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New Cognitive Science Master's program (cog-SUP) at Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Cité
by Mehdi Khamassi 15 Dec '23

15 Dec '23

We are happy to announce the birth of cog-SUP, a new interdisciplinary Master's program in Cognitive Science jointly offered by Sorbonne Université and Université Paris Cité. https://cog-sup.fr cog-SUP is an heir of the Cogmaster (2004-2025), itself a descendant of the DEA of Cognitive Science (1987-2004). As such, our pedagogical team and program benefit from more than 35 years of teaching experience in Cognitive Science in Paris. We offer *a broad interdisciplinary openness and a fundamentally collaborative spirit*, bringing together professors, researchers and students from very different backgrounds, united by common research questions. The large majority of courses are in English (except otherwise stated). The program is structured around *a unified core curriculum complemented by six robust disciplinary tracks*. To maintain a well-balanced and foundationally sound interdisciplinary education, cog-SUP is organized into six tracks: (1) psychology, (2) philosophy, (3) computational linguistics, (4) neuroscience, (5) computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence, (6) cognitive science and society. The program proposes innovative teaching methods, new contents addressing contemporary issues. We are particularly attentive to the human, ecological, societal and ethical issues of cognitive science. The program promotes scientific excellence and human values, within a French open university model, and includes important contributions from academics at CNRS, INSERM, EHESS, APHP, among other institutions. Applications for the M1 year will soon be open at https://cog-sup.fr/application/ *Application deadline: *10 March 2024 *Beginning of the M1-level of the program: *1 September 2024 Applications for the M2 year will take place in the Spring of 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year. *Beginning of the M2-level of the program: *1 September 2025 -- Mehdi Khamassi, PhD, HDR Research director (DR2) at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics Sorbonne Université, Paris, France http://www.isir.upmc.fr Co-resp. of modeling major for the Cogmaster program (until Summer 2025) Ecole Normale Supérieure (PSL University), EHESS, Univ. Paris Cité https://cogmaster.ens.psl.eu Co-director of the new master's program in Cognitive Science (cog-SUP) Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité https://cog-sup.fr Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems National Technical University of Athens, Greece https://www.iccs.gr/en/?noredirect=en_US Main contact details: Mehdi Khamassi Sorbonne Université, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie - ISIR - BC 173 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France tel: + 33 1 44 27 28 85 cell: +33 6 50 76 44 92 email:mehdi.khamassi@sorbonne-universite.fr https://pages2.isir.upmc.fr/mkhamassi/

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Fully Funded Summer Internships at CCN (Flatiron Institute, NYC)
by Matthew Turner 15 Dec '23

15 Dec '23

Dear all, The Center for Computational Neuroscience at the Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation will be offering our fully-funded summer internships once again in 2024. More details are included below and on the application page <https://apply.interfolio.com/137388>, and applications are due by February 2, 2024. Please feel welcome to share widely and contact me with any questions. *Summer Interns (Undergraduate, Graduate, and Pre-Doctoral)* *ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW* The Center for Computational Neuroscience (CCN) aims to develop theories, models, and computational methods that deepen our knowledge of brain function — both in health and in disease. CCN takes a “systems" neuroscience approach, building models that are motivated by fundamental principles, that are constrained by properties of neural circuits and responses, and that provide insights into perception, cognition and behavior. This cross-disciplinary approach not only leads to the design of new model-driven scientific experiments, but also encapsulates current functional descriptions of the brain that can spur the development of new engineered computational systems, especially in the realm of machine learning. CCN is one of five centers that make up the Flatiron Institute, an internal scientific unit of the Simons Foundation, focused on computational aspects of a wide range of basic science. The general mission of the Flatiron Institute is to advance scientific research through computational methods, including theory, modeling, simulation and data analysis. CCN’s core research groups include computational vision <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Eero Simoncelli <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/eero-p-simoncelli/>, PI), neural circuits and algorithms <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Dmitri ‘Mitya’ Chklovskii <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/dmitri-mitya-chklovskii/>, PI), neuroAI and geometric data analysis <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (SueYeon Chung <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/sueyeon-chung/>, PI), statistical analysis of neural data <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-neurosci…> (Alex Williams <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/alex-williams/>, PI). Candidates must select a primary group for their application, and can optionally indicate a secondary group. Candidates specifically interested in contributing to open source software projects at CCN should indicate the NeuroRSE group <https://neurorse.flatironinstitute.org/events/2023/11/17/summer-2024-intern…> as their secondary group. *POSITION SUMMARY * CCN invites applications for paid summer internship positions by motivated students in computational neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, machine learning, computer science or related fields. The purpose of this Summer Internship Program is to allow students studying in a relevant field the opportunity to be employed at the CCN for the purpose of collaborating on a research project with one or more CCN staff mentors. Knowledge of neuroscience is helpful but not required. Interested applicants should review the research group pages listed above, and should describe in their research statement the project on which they'd like to collaborate and the research group(s) with whom they’d like to work. Undergraduate students will be appointed with the title of Summer Research Assistant, graduate students will be appointed with the title of Summer Research Associates, and advanced doctoral students (defined as doctoral students who have passed comprehensive/qualifying exams and are actively working on their thesis) will be appointed as Summer Predoctoral Scholars. CCN Summer Interns are invited to participate as full members of the CCN and Flatiron communities during their term of residency. CCN Summer Interns are assigned a primary mentor and research group within the center, are invited to attend and present within their research group’s meetings, and are also invited to participate in meetings of CCN’s other research groups as well as center- and Flatiron-wide activities such as guest lectures, training on use of the Institute’s robust scientific computing resources, and intern social activities. Finally, Summer Interns will be invited to present their work at an Institute-wide symposium held at the end of the residency period. The CCN Summer Internship Program will take place in-person at the Simons Foundation’s offices in New York City. CCN will provide eligible Summer Interns roundtrip travel to New York City and subsidized housing for the duration of their employment. Intern appointment titles and compensation will be determined based on the intern’s education level and experience. Visit the Summer at Simons page <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/summer-at-simons/>to learn more. *ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES* ● Reporting to the assigned mentor in the CCN, the projects will involve analysis of neuroscience data and modeling networks, applying the skills of analytical calculations and computer programming ● Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required *MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS* *Education:* ● Candidates should be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree program in computational neuroscience, electrical engineering, physics, computer science or related fields. ● Candidates must have permission to participate in the program from their dissertation advisor/PI (CCN PIs will be in touch with advisors directly to confirm). *Experience:* ● Experience with research projects in electrical engineering, computer science physics or related fields is helpful. *Related Skills & Other Requirements:* ● The successful applicant should have experience with programming in Matlab, Python, or C ● The applicant should have satisfactorily completed Cal III and Linear Algebra (NeuroRSE applicants are exempt from this requirement) ● The applicant should have experience with basic optimization and machine learning techniques (Helpful but not required for NeuroRSE candidates) ● Elementary knowledge of neuroscience is helpful *Summer Internship Program and Deadlines* ● Summer Internship Period: May 28 to August 9, 2024 ● Deadline to apply: February 2, 2024 Decisions will be made on a rolling basis through Friday, March 15, 2024. *REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS* ● Curriculum vitae with bibliography; ● Research statement of no more than two pages describing the candidate’s past research experience, the research project on which the candidate would like to work, and the CCN research group(s) with whom the candidate would like to collaborate. *COMPENSATION* ● Interns at the Research Assistant (undergraduate) level will earn $20.00 per hour ● Interns at the Research Associate (graduate) level will earn $25.00 per hour ● Interns at the Predoctoral Researcher (advanced doctoral students) will earn $28.85 per hour. *THE SIMONS FOUNDATION'S DIVERSITY COMMITMENT* Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. To apply, please visit: https://apply.interfolio.com/137388 Cordially, MATTHEW B. TURNER any pronouns Senior Manager for Center Administration | Center for Computational Neuroscience Co-Chair, Flatiron Institute Professional Development Committee Flatiron Institute 917.363.1095 mobile mturner(a)flatironinstitute.org 162 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 simonsfoundation.org/flatiron <https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/>

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Full time Lecturer in Computational/Cognitive Neuroscience (Manchester, UK)
by Caroline Lea-Carnall 14 Dec '23

14 Dec '23

The University of Manchester wishes to appoint a full-time Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience / Experimental Psychology / Cognitive Neuroscience (Teaching and Research) to join the Division of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience at the University of Manchester. The successful applicant will have a research profile that has a strong fit to key research themes in the Division. Candidates with demonstrable skills and interests in applying computational approaches to central research questions in experimental psychology and/or cognitive neuroscience are particularly encouraged to apply. The successful applicant will contribute to undergraduate and masters level teaching with a particular focus on contemporary technical research skills (e.g. Python, GitHub, advanced statistical analysis in R). Application deadline: 11th December 2023 Full details and how to apply here: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?isPreview=Yes&jobid=27033&a… Caroline Lea-Carnall, PhD | Lecturer in Neuroscience | School of Health Sciences | Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health The University of Manchester | Room 3.07d, Zochonis Building | Oxford Road | Manchester M13 9PG

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Faculty Positions in Human Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Indiana University-Bloomington
by Zoran Tiganj 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington invite applications for *three* tenured Associate Professor positions in one or more of the following areas: *human intelligence, artificial intelligence, and machine learning* to begin in Fall 2024 or after. Appointments will be in one or more departments, including Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Informatics, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. The positions are part of a new initiative that aims to transform our understanding of human and artificial intelligence, centered around the new Mind Brain Machine Quadrangle and the Luddy Artificial Intelligence Center. IU has long been an international leader in research on cognition across humans, animals, and artificial systems, and how intelligence manifests in embodied cognition. These hires build on existing strengths to position IU at the forefront of new research innovations in our understanding of human and animal cognition, the development of intelligent computing technologies, and the use of machine learning applied to a wide range of phenomena. *Qualifications: *Applicants must have a PhD in cognitive science, computer science, neuroscience, psychology, or a related field, and a record of scholarship, teaching, and professional experience appropriate for a tenured professorship at IU Bloomington. The positions are open at the associate professor levels, but exceptional candidates at the full and assistant professor level may be considered. To advance scholarly innovation and excellence, we especially welcome candidates who will broadly increase the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion through any of the following: their lived experience, research, teaching, and/or mentoring. Candidates should be able to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team environment. *Application Procedures:* To apply, submit a CV, letter of application that describes your research, teaching, and engagement with fostering a diverse and welcoming work environment, and be prepared to provide the names of six references. References will only be contacted for those candidates moving to advanced stages of consideration. Interested candidates should submit applications at: https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/21731. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. *Applications received by January 5, 2024 will be given full consideration.* The position’s expected start date is August 1, 2024; however, alternative dates can be considered. All queries about the position or the application procedures may be addressed to faculty1(a)indiana.edu. Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. -------------- Zoran Tiganj, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Indiana University Bloomington https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/ztiganj/ <https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/ztiganj/%E2%80%8B>

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PhD scholarship in neuroimaging and computational neuroscience (IIT, Italy)
by Jean-Charles Rene' Pasquin Mariani 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

Dear comp-neuro list, We propose a four-year studentship aiming to provide students with a multi-disciplinary training in conducting research at the interface of brain functional imaging and computational neuroscience. The project, in partnership with the university of Trento, is directed by Alessandro Gozzi (Functional Neuroimaging Lab, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy) and co-supervised by Stefano Panzeri (Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Centre for molecular biology, , Hamburg, Germany). Please refer to this website<https://www.fens.org/careers/job-market/job/116962> for the full offer. See you soon at the doorsteps of the Dolomites. BW, JC Mariani

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Swartz postdoctoral fellowship in theoretical neuroscience at Harvard
by Blum, Kenneth I. 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

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, a Swartz postdoctoral fellowship<https://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/research/theory/#swartz> is available at Harvard University with a start date in the summer or fall of 2024. Postdocs join a vibrant group of theoretical<https://websites.harvard.edu/cbs/research/theory/> and experimental neuroscientists plus theorists in allied fields at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science<https://websites.harvard.edu/cbs/>. The Center for Brain Science includes 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. Applications will be considered immediately and continuing until the position is filled. 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>) or Kenneth Blum (kenneth_blum(a)harvard.edu<mailto:kenneth_blum@harvard.edu>). Applications should have “Swartz Fellowship” in the subject line. We strongly welcome applications from persons from underrepresented groups. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.

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Exciting news from INCF: Neuroscience Community & Neuroinformatics special collection
by INCF 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

Exciting news from INCF: 1. Launch of *Neruoscience Community* 2. Contribute to *Neuroinformatics* special collection *1. Launch of Neuroscience Community* Together, INCF and GA4GH has launched the *Neuroscience Community*, connecting global neuroscience and genomic data, and developing standards and systems needed to power data visiting! This new group unites collaborators from around the world to share best practices and improve standards that will expand the responsible use of data. Learn more <http://bit.ly/INCFandGA4GH> *2. Contribute to Neuroinformatics special collection* Are you developing training in computational neuroscience, data science, data management, or neuroinformatics? Please consider sending your work to the special collection at *Neuroinformatics* - Bridging the gap: How neuroinformatics is preparing the next generation of neuroscience researchers. Even better, the collection is guest-edited by INCF! Learn more <https://link.springer.com/collections/hfghcbgaeg>

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Call for Abstracts – Neural Traces 2024: Advanced M/EEG Methods and Clinical Applications Workshop
by Nguyen, Tien Dung 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

Neural Traces 2024: Advanced M/EEG Methods and Clinical Applications Workshop April 10-12, 2024 @ PTB Berlin, Germany https://neuraltraces2024.org<https://neuraltraces2024.org/> | Submission deadline: January 8, 2024 | Registration opening: February 1, 2024 Neural Traces is an onsite, three-day workshop on methods in electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (M/EEG) and their clinical applications. Advances in M/EEG, and the methods employed to extract information from their corresponding signals, have increasingly contributed to our understanding of brain function and network connectivity. In this workshop, we review various methods that have been developed to enable accurate source imaging from these electrophysiological modalities. We also discuss M/EEG signal extraction and interpretation in the context of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. We are soliciting extended abstract submissions for contributed oral and poster presentations. Topics Suitable submissions may cover but are not limited to the following topics: I. Advanced M/EEG data analysis methods: * Signal processing and time series modeling * Forward and inverse modeling * Machine learning and multivariate modeling * Open science (software, data, standards, protocols, ...) II. Clinical applications of M/EEG: * Movement disorders * Aging and dementia * Psychiatric and developmental disorders * Epilepsy * Sleep and consciousness disorders Submission guidelines Title, author list and affiliations, 700-word (maximum) extended abstract outlining the study's background, approach, (preliminary) findings and significance, and references. Optional: figure with a 150-word (maximum) description Registration and on-site participation is required for presenters. Please visit https://neuraltraces2024.org<https://neuraltraces2024.org/> for abstract submission, registration, and further information about the workshop. Important dates * January 8, 2024: Abstract submission closes * February 1, 2024: Workshop registration opens Workshop hosts and support Neural Traces 2024 is organized by the Brain and Data Science Group at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Machine Learning and Inverse Modeling Group at PTB Berlin, and the Uncertainty, Inverse Modeling and Machine Learning (UNIML) Group at Technische Universität Berlin. The Workshop is partially supported by the European Research Council (Funding ID: 758985) and the Helmholtz Fund.

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Modelling with NeuroML: ecosystem updates and pre-print
by Ankur Sinha 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

Dear all, This is to alert you to the availability of exciting new resources for the model description language NeuroML and a recently posted bioRxiv preprint on the ecosystem of NeuroML-compliant tools for data-driven modelling of neurons and circuits. In the preprint (doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.07.570537) we provide a major update on the current scope of the NeuroML standard, the software ecosystem and describe the newly extended online resources for helping researchers incorporate NeuroML into their modelling work. We show how the modular nature and hierarchical structure of NeuroMLv2, combined with the flexibility of coding in Python, has created a powerful "building block" approach for constructing standardised models from scratch. Moreover, we illustrate how the ecosystem of NeuroML compliant tools supports users at all stages of the model development life cycle. This includes automated model validation, advanced analysis, visualisation, and sharing/reuse of models. The paper demonstrates how NeuroML unifies and standardises the diverse approaches to biologically-detailed computational modelling of neural systems, by enabling an ecosystem of interoperable tools that support the FAIR principles and promotes open, transparent and reproducible science. In the newly updated NeuroML online resources (https://docs.neuroml.org) we provide tutorials on how to use NeuroML to build, validate and share standardised models together with extensive documentation on this INCF approved community standard. We hope you find these resources useful for your modelling work. On behalf of the NeuroML community, Ankur Sinha, Padraig Gleeson, and Angus Silver. -- Thanks, Regards, Ankur Sinha (He / Him / His) | https://ankursinha.in Research Fellow at the Silver Lab, University College London | http://silverlab.org/ Free/Open source community volunteer at the NeuroFedora project | https://neuro.fedoraproject.org Time zone: Europe/London

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Seventh Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling
by Jelmer Borst 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

– ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs – Date: 8-12 April 2024 Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Fee: € 305 (late fee after March 7 will be € 355) More information and registration: http://www.ai.rug.nl/springschool/ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Dear colleagues and students, We are excited to announce the seventh Spring School on Cognitive Modeling in Groningen, from 8-12 April 2024! The Spring School will cover three different modeling paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, and PRIMs. Each of these topics consists of a series of lectures, as well as a number of hands-on exercises (tutorials). Past years have shown that students get most out of the spring school if they really immerse themselves into one modeling paradigm. We therefore recommend you choose one topic for which you will attend both the lectures as well as the tutorials. In addition, you can select a second paradigm, for which you attend the lectures only. To give students a broader picture, there will be multiple guest lectures throughout the week. These lectures will give an introduction to other modeling paradigms, as well as practical research examples to show you what can be done with the modeling paradigms presented! Everyone is encouraged to attend those lectures. To round off the program, there will be a poster session, where students present themselves and their research, as well as a city tour, and our (in)famous spring school dinner. Registration is now open. Please feel free to forward the information to anyone who might be interested in the Spring School, and let us know if you have any questions! We are looking forward to welcoming you (again) in Groningen, The Spring School team springschool(a)rug.nl <mailto:springschool@rug.nl> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ACT-R Teachers: Jelmer Borst & Stephen Jones (University of Groningen) Website: http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/> ACT-R is a high-level cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time experiments to driving a car, learning algebra, and air traffic control. ACT-R can be used to develop process models of a task at a symbolic level. Participants will follow a compressed five-day version of the traditional summer school curriculum. We will also cover the connection between ACT-R and fMRI. Nengo Teacher: Terry Stewart (University of Waterloo) Website: http://www.nengo.ca <http://www.nengo.ca/> Nengo is a toolkit for converting high-level cognitive theories into low-level spiking neuron implementations. In this way, aspects of model performance such as response accuracy and reaction times emerge as a consequence of neural parameters such as the neurotransmitter time constants. It has been used to model adaptive motor control, visual attention, serial list memory, reinforcement learning, Tower of Hanoi, and fluid intelligence. Participants will learn to construct these kinds of models, starting with generic tasks like representing values and positions, and ending with full production-like systems. There will also be special emphasis on extracting various forms of data out of a model, such that it can be compared to experimental data. PRIMs Teacher: Niels Taatgen (University of Groningen) Website: https://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/prims/index.html How do people handle and prioritize multiple tasks? How can we learn something in the context of one task, and partially benefit from it in another task? The goal of PRIMs is to cross the artificial boundary that most cognitive architectures have imposed on themselves by studying single tasks. It has mechanisms to model transfer of cognitive skills, and the competition between multiple goals. In the tutorial we will look at how PRIMs can model phenomena of cognitive transfer and cognitive training, and how multiple goals compete for priority in models of distraction.

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ICMNS 2024 deadline extension for contributed talks and posters
by Avitabile, D. (Daniele) 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

Dear All, We remind you of the open call for contributed talks and posters for ICMNS 2024, which will take place at University College Dublin on the 12th-14th June 2024. In addition to plenary and invited talks, the conference will feature contributed talks and a poster session. Following a review process, presenters of contributed talks may be offered a slot in one of our plenary sessions. We have extended the deadline for submitting contributed talks and posters to the 16th of January 2024 at 23:59 (GMT), so that there will be one last chance to collect contributions after the Christmas break. This will be the final deadline for submissions. You can submit your contribution and read more about the conference at our website danieleavitabile.com/icmns24 We look forward to receiving your contributions. Daniele Avitabile, Áine Byrne, and Jonathan Rubin

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A podcast about how I introduced neural networks in 1957 and discovered how resonant brain states may become conscious
by Grossberg, Stephen 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

Dear Comp-neuro colleagues, I have attached below the title and url of a two-hour video podcast about my life and work developing neural network models of how our brains make our minds, and applying them to solve large-scale problems in engineering, technology, and AI. The podcast discussion is wide-ranging, including: How I came to introduce neural networks in 1957 as a college Freshman, and How I came to model how resonant brain processes embody conscious awareness. The title of the podcast is: How Do Resonant Brains Make Conscious Minds? Towards Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness https://lnkd.in/eS8n-ZTj This is a discussion with Tevin Naidu from his series Mind-Body Solution. The podcast was motivated by my Magnum Opus CONSCIOUS MIND, RESONANT BRAIN: HOW EACH BRAIN MAKES A MIND https://lnkd.in/eiJh4Ti that I wrote to be self-contained and non-technical for a general audience. Best, Steve Grossberg Stephen Grossberg Wang Professor of Cognitive and Neural Systems Director, Center for Adaptive Systems Emeritus Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering Boston University sites.bu.edu/steveg/ steve(a)bu.edu<mailto:steve@bu.edu> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Grossberg http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3BIV70wAAAAJ&hl=en https://sites.bu.edu/steveg/files/2021/08/Grossberg-CV-8-14-21.pdf https://youtu.be/9n5AnvFur7I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hBye6JQCh4

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Support the EPSRC/MRC Neurodevelopmental Network Reliability Group!
by Fabrizi, Lorenzo 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

Hi all, RESPECT 4 Neurodevelopment<https://respect4neurodevelopment.com/> is an EPSRC/ MRC funded UKRI-Network Plus; which aims to make transformative changes in developing child-specific neurotechnologies for the clinic and home. One of the missions of the network is to understand issues around Reliability in EEG, fNIRS and MRI in Neurodevelopment. 🔬🧠👶 We need your support in writing a White Paper that discusses the reliability of neurotech by completing a 10 min questionnaire about what reliability means to you and the procedures you follow in your lab or company to assess reliability. Please find the questionnaire here<https://forms.gle/y9oxZ7RS5t6JYpK37> and complete it before 15th of January 2024. Many thanks from the EPSRC/MRC Neurodevelopmental Network Reliability Group. Lorenzo Fabrizi, PhD Associate Professor Medical Research Foundation Fellow Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology Department Room G17A, Medawar Building Bloomsbury Campus University College London Gower St, London WC1E 6BT office tel. 02031081888 (int. 51888)

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Postdoctoral position in the Rich Lab and the University of Connecticut
by Scott Rich 11 Dec '23

11 Dec '23

Dear Comp-Neuro Listserv, The official posting for the open Postdoctoral position in my lab, opening in January at the University of Connecticut's Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, is available here: https://jobs.hr.uconn.edu/cw/en-us/job/498073/postdoctoral-research-associa… <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjobs.hr.u…> I encourage anyone interested in pursuing postdoctoral research in computational neuroscience, particularly those interested in using biophysically motivated models to understand the role of heterogeneity in driving physiologically-relevant brain function, to apply. If you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student, you can still apply to the department following the guidelines outlined here: https://pnb.uconn.edu/graduate/graduate-application-and-admission-informati… In addition, if you're applying to either position, please also fill out this Google Form so that I know to keep an eye out for your application: https://forms.gle/r4m5VNZQJDAjKgcM8 Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have. Sincerely, Scott Rich

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ICANN 2024 - Call for Workshops and Special Sessions
by Sebastian Otte 11 Dec '23

11 Dec '23

Call for Workshops and Special Sessions The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2024, the ICANN will take place in Lugano, Switzerland. Conference Dates: September 17 to September 20, 2024 Conference Venue: Campus of the University of Southern Switzerland and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Via la Santa 1, 6962 Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland. Conference Webpage: https://icann2024.org We invite prospective organizers to submit Workshop and Special Session Proposals. Special Sessions focus on specific topics within the general scope of the conference. Their goal is to provide a forum for focalized discussions on state-of-the-art research in their specific field. Special Sessions have the same duration as a standard session (2 hours), and submissions should follow the same format as for the main conference track (12-15 pages, Springer format, peer reviewed). The internal organization of Special Sessions is up to the organizer (for example, it is possible to reserve more time for some distinguished speaker, or for a demonstration). Workshops have a broader focus than Special Sessions; they have the goal to showcase specific methods and applications to the general conference audience. While workshops normally feature peer-reviewed submissions, this is not obligatory for invited speaker(s). They can usually take up the entire conference day (or even more) and may feature a free format with presentations, panel discussions, brainstorming, etc. The program chairs are happy to discuss specific arrangements with prospective organizers. The organizer has the tasks of helping to publicize the special session/workshop, providing a list of scientists who would be invited to submit articles, organizing the review process (if appropriate), and finally chairing the session. Please send a short description of your proposal, including the responsible chairs, to program-committee(a)icann2024.org. We will then get in touch with you. For each accepted Workshop, we offer one free conference registration. Deadline for Workshop and Special Session Proposals: February 1, 2024. Direct all questions to program-committee(a)icann2024.org. Thanks for your contribution! Link to this call: https://e-nns.org/icann2024/call-for-workshops-and-special-sessions/

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Undergraduate Volunteers and Travel Prize for Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI Convention, Rome, 28-31st May 2024
by Battleday, Ruairidh 11 Dec '23

11 Dec '23

The organizing committee is recruiting two volunteers to help prepare for and run the 5th International Convention on the Mathematics of Neuroscience and AI: www.neuromonster.org This year's conference is to be held in Rome, 28th-31st May 2024. We are seeking two undergraduate students at British universities to help with conference organization. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and a response sent as soon as a decision is made, via the following link: https://forms.gle/RETRucgZEYPRnfoc8 *Position 1: website and registrations (30 hours before and during the conference)* This position will involve keeping the website updated with speaker information (via Squarespace), ensuring speakers complete registration, and ensuring people that register online complete the full registration process. It will also involve helping the Italian staff with the registration desk on the first day. *Position 2: AV equipment, zoom, and processing recordings (30 hours during and after the conference)* This position will involve making sure the virtual components of the conference are running smoothly, and processing talk recordings after the conference. *Benefits* This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in cognitive science, computational neuroscience, or machine learning and artificial intelligence to become involved in a major international event! Through it, you will meet established and rising stars in the field, gain an appreciation of what research at a graduate level and beyond is like, and understand the workings of a nonprofit and conference. Our previous iterations have been called "the best conference ever" by many attendees! *Requirements* We are looking for two undergraduate students reading for degrees related to cognitive science, computational neuroscience, or machine learning and artificial intelligence at *British Higher Education *universities and / or institutions. Most of all, we are looking for enthusiastic young scientists interested in careers in these three fields! You may apply with a friend or colleague and split the two positions. Conversational-level Italian is preferred, but not essential. *Remuneration* We will cover flights to Rome for the conference from the UK, as well as accommodation and a modest food and drink budget. Any further questions, please feel free to email battleday(a)thinkingaboutthinking.org. -- Dr Ruairidh McLennan Battleday BMBCh (Oxon) PhD Executive Director Thinking About Thinking Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Brain Science, Harvard University Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT

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DENDRITES 2024 call for abstracts
by Julijana Gjorgjieva 10 Dec '23

10 Dec '23

DENDRITES 2024 EMBO Workshop on Dendritic Anatomy, Molecules and Function 21-24 May 2024, Chania, Crete, GREECE https://meetings.embo.org/event/24-dendrites Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the solicitation of abstracts for short oral or poster presentations at the EMBO Workshop on DENDRITES 2024, which will take place in Chania, Crete on 21-24 May 2024. This is the 5th of a very successful series of meetings on the island of Crete that is dedicated to dendrites. The meeting will bring together scientific leaders from around the globe to present their theoretical and experimental work on dendrites. The meeting program is designed to facilitate discussions of new ideas and discoveries, in a relaxed atmosphere that emphasizes interaction. Please register and submit your abstract online at: https://meetings.embo.org/event/24-dendrites No payment is required for abstract submission. Submissions of abstracts are due by February 9th, 2024. Notifications will be provided by March 1st, 2024 Registration payment due by April 15th, 2024 Potential attendees are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract as presenters will have registration priority. For more information about the conference, please refer to our web site or send email to info(a)mitos.com.gr We look forward to seeing you in person at DENDRITES 2024! The organizers, Julijana Gjorgjieva, Mark Harnett, Lucy Palmer and Yiota Poirazi ----------------------------------------- Julijana Gjorgjieva, PhD Professor of Computational Neuroscience Technical University of Munich School of Life Sciences Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 3 85354 Freising, Germany office: +49 8161 71 2709 https://www.mls.ls.tum.de/compneuro/

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Invitation to participate in a study on scientific reasoning
by Dubova, Marina Aleksandrovna 07 Dec '23

07 Dec '23

Dear colleague, We are conducting an online study to explore how scientists, like yourself, learn about the world. We are inviting you to participate in the experiment. Study Details The study takes roughly 30 minutes, during which you will be exploring the functions of a fictional brain area by conducting scientific experiments. Your objective will be to learn the link between this neural area and behavioral outcomes. Eligibility 18+ years old Current PhD student or higher in Neuroscience or a similar field (including postdocs, junior & senior faculty, research scientists, etc) Residing in the US Compensation You will receive $10 reimbursement through Paypal, Venmo, or a gift card of your choice. If you are interested in participating in the study, please email Marina Dubova at mdubova(a)iu.edu<mailto:mdubova@iu.edu> to sign up. Thank you for considering participating in this study. Your participation could help shape our understanding of how scientists learn about the world and how this learning could be improved. Best, Marina Dubova and Robert Goldstone Indiana University Cognitive Science Program

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[jobs] 2 four year PhD Scholarships at International Graduate School of Neuroscience in Bochum, Germany
by Laurenz Wiskott 06 Dec '23

06 Dec '23

Dear All, the International Graduate School of Neuroscience (https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/index.html) at Ruhr University Bochum (https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de) offers two four year PhD Scholarships financed through the DAAD (https://www.daad.de/en/) for experimentalists as well as computational people. For details see: * General Information: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-information.html * Requirements: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-requirements.html + Please read this carefully before applying. * Application: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn/admission/daad-application.html + Deadline is 31.1.2024 Best, Laurenz Wiskott. __________________________________________________________________________ Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott room: NB 3/29 Institut für Neuroinformatik phone: +49 234 32-27997 Fakultät für Informatik fax: +49 234 32-14210 Ruhr Universität Bochum laurenz.wiskott(a)rub.de D-44780 Bochum, Germany https://www.ini.rub.de/PEOPLE/wiskott/ __________________________________________________________________________

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Postdoc on Dravet syndrome modeling: Inria (Montpellier, France) and BCAM (Bilbao, Spain)
by Mathieu Desroches 06 Dec '23

06 Dec '23

Dear all, We have funds for a two-year postdoc on Dravet syndrome modeling. This is part of an international collaboration between Inria (Bordeaux, Montpellier, Sophia Antipolis, France) and BCAM - the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (Bilbao, Spain), involving Fabien Campillo <https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Fabien.Campillo/index.html>, Pierre Del Moral <https://people.bordeaux.inria.fr/pierre.delmoral/>, Mathieu Desroches <https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Mathieu.Desroches/> and Serafim Rodrigues <https://www.bcamath.org/en/research/areas/m3a/mcen>. The postdoc will be based at Inria, in Montpellier. The aim of the project is to develop a multiscale model of Dravet syndrome, from ionic channels of interacting neurons to large neural populations. We will use various modeling frameworks, adapted to the scale, from piecewise-deterministic Markov processes to mean-field formalism. The postdoc will perform a mathematical analysis of the models, extensive numerical simulations as well as data analysis using neural recordings from our experimental partners. Regarding profiles that we are seeking, familiarity of the candidate with mathematical modeling in Neuroscience and Markov processes. Ability and willingness to do programming, as well as analyse experimental data, will also be a strong point to select candidates. Please apply online via the following page (deadline: Dec. 31st): https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/2023-06688 https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/2023-06688 If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us directly: Fabien Campillo: fabien.campillo(a)inria.fr <mailto:Fabien.campillo@inria.fr> Mathieu Desroches: mathieu.desroches(a)inria.fr <mailto:mathieu.desroches@inria.fr> Best, Mathieu Desroches. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Mathieu Desroches Research Director (Directeur de Recherche) MathNeuro <https://team.inria.fr/mathneuro/> Project Team Leader Centre Inria d'Université Côte d'Azur, France https://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Mathieu.Desroches/

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[Journals] [CFP] Reminder of Special Issue: NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: The Making of Engaging HRI Technology Your Brain Can’t Resist (Deadline Extension - Dec 29)
by NeuroDesign in HRI 06 Dec '23

06 Dec '23

Dear Esteemed Roboticist, Neuroscientists, Psychologists and Designers, I hope this email finds you well in your bustling schedule. Just a sweet reminder that the deadline for submitting your paper for the Journal - Frontiers in Robotics and AI, special research topic: NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction, is approaching on December 29th. We truly cherish your insights and are looking forward to reading your contribution. Specifically, for those focusing on the design and theoretical aspects of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), we are particularly interested in submissions that explore the brain's or neural mechanisms' roles in processing information during HRI from cognitive and psychological perspectives. Understanding the fundamental design methodologies, such as robot morphology and interactive behaviors, or theoretical principles, including algorithms and philosophical concepts, is crucial. These insights will guide us in creating more engaging and seamless interactions. Therefore, we are especially eager to receive submissions in the fields of cognitive robotics or neurorobotics, particularly those incorporating user studies in their design of HRI. If you foresee any challenges in meeting the deadline, we kindly request that you notify us as soon as possible. This will allow us to make the necessary adjustments. Depending on your individual circumstances, we may consider extending the deadline to January 2024. Thank you for your commitment and contributions to our field. We eagerly look forward to your submission. Wishing you a wonderful day and smooth writing! Warm regards, Topic Editors NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction For more information, visit our website at https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/51072/neurodesign-in-human-robo… or contact the topic editors at neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com. On Thu, Nov 9, 2023 at 9:08 PM NeuroDesign in HRI <neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com> wrote: > (Call for Papers & Deadline Extension) > > NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: The Making of Engaging HRI > Technology Your Brain Can’t Resist > > We are pleased to announce a call for papers and the extension of the > deadline for the special issue - “NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction: > The making of engaging HRI technology your brain can’t resist”. This > special issue will be published in the research topic of the journal - Frontiers > in Robotics and AI and Frontiers in Neurorobotics. In this special issue, > we will discuss the fascinating Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research with > the interfacing of applied neuroscience, psychology and design > methodologies. > > Scope of submissions: > > The complex tapestry of human biology, consciousness, and cognition > presents a unique challenge for technology designed to interact with us. > This complexity demands a multidisciplinary approach that leverages > insights from neuroscience, behavioral psychology, cognitive science, and > artificial intelligence to address the barriers that currently hinder > natural and effective human-robot interaction. > > This special issue aims to bridge the gap between laboratory research and > practical applications, guiding the development of HRI strategies that are > not only technically proficient but also intuitive, engaging, and > cognitively harmonious with human operators. > > Topics: > > We invite original research, review articles, and perspective pieces that > contribute to the following non-exhaustive list of topics: > > 1. Neuroscience-Driven HRI Strategies: > > - Use of neuroimaging tools (fMRI, EEG, fNIRS) to decode brain > activities that can enhance HRI. > > - Translational neuroscience methods to inform and refine HRI design. > > 2. Iterative Development and Brain-Centric Interfaces: > > - Insights from iterative design processes to craft improved human, > brain, and robot interfaces. > > - Integration of human and robot in a symbiotic closed-loop system > through innovative I/O interfaces. > > 3. Invasive and Non-Invasive NeuroDesign Applications: > > - Development of smart wearables, exoskeletons, or implantable devices > monitoring brainwaves and physiological signals. > > - Design of interfaces to track and influence mechanical movements in > tandem with human motion. > > 4. Neurofeedback Devices for Emotional and Behavioral Regulation: > > - Application of devices such as tDCS, tMS, NMES for neural or muscular > stimulation. > > - Exploration of neurofeedback's role in modulating emotional and > behavioral states in HRI contexts. > > 5. AI and Machine Learning in NeuroDesign: > > - Co-design of hardware and software integrating AI to enhance the user > experience. > > - Implementation of machine learning algorithms for a brain-centered > approach in perception and cognition. > > Submission Deadline: > > December 29, 2023 (extended) > > Discounts and Fee Support: > > 1. Frontiers institutional agreements: > https://www.frontiersin.org/about/institutional-partnerships > <https://www.frontiersin.org/about/institutional-partnerships> > > 2. Open-access funding sources: > https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_publication_funds > <https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_publication_funds> > > 3. Frontiers’ fee support program: > https://frontiersin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YqUCmY73k4Gm0u > <https://frontiersin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YqUCmY73k4Gm0u> > > Additionally, separate to fee support, we are currently offering 25% > discounts for Type-A articles and 50% discounts for Type-B articles received > before the manuscript deadline. This is on a first-come-first-served basis. > > A-Type Articles: Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, > Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis & Theory, Clinical Trial, > Registered Report, Technology and Code > > B-Type Articles: Mini Review, Perspective, Case Report, Brief Research > Report > > > How to Submit: > > Please submit your full paper through the journal’s online submission > system. For more information, visit our website at > > > https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/51072/neurodesign-in-human-robo… > > or contact the topic editors at neurodesign.hri(a)gmail.com. > > We look forward to your contribution to this cutting-edge topic at the > intersection of technology, brain research, and human-robot symbiosis. > > > Sincerely yours, > > Topic Editors > > NeuroDesign in Human-Robot Interaction >

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CFP - IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning 2024 (Deadline extension)
by nagai.yukie＠mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp 06 Dec '23

06 Dec '23

Dear colleagues, IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning 2024 May 20–23, 2024 Austin, TX, USA Website: https://la.utexas.edu/users/dil/ICDL_Austin_2024/ Deadline for full paper submissions: December 15, 2023 January 8, 2024 (no further extension) Deadline for 1-page poster abstracts and journal track poster submissions: March 1, 2024 The IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL) conference is a unique meeting gathering researchers from computer science, robotics, psychology, neuroscience, and other disciplines to share and discuss research on how humans and other animals learn and develop and how this can inform and be informed by robotics and machine learning systems. Full papers and other submissions are invited on a range of topics including but not limited to: ● Embodied learning and development in biological systems and robots ● Developmental stages and sensitive periods ● Emergence of verbal and nonverbal communication ● Curiosity, intrinsic motivations, exploration, play and active learning ● Architectures for lifelong learning ● Emergence of body and affordance perception ● Learning control of body movement ● Emotional development and the role of emotion in learning ● Prediction, planning, and problem solving ● The relationship between evolution and development ● Epistemological foundations and philosophical issues ● Robotic and computational models of human and animal development ● Developmentally-inspired machine learning ● Human-robot interaction in developmental contexts ● Applications of machine learning to human and animal development Submissions may take the form of full (6-page) papers, 1-page poster abstracts, journal track posters, and workshops or tutorials. Please see below for details on each submission type. Decisions regarding acceptance will be based on technical quality, novelty, and expected interest to the conference’s interdisciplinary audience. In addition to talks and posters originating from these submissions, the conference will feature a keynote speaker as well as several invited symposia showcasing recent research on a set of themes, with different disciplines and perspectives featured, to prompt lively and productive discussion at the conference. [ Submission types ] ● Full six-page papers Papers of at most 6 pages in IEEE double column format will undergo peer-review, and accepted and presented submissions will be included in the conference proceedings published by IEEE Xplore. Up to two extra pages are acceptable for a publication fee of $100 per page. Accepted papers will be invited for presentation either in oral or poster format. ● Workshops & Tutorials Half-day workshop and tutorials will be held on May 20, 2024 (the first day of the meeting). Proposals should be no more than two pages and should include a title, an abstract, a description of the workshop or tutorial concept, the target audience, a list of presenters, information on whether the session will be open to paper or poster submission, and a link to the workshop or tutorial website if applicable. ● 1-page poster abstracts To encourage discussion of late-breaking results or for work that is not sufficiently mature for a full paper, we will accept 1-page abstracts. These submissions will not be included in the conference proceedings. Accepted abstracts will be presented during the poster session. ● Journal-track posters Journal track poster submissions must be about a journal paper that has been published recently (no earlier than December 2022), on a topic relevant to ICDL. More detailed instruction regarding paper/abstract submissions is given in the conference website. Best regards, Yukie Nagai, on behalf of the organizing committees — Yukie Nagai, Ph.D. Project Professor, The University of Tokyo nagai.yukie(a)mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp | https://developmental-robotics.jp CREST Cognitive Feelings: https://cognitive-feeling.jp CREST Cognitive Mirroring: https://cognitive-mirroring.org

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3yr CRCNS Postdoctoral Position in Barcelona
by Alex Roxin 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

The group of Alex Roxin https://sites.google.com/site/alexanderroxin/home at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica https://www.crm.cat/_neuroscience/ is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work on models of the formation and long-term dynamics of memories in the Hippocampus. This project is a collaboration with the Wang lab at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience https://mpfi.org/science/our-labs/wang-lab/ in the framework of the CRCNS program, to study the role of acetylcholine in memory formation. The postdoctoral candidate should have strong quantitative skills. The theoretical side of the project will involve data analysis, modelling, and analytical and numerical analysis of the model. Yearly meetings between the two groups will be held in Barcelona and Florida. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to spend a brief period of time, dates and duration to be determined, at the Wang Lab in Florida. The project officially ends in November 2026 and hence the position can be for a maximum of three years, although this depends on the start date. Interested and highly motivated applicants should send a CV, cover letter and up to three letters of recommendation to Alex Roxin at aroxin(a)crm.cat. Please specify your availability for the start date in the application. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. *Project Summary:* * Nearly a century of clinical and experimental work has shown the hippocampus to be crucial for enabling us to find our way around an environment (spatial memory) and remembering events that occur in our lives (episodic memory). Yet, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the formation and retention of these memories remain largely unknown. The hippocampus receives various neuromodulatory inputs. Among them, cholinergic inputs are critical for forming new memories and regulating memory stability. Cholinergic innervation of the hippocampus progressively degenerates in patients with Alzheimers disease, and the neuronal response to acetylcholine weakens with aging. Thus, addressing how cholinergic activity mediates changes at the cellular, circuit, and behavior levels as memory forms and stabilizes is key to understanding mnemonic processing in health and disease. Ample in vitro evidence suggests muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) modulate synaptic plasticity -- the molecular correlate of learning and memory. However, in vivo evidence for the role of mAChRs in shaping neuronal dynamics during learning remains scarce. In the hippocampal CA1* *region, mAChRs are expressed in multiple cell types and cellular compartments, making it difficult to decipher the contribution of individual elements to the overall network effects of acetylcholine. In CA1 pyramidal neurons, mAChRs are densely clustered at the proximal dendrites, co-localized with the CA3 inputs that convey information about the stored memory. These receptors are ideally situated to modulate pyramidal neurons response to CA3* *inputs and to shape neuronal dynamics through synaptic plasticity. In this project, we hypothesize that mAChRs located on CA1 pyramidal neurons mediate both the formation and stability of the memory-related dynamical activity patterns generated by these neurons. To test this hypothesis, we combine theoretical modeling with in vivo experiments that leverage* *newly developed neuropharmacological tools to target muscarinic acetylcholine receptors with cell-type specificity. Our objective is to elucidate the cholinergic control of plasticity over two distinct stages of the memory process memory formation and stability across multiple levels from cell-typespecific acetylcholine receptors to the development of memory-related neuronal dynamics, and finally to the refinement of behavior.* -- Alex Roxin Computational Neuroscience Group Centre de Recerca Matemàtica Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) https://sites.google.com/site/alexanderroxin/home

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APPLY TO THE THOM YOUNG RESARCHER AWARD
by hocine Cherifi 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

*YOUNG RESARCHER AWARD* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/young-resarcher-award/> *@ **FRCCS 2024* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> The Young Researcher Award is part of CSS FRANCE's <https://www.cssfrance.org/> global initiative to support early career researchers in their quest to advance the frontiers of science across a broad range of disciplines. It is in place to recognize early career contributions and leadership in research in Complex Systems related fields. It is awarded to young researchers up to *five years* after the Ph.D. completion (date of Ph.D. defense) and the deadline of the call for nomination. *Eligibility* - Applications for this award are welcomed by academia, business, and government scientists. - Eligible candidates should not be older than 35 years. - There should be no more than five years between the date of the Ph.D. defense and the deadline of the call for nomination. - Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. - Any young researcher can be nominated in whatever discipline Complex Systems covers. - Candidates must commit to presenting their work at FRCCS if awarded. *Important dates* · Application deadline: *March 04, 2024* · Notification to applicants: *April 02, 2024* *Application Instruction* *For self-nomination* The application package must contain: - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - Research achievement: a letter describing the context and relevance of the achievement, its scientific impact, and why it deserves an award (maximum two pages). - A long-term research project (maximum two pages) *For supporter nomination* - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - Research achievement: a letter describing the context and relevance of the achievement, its scientific impact, and why it deserves an award (maximum two pages). - A statement from the candidate (maximum two pages) reflects their understanding of how the original scientific research moved science forward. *Application Process* Applications are made via a google form: Fill out the self-nomination form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7JjwOEPF0YYBRHWomS3o-fZ3YXu0a5QU…> or the Supporter nomination form <https://forms.gle/bkVFg9pUvt2f4K1p9> *Note that Google Forms requires you to be signed in to a Google account to upload files and submit your responses. * *Selection Process* FRCCS Award Committee will evaluate all qualified candidates and propose the winner to the Advisory Board of CSS FRANCE, which will make the final decision. *Award Procedure* A prize of 1000 euros is awarded to the winner. The award also covers the registration fee of FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024 to facilitate attendance at the conference. The awardee will be recognized and present his (her) work at FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024. For more information contact: hocine.cherifi(a)gmail.com

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PhD position at Universitat de les Illes Balears
by Catalina Vich Llompart 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

The Dynamical Systems group at Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) is seeking applications for a PhD student. This Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) funded position will focus on decision making, linking computational models and mathematical analysis to human and rodent data. The successful candidate will be mentored, supervised and trained directly by C.Vich, but they will also work and interact with Prof. Timothy Verstynen (CMU, Psychology) and Prof. Jonathan Rubin (University of Pittsburgh, Mathematics) so they will have to occasionally visit the USA team. The project specifically focuses on how dynamics of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic pathways map to cognitive models of adaptive decision-making, and how these circuits regulate information flow in the mammalian brain. This position will be renewed annually for up to 3 years. Preferred skills from the PhD student: We are looking for highly motivated and self-driven candidate with strong interest in computational neuroscience and significant computational expertise. To be accepted in the PhD program, a MSc degree is required, preferably in mathematical biology, computational biology, dynamical systems or related disciplines. Students who do not hold a MSc degree but hold an undergraduate degree of 300ECTS are also encouraged to apply. A high level of written and spoken English and good programming skills (preferably python) are prioritized. Environment The Universitat de les Illes Balears (https://www.uib.eu <https://www.uib.eu/>) is located in Mallorca, the highest island of the Balearic Islands, at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains, an area declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, as well as being just a few kilometres from Mallorca’s finest beaches. It is also ranked among the top 5 Spanish universities in education and in research quality. The university is well connected with the main city, Palma, and other villages. In fact, it has a bus and underground service with good timetables and frequencies. The accepted student will be a member of the group of Dynamical Systems (SSDD, http://www.ssdd.uib.es <http://www.ssdd.uib.es/>) and the institute of Applied Computing and Community Code (IAC3, http://iac3.uib.es <http://iac3.uib.es/>), with ample opportunities to interact with other young researchers in the fields of physics and mathematics in a highly interactive, dynamic, and multi-cultural environment. To apply For details on how to apply, please contact Catalina Vich by email at catalina.vich(a)uib.es <mailto:catalina.vich@uib.es> showing your interest on applying for this position. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, etc. Demographic and cultural diversity will be considered in the selection of the trainee.

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Apply to the Bertalanffy Doctoral Student Award
by hocine Cherifi 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

*DOCTORAL STUDENT AWARD* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/doctoral-student-award/> *@ **FRCCS 2024* <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> The Bertalanffy Doctoral Student Award is part of CSS FRANCE's <https://www.cssfrance.org/> global initiative to support early career researchers in their quest to advance the frontiers of science across a broad range of disciplines. It is in place to recognize early career contributions and leadership in research in Complex Systems related fields. It is awarded to young researchers enrolled in a Ph.D. program. This competition consists in presenting your research in simple terms in a five minutes video to a lay audience. Your presentation should be clear, concise, and convincing. *Eligibility* - Eligible candidates must: - Be under 30. - Be enrolled in a Ph.D. program in whatever discipline Complex Systems covers. - Commit to presenting their work at the French Regional Conference on Complex Systems <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> if awarded - Accept and authorize the use and distribution of videos and photos related to the competition, including on social networks - Have informed their thesis supervisor of their participation in the competition - Present a sufficiently advanced state of the doctoral research project *Important dates* · Application deadline: *March 04, 2024* · Notification to applicants: *April 02, 2024* *Application Instruction* The application package must contain the following: - A CV of the candidate (maximum two pages) - A summary (maximum two pages) presenting the research work, its context, main contribution, and scientific impact. - A 5 minutes video presentation. *Application Process* Applications are made via a google form on the online portal. <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe49vdpumpzjVJJ7_mWgC5zKSLS1AqelD_…> *Note that Google Forms requires you to be signed in to a Google account to upload files and submit your responses. * *Selection Process* FRCCS Award Committee will evaluate all qualified candidates and propose the winner to the Advisory Board of CSS FRANCE, which will make the final decision. *Award Procedure* A prize of 500 euros is awarded to the winner. The award also covers the registration fee of FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024 to facilitate attendance at the conference. The awardee will be recognized and present his (her) work at FRCCS <https://iutdijon.u-bourgogne.fr/ccs-france/> 2024. For more information contact: hocine.cherifi(a)gmail.com

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4 year fully-funded PhD studentship in ML and Parkinson’s disease at Nottingham
by Mark Humphries 04 Dec '23

04 Dec '23

A 4-year fully-funded PhD studentship with Prof Mark Humphries and Dr JeYoung Yung at the University Of Nottingham is available to start September 2024. “Optimising patient selection for Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s disease using multimodal machine learning” Parkinson’s disease has debilitating motor symptoms of tremor in the limbs, slowness of movement, and freezing, unable to move. A highly effective treatment is electrical stimulation deep in the motor regions of the midbrain. But surgery for this deep brain stimulation is only offered to around 2% of all patients, and about a quarter of those who receive it have poor outcomes. Optimising the selection of patients for deep brain stimulation will widen access to treatment, improve treatment outcomes, and prevent harm. The goal of this project is to test how fusing clinical data, neuroimaging, and video assessments could optimise the selection of patients. The project will be in collaboration with MachineMedicine (London), a MedTech company specialising in Parkinson’s disease, and the movement disorders clinical team at St George’s Hospital, London. In joining this collaboration, the PhD student will be trained in data-science and machine learning tools, including how to extract and analyse MRI and fMRI data, in fusing data across modalities, and in developing a machine-learning pipeline for predicting patient outcomes. These predictions will be tested against the 12-month follow-up data from the St George’s trial patients. The student’s further training will include a 3-month placement at MachineMedicine, and visits to St George’s clinic. Closing date:12 noon (GMT) Friday 12th January 2024. For full studentship details and how to apply see here: https://more.bham.ac.uk/mrc-aim/phd-opportunities/ Send all enquires to mark.humphries(a)nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:mark.humphries@nottingham.ac.uk> This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

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Fully-funded PhD in mathematical neuroscience (Sheffield, UK)
by Hazem Toutounji 03 Dec '23

03 Dec '23

A fully-funded PhD in mathematical neuroscience is available with Dr Hazem Toutounji and Professor Eleni Vasilaki (University of Sheffield, UK). *Project title: *What can self-connected neurons do? A unifying theory of autaptic neural function in invertebrates and mammals The neuron is the fundamental building block in the nervous systems of all animal species, from C. elegans with its 302 neurons, to humans with their highly evolved cortex alone containing more than 10 billion neurons. The action potential, or spike, is the basic unit of neural signalling. Most neurons communicate through chemical synapses, which project from the axon of one neuron to the cell body or dendrites of another. An autapse is a synapse connecting the neuron to itself. In this project, we will use mathematical modelling to achieve two objectives: 1. Investigate the different roles of autapses in neural processing as observed experimentally. 2. Explore autapses as a potential route to chaos and its role in healthy and pathological neural function. The position is open to UK and overseas applicants. The ideal candidate will have a strong command of mathematical analysis and programming skills. Prior knowledge of dynamical systems theory is desirable. Application deadline: 5pm GMT 24 January 2024 For full details and how to apply see: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/what-can-self-connected-neurons-do-a-… *Please note: *Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact me ( h.toutounji(a)sheffield.ac.uk) to discuss your interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting your application. -- *Dr. rer. nat. Hazem Toutounji (they / them)* *Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience and ECR Champion* *The Neural Dynamics and Computation Lab* Department of Psychology The Neuroscience Institute Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine University of Sheffield ICOSS Building, 4th floor, desk 5 219 Portobello, Broomhall Sheffield S1 4DP, UK

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AREADNE 2024 Call for Abstracts
by John Pezaris 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

AREADNE 2024 Research in Encoding and Decoding of Neural Ensembles Eliopoulos Conference Center, Milos, Greece 25-29 June 2024 http://areadne.org info(a)areadne.org Dear Colleague, We are pleased to announce solicitation of abstracts for poster presentation at AREADNE 2024, 25-29 June 2024, our tenth meeting, to be held at the Eliopoulos Conference Center in Milos, Greece. Note that this is a change in location from previous meetings. Continuing with the same highly successful format, AREADNE 2024 will bring scientific leaders from around the world to present their theoretical and experimental work on the functioning of neuronal ensembles. The meeting will provide an informal and beautiful setting in which attendees can discuss their recent ideas and discoveries, with a relaxed pace that emphasizes interaction. Please see the Call for Abstracts for additional details, including links for templates, at http://areadne.org/call-for-abstracts Submissions of abstracts for poster presentations are due by 26 Jan 2024; notifications will be provided by late February 2024. We strongly encourage potential attendees to submit an abstract as presenters have registration priority. For information about the conference, please refer to the main web page http://areadne.org or send email to us at info(a)areadne.org . We hope to see you at AREADNE 2024! Best, - J. --- John S. Pezaris, Ph.D. AREADNE 2024 Co-Chair Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital 55 Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114, USA info(a)areadne.org

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MSc Internship - Evolving Reservoir Meta-RL - Inria, Bordeaux, France
by Xavier Hinaut 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

Please find below an offer for an intership from February/March to July/August 2024 in Mnemosyne team at Inria, Bordeaux, France # Title Title: Evolving Reservoirs for Meta Reinforcement Learning # Supervision Xavier Hinaut, Mnemosyne team, Inria Bordeaux Potential collaboration with Clément Moulin-Frier (Flowers Team) & Pierrick Legrand (Astral Team) # Duration: 6 months, spring/summer 2024. Level: Master 2 research internship # Keywords: meta reinforcement learning, reservoir computing, evolutionary computation, neuroevolution, simulation environments, scientific programming with Python. # Research team & internship location Mnémosyne Team: Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, LABRI & Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives (Centre Broca Aquitaine, Carreire campus) https://team.inria.fr/mnemosyne # Project How can a reinforcement learning (RL) agent autonomously learn a diversity of skills with minimal external supervision? Recent works have shown that a single goal-conditioned policy can be trained to solve multiple tasks in parallel (see e.g. Colas et al., 2021 for a recent review). Other works in Meta Reinforcement Learning (Meta-RL) have shown that artificial agents can “learn how to learn” (hence the term meta-learning) multiple skills without having access to goal-related information (see e.g. Weng, 2019 for an introduction). Meta-RL aims at equipping agents with the ability to generalize to tasks or environments that have not been encountered during training. Two nested processes of adaptation are traditionally considered: an outer adaptation loop optimizing the hyperparameters of an inner adaptation loop. The inner adaptation loop can be a standard RL algorithm operating on a given environment. The outer loop is tuning the hyperparameters of the inner loop such that it performs well on a wide distribution of environments. The end result of this nested training process is an algorithm that learns how to learn, i.e. learns how to adapt to tasks that have never been encountered during training. Works differ in the optimization technique and adaptation mechanism they consider in the two loops. The outer loop often optimizes higher-level structures such as the architecture of a neural network (Baker et al., 2017), the morphology (Gupta et al., 2021), a curiosity module providing intrinsic rewards (Alet et al., 2020) or plasticity rules (Najarro & Risi, 2021), employing either evolutionary or gradient-based optimization. In parallel, Reservoir Computing (RC, (Jaeger 2001+)) is particularly well suited for extracting information from data stream with complex temporal dynamics (e.g. weather forecast or language). It is a machine learning paradigm on sequential data where a recurrent neural network is only partially trained (e.g. only training a linear readout). One of the major interests of these recurrent neural networks is their reduced computational cost and the possibility to learn both in on-line and off-line fashion. They have been successfully applied on a wide variety of tasks, from prediction/generation of chaotic timeseries to discrimination of audio sequences, such as bird song recognition. They offer de facto a fast, simple yet efficient way to train RNNs. This "reservoir of computations" works thanks to random projections in large dimensions, and is thus similar to temporal Support Vector Machines (SVM). In this internship, we will explore how Reservoir Computing can be leveraged in the context of Meta-RL. In this context, we will consider evolving the architecture of a reservoir for performing well on a wide range of RL tasks (see Seoane, 2019 for theoretical arguments on this evolutionary perspective). For this aim, we will use the ReservoirPy Python library developed in the Mnemosyne team (Trouvain & Hinaut, 2022) that we will interface with evolutionary computation algorithms (e.g. Tang et al., 2022). The project will involve: ● Designing of a wide range of RL tasks in an existing simulation environment (ex MuJoCo) ● Learning how to learn multiple tasks without access to the goal information (i.e. meta-RL with a reservoir). ● Evolve reservoir architectures for meta-RL with evolutionary methods # How to apply Contact xavier.hinaut(a)inria.fr with a CV and letter of motivation. We also recommend sending documents or reports describing previous projects you have been working on (even if they are not directly related to the topic), as well as your grades and links to some of your code repositories. # Requirements We are looking for highly motivated MSc students (Master II). Programming skills and prior experience with Python and deep learning frameworks (Pytorch, Tensorflow) are expected. # Other internship offers https://github.com/neuronalX/internships/ # References Alet, F., Schneider, M. F., Lozano-Perez, T., & Kaelbling, L. P. (2020). Meta-learning curiosity algorithms. International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2020). https://openreview.net/forum?id=BygdyxHFDS Baker, B., Gupta, O., Naik, N., & Raskar, R. (2017). Designing neural network architectures using reinforcement learning. ArXiv:1611.02167 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/1611.02167 Botvinick, M., Ritter, S., Wang, J. X., Kurth-Nelson, Z., Blundell, C., & Hassabis, D. (2019). Reinforcement Learning, Fast and Slow. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(5), 408–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.02.006 Colas, C., Karch, T., Sigaud, O., & Oudeyer, P.-Y. (2021). Intrinsically Motivated Goal-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning: A Short Survey. ArXiv:2012.09830 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/2012.09830 Gupta, A., Savarese, S., Ganguli, S., & Fei-Fei, L. (2021). Embodied intelligence via learning and evolution. Nature Communications, 12(1), 5721. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25874-z Jaeger, H. (2007). Echo state network. Scholarpedia, 2(9), 2330. https://doi.org/10.4249/scholarpedia.2330 Najarro, E., & Risi, S. (2021). Meta-Learning through Hebbian Plasticity in Random Networks. ArXiv:2007.02686 [Cs]. http://arxiv.org/abs/2007.02686 Sakemi, Y., Morino, K., Leleu, T., & Aihara, K. (2020). Model-size reduction for reservoir computing by concatenating internal states through time. Scientific Reports, 10(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78725-0 Seoane, L. F. (2019). Evolutionary aspects of reservoir computing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 374(1774), 20180377. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0377 Tang, Y., Tian, Y., & Ha, D. (2022). EvoJAX: Hardware-Accelerated Neuroevolution. Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference Companion, 308–311. https://doi.org/10.1145/3520304.3528770 Trouvain, N., & Hinaut, X. (2022). reservoirpy: A Simple and Flexible Reservoir Computing Tool in Python. https://hal.inria.fr/hal-03699931 https://github.com/reservoirpy/reservoirpy Weng, L. (2019, June 23). Meta Reinforcement Learning. https://lilianweng.github.io/posts/2019-06-23-meta-rl/ Xavier Hinaut Inria Research Scientist www.xavierhinaut.com -- +33 5 33 51 48 01 Mnemosyne team, Inria, Bordeaux, France -- https://team.inria.fr/mnemosyne & LaBRI, Bordeaux University -- https://www4.labri.fr/en/formal-methods-and-models & IMN (Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute) -- http://www.imn-bordeaux.org/en --- Our Reservoir Computing library: https://github.com/reservoirpy/reservoirpy

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Postdoc Position in Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience (Western University)
by Lyle Muller 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

The lab of Lyle Muller (http://mullerlab.ca) at Western University (London, Ontario) has a postdoctoral position available in computational and theoretical neuroscience. This position will involve collaboration between our laboratory and researchers with expertise in advanced methods of brain imaging (Mark Schnitzer, Stanford), neuroengineering (Duygu Kuzum, UCSD), theoretical neuroscience (Todd Coleman, Stanford), and neurophysiology of visual perception (John Reynolds, Salk Institute for Biological Studies). In collaboration with this multi-disciplinary team, this researcher will apply new signal processing techniques for multisite spatiotemporal data to understand cortical dynamics during visual perception. This project will also involve development of spiking network models to understand the mechanisms underlying observed activity patterns. The project may include intermittent travel between labs to present results and facilitate collaborative work. This research will involve in-depth analyses of neural recordings and computational modeling. Prior experience with scientific computing languages (MATLAB, Julia, or Python) and signal processing is preferred. Western University offers an excellent research environment and support. Candidates can write to lmuller2(a)uwo.ca<mailto:lmuller2@uwo.ca> with a CV. Selected applicants will be interviewed on a rolling basis starting immediately. Both the involved labs and the University are deeply committed to fostering diversity and scientific outreach. Applications from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged, and any interested applicants are welcomed to write the PI directly with questions about the research environment. -- Lyle Muller http://mullerlab.ca

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Postdoc Fellow Position in EEG at UCL
by Fabrizi, Lorenzo 30 Nov '23

30 Nov '23

🔬🧠👶 Exciting opportunity! Postdoc research fellow wanted to join a new collaborative research project at UCL's Medawar Pain and Somatosensory Labs, UCLH and Birkbeck BabyLab/ToddlerLab<https://cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/toddlerlab>, led by Dr. Lorenzo Fabrizi<https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/1290>, Dr. Judith Meek<https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-consultant/dr-judith-meek> and Prof. Emily Jones<https://cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/people/scientificstaff/emily-jones>. Investigate the connection between early sensory experiences and long-term sensory processing in preterm-born neonates and children. Use EEG and novel sensory testing to identify individuals at risk of sensory challenges. Collaborate with experts in preterm brain imaging and neurodevelopment. Requires a background in Medical Physics, Bioengineering, Computational Neuroscience, or related fields, proficiency in brain imaging and programming, and strong communication skills. Apply here<https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs/details?jobId=17017&jobTi…>. Deadline 2nd of January 2024. Lorenzo Fabrizi, PhD Associate Professor Medical Research Foundation Fellow Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology Department Room G17A, Medawar Building Bloomsbury Campus University College London Gower St, London WC1E 6BT office tel. 02031081888 (int. 51888)

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Postdoctoral Position in modelling the impact of interoceptive signals on neural dynamics and human cognition. ENS Paris
by Boris 30 Nov '23

30 Nov '23

Postdoctoral Position in modelling the impact of interoceptive signals on neural dynamics and human cognition. Group for Neural Theory and LNC2, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. A post-doctoral position in theoretical neuroscience is open to explore the impact of cardiac inputs on cortical dynamics. Understanding the role of internal states in human cognition has become a hot topic, with a wealth of experimental results but limited attempts at analyzing the computations that underlie the link between bodily organs and brain. Our particular focus is on elucidating how the different mechanisms for heart-to-cortex coupling (e.g., phase-resetting, gating, phasic arousal,..) can account for human behavioral and neural data, from somatosensory detection to more high-level concepts such as self-relevance, using data-based dynamical models. The ideal candidate should have a doctoral degree in a quantitative discipline and previous experience with computational approaches to neural functions, excellent programming skills coupled with an interest for, and a willingness to learn about, interoception and its influences on neural dynamics and cognition. The candidate will have a unique opportunity to join the project at its very inception and take a key role in the technical and conceptual development. The position is available for 3 years. The postdoctoral fellow will be based at the Group for Neural Theory <https://gnt.dec.ens.fr/en> and LNC2 <https://lnc2.dec.ens.fr/en> , in Boris Gutkin’s team <https://lnc2.dec.ens.fr/en/teams/mathematics-neural-circuits> with strong interactions with Catherine Tallon-Baudry’s team. LNC2 is located in the center of Paris within the Cognitive Science Department <https://cognition.ens.fr/en> at Ecole Normale Supérieure <https://www.ens.psl.eu/en>, with numerous opportunities to interact with the Paris scientific community at large, in a stimulating and supportive work environment. Group for Neural Theory provides a rich environment and local community for theoretical neuroscience. Lab life is in English, speaking French is not a requirement. Salary according to experience and French regulations with health and social benefits. Informal enquiries and applications (CV, motivation letter and contacts for reference) should be sent boris.gutkin(a)gmail.com <mailto:boris.gutkin@gmail.com> and catherine.tallon-baudry(a)ens.psl.eu <mailto:catherine.tallon-baudry@ens.psl.eu>. Applications will be evaluated on the fly, the position remaining open until filled.

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Fully-funded PhD in machine learning for medical imaging (Indiana University, US)
by chigurupatisreekar＠gmail.com 28 Nov '23

28 Nov '23

The Garyfallidis Research Group (grg.luddy.indiana.edu) at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering has open PhD positions on the topic of artificial general intelligence for medical applications. The appointment starts Fall 2024. The PhD student will join a dynamic and interdisciplinary team that includes engineers, neuroscientists, and cognitive scientists. The PhD applicants will work with Prof. Eleftherios Garyfallidis on various areas of research, including machine learning, medical imaging and/or scientific visualization. Prof. Garyfallidis' team collaborates with more than 300 research labs across the US. His research group is also the headquarters for the DIPY and FURY organizations deploying research software in thousands of labs across the globe. Minimum Qualifications: A BSc (or equivalent) is required in engineering, computer science, statistics, physics, mathematics or neuroscience or related fields; and solid programming skills necessary to handle big data and develop large scale simulations. Knowledge of Python and C is a plus. Knowledge of graphic shaders is a bonus. Previous experience in open-source development is not required but good to have. Questions and CV should be sent to elef(a)indiana.edu. Interviews will take place after officially applying here https://graduate.indiana.edu/admissions/apply.html#/login The specific track is Neuroengineering. Note that the deadline for Fall 2024 is December 15 2023. Indiana University is an R01 (research level 1) university with multiple campuses. We are situated on the Bloomington campus that has over 50K students. The GRG is part of a new engineering department that focuses entirely on building intelligent systems. Students receive a fellowship (working as research assistants or teaching assistants) for the first 4 years of the PhD program. The students are encouraged to get internships in industry during the summer months (optional). This fellowship package guarantees recipients a full stipend, fee remission, and student health insurance during a 4 year period as you work towards the Ph.D. degree. Lab: https://grg.luddy.indiana.edu Twitter: https://twitter.com/dipymri

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Two postdoc openings on computational analysis and modelling of dynamic functional connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease (Strasbourg, FunSy team, France)
by Demian Battaglia 27 Nov '23

27 Nov '23

We are happy to announce two postdoc openings in the group of Dr. Demian Battaglia, within the newly created Functional System Dynamics team at University of Strasbourg. The recruited postdocs will work as well in close collaboration with Dr. Romain Goutagny in Strasbourg and Dr. Viktor Jirsa at the Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Marseille. Both positions will focus on investigating the link between dynamics of large-scale functional connectivity and cognition: first, by assessing that the maintenance of a structured and fluid dynamics of Functional Connectivity is a predictor of cognitive performance and of its resilience despite progressing neurodegeneration; second by showing that interventions aiming at restoring "healthy" brain dynamics can rescue cognitive performance. POSITION START: as early as possible (ideally, before April 2024) POSTDOC DURATION: 24 months - TWO POSITIONS AVAILABLE Specifically the first position will delve with the study of dynamic Functional Connectivity variations and their correlation with variations of cognitive performance in longitudinal studies of aging and Alzheimer's disease cohorts (human resting state fMRI, physiological markers, cognitive profiling...). The second position will delve with the characterization of the effects of non-invasive visual gamma flickering stimulation (vGENUS) on electrophysiological activity in AD mutant mice and the modelling of the mechanisms behind these effects via virtual mouse mean-field whole-brain simulations. We are seeking for candidates, with previous experience in computational neuroscience or computer science, physics or mathematics training with strong motivation to transit toward neuroscience. Previous experience with whole-brain modelling or dynamic functional connectivity analyses would be a plus, although not strictly required. Interested candidates could have hybrid data analysis/computational modelling projects. We expect fluent programming skills (e.g., Python, C/C++, Matlab), good communication skills in English (oral and written), the ability to work well in an international team, curiosity and open-mindedness (more than applying existing methods, we tend to forge original ones, shaped by the specific scientific questions we work on). The candidate will integrate the Functional System Dynamics team (FunSy, https://funsyteam.org) at University of Strasbourg, which is a mixed theoretical and experimental group focusing on the functional roles of multi-scale system's level dynamics. FunSy research aims at linking dynamics to information processing, behavior and cognition in the healthy and pathological brain, exploring projects in rodent, non-human primate or human neuroscience as well as pure theory. The present postdoc openings are funded by the Foundation "Vaincre Alzheimer" and the French National Priority Research Investment Program "PEPR Digital Health". Strict interactions are to be expected with other partners in this initiative ("Brain Health Trajectories"), with frequent visits at Viktor Jirsa's lab at Aix-Marseille University, or other researchers at Neurospin in Saclay (Paris South) or Grenoble. Strasbourg University is home of an emergent and active community in neuroscience, from molecules and cells to whole brain imaging and behavior, in relation with clinics. The proximity with Germany and Switzerland is an asset allowing interactions with transnational computational neuroscience centers. Strasbourg, one of European Union's capitals, is a fascinating city with a rich student and cultural life, well connected via high-speed train to important European cities (e.g. less than two hours from Paris) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: December 24th 2023 Please send your application, including CV, motivation letter and representative publications (preprints accepted) electronically to Dr. Demian Battaglia. In addition, contacts of at least two academic references must be communicated (contact email or recommendation letter attachments). Pre-selected candidates will be interviewed over Zoom or invited to give a talk if possible. We wish to promote the recruitment of strong candidates from minority groups in STEM research. Feel free to inquire for additional requests of information. CONTACT: Demian Battaglia (dbattaglia(a)unistra.fr or demian.battaglia(a)univ-amu.fr)

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PhD student at Instituto de Neurociencias Alicante
by Encarni Marcos Sanmartin 27 Nov '23

27 Nov '23

*A fully funded PhD (4 years) is available at Instituto de Neurociencias Alicante. * The student will be part of a project called BODIES that aims at understanding the neuronal mechanisms underlying the integration of action and perception during decision making. To achieve the goal of BODIES, experiments will be performed in mice. Neuronal activity will be recorded from a prefrontal network while animals perform a navigational task in virtual reality. Further, the activity of neurons of specific populations within this network will be manipulated through optogenetics, to investigate their causal contribution to behavior. During the project, a computational model will be developed to understand and describe the observed dynamics and to make further predictions for future experiments. Technical support is provided throughout the duration of the project. The PhD student will be enrolled in the PhD program in Neuroscience of the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, under the supervision of Dr. Encarni Marcos. *The call will open this week and close shortly after:* https://otri.umh.es/2023/11/15/ayudas-para-la-formacion-de-personal-investi… The selected candidate will join the PhD program and the lab by the beginning of next year. If you are interested in this position, please, write to emarcos(a)umh.es Candidates must - Have a master’s degree in Neuroscience, physics, computer science, mathematics, psychology or related areas. - Be able to work independently. - Have programming skills. - Have excellent communication skills in English. - Work well in team. The Instituto de Neurociencias Alicante is a center of excellence that regularly organizes training courses for PhD students that are free of charge, weekly scientific lectures with well-known international speakers and internal seminars to promote collaboration within the Institute and offers financial support to assist national and international conferences for PhD students. The Institute is located in Sant Joan d'Alacant, a nice town near the beach and close to Alicante. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions. Dr Encarni Marcos Instituto de Neurociencias Alicante Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain E-mail: emarcos(a)umh.es

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Three Faculty Positions in AI in Biology at VIB and KU Leuven
by pedro goncalves 27 Nov '23

27 Nov '23

Dear all, The VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI) and KU Leuven are searching for three Principal Investigators to join their faculty (Group Leader at VIB, Professor at KU Leuven). We are particularly interested in recruiting faculty members who use and develop artificial intelligence methods and mechanistic mathematical models to address fundamental questions in biology. We welcome applications across all domains of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and associated fields. Examples of research topics include but are not limited to: development of new AI architectures for biology and hybrid models that combine deep learning with mechanistic models; foundation models of genome regulation using single-cell and spatial multi-omics data; AI-based modeling of protein structure and protein interaction networks; AI-based modeling of cell morphology and tissue function using imaging and computer vision; AI models of disease and digital twin applications. Biological applications are broad: microorganisms, plant biology, biodiversity and ecology, neuroscience, cancer, and immunology. We also welcome applicants with applied projects, including synthetic biology, AI-driven experiments (experiment-in-the-loop), and bio-engineering. This position comes with full salary and core funding (internationally competitive package) that is renewable for multiple additional 5-year periods, and access to state-of-the-art research and top-notch support core facilities, as well as support to attract talented PhD students and postdocs from across the world. More details about the positions at https://vibai.sites.vib.be/en/opportunities#/job-description/66534 Best wishes, Pedro --------------- Pedro Gonçalves Principal Investigator at NERF, a joint research initiative by imec, VIB, and KU Leuven Co-affiliated PI at VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology https://goncalveslab.sites.vib.be/en

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Call for Papers - From Animals to Animats: 17th International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB 2024)
by Jeffrey L Krichmar 26 Nov '23

26 Nov '23

Dear Comp-Neuro colleagues, CALL FOR PAPERS - SAB 2024 ------------------------------------------- The Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB) interdisciplinary conference brings together researchers in artificial intelligence, artificial life, computer science, cybernetics, ethology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, robotics, and many other fields, to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural animals and artificial agents to adapt and survive in complex, dynamic and uncertain environments. Animats denote the connection between animals and synthetic agents. The conference focuses on models and experiments designed to help characterize and compare various organizational principles and architectures underlying adaptive behavior in real animals and in animats. SAB 2024 solicits contributions dealing with any aspect of adaptive behavior. We especially invite submissions from researchers who connect biology and natural behavior to synthetic agents. Conference papers are peer-reviewed and accepted papers will be published in “From Animals to Animats 17. SAB 2024.” Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, Springer Nature. Venue -------- CalIT2 Auditorium University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697 USA Important Dates ---------------------- April 1, 2024: Deadline for paper submission April 15, 2024: Deadline for Workshop and tutorial proposals June15, 2024: Notice of acceptance June 30, 2024: Camera-ready papers September 9-12: Conference dates More details can be found at: https://sab2024.socsci.uci.edu/call-for-papers Best regards, Jeff Krichmar Department of Cognitive Sciences 2328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-5100 jkrichma(a)uci.edu http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~jkrichma

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looking for a postdoc on modeling / optimization of brain stimulation
by Dana Brooks 26 Nov '23

26 Nov '23

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UMass Boston A postdoctoral fellow position is available in the Brain Stimulation & Simulation Lab <https://www1.coe.neu.edu/%7Erampersad/index.html>, directed by Dr. Sumientra Rampersad, in the Department of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Our lab focuses on investigating electromagnetic brain stimulation through computational methods and experiments with healthy volunteers. This position is funded by a newly awarded 5-year NIH R01 <https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10719222> grant with the goal to investigate a novel form of brain stimulation called transcranial temporal interference stimulation (TIS) and to optimize and translate it into an effective and efficient neuromodulation method for academic research and clinical practice. The fellow will develop novel optimization methods for high-density TIS and supervise a PhD student who will conduct simulations and optimizations using finite element modeling. The goal is to provide noninvasive and spatially specific treatment options to patients with brain disorders resistant to existing approaches. You will join a multidisciplinary team with expertise in computational modeling and optimization, human and primate electrophysiology, cellular and systems neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. You will also have the opportunity to work on other cutting-edge projects involving several brain stimulation methods including tCS, TMS, ECoG, sEEG and TTF (see lab website <https://www1.coe.neu.edu/%7Erampersad/index.html> for examples). Our collaborators at Northeastern University, the University of Utah, Harvard University, MGH, and the University of Washington, provide us access to specialized software and unique clinical data. The fellow will be mentored by Dr. Rampersad (UMass Boston) and Dr. Dana Brooks (Northeastern). This is an outstanding career development opportunity to work with leaders in the field of brain stimulation with an exceptional record of collaboration and mentoring. Required qualifications include a PhD in physics, math, electrical, biomedical engineering, or equivalent, expertise in either brain stimulation modeling or computational optimization methods (preferred both), a track record of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, strong verbal and written communication skills, and proficiency in Matlab or Python. This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of extension provided satisfactory progress is made. To apply, send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Rampersad (sumientra.rampersad(a)umb.edu) with the subject “TIS postdoc”. Please describe in detail your experience with optimization, brain stimulation, FEM, coding, project management, and mentoring students.

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Postdoc position to model the sensorimotor system controlling forelimbs in mice
by Alexander Mathis 25 Nov '23

25 Nov '23

The Mathis^2 and Arber labs seek applicants for a postdoctoral fellow in computational neuroscience The Arber Laboratory at the University of Basel (Research Group Silvia Arber - Biozentrum<https://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/research/research-groups/research-groups-a…>), Mathis Group of Computational Neuroscience & AI (https://mathisgroup.org<https://mathisgroup.org/>) and Mathis Laboratory of Adaptive Motor Control (https://mackenziemathislab.org<https://mackenziemathislab.org/>) at EPFL (Geneva, Switzerland) offer a postdoc position with the goal to model the sensorimotor system controlling forelimb movements in mice. We aim to build hierarchical models of the sensorimotor system controlling mouse forelimbs based on a variety of datasets including anatomy, connectivity, high content neuronal recordings, biomechanics, behavior tracking, functional interventions, genetic/molecular and cell type information based on spatial transcriptomics. EPFL<https://www.epfl.ch/de/> is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe, and Biozentrum<https://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/> the home of Molecular Life Science embedded in the Basel Circuits Neuroscience community<https://www.basel-neurocircuits.ch/>. Both offer competitive salaries and research infrastructure, together allowing to approach this challenging research project. Requirements: Candidates should have a Ph.D. with a strong publication record in computational neuroscience or related fields, and be eager to interact with experimentalists. An ideal candidate would have prior experience in: ● Machine learning ● Modeling neural data ● Handling of large and diverse datasets ● Biomechanics ● Fluency in oral and written English is required. Deadline and starting date: Applications are requested starting from December 1st 2023 and will then be processed as they arrive until the position is filled. The ideal starting date is spring 2024. How to apply: Postdoctoral applications should consist of a motivation letter, a CV, two relevant publications, and the email addresses of two or more referees. Please submit your application to the EPFL hiring platform: https://recruiting.epfl.ch/Vacancies/3178/Description/2 Related Work: A functional map for diverse forelimb actions within brainstem circuitry.<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03080-z> Ludwig Ruder, Riccardo Schina, Hash Kanodia, Sara Valencia-Garcia, Chiara Pivetta and Silvia Arber, Nature, 2021 Structural and functional map for forelimb movement phases between cortex and medulla <https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(22)01522-7.pdf>Wuzhou Yang, Harsh Kanodia and Silvia Arber, Cell, 2023 Learnable latent embeddings for joint behavioural and neural analysis<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06031-6> Steffen Schneider*, Jin Hwa Lee*, and Mackenzie Weygandt Mathis, Nature, 2023 DMAP: a Distributed Morphological Attention Policy for Learning to Locomote with a Changing Body<https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.14218> Alberto Silvio Chiappa, Alessandro Marin Vargas, Alexander Mathis. NeurIPS, 2022. Contrasting action and posture coding with hierarchical deep neural network models of proprioception <https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.06.081372v3> Kai J. Sandbrink*, Pranav Mamidanna*, Claudio Michaelis, Matthias Bethge, Mackenzie Weygandt Mathis**, Alexander Mathis**, eLife, 2023 Please do not hesitate to reach out, if you have any questions! If you want to do a PhD on this topic, also feel free to reach out. Best wishes, Alexander Mathis P.S.: We also have an open software engineer position. We started interviewing, but are inviting further top candidates to apply: https://recruiting.epfl.ch/Vacancies/3124/Description/2 [cid:clip_image001.png] Alexander Mathis Tenure Track Assistant Professor people/alexander.mathis mathislab.org<http://mathislab.org>

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Save the Dates: ACAIN 2024 - 4th Int. Advanced Course & Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience, September 22-25 2024, Riva del Sole Resort & SPA, Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) Tuscany, Italy -> Submission Deadline: March 23
by Giuseppe Nicosia 23 Nov '23

23 Nov '23

Call for Participation & Call for Papers (apologies for multiple copies) _______________________________________________________________ The 4th International Advanced Course & Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience, September 22-25, 2024, Riva del Sole Resort & SPA, Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) Tuscany, Italy W: https://acain2024.icas.events E: acain(a)icas.cc FB: https://www.facebook.com/ACAIN.LakeDistrict/ Symposium Deadlines Paper Submission (Symposium): by Saturday March 23, 2024 (AoE). https://acain2024.icas.events/symposium-call-for-papers/ https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=acain2024 Notification of Decision for Papers (Symposium): by Wednesday July 10, 2024. Camera Ready Submission (Symposium): by Monday July 20, 2024. Author Registration (Symposium): by July 20, 2024. Regular Registration (Symposium): by Saturday March 23, 2024. Late Registration (Symposium): from Sunday March 24, 2024. Course Deadlines Regular Registration (Course): by Saturday March 23, 2024. Late Registration (Course): from Sunday March 24, 2024. Oral Presentation Submission (Course): by Saturday March 23, 2024. Notification of Decision for Oral Presentation (Course): by August 31, 2024. SCOPE & MOTIVATION: ACAIN 2024: AI meets Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Science The ACAIN 2024 symposium and course is an interdisciplinary event featuring leading scientists from AI and Neuroscience, providing a special opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research in the fields of AI, Neuroscience, Neuroscience-Inspired AI, Human-Level AI, and Cognitive Science. The 4th Advanced Course and Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience (ACAIN) is a full-immersion four-day Course and Symposium in Tuscany on cutting-edge advances in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience with lectures delivered by world-renowned experts. The Course provides a stimulating environment for academics, early career researchers, Post-Docs, PhD students and industry leaders. Participants will also have the chance to present their results with oral talks or posters, and to interact with their colleagues, in a convivial and productive environment. Two days of keynote talks and oral presentations, the ACAIN Symposium, (September 24-25), will be preceded by lectures of leading scientists, the ACAIN Course, (September 22-23). Bringing together AI and neuroscience promises to yield benefits for both fields. The future impact and progress in both AI and Neuroscience will strongly depend on continuous synergy, exchange, collaboration and efficient cooperation between the two research communities. These are the goals of the International Course and Symposium - ACAIN 2024, which is aimed both at AI experts with interests in Neuroscience and at neuroscientists with an interest in AI. ACAIN 2024 accepts rigorous research that promotes and fosters multidisciplinary interactions between artificial intelligence and neuroscience. The Advanced Course is suited for scholars, academics, early career researchers, Post-Docs, PhD students and industry leaders. The Event (Course and Symposium) will involve a total of 36-40 hours of lectures. Academically, this will be equivalent to 8 ECTS points for the PhD Students and the Master Students attending the Event. COURSE DESCRIPTION: https://acain2024.icas.events/course-description/ SYMPOSIUM CALL FOR PAPERS: https://acain2024.icas.events/symposium-call-for-papers/ SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM COMMITTEE (partial list, confirmed members): https://acain2024.icas.events/program-committee/ ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: https://acain2024.icas.events/symposium-committee/ VENUE & ACCOMMODATION: https://acain2024.icas.events/venue/ ACAIN 2024 is a *Residential Conference*, all participants (invited speakers, authors, organizers, chairs, participants) must book and stay at the Riva del Sole Resort and Spa. No exceptions are allowed. https://lod2024.icas.events/lod-2024-a-residential-conference/ Riva del Sole Resort & SPA a: Località Riva del Sole - Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto) CAP 58043, Tuscany - Italy p: +39-0564-928111 f: +39-0564-935607 e: booking.events(a)rivadelsole.it w: www.rivadelsole.it/en ACTIVITIES: https://acain2024.icas.events/activities/ REGISTRATION: https://acain2024.icas.events/registration/ See you in Tuscany in September! ACAIN 2024 Organizing Committee. E: acain(a)icas.cc W: https://acain2024.icas.events FB: https://www.facebook.com/ACAIN.LakeDistrict --

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Computational neuroscient INRIA position, Lyon
by Francoise Lecaignard 22 Nov '23

22 Nov '23

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST We are seeking for a computational neuroscientist, to apply for an INRIA position to join our COPHY team, in the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL). Host team The COPHY<https://www.crnl.fr/en/equipe/cophy?language=en> team (Computation, Cognition and Neurophysiology) is led by Mathilde Bonnefond and Jérémie Mattout. It is composed of 5 researchers, 2 research engineers, 1 clinician and 11 national and international docs and postdocs. It is also regularly hosting internships of mostly engineers, Master 1 and Master 2 students with different backgrounds. Host institution The CRNL<https://www.crnl.fr/en/news-home?language=en> is a large INSERM/CNRS/University Lyon 1 research center, gathering more than 450 people spread across 20 teams and 10 platforms. It is located in the Lyon East Hospital Pole, a unique site combining medical care (4 hospitals respectively dedicated to neurology, psychiatry, cardiology and pediatrics), basic and clinical research (from genes and cells to cognition and behaviour; from bench to patient), as well as high-tech technological platforms (incl. Neuroimaging, MEG, SEEG, virtual reality). Scientific context In various sensory modalities, in health and disease, we mainly study human perception in the aim of unravelling its underlying cognitive, computational and neurophysiological mechanisms. Our team aims at innovating at the theoretical, methodological, experimental and clinical levels. In particular, we study neuronal encoding and communication (e.g., the emergence and functional role of oscillations; the computation behind the contextual modulations of cortical responses) in relation to brain disorders. This also guides the design of neurotechnologies (brain-computer interfaces) for research and clinical applications: namely ADHD, motor deficits and disorders of consciousness. Therefore, and beside behavioural and classical neuroimaging approaches (electrophysiology, fMRI), we use multimodal high-resolution neuroimaging (e.g., laminar MEG and fMRI) and computational modelling (e.g., Bayesian inference, Dynamic Causal Models of neuronal and cognitive processes; Spiking/Deep Neural Networks). Methods and models lie at the heart of our research. With this call, we aim at strengthening this core axis that is key to translating our theoretical hypothesis into testable quantitative predictions. Our team has recently evolved so that our hypothesis driven approach now spans several spatial and temporal scales (e.g., from neurotransmitters to behaviour; from trial-by-trial dynamics to neurodevelopment). Instantiating these hypotheses requires to build on most recent advances in computational neurosciences, for developing biologically plausible models of cognitive processes and their underlying physiological mechanisms. We thus develop models to be confronted with actual data. We actually use models to strongly guide the design of our experiments and provide new tools for data analysis (new algorithms that can be implemented in open software and shared with the whole team and beyond). We attach particular importance to the valorisation of computational models and methods, be it through their publication and diffusion, or by virtue of their impact on translating our research into societal and clinical applications. Finally, we also value methodological developments that support the emergence of new functional techniques (e.g. for the analysis of data from the new generation of MEG systems: optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs)). Desired candidate profile We seek for a young researcher whose profile will strongly complement our team. We expect the candidate to lead her/his own research program in computational neuroscience, but in strong interaction with the topics and experimental projects in the team. The important skills and topics we would like to further develop in the team include but are not limited to: – Spiking neural networks – Bayesian models (e.g. Active Inference) – Dynamical systems – Brain-Computer Interfaces – Machine Learning A previous experience in software development, teaching and human electrophysiology is not mandatory but will be a plus. INRIA position This call is to select a candidate for our team to apply for an INRIA position. In a single application, the candidate will have the possibility to apply to both a permanent research position (CRCN<https://www.inria.fr/en/researchers-normal-class-crcn>) and an INRIA starting faculty position (ISFP<https://www.inria.fr/en/inria-starting-faculty-position-isfp>). This process is organized once a year. A first stage requires the submission of a written application (around the end of winter 2024 for the next session). If preselected,the candidate will then defend her/his project orally in front of a jury (second and last recruitment stage). Application Application should contain a full resume (CV), a research and motivation statement (1 page max.) as well as the names of 2 references. Please send your application as a single document in pdf format, to both mathilde.bonnefond(a)inserm.fr and jeremie.mattout(a)inserm.fr, in an email entitled “Call for INRIA candidates”. Submission dead-line: December 8 (midnight GMT) this year. Remote interviews of the pre-selected candidates will likely be organized on December 20 and 21st this year. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Françoise Lecaignard Lyon Neuroscience research center (CRNL) - Team Cophy https://francoiselecaignar2.wixsite.com/flperso ________________________________

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Available Postdoc and PhD positions in computational neuroscience
by Lorenzo Fontolan 20 Nov '23

20 Nov '23

*Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (INMED), Aix-Marseille University* The *Neural computation and dynamics* group led by Lorenzo Fontolan is seeking a postdoc and a Ph.D. student to join the lab. The projects are funded by the Turing Centre for Living Systems (CENTURI) at Aix-Marseille University, France. The selected candidates will develop computational models of brain circuits and/or cutting-edge analysis tools for the analysis of neural data, drawing inspiration from dynamical systems, physics, statistics, and machine learning. Research questions can be chosen from a range of topics – such as neural dynamics, neural coding, memory & learning, biophysics of the neuron. The Fontolan lab collaborates with local and international research groups employing advanced experimental techniques such as calcium imaging, optogenetics, and in vivo electrophysiology. The positions are funded by The Turing Center for Living Systems (CENTURI), an interdisciplinary center that aims at deciphering the complexity of biological systems, gathering researchers from 20 different research institutes in biology, physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering. The recruited candidates will conduct their project at the *Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (Inmed). *Inmed, which accommodates more than 130 international researchers, is located inside the beautiful Luminy site of the Parc National des Calanques (Marseille). The Fontolan lab is also affiliated with the Center for Theoretical Physics here in Marseille. *Requirements*: Candidates with backgrounds in physics, mathematics, statistics, machine learning, computer science, and engineering are welcome to apply. The candidate should possess good mathematical and coding skills, plus the ability to think critically. In the Fontolan lab we are committed to creating an inclusive environment open to individuals from different cultures, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. Candidates should send a CV, a statement of interests, and expected date of availability to: lorenzo.fontolan(a)inserm.fr *For more information see:* Neural computation and dynamics group https://www.inmed.fr/neural-computation-and-dynamics Ph.D. position https://academicpositions.fr/ad/aix-marseille-universite/2023/phd-position-… Postdoc position https://academicpositions.fr/ad/aix-marseille-universite/2023/two-year-post… Looking forward to hearing from you! Lorenzo Fontolan -- Group Leader *Turing Centre for Living Systems (CENTURI) Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée & Centre de Physique Théorique Université Aix-Marseille, France* *https://www.inmed.fr/neural-computation-and-dynamics <https://www.inmed.fr/neural-computation-and-dynamics>* *https://centuri-livingsystems.org/l-fontolan/ <https://centuri-livingsystems.org/l-fontolan/>*

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Master, PhD and postdoc positions in computational neuroscience at the University Medical Center Bonn
by Tatjana Tchumatchenko 19 Nov '23

19 Nov '23

Dear friends and colleagues, It would great if you could spread the word among your students and postdocs: My group now at the University of Bonn Medical Center is looking for Master, PhD Students and Postdocs. Scientifically, our focus in on model building and data analysis methods which we build in close collaborations with experimental labs world wide. We are one of the leading computational neuroscience teams in Europe and obtained competitive prizes and third party funding from the European Research Council, German Research Foundation and other funding schemes. Your role: *Postdoc position The postdoc candidate will be involved in a computational project addressing how neurons efficiently synthesize and distribute proteins in order to ensure that these are readily available across all synapses, will analyze data and model synaptic plasticity changes in order to understand health and disease states computationally. This work is centered on computational tools and includes pen-and-paper calculations, data analysis, and numerical simulations and requires an interdisciplinary mindset. *PhD position The PhD candidate will be conducting circuit level data analysis and modeling of neural activity states. He/she will contribute to the development of machine learning algorithms to analyse imaging data or to distinguish different behavioral activity states. This work is centered on dynamical systems methods, data analysis and numerical simulations and requires an interdisciplinary mindset. Master students interested in conducting Master thesis research (6-12 months) related to the two projects above a welcome to apply. Your profile *fluency in written and spoken English *very good interdisciplinary and interpersonal communication skills *Master or PhD degree (depending on position) in a quantitative field (incl. physics, mathematics, computer science, machine learning, computational biology, neuroscience, life-sciences etc.) with a clear motivation to make an impact in neuroscience and biology *very good understanding of computational methods *very good experience in programming *a clear motivation for interdisciplinary research and passion for science *ability to work independently and develop own ideas *commitment to contribute to a supportive, welcoming and friendly team spirit When applying please attach a CV (with a publication record) and a current copy of academic transcripts and mention at least one academic reference. We are an equal opportunity employer. Our goal is to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and to promote their careers. We therefore strongly encourage women with relevant qualifications to apply. Applications will be treated in accordance with the State Equal Opportunities Act. Applications from qualified candidates with proven severe disabilities and people of equal status are particularly welcome. Contact info: Prof. Tatjana Tchumatchenko email: tatjana.tchumatchenko(a)uni-bonn.de www.tchumatchenko.de

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Assistant Professor position in Computational Neuroscience
by Laura Grafe 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

Bryn Mawr College Department of Psychology Assistant Professor The Department of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Computational Neuroscience to begin August 1, 2024. We welcome scholars using computational methods to investigate the interface between psychological/neuroscience phenomena. We are looking for candidates who have a theoretically and methodologically sophisticated research program and can meaningfully incorporate undergraduate students in such research. The successful candidate will be expected to teach a computationally focused survey course in neuroscience, a seminar and lab course in their area of expertise, and contribute to service courses (e.g., Research Methods and Statistics; Introduction to Neuroscience). Candidates are also expected to be part of the department’s efforts to develop and teach a diverse and inclusive curriculum, including interdisciplinary programs and other college-wide initiatives such as the 360 Program, Emily Balch Seminars and/or the Data Science Minor. Candidates should hold a doctoral degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, or a closely allied field and must have completed all Ph.D. requirements by the start date. Postdoctoral experience is desirable. To apply for this position, candidates must submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, research statement, and a statement of demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion to the Department of Psychology Search Committee via Interfolio at: http://apply.interfolio.com/136166. Candidates are asked to indicate which service courses (Research Methods and Statistics and/or Introduction to Neuroscience) they would be able to teach in their teaching statement. Applications received by January 22, 2024 will receive full consideration. In addition, candidates should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be submitted via Interfolio to the Department of Psychology Search Committee. Bryn Mawr College is a distinguished liberal arts women’s college with a vibrant faculty of scholar-teachers, a talented staff and intellectually curious students eager to make a difference in the world. The College is committed to increasing the diversity of its students, faculty, staff, and curricular offerings with a particular focus on enhancing ethnic and racial diversity and advancing social justice and inclusion. We believe diversity strengthens our community and enriches the education of our students. We have a student body of about 1,400 undergraduates (32 percent are U.S. students of color and 14 percent are international students). There are over 300 graduate students in coeducational graduate programs in social work, humanities and science. Bryn Mawr College is located in metropolitan Philadelphia and enjoys strong consortial relationships with Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania. Bryn Mawr College is an equal-opportunity employer; candidates from underrepresented groups and women are especially encouraged to apply. Laura Grafe Assistant Professor of Psychology Bryn Mawr College 610-526-5020

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Postdoc Position (Moore and Tolias Lab at Stanford University)
by Lopez, Camila 17 Nov '23

17 Nov '23

The Moore (https://www.moorelabstanford.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.moorelabstanford.c…>) and Tolias (https://toliaslab.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__toliaslab.org&d=DwMGaQ…>) Laboratories at Stanford University are seeking candidates for a joint postdoctoral opportunity aimed at exploring the neural algorithms and mechanisms underlying visual perception and cognition in nonhuman primates. This distinctive role combines large-scale, multi-area neural recordings using Neuropixels with cognitive tasks, advanced AI tools, and closed-loop experimental methods. We are in search of a driven researcher committed to contributing to a multidisciplinary research program that connects extensive electrophysiological recordings across multiple areas with machine learning. The focus is on unraveling cognitive and perceptual algorithms in primates. The ideal applicant will possess a solid background in systems neuroscience and quantitative skills, with a special emphasis on machine learning. This position promises a vibrant and cooperative atmosphere within laboratories renowned for their expertise in mechanisms of perception and cognition, pioneering neural recording techniques and the application of AI in neuroscience research. Our labs are committed to career development and actively support diversity in science. Please send your CV and research interest statement to: Camila Lopez camilal(a)stanford.edu<mailto:camilal@stanford.edu>

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[Meetings] 2024 Nengo Summer School Call For Applications
by Michael Furlong 17 Nov '23

17 Nov '23

Dear colleagues, [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 9th 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 neuromorphic hardware and will learn to run high-level applications 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, which includes spiking deep learning, reinforcement learning, adaptive motor control, and cognitive control networks. For a look at the last in-person summer school, check out this short video: https://youtu.be/vRcN5-0wdQE We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. ***Application Deadline: February 1, 2024*** Format: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modelling 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 1, SpiNNaker) * 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  * integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models * interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems * implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models * and much more… Date and Location: June 2nd to June 14th, 2024 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Applications: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summer-school, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Michael Furlong (michael.furlong(a)uwaterloo.ca) The school is partly supported by ABR, Inc. We look forward to hearing from you!

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PhD position Bioengineering and Robotics | University of Genoa, ITALY
by Silvio P. Sabatini 17 Nov '23

17 Nov '23

Applications are invited for one full-time PhD studentship for a period of 3 years, at the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and System Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genoa, Italy. The position will start on *Mar 1st, 2024* on the following research project: *A computational analysis of early vision function in silico networks of LIF neurons* Description: Computational models of early visual processing typically rely on simple linear contrast-encoding assumptions, which do not account for many higher-order mechanisms. Accordingly, many details remain underrated, as well their implications on functional vision. The project aims to implement neuromorphic multi-layer networks of leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons in cascade to a motorized event-based camera (DAVIS, DVS, https://inivation.com/technology/) to obtain artificial replicas of the early stages of an active vision system. Testing the models will involve the assessment of multiple and varying parameters captured under real-life and adaptive conditions. At functional level, the system will (1) consider the neural resources required to account for a range of linear/nonlinear early visual processes, and (2) provide the inference engines for relating the resulting visual representations to performance on psychophysical tasks. The visual performance of the resulting silicon model will be comparatively assessed with that of typical a human observer. The objective is twofold: on the one hand, we contribute a deeper understanding of visual processes, especially about predicting how early computation may reverberate through the sensory pathways eventually contributing to functional vision. On the other hand, we contribute to the definition of a new generation of perceptual machines to be used in robotics and in general in newly developed Artificial Intelligence systems. The research will be conducted at the Bioengineering/PSPC labs of DIBRIS. Applicants are expected to: (1) have a Master’s degree in Bioengineering, Robotics engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics or related disciplines, (2) have a keen interest in Vision Science and in Artificial Intelligence, (3) have good programming skills in at least one language (MATLAB, C/C++, Python, C#), (4) work well in group problem solving situations, (5) have intermediate communication skills (oral and written in English). Experience in neural modeling is a plus. Prospective students, please contact Silvio P. Sabatini ( silvio.sabatini(a)unige.it) providing your CV and qualifications, the name and contact details of two references, and a description of your research interests. *Online application is possible till *December 18th , 2023 (12:00 a.m. CET)** Full details on the call and the application procedure are available at: https://unige.it/dottorati-di-ricerca and https://biorob.phd.unige.it/how-to-apply Reference: Course: BIOENGINEERING AND ROBOTICS In agreement with the Foundation of the Italian Institute of Technology (Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia – IIT) Curriculum: BIOENGINEERING (CODE 10137) Regards, -- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Silvio P. SABATINI, PhD [PSPC Research Group] DIBRIS - University of Genova | e_mail: silvio.sabatini(a)unige.it Via Opera Pia, 13 | phone: +39 010 33 52092 I-16145 Genova (ITALY) | fax: +39 010 33 56533 URL: http://pspc.unige.it --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Imagination is more important than knowledge..." [Albert Einstein]

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Faculty job in Bristol
by Conor Houghton 16 Nov '23

16 Nov '23

We are looking for someone whose research encompasses neural computation and ML / AI to join us at Bristol University. We're hoping to appoint at Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor level but a Lecturer / Assistant Professor appointment would also be possible. The University of Bristol is an exciting centre for research into the nature of computation and inference in humans, animals and machines. Our computational neuroscience group has made important contributions in, for example, anatomically-constrained neural networks, Bayesian approaches to data and inference, biomimetic deep learning, neurolinguistics and the theory of neural networks. We will consider candidates from across the broad range of neural computation, computational neuroscience and AI; the only constraints is that we want someone who will be happy being part of a neural computation community and who can teach machine learning and AI. The University has a long tradition of cross-disciplinary research and computational neuroscience is recognised for our central role in the local neuroscience and machine learning / AI communities. Bristol itself is attractive city within easy reach of London, close to appealing countryside. It has a thriving arts and music scene and an optimistic international outlook. Our advert is here: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DEB054/lecturer-senior-lecturer-associate-profes… The deadline for applications is 2023-12-07 with interviews on 2024-01-12. Contact any of us if you have any questions. All the best Conor Houghton, Laurence Aitchison, Seán Froudist-Walsh (conor.houghton / laurence.aitchison /sean.froudist-walsh)(a)bristol.a ______________________________ Conor Houghton SEMT, Bristol University. Merchant Vulturers Building, Woodland Road BS8 1UB, Bristol conorhoughton.github.io pronouns: he / him [cid:2cf58357-6141-4f7f-a405-d7a7231e8bb1]

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Two weeks left to apply: PhD program in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience at American University (Dec 1)
by Laurie Bayet 16 Nov '23

16 Nov '23

Dear all, Applications to the PhD program in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCaN) at American University, Washington DC, are currently invited through *December 1* for a Fall 2024 start. Prospective students may apply now at: https://www.american.edu/cas/neuroscience/phd/requirements.cfm (GRE optional), mentioning the name(s) of the specific faculty they are interested in working with within their statement of purpose. For inquiries about waiving the application fee, please contact the PhD program director at mark.laubach(a)american.edu (first generation college students, among others, are generally eligible for the waiver). The following *cognitive neuroscience* faculty are anticipating accepting a PhD student this cycle: *Dr. Laurie Bayet *directs the *Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience lab*, which focuses on infant cognitive and visual development. The lab combines neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS), eye-tracking, behavioral methods, and computational (e.g., machine learning) tools to uncover how infants and young children learn to interpret complex visual objects, such as those that are relevant to affective, social communication. Current areas of focus include (1) the early development of high-level visual representations, in comparison to computational models of vision; and (2) social and affective communication understanding in typical-risk and elevated-risk infants. Prior experience with either developmental/neuroimaging research or programming/ machine learning (we use Python, Matlab, and/or R) is strongly preferred but not strictly required, as training will be provided. The lab is currently funded by the National Science Foundation, a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a Toffler Scholar Award from the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust, and American University. Our work involves local, domestic, and international collaborations, and has been recognized by a Rising Star award from the Association for Psychological Science and a Distinguished Early Career Contribution Award from the International Congress of Infant Studies. Learn more: https://www.bayetlab.com/ *Dr. Emily Grossnickle Peterson* directs the *Educational Neuroscience Lab*. The Ed Neuro Lab investigates the thinking and reasoning skills that impact learning science and mathematics, and examines the role of motivations such as interest and curiosity. We are especially interested in understanding curiosity and visual-spatial reasoning in science. At the heart of our work is a desire to reduce disparities among individuals typically under-represented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields by conducting research that contributes to a deeper understanding of how students engage with science and mathematics. We conduct research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and educational settings, and we apply methods from psychology, neuroscience, and education to study learning in the laboratory and in K-12 schools. Research in the lab is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Education. Learn more: https://edspace.american.edu/edneurolab/ *Dr. Bei Xiao* directs the *Computational Perception lab*, which focuses on human vision, computer vision and computational modeling of perception. The main topic of this PhD is to understand neural representation of objects and materials. Specifically, we study how humans estimate object properties and plan interactions in an immersive multimodal environment using generative AI, Human Psychophysics, EEG and functional brain imaging methods. We use a combination of psychophysics, deep learning, generative AI, VR/AR, computer graphics, EEG/MEG methods. The candidate will receive hands-on training in one or several of these areas. Besides this topic, we also study the visual development of material and object perception in infancy and early childhood through a collaboration with Laurie Bayet in the Department of Neuroscience using behavioral and EEG methods. In addition, Xiao lab also studies computer vision and collaborates with researchers at Virginia Tech, NIH/NEI, George Mason University, University of Giessen, and the University of Tokyo. These collaborations allow the candidate the opportunity to work on a variety of related topics. To learn more about the Xiao lab: https://sites.google.com/site/beixiao/ The BCaN PhD program is hosted by the Center for Neuroscience and Behavior ( https://www.american.edu/cas/center-neuroscience) at American University, which involves more than 20 faculty conducting research on the mind and brain across multiple departments including Neuroscience, Psychology, Computer Science, Biology, and the School of Education. The program provides 4 years of guaranteed funding including a TA-ship, with additional funding based on other sources (such as faculty grant support). American University provides a stimulating intellectual environment, just 2 miles from downtown Washington DC. DC offers a vibrant research community, and American University enjoys proximity to other notable research institutions. With extensive public transit, an exciting cultural and restaurant scene, many museums and public parks, and proximity to other green spaces in the surrounding region (e.g., Appalachian trail, Shenandoah National Park), Washington DC consistently ranks amongst the top US metropolitan areas for quality of life. (Apologies for cross-posting) All the best, Laurie -- Laurie Bayet, PhD Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, American University (202) 885-1719 bayet(a)american.edu https://www.bayetlab.com/

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