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DENDRITES 2020: Call for Abstracts extended to Feb. 22nd, 2020
by Yiota Poirazi 19 Feb '20

19 Feb '20

Dear friends and colleagues, in response to multiple requests, the deadline for abstract submission to DENDRITES 2020 has been extended to February 22nd. Few spots are available for oral presentations by young students/postdocs, to be based on selected abstracts. DENDRITES 2020 EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function Heraklion, Crete, Greece 27-30 June 2020 http://meetings.embo.org/event/20-dendrites We look forward to welcoming you to Heraklion for another exciting meeting on dendrites and beyond! on behalf of the organizers, Yiota Poirazi -------- Panayiota Poirazi, Ph.D. Research Director Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) Vassilika Vouton, P.O.Box 1385, GR 70013, Heraklion, Crete GREECE Tel: +30 2810 391139 Fax: +30 2810 391101 Εmail: poirazi(a)imbb.forth.gr Lab site: www.dendrites.gr

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Swartz postdoc in theoretical neuroscience at Harvard
by Blum, Kenneth I. 18 Feb '20

18 Feb '20

The Swartz Program at Harvard University seeks applicants for a postdoctoral fellow in theoretical and computational neuroscience. Based on a grant from the Swartz Foundation<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.theswartzfoundation…>, a Swartz postdoctoral fellowship is available at Harvard University with a start date in 2020. Postdocs join a vibrant group of experimental and theoretical neuroscientists at Harvard's Center for Brain Science. The Center for Brain Science includes junior and senior faculty doing research on a wide variety of topics, including neural mechanisms of rodent learning, decision-making, and sex-specific and social behaviors; reinforcement learning in rodents and humans; human motor control; behavioral and fMRI studies of human cognition; circuit mechanisms of learning and behavior in worms, larval flies, and larval zebrafish; circuit mechanisms of individual differences in flies and humans; rodent and fly olfaction; inhibitory circuit development; retinal circuits; and large-scale reconstruction of detailed brain circuitry. Interested applicants should immediately send a CV, statement of research interests, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Haim Sompolinsky (haim(a)fiz.huji.ac.il<mailto:haim@fiz.huji.ac.il>), Kenneth Blum (kenneth_blum(a)harvard.edu<mailto:kenneth_blum@harvard.edu>), Sam Gershman (gershman(a)fas.harvard.edu<mailto:gershman@fas.harvard.edu>), or Cengiz Pehlevan (cpehlevan(a)seas.harvard.edu<mailto:cpehlevan@seas.harvard.edu>). Applications should have “Swartz Fellowship” in the subject line. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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[meetings] [LM2020] Living Machines 2020 - Second call for papers
by Vicky Vouloutsi 18 Feb '20

18 Feb '20

Dear colleagues, Please find below the second call for papers, satellite events, and sponsors for the 9th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems of Living Machines, 28th-31st of July 2020. Apologies for cross-posting but please share this announcement with your colleagues. Looking forward to seeing you in Freiburg, Germany! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Second Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors* *Living Machines. The 9th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems* * 28 – 31 July 2020* To be hosted at the Botanical Garden of Freiburg and the Cluster of Excellence livMatS at the University of Freiburg, Germany Accepted papers will be published in *Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence* *Submission deadline: March 23, 2020* http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2020 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2020* The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. *Biomimetics* is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. *Biohybrid* systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The theme of the conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair, and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis, and metamorphosis. The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at past conferences: * Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their environments. * Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for intelligent behavior. * Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair or show other bio-inspired functions. * Nature-inspired designs and manufacturing processes. * Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants. * Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and intelligent prostheses. * Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems. *ACTIVITIES* The main conference will take the form of a *three-day single-track oral* and *poster presentation program*, *28th July to 31st July 2020*, and will be hosted at the Botanical Garden of Freiburg by the University of Freiburg, Germany, and the Cluster of Excellence “Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS)” (www.livmats.uni-freiburg.de<http://www.livmats.uni-freiburg.de/>). The conference program will include *five plenary lectures* from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies. The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of *Satellite Events* hosted at the University of Freiburg. *SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2020* We invite both *full papers* and *extended abstracts* in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines Proceedings, published in the *Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence*. Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career and should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybrid research. More preliminary work is better suited for short paper submission (maximum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no more than three self-citations). Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation with a short podium preview. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentations only. Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal *Connection Science*. *SATELLITE EVENTS* Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for full or half-day *tutorials*, *symposia* or *workshops* on related themes to be held on 28. July at the Institute for Biology II/III of the University of Freiburg (http://www.bio.uni-freiburg.de/index-en?set_language=en) Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is flexibility about the content, organization, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organizing a satellite event! *EXPECTED DEADLINES* March 23, 2020: Paper submission deadline May 15, 2020: Notification of acceptance May 25, 2020: Camera-ready copy July 28, 29-31, 2020 Workshops and Conference *SPONSORSHIP* Organizations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products through conference publications, conference events, and conference publicity are encouraged to contact the organizers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We also offer a number of attractive options for potential sponsors. *VENUE* Consistent with the Living Machines’ tradition of choosing historical venues at the crossroads between life and human sciences, this year the conference will take place at the Botanical Garden of Freiburg. Freiburg is considered the gateway to the Black Forest and thanks to its geographical location is blessed with mild weather all year round. The city is over 900 years old and known to be the sunniest city(1,740 hours of sunshine/year) in Germany. Freiburg has a beautiful historical inner city and is home to one of the oldest universities and Botanical Gardens in Germany. The Botanical Garden Freiburg will be celebrating its 400 year anniversary in 2020 and is located in the district Herdern near the Botanical Institute of the University of Freiburg. The Botanical Garden invites visitors to enjoy its wonderful greenery and learn about both plants from all around the world and plant-based biomimetics with its biomimetic educational trail. The trail highlights biomimetic inventions based on plants while providing fascinating insights into underlying biological principles. *CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE* *Thomas Speck* University of Freiburg, Germany (Local Chair) *Paul Verschure* IBEC, BIST, ICREA, CSN Foundation (Co-Chair) *Tony Prescott* University of Sheffield, CSN Foundation (Steering Committee) *Anna Mura* IBEC, BIST Barcelona, CSN Foundation (General Organization) *PROGRAM CHAIR* *Vicky Vouloutsi* IBEC, BIST, Barcelona *COMMUNICATION* *Sonja Seidel* University of Freiburg, Germany *Yulia Sandamirskaya* INI, Zurich Univ. and ETH *WORKSHOPS CHAIR* *Falk Esser* University of Freiburg, Germany *LOCAL ORGANIZERS COMMITTEE* *Thomas Speck* University of Freiburg, Germany *Falk Esser* University of Freiburg, Germany *Sonja Seidel* University of Freiburg, Germany Aquest correu electrònic conté informació confidencial emparada pel secret professional. Qualsevol reproducció, distribució o divulgació del seu contingut estan estrictament prohibides. Si vostè no és el destinatari, li preguem no faci difusió ni copiï el seu contingut i ens ho notifiqui el més aviat possible a l'adreça dataprotection(a)ibecbarcelona.eu Este correo electrónico contiene información confidencial amparada por el secreto profesional. Cualquier reproducción, distribución o divulgación de su contenido están estrictamente prohibidas. Si usted no es el destinatario, le rogamos no difunda ni copie su contenido y nos lo notifique de inmediato a la dirección dataprotection(a)ibecbarcelona.eu This electronic transmission contains confidential information covered by professional secrecy. Any reproduction, distribution or disclosure of its contents is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, you are kindly requested not to disseminate nor to copy this transmission and to notify us as soon as possible by email to dataprotection(a)ibecbarcelona.eu .

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PhD Studentship – Modelling cortico-subcortical oscillatory connectivity.
by Dimitris Pinotsis 18 Feb '20

18 Feb '20

PhDStudentship – Modelling cortico-subcortical oscillatory connectivity. Applicationsare invited for a 3-year funded PhD studentship in the Wellcome Centre forHuman Neuroimaging (https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/) under the supervision ofDr. Vladimir Litvak and Dr. Simon Farmer and in collaboration with theComputational Neuroscience Group (CNS, https://www.upf.edu/web/cns) led byProf. Gustavo Deco, at the Center for Brain and Cognition(https://www.upf.edu/web/cbc), Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain). The position is part of the EU-fundedInnovative Training Network euSNN (“European School of Network Neuroscience”)and available, with full-time employment, for a duration of 3 years withimmediate start. TheeuSNN Innovative Training Network integrates 16 leading European groups innetwork neuroscience and 7 companies to train students who want to pursue asuccessful career in the field of network neuroscience. The euSNN trainingprogramme offers a unique combination of experimental, analysis and modellingapproaches. Exploiting intense collaborations between experimental, theoreticaland clinical groups, euSNN links basic research on large-scale brain dynamicswith new pathophysiological approaches and clinical applications. The euSNNnetwork is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Andreas K. Engel. Further information onthe euSNN network can be found at http://eusnn.eu. Project details Deep Brain Stimulation(DBS) is an effective treatment method for a range of neurological andpsychiatric conditions. It involves placing electrodes deep in a patient’sbrain, usually in precisely targeted subcortical nuclei. DBS surgery affords aunique opportunity to study the neural activity of these nuclei via recordingof local electrical signals known as local field potentials (LFP). Our grouppioneered simultaneous recording of subcortical LFP with non-invasive wholebrain imaging using magnetoencephalography (MEG). This makes it possible to mapout cortico-subcortical oscillatory coherent networks which have characteristicfrequencies and cortical topographies for each subcortical target. Over theyears we collected data from several different subcortical nuclei andcharacterised their oscillatory networks. The aim of the proposed project is toestablish a modelling framework which could accommodate these findings and makequantitative predictions for future experiments. This will require extendingexisting models of cortical dynamics and integrating information fromadditional imaging modalities such as functional MRI and Diffusion TensorModelling (DTI). The euSNN training networkoffers exciting and unique opportunities for the student to pursue this projectincluding interactions with top experts in neuroimaging brain modelling andexposure to several different modelling frameworks and approaches that thestudent will have to master and integrate to achieve the project’s goals. Theremight also be opportunities towards the end of the project to test some of thepredictions experimentally. In addition, the student will have a chance to workon secondments with commercial companies on topics relevant to the project. Funding notes The starting date can beany date between being offered the position and 1st October 2020 andthe contract is for 36 months. The studentship includes UK/EU tuition fees anda stipend along with additional funds to cover travel and accommodation duringsecondments and network activities. Overseas fees cannot be covered. Entry requirements Applicants should have an HonoursDegree (minimum 2:1) in a quantitative discipline: Physics/Mathematics/Engineering/Computer science, strong mathematical background and interestin neuroscience. Knowledge of scientific programming languages, particularlyMatlab, background in modelling complex physical systems and a relevant Mastersqualification is desirable. Applicants should be willing to travel to attendthe network activities and spend prolonged periods of time (up to a few monthsat a time and at least 8 months in total) doing secondments outside the UK. Applicantsmust not have been residing in the UK for more than 12 months prior to thestart of the appointment. Deadline 30th April 2020. Shortlisted candidates will beinterviewed in May. How to apply: Applicants should submit 1)a CV, 2) a 1-page statement detailing why you want to do the PhD, motivation,interest and suitability for the project, 3) a copy of your strongest singlepiece of academic work (e.g. thesis, publication), and 4) contact details oftwo referees. Please ensure that each document is clearly labelled with yoursurname. Please send all documents to Kamlyn Ramkissoon k.ramkissoon(a)ucl.ac.ukby 30th April 2020.Interviews will be held in May 2020. Informal enquiries are welcome to Dr Vladimir Litvak (email: v.litvak(a)ucl.ac.uk)

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Postdoctoral position in functional neuroimaging
by Alessandro Gozzi 18 Feb '20

18 Feb '20

The Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory (https://www.iit.it/research/lines/functional-neuroimaging) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Rovereto (Italy) is looking for a Postdoctoral scientist interested in studying the neural basis of functional connectivity disruption in autism. Our research is aimed at identifying the general neural and cellular principles governing the assembly of brain connectivity, and its breakdown in developmental disorders such as autism. We address these questions by mapping functional connectivity alterations in people with autism and model organisms harboring autism-associated genetic etiologies. For reference to recent work relevant to this position, please see Gutierrez-Barragan et al., Current Biology (2019) and Bertero et al., Brain (2018). The successful candidate must have a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, physics, neuroinformatics or equivalent, a proven record in the analysis of functional images of the mammalian brain, plus a sound knowledge of signal processing and statistical methods applied to brain imaging. We evaluate candidates that are proactive, highly-motivated, and who are willing to interact with both experimental and computational neuroscientists. The IIT center in Rovereto is actively expanding its infrastructure for systems level neuroscience research, and is inserted both in the vibrant community of the IIT and that of CIMeC (www.cimec.unitn.it) within the University of Trento, which specializes in cognitive neuroscience. Please submit your application, including a detailed CV with a brief research statement, a cover letter and name and contacts of 2 referees, by email to alessandro.gozzi(a)iit.it, quoting "Postdoctoral position in neuroimaging - CB 78211" in the email subject. The first deadline for applications is March 20th, 2020. This position will remain open until filled. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (http://www.iit.it) is a non-profit institution created with the objective of promoting technological development and higher education in science and technology. Research at IIT is carried out in highly innovative scientific fields with state-of-the-art technology. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is an equal opportunity employer that actively seeks diversity in the workforce. Please note that the data that you provide will be used exclusively for the purpose of professional profiles' evaluation and selection, and in order to meet the requirements of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia. Your data will be processed by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, based in Genoa, Via Morego 30, acting as Data Controller, in compliance with the rules on protection of personal data, including those related to data security. Please also note that, pursuant to articles 15 et. seq. of European Regulation no. 679/2016 (General Data Protection Regulation), you may exercise your rights at any time by contacting the Data Protection Officer (phone +39 010 71781 - email: dpo[at]iit.it) Contacts Alessandro Gozzi alessandro.gozzi(a)iit.it<mailto:alessandro.gozzi@iit.it> Twitter: Gozzi_Ale Alessandro Gozzi, PhD Senior Scientist, Group Leader Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy Tel: +39 0464 808 701

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Three permanent associate professor positions in data science
by Hans Ekkehard Plesser 18 Feb '20

18 Feb '20

The Faculty of Science and Technology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences is expanding its data science activities in research and education and invites applications for Three permanent associate professor positions in data science with focus on * Machine learning for the 21st century (https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/183310/associate-professor-i…) * Data management for a data science world (https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/183306/associate-professor-i…) * Value-oriented deployment of data science (https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/183315/associate-professor-i…) Closing date for all positions is 22 March 2020. For details and to apply, please see the full announcements for the positions linked above. Background information about us, our programs and our expectations is available in https://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser/NMBU_ThreeAssocProfsDataScience_AdditionaInf… Best regards, Hans Ekkehard Plesser -- Prof. Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Head, Data Science Section Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no<mailto:hans.ekkehard.plesser@nmbu.no> Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

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Grandmother cells a failed concept? Or is Barlow right that grandmother cells exist and “can now be recorded from and studied reliably?"
by Asim Roy 16 Feb '20

16 Feb '20

Ann-Sophie Barwich recently published an article in Frontiers in Neuroscience titled “The Value of Failure in Science: The Story of Grandmother Cells in Neuroscience” (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.01121/full) where she argues for the need for failure analysis in science and, in the context of neuroscience, analyzed the grandmother cell concept as a failed one. Although I was one of the reviewers who endorsed the article for publication (publication of alternative viewpoints is essential in science), I felt that Barwich’s arguments against grandmother cells were deeply flawed. I point out these flaws in a Commentary in Frontiers in Neuroscience: “Commentary: The Value of Failure in Science: The Story of Grandmother Cells in Neuroscience:” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00059/full I think Reddy and Thorpe’s 2014 article clears the confusion about concept cells. With Reddy and Thorpe’s characterization of concept cells, one would find no difference between concept cells and grandmother cells. And that’s essentially what I have done in the Commentary – show that concept cells and grandmother cells have identical properties. I also point out in the Commentary that it’s a false claim by Barwich (and in other prior articles that Barwich references) that concept cells can be part of a sparse population coding scheme. Given that concept cells have “meaning” on a stand-alone basis, they can’t be part of any population coding scheme. And it’s also a false claim in Barwich that grandmother cells do not use associative learning, because grandmother cells have always been characterized as “multimodal” going all the way back to Gross (2002). In addition, the neurophysiological evidence on multisensory neurons clearly point to a single-cell based abstract cognitive system in the brain, as claimed by Roy (2017). Overall, concept cell findings confirm the prediction of Barlow (2009)<https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00059/full#B1> that grandmother cells exist and “can now be recorded from and studied reliably.” YOU CAN EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO JOIN A DISCUSSION GROUP ON THIS TOPIC. Barlow, H. B. (2009). “Grandmother cells, symmetry, and invariance: how the term arose and what the facts suggest,” in The Cognitive Neurosciences, 4th Edn., ed M. Gazzaniga (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 309–320. Reddy, L., and Thorpe, S. J. (2014). Concept cells through associative learning of high-level representations. Neuron 84, 248–251. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.10.004 Roy, A. (2017). The theory of localist representation and of a purely abstract cognitive system: the evidence from cortical columns, category cells, and multisensory neurons. Front. Psychol. 8:186. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00186

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job post: machine learning research scientist at NIMH
by Francisco Pereira 15 Feb '20

15 Feb '20

*** HIRING: machine learning research scientist The Machine Learning Team at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD, has an open position for a machine learning research scientist. The NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders and neuroscience, and part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). *** About the NIMH Machine Learning Team Our mission is to help NIMH scientists use machine learning methods to address a diverse set of research problems in clinical and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. These range from identifying biomarkers for aiding diagnoses to creating and testing models of mental processes in healthy subjects. We work with many different data types, including very large brain imaging datasets from various imaging modalities, behavioral data, and picture and text corpora. We have excellent computational resources, both of our own (tens of GPUs for deep learning) and shared within the NIH (a cluster with hundreds of thousands of CPUs, and hundreds of GPUs). As a machine learning research group, we develop new methods and publish in the main machine learning conferences (e.g. NeurIPS and ICLR), as well as in psychology and neuroscience journals. Many of our problems require devising research approaches that combine imaging and non-imaging data, and leveraging structured knowledge resources (databases, scientific literature, etc) to generate explanations and hypotheses. You can find more about our work and publications at https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/mlt *** About the position We are seeking candidates who are capable of combining machine learning, statistical, and domain-specific computational tools to solve practical data analysis challenges (e.g. designing experiments, generating and testing statistical hypotheses, training and interpreting predictive models, and developing novel models and methods). Additionally, candidates should be capable of visualizing and communicating findings to a broad scientific audience, as well as explaining the details of relevant methods to researchers in a variety of domains. Desirable experience that is not required, but will be considered very favorably: - neuroimaging data processing and analysis (any MRI modality, as well as MEG/EEG) - Bayesian statistical modelling - natural language processing / structured data such as EHR or questionnaires Finally, you should have demonstrable experience coding in languages currently used in data-intensive, scientific computing, such as Python, MATLAB or R. This is an ideal position for someone who wants to establish a research career in method development and applications driven by scientific and clinical needs. Given our access to a variety of collaborators and large or unique datasets, there is ample opportunity to match research interests with novel research problems. We also maintain collaborations outside of the NIH, driven by our own research interests. If you would like to be considered for this position, please send francisco.pereira(a)nih.gov a CV, with your email serving as cover letter. If you already have a research statement, please feel free to send that as well. There is no need for reference letters at this stage. Other inquiries are also welcome. Thank you for your attention and interest!

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Call for Applications: EADM Summer School on Learning and Decision Making
by Hrvoje Stojic 15 Feb '20

15 Feb '20

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN (until 15 March 2020)! Dates: 8-15 July, 2020 Location: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain Topic: Learning and Decision Making Eligibility to Apply: Early career researchers Further details available at: https://ldmss.org APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: https://ldmss.org#apply The 5th EADM Learning and Decision Making summer school will take place from the 8th to the 15th of July in Barcelona, Spain. It will cover a wide range of topics related to learning and decision making, including reinforcement learning, sampling biases, decisions from experience, function learning, category learning and social learning. Participants will receive advanced training and hands-on tutoring on various computational modeling approaches in learning and decision making from experts in the field and will get feedback on their latest research ideas in poster sessions. The program will also include social and group activities in the beautiful city of Barcelona. Confirmed faculty include: Mirta Galesic (Santa Fe Institute) Maarten Speekenbrink (University College London) Johannes Müller-Trede (IESE Business School) Henrik Olsson (Santa Fe Institute) G. Elliot Wimmer (University College London) Mehdi Keramati (City University) Jörg Rieskamp (University of Basel) Elizaveta Konovalova (Max Planck Institute for Human Development) Cecília Nunes (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) More coming soon! The organization team: Gael Le Mens (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Emmanouil Konstantinidis (University of Warwick) Hrvoje Stojic (University College London) Pantelis P. Analytis (University of Southern Denmark) Mikhail Spektor (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Feel free to send us any questions at: ldmss(a)protonmail.com or on Twitter @ldmsschool. ----------------------------- Hrvoje Stojic, PhD Postdoctoral researcher University College London Website: [https://hstojic.re/](http://hstojic.re/)

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[ICDL-2020] Call for Tutorials
by Miguel Solís 15 Feb '20

15 Feb '20

Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call due to cross-posting, please help to distribute among possible interested contributors. CALL FOR TUTORIALS: 10th IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) 7th-10th September 2020, Valparaiso, Chile Web page: https://cdstc.gitlab.io/icdl-2020/ An IEEE Computational Society-sponsored conference ==== Important Dates ==== Tutorial Proposals Open: 15th February 2020 Tutorial Proposals Deadline: 30h April 2020 Tutorial Proposals Notification: 15th May 2020 ==== Overview ==== We invite experts in different areas to organize a tutorial. The goal of tutorials is to provide insights into specific topics through hands-on training and interactive experiences or in-depth state of the art review. Tutorial organizers have several responsibilities, including activities scheduling, publicizing and providing the content on time. ICDL will support the organization with rooms, audio-visual equipment and coffee breaks. ==== Scope and Topics ==== The main list of topics of interest includes, but not limited to: - principles and theories of development and learning; - development of skills in biological systems and robots; - nature vs nurture, developmental stages; - models on the contributions of interaction to learning; - verbal, non-verbal and multi-modal interaction; - models on active learning; - architectures for lifelong learning; - emergence of body and affordance perception; - analysis and modelling of human motion and state; - models for prediction, planning and problem solving; - models of human-human and human-robot interaction; - emergence of verbal and non-verbal communication; - epistemological foundations and philosophical issues; - robot prototyping of human and animal skills; - ethics and trust in computational intelligence and robotics; - social learning in humans, animals, and robots. ==== Submission format ==== Proposals should be maximum of two pages long following the standard IEEE conference style. Proposals should be submitted in PDF format by email to icdl2020(a)ac3e.cl with subject “[Tutorials]”. Proposals should specify the following: Title Organizers Duration (half-day or full-day) A brief description of the topics to be covered Tentative program Target audience and interested groups Website Any logistic requirements such as poster stands, computers, projector, etc. For more information about the conference, travel grants, social events, etc. visit the conference webpage under https://cdstc.gitlab.io/icdl-2020/ ==== Organizing committee ==== General Chairs: Giulio Sandini, and Javier Ruiz-del-Solar Program and Finance Chairs: Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero, and María-José Escobar Bridge Chairs: Minoru Asada, Frédéric Alexandre, and Linda Smith Publicity Chairs: Carmelo Bastos, Maya Cakmak, Angelo Cangelosi, Yukie Nagai, and Emre Ugur Publication Chairs: Pablo Barros, and Haian Wu Tutorials and Workshops Chair: Miguel Solis Travel and Registration Awards Chair: Francisco Cruz Local chairs: Mauricio Araya Webpage Chairs: Cristóbal Nettle, and Patricio Castillo Graphics: Camila Angel Alfaro Best regards from the organizing committee,

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Postdoctoral fellow for an international collaboration
by Lucia Melloni 14 Feb '20

14 Feb '20

Dear all, There is an exciting opportunity for a 2-3 years senior post-doctoral research position to work with Michael Pitts at Reed College, Portland Oregon, USA (https://www.reed.edu/psychology/scalp/) and Liad Mudrik at Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel (http://www.mudriklab.tau.ac.il) (location flexible in one of the two labs). Project: International adversarial collaboration <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6463/293?utm_campaign=toc_sci-ma…> on the neural basis of visual consciousness, aimed at testing key predictions of integrated information theory and global neuronal workspace theory. Collaborators include: Lucia Melloni, Stanislas Dehaene, Giulio Tononi, Christof Koch, David Chalmers, Hal Blumenfeld, Floris de Lange, Ole Jensen, Gabriel Kreiman, Huan Luo, Francis Fallon, and others. Required skills: • expertise in advanced data analysis for as many of the following techniques as possible:EEG/MEG, fMRI, ECoG • experience and interest in managing large datasets • experience and interest in cloud-based or local-cluster-based computing • interest and ability to work on team-based projects Start date: Flexible between June and October 2020 To apply: send an email including your CV, research statement, and cover letter to mudrikli(a)tauex.tau.ac.il and mpitts(a)reed.edu by March 30th, 2020

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PhD Position in Computational Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh
by Chadwick, Angus 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship in Computational Neuroscience with Dr. Angus Chadwick at the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, commencing September 2020 or later. Exceptional applicants interested in a September 2021 start may also apply. Students should hold, or be close to completion of, an undergraduate or masters degree in physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or similar, and be interested in applying their analytical skills to tackle problems in neuroscience. Highly motivated students with other backgrounds may also be considered. The newly-formed Chadwick group focuses on the dynamics of neural populations underlying visual perception and spatial navigation. We use a combination of approaches, including 1) top-down modelling of neural circuit function guided by machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions 2) bottom-up analysis and simulation of neuronal network dynamics, and 3) statistical modelling of large-scale neural recordings. Our long-term goal is to develop a unified theory of the neural circuit computations supporting visual and spatial processing which spans these levels of analysis. We collaborate closely with a number of experimental neuroscience laboratories both in Edinburgh and further afield. Edinburgh is a vibrant and international city with a large student population, and has been voted as “best place to live in Britain”. The School of Informatics maintains an internationally-leading research environment in Computational Neuroscience, Machine Learning and Robotics, with close links to the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. Applicants should email Dr. Angus Chadwick directly at angus.chadwick(a)ucl.ac.uk with their CV and a brief statement of interest, or for informal enquiries and discussion. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.

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International Brain Lab now hiring data scientists!
by Hannah M Bayer 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

The International Brain Laboratory (https://www.internationalbrainlab.com/) is seeking 3 data scientists, who will play key roles in a large-scale international collaboration in brain research. The International Brain Lab combines the efforts of approximately 50 scientists in 20 laboratories toward understanding the brain-wide basis of a complex behavior. The project will involve recording the activity of millions of neurons in the working brain and building mathematical models of the resulting data. The data sets this project will produce are vast and complex, including physiological recordings, behavioural measurements, and video, all of which must be standardized into common formats, integrated into a single database, and subjected to quality control. These core positions will support both experimental and theoretical work through the entire lifecycle of data, including acquisition, analysis, modeling and dissemination. For more details about the positions, please check out: https://bit.ly/2OLwWwq or https://www.internationalbrainlab.com/opportunities Please address all inquiries about these positions to info+careers(a)internationalbrainlab.org

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Vacancy project assistent
by Pieter Roelfsema 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

We have an exciting opportunity for a Project assistant (0,5 fte) for the INTENSE consortium. The consortium develops new implantable devices for the nervous system to increase the quality of life of people that are blind, deaf, paralyzed or suffer from epilepsy. The consortium consists of neuroscientists, technologists, medical doctors, patient societies and companies. The project will not only lead to new fundamental insights and solutions for unmet patient needs, but also to new products and entrepreneurship. Job description You will coordinate all INTENSE related activities. You will interact with the chairman of the consortium (Pieter Roelfsema) on a daily basis to discuss managerial and administrative issues. Besides the daily management and the planning of meetings, you will organize meetings of committees within the consortium and ensure timely reporting of the subprojects. Furthermore, you will establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders including patient groups and industry partners. We expect from you: We will consider highly motivated, self-driven candidates with a degree in neuroscience, (neuro)psychology, biomedical sciences, natural sciences, material science, mathematics, physics, etc. A high level of written and spoken English is required. The ideal candidate will have managerial experience, an understanding of neuroscience and entrepreneurship. You should expect from us: • An exciting research project • Mentoring, supervision and training • Flexible working hours • A stimulating international research environment Environment The partners of INTENSE include the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institutes and technical universities. You will be based at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (http://www.nin.nl) in Amsterdam where English is the working language. Appointment We offer an exciting job at a dynamic research institute and an attractive package of fringe benefits. The first appointment is for one year with an extension pending on an evaluation. Salary The salary will be commensurate with experience and institutional guidelines based on the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities; CAO NU, scale 7-9). The starting salary depends on experience and ranges from € 2.452,- to € 4.274,- before taxes. A 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus are excluded. We offer travel expenses, paid parental leave, flexible working hours and 30 days paid leave per year by fulltime employment. Starting date The starting date is between May and September 2020. To apply Please, send your application to l.van.der.vecht(a)nin.knaw.nl including: 1. A Curriculum Vitae 2. An application letter 3. Two reference letters Applications should be submitted before March 7th 2020. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Any acquisition further to this advertisement will not be appreciated.

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[Call for Participation] First Latin American Summer School on Cognitive Robotics
by Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

https://www.lacoro.org We are excited to announce our first Latin American Summer School on Cognitive Robotics (LACORO), which aims at making cutting-edge knowledge on Artificial Intelligence for Robotics Applications accessible to everyone, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Our aims are: - to build a sustainable community of students and researchers in the area of Artificial Intelligence for Robotics, particularly Cognitive Inspired Aspects of AI. - to make cutting-edge scientific topics accessible to everyone. - to overcome the complexity of a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary learning context. **Applications period is now open** Format: We will organize the Summer School in Latin America biennially. LACORO will include cutting-edge lectures and tutorials on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics but also aspects of Human Cognition. Moreover, we will host a hackathon where attendees can acquire hands-on experience on some of the topics of the Summer School. Date and Location: September 3rd to September 5th, 2020 at the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile. Applications: Please visit our website, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form. Pre-registration is required because there will be a limited number of participants. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact the organizing committee: lacoro(a)innovacionyrobotica.com Best regards from the organizing committee, -- Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero Assistant Professor Department of Engineering, and School of Culture and Society Aarhus University, Denmark E-mail: nng(a)eng.au.dk https://nicolas-navarro-guerrero.github.io/ Aarhus University Finlandsgade 22, building 5125 8200 Aarhus N Denmark Tel.: +45 8715 0000 eng(a)au.dk www.eng.au.dk/en/

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NSF Neuronex Big Brain Imaging Workshop @ Boston University - April 15-16, 2020
by Chen, Jerry 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

We are proud to announce the 2020 Big Brain Imaging Workshop hosted jointly by the NSF NeuroNex Nemonic Hub as well as the Boston University Neurophotonics Center! This two-day workshop will take place on Wednesday, April 15th and continue on Thursday, April 16th, 2020 at the Boston University Photonics Center, 8 Saint Mary's Street, Room 906, Boston, MA 02215. The 2020 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 Michele Basso - 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 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

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CFP - 10th IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL), Valparaiso Chile
by Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

CALL FOR PAPERS: 10th IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) (This is the follow-up of the previous ICDL-EpiRob conference series) 7th-10th September 2020, Valparaiso, Chile https://cdstc.gitlab.io/icdl-2020/ An IEEE Computational Society-sponsored conference ==== Important Dates ==== Submission deadline: 15th March 2020 Author notification: 15th May 2020 Camera ready due: 1st July 2020 Conference: 7th-10th September 2020 ==== Overview ==== The IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL), previously referred to as ICDL-EpiRob, is the premier gathering of professionals dedicated to the advancement of cognitive and developmental learning. As such, ICDL is a unique conference gathering researchers from computer science, robotics, psychology and developmental studies. ICDL is a highly selective annual international conference that aims to showcase and share the very best interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research on how humans and animals develop sensing, reasoning and actions. ICDL community focusses on the understanding of how biological agents take advantage of interaction with social and physical environments to develop their cognitive capabilities. Moreover, how this knowledge can be used to improve future computing and robotic systems. We invite submissions for the conference to explore, extend, and consolidate the interdisciplinary boundaries of this exciting research field. ==== Scope and Topics ==== The primary list of topics of interest includes, but not limited to: - principles and theories of development and learning; - development of skills in biological systems and robots; - nature vs nurture, developmental stages; - models on the contributions of interaction to learning; - verbal, non-verbal and multi-modal interaction; - models on active learning; - architectures for lifelong learning; - emergence of body and affordance perception; - analysis and modelling of human motion and state; - models for prediction, planning and problem solving; - models of human-human and human-robot interaction; - emergence of verbal and non-verbal communication; - epistemological foundations and philosophical issues; - robot prototyping of human and animal skills; - ethics and trust in computational intelligence and robotics; - social learning in humans, animals, and robots. ==== Submissions ==== Authors are invited to submit original and unpublished papers of six pages with the possibility of two-extra pages at a fee. Submissions are in the IEEE conference template. Submission will be selected for either oral or poster presentation based on the reviews. Accepted and presented regular six-page paper submissions will be included in the conference proceedings published by IEEE Xplore after the conference. For more information about submissions, travel grants, social events, etc. visit the conference webpage under https://cdstc.gitlab.io/icdl-2020/ ==== Organizing committee ==== General Chairs: Giulio Sandini, and Javier Ruiz-del-Solar Program and Finance Chairs: Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero, and María-José Escobar Bridge Chairs: Minoru Asada, Frédéric Alexandre, and Linda Smith Publicity Chairs: Carmelo Bastos, Maya Cakmak, Angelo Cangelosi, Yukie Nagai, and Emre Ugur Publication Chairs: Pablo Barros, and Haian Wu Tutorials and Workshops Chair: Miguel Solis Travel and Registration Awards Chair: Francisco Cruz Local chairs: Mauricio Araya Webpage Chairs: Cristóbal Nettle, and Patricio Castillo Graphics: Camila Angel Alfaro Best regards from the organizing committee, -- Best regards, Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero https://nicolas-navarro-guerrero.github.io/

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Brain Informatics 2020 conference, September 18-20, Padova (Italy).
by Samir Suweis 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

Dear colleagues, we are happy to announce the next Brain Informatics 2020 conference, September 18-20, Padova (Italy) - http://www.bi2020.org/ <http://www.bi2020.org/> The Brain Informatics (BI) conference series has established itself as the world's premier research forum on Brain Informatics, which is an emerging interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research field with joint efforts from neuroscience, cognitive science, medicine and life sciences, data science, artificial intelligence, neuroimaging technologies, and information and communication technologies. The 13th International Conference on Brain Informatics (BI2020) provides a premier international forum to bring together researchers and practitioners from diverse fields for presentation of original research results, as well as exchange and dissemination of innovative and practical development experiences on Brain Informatics research, brain-inspired technologies and brain/mental health applications. The theme of BI2020 is: Innovative Computational Approaches for Understanding Brain Functions and Treat its Disorders. The BI2020 solicits high-quality original research and application papers (both full paper and abstract submissions). Relevant topics include but are not limited to: • Track 1: Cognitive and Computational Foundations of Brain Science • Track 2: Human Information Processing Systems • Track 3: Brain Big Data Analytics, Curation and Management • Track 4: Informatics Paradigms for Brain and Mental Health Research • Track 5: Brain-Machine Intelligence and Brain-Inspired Computing Publications • Main conference papers will be published in the proceedings at the Springer-Nature LNCS/LNAI Brain Informatics Book Series. • Accepted full papers will be selected to publish in the Springer Open Access Brain Informatics Journal upon revision. No article-processing fee will be charged for authors of Brain Informatics conference. • Workshop and Special Session full papers will be published at the same BI proceedings at the Springer-Nature LNAI Brain Informatics Book Series. • Organizers of Workshops and Special Sessions will be invited to prepare a book proposal based on the topics of the workshop/special session for possible book publication in the Springer-Nature Brain Informatics & Health Book Series. Timeline March 1, 2020 Workshop, Special Session & Tutorial proposal submission deadline April 1, 2020 Papers submission deadline June 1, 2020 Notification of paper acceptance June 1, 2020 Abstract submission deadline July 1, 2020 Notification of abstract acceptance July 1, 2020 Early bird registration deadline July 15, 2020 Paper registration deadline September 18, 2020 Workshops, Special Sessions and Tutorials September 19-20, 2020 Main conference All info: http://www.bi2020.org/ <http://www.bi2020.org/>

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RaPID-3 @ LREC2020: extended deadline and final call for papers
by Dimitrios Kokkinakis 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

*Apologies for cross-postings* *============================* *RaPID-3*: "Resources and ProcessIng of linguistic, para-linguistic and extra-linguistic Data from people with various forms of cognitive/psychiatric/developmental impairments" *Date*: 11th May, 2020 *Venue*: Palais du Pharo, Marseille, France *Website*: <https://spraakbanken.gu.se/eng/rapid-2020> *Extended **Submission Deadline*: 16th Feb., 2020, 22nd Feb., 2020 *Submission page*: <https://www.softconf.com/lrec2020/RaPID-3> ============================ Papers must be compliant with the stylesheet adopted for the main conference Proceedings: https://lrec2020.lrec-conf.org/en/submission2020/authors-kit/ ============================ *Workshop Description: **Objectives* RaPID-3 aims to be an interdisciplinary forum for researchers to share information, findings, methods, models and experience on the collection and processing of data produced by people with various forms of mental, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, or neurodegenerative impairments, such as aphasia, dementia, autism, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease or schizophrenia. Particularly, the workshop's focus is on creation, processing and application of data resources from individuals at various stages of these impairments and with varying degrees of severity. Creation of resources includes e.g. annotation, description, analysis and interpretation of linguistic, paralinguistc and extra-linguistic data (such as spontaneous spoken language, transcripts, eyetracking measurements, wearable and sensor data, etc). Processing is done to identify, extract, correlate, evaluate and disseminate various linguistic or multimodal phenotypes and measurements, which then can be applied to aid diagnosis, monitor the progression or predict individuals at risk. A central aim is to facilitate the study of the relationships among various levels of linguistic, paralinguistic and extra-linguistic observations (e.g., acoustic measures; phonological, syntactic and semantic features; eye tracking measurements; sensors, signs and multimodal signals). Submission of papers are invited in all of the aforementioned areas, particularly emphasizing multidisciplinary aspects of processing such data and the interplay between clinical/nursing/medical sciences, language technology, computational linguistics, natural language processing (NLP) and computer science. The workshop will act as a stimulus for the discussion of several ongoing research questions driving current and future research by bringing together researchers from various research communities. For *Topics of interest, **Submission & Publication details, **Important Dates *and *the **Organizing and **Programme Committees *see*: ** <* *https://spraakbanken.gu.se/eng/rapid-2020* <https://spraakbanken.gu.se/eng/rapid-2020>*>*

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Final Program of the Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation, March 16-17, 2020
by Aurel A. Lazar 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation 2020 BCMC 2020 March 16-17, 2020 Davis Auditorium, CEPSR Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Overview The goal of the workshop is to bring together researchers interested in developing executable models of neural computation/processing of the brain of model organisms. Of interest are models of computation that consist of elementary units of processing using brain circuits and memory elements. Elementary units of computation/processing include population encoding/decoding circuits with biophysically-grounded neuron models, non-linear dendritic processors for motion detection/direction selectivity, spike processing and pattern recognition neural circuits, movement control and decision-making circuits, etc. Memory units include models of spatio-temporal memory circuits, circuit models for memory access and storage, etc. A major aim of the workshop is to explore the integration of various sensory and control circuits in higher brain centers. A Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon <http://fruitflybrain.org/hackathons.html> is being conducted in conjunction with the workshop. Workshop participants are welcome to attend the hackathon. Organizer and Program Chair Aurel A. Lazar <http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~aurel>, Columbia University Registration Registration is free but all participants have to register <http://bcmc2020.eventbrite.com/>. Thank you! Lodging and Directions to Venue Please follow this link <http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu/workshops/bcmc/2020/directions> for lodging details and directions to the hotel and venue. Sponsorship The 2020 Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation is supported by the Department of Electrical Engineering <http://www.ee.columbia.edu/>, Columbia University Center for Computing Systems for Data-Driven Science <https://datascience.columbia.edu/computing-systems>, Data Science Institute, Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science <http://www.engineering.columbia.edu/>, Columbia University The detailed program is available at : http://fruitflybrain.org/workshops.html <http://fruitflybrain.org/workshops.html> Aurel http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu

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Research Fellow In Approximate Data Structures
by Uwe Aickelin 10 Feb '20

10 Feb '20

Hi, It’s a great time to join one of the world’s leading Schools of Computing and Information Systems: We are looking for a Research Fellow In Approximate Data Structures to work with two of our top Professors: http://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/899981/research-fellow-in-approximate… Thanks, Uwe Aickelin Professor Uwe Aickelin | Head of School of Computing and Information Systems Melbourne School of Engineering Level 8, Doug McDonell Building, 168 Grattan Street The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia T: +61 3 8344 3635 E: uwe.aickelin(a)unimelb.edu.au<mailto:uwe.aickelin@unimelb.edu.au> http://aickelin.com/ | http://linkedin.com/in/aickelin I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which I work, and pay my respects to the Elders, past and present. CRICOS: 00116K This email and any attachments may contain personal information or information that is otherwise confidential or the subject of copyright. Any use, disclosure or copying of any part of it is prohibited. The University does not warrant that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or defects. Please check any attachments for viruses and defects before opening them. If this email is received in error, please delete it and notify us by return email. [signature_1111626909]<https://eng.unimelb.edu.au/about/join-mse/current-opportunities#current-opp…>

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Postdoc position in London --background in video games and/or numerical analysis of ODEs/PDEs and/or computational neuroscience.
by Dimitris Pinotsis 09 Feb '20

09 Feb '20

The Computational Neuroscience and Psychiatry Lab (www.pinotsislab.com) at University ofLondon—City is looking for a Post Doc with a strong background in video gamesand/or numerical analysis of ODEs/PDEs and/or computational neuroscience. The Lab focuses on developing new algorithms for the analysis of human and animal brain imaging data. These are based on computational models of neural dynamics and state of the art machine learning techniques. Particular emphasis is put on applications in Computational Psychiatry and developing models of brain pathology. Also, the Lab develops brain theories that can explain brain pathology, using theoretical tools from deepneural networks and Bayesian brain theories. The Post Doc shall conduct research in one or more of these areas. He/she will have the opportunity to shape the details of their project based on their specific interests. The successful candidate should have a PhD in applied mathematics, computational neuroscience, engineering or physics. Expertise in one or more modern scientific computing programming language (Python, Matlab or R) is essential. The candidate should also have familiarity with one or both of: i) the analysis of human and/or animal brain imaging data, and ii) computational modelling using numerical simulations of ordinary and/or partial differential equations or video game algorithms. For informal inquiries,please email Dr. Dimitris Pinotsis at pinotsis(a)mit.edu

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Feb 15 Application Deadline - 2020 Nengo Summer School
by Peter Blouw 09 Feb '20

09 Feb '20

[All details about this school can be found online at https://www.nengo.ai/summer-school] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce our 7th annual Nengo summer school on large-scale brain modelling and neuromorphic computing. This two-week school will teach participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Summer school participants will be given on-site access to Loihi, Intel’s neuromorphic research chip [1], and will learn to run high-level applications on Loihi using Nengo! More generally, Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems, and has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [2], which includes spiking deep learning, reinforcement learning, adaptive motor control, and cognitive control networks. For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w0BzvNOypc We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. [1] Davies, et al. (2018). Loihi: A neuromorphic manycore processor with on-chip learning. IEEE Micro. Vol. 38 no. 1 pp. 82-99. [ https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8259423] [2] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/files/publications/eliasmith.2012.pdf] ***Application Deadline: February 15, 2020*** Format: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on building neuromorphic applications, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware (e.g. Loihi, SpiNNaker, BrainDrop) - interface Nengo with (spiking and normal) cameras and robotic systems - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - build perceptual, motor, and sophisticated cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - and much more… Date and Location: June 7th to June 19th, 2020 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Applications: Please visit https://www.nengo.ai/summer-school/, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form. We ask that you provide a short description of a possible project, and to briefly indicate how this project might make use of the tools and methods that the summer school will be covering, as listed above. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (peter.blouw(a)appliedbrainresearch.com) The school is partially supported by Applied Brain Research, Inc. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Human Neocortical Neurosolver
by Stephanie Jones 08 Feb '20

08 Feb '20

Greetings — We are happy to announce a methods on our new software Human Neocortical Neurosolver (HNN) for cell and circuit level interpretation of human electro- and magneto-encephalography (EEG/MEG) is now in press in eLife and will be highlighted in the next issue of eLife digest. https://elifesciences.org/articles/51214 Human Neocortical Neurolover (HNN), a new software tool for interpreting the cellular and network origin of human MEG/EEG data. Magneto- and electro-encephalography (MEG/EEG) non-invasively record human brain activity with millisecond resolution providing reliable markers of healthy and disease states. Relating these macroscopic signals to underlying cellular- and circuit-level generators is a limitation that constrains using MEG/EEG to reveal novel principles of information processing or to translate findings into new therapies for neuropathology. To address this problem, we built Human Neocortical Neurosolver (HNN, https://hnn.brown.edu) software. HNN has a graphical user interface designed to help researchers and clinicians interpret the neural origins of MEG/EEG. HNN's core is a neocortical circuit model that accounts for biophysical origins of electrical currents generating MEG/EEG. Data can be directly compared to simulated signals and parameters easily manipulated to develop/test hypotheses on a signal's origin. Tutorials teach users to simulate commonly measured signals, including event related potentials and brain rhythms. HNN's ability to associate signals across scales makes it a unique tool for translational neuroscience research. HNN is an NIH funded collaborative project and you can learn more at https://hnn.brown.edu. Best, Stephanie (on behalf of the HNN development team) ******************************************* Stephanie R. Jones, PhD Associate Professor Brown University Department of Neuroscience Stephanie_Jones(a)Brown.edu https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/ <https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/> Human Neocortical Neurosolver https://hnn.brown.edu <https://hnn.brown.edu/>

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[meetings] Call for papers SAB2020, 16th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior, Cergy-Paris University
by alexandre pitti 07 Feb '20

07 Feb '20

Call for papers for the 16th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB2020) SAB 2020 : FROM ANIMALS TO ANIMATS 16 that will be held at Cergy-Paris University (near Paris), France 22-24 september 2020 + workshops day 21st https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ *Scope of the Conference* ========================= The objective of this interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers in computer science, artificial intelligence, artificial life, control, robotics, neurosciences, ethology, evolutionary biology and related fields in order to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural and artificial animals to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The conference will focus on experiments with well-defined models including robot models, computer simulation models and mathematical models designed to help characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive behavior in real animals and in synthetic agents, the animats. *Location* ========== Cergy-Paris University, close to Paris, France *Relevant Research Areas* ========================= SAB2020 solicits contributions dealing with any aspect of adaptive behavior in natural and artificial systems. Typical, but not exclusive, topics of interest are: The animat approach Motor control Body and brain co-evolution Self-assembling and self-replication Sensory-motor coordination Action selection and behavioral sequencing Navigation and mapping Internal models and representation Evolution, development and learning Collective and social behavior Applied adaptive behavior Motivation and emotion Communication and language Emergent structures and behaviors Neural correlates of behavior Evolutionary and co-evolutionary approaches Bio-inspired and hybrid robotics Autonomous robotics Humanoid robotics Cognitive and developmental robotics Software agents and virtual creatures Philosophical and psychological issues Animats in education *Conference Format* =================== Following the tradition of SAB conferences, the conference will be single track with additional poster sessions. There will also be a day of tutorials. *Important Dates* ================= The conference will be held between 22-24 Sep 2020 and the 21st of September will be dedicated to workshops and tutorials Submission deadline : 1st of April, 2020 Notification of Acceptance : 1st of May, 2020 Camera ready: 1st of June, 2020 workshops/tutorials: 21st of September, 2020 Venue: 22nd-24th of September, 2020 Workshop/Tutorial Proposal Deadline: 21st May, 2020 Workshop/Tutorial Notification of Acceptance: 31th May, 2020 *Paper Submission Instruction and Publication Details* ====================================================== Submitted papers must not exceed 12 pages. Detailed submission instructions are available from the conference website (https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ or soon http://www.sab2020.org/ ). Special Issue to Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence All accepted papers with oral or poster presentation will be published in Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series conference proceedings. Selected authors may additionally be invited to submit extended versions for a conference Special Issue of the Journal of Adaptive Behavior. *Workshops & tutorials* ======================= The SAB2020 organizing committee invites proposals for workshops and tutorials, which will be held on the 21st of September, 2020. Instructions for preparing the tutorial proposal and further details on the tutorials will be found at http://www.sab2020.sciencesconf.org / http://www.sab2020.org/ *Best Paper Award* ================== Two best paper prizes will be awarded at the end of the conference to honour the authors of papers of exceptional merit. For more information please refer to the official SAB2020 website. *Further Information* ===================== Up-to-date information will be published on the website https://sab2020.sciencesconf.org/ and http://www.sab2020.org/ . For information about local arrangements, registration forms, etc., please refer to the website or contact the local organizers at the address below. * Organizers * ============== ISAB Philippe Gaussier General Chair, UCP Sofiane Boucenna Program Chair, UCP Nicolas Cuperlier Program Chair, UCP Alexandre Pitti Local Chair and Publicity Chair, UCP *Conference Address* ==================== Cergy-Pontoise, CY Cergy-Paris University. Site Les Chênes *Contact * ========== sab2020(a)sciencesconf.org Alex Pitti Maître de Conférence Laboratoire ETIS, CY Cergy Paris Université, ENSEA, CNRS, UMR8051 http://perso-etis.ensea.fr/alexpitt/

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