- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Postdoctoral Positions at UT Austin
by Franco Pestilli Oct. 11, 2021

Oct. 11, 2021

Dear Colleagues, I would appreciate sharing the announcement below. Postdoctoral positions are available in the Laboratory of Dr. Franco Pestilli <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/fp4834> in the Department of Psychology <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/>, Center for Perceptual Systems <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/cps/> and Center for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience <https://ctcn.utexas.edu/> at the University of Texas at Austin <https://www.utexas.edu/>. The positions are funded by NIH and NSF awards and associated with projects integrating the Brain Imaging Data Structure <https://bids.neuroimaging.io/>, brainlife.io, OpenNeuro.org with EEG, MEG and MRI data. The projects are in collaboration with: - Russ Poldrack, Stanford University <https://profiles.stanford.edu/russell-poldrack> - Ted Satterthwaite, University of Pennsylvania <https://www.med.upenn.edu/bbl/faculty-tsatterthwaithe.html> - Ariel Rokem, The University of Washington, Seattle <https://escience.washington.edu/people/ariel-rokem/> - Oscar Esteban, University of Lausanne <https://wp.unil.ch/connectomics/team/oscar-esteban/> - Cyril Pernet, Copenhagen University Hospital <https://cpernet.github.io/> - Robert Smith, Florey Institute of Neuroscience <https://florey.edu.au/science-research/scientist-directory/dr-robert-smith> - Eugene Duff, Imperial College London <https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.duff> - Aina Puce, Indiana University <https://psych.indiana.edu/directory/faculty/puce-aina.html> - Nathalie George, Sorbonne Université <https://institutducerveau-icm.org/fr/george-nathalie/> - Guiomar Niso, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid <https://guiomarniso.com/> A few words describing the projects: - *The Brain Imaging Data Structure for Connectivity.* Expanding the usability of the Brain Imaging Data Structure standard by developing the formats necessary to describe advanced data derivatives related to brain connections (diffusion imaging, tractography, tract-profiles, tractometry, functional networks, and network models). - *Integrating EEG and MEG data-processing Apps on brainlife.io <http://brainlife.io>. *Develop powerful web services to Integrate EEG and MEG data on brainlife.io so to allow standardization, reutilization and automated visualization of data. - *Deep and Shallow Machine-Learning for neuroimaging data analysis and augmentation using brainlife.io <http://brainlife.io>. *Work on projects related to the application of Machine-Learning algorithms to validate data and process open datasets from OpenNeuro.org using *software-as-service* reproducible processing pipelines on brainlife.io For more information please email: pestilli(a)utexas.edu Best regards, *FRANCO PESTILLI*, *Ph.D.* | *Associate Professor* Department of Psychology <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/index.php> | College of Liberal Arts <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/> | The University of Texas at Austin <https://www.utexas.edu/> he/him | pestilli(a)utexas.edu | web <https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/fp4834> | GitHub <https://github.com/francopestilli> | brainlife.io

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New Approaches to 3D Vision, 1st-4th Nov 2021, Royal Society online meeting
by Linton, Paul Oct. 11, 2021

Oct. 11, 2021

New Approaches to 3D Vision, 1st-4th November 2021, hosted by the Royal Society This Royal Society online meeting brings together researchers from computer vision, animal vision, and human vision to explore recent developments in 3D vision. Speakers reflect both academia and industry, with representatives from DeepMind, Facebook Reality Labs, Google, and Microsoft Research. Date/Time: 1st-4th November 2021, 3-6pm (3-6:30pm on the 4th), UK Time Please note that the USA/UK time difference is 1hr less than usual Website: https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2021/11/3d-vision/ Registration (Free): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-approaches-to-3d-vision-registration-165… DAY ONE (1st Nov) - Seeing Beyond SLAM Chair: Andrew Fitzgibbon (Microsoft) Session One: Neural Scene Representation SM Ali Eslami (DeepMind): “Neural priors, neural encoders and neural renderers” Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research): “Multi-scale predictive representations and human-like RL” Session Two: Perception-Action Loop Sergey Levine (UC Berkeley and Google): TBC Andrew Glennerster (University of Reading): “Understanding 3D vision as a policy network” DAY TWO (2nd Nov) - Animals in Action Chair: Matteo Carandini (University College London) Session One: Locating Prey and Rewards Jenny Read (Newcastle University): “Stupid stereoscopic algorithms that still work” Aman Saleem (University College London): “Visual processing in the brain during navigation” Session Two: Navigation in 3D Space Kate Jeffery (University College London): “The cognitive map of 3D space: not as metric as we thought?” Gily Ginosar (Weizmann Institute of Science): “Locally ordered representation of 3D space in the entorhinal cortex” DAY THREE (3rd Nov) - Experiencing Space Chair: Mar Gonzalez-Franco (Microsoft Research) Session One: Theories of Visual Space Dhanraj Vishwanath (University of St Andrews): “Tripartite encoding of visual 3D space” Paul Linton (City, University of London): “New approaches to visual scale and visual shape” Session Two: Challenges for Virtual Reality Sarah Creem-Regehr (University of Utah): “Perception and Action in Virtual and Augmented Reality” Douglas Lanman (Facebook Reality Labs): TBC DAY FOUR (4th Nov) - Grasping the World Chair: Jody Culham (Western University) Session One: One Visual Stream or Two? Fulvio Domini (Brown University): “A novel non-probabilistic model of 3D cue integration explains both perception and action” Irene Sperandio (University of Trento): “Dissociations between perception and action in size-distance scaling” Session Two: 3D Space and Visual Impairment Ione Fine (University of Washington): “Do you hear what I see? How do early blind individuals experience object motion?” Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo (University of Waterloo): “The role of binocular vision in the development of visuomotor control and performance of fine motor skills” Session Three: Panel Discussion Andrew Fitzgibbon (Microsoft), Matteo Carandini (University College London), Mar Gonzalez-Franco (Microsoft Research), and Jody Culham (Western University), share their thoughts on future directions for 3D vision. Organisers: Michael Morgan FRS (City, University of London), Paul Linton (City, University of London), Jenny Read (Newcastle University), Dhanraj Vishwanath (University of St Andrews), Sarah Creem-Regehr (University of Utah), Fulvio Domini (Brown University)

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Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate Position in Computational Neuroscience at Drexel University College of Medicine
by Ilya Rybak Oct. 8, 2021

Oct. 8, 2021

Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate Position in Computational Neuroscience at Drexel University College of Medicine Two Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate positions are available in the Computational Neuroscience Center (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/research…) and the lab for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/research…) at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University (https://drexel.edu/medicine/about/departments/neurobiology-anatomy/) The qualified postdoc/research associate will join a team of computational neuroscientists focusing on studying and modeling different aspects of neural control of locomotion, including the organization and operation of spinal and supraspinal/brainstem neural circuits and their interactions with animal biomechanics during locomotion and steering. The modeling studies are performed in close, interactive collaboration with several leading laboratories in the USA, Canada, and France focusing on complementary experimental studies. The projects are supported by several grants from NIH and NSF. The studies involve the development of realistic computer models of neural circuits in the mammalian spinal cord and brainstem involved in control of locomotion and steering. The models will be integrated with biomechanical models of animals (mouse, rat, cat) and used (tested) for the control of quadrupedal robots imitating animal locomotion in open space. The successful candidate will closely collaborate with other computational and experimental neuroscientists: they will use experimental data to implement and refine the model and use the model to derive predictions that will then be tested experimentally by our collaborators. Essential Functions: * Work with existing and develop new computational models of spinal locomotor circuits * Integrate the neural and biomechanical models to simulate locomotor behavior * Use numerical optimization to optimize the integrated neuromechanical models * Use the models to derive experimentally testable predictions * Closely collaborate with experimental neuroscientists * Analyze kinematic and electrophysiological data * Write and submit research manuscripts * Present novel findings at national and international conferences Required Qualification include: * PhD in computer science, computational neuroscience, biomedical engineering, or a related field * Excellent programming skills (e.g., Python, C++) * Good written and verbal skills in English Previous experience in either (a) modeling of biological neurons and neural networks (spiking and/or rate based), and/or (b) modeling of biomechanics, and/or (c) machine learning is desirable. The qualified candidate will benefit from joining a well-funded research group that works in a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment within the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. The Department provides an outstanding scientific environment for multidisciplinary training. Interactions and collaborations between labs and centers and between other departments are encouraged. Each position will be initially for one year with possible extension to 3-4 years. Salary will be commensurate with experience. To apply, please email a current CV and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Ilya Rybak (rybak(a)drexel.edu<mailto:rybak@drexel.edu>) The positions will remain posted until filled. ================================= Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA http://rybak-et-al.net

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Postdoc position in computational systems neuroscience, Voigts Lab at Janelia
by Jakob Voigts Oct. 7, 2021

Oct. 7, 2021

The Voigts Lab at HHMI Janelia Research Campus is recruiting postdocs. We'll work on how neocortex builds and uses models of the world to give animals complex cognitive abilities. The lab will specifically attempt to go beyond repeated stimulus-response associations, instead using complex, naturalistic spatial behaviors to study flexible cognition. We'll be able to throw significant technology at the problem of combining sufficient measurements with complex naturalistic behavior, but more importantly we'll have to overcome the challenge of modeling, analyzing, and ultimately learning from data when there are few or no trials to average over. We will use experimental approaches, such as designing tasks where mice make decisions based on incomplete knowledge of their environment, as well as developing new computational techniques to test circuit mechanisms in the context of unconstrained behaviours. We're part of the new Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience research area at Janelia, where there are unique resources for this type of work. We'll work closely with experimental, theoretical, methods, and machine learning researchers in and outside of Janelia to make this research program possible, collaborative, and fun. To apply, please send a cover letter, brief statement of research interests, and CV to jvoigts(a)mit.edu. Lab website: https://www.voigtslab.org/hiring Twitter ad: https://twitter.com/jvoigts/status/1443196881958363143

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Postdoc in Machine learning applied to brain activity data
by Erik Fransén Oct. 7, 2021

Oct. 7, 2021

Postdoc in Machine learning applied to brain activity data We are seeking a candidate with a PhD in one of the following areas Machine Learning, Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science or Physics. The project will entail analysis of neural data. We are currently analyzing data from Parkinson’s patients (eye-tracking, MEG) and extracting features to be used for disease diagnostics and prediction. The candidate will work in close collaboration with other postdocs and PIs in the consortium. dBRAIN is an interdisciplinary initiative to better understand neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. We combine brain imaging, machine learning, topological data analysis and computational modelling of biological neural networks at multiple scales to identify causal links among disease biomarkers and disease symptoms. This understanding should improve diagnosis, prediction of the disease progression and suggest better therapies. For more information about the position and to apply, visit the web site: https://www.kth.se/en/api/2.61673/what:job/jobID:432976/where:4/ Deadline for application: 01.Nov.2021 11:59 PM CET Prof. Erik Fransén Dept. of Computational Science and Technology School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden https://www.kth.se/profile/erikf https://scholar.google.se/citations?user=VFtGuvcAAAAJ&hl=sv

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PhD position in theoretical neuroscience in Berlin
by Tilo Schwalger Oct. 6, 2021

Oct. 6, 2021

Dear all, we are looking for a PhD candidate in theoretical neuroscience on the topic "Dynamics and variability of structured spiking neural networks". Although the focus is on the theory side, the project also includes the analysis of neuronal population data and associated problems of data assimilation. Methods will be developed within the frameworks of stochastic processes, statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics. The PhD position in my group will be part of the vibrant computational neuroscience community at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin and the Institute of Mathematics (Stochastics and Financial Mathematics) of TU Berlin. The successful candidate should have a degree in mathematics or physics, keen interest in computational neuroscience, expertise in analytical calculations, programming skills (C++ or C, Python or Julia, LaTeX), and excellent command of the English language, and good communication skills. Funding is provided for five years. Applications, including a letter of motivation, a CV, a current copy of academic transcripts, and a list of at least two potential referees should be sent by email to me: schwalger(a)math.tu-berlin.de The deadline for applications is October 15th 2021, however, later applications might also be considered. More information is available under: https://tub.stellenticket.de/en/offers/106202/?locale=en Kind regards, Tilo Schwalger -- Tilo Schwalger, PhD Assistant Professor Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin Philippstr. 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin Room: 202, phone: 0049(0)302093 6788 Technische Universität Berlin Institute of Mathematics Straße des 17. Juni 136, 10623 Berlin Room: 726, phone: +49 (0)30 314-22698 http://page.math.tu-berlin.de/~schwalge tilo.schwalger(a)bccn-berlin.de

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Postdoc in Machine Learning at KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
by Tony Lindeberg Oct. 6, 2021

Oct. 6, 2021

Postdoc in Machine Learning Job description The division of Computational Science and Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden is seeking a Postdoc in Machine Learning to handle scale-dependent image information in deep networks. In our research, we develop deep networks for processing image data that handle scaling transformations and other image transformations in a theoretically well-founded manner. Our research in this area comprises both theoretical modelling of the influence of image transformations on different architectures for deep networks and the experimental evaluation of such networks on benchmark datasets to explore their properties. The work also comprises the creation of new benchmark datasets, to enable characterization of properties of deep networks that are not covered by existing datasets. For examples of our previous work in this area, see https://www.kth.se/profile/tony/page/deep-networks Within the scope of this postdoc position, you are expected to work on and contribute to the research frontier regarding scale-covariant or scale-equivariant deep networks and/or deep networks parameterized in terms of Gaussian derivatives, on specific research topics that we choose together. The selected candidate will work closely together with the project leader Tony Lindeberg. For further information and information about to how to apply, see https://kth.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:432053/ Application deadline: November 1, 2021 [cid:FD2B374F-C472-4895-ADA7-B3CD5419FD22@csc.kth.se] Tony Lindeberg Professor of Computer Science — Computational Vision KTH Royal Institute of Technology Computational Brain Science Lab Division of Computational Science and Technology, CST SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 8 790 6205 https://www.kth.se/profile/tony/

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Open position in Modeling at the Allen Institute
by Anton Arkhipov Oct. 6, 2021

Oct. 6, 2021

Are you excited about building bio-realistic, large-scale models of brain circuits? Do you enjoy collaborative, team science environment? Do you want to contribute to understanding fundamental mechanisms of brain function? If yes, this job opening might be for you! Check out this Scientist position in the lab of Anton Arkhipov at the Allen Institute in Seattle: https://alleninstitute.hrmdirect.com/employment/job-opening.php?req=1770679 The Scientist will build bio-realistic models and simulate the entrainment of neuronal populations by periodic sensory stimulation at different frequencies. This NIH BRAIN Initiative-sponsored project will leverage our expertise in modeling and unique data on cortex composition and connectivity at the Allen Institute, as well as experimental data from our collaborators at the group of Dr. Li-Huei Tsai at MIT. Relevant resources and publications: * https://portal.brain-map.org/explore/models/mv1-all-layers * https://portal.brain-map.org/explore/connectivity * Iaccarino et al., Nature (2016); Adaikkan et al., Neuron (2019); Martorell et al., Cell (2019) The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role. Anton Arkhipov Associate Investigator T: 206.548.8414 E: antona(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:antona@alleninstitute.org> alleninstitute.org<https://alleninstitute.org> brain-map.org

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multiple positions (postdoc/phd/lab technician ) available in Tuebingen, Germany (Human psychophysics, ERP/TMS, fMRI, zebrafish )
by Li Zhaoping Oct. 5, 2021

Oct. 5, 2021

Multiple job openings (PhD, Postdoc and Lab technician positions) are available in the working group/department of Li Zhaoping in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and/or University of Tuebingen. Please follow the links below for the open positions and application procedure. We look forward to receiving your application. • Lab Mechatronics / Programming Assistant https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/132 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/132> • PhD position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/147 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/147> • Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/148 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/148> • Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with High field and/or 3T fMRI https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/149 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/149> • PhD position in Zebrafish Neuroscience https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/150 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/150> • Postdoctoral position in Zebrafish Neuroscience https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/151 <https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/en/programs/151> Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li(a)tuebingen.mpg.de <mailto:jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de>. More information can be obtained from http://www.lizhaoping.org/jobs.html

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Postdoc Position in Computational Psychiatry/Neuroscience @Columbia
by Kiyohito Iigaya Oct. 5, 2021

Oct. 5, 2021

The Laboratory for Computational Psychiatry and Translational Neuroscience at Columbia University (PI: Kyo Iigaya. https://www.iigayalab.com) is looking for a motivated postdoc to work on research in computational psychiatry, with a particular focus on understanding neural computation underlying maladaptive learning and decision-making under uncertainty. We are a new laboratory working at the interface between computational neuroscience and psychiatry. Our goal is to understand neural computation underlying learning and decision-making across species in normal and abnormal states, and to translate our findings to clinical applications in psychiatry. We use both theoretical and experimental tools, including reinforcement-learning models, (deep, recurrent) neural network models, web-based behavioral experiments, and fMRI. We work closely with basic and clinical laboratories across Columbia, including labs at the Psychiatry Department, the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, and the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. The ideal candidate has a strong background in the computational modeling of behavioral and neural dynamics, as well as in data analyses using machine learning tools. Experiences in programming online experiments (e.g., Mturk) or administrating fMRI experiments are a plus. The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience, physics, computer science, psychology, or related fields. Candidates should send a single PDF file to ki2151(a)columbia.edu with the subject 'Postdoc Application'. The PDF should contain: 1) a CV 2) a summary of previous/current research and a future plan, and 3) the names and contact details of three referees who will be willing to write reference letters. Informal inquiries about the position are encouraged. Application reviews will start on Oct. 15 and will continue until the position is filled. Best wishes, Kyo --------------------------------- Kiyohito Iigaya, Ph.D. ki2151(a)columbia.edu Assistant Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry) Columbia University Irving Medical Center

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Postdoctoral competition leading to a professorship position in engineering at the University de Sherbrooke
by Jean Rouat Oct. 4, 2021

Oct. 4, 2021

Dear all, The University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada), is currently seeking female doctoral candidates and young doctoral graduates for the Claire-Deschênes postdoctoral fellowship competition. This unique opportunity aims to promote postdoctoral training for women leading to a professorship position in engineering at the University de Sherbrooke. We encourage submissions in the emerging fields of systems-neuroscience, computational neuroscience, and neuromorphic computing. Candidates from other fields of Computer Engineering will also be considered such as software aspects for new architectures (distributed, heterogeneous, neuromorphic and quantum); artificial intelligence; standalone systems; information security; formal methods. Any other relevant field may be considered. The candidate will demonstrate the ability to teach several subjects (C and C++ programming systems, networking and programmable logic) and present their vision for teaching information technology to engineering students. Applications must be received no later than November 18, 2021. Details regarding the application procedure are available at: English: www.usherbrooke.ca/promo/genie/claire-deschenes-en/ French: www.usherbrooke.ca/promo/genie/claire-deschenes/ Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Jean Rouat, ing., Ph.D. Full Prof. ECE Dept. App. Comp. Computer Science Dept. Member Institut interdisciplinaire d’innovation technologique - 3IT, https://www.usherbrooke.ca/3it/en/ Associate Member Institut Quantique, https://www.usherbrooke.ca/iq/ Faculty of Engineering, 2500 boul. université Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R1 Member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology McGill Schulich School of Music, 527 Sherbrooke Street West Montréal, Québec, H3A 1E3 https://www.cirmmt.org Jean.Rouat(a)usherbrooke.ca https://www.gel.usherbrooke.ca/rouat https://www.gel.usherbrooke.ca/necotis https://www.usherbrooke.ca/recherche/specialistes/?getSpecialist=369656&pag… https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=LQVQJ50AAAAJ&view_op=list_w…

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Last call - Register for free - ISRC Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI Autumn School (ISRC-CN3)
by Wong-Lin, Kongfatt Oct. 4, 2021

Oct. 4, 2021

LAST CALL: Register for FREE and attend our ISRC Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI Autumn School (ISRC-CN3) at the following link: https://store.ulster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/faculty-of-computing-engineeri… Student bursaries are available - please state this when registering. This Autumn School (25-29 October) is organised by our Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) at Ulster University, Magee campus. More details can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/isrc-cn3/home Please share this with your contacts to help promote the event. If you have any further queries about this event, please contact KongFatt Wong-Lin (k.wong-lin(a)ulster.ac.uk<mailto:k.wong-lin@ulster.ac.uk>). This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

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Faculty Position in Mathematical Biology at the University of Pittsburgh
by Chengcheng Huang Oct. 3, 2021

Oct. 3, 2021

*The Department of Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh* invites applications for *a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level in the area of Mathematical Biology (including computational neuroscience)* to begin in the fall term of 2022, pending budgetary approval. We seek outstanding candidates with expertise in developing and applying mathematical methods to address biological questions, who will complement and enhance our existing strength in this area. We are dedicated to the mutual success of our faculty and students in our research and education enterprise. The University of Pittsburgh is an active center for interdisciplinary research in the life sciences, offering exciting opportunities for collaborations across departments as well as with our highly ranked medical school and nearby Carnegie Mellon University. The University is currently ranked third in the nation in total NIH funding. Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. in Mathematics or another quantitative field and should demonstrate substantial research accomplishment and dedication to teaching. Review of applications will begin on *November 15, 2021*, and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants can apply online at: *https://www.join.pitt.edu/* <https://www.join.pitt.edu/> (under Faculty Positions, Keyword search for Mathematical Biology or Mathematics). Candidates should submit (a) a cover letter, (b) a CV, (c) a statement of research accomplishments and future plans, (d) a brief description of teaching experience and interests, and (e) a brief description of how your research, teaching or service demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Applicants should also have (f) at least three letters of reference emailed to math(a)pitt.edu by November 15, 2021. Any questions about the application process can be directed to Dana Freund at daf125(a)pitt.edu. The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is committed to building and fostering a culturally diverse environment, so the ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in support of a diverse community is essential. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and diversity. EOE, including disability/vets.

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COSYNE 2022: Call for workshop proposals
by Tomas Hromadka Oct. 2, 2021

Oct. 2, 2021

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2022 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 17 - 20 March 2022 Lisbon, Portugal WORKSHOPS 21 - 22 March 2022 Cascais, Portugal www.cosyne.org ==================================================== ---------------------------------------------------- MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. All abstract submissions will be reviewed double blind. The deadline for Abstract submission will be 20 November 2021. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural basis of behavior, sensory and motor systems, circuitry, learning, neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, neuromodulation, and computation with spiking networks. We would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission opens: 15 October 2021 Workshop pre-proposal deadline: 15 October 2021 Travel grant submission opens: 01 November 2021 Workshop proposal deadline: 12 November 2021 Abstract submission deadline: 20 November 2021 When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Anne-Marie Oswald (U Pittsburgh) and Srdjan Ostojic (Ecole Normale Superieure Paris) Program Chairs: Laura Busse (LMU Munich) and Tim Vogels (IST Austria) Workshop Chairs: Anna Schapiro (U Penn) and Blake Richards (McGill) Tutorial Chair: Kanaka Rajan (Mount Sinai) DEIA Committee: Bianca Jones Martin (Columbia), Gabrielle Gutierrez (Columbia), and Stefano Recanatesi (U Washington) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Angela Langdon (Princeton) and Bob Wilson (U Arizona) Fundraising Chair: Michael Long (NYU) Social Media Chair: Grace Lindsay (Columbia) Poster Design: Maja Bialon PROGRAM COMMITTEE Laura Busse (U Munich) Tim Vogels (IST Austria) Athena Akrami (UCL) Omri Barak (Technion) Brice Bathellier (Paris) Bing Brunton (U Washington) Yoram Burak (Hebrew University) SueYeon Chung (Columbia) Christine Constantinople (NYU) Victor de Lafuente (UNAM Mexico) Jan Drugowitsch (Harvard) Alexander Ecker (Göttingen) Tatiana Engel (Cold Spring Harbor) Annegret Falkner (Princeton) Kevin Franks (Duke) Jens Kremkow (Berlin) Andrew Leifer (Princeton) Sukbin Lim (Shanghai) Scott Linderman (Stanford) Emilie Mace (MPI Neurobiology) Mackenzie Mathis (EPFL Lausanne) Ida Momennejad (Microsoft) Jill O'Reilly (Oxford) Il Memming Park (Stony Brook) Adrien Peyrache (McGill Montréal) Yiota Porazi (FORCE) Nathalie Rochefort (Edinburgh) Christina Savin (NYU) Daniela Vallentin (MPI Ornithology) Brad Wyble (Penn State) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org ----------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ----------------------------------------------------- A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting. The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. - There will be 6-10 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 20 and 100 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (9.30am-12.30pm) and afternoon (3.30pm-6.30pm) sessions. - Workshops will be held at the Hotel Cascais Miragem. - Workshop speakers do *not* receive free registration, travel expenses, or accommodation for either the main meeting or the workshop sessions. Organizers should let invited speakers know that they are expected to pay for workshop registration fees Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers, submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can, but need not, be speakers. One complimentary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with two organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. Any required multimedia resources beyond a projector, screen, and microphones will be the responsibility of the workshop organizers to coordinate with Cosyne and Hotel staff. EVALUATION CRITERIA As stated above, the goal of Cosyne workshops is to provide an interactive, informal forum for discussions. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. Workshop proposals will be evaluated by the Cosyne Workshop Chairs, and a subset of the proposals will be selected. The proposals will be evaluated according to the following six metrics (which will be weighted equally): 1. Relevance to the Cosyne community 2. Integration of experimental and theoretical issues 3. Current interest in the topic in the scientific community 4. Potential for new research directions and interactions to emerge 5. Distinctive scope/approach compared to other workshops (including previous years’) 6. Diversity and equity in the proposed speakers PRE-PROPOSALS - Deadline 15 October 2021 In an effort to coordinate submissions, workshop organizers are *strongly encouraged* to submit a pre-proposal by *15 October 2021* Submission instructions for workshop (pre)-proposals are available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops. Pre-proposals may be shared among submitters to reduce topical overlap or facilitate merging of workshops. Pre-proposals are not mandatory, but workshops with a pre-proposal will have priority. In order to foster discussion within Workshops and reduce overlap between workshops, organizers should inform invited speakers that a speaker can take part in no more than two Workshops. The pre-proposals should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). A primary contact should be designated. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with confirmed speakers. - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs two days, please explain why. - A brief resume of the workshop organizer(s) along with a short list of workshop-relevant publications (about half a page total). Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend keeping the number of talks small (i.e., fewer than 10 talks per day). FULL PROPOSALS - Deadline 12 November 2021 The full proposals should include the list of confirmed speakers in addition to all of the components required for a pre-proposal. WORKSHOP COSTS Detailed registration costs, etc, will be available at www.cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does *not* provide travel funding for workshop speakers. Organizers should let invited speakers know that they are expected to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complimentary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with two organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE 2022 WORKSHOP CHAIRS Anna Schapiro (U Penn) and Blake Richards (McGill) COSYNE WORKSHOPS CONTACT workshops [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

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Announcing the 3rd Brain-Computer Interface Un-Conference (3rd BCI-UC)
by Philipp Raggam Oct. 1, 2021

Oct. 1, 2021

Dear Colleagues, We cordially invite you to the *3rd Brain-Computer Interface Un-Conference* (BCI-UC) on*January 27th, 2022, from 03:00 pm to 09:00 pm (CET)* [1]! The BCI-UC is an online un-conference that provides rapid dissemination of novel research results in the BCI community. Participants can *submit abstracts* to apply for *20 minutes presentation* slots. Abstracts are not reviewed by a program committee. Rather, all registered participants can vote on which of the submitted abstracts they would like to see presented at the un-conference. Because the BCI-UC does not publish conference proceedings, submitted abstracts can report novel as well as already published work. *Registration and attendance are free of charge*. Presentations of the 1st and 2nd BCI-UC can be re-watched at [2] and [3]. The 3rd BCI-UC will feature *keynotes* by *Cynthia Chestek* (University of Michigan) [4] and *Thorsten Zander* (TU Brandenburg) [5]. *Registration and abstract submission open on November 1st, 2021* [1]. Abstract submissions are text-only. The length and format of the submissions are up to the authors - use whatever format you consider best for attracting up-votes!*Submission closes on December 3rd, 2021 at 11:59 pm*. *Voting on submitted abstracts begins on December 6th, 2021, and closes on December 12th, 2021 at 11:59 pm*. We will invite the authors of the top-voted abstracts to present at the un-conference. *All presentations will be streamed via Crowdcast* [6] and can be accessed free of charge. Join us in supporting this novel community-driven dissemination of research results! The BCI-UC committee: Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Anja Meunier Philipp Raggam Jiachen Xu Links: [1] https://bciunconference.univie.ac.at/3rd-bci-uc/ [2] https://bciunconference.univie.ac.at/past-events/1st-bci-uc/ [3] https://bciunconference.univie.ac.at/past-events/2nd-bci-uc/ [4] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=36sxAZEAAAAJ&hl=de [5] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=0E49HxYAAAAJ [6] https://www.crowdcast.io/ -- DI Philipp Raggam, BSc Research Group Neuroinformatics Faculty of Computer Science University of Vienna Hörlgasse 6, A-1090 Wien, Austria

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New Job Posting | Scientific Software Engineer (Max Planck)
by Tanya Brown Sept. 30, 2021

Sept. 30, 2021

The *Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics* in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, investigates the attentional, cognitive, and affective mechanisms of aesthetic perception and evaluation. The *Department of Neuroscience *invites applications for a *Scientific Software Engineer (m/f/x)* As part of an external funded project in collaboration with Dan Marcus, Wash. U; Sean Hill, CAMH; and members of the Cogitate Consortium, we are searching for a Scientific Data Engineer to contribute to the development of generic, cross-domain metadata management framework to foster the reuse of open datasets as well as reproducibility of cognitive neuroscience datasets i.e., metadata describing the experimental context of studies employing fMRI, MEEG, and ECoG. The successful candidate will also heavily contribute to the development of data infrastructure including storage, streaming and analysis tools for reproducible science based on the BIDS standard. Efforts will be devoted to develop tools for an efficient organization and exploration of raw and processed datasets. The position is ideal for networking in the open science community as it includes interaction with the open (neuro)science community; and is a unique opportunity for someone keen to contribute to the development of open-science and large-scale collaborations and aiming to contribute to community efforts and dissemination. *Your tasks in interdisciplinary research projects focus on:* · Review of existing approaches and tools, Requirement specification, Conceptual design, blueprint of implementation, Proof-of-concept application to Cognitive Neuroscience · Presentation and publication of the results · Exchange and networking within national (NFDI, MPDL) and international (RDA, EOSC) initiatives · Developing, testing and implementing scientific software i.e., standardized neuroscience data acquisition, reproducible analysis pipelines and data storage for open science building on the BIDS standard · Providing training and support for students and postdocs at varied levels of competence in modern, high quality, open science/source coding practices · Providing support and training for data management · Being the lab’s interface with the Institute’s core IT team *Your Profile:* · Completed university degree in natural sciences, engineering or a similar field (e.g., Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, Informatics, Neuroscience) · Solid programming skills preferably in Python and/or C++ · Experience with Python libraries (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and pandas) is beneficial · Experience with software development (e.g., version control with Git) and data organization (e.g., data bases with SQL and MySQL) is preferable · Knowledge of relevant metadata standards and semantic techniques are beneficial (including W3C, schema.org, RDF, JSON-LD, etc) · Interest in interdisciplinary projects and cognitive and systems neuroscience · Familiarity or experience with scientific research methods · High degree of self-organization and independent work · Team spirit, reliability, and sense of responsibility · Complete spoken and written fluency in English; knowledge of German is a plus · Preference will be given to candidates with prior experience in any of these domains: BIDS standards, Open science tools, neuroimaging techniques and data analysis (especially fMRI and MEG/EEG) and/or XNAT We offer an exciting interdisciplinary field of engagement in an international scientific environment. The Institute is located in an attractive location with excellent infrastructure in Frankfurt’s Westend neighbourhood. You can expect a modern equipped workplace with flexible working hours (some remote working is possible) and the Opportunity to participate in (international) conferences and project meetings. Further development of your personal strengths, e.g. through direct interactions with the group of Dan Marcus and Sean Hill, as well as researchers forming part of the Cogitate Consortium (e.g., Christof Koch, Gabriel Kreiman, Ole Jensen, Sylvain Baillet among many others) is possible. The position *will begin earliest on December 1, 2021* and is initially limited to two years, with the possibility of an extension pending funding approval. Salary is paid in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD Bund), according to your qualifications and experience. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. We are also committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in our workforce. Therefore, applicants of all backgrounds are welcome. Your application should include: your detailed CV (including details of your educational background and skills); a cover letter that explains why this position interests you and how your skills and abilities are suitable; copies of relevant degrees and/or certificates. Please send these materials all together in a single PDF file, *before November 1, 2021*, by e-mail to job(a)ae.mpg.de using the code *“TWCF Engineer”* in the subject. Please feel free to contact job(a)ae.mpg.de or Tanya Brown < tanya.brown(a)ae.mpg.de <tanya.brown(a)ae.mpg.de?subject=TWCF%20Engineer>> if you have any questions about the position.

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PhD position in Numerical and Computational Analysis for Mathematical Neuroscience
by Avitabile, D. Sept. 27, 2021

Sept. 27, 2021

Below you can find the details of a PhD position at Radboud University (The Netherlands) on Numerical and Computational Analysis for Mathematical Neuroscience, under the supervision of Prof. Gabriel Lord. The deadline for applications is the 29th of October 2021. https://www.ru.nl/english/working-at/vacature/details-vacature/?recid=11705… Daniele Avitabile Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam www.danieleavitabile.com

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Online Workshop: 30/09 - 01/10/2021 "Towards multipurpose neural network models II: Model testing and model fitting"
by Zélie Tournoud Sept. 27, 2021

Sept. 27, 2021

Dear colleagues, The European Institute for Theroretical Neurosience (EITN) is happy to invite you all to its next online workshop taking place online this week from Wednesday to Friday. It is open to everyone upon registration. You will find all the information at the end of this email. Kind regards, Zélie, for the EITN team *_____* **** * * *Workshop on "Towards multipurpose neural network models II: Model testing and model fitting"* /Organized by Anton Arkhipov (Allen Institute, Seattle), Gaute Einevoll (NMBU/University of Oslo)/ *_Dates:_*Wednesday 29 September – Friday October 1st *_Time:_*5PM – 9.15PM (CET) <https://www.eitn.org/images/events/TMNNM-II-MTaMF_Flyer.pdf> Online workshop. Free to attend, but registration is mandatory. *REGISTER HERE.* <https://cnrs.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_saMXfg31Roe4tqHbWtTdFg> *https://cnrs.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_saMXfg31Roe4tqHbWtTdFg* *_Abstract:_* Starting with the work of Hodgkin, Huxley, Cole, Rall, Katz, Eccles and others in the 1950s and 1960s, we have a reasonably good understanding of the biophysical principles by which single neurons operate. For neural circuits the understanding is much more limited. Most network studies have considered stylized models with a few populations of identical neurons and focused on explaining a particular experimental phenomenon. However, real neural networks consist of a variety of neuron types and have structured synaptic connections. Furthermore, real networks typically perform multiple functions and can be characterized by a variety of readouts from various measurement modalities, including spiking activity, local field potentials, and others. How can we move towards multipurpose models that incorporate the true biological complexity of neural circuits and faithfully reproduce multiple observables in many different situations? The first workshop on the topic was arranged in August 2020 (see https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/events-training/allen-i… <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Falleninst…> for program and videos of talks). In this second (also virtual) workshop in the series we will focus on two key aspects of the overall endeavor: model testing and model fitting. Multipurpose network models mimicking real neural circuits will contain numerous model parameters that must be optimized. Efficient methods for fitting of model parameters to experimental data are thus needed. Further, the candidate models must be systematically tested against a variety of experimental data, requiring development of commonly accepted benchmarks and test suites. In the workshop these methodological challenges will be addressed from a variety of angles. *_Confirmed speakers:_*__ Anton Arkhipov (Allen Institute) Marcus Covert (Stanford) Sharon Crook (Arizona State U.) James DiCarlo (MIT) Gaute Einevoll (NMBU/U. Oslo) Julijana Gjorgjeva (Max Planck Institute and TUM) Peder Jedlicka (U. Giessen) Szabolcs Kali (Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary) Arvind Kumar (KTH Stockholm) Jacob Macke (U. Tübingen) Stefan Mihalas (Allen Institute) Aaron Milstein (Rutgers U.) Kanaka Rajan (Mount Sinai) Atle Rimehaug (U. Oslo) Frances Skinner (Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, and U. Toronto) Carsen Stringer (Janelia) Kristin Tøndel (NMBU) * * *Wednesday, September 29, 2021* *Time (PDT)* *Time (CEST)* *Speaker* *Affiliation* *Title* 8:00 am – 8:15 am 5:00 pm – 5:15 pm Gaute Einevoll NMBU/U. Oslo Introduction 8:15 am – 8:55 am 5:15 pm – 5:55 pm Jacob Macke U. Tübingen *Keynote* Simulation-based inference: Bridging the gap between mechanistic models and machine learning. 8:55 am – 9:25 am 5:55 pm – 6:25 pm Aaron Milstein Rutgers U. Nested parallel simulation and multi-objective optimization of neuronal cell and circuit models 9:25 am – 9:40 am 6:25 pm – 6:40 pm Break 9:40 am – 10:10 am 6:40 pm – 7:10 pm Atle Rimehaug U. Oslo Enhancing model constraints by utilizing current source densities 10:10 am – 10:40 am 7:10 pm – 7:40 pm Kristin Tøndel NMBU Facilitating optimization using metamodelling 10:40 am – 10:50 am 7:40 pm – 7:50 pm Break 10:50 am – 11:20 am 7:50 pm – 8:20 pm Frances Skinner Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, and University of Toronto Clarity in model development and goals leads to model linkages and biological insights 11:20 am – 12:10 pm 8:20 pm – 9:10 pm _Panel debate – All participants of the day._ *Thursday, September 30, 2021* *Time (PDT)* *Time (CEST)* *Speaker* *Affiliation* *Title* 8:00 am – 8:15 am 5:00 pm – 5:15 pm Anton Arkhipov Allen Institute Introduction 8:15 am – 8:55 am 5:15 pm – 5:55 pm James DiCarlo MIT *Keynote* Reverse Engineering Visual Intelligence 8:55 am – 9:25 am 5:55 pm – 6:25 pm Sharon Crook Arizona State U. Testing the Data-driven Model 9:25 am – 9:40 am 6:25 pm – 6:40 pm Break 9:40 am – 10:10 am 6:40 pm – 7:10 pm Szabolcs Kali Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary Systematic construction and evaluation of models of rodent hippocampal neurons 10:10 am – 10:40 am 7:10 pm – 7:40 pm Peter Jedlicka U. Giessen Building consistent and robust models of hippocampal granule cells and CA1 pyramidal cells 10:40 am – 10:50 am 7:40 pm – 7:50 pm Break 10:50 am – 11:20 am 7:50 pm – 8:20 pm Stefan Mihalas Allen Institute Computing with a mess: How nonstationary, heterogeneous and noisy components help the brain’s computational power 11:20 am – 12:10 pm 8:20 pm – 9:10 pm _Panel debate – All participants of the day._ *Friday, October 1, 2021* *Time (PDT)* *Time (CEST)* *Speaker* *Affiliation* *Title* 8:00 am – 8:40 am 5:00 pm – 5:40 pm Markus Covert Stanford *Special lecture* Simultaneous cross-evaluation of heterogeneous E. coli datasets via mechanistic simulation 8:40 am – 9:20 am 5:40 pm – 6:20 pm Kanaka Rajan Mount Sinai *Keynote* Data-constrained neural network models of adaptive learning in the brain 9:20 am – 9:40 am 6:20 pm – 6:40 pm Break 9:40 am – 10:10 am 6:40 pm – 7:10 pm Julijana Gjorgjeva Max Planck Institute and TUM Biologically plausible learning in developing networks 10:10 am – 10:40 am 7:10 pm – 7:40 pm Carsen Stringer Janelia Rastermap: Extracting structure from high-dimensional neural data 10:40 am – 10:50 am 7:40 pm – 7:50 pm Break 10:50 am – 11:20 am 7:50 pm – 8:20 pm Arvind Kumar KTH Stockholm Structure and activity dynamics relationship in biological neuronal networks: Measurements and models 11:20 am – 12:10 pm 8:20 pm – 9:10 pm _Panel debate – All participants of the day._

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Brain Mechanisms: Linking Cognitive Phenomena to Neuron Activity
by Andrew Coward Sept. 23, 2021

Sept. 23, 2021

Dear colleagues, I would like to bring to your attention a book that has just been published. The book, Brain Mechanisms: Linking Cognitive Phenomena to Neuron Activity, describes how to understand higher cognition in terms of anatomical, physiological and chemical processes in the brain using techniques based on how we understand the operation of complex electronic systems. A brain has absolutely no resemblance to an electronic system. Nevertheless, how we go about understanding complex electronic systems has some important lessons for how to go about understanding the brain. Brains have huge numbers of neurons, and understanding obviously cannot be based on simultaneously imagining the ongoing activity of all these neurons. Some way must be found to organize all this information in a way humans can handle. A complex computing system can have hundreds of billions of components like transistors. Engineers could not design such systems by simultaneously imagining the activity of all the components that could be involved. Rather, the design information is organized in such a way that all design tasks are within the mental bandwidth of a human designer. The techniques to achieve this involve hierarchies of description, carefully managed use of approximation, and the ubiquitous use of just two types of information process: instructions and data read/writes. Natural selection pressures have resulted in brain architectures to which analogous techniques for organizing information can be applied. The pressures have resulted in the ubiquitous presence of two types of information processes in the brain, condition definition/detections and behavioural recommendation definition/integrations. These information processes are completely different from those in computing systems, but they allow creation of analogous hierarchies of description. Such hierarchies of description make it possible to achieve an intuitively satisfying understanding of human memory, consciousness and self-awareness in terms of the activity of the billions of neurons. A blog touches on some of these ideas. The book is available at Amazon.comDownload a sample chapterVideo of recent lecture at Florida State University Andrew CowardAustralian National UniversityCanberrahttps://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/coward-a

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PhD's and Postdoc positions at UVa
by Mario Negrello Sept. 22, 2021

Sept. 22, 2021

Posting on behalf of Jorge Mejias: Dear all, I hope things are going well for all of you. I’m writing you because I’m looking for candidates with a strong quantitative background for a PhD position and a postdoc position at my lab, both for working on computational models of large-scale brain networks. If you know of anybody in your surroundings who might be interested, would you mind sharing this information with them? I think it’s especially important for the postdoctoral position, as the deadline is approaching (Sept 30) and we still don’t have a lot of candidates. The PhD position is focused on studying multisensory integration under noisy or uncertain conditions. The researcher will design and study computational models of large-scale brain networks of the mouse for this purpose, constraining the models with anatomical data and comparing the predictions with electrophysiological recordings from local colleagues at the Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience group at the UvA. The models will later inform other colleagues, also involved in the project, to build neuro-inspired algorithms for sensor fusion in self-driving vehicles and drones. More information and application procedure (with deadline October 15) can be found here: https://www.uva.nl/en/content/vacancies/2021/09/21-734-phd-position-in-comp… <https://www.uva.nl/en/content/vacancies/2021/09/21-734-phd-position-in-comp…> The postdoc position aims to uncover the mechanisms behind compulsive behavior. The researcher will build computational models of large-scale brain networks of mouse and human, using anatomical and electrophysiological data to constrain and test the models. This is a collaboration with Ingo Willuhn at the NIN, who will provide mouse electrophysiological and human clinical data to test the models for healthy and OCD subjects. The final goal is to use the model to investigate translational biomarkers for compulsive disorders. More information and application procedure (deadline September 30) can be found in this link: https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/vacancies/2021/09/21699-postdoctor… <https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/vacancies/2021/09/21699-postdoctor…> Thanks a lot for the help with spreading this around! Best, Jorge

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Call for Teaching Assistants for the Cape Town Imbizo, August 11th to September 4th 2022. Apply by October 11
by Tim Vogels Sept. 22, 2021

Sept. 22, 2021

Dear Colleagues, We are looking for teaching assistants for the IBRO-Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo (#isiCNI), a computational neuroscience summer school held in Cape Town, South Africa. We are looking for post-doctoral or advanced PhD researchers to join our team as Teaching Assistants (TAs) for the #isiCNI2022 in August 2022. Please send your application to to isicn.imbizo(a)gmail.com <mailto:isicn.imbizo@gmail.com>. Include 1) CV and a 2) cover letter with a short motivational statement for why you would be a good fit, and what your favourite topics would be for teaching tutorials and supervising student projects. Additionally, 3) please provide the email address of one reference. We will start assessing applications on 11 October 2021. About the Imbizo: The school hosts 31 students for an amazing 25 days of lectures, tutorials, projects and parties. All this takes place on Noordhoek beach, between the mountain and the ocean. It's a spectacular location. The dates for the isiCNI2022 are August 11th to September 4th 2022. The Imbizo is a special experience, with students being totally immersed in academic, social, touristic and cultural activities, and has resulted in student and TA groups from previous schools becoming very close, personally and scientifically. This is fantastic, as a major goal of the isiCNI project is to help young African researchers grow their academic peer and friend group. About being a TA: Each TA runs one afternoon tutorial in the first week of the school, which they design themselves. Each TA will teach a different topic, which the TA's choose among themselves, to provide students with a broad exposure to problems and methods in computational neuroscience. Each TA is also assigned 5 students to supervise for project work during the last 2 weeks of the school. TAs will be asked to help processing student applications. TAs are integral in helping run the school. In addition to academic support, they foster good social interactions and academic discussions among students, and they help 'shy' students meet faculty. They also act as 'social glue’, helping to notice and support students who may be feeling ill, not fitting in socially, or generally having difficulties. To fulfil these roles, TAs need to be at all school meals and activities. What we provide: We cover a direct as possible, economy class ticket to Cape Town, as well as all board and lodging during the school. In addition, TAs will receive a cash budget for 'hosting purposes' during the school (e.g. for buying some beverages/ice-creams for students, train tickets, etc.). We also provide you with life-long memories of one of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm interested, how do I apply: If you think you would like to join us for this amazing experience, please send us a brief CV (2 or 3 pages is fine) to isicn.imbizo(a)gmail.com <mailto:isicn.imbizo@gmail.com>. Please include (as a cover letter or in your email) a short motivational statement for why you would be a good fit, and what your favourite topics would be for teaching tutorials and supervising student projects. We will start assessing applications on 11 October 2021. A call for student application will follow soon. We hope to hear from you soon! Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks and regards Demba Ba, Peter E. Latham, Joseph Raimondo, Emma Vaughan, and Tim Vogels IBRO-Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo Committee 2022 #isicni2022 Twitter: @isicni

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"Brains Through Time" reading club
by Paul Cisek Sept. 20, 2021

Sept. 20, 2021

Dear all, I would like to bring to your attention the Brains Through Time Reading Club I am co-organizing with people from the Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante. As the name implies, the idea is to review the book Brains Through Time<https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/978019512568…>, by Georg Striedter<https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=3006> and Glenn Northcutt<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Northcutt>. It is a masterful synthesis of much what is known about brain evolution, and I believe it offers great insights to anyone interested in a broad understanding of how the brain produces behavior. We will dedicate a ~90 minute session to each of the 7 chapters. The first session will be on the 6th of October (6pm CEST / 12 EST) and will include the participation of Georg Striedter<https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=3006> (one of the authors), Luis Puelles<https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nIoLKVAAAAAJ&hl=en> and Paul Cisek<https://cisek.org/pavel/>. If you are interested, please visit our web site<https://sites.google.com/view/bbtreadingclub/home> for more information and to register! Paul Cisek, PhD Département de neurosciences Université de Montréal Physical: 2960 chemin de la tour, local 4117 Montréal, QC H3T 1J4 CANADA Mailing: CP 6128 Succursale centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7 CANADA e-mail: paul.cisek(a)gmail.com<mailto:paul.cisek@gmail.com> Web: www.cisek.org/pavel<http://www.cisek.org/pavel>

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[CFP] MDPI Molecules (IF: 4.411, ISSN: 1420-3049) - Special Issue "Practical Aspects of Molecular Communications"
by Murat Kuşcu Sept. 20, 2021

Sept. 20, 2021

MDPI Molecules (IF: 4.411, ISSN: 1420-3049) Special Issue on Practical Aspects of Molecular Communications https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/molecular_communicati… --------------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS The Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is an emerging technology that aims to extend our connectivity to nanoscale and biological environments with collaborative nanonetworks of artificial nanomachines and biological entities integrated into the Internet infrastructure. To enable the IoBNT and its groundbreaking applications, such as continuous intrabody health monitoring, it is imperative to devise low-complexity nanoscale communication techniques suitable for the envisioned nanomachines of simple architectures. The most promising communication technology for realizing the IoBNT is Molecular Communications (MC), as it ubiquitously manifests itself in many complex biological systems in the Universe, and thus, stands as one of the most common communication modalities, optimized from many aspects as a result of billions of years of evolutionary advancement. Making use of this naturally existing technology requires understanding its foundations through our existing modeling and analysis tools. This quest, which started almost 15 years ago, has received increasing attention from ICT researchers, which have been overly inspired by conventional electromagnetic communication technologies in their approach to this radically different paradigm. These theoretical approaches, however, have not always come with sufficient physical relevance. Currently, this emerging field has come to a critical turning point, as many researchers have started to report on initial MC experiments following different approaches and using different materials, while consistently pointing out a discrepancy between the obtained experimental results and the past theoretical work. This reveals the need to rethink the previous efforts and come up with new interdisciplinary strategies, thus building practical MC techniques and developing feasible MC system components, experimental testbeds, and prototypes in order to close the gap between theory and practice, and expedite the transfer of this emerging technology to the market. Among the challenges stated above, this Special Issue is particularly focused on the practical aspects of MC. Therefore, we are calling for technical papers that report on new research with the potential to move this field forward towards its practical applications, as well as surveys/tutorials focusing on the practical challenges of MC research. Hence, its scope encompasses a wide range of interdisciplinary research topics, with some examples listed as follows: ** The physical design, modeling, and implementation of MC system components (e.g., transmitter, receiver, channel); ** The design and implementation of MC testbeds; ** Practical and low-complexity MC methods (e.g., modulation, detection, channel estimation, synchronization, coding methods); ** The testing and validation of MC transceiver/channel models and MC methods; ** Applications of microfluidics, biosensors, and nanomaterials for MC system design; ** Bio-cyber interfaces between MC networks and conventional macroscale networks; ** Synthetic biology-based MC transceiver architectures; ** Optimization of ligand-receptor interactions for MC; ** Biocompatibility and co-existence challenges; ** Energy harvesting and power transfer techniques for MC networks; ** The design and demonstration of MC applications (e.g., those in healthcare, agriculture, biocomputing). --------------------------- Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2021 --------------------------- Guest Editors Murat Kuscu, Koc University, Turkey (mkuscu(a)ku.edu.tr) Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, TSSG/Walton Institute, Waterford Institute of Technology (sasi.bala(a)waltoninstitute.ie) Kerstin Lenk, Graz University of Technology, Austria (kerstin.lenk(a)tugraz.at ) Ergin Dinc, University of Cambridge, UK (ed502(a)cam.ac.uk) Michael Barros, University of Essex, UK (m.barros(a)essex.ac.uk) Bige D. Unluturk, Michigan State University, USA (unluturk(a)msu.edu) --------------------------- Paper submission Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website. Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI. Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions. --------------------------- Additional information: Please visit the MDPI Molecules Special Issue webpage at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/molecular_communicati… Inquiries can be addressed to Ms. Emity Wang at: emity.wang(a)mdpi.com, molecules(a)mdpi.com

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New "Developing Minds" global online lecture series; September 30: Pierre-Yves Oudeyer
by Jochen Triesch Sept. 19, 2021

Sept. 19, 2021

What: New bi-monthly "Developing Minds" global online lecture series; inaugural lecture by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, INRIA, Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, France on "Developmental AI: machines that learn like children and help children learn better" When: Thursday, September 30, 13:00 UTC Where: online via zoom; please register at: https://sites.google.com/view/developing-minds-series Background: In 1950, Alan Turing asked "Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child's?" Today, over 70 years later, constructing a computer program that can learn like a child and that develops a human-like general intelligence is still considered a grand, if not the ultimate, challenge for artificial intelligence (AI). An interdisciplinary community of scientists from AI, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Engineering, and Neuroscience are tackling this grand challenge. In the Developing Minds global lecture series we showcase the progress being made. It is organized by the IEEE Technical Committee on Cognitive and Developmental Systems of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. The inaugural lecture by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer is entitled: "Developmental AI: machines that learn like children and help children learn better" Abstract: Current approaches to AI and machine learning are still fundamentally limited in comparison with the amazing learning capabilities of children. What is remarkable is not that some children become world champions in certains games or specialties: it is rather their autonomy, open-endedness, flexibility and efficiency at learning many everyday skills under strongly limited resources of time, computation and energy. And they do not need the intervention of an engineer for each new task (e.g. they do not need someone to provide a new task specific reward function or representation). I will present a research program, which I call Developmental AI, that studies models of open-ended development and learning. These models are used as tools to help us understand better how children learn, as well as to build machines that learn like children with applications in educational technologies, automated discovery, robotics and human-computer interaction. I will ground this research program into several fundamental ideas proposed by developmental psychologists: 1) the child is autotelic, setting its own goals and spontaneously exploring the world like a curious little scientist (e.g. Piaget, Berlyne); 2) intelligence develops in a social context, where language and culture are internalized to become cognitive tools (e.g. Vygostky and Bruner); 3) intelligence is embodied and develops through self-organization of the dynamical system formed by the brain-body-environment interactions (e.g. Thelen and Smith). I will show how, together with many colleagues and students, we have worked on operationalizing these ideas in computer and robotic models, and explain how this has enabled to advance child development understanding, open new possibilities for AI systems (including for recent language-guided intrinsically motivated Deep RL systems and for training more classical Deep RL systems to foster generalization), and led to applications now used by thousands of children in the world to help them learn (educational technologies). Speaker Bio: Dr. Pierre-Yves Oudeyer has been Research Director at Inria, France, and head of the Flowers lab (Inria, Univ. Bordeaux, Ensta ParisTech). Before, he has been a permanent researcher in Sony Computer Science Laboratory for 8 years (1999-2007). He studies models of open-ended development and learning, at the frontiers of AI and cognitive sciences. These models are used as tools to help us understand better how children learn, as well as to build machines that learn like children within the field of developmental artificial intelligence. He has been developing models of intrinsically motivated learning, pioneering curiosity-driven learning algorithms working in real world robots, and developed theoretical frameworks to understand better human curiosity and autonomous learning. He also studied mechanisms enabling machines and humans to discover, invent, learn and evolve language. He is also working on applications in educational technologies, automated discovery, video games, robotics and human-computer interaction. He received several prizes for his work in developmental AI and on the origins of language. In particular, he is laureate of the Inria-National Academy of Science young researcher prize in computer sciences, and of an ERC Starting Grant EXPLORERS. Finally, he is also working actively for the diffusion of science towards the general public, through the writing of popular science articles and participation to radio and TV programs as well as science exhibitions. Web: http://www.pyoudeyer.com and http://flowers.inria.fr Upcoming speakers: Linda B. Smith, Indiana University Joshua B. Tenenbaum, MIT Please visit https://sites.google.com/view/developing-minds-series/home for up-to-date information. -- Prof. Dr. Jochen Triesch Johanna Quandt Research Professor Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies http://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/~triesch/ Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47531 Fax: +49 (0)69 798-47611

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CFP - Annual Conference of Cognitive Science (ACCS8) - Jan 20--22, 2022, India
by Shyam Diwakar Sept. 18, 2021

Sept. 18, 2021

Dear All, As the local organizer, it is our pleasure to invite you to participate at ACCS8. Here's more details. ACCS8: Call for contributions 8th Annual Conference of Cognitive Science (ACCS8) Amrita University, India – 20 – 22 January 2022 https://www.amrita.edu/accs8 The 8th edition of ACCS, to be hosted by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Kollam, India will be held virtually. List of our invited speakers, TPC and other info will soon be made available at https://www.amrita.edu/event/accs8 CONFERENCE TOPICS Like in our previous years, the ACCS8 conference is open to all topics with Cognitive Science as a discipline, and in various areas of study, including Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Skilling, Medicine, Anthropology, Psychology, Philosophy, and Education. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We welcome submissions from all areas of cognitive science and from anyone worldwide. For the 2022 online event, we are accepting only abstracts containing the salient details of your study. Please copy and paste the title and abstract into the submission form. Contribution size limit for the abstract is 1000 words. We are not accepting any paper-length submissions this year, so do include all relevant details in the abstract itself. A small number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentations/talks. Submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=accs8 For CFP: https://easychair.org/cfp/accs8 IMPORTANT DATES Abstract registration deadline November 25, 2021 Submission deadline November 25, 2021 BEST PAPER AWARDS We are planning some best poster and oral presentations. Please stay tuned. CONTACT All questions about submissions should be emailed to accs8conference(a)gmail.com<mailto:accs8conference@gmail.com> Previous ACCS events - https://www.amrita.edu/event/accs8/about With best regards, Shyam Diwakar -- Prof. Shyam Diwakar, Ph.D. Director - Amrita Mind Brain Center Faculty Fellow - Amrita Center for International Programs Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) Amritapuri, Clappana P.O. Kollam, India. Pin: 690525 Ph:+91-476-2803116 Fax:+91-476-2899722 http://amrita.edu/mindbrain [https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1_nOxaCXob6wVcuQyYI5KVk1PhMgi…] [https://intranet.cb.amrita.edu/sig/RankingLogo.png] Disclaimer : The information transmitted in this email, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. Any views expressed in any message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.

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