good-value packages to potential sponsors. ABOUT THE VENUE Living Machines 2015 returns to the venue of our first conference at the beautiful biomimetic building La Pedrera (Casa Mila) (https://www.lapedrera.com/en/home) designed by renowned modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. Attendees at the conference will get a free ticket to visit this historic building in the centre the Barcelona. Workshops will be held at the Poblenou Campus of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, close to hotel and restaurant area of the Diagonal and Ramblas de Poblenou and a short walk from Barcelona’s famous beaches. Organising Committee: Paul Verschure, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Co-chair) Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield (Co-chair) Stuart Wilson, University of Sheffield (Program Chair) Anna Mura, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Communications, Local Organiser) Nathan Lepora, University of Bristol (Communications) Living Machines 2015 Program Committee: Andrew Adamatzky, Robert Allen, Joseph Ayers, Yoseph Bar-Cohen, Lucia Beccai, Frédéric Boyer, Federico Carpi, Hillel Chiel, Anders Christensen, Danilo De Rossi, Angel del Pobil, Stéphane Doncieux, Marco Dorigo, Armin Duff, Volker Dürr Wolfgang Eberle, Benoît Girard, Roderich Gross, José Halloy, Koh Hosoda, Ioannis Ieropoulos, Auke Ijspeert, Holger Krapp, Cecilia Laschi, Nathan Lepora, Ben Mitchinson, Keisuke Morishima, Anna Mura, Jiro Okada, Enrico Pagello, Martin Pearson, Andrew Philippides, Tony Pipe, Tony Prescott, Roger Quinn, Sylvain Saighi, Thomas Schmickl, Reiko Tanaka, Eleni Vasilaki, Stefano Vassanelli, Paul Verschure, Stuart Wilson (Chair), Hartmut Witte

March 11, 2015

Postdoctoral Position in Human Intracranial Physiology at the National Institutes of Health

by Zaghloul, Kareem (NIH/NINDS) [E]

A full-time post-doctoral position focused on understanding the neural correlates of human cognitive function is available in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH. This position involves studies focused on analyzing and manipulating human intracranial electrophysiological signals, including single-unit activity, local field potentials, and electro corticography (ECoG), captured from patients with medically refractory epilepsy and from patients receiving deep brain stimulation surgery. Post-doctoral fellows will join a laboratory aimed at understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie human memory and decision making and at developing novel and innovative techniques to directly communicate with those circuits. We are seeking candidates that are highly creative, motivated, and independent with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field. Candidates must have a strong research background, with a record of relevant publications. Candidates will be encouraged and expected to participate in independent laboratory research, and will be expected to write scholarly manuscripts. Candidates must be able to lead and work well in a team. Candidates should have strong computational, quantitative, and/or engineering skills, with proficiency in developing custom code (Matlab, Python, etc.) for data analysis preferred. Past medical research is not required, but candidates must be willing to perform experiments in a clinical setting. Candidates will interact with clinical staff, graduate students, research fellows, and must have excellent spoken and written English skills. Applicants should submit a brief statement of research activities and interests, a current CV, and names and contact information of at least three references. Salary will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments. To arrange a meeting with the PI and to send materials required for consideration for this appointment please contact Dr. Zaghloul at: zaghloulka(a)mail.nih.gov<mailto:zaghloulka@mail.nih.gov> NIH, an agency of DHHS, is an equal opportunity employer.

March 11, 2015

ECMLPKDD 2015 : Nectar Track

by ECMLPKDD 2015

The European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases (ECMLPKDD 2015) will take place on September 7 of 2015, in Porto Portugal ( <http://www.ecmlpkdd2015.org/> http://www.ecmlpkdd2015.org/) and includes a Nectar Track that offers conference attendees a compact overview of recent scientific advances at the frontier of machine learning and data mining with other disciplines, as published in related conferences and journals. We invite senior and junior researchers to submit summaries of their own work published in neighboring fields, such as (but not limited to) artificial intelligence, data analytics, bioinformatics, games, computational linguistics, computer vision, geoinformatics, health informatics, database theory, human computer interaction, information and knowledge management, robotics, pattern recognition, statistics, social network analysis, theoretical computer science, uncertainty in AI, network science, complex systems science, and computationally oriented sociology, economy, statistics and biology. Particularly welcome is work that illustrates the pervasiveness of data-driven exploration and modelling in science and technology, as well as innovative applications. Accepted NECTAR contributions will be presented as talks or posters and included in the conference proceedings. Important dates Submission deadline: May 4, 2015 Notifications of acceptance: June 1, 2015 Submission of camera ready copies: June 15, 2015 Detailed information about the Nectar Track is available on: http://www.ecmlpkdd2015.org/submission/call-nectar-track-contributions For further information please contact the ECMLPKDD 2015 Nectar Track Chairs: Ricard Gavaldà (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) Dino Pedreschi (Università di Pisa) Hope to see you all soon in Porto, Portugal!!! The publicity chairs of the ECMLPKDD 2015, Carlos Abreu Ferreira Ricardo Campos --- Este e-mail foi verificado em termos de vírus pelo software antivírus Avast. http://www.avast.com

March 10, 2015

Two postdoctoral positions in Systems/Computational Neuroscience, UPenn

by Nicole Rust

Two postdoctoral positions - one purely computational and another combined experimental and computational - are currently available in the laboratory of Nicole Rust at the University of Pennsylvania. Both positions are focused on understanding object-related processing at higher stages of the primate visual system. Of particular interest are the neural mechanisms responsible for our ability to remember the enormous numbers of objects that we have encountered before, and how the same neural populations can both encode visual memories after a single experience and support perceptually stable object representations. Our research group uses a variety of methods, including awake primate neurophysiology, population decoding, and computational modeling, to arrive at descriptions of the transformations that occur as object-related signals propagate through the brain. More information about the lab can be found here: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/psych/rust-lab. The Rust lab is part of a substantive Systems, Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience community at UPenn and is part of the newly established Penn Computational Neuroscience Initiative: http://cni.upenn.edu/. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field prior to starting. Essential qualifications include strong quantitative skills. To inquire about this position, please contact Nicole Rust nrust(a)psych.upenn.edu.

March 10, 2015