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Comp Neuro PhD position, Moreno Bote Lab, Barcelona
by Ruben Moreno Bote March 8, 2022

March 8, 2022

*PhD Position in* *Computational Neuroscience, Ruben Moreno-Bote Lab * *Center for Brain and Cognition, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain* 1 fully funded PhD position is available in the group of Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience of Ruben Moreno-Bote in the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. We are looking for excellent candidates with Physics, Mathematics or Machine Learning background interested in developing theory for the brain and mind. Knowledge of Computational Neuroscience or Neuroscience would be ideal, but it is not necessary. The candidate will develop state of the art theory and models of cognition and intelligence by using neural networks, reinforcement learning, machine learning, data analysis and multielectrode neural data. The main research topic of our lab is decision-making, from a multidisciplinary angle. The candidate will benefit from the stimulating environment of Barcelona area in Theoretical and Systems Neuroscience and will have the opportunity of enjoying a lively city. Our lab (https://www.upf.edu/web/tcn) forms part of a larger network of neuroscience labs in Barcelona. Financial support is provided by HHMI and the Spanish MINECO. APPLICATION: A full CV in pdf format and an extract of grades for degree and master studies should be sent to the following address: ruben.moreno(a)upf.edu DEADLINE: until the position is filled STARTING DATE: any time between September 2022 and January 2023 -- Rubén Moreno Bote Serra Húnter Professor Director of the Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Group Center for Brain and Cognition & Dept. of Information and Communications Technologies University Pompeu Fabra Campus Ciutadella c\ Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27 Mercè Rodoreda building, 3th floor (room 24.331) 08005 Barcelona, Spain https://www.upf.edu/web/tcn https://twitter.com/morenobote <https://twitter.com/morenobote?lang=ca>

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[CFP, Deadline Extended] MDPI Molecules (IF: 4.412) - Special Issue "Practical Aspects of Molecular Communications"
by Murat Kuşcu March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

(Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this CFP) 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: *31** July 2022* --------------------------- Guest Editors Murat Kuscu, Koc University, Turkey (mkuscu(a)ku.edu.tr) Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA ( sasi(a)unl.edu) 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 2300 CHF (Swiss Francs). --------------------------- 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 Mr. Gavin Fu at: gavin.fu(a)mdpi.com <gavin.fu(a)mdpi.com>, molecules(a)mdpi.com

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Postdoctoral Fellowship in Machine Learning for Brain Connectivity in Clinical Neuroscience
by Paolo Avesani March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

A postdoctoral fellowship in Machine Learning for Brain Connectivity in Clinical Neuroscience We are pleased to announce the opening of one Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Neuroinformatics Lab, an interdisciplinary initiative between the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) of the University of Trento, and the Center for Digital Health of Fondazione Bruno Kessler. The position is part of the “Neusurplan” project, an integrated approach to neurosurgery planning based on multimodal and longitudinal data. The goal is to pursue an integrated approach to pre-operative neurosurgical planning, combining structural and functional characterization of brain connectivity. The data driven strategy will take advantage of a unique dataset of intra-operative points of directed electrical stimulation and the related functional responses. In this project, the candidate will pursue research on machine learning methods for neuroimaging data analysis to study and characterize brain connectivity, with applications to longitudinal studies and clinical practice. The ideal candidate should have a mixed background in neuroimaging techniques and numerate disciplines, like computer science, engineering, physics, or mathematics. This project is in collaboration with the Division of Neurosurgery, S. Chiara Hospital, Trento (IT). The position is for a 2 year Postdoc Fellowship (May, 2022 - April, 2024). To apply, follow the instructions at this link: https://bit.ly/nilab2022call Deadline for application: 21 March 2022. For questions about the position, please contact Paolo Avesani ( paolo.avesani(a)unitn.it) and/or Emanuele Olivetti (olivetti(a)fbk.eu) The University of Trento ranks among top Italian Universities ( https://www.unitn.it/en/ateneo/1636/rankings) Fondazione Bruno Kessler ranks first among the Italian research centers in Engineering and Computer Science ( https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/fbk-ranks-1st-in-italy-for-scientific-excel… ). To also consider a work/life balance, there is more than our passion for translational research. You can check these pointers for a flavor of life quality in Trentino: https://www.visittrentino.info/en; https://www.discovertrento.it/en A few papers related to the project are below: Bertò G,et al., (2021) Classifyber, a robust streamline-based linear classifier for white matter bundle segmentation, Neuroimage, 224 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117402 Sarubbo S, et al., (2020) Mapping critical cortical hubs and white matter pathways by direct electrical stimulation: an original functional atlas of the human brain, Neuroimage, 205 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116237 Astolfi P, et al., (2020) Tractogram filtering of anatomically non-plausible fibers with geometric deep learning, International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) LNCS, vol 12267. Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59728-3_29 Sarubbo S, et al., (2021) Planning brain tumor resection using a probabilistic atlas of cortical and subcortical structures critical for functional processing: a proof of concept, Operative Neurosurgery, 20(3), 175-183 https://doi.org/10.1093/ons/opaa396 -- ------------------------------------------------------- Paolo Avesani Fondazione Bruno Kessler via Sommarive 18, 38050 Povo (TN) - I phone: +39 0461 314336 fax: +39 0461 302040 email: avesani(a)fbk.eu web: avesani.fbk.eu -- -- Le informazioni contenute nella presente comunicazione sono di natura privata e come tali sono da considerarsi riservate ed indirizzate esclusivamente ai destinatari indicati e per le finalità strettamente legate al relativo contenuto. Se avete ricevuto questo messaggio per errore, vi preghiamo di eliminarlo e di inviare una comunicazione all’indirizzo e-mail del mittente. -- The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material.

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EMBO Practical Course - Barcelona summer school for Advanced Modelling of Behavior (BAMB!) -, September 1-8, 2022
by Alexandre Hyafil March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

The Barcelona summer school for Advanced Modelling of Behavior (BAMB! <http://www.bambschool.org>) teaches advanced techniques in model-based analysis of behavior (humans and other species) to cognitive and computational neuroscientists at PhD and early career levels. This will be achieved through structured lectures, talks, hands-on tutorials and group projects aimed at making knowledge obtained directly applicable to the participants' own research. We want the trainees to acquire both the conceptual bases and the technical skills that will enable them to pursue a full modelling approach on their own when they come back to their lab. The course is intended for PhD students and postdocs in cognitive and computational neuroscience with a solid background in computational/quantitative analysis to benefit maximally from the advanced training offered by the course. Proficiency in either Python or Matlab is also required. We seek a nice blend of experimentalists (cognitive psychology / neuroscience) and theoreticians (with or without experience in cognitive modeling). Scientists from underrepresented groups and countries are especially encouraged to apply. The school is an EMBO Practical Course <https://www.embo.org/conferences-training/> and is organized by the Centre de Recerca Matemática <http://www.crm.cat>. A limited number of travel grants <https://www.embo.org/funding/lecture-travel-and-childcare-grants/travel-gra…> will be available from EMBO. Organizers: Chris Summerfield (Oxford / Deepmind) Klaus Wimmer (CRM, Barcelona) Alex Hyafil (CRM, Barcelona) Confirmed Faculty: Jean Daunizeau (ICM, Paris) Alex Hyafil (CRM, Barcelona) Máté Lengyel (Cambridge) Zhaoping Li (Tübingen) Alfonso Renart (Champalimaud) Marion Rouault (ENS Paris) Kim Stachenfeld (Deepmind) Chris Summerfield (Oxford / Deepmind) MH Tessler (Deepmind) Klaus Wimmer (CRM, Barcelona) Dates and location: September 1-8, downtown Barcelona, Spain Applications are open until April 13. Please see the course website for further details: www.bambschool.org.

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INCF/OCNS Software working group survey on software usage
by Ankur Sinha March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

Dear all, We, the INCF/OCNS Software working group, are conducting a short anonymous survey to collect information on the usage of common software tools in comp-neuro. Could we please request you to spend 2 minutes of your time to fill it out here: https://forms.gle/NXWv2CwtWBSB9BXv9 The information gathered in the survey will be used to organise sessions/workshops related to the software, and improve awareness about them and their maintenance. On behalf of the Software WG, -- Thanks, Regards, Ankur Sinha (He / Him / His) Research Fellow at the Silver Lab | http://silverlab.org/ Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, & Pharmacology University College London, London, UK Time zone: Europe/London

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Survey on the technical landscape and barriers present in EEG research informatics
by Christian O'Reilly March 6, 2022

March 6, 2022

Dear colleagues, We'd appreciate your time completing this brief survey, for a new initiative, EEGNet <https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=31323334-501d2dca-31327df5-4544555345…> , which aims to leverage open-source infrastructure for sharing and annotating open standardized EEG datasets with automated processing workflows. We are keen to have your views on the technical landscape and barriers present in EEG research informatics. Click here to take this survey <https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=31323334-501d2dca-31327df5-4544555345…> (https://tinyurl.com/4rruuz42) which should take around 10 minutes -- and thank you for sharing it with colleagues in your field. If you're interested in sharing tools and data through EEGNet and providing more input on the platform, please let us know via the embedded links you'll find in the survey. EEGNet is a constituent organization of the Global Brain Consortium (GBC <https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=31323334-501d2dca-31327df5-4544555345…>), an international neuroscience collaboration focused on EEG-mediated applications in global health. Thank you for your valuable input - We are hoping to have all responses back as soon as possible. Christian O'Reilly ------------------ Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina (UofSC) Department of Computer Science and Engineering Artificial Intelligence Institute (#AIISC) Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Center (#USCAND) Institute for Mind and Brain

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Postdoc position
by Cian O'Donnell March 4, 2022

March 4, 2022

Postdoc position in Computational Neuroscience Intelligent Systems Research Centre, Ulster University, Derry/Londonderry, UK We are looking for a computational/mathematical neuroscience research associate to build stochastic models of gene expression in neurons to try to understand how or if synapses can store information stably. Post has funding for up to 3 years. You will be based in the group of Cian O'Donnell at Ulster University in Derry, Northern Ireland, UK (https://odonnellgroup.github.io) but closely collaborating with and visiting the mathematical neuroscience group of Romain Veltz at INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis, France (http://romainveltz.pythonanywhere.com) In addition to mathematical/computational modelling, as part of the project you will have the opportunity to analyse in vivo and in vitro imaging data from experimental collaborators Noam Ziv, Technion, Israel (https://noamziv.net.technion.ac.il) and Haining Zhong, OHSU, USA (https://www.hainingzhonglab.com) You will also be a member of the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (http://isrc.ulster.ac.uk) which hosts a community of researchers working across computational and cognitive neuroscience, neurotechnology, neuromorphic engineering, machine learning, robotics and related fields. You should have: - PhD in computational neuroscience/biology, applied mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, or related field. - Expertise in one or more programming languages for scientific computing such as Python, Julia, MATLAB, or similar. - Experience of computational/mathematical modelling of biological or related systems. Derry is lively city of ~100K people situated on the River Foyle, in the north-west of the island of Ireland. It has a highly affordable cost of living, thriving cultural scene, and access to spectacular coastal scenery and the great outdoors in Donegal and the north coast of Northern Ireland. Application deadline is 13th March 2022. Follow this link (https://www.ulster.ac.uk/about/jobs) and search for job ref 010982. Please contact Cian (c.odonnell2(a)ulster.ac.uk<mailto:c.odonnell2@ulster.ac.uk>) for informal enquiries. -- Cian O’Donnell Lecturer in Data Analytics School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems Ulster University https://odonnellgroup.github.io

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Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience at NYU
by Cristina Savin Feb. 28, 2022

Feb. 28, 2022

Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience at NYU We are seeking a creative and driven computational neuroscience postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project between the labs of Dora Angelaki (https://angelakilabnyu.org/ <https://angelakilabnyu.org/>) and Cristina Savin (http://www.cns.nyu.edu/~csavin <http://www.cns.nyu.edu/~csavin>) at New York University. The project studies neural representations underlying foraging behavior in monkeys, comparing both freely-moving and head-restrained behaviors, funded by the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The position is initially for one year, with the possibility of renewal. The successful candidate will have: a strong quantitative background demonstrable interest in neuroscience obtained (or be close to the completion of) a PhD in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning, statistics, etc ability to work in a strongly collaborative and interdisciplinary setting Preference will be given to candidates with: expertise in probabilistic machine learning strong programming skills, ideally in python previous experience with neural data analysis To send your application please provide your cv, a brief statement of research interests, and the contact details for reference letters to <csavin(a)nyu.edu <mailto:csavin@nyu.edu>>. For informal queries, please contact Cristina Savin (csavin(a)nyu.edu <mailto:csavin@nyu.edu>) or Dora Angelaki(da93(a)nyu.edu <mailto:da93@nyu.edu>). We will be available for in person discussions at the upcoming Cosyne meeting.

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Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience (W1) with tenure track option (to W2) at the Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück.
by Peter König Feb. 28, 2022

Feb. 28, 2022

Great opportunity in Computational Neuroscience: Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience (W1) with tenure track option (to W2) at the Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück. (apologies for multiple postings) Full details at: https://www.uni-osnabrueck.de/universitaet/stellenangebote/stellenangebote-… --- This tenure-track Professorship is funded by the German Federal Government and the Länder under its Program for the Promotion of Young Academics (Tenure-Track Program). Upon meeting the general administrative requirements, you will be employed as a civil servant on limited tenure for an initial period of three years. If you receive a positive evaluation after the initial three years, this period can be extended by up to three further years. If you meet Osnabrück University’s standards with respect to ability, competence and academic achievement, you will be offered a tenured W2 Professorship in accordance with the relevant legal provisions without further application. Tasks and Responsibilities: Research and teaching should be in the area of computational neuroscience. The professorship and research should be focused on understanding principles of neuronal information processing and cognitive processes. The professorship complements and cooperates with the existing research groups of the Institute of Cognitive Science at Osnabrück University. Further, the holder of the position should actively contribute to existing and future collaborative research projects (e.g. RTG Situated Cognition, RTG Computational Cognition) and should participate in the respective continuation research proposal of the Research Training Group Computational Cognition. In addition, the professorship should engage in teaching in all degree programs of Cognitive Science (BSc, MSc, PhD). Teaching is in English. Conditions of Employment: Condition of employment is: - Research experience in the field of neuronal information processing with the focus of understanding principles of neuronal information processing or cognitive processes. - Research focus on at least one of the two following topics: - Methods of Experimental cognitive neuroscience like EEG, MEG, fMRI, TMS, cell recordings, eyetracking, or virtual reality - Models of information processing in neurons, networks of neurons like for example deep neuronal networks and machine learning. - A coherent research profile, must be motivated by or explain experimental data and there must be a realistic perspective to implement all parts of the own research, including the experimental components or data collection, at the university of Osnabrück. - An excellent command of the English language. - Willingness to participate in university administrative processes and commission work. For non-German speaking applicants, willingness is expected to learn the German language with a sufficient proficiency within two years. In addition, it would be welcome: - Teaching experience in the field of the professorship - Experience with acquiring third party research funding. Legal Conditions of Employment: You will hold a first degree, have a strong commitment to teaching, and have demonstrated your ability to engage independently in advanced academic research, as a rule by obtaining an outstanding PhD (in accordance with Section 30 subsection 2 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act [NHG]) in a relevant subject. The time between the applicant’s final PhD examination or the completion of other equivalent qualifications which qualify the applicant for the position in accordance with Section 30 para. 2 sentence 1 No. 3 Lower Saxony Higher Education Act and the applicant’s application for the assistant professorship should be no longer than four years. This period of time does not include periods caring for a child or several children under 18 years of age or periods caring for a dependent relative and increases by up to two years per child or period of care to a maximum four years in multiple cases of care (Section 30 para. 5 Lower Saxony Higher Education Act). The position is available on a full-time or part-time basis. Osnabrück University is a family-friendly university and is committed to helping working/studying parents balance their family and working lives. Osnabrück University is actively seeking to increase the number of female Professors in its employ. Applications from women are therefore particularly welcome. If two candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to the candidate with disability status. For further information, please contact Prof. Dr Gordon Pipa, Tel. +49 541-969-2277, E-Mail: gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de. Please submit your application (including a resume with full details of your scholarly and scientific employment history, list of publications and courses taught as well as planned research) in electronic form (as one pdf file) together with the “Bewerbungsprofil” [“Applicant Profile”] (DOCX, 13,58 kB) to the Dean of the School of Human Sciences, Prof. Dr. Susanne Boshammer, Universität Osnabrück, 49069 Osnabrück (bewerbungfb08(a)uni-osnabrueck.de) to arrive by March 27, 2022. Please enter the code word "CNtt" in the subject of your e-mail. We look forward to receiving your application. -- Prof. Dr. Peter König, Institute of Cognitive Science, University Osnabrück

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Assistant Prof (W1) TT @ Uni Osnabrück, Germany
by Ulrich G. Hofmann Feb. 25, 2022

Feb. 25, 2022

This open position may be of interest to Comp Neuro scientists: https://www.uni-osnabrueck.de/universitaet/stellenangebote/stellenangebote-… ulrich hofmann

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Announcing Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course 2022
by Erik De Schutter Feb. 25, 2022

Feb. 25, 2022

OKINAWA/OIST COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE COURSE 2022 Methods, Neurons, Networks and Behaviors June 13 to June 29, 2022 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan https://groups.oist.jp/ocnc After two consecutive cancelations due to COVID-19, OCNC 2022 will take place on June 13-29, preceding Neuro2022 (https://neuro2022.jnss.org) in Okinawa. Depending on the immigration situation in June the course will be either pure on-site or hybrid: a mixture of on-site and remote. The aim of the Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course is to provide opportunities for young researchers with theoretical backgrounds to learn the latest advances in neuroscience, and for those with experimental backgrounds to have hands-on experience in computational modeling. We invite graduate students and postgraduate researchers to participate in the course, held from June June 13 through June 29, 2022 at an oceanfront seminar house of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. Applications are through the course web page (https://groups.oist.jp/ocnc) only: January 26 - February 28, 2022. Applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance in April. The 17th OCNC will be a shorter course than in the past: a two-week course covering single neurons, networks, and behaviors with time for student projects. Teaching will focus on methods with hands-on tutorials during the afternoons, and lectures by international experts. The course has a strong hands-on component based on student proposed modeling or data analysis projects, which are further refined with the help of a dedicated tutor. Applicants are required to propose their project at the time of application. However in the case of a hybrid format course, only on-site students will receive support for student projects. There is no tuition fee. The sponsor will provide lodging and meals during the course and may provide partial travel support. We hope that this course will be a good opportunity for theoretical and experimental neuroscientists to meet each other and to explore the attractive nature and culture of Okinawa, the southernmost island prefecture of Japan. Invited faculty: • Michael Berry II (Princeton University, USA) • Anne Churchland, Cold Spring Harbor Labs, USA • Erik De Schutter (OIST) • Kenji Doya (OIST) • Gaute Einevoll, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (online) • Tomoki Fukai (OIST) • Boris Gutkin (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) • Yukiyasu Kamitani, Kyoto University, Japan • Bernd Kuhn (OIST) • Sang Wan Lee, KAIST, South Korea • Devika Narain, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands • Viola Priesemann, MPG Göttingen, Germany (online) • Ivan Soltesz, Stanford University, USA • Greg Stuart, Australian National University, Australia • Greg Stephens (OIST) • Saori Tanaka, (ATR, Japan) • Marylka Yoe Uusisaari (OIST)

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14ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python in Bilbao Spain, 5–11 September, 2022
by Jakob Jordan Feb. 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022

ASPP2022: 14ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python ======================================================== a Summer School by the ASPP faculty and the Faculty of Engineering of the Mondragon University, Bilbao https://aspp.school Scientists spend more and more time writing, maintaining, and debugging software. While techniques for doing this efficiently have evolved, only few scientists have been trained to use them. As a result, instead of doing their research, they spend far too much time writing deficient code and reinventing the wheel. In this course we will present a selection of advanced programming techniques and best practices which are standard in the industry, but especially tailored to the needs of a programming scientist. Lectures are devised to be interactive and to give the students enough time to acquire direct hands-on experience with the materials. Students will work in pairs throughout the school and will team up to practice the newly learned skills in a real programming project — an entertaining computer game. We use the Python programming language for the entire course. Python works as a simple programming language for beginners, but more importantly, it also works great in scientific simulations and data analysis. We show how clean language design, ease of extensibility, and the great wealth of open source libraries for scientific computing and data visualization are driving Python to become a standard tool for the programming scientist. This school is targeted at Master or PhD students and Post-docs from all areas of science. Competence in Python or in another language such as Java, C/C++, MATLAB, or R is absolutely required. Basic knowledge of Python and of a version control system such as git, subversion, mercurial, or bazaar is assumed. Participants without any prior experience with Python and/or git should work through the proposed introductory material before the course. We are striving hard to get a pool of students which is international and gender-balanced. Date & Location =============== 5–11 September, 2022. Bilbao, Spain. Application =========== You can apply online: https://aspp.school Application deadline: 23:59 UTC, Sunday 1 May, 2022. There will be no deadline extension, so be sure to apply on time. Be sure to read the FAQ before applying: https://aspp.school/wiki/faq Participation is for free, i.e. no fee is charged! Participants however should take care of travel, living, and accommodation expenses by themselves. We are in the process of securing some funds for supporting students with accommodation and living costs. Program ======= • Version control with git and how to contribute to open source projects with GitHub • Best practices in data visualization • Testing and debugging scientific code • Advanced NumPy • Organizing, documenting, and distributing scientific code • Advanced scientific Python: context managers and generators • Writing parallel applications in Python • Profiling and speeding up scientific code with Cython and numba • Programming in teams Faculty ======= • Jakob Jordan, Department of Physiology, University of Bern Switzerland • Jenni Rinker, Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde Denmark • Lisa Schwetlick, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Universität Potsdam Germany • Nicolas Rougier, Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Bordeaux France • Pamela Hathway, GfK, Nuremberg Germany • Pietro Berkes, NAGRA Kudelski, Lausanne Switzerland • Rike-Benjamin Schuppner, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany • Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek, Red Hat Inc., Warsaw Poland Organizers ========== Head of the organization for ASPP and responsible for the scientific program: • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany Organization team in Bilbao: • Aitor Morales-Gregorio, Theoretical Neuroanatomy, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany • Carlos Cernuda, Data Analysis & Cybersecurity, Faculty of Engineering, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Bilbao Spain Website: https://aspp.school Contact: info(a)aspp.school

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Call for proposals for workshops and tutorials at CNS*2022 Melbourne
by Thomas Nowotny Feb. 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022

OCNS Organisation for Computational Neurosciences Dear com-neuro community, We are requesting proposals for workshops and tutorials at CNS*2022 from the international community of computational neuroscientists. The 31st Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting, CNS*2022, will be held at Melbourne, Australia, 16-20 July 2022. Proposals from all levels of faculty as well as advanced postdoctoral fellows are welcome. Tutorials are to be held on the first day and workshops on the last two days of the CNS*2022 Meeting. This is an excellent opportunity to reach international audience of computational neuroscience researchers participating in this meeting. Please see the links below for detailed information. Questions regarding workshops and tutorials should be addressed to workshops(a)cnsorg.org<mailto:workshops@cnsorg.org> or tutorials(a)cnsorg.org<mailto:tutorials@cnsorg.org> as appropriate. We are looking forward to your submissions. CALL FOR WORKSHOPS: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2022-call-for-workshops Priority Deadline for proposals: April 15 Jorge Mejias, Workshops Chair for CNS*2022 CALL FOR TUTORIALS: https://ocns.memberclicks.net/cns-2022-call-for-tutorials Deadline for proposals: April 15 Anca Doloc-Mihu, Tutorials Chair for CNS*2022 With kind regards, Thomas Nowotny, Vice President, on behalf of The OCNS Board of Directors -- Prof Thomas Nowotny Head of AI Research Group School of Engineering and Informatics University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK Phone: +44-1273-678593 FAX: +44-1273-877873

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Fully funded PhD position, University of Groningen/NL
by Michael Biehl Feb. 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022

*Last reminder, j**ust a few days left to apply! * A *fully funded PhD position* (4 years) in the *Statistical **Physics of Neural Networks* is available at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, see https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/work-with-us/job-opportunities/?details=00347-0… for details and application details. Applications *(before March 1)* are only possible through this webpage. The title of the project is "The role of the activation function for feedforward learning systems (RAFFLES)". For further information please contact Michael Biehl. -- ---------------------------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Michael Biehl Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence P.O. Box 407, 9700 AK Groningen The Netherlands Tel. +31 50 363 3997 https://www.cs.rug.nl/~biehl m.biehl(a)rug.nl

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NEUROTECH: Call for tutorials on Neuromorphic Computing
by Elisa Donati Feb. 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022

Dear Colleagues, Given the success of last year’s NEUROTECH educational program, we have planned a new tutorial series for 2022! We are happy to announce a call for tutorials on the different aspects of the neuromorphic field. These tutorials will cover an aspect of active research in Neuromorphic Technology, with the aim of enabling a non-expert audience to get started on it. They will be held online via zoom, should be about 45 minutes in length, including a discussion session. Tutorials could be given by experienced researchers as well as emerging leaders who seek to disseminate their research methods to a wider audience. Presenters will benefit from the high visibility of the tutorial sessions within the NEUROTECH programme, and from the wider dissemination of their research methods and potential impact generated by other researchers. Proposals should not exceed 1 page (A4 or letter) in length. The proposal should outline the topic and indicate how the audience will benefit from it. Send your proposal by 07.03.2022 to educational(a)neurotechai.eu with the subject "Proposal for NEUROTECH Educational Tutorial". For more information: Call for Tutorials About NEUROTECH: The NEUROTECH project is committed to community building around Neuromorphic Technology. The educational programme is an essential pillar of our activities. Last year we have built a strong educational programme around a series of talks by leaders in the field (https://neurotechai.eu) Kind Regards, The NEUROTECH Educational Team

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Survey of the Allen Institute modeling software
by Anton Arkhipov Feb. 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022

Dear Colleagues, We are conducting a survey about the Allen Institute’s neuroscience modeling software: https://forms.gle/R1ThdxBE98FhG1uQ6 The survey covers the Brain Modeling ToolKit, the SONATA file format, and the Visual Neuronal Dynamics visualization tool. It only takes several minutes, and we will appreciate to hear from you! Whether you are using our software, may be interested in using it, or are happily using something else, we will be glad to hear your opinion about our tools and modeling software in neuroscience in general. Please let us know what works, what doesn’t, and what new features would be helpful. Results of the survey will be used to improve our modeling software at the service of the community. This work is conducted under the NIH grant U24NS124001. Thank you, and we are looking forward to hearing from you! Anton. Anton Arkhipov Associate Investigator T: 206.548.8414 E: antona(a)alleninstitute.org<mailto:antona@alleninstitute.org> [Text Description automatically generated] alleninstitute.org<https://alleninstitute.org> brain-map.org

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[Meetings] CRNS Talk Series (3) - Live Talk by Dr. Séverin Lemaignan - PAL Robotics, Spain
by Amir Aly Feb. 22, 2022

Feb. 22, 2022

Dear All * Apologies for cross-posting* The *Center for Robotics and Neural Systems* (CRNS) is pleased to announce the talk of *Dr. Séverin Lemaignan* who is a senior scientist at *PAL Robotics*, Spain on Wednesday, March 2nd from *11:00 am* to *12:30* *pm* (*London time*) over *Zoom*. >> *Events*: The CRNS talk series will cover a wide range of topics including social and cognitive robotics, computational neuroscience, computational linguistics, cognitive vision, machine learning, AI, and applications to autism. More details are available here: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/robotics-neural-systems/whats-on <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.plymo…> >> *Link for the next event (No Registration is Required)*: Join Zoom Meeting https://plymouth.zoom.us/j/97451532624?pwd=ZmVSUzkrT3lUNWdXNmFEekNYSjRQUT09… >> *Title of the talk*: Teaching robots autonomy in social situations *Abstract*: Participatory methodologies are now well established in social robotics to generate blueprints of what robots should do to assist humans. The actual implementation of these blueprints, however, remains a technical challenge for us, roboticists, and the end-users are not usually involved at that stage. In two recent studies, we have however shown that, under the right conditions, robots can directly learn their behaviours from domain experts, replacing the traditional heuristic-based or plan-based robot controllers by autonomously learnt social policies. We have derived from these studies a novel 'end-to-end' participatory methodology called LEADOR, that I will introduce during the seminar. I will also discuss recent progress on human perception and modeling in a ROS environment with the emerging ROS4HRI standard. >> If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, Regards ---------------- *Dr. Amir Aly* Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Center for Robotics and Neural Systems (CRNS) School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics Room B332, Portland Square, Drake Circus, PL4 8AA University of Plymouth, UK

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9th Iberian Conference on Perception, Barcelona, June 2022
by Xavier Otazu Porter Feb. 22, 2022

Feb. 22, 2022

Dear colleague, perception researcher, We are pleased to invite you to attend the 9th Iberian Conference on Perception (CIP 2022), which will be held on June 27th-29th, 2022, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (https://www.cip2022.org<https://www.cip2022.org/>). CIP focuses on perception, with an emphasis on, but no limitation to, several aspects of perception such as motion perception, spatial vision, stereopsis, colour, perception and action, attention and cognition, audition, multisensory integration, reading and speech, brain imaging, art and aesthetics, perception in clinical populations and computational modelling. In addition to talks on this broad range of topics, the conference will include five symposia, poster sessions, and two keynote lectures from young internationally renowned scientists, Dr Iris Groen, from the University of Amsterdam, and Prof Manuel Spitschan, from the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen.. The event will take place at the Casa Convalescència<https://uab-casaconvalescencia.org/es/> in the modernist historical complex of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau <https://www.santpaubarcelona.org/> in Barcelona, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to break with the biennial organisation of CIP and to cancel the 2021 edition. For this year's edition, the health and safety of our speakers, attendees and staff will be a top priority. We designed the conference around this premise. The venue and program will allow social distancing while on site and regular ventilation of the conference room. All attendees will be asked to continue to wear face masks (unless medically exempt) during the conference and throughout all the premises of the Casa Convalescència. These policies will continue to be reviewed in line with government and local authority updates. We look forward to an exciting scientific programme and rely on the renewed eagerness of the research community to submit abstracts on their recent studies. Abstracts deadline: 15th April Registration: From February 15th to 1st June The Organising Committee Dr Xavier Otazu Dr Xim Cerda-Company Dr C. Alejandro Parraga Dr Olivier Penacchio Computer Vision Center<http://www.cvc.uab.cat> CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING<http://www.cvc.uab.es/?page_id=7475>

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Postdoctoral position in natural language processing and neuroscience, University of Geneva, Switzerland
by Timothée Proix Feb. 21, 2022

Feb. 21, 2022

Dear all, a postdoctoral position is available under the supervision of Prof. Pierre Mégevand (https://www.unige.ch/medecine/neucli/en/groupes-de-recherche/1034megevand/) and Timothée Proix (https://ndlab.ch/) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. The project lies at the interface between natural language processing and intracranial EEG data analysis. The goal of the project is to understand the neural representations of speech production and perception in conversations. The candidate will contribute to acquisition and analysis of intracranial EEG data and speech recordings. Applicants should have prior experience with machine learning methods for natural language processing, as well as in advanced data analysis techniques. Experience in electrophysiological recordings and knowledge in neuroscience is a significant advantage. The research will be performed at the campus Biotech in the university of Geneva, in collaboration with the Geneva University Hospital. The positions are funded by the private foundation of the Geneva University Hospital, and salaries are in compliance with guidelines of the University of Geneva. The ideal start is May 2022, with some flexibility. To apply, send a motivation letter, CV, and contact information for 2-3 references, as well as any other relevant documents to the Prof. Pierre Mégevand (pierre.megevand (at) unige.ch) as well as Timothée Proix (timothee.proix (at) unige.ch). Screening of applications will start by March 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. Timothée Proix

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NSF Neuronex Big Brain Imaging Hybrid Workshop @ Boston University - April 7-8, 2022
by Chen, Jerry Feb. 21, 2022

Feb. 21, 2022

We are proud to announce the 2022 Big Brain Imaging Workshop hosted jointly by the NSF NeuroNex Nemonic Hub as well as the Boston University Neurophotonics Center! This two-day hybrid workshop will take place at Boston University and online on Thursday, April 7th and continue on Friday, April 8th, 2022. The 2022 Big Brain Imaging Workshop is an opportunity to join in the discussion on optical approaches for cellular resolution imaging of neuronal populations that have been highly instrumental for uncovering the principles of neural circuit function. To date, the microscope technology development for imaging the nervous system has largely been focused on applications on a subset of model species with smaller, optically accessible brains (ex. c. elegans, zebrafish, mice). The ability to translate these technologies to species with brains that are both physically larger and less optically accessible remains a challenge. The topic of the workshop is focused on advancing cellular resolution brain imaging techniques in "larger" brains of mammalian species (ex. rats, cats, ferrets, marmosets, macaques). The goal is to bring neuroscientists and optical engineers together to discuss challenges and come up with potential solutions that will pave the way for the next generation of microscopes that can be applied to a greater number of model organisms. Invited Speakers Daniel Aharoni - University of California, Los Angeles Adam Charles - Johns Hopkins University Anna Devor - Boston University David Fitzpatrick - Max Planck Institute Florida Emily Gibson - University of Colorado Anschutz Prakash Kara - University of Minnesota Jerome Mertz - Boston University Kristina Nielsen - Johns Hopkins University Anitha Pasupathy - University of Washington Bijan Perasan - New York University Nicholas Priebe - University of Texas, Austin Eyal Seidemann - University of Texas, Austin Lei Tian - Boston University Alipasha Vaziri - Rockefeller University Chris Xu - Cornell University In addition to the invited speakers, spots are available for short talks by visiting the registration page and submitting a brief abstract: For more information and free registration, visit: https://nemonic.ece.ucsb.edu/index.php/Big_Brain Jerry Chen, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Biology Boston University www.chen-lab.org<http://www.chen-lab.org> jerry(a)chen-lab.org<mailto:jerry@chen-lab.org> Jerry Chen, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Biology Boston University www.chen-lab.org<http://www.chen-lab.org> jerry(a)chen-lab.org<mailto:jerry@chen-lab.org>

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postdoc in Computational Neuroscience, Cambridge-Columbia collaboration
by Máté Lengyel Feb. 18, 2022

Feb. 18, 2022

Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience, Cambridge-Columbia collaboration We are seeking a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project between the labs of Guillaume Hennequin and Máté Lengyel at the Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and Daniel Wolpert at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University. The project studies neural network mechanisms underlying the context-dependent (continual) learning of motor repertoires and ties together several threads of research recently developed in our labs, based on the following key publications (note that several are collaborative between our groups): - JB Heald, M Lengyel, DM Wolpert (2021) Contextual inference underlies the learning of sensorimotor repertoires. Nature 600:489-493. - TC Kao, MS Sadabadi, G Hennequin (2021). Optimal anticipatory control as a theory of motor preparation: a thalamo-cortical circuit model. Neuron 109:1567-1581. - TC Kao, KT Jensen, GM van de Ven, A Bernacchia, G Hennequin (2021) Natural continual learning: success is a journey, not (just) a destination. NeurIPS, https://tinyurl.com/2jfyss8c - Echeveste R, Aitchison L, Hennequin G, Lengyel M (2020) Cortical-like dynamics in recurrent circuits optimized for sampling-based probabilistic inference. Nature Neuroscience 23:1138-1149. The postdoc will be based in Cambridge, with an opportunity for regular visits to Columbia. The successful candidate will have - a strong quantitative background - demonstrable interest in theoretical neuroscience - obtained (or be close to the completion of) a PhD or equivalent in computational neuroscience, physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning or a related field Preference will be given to candidates with - previous experience in computational neuroscience, especially with the dynamics of recurrent neural network, and function-optimized neural networks - sufficient programming skills to run numerical simulations and to use large scale optimization packages - expertise with advanced data analysis and Bayesian techniques For further details and to send your application, please go to https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/33691/. For informal queries, please contact Guillaume Hennequin <g.hennequin(a)eng.cam.ac.uk>, Máté Lengyel <m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk> or Daniel Wolpert <wolpert(a)columbia.edu>. Máté Lengyel -- Professor of Computational Neuroscience Computational and Biological Learning Lab Cambridge University Engineering Department Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK tel: +44 (0)1223 748 532, fax: +44 (0)1223 765 587 email: m.lengyel(a)eng.cam.ac.uk web: lengyellab.org

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KogWis2022 | 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society +++ The call for symposia is open
by Constantin Rothkopf Feb. 18, 2022

Feb. 18, 2022

Event: The 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society, KogWis2022 Theme: Understanding Minds Date: 5.-7. September 2022 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Host: Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg Web: https://www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de/ Abstract: The 15. biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society (KogWis2022) will take place from 5.-7. September 2022 in Freiburg i.Br., Germany, organized by the Center for Cognitive Science. The theme “Understanding Minds” reflects two perspectives: The conference provides a forum for all topics in the study of how minds – both human and artificial – operate. The theme also puts a specific spotlight on how cognitive systems make sense of the world, in particular in language comprehension and communication. The Call for Symposia for the 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society, KogWis2022, is now open! https://www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de/ Confirmed keynote speakers are: Dedre Gentner, Northwestern University, Illinois Seana Coulson, University of California, San Diego Marcel Brass, Humboldt University, Berlin Matthew Crocker, Saarland University, Saarbrücken For any inquiries please use the conference e-mail-address kogwis2022(a)cognition.uni-freiburg.de. Further information is available on the conference website: www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de. Organising Committee: Evelyn Ferstl, Lars Konieczny, Rul von Stülpnagel, Lisa Zacharski, Judith Beck

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MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course
by Stephen A. Baccus Feb. 18, 2022

Feb. 18, 2022

Applications are open for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course will run from July 28 to August 24, 2022, and the online application form can be found at: https://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/methods-in-computational-neuroscience/<https://ws2.mbl.edu/studentapp/studentapp.asp?courseid=MCN> The course application deadline is *March 30*. The course covers a range of topics in computational neuroscience including neuronal biophysics, neural coding & information processing, circuit dynamics, learning & memory, motor control, and cognitive processing & disease. In addition, numerous tutorials and problem sets will cover a broad range of computational and mathematical modeling methods. The course strongly emphasizes the collaboration between theory and experiment in solving neuroscience problems, and lectures will be given by a mixture of theorists and experimentalists. The final weeks of the course are primarily reserved for work on projects that students design in collaboration with the resident faculty. Further information can be found on the MCN website: http://www.mbl.edu/mcn/ 2022 Course Directors: Stephen Baccus, Stanford University Xiao Jing Wang, New York University 2022 Faculty: Larry Abbott, Columbia University Tim Behrens, Univ. College London Emery Brown, MIT Randy Buckner, Harvard University Anne Churchland, UCLA Claudia Clopath, Imp. College London Albert Compte, IDIBAPS Shaul Druckmann, Stanford University Uri Eden, Boston University Bard Ermentrout, U. of Pittsburgh Adrienne Fairhall, U. of Washington Michale Fee, MIT James Fitzgerald, Janelia Res., HHMI Loren Frank, UCSF Stefano Fusi, Columbia University Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Paul Glimcher, New York University Mark Goldman, UC Davis Nancy Kopell, Boston University Eve Marder, Brandeis University Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH David Redish, U. Minnesota Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Reza Shadmehr, Johns Hopkins Univ. Sara Solla, Northwestern University Haim Sompolinsky, Hebrew University Nelson Spruston, Janelia Res., HHMI Josh Tenenbaum, MIT Nao Uchida, Harvard University Greg Wayne, DeepMind

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[jobs] Phd opportunity in Lille, France - Spiking Neural Networks for Video Analysis
by Ioan Marius BILASCO Feb. 17, 2022

Feb. 17, 2022

The FOX team from the CRIStAL laboratory (UMR CNRS), Lille France is looking to recruit a PhD student starting as soon as possible on the following subject : Spiking Neural Networks for Video Analysis The FOX research group is part of the CRIStAL laboratory (University of Lille, CNRS), located in Lille, France. We focus on video analysis for human behavior understanding. Specifically, we develop spatio-temporal models of motions for tasks such as abnormal event detection, emotion recognition, and face alignment. We are also involved in IRCICA (CNRS), a research institute promoting multidisciplanary research. At IRCICA, we collaborate with computer scientists and experts in electronics engineering to create new models of neural networks that can be implemented on low-power hardware architectures. Recently, we designed state-of-the-art models for image recognition with single and multi-layer unsupervised spiking neural networks. We were among the first to succesfully apply unsupervised SNNs on modern datasets of computer vision. We also developed our own SNN simulator to support experiments with SNN on computer vision problems. Our work is published in major journals (Pattern Recognition, IEEE Trans. on Affective Computing) and conferences (WACV, IJCNN) in the field. Abstract: Spiking Neural Network have recently been evaluated on classical image recognition tasks [1]. This work has highlighted their promising performances in this domain and have identified ways to improve them to be competitive with comparable deep learning approaches. In particular, it demonstrated the ability of SNN architectures to learn relevant patterns for static pattern recognition in an unsupervised manner. However, dealing with static images is not enough, and the computer vision community is increasingly interested in video analysis, for two reasons. First, video data is more and more common and corresponds to a wide range of applications (video surveillance, audio-visual productions, autonomous vehicles...). Second, this data is richer than isolated static images, and thus offers the possibility to develop more effective systems, e.g. using motion information. Thus, it is recognized in the community that modeling motion in videos is more relevant than studying visual appearance alone for tasks such as action or emotion recognition. The next step for SNNs is therefore to study their ability to model motion rather than, or in addition to, image appearance. The goal of the Ph.D. candidate will be to explore the use of SNNs for space-time modeling in videos. This work will be targeted towards applications in human behavior understanding and especially action recognition. More specifically, the Ph.D. candidate is expected to: * identify what issues may prevent space-time modeling with SNNs and how they can be circumvented; * propose new supervised and unsupervised SNN models for motion modeling, which are compatible with hardware implementations on ultra-low power devices; * evaluate the proposed models on standard datasets for video analysis. Detailed subject: https://bit.ly/stssnnfox <https://bit.ly/stssnnfox> Candidates must hold a Master degree (or an equivalent degree) in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or a related field. Experience in one or more of the following is a plus: • image processing, computer vision; • machine learning; • bio-inspired computing; • research methodology (literature review, experimentation…). Candidates should have the following skills: • good proficiency in English, both spoken and written; • scientific writing; • programming (experience in C++ is a plus, but not mandatory). This PHD thesis will be funded in the framework of the ANVI-Luxant industrial chair. The general objective of the Chair is to make a scientific and technological progress in the mastery of emerging information processing architectures such as neuromorphic architectures as an embedded artificial intelligence technique. The use-case studies will come from video protection in the context of retail and transportation. The candidate will be funded for 3 years; he/she is expected to defend his/her thesis and graduate by the end of the contract. The monthly gross salary is around 2000€, including benefits (health insurance, retirement fund, and paid vacations). The position is located in Lille, France. With over 110 000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one France's top education student cities. The European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de Calais is headquartered in Lille Metropole and includes 3,000 PhD Doctorate students supported by university research laboratories. Lille has a convenient location in the European high-speed rail network. It lies on the Eurostar line to London (1:20 hour journey). The French TGV network also puts it only 1 hour from Paris, 35 mn from Brussels, and a short trips to other major centres in France such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon. For application, please send the following information in a single PDF file to Dr. Marius Bilasco (marius.bilasco(a)univ-lille.fr <mailto:marius.bilasco@univ-lille.fr>) with subject [PhD_Luxant-ANVI]: * A cover letter. * A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications, if any. * Transcripts of grades of Master's degree. * The contact information of two references (and any letters if available). We look forward to receiving your application as soon as possible, but no later than 26.3.2022

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[jobs] PhD opportunity - Spatio-temporal augmentation models for motion pattern learning - AI_PhD@Lille, France
by Ioan Marius BILASCO Feb. 17, 2022

Feb. 17, 2022

The FOX team from the CRIStAL laboratory (UMR CNRS), Lille France is looking to recruit a PhD student starting on October 1st 2022 on the following subject : Spatio-temporal data augmentation models for motion pattern learning using deep learning: applications to facial analysis in the wild The FOX research group is part of the CRIStAL laboratory (University of Lille, CNRS), located in Lille, France. We focus on video analysis for human behavior understanding. Specifically, we develop spatio-temporal models of motions for tasks such as abnormal event detection, emotion recognition, and face alignment. Our work is published in major journals (Pattern Recognition, IEEE Trans. on Affective Computing) and conferences (WACV, IJCNN). Abstract: Facial expression analysis is a well-studied field when dealing with segmented and constrained data captured in lab conditions. However, many challenges must still be addressed for building in-the-wild solutions that account for various motion intensities, strong head movements during expressions, the spotting of the subsequence containing the expression, partially occluded faces, etc. In recent years, learned features based on deep learning architectures were proposed in order to deal with these challenges. Deep learning is characterized by neural architectures that depend on a huge number of parameters. The convergence of these neural networks and the estimation of optimal parameters require large amounts of training data, especially when dealing with spatio-temporal data, particulary adequate for facial expression recognition. The quantity, but also the quality, of the data and its capacity to reflect the addressed challenges are key elements for training properly the networks. Augmenting the data artificially in an intelligent and controlled way is an interesting solution. The augmentation techniques identified in the literature are mainly focused on image augmentation and consist of scaling, rotation, and flipping operations, or they make use of more complex adversarial training. These techniques can be applied at the frame level, but there is a need for sequence level augmentation in order to better control the augmentation process and ensure the absence of temporal artifacts that might bias the learning process. The generation of dynamic frontal facial expressions has already been addressed in the literature. The goal of this Ph.D. is to conceive new space-time augmentation methods for unconstrained facial analysis (involving head movements, occultations, etc.). Attention should be paid in assessing the quality standards related to facial expression requirements: stability over time, absence of facial artifacts, etc. More specifically, the Ph.D. can didate is expected to conceive augmentation architectures that address various challenges (motion intensities, head movements) while maintaining temporal stability and eliminating facial artifacts. More details are available here : https://bit.ly/staugm_motion <http://bit.ly/st_augm_motion> Candidates must hold a Master degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or a related field. Experience in one or more of the following is a plus: • image processing, computer vision; • machine learning; • research methodology (literature review, experimentation…). Candidates should have the following skills: • good proficiency in English, both spoken and written; • scientific writing; • programming (experience in C++ is a plus, but not mandatory). This PHD thesis will be funded in the framework of the AI_PhD@Lilleprogram. http://www.isite-ulne.fr/index.php/en/phd-in-artificial-intelligence/ <http://www.isite-ulne.fr/index.php/en/phd-in-artificial-intelligence/> The candidate will be funded for 3 years; he/she is expected to defend his/her thesis and graduate by the end of the contract. The monthly gross salary is around 2000€, including benefits (health insurance, retirement fund, and paid vacations). Additional financial support is expected in the framework of the AI_PhD@Lille program. The position is located in Lille, France. With over 110 000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one France's top education student cities. The European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de Calais is headquartered in Lille Metropole and includes 3,000 PhD Doctorate students supported by university research laboratories. Lille has a convenient location in the European high-speed rail network. It lies on the Eurostar line to London (1:20 hour journey). The French TGV network also puts it only 1 hour from Paris, 35 mn from Brussels, and a short trips to other major centres in France such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon. We look forward to receiving your application as soon as possible, but no later than 26.03.2021.

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