- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Announcement Special Session Neurotechnix 2014

by Martin Bogdan

Dear colleagues, it's my pleasure to announce in behalf of my co-chairs a special session at Neurotechnix 2014, 25- 26 October, 2014 - Rome, Italy (http://www.neurotechnix.org/BrainRehab.aspx) Brain-computer Interfaces and Brain Stimulation for Neurorehabilitation Important Dates Paper Submission: July 17, 2014 Authors Notification: July 31, 2014 Camera Ready and Registration: August 8, 2014 Scope Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and brain stimulation are unique methods for neurorehabilitation because they allow a direct interaction with the patient's brain. BCIs enable biofeedback approaches for paralyzed patients, while brain stimulation techniques modulate the activity of neuronal circuits to support brain reorganization. However, towards their application as reliable treatment options, important challenges such as a deeper understanding of neural (re-)organization, the design of suitable feedback and stimulation paradigms, the adaptation to individual patients and the transfer from the laboratory to clinical settings need to be faced. We invite neuroscientists, engineers and clinicians to submit papers discussing recent developments and future trends in the fields of neurostimulation and BCIs with a focus on their application towards the rehabilitation of patients. Topics: - Brain-computer interfaces - Decoding of brain activity - Neurofeedback - Brain stimulation - Closed-loop stimulation systems - Chronic pain - Stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases Paper Submission Prospective authors are invited to submit papers in any of the topics listed above. Instructions for preparing the manuscript (in Word and Latex formats) are available at: http://www.neurotechnix.org/GuidelinesTemplates.aspx#paper_templates Please also check the Guidelines and Templates. Papers should be submitted electronically via the web-based submission system at: http://www.insticc.org/Primoris Publication Both complete papers and extended abstracts can be submitted. All accepted extended abstracts will be published on CD-ROM without an ISBN, accepted papers will be published on CD-ROM support and in a special section of the congress proceedings book, under an ISBN reference. The proceedings are submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index (ISI), INSPEC, DBLP and EI (Elsevier Index). All papers and extended abstracts presented at the congress venue will also be made available at the SCITEPRESS DIGITAL LIBRARY. SCITEPRESS is member of CrossRef. -- ************************************************************************** Prof. Dr. Martin Bogdan Institut für Informatik Technische Informatik Universität Leipzig Augustusplatz 10 D-04109 Leipzig Germany Postadresse: PF 100920 D-04009 Leipzig Tel: (++49) 341 97 32208 Fax: (++49) 341 97 32252 E-mail: bogdan(a)informatik.uni-leipzig.de www.informatik.uni-leipzig.de/ti/ ************************************************************************** 'Nihil est ab omni parte beatum' (Horaz) **************************************************************************

May 21, 2014

Postdoc in computer vision - joint position at IIT and Harvard

by Diego Sona

IIT-Harvard joint postdoctoral position in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning for the design and development of a virtual foraging system enriched with automatic behavior analysis tools. Available immediately and until filled. The project is highly interdisciplinary, including data analysis, machine learning, computer vision, neuroscience, behavior analysis, and engineering. The aim is to develop a virtual reality (VR) system for mice behavior phenotyping that integrate multiple recording devices and a library of software tools for advanced behavioral data analysis. Strong competences are required both in systems engineering and computer vision / machine learning. The candiate will periodically commute between Genoa (IIT) and Boston (Harvard). Further info can be found at http://www.iit.it/en/openings/research-departments/pattern-analysis-a-compu… Reference: BC 68073 --------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Diego Sona Pattern Analysis & Computer Vision (PAVIS) Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) Genova, Italy www.iit.it/pavis.html ---------------------------------------------------------

May 20, 2014

IEEE International Workshop on Cloud-integrated Cyber Physical Systems 2014 (IEEE Cloud-CPS 2014)

by Sandra Sendra

********************************************************* CALL FOR PAPERS IEEE International Workshop on Cloud-integrated Cyber Physical Systems 2014 (IEEE Cloud-CPS 2014) Submission due July 31, 2014 http://cloudcps.cwins.org Dec 15 � 18, 2014, Singapore Singapore in conjunction with IEEE CloudCom 2014, Dec 15 � 18, 2014, Singapore ******************************************************************** Technology has gone through tremendous changes in terms of computing, communications and control to provide wide range of applications in all domains. This advancement provides the opportunities to bridge the physical components/processes and the cyber space leading to the Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). The notion of CPS is to use computing (sensing, analyzing, predicting, understanding, etc.), communication (interaction, intervene, interface management, etc.) and control (inter-operate, evolve, evidence-based certification, etc.) to make intelligent and autonomous systems. Such systems are playing an increasingly prevalent and important role in this electronic era such as healthcare, manufacturing, civil infrastructure, aerospace, entertainment, transportation and many automated physical systems. Computing and networking are two major components of CPS and Cloud has infinite resources for both. Cloud-integrated CPS will not only enhance CPS itself but also process, analyze! and manage (CPS) big data efficien tly. However, there are many issues and hurdles of Cloud-integrated CPS that need discussions. Our aim is to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to present their research results in the area of Cloud-integrated Cyber-Physical Systems. The proposed workshop CloudCPS-2014 will serve as a forum for researchers from academia, government and industries to exchange ideas, present new results and provide future visions on these topics. Topics of interest include but not limited to: - Cloud-CPS Architecture - Cloud-CPS Modeling and Simulation - Virtualization of Physical Components in Cloud-CPS - Design and Performance Optimization in Cloud-CPS - Cloud-assisted Situation-aware and decision support - Big-data Processing and Visualization in Cloud-CPS - Mobile Cloud-CPS - Game Theory for Cloud-CPS - Tools and Methods for Cloud-CPS - Sensor-actuator Networks - Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cloud-CPS - Intelligent (Road/Air) Transportation Cloud-CPS - Cloud-CPS in healthcare - Cloud-CPS in energy - Fog computing - Cloud-CPS: Tools, test beds and deployment issues - Opportunistic spectrum access for Cloud-CPS ***************************** SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ***************************** The authors are advised to submit their research paper following the IEEE CS format: two columns, single-spaced, including figures and references, using 10 fonts, and number each page. Instructions for authors how to format the manuscript can be found at: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/cscps/submission/ http://www.computer.org/portal/web/cscps/formatting/ The following templates below, are general templates designed for conferences using an US Letter (8.5" x 11") trim size. MS Word Template: http://www.computer.org/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=4cc57ba2-39… LaTeX Package: http://www.computer.org/portal/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=cda2f9b2-51… Papers will be carefully evaluated based on originality, significance, technical soundness, and clarity of exposition. The papers, in pdf format, should be submitted electronically through https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieeecloudcps2014. If there is any problem during submission, please contact the workshop general chairs or db.rawat(at)ieee.org. All accepted papers will be published by IEEE CS Press (submitted to IEEEXplore) and submitted for indexing by EI and ISSN. *********************** Important Dates *********************** Deadline for paper submissions: July 31, 2014 Notification of Paper acceptance: Sept. 2, 2014 Deadline for camera-ready: Sept.16, 2014 Deadline for author registration: Oct. 1, 2014 Conference: December 15-18, 2014 WORKSHOP WEBSITE For more information, please visit the workshop website at http://cloudcps.cwins.org ++++++++++++++++ Organizers ++++++++++++++++ **************** General Chairs **************** Ivan Stojmenovic, University of Ottawa, Canada Danda B. Rawat, Georgia Southern University, USA Jaime Lloret Mauri, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain ****************** Program Chairs ****************** Bhed B. Bista, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan Song Guo, The University of Aizu, Japan ******************* Publicity Chairs ******************* Sandra Sendra, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain

May 20, 2014

Postdoctoral vacancies in London

by Harris, Kenneth

Dear Computational Neuroscientists, We are seeking applicants for 3 postdoctoral jobs at the interface of computational and experimental neuroscience, working with Profs. Kenneth Harris and Matteo Carandini. The closing date for all positions is June 14 2014. For details on how to apply, please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/positions. Position 1: Large-scale analysis of neocortical activity Modern experimental methods allow for simultaneous recording of thousands of neurons. These methods provide an unprecedented opportunity to study how neuronal populations process information. However, turning this data into concrete conclusions about brain function raises a twofold challenge. First, statistical methods required to characterize, visualize, and test hypotheses about neural data must be developed; second, the data sets involved are so large that they require advanced computational techniques for their efficient processing. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to study population coding and circuit function in cortex, by working with data from large-scale electrophysiological and optical recordings. This position would suit an individual with strong quantitative skills together with good knowledge of neurobiology. Position 2: Large-scale simulation of cortical circuits Recent years have seen the development of techniques for rapid simulation of neural circuits, making it at last possible to model how cellular and synaptic properties determine cortical activity in circuits of realistic size. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to build large-scale models of recurrent spiking cortical networks, using hardware systems such as large-scale GPGPU clusters or specialized chips such as spiNNaker. Close interaction with experimental neuroscience will be a key part of the project, and the models will be constrained by their ability to both reproduce patterns of population activity measured in vivo, and to perform real-world visual classification tasks. This project involves the use of specialized hardware, and would suit a candidate with strong programming ability as well as neuroscience knowledge. Position 3: Experimental study of cortical population activity Developments in electrophysiology, microscopy, and genetics now make it possible to measure the activity of thousands of neurons simultaneously, while identifying and controlling specific cell classes in real time with light. Combining these experimental technologies with large-scale informatics and computational analysis provides a tremendous tool to understand the function of cortical circuits. We are seeking a postdoctoral scientist to apply these tools to study network activity during a visual discrimination task in behaving mice. This project involves integrating multiple techniques currently in use in our lab including large-scale electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, two-photon microscopy, and mouse behaviour. This position would suit a candidate with a background in experimental neurobiology, engineering, or experimental physics. --------------------- Kenneth D. Harris Professor of Quantitative Neuroscience Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology University College London 21 University Street London WC1E 6DE Phone: +44 (0)20 3108 2410

May 19, 2014

new Frontiers journal section "Computational Intelligence"

by Claudius Gros

This is to to call your attention to a new Frontiers journal section "Computational Intelligence" http://www.frontiersin.org/Computational_Intelligence within Robotics and AI. The first articles have been published: --------------------- Rodrigo Echeveste and Claudius Gros Generating functionals for computational intelligence: The Fisher information as an objective function for self-limiting Hebbian learning rules http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/frobt.2014.00001/abstract --------------------- --------------------- Mikhail Prokopenko Grand challenges for Computational Intelligence http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/frobt.2014.00002/full --------------------- We invite you to submit your research! Claudius Gros ***************************************** *** Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros *** *** +49 (0)69 798 47818 *** *** http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros *** ***************************************** -------------------------------------------------------- --- Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems, A Primer --- --- A graduate-level textbook, Springer (2008/10/13) --- --------------------------------------------------------

May 19, 2014

post-doc position: “The informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech”

by Pierre Bessière

Speech Unit(e)s The multisensory-motor unity of speech Understanding how speech unites the sensory and motor streams, And how speech units emerge from perceptuo-motor interactions ERC Advanced Grant, Jean-Luc Schwartz, GIPSA-Lab, Grenoble, France Proposal for a post-doc position beginning in September 2014: “The informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech” Context The Speech Unit(e)s project is focused on the speech unification process associating the auditory, visual and motor streams in the human brain, in an interdisciplinary approach combining cognitive psychology, neurosciences, phonetics (both descriptive and developmental) and computational models. The framework is provided by the “Perception-for-Action-Control Theory (PACT)” developed by the PI (Schwartz et al., 2012). PACT is a perceptuo-motor theory of speech communication connecting, in a principled way, perceptual shaping and motor procedural knowledge in speech multisensory processing. The communication unit in PACT is neither a sound nor a gesture but a perceptually shaped gesture, that is a perceptuo-motor unit. It is characterized by both articulatory coherence – provided by its gestural nature – and perceptual value – necessary for being functional. PACT considers two roles for the perceptuo-motor link in speech perception: online unification of the sensory and motor streams through audio-visuo-motor binding, and offline joint emergence of the perceptual and motor repertoires in speech development. Objectives of the post-doc position In a multisensory-motor context such as the present one, a major requirement concerns a better knowledge of the structure of the information. Speech scientists have acquired a very good knowledge of the structure of speech acoustics, capitalizing on large audio corpora and up-to-date statistical techniques (mostly based on sophisticated implementations of Hidden Markov Models, e.g. Schutz & Waibel, 2001, Yu & Deng, 2011). Data on speech rhythms, in relation with the syllabic structure, have been analyzed clearly in a number of works (Greenberg, 1999; Grant & Greenberg, 2003). In spite of strong efforts in the field of audiovisual speech automatic recognition (Potamianos et al., 2003), characterization of the structure of audiovisual information is scarce. While an increasing number of papers on audiovisual speech perception presenting cognitive and neurophysiological data quote the “advance of the visual stream on the audio stream”, few papers provide quantitative evidence (see Chandrasekaran et al., 2009) and when they do, these are sometimes mistaken or oversimplified. Actually, the temporal relationship between visual and auditory information is far from constant from one situation to another (Troille et al., 2010). Concerning the perceptuo-motor link, the situation is even worse. Few systematic quantitative studies are available because of the difficulty to acquire articulatory data, and in these studies the focus is generally set on the so-called “inversion problem” (e.g. Ananthakrishnan & Engwall, 2011, Hueber et al., 2012) rather than a systematic characterization of the structure of the perceptuo-motor relationship. Finally, there is a strong lack of systematic investigations of the relationship between orofacial and bracchio-manual gestures in face-to-face communication. We shall gather a large corpus of audio-visuo-articulatory-gestural speech. Articulatory data will be acquired through ultrasound, electromagnetic articulography (EMA) and video imaging. Labial configurations and estimates of jaw movements will be automatically extracted and processed thanks to a large range of video facial processing. We also additionally plan to record information about accompanying coverbal gestures by the hand and arm, thanks to an optotrack system enabling to track bracchio-manual gestures. A complete equipment for audio-video-ultrasound-EMA-optotrack acquisition and automatic processing, named ultraspeech-tools, is available in Grenoble (more information on www.ultraspeech.com) The corpus will consist in isolated syllables, chained syllables, simple sentences and read material. Elicitation paradigms will associate reading tasks (with material presented on a computer screen) and dialogic situations between the subject and an experimenter to evoke coverbal gestures as ecologically as possible. The corpus will be analyzed, by extensive use and possibly development of original techniques, based on data–driven statistical models and machine learning algorithms, in the search for three major types of characteristics: 1) Quantification of auditory, visual and motor rhythms, from kinematic data – e.g. acoustic envelope, lip height and/or width, variations in time of the principal components of the tongue deformations, analysis of the arm/hand/finger dynamics; 2) Quantification of delays between sound, lips, tongue and hand in various kinds of configurations associated with coarticulation processes (e.g. vowel to vowel anticipatory and perseverative phenomena, consonant-vowel coproduction, vocal tract preparatory movement in silence) and oral/gestural coordination; 3) Quantification of the amount of predictability between lips, tongue, hand and sound, through various techniques allowing the quantitative estimate of joint information (e.g. mutual information, entropy, co-inertia) and perform statistical inference between modalities (e.g. Graphical models such as dynamic Bayesian Framework, multi-stream HMM, etc.) The work will be performed within a multidisciplinary group in GIPSA-Lab Grenoble, associating specialists in speech and gesture communication, cognitive processes, signal processing and machine learning (partners of the project: Jean-Luc Schwartz, Marion Dohen from the “Speech, Brain, Multimodality Development” team; Thomas Hueber, Laurent Girin from the “Talking Machines and Face to Face Interaction” team; Pierre-Olivier Amblard and Olivier Michel from the “Information in Complex Systems” team). Practical information The post-doc position is open for a two-year period, with a possible third-year prolongation. The position is open from September 2014, or slightly later if necessary. Candidates should have a background in speech and signal processing, face-to-face communication, and machine learning, or at least two of these three domains. Candidates should send as soon as possible a short email to Jean-Luc Schwartz (Jean-Luc.Schwartz(a)gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr) to declare their intention to submit a full proposal. Then they must send a full application file in the next weeks. This application file will include an extended CV and a list of publications, together with a letter explaining why they are interested in the project, what their specific interests could be, possibly suggesting other experiments related to the general question of the informational structure of audio-visuo-motor speech, and also how this position would fit into their future plans for the development of their own career. They should also provide two names (with email addresses) for recommendations about their applications. Preselected candidates will be interviewed. Final selection should occur before mid-June.

May 18, 2014

PhD position: “Bayesian model of the joint development of perception, action and phonology”

by Pierre Bessière

Proposal for a PhD position beginning in September 2014: “Bayesian model of the joint development of perception, action and phonology” Context The Speech Unit(e)s project is focused on the speech unification process associating the auditory, visual and motor streams in the human brain, in an interdisciplinary approach combining cognitive psychology, neurosciences, phonetics (both descriptive and developmental) and computational models. The framework is provided by the “Perception-for-Action-Control Theory (PACT)” developed by the PI (Schwartz et al., 2012). PACT is a perceptuo-motor theory of speech communication, which connects in a principled way perceptual shaping and motor procedural knowledge in speech multisensory processing. The communication unit in PACT is neither a sound nor a gesture but a perceptually shaped gesture, that is a perceptuo-motor unit. It is characterised by both articulatory coherence – provided by its gestural nature – and perceptual value – necessary for being functional. PACT considers two roles for the perceptuo-motor link in speech perception: online unification of the sensory and motor streams through audio-visuo-motor binding, and offline joint emergence of the perceptual and motor repertoires in speech development. Objectives of the PhD position In the debates between auditory and motor theories of speech perception, and in their modern revival concerning the role of the dorsal route (Hickok & Poeppel, 2004, 2007), there is no real reflexion about what could be the functional role of a perceptuo-motor coupling for speech perception. The “dorsal route” is supposed to be useful in “adverse conditions”, e.g. in noise or with a foreign language (Callan et al., 2004; Zekveld et al., 2006). But no theoretical explanation is actually proposed for this potential efficiency of motor processes in adverse conditions. We have recently developed a computational framework enabling to compare the predictions of auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor theories in various kinds of situations (Moulin-Frier et al., 2012). Casting these theories into a single, unified mathematical framework is an efficient way to compare the theories and their properties in a systematic manner. Bayesian modeling is a mathematical framework that precisely allows such comparisons. The trick is that the same tool, namely probabilities, can be used both for defining the models and for comparing them (see e.g. Myung & Pitt, 2009). The generic model we developed is called COSMO, which stands for "Communicating about Objects using Sensory-Motor Operations". The COSMO acronym also represents the five variables around which the basic structure of the model is built. In COSMO, communication (C) is a success when an object OS in the speaker’s mind is transferred, via sensory and motor means S and M, to the listener’s mind where it is correctly recovered as OL. COSMO assumes that a communicating agent, which is both a speaker and a listener, internalizes the communication situation inside an internal model. The PhD project aims at developing COSMO in two major directions. (1) Joint acquisition of perceptual and motor repertoires in a syllabic framework. Experiments in COSMO have mainly concerned simple stimuli, e.g. in abstract one-dimensional sensory-motor spaces, or with restricted vowel samples. We will explore strategies for automatically learning to produce and perceive complex sequences such as plosive-vowel CV sequences, which display systematic coarticulation phenomena. Various kinds of exploration and learning mechanisms are available from cognitive and developmental robotics (Moulin-Frier & Oudeyer, 2012). Validation tests will be inspired from real data, on e.g. locus equations for plosive acoustics (Sussman et al., 1998), robustness to perturbations in production (Lindblom et al., 1979; Savariaux et al., 1995), or coupling of perceptual and motor idiosyncrasies. (2) Comparison of auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor theories for speech processing in various conditions. Once these perception and production components will be settled in COSMO, we will compare auditory, motor and perceptuo-motor speech perception theories in challenging conditions, such as noise, speaker normalization, or foreign accent. We will test the ability to develop a perceptuo-motor phonology from auditory and motor experience, e.g. to acquire a category such as “plosive place of articulation” through the discovery of perceptuo-motor links in learning. We will also test COSMO on natural CV stimuli, exploiting natural multi-speaker corpora of CV sequences for learning and perceptual tests. The work will be realized within a multidisciplinary team gathering knowledge in speech communication, cognitive theories and Bayesian modeling (Jean-Luc Schwartz in GIPSA-Lab Grenoble, Julien Diard in LPNC Grenoble, Pierre Bessière in ISIR Paris), in collaboration with Pierre-Yves Oudeyer in INRIA Bordeaux. Practical information The PhD position is open from September 2014, or slightly later if necessary. Candidates should have a master, some knowledge about speech and cognitive modeling, and ability to program and to develop computational models. They must send a CV, together with a letter explaining why they are interested in the project. They should also provide two names (with email addresses) for recommendations about their applications. This should be send before June 15th to Jean-Luc Schwartz (Jean-Luc.Schwartz(a)gipsa-lab.grenoble-inp.fr) Interviews will be done with preselected candidates. Decision will occur in the following weeks.

May 18, 2014

IWSYP'14: deadline extension to May 30

by Thiago Matos Pinto

I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14 September 8-9, 2014 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com University of São Paulo Deadline for abstract submission has now been extended to May 30. Participation is free of charge! Speakers: Chris De Zeeuw (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands & Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Freek Hoebeek (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Reinoud Maex (École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) Ricardo Leão (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Thiago Matos Pinto (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Organizers: Thiago Matos Pinto (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Antonio Roque (University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Abstracts: Submission of abstracts for poster and oral presentations are due by May 30, 2014. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings on topics related to synaptic plasticity. Please see http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com/abstracts for details. Please visit the IWSYP'14 website for program and further details: http://iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com You will also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/iwsyp14 We look forward to seeing you in Ribeirão Preto. With best wishes, Thiago Matos Pinto, IWSYP'14 Organizer

May 16, 2014

Special issue on the hard problem of consciousness

by Roman Poznanski

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE http://www.worldscinet.com/jin SPECIAL ISSUE: On the Hard problem of consciousness Volume 13, No.2 (JUNE) 2014 Editorial 1. Introduction— Addressing the Hard Problem J. R. Searle. 2. A Neuropsychoanalytic Approach to the Hard Problem of Consciousness M. Solms 3. Co-evolution of Human Consciousness and Language—Revisited M. Arbib 4. Quantum Effects in the Understanding of Consciousness S. R. Hameroff and J.A.Tuszynski 5. The Origins of the Brain's Endogenous Electromagnetic Field and Its Relationship to Provision of Consciousness. C.G. Hales 6. Keeping Time: Could Quantum Beating in Microtubules be the Basis for the Neural Synchrony Related to Consciousness? T.J.A. Craddock, A. Priel and J. A. Tuszynski 7. Genomic Instantiation of Consciousness in Neurons Through a Biophoton Field Theory L.A. Cacha and R.R. Poznanski 8. Physical Integration: A Causal Account for Consciousness R. Manzotti and A. Chella 9. Afference Copy as a Quantitative Neurophysiological Model for Consciousness H. Cornelis and A. Coop 10. Triple-Aspect Monism: Physiological, Unconscious and Conscious Aspects of Brain Activity A.Pereira Jr. ------- Roman R. Poznanski Professor Laboratory of Biological Modeling The Rockefeller University 1230 York Avenue New York, NY 10065-6399 Office: (212) 327-7646 E-mail: rpoznanski(a)rockefeller.edu http://romanpoznanski.blogspot.com and Chief-Editor, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience http://www.worldscinet.com/jin/mkt/editorial.shtml _______________________________________________

May 16, 2014

Research Assistant Position in the Neuroinformatics lab / Institute of Cognitive Science, University Osnabrück

by Gordon Pipa

The Neuroinformatics Research Group (Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa) of the Institute of Cognitive Science invites applications for a Research Assistant (Postdoc level), (Salary level E 13 TV-L) to be filled by July 1, 2014 for a period of three years. The position allows for further scientific qualification. Description of Responsibilities: The position involves research on complex neuronal networks and the analysis of data generated by such systems. The research will develop tools and apply these on the estimation of complex and causal interactions between neurons and larger areas of the brain, based on various measurements, such as spiking activity, LFP and ECoG. The successful candidate will be involved in several research projects that range from BSc to PhD projects. The position also involves teaching Cognitive Science courses at B.Sc. and M.Sc. level (4 hours/week). Required Qualifications: Candidates are expected to have an excellent academic degree (PhD and Master/diploma). Applicants should have an excellent knowledge in the field of machine learning, i.e. generalized linear and state space models, kernel methods, reservoir computing and deep learning. Experience or a strong interest in the fields of complex systems, computational neurosciences, dynamical systems theory and the concepts to study these, i.e. bifurcation and stability analysis, and delay coupled differential equations, measurements of complexity, are encouraged. The position may be held full or part-time. As a certified family-friendly institution, Osnabrück University is committed to furthering the compatibility between work/studies and family life. Furthermore, qualified applicants with disabilities will be favored. Applications with the usual documentation, including two letters of recommendation (hardcopies which will not be returned) should be submitted no later than June 4, 2014 to the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrueck, Albrechtstraße 28, 49076 Osnabrueck. An electronic copy of your application should be sent to gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de. Further information can be provided by Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa, (gpipa(a)uni-osnabrueck.de)

May 15, 2014

3 days left for abstract submission - Bernstein Conference 2014 - Call for Abstracts

by Kerstin Mosch

REMINDER: Call for Abstracts: Bernstein Conference 2014 Deadline of Abstract Submission: May 18, 2014 ************************************************************** Satellite Workshops September 02-03, 2014 Main Conference September 03-05, 2014 ************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference has become the largest annual Computational Neuroscience Conference in Europe and now regularly attracts more than 500 international participants. This year, the Conference is organized by the Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Goettingen and will take place September 03-05, 2014. In addition, there will be a series of pre-conference satellite workshops on September 02-03, 2014. The Bernstein Conference is a single-track conference, covering all aspects of Computational Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, and sessions for poster presentations are an integral part of the conference. We now invite the submission of abstracts for poster presentations from all relevant areas. Accepted abstracts will be published online and will be citable via Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). Additionally, a small number of abstracts will be selected for contributed talks. DETAILS FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: For abstract submission visit: http://www.bernstein-conference.de/abstracts Deadline: May 18, 2014 CONFERENCE DETAILS: Venue: Satellite Workshops and Main Conference, Central Lecture Hall (ZHG), Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Registration: Conference Registration starts in April, 2014 Early registration deadline: July 7, 2014 For more information on the conference, please visit the website: http://www.bernstein-conference.de PUBLIC PHD STUDENT EVENT: September 02, 2014 PUBLIC LECTURE: September 04, 2014 PROGRAM COMMITTEE: Ilka Diester, Daniel Durstewitz, Thomas Euler, Alexander Gail, Matthias Kaschube, Jason Kerr, Roland Schaette, Fred Wolf, Florentin Wörgötter, ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Florentin Wörgötter, Kerstin Mosch, Yvonne Reimann Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS): Andrea Huber Broesamle, Mareike Kardinal, Kerstin Schwarzwaelder We look forward to seeing you in Goettingen in September! -- Dr. Kerstin Mosch Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Goettingen Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology (BFNT) Goettingen Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Am Fassberg 17 D-37077 Goettingen Germany T: +49 (0) 551 5176 - 425 E: kerstin(a)nld.ds.mpg.de I: www.bccn-goettingen.de I: www.bfnt-goettingen.de

May 15, 2014

Deep Learning Overview - Draft

by Juergen Schmidhuber

Dear computational neuroscientists, here the preliminary draft of an invited Deep Learning overview: http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/DeepLearning15May2014.pdf It mostly consists of references (about 800 entries so far). Important citations are still missing though. As a machine learning researcher, I am obsessed with credit assignment. In case you know of references to add or correct, please send them with brief explanations to juergen(a)idsia.ch (NOT TO THE ENTIRE LIST!), preferably together with URL links to PDFs for verification. Please also do not hesitate to send me additional corrections / improvements / suggestions / Deep Learning success stories with feedforward and recurrent neural networks. I'll post a revised version later. Thanks a lot! Abstract. In recent years, deep artificial neural networks (including recurrent ones) have won numerous contests in pattern recognition and machine learning. This historical survey compactly summarises relevant work, much of it from the previous millennium. Shallow and deep learners are distinguished by the depth of their credit assignment paths, which are chains of possibly learnable, causal links between actions and effects. I review deep supervised learning (also recapitulating the history of backpropagation), unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning & evolutionary computation, and indirect search for short programs encoding deep and large networks. Juergen Schmidhuber http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/ http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/whatsnew.html

May 15, 2014

OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign

by Shreejoy Tripathy

Dear Colleagues, I'm writing to let you know about the OpenWorm Kickstarter Campaign (link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i…) As you may know, the goal of the OpenWorm project is to digitally simulate a C. Elegans organism. By design, the project is organized in a geographically distributed fashion and all of the work is being done in the open (on GitHub and Youtube) using entirely open source code and public data. Though I’m not a worm researcher, I’m supporting OpenWorm’s Kickstarter because I strongly believe in their overall mission. As a computational neuroscientist, I see the project as a necessary first step in the simulation of more complex organisms, including mice and ultimately humans. Moreover, I see my Kickstarter contribution as a future investment in the open source tools and methodologies that OpenWorm develops that I hope to eventually use in my own research. More philosophically, I think that lately the field of neuroscience has suffered from some amount of “overhype”, especially given the initially promised outcomes of recent large-scale brain initiatives (e.g., recording from all neurons in a mammalian brain, simulating an entire human brain). While these projects have been hugely successful in catalyzing widespread public support of basic neuroscience research, many neuroscientists see these promises as perhaps a bridge too far given the current research state. Though OpenWorm's goals are itself highly ambitious, the relative simplicity of the worm (named neurons, stereotyped connectomes and musculature, the ability to image neuronal activity in vivo) lends itself well to this attempt. By conducting the project in the open and basing success on quantifiable goals (i.e., how similar are the simulated worm's movements and neural activity to experimental measurements), the project will serve as a roadmap for future endeavours in multi-scale data integration and organismal simulation. Lastly, the geographically distributed and highly interdisciplinary nature of the project makes it challenging to receive funding through traditional NIH-style mechanisms. For this reason, I'm asking you to join me in supporting the project's Kickstarter campaign. More information: OpenWorm Website: http://www.openworm.org Kickstarter campaign link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openworm/openworm-a-digital-organism-i… Project overview by OpenWorm member and neuroscientist Jim Hokanson: http://jimandscience.blogspot.ca/2014/05/modeling-worm-thoughts-on-openworm… OpenWorm QandA on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/246dlw/science_ama_series_im_steph… Sincerely, Shreejoy Tripathy Post-doc and Developer of neuroelectro.org University of British Columbia Centre for High-Throughput Biology

May 12, 2014

CAN satellite workshop

by Gunnar Blohm

*Invitation to the CAN 2014 satellite workshop on "Neural circuits of health and disease: from computation to experiment" * ** We would like to invite you to join us at the CAN 2014 satellite workshop on "Neural circuits of health and disease: from computation to experiment" to be held on *Monday, May 26 between 5pm and 10pm *at the Montreal Hilton Bonaventure. This workshop is organized by the Canadian Association for Neuroinformatics and Computational Neuroscience (CNCN) and jointly sponsored by CIHR and NeuroDevNet. The *goals *of this workshop are to (1) showcase the significance of CNCN-experimental collaborations, (2) enable new breakthroughs on major health questions through break-out sessions matching CNCN expertise with experimentalists, and (3) prepare a joint vision on how CNCN will optimally benefit health research in Canada. We hope to build new collaborations, exchange ideas and demonstrate the usefulness of CNCN. In addition, we aim at providing specific suggestions to funding agencies on how CNCN could further boost Canadian health research. We are also very honored to have *Dr. Eve Marder* (Brandeis University; former SfN president) as a keynote lecturer. Please see below for a detailed program. If you are interested in participating, please email Dr. Gunnar Blohm (gunnar.blohm(a)queensu.ca <mailto:gunnar.blohm@queensu.ca>) with a short statement of interest and benefit of participation to you. Although this workshop is mainly intended for PIs, we also encourage senior graduate students and postdocs to apply. Participation is by invitation only. The CNCN steering committee will select 60 participants (10 students/postdocs) out of all applications. Thanks to CIHR and NeuroDevNet, workshop participation is free and includes dinner. We hope to see you at the workshop! Sincerely Gunnar Blohm & Paul Pavlidis (co-organizers, co-directors of CNCN) _Preliminary Program_: 5pm -- 5:15pm -- Welcome by Paul Pavlidis & Gunnar Blohm Showcases of CNCN-experimental collaborations 5-15pm -- 5:45pm: Neurodevelopmental disorders (TBD) 5:45pm -- 6:15pm: Stroke (TBD) 6:15pm -- 6:45pm: Changes in the dynamics of network oscillations in hippocampus as markers of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease mice models (Frances Skinner, U Toronto; Sylvain Williams, McGill) 6:45pm -- 7:15pm: Genomics and neuropsychiatric disorders (Gustavo Turecki, McGill; Paul Pavlidis, UBC) 7:15pm -- 8:30pm: 6 chaired round table discussions & dinner 8:30pm -- 9:30pm: keynote lecture (Dr. Eve Marder) 9:30pm -- open end: open discussion on vision of CNCN -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology, School of Computing, and Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet) Queen's University 18, Stuart Street Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3385 Fax: (613) 533-6840 Email: Gunnar.Blohm(a)QueensU.ca Web: http://www.compneurosci.com/

May 12, 2014

Postdoctoral Position: Psychiatry and Theoretical Neuroscience

by Andre Longtin

A two-year postdoctoral position is immediately available at the interface of psychiatry and theoretical neuroscience at the University of Ottawa's Center for Neural Dynamics. This is a joint position between the Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics group of Prof. Georg Northoff at the Institute of Mental Health Research and the Neurophysics and Nonlinear Dynamics group of Prof. André Longtin in the Physics Department. The candidate should be open to learning and, most optimally, already experienced in the analysis of the temporal and spatial activity structure in large scale neural data sets, using various measures inspired from linear (e.g. cross-spectral and phase coherence), nonlinear and stochastic dynamics. Ideally the candidate would also be experienced in modelling and simulation. The focus is on the perception of time, in particular on how it is altered by excitation-inhibition imbalances. Candidates should have a PhD degree in physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, neuroscience, computational neuroscience or cognitive neuroscience, an excellent related research experience in neuroscience, as well as strong computational, written and oral communication skills. Applications consisting of a CV and a brief statement of research interest should be sent to alongtin(a)uottawa.ca . Applications will be considered until the position is filled.

May 9, 2014

NEURON course discounts continue!

by Ted Carnevale

The early registration discounts for this year's NEURON summer courses were originally supposed to end today, but we have been able to arrange to continue the discounts for as long as seats remain open, or until the Friday May 30 registration deadline. NEURON Fundamentals June 21-24 This addresses all aspects of using NEURON to model individual neurons, and also introduces parallel simulation and the fundamentals of modeling networks. Includes a healthy serving of Python. Parallel Simulation with NEURON June 25-26 This is for users who are already familiar with NEURON and need to create models that will run on parallel hardware. Special attention will be paid to critical topics such as powerful strategies and idioms for implementing and managing models, measuring and improving performance, and debugging. $1050 for the Fundamentals course $650 for the Parallel Simulation course $1600 for both These fees cover handout materials plus food and housing on the campus of UC San Diego. For more information and the on-line registration form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/courses --Ted

May 9, 2014

Postdoc position in molecular modeling of signaling pathways

by Erik De Schutter

A postdoctoral position is available in the Computational Neuroscience Unit of Dr. Erik De Schutter at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan (http://www.irp.oist.jp/cns/) to model molecular aspects of cerebellar Purkinje cell function. We study the signaling pathways involved in cerebellar long-term depression at the parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapse. You will be able to use a detailed stochastic model using the STEPS simulator (http://steps.sourceforge.net/) that replicates calcium uncaging experiments in detail (Antunes and De Schutter 2012). This well mixed model with about 400 different reactions has generated new insights in the sources of stochasticity in synaptic plasticity induction. Now we want to expand this work in two directions: to include diffusion, distributing reactions between the spine and dendrite, and to include induction of parallel fiber long-term potentiation. Candidates should have experience with modeling molecular reactions. Knowledge of signaling pathways involved in synaptic plasticity preferred. QUALIFICATIONS: Good English language skills are essential. There will be ample opportunity to interact with modelers and software developers in the lab who are working on several Purkinje cell and cerebellar related projects and with other scientists at the English language multi-disciplinary environment of OIST. Write me if interested. Include CV and names of two references.

May 9, 2014

Open Position: Scientific Computing Specialist at Columbia University Zuckerman Institute

by Rajendra Bose

Announcing an open position for “Scientific Computing Specialist” in the Research Computing group at the new Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia. Please pass along the link below to anybody who may be interested. http://www.columbia.edu/~rb2568/zmbbi_scs.pdf Thank you-- Raj Rajendra Bose, Ph.D. 2014 Secretary, Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation http://casc.org Director, Research Computing Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Columbia University Tel: 212-851-2918 http://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu

May 8, 2014

European Summer School on Eye Movements (ESSEM) 2014

by Ulrich Ettinger

Dear list members, * Apologies for multiple postings * This is the first call for the European Summer School on Eye Movements (ESSEM) 2014, funded by the Boehringer-Ingelheim-Stiftung and organised by Christoph Klein (Freiburg/Bangor) and Ulrich Ettinger (Bonn). ESSEM 2014 will be held at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University of Freiburg, Germany, from 8th to 13th September 2014. ESSEM brings together internationally renowned researchers to teach students in the theories, neural bases, experimental designs and statistical analysis of eye movements studies in basic science as well as applied settings. Please see below for a preliminary list of speakers. We are pleased to now invite applications from students and researchers at the PhD/MD or early post-doctoral level. Financial support is available for participants’ travel and accommodation expenses. The course fee is €250 and includes catering (lunch, coffee) throughout the summer school. Participants are expected to present a poster of a study they have carried out (not necessarily involving oculographic methods) on the first day of ESSEM. To apply, please send a cover letter with brief personal statement on why you wish to attend ESSEM, your current CV and the abstract for your poster presentation to essem(a)uni-bonn.de. The deadline for applications is 31st May 2014. For further information please visit http://www.psychologie.uni-bonn.de/units/cognitive-psychology?set_language=… or contact essem(a)uni-bonn.de With best wishes, Christoph Klein & Ulrich Ettinger Preliminary List of Speakers, ESSEM 2014: Giuseppe Boccignone (Italy) Ulrich Ettinger (Germany) Tom Foulsham (UK) Mark Greenlee (Germany) Sam Hutton (UK) Yukko Hyönä (Finland) Alan Kingston (Canada) Christoph Klein (Germany/UK) Bruno Laeng (Norway) Rebekka Lencer (Germany) Susana Martinez-Conde (USA) René Müri (Switzerland) Nadine Petrovsky (Germany) Pierre Pouget (France) Nikolaos Smyrnis (Greece) Werner Sommer (Germany)

May 8, 2014

Reminder: Abstract submission closes May 16 for IWSYP'14 (I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity) in Brazil

by Thiago Matos Pinto

*I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14* * September 8-9, 2014* *Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil* iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com University of São Paulo The I International Workshop on Synaptic Plasticity - IWSYP'14 will bring together *experimentalists and theoreticians* who have contributed significantly to understanding the biological mechanisms underlying *synaptic plasticity*. The aim of this workshop is to facilitate discussions and interactions in the effort towards increasing our understanding on synaptic plasticity in the brain. The IWSYP'14 will take place in the campus of *Ribeirão Preto* at the University of São Paulo in *Brazil* on September 8 and 9, 2014. You are welcome to join this workshop that focuses on the discussion of fresh ideas, the presentation of work in progress, and the establishment of a scientific network between young researchers. The workshop will be held in English. Participation is *free of charge*! This workshop is a satellite event of the XXXVIII Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC), which will be held on September 10-13 in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro. The SBNeC meeting will also feature big names in Neuroscience, and will be a preparatory event for the 9th World Congress of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), which will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2015. Organizers: *Thiago Matos Pinto *(Univesity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) *Antonio Roque *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Speakers: *Chris De Zeeuw* (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands & Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) *Freek Hoebeek* (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) *Reinoud Maex* (École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France) *Ricardo Leão *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) *Thiago Matos Pinto *(University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) Abstracts: *Submission of abstracts for poster and oral presentations are due by May 16, 2014*. We welcome both experimental and theoretical contributions addressing novel findings on topics related to synaptic plasticity. Please see iwsyp14.thiagomatospinto.com/abstracts for details. Important dates: *Abstract submission deadline: May 16, 2014* Notification of acceptance: June 13, 2014 Notification of oral/poster selection: June 30, 2014 Workshop dates: September 8-9, 2014 Please visit the IWSYP'14 website for program and further details: iwsyp14. thiagomatospinto.com You will also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/iwsyp14 We look forward to seeing you in Ribeirão Preto. With best wishes, Thiago Matos Pinto, IWSYP'14 Organizer

May 8, 2014

KOGWIS 2014 Deadline Extension

by Anna Belardinelli

KogWis 2014 – Deadline Extension until May 16. ================ DEADLINE EXTENSION ================ * KOGWIS 2014 * 12th Biannual Conference of the * German COGNITIVE SCIENCE Society * Tübingen, 29th of September - 2nd of October 2014 * Extended deadline: 16 May 2014 ====================================================== Due to numerous requests, KogWis 2014 extends its deadline until May 16. KogWis 2014 invites submissions of extended abstracts on current work in cognitive science. KogWis calls for submissions in extended abstract format. Abstracts can be up to 2 pages (poster contribution) or up to 4 pages (oral contribution) in length. Also work in progress reports in the form of poster or oral contributions are welcome. Note also that Best Paper, Best Poster, and Best Student Paper prices can be won. All accepted contributions will be peer reviewed and published in the form of a *Supplement KogWis 2014* in the journal *Cognitive Processing* (Springer Verlag). Note: The publication will not have an individual DOI but will be highly visible due to free access to GK members and the general visibility of the journal. Authors of accepted contributions will have to sign Springer’s copyright transfer statement (http://static.springer.com/sgw/documents/1384288/application/pdf/62482_CTS+…) but they are definitely allowed to extend their work and results and submit them in other form elsewhere. For more information, please visit * http://www.ccs.uni-tuebingen.de/kogwis14 * The Organizing Committee: General chair: Martin V. Butz Local organizers: Anna Belardinelli, Elisabeth Hein and Jan Kneissler

May 7, 2014

[meetings] Intl Conf. on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN 2014) - Call for Participation

by Stefan Wermter

Call for Participation. Early Registration is now open. ICANN 2014: 24th Annual Conference on Artificial Neural Networks 15 - 19 September 2014, University of Hamburg, Germany http://icann2014.org/ =================================================================== The International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN) is the annual flagship conference of the European Neural Network Society (ENNS). In 2014 the University of Hamburg will organize the 24th ICANN Conference from 15th to 19th September 2014 in Hamburg, Germany. CHAIRS and ORGANISATION: General Chair: Stefan Wermter (Hamburg, Germany) Program co-Chairs Alessandro E.P. Villa (Lausanne, Switzerland, ENNS President) Wlodzislaw Duch (Torun, Poland & Singapore, ENNS Past-President) Petia Koprinkova-Hristova (Sofia, Bulgaria) Günther Palm (Ulm, Germany) Cornelius Weber (Hamburg, Germany) Timo Honkela (Helsinki, Finland) Local Organizing Committee Chairs: Sven Magg, Johannes Bauer, Jorge Chacon, Stefan Heinrich, Doreen Jirak, Katja Koesters, Erik Strahl KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Christopher M. Bishop (Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK) Yann LeCun (New York University, NY, USA) Kevin Gurney (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK) Barbara Hammer (Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany) Jun Tani (KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea) Paul Verschure (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) VENUE: Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany, home to over 1.8 million people. Situated at the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe. The University of Hamburg is the largest institution for research and education in the north of Germany. The venue of the conference is the ESA building of the University of Hamburg, situated at Edmund-Siemers-Allee near the city centre and easily reachable from Dammtor Railway Station. Hamburg Airport can be reached easily via public transport. For the accomodation we arranged guaranteed rates for a couple of hotels in Hamburg for ICANN 2014. CONFERENCE TOPICS: ICANN 2014 will feature the main tracks Brain Inspired Computing and Machine Learning research, with strong cross-disciplinary interactions and applications. All research fields dealing with Neural Networks will be present at the conference. A non-exhaustive list of topics includes: Brain Inspired Computing: Cognitive models, Computational Neuroscience, Self-organization, Reinforcement Learning, Neural Control and Planning, Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Architectures, Neural Dynamics, Recurrent Networks, Deep Learning. Machine Learning: Neural Network Theory, Neural Network Models, Graphical Models, Bayesian Networks, Kernel Methods, Generative Models, Information Theoretic Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Relational Learning, Dynamical Models. Neural Applications for: Intelligent Robotics, Neurorobotics, Language Processing, Image Processing, Sensor Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Neural Agents, Brain-Computer Interaction, Neural Hardware, Evolutionary Neural Networks. CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://www.icann2014.org *********************************************** Professor Dr. Stefan Wermter Chair of Knowledge Technology Department of Computer Science University of Hamburg Vogt Koelln Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~wermter/ http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/WTM/ ***********************************************

May 7, 2014

PhD studentships in computational neuroscience and machine learning

by Steuber, Volker

Applications are invited for PhD studentships in the Biocomputation Research Group at the Science and Technology Research Institute at the University of Hertfordshire. PhD projects involve the development of computer simulations of neurons and neuronal networks to study information processing in the brain, and/or the application of machine learning techniques to analyse electrophysiological data. More details about our research and a list of potential projects can be found on our homepage (http://homepages.herts.ac.uk/~comqvs/research.html) Applicants should have good computational and numerical skills and an excellent first degree in computer science, biology, maths, physics, neuroscience, or a related discipline. Previous experience in neuroscience is not required but would be an advantage. Successful candidates are eligible for a research studentship award from the University (approximately GBP 13,800 per annum bursary plus the payment of the standard UK student fees). Applicants from outside the UK or EU are eligible, but will have to pay half of the overseas fees out of their bursary. Research in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has been recognized as excellent by the latest Research Assessment Exercise, with 55% of the research submitted being rated as world leading or internationally excellent. The Science and Technology Research Institute provides a very stimulating environment, offering a large number of specialized and interdisciplinary seminars as well as general training opportunities. The University of Hertfordshire is situated in Hatfield, in the green belt just north of London. Please contact Dr Volker Steuber (v.steuber @ herts.ac.uk) for informal enquiries. Application forms can be obtained from Mrs Lorraine Nicholls, Research Student Administrator, STRI, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, Tel: 01707 286083, l.nicholls @ herts.ac.uk. The short-listing process will begin on 9 June 2014.

May 7, 2014

Special Issue of the Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience on Stochastic Network Models in Neuroscience

by Olivier Faugeras

Dear all, The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience is pleased to announce a special issue on *Stochastic Network Models in Neuroscience*. This is in conjunction with the workshop Stochastic Network Models of Neocortex (a Festschrift for Jack Cowan) to be held in Banff International Research Station, July 13-18 2014: https://www.birs.ca/events/2014/5-day-workshops/14w5138 Research and review articles are sollicited and should be submitted to the Journal before September 30. More information on the call can be found on the JMN webpage: http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/ or directly at: http://www.mathematical-neuroscience.com/sites/10207/pdf/Cowan_JMN_v3.pdf Olivier Faugeras --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Olivier Faugeras : Professor : Equipe INRIA NeuroMathComp Team : co-editor in chief, Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience : http://www-sop.inria.fr/members/Olivier.Faugeras/index.en.html : Email: olivier.faugeras(a)inria.fr : Tel: +334 92 38 78 31 : Sec: +334 92 38 78 30 : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 7, 2014

Multiple scientist (post-doc) and research engineer positions available

by Cheston Tan

Dear colleagues, Multiple scientist and research engineer positions are available immediately in Singapore, at the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). The positions are part of a large multidisciplinary grant involving MIT (Prof. Tomaso Poggio) and multiple universities and research institutions in Singapore (SBIC/CIRC, Duke-NUS Medical School, NUS/NUH, NTU, SINAPSE). Successful candidates will work closely with a strong, multidisciplinary team at I2R and Prof. Poggio to investigate, model and implement visual recognition and memory algorithms for wearable systems (e.g. Google Glass). International collaborators include Prof. Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Demis Hassabis (Google/DeepMind). Candidates must have a PhD (for scientists) or MS/BS (for engineers) in computer science, engineering, psychology, neuroscience or related fields. Strong programming and quantitative skills are highly desired. Candidates should be proficient in spoken and written English. The appointments will be for up to 3 years, with internationally-competitive salaries and benefits. Other benefits include: - Funding for international conferences and training courses - Collaboration opportunities with an excellent network of international scientists - Opportunities for attachments at MIT and the Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (http://cbmm.mit.edu/) Candidates please send your curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests and three references to Dr. Cheston Tan (cheston(a)mit.edu) and Dr. Vijay Chandrasekhar (vijay(a)i2r.a-star.edu.sg) More information: - Dr. Cheston Tan: http://www.mit.edu/~cheston/CVshort.pdf - Dr. Vijay Chandrasekhar: http://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=KUt4JCAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao - Dr. Lim Joo-Hwee: http://www.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/profile/dr-lim-joo-hwee - Institute for Infocomm Research: http://www.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/ - Working in Singapore: http://www.contactsingapore.sg/professionals/why_singapore/

May 7, 2014

CNS'14 Workshop on large-scale brain structure and dynamics

by Jorge Mejias

Dear colleagues, Please see the information below about an upcoming workshop in large-scale brain modeling. Bests, Jorge *** Workshop on large-scale brain structure and dynamics *** CNS'14 workshop, Quebec City, Canada Workshop date: Thursday, July 31st 2014 Organizers: Jorge F. Mejias and Xiao-Jing Wang Tackling core Neuroscience problems such as memory, perception or attention has been possible, up to now, by focusing on small brain areas where simplified dynamics and connectivity patterns could be assumed, or by using full brain imaging techniques which provide little information about the dynamics of local microcircuits. With the development of novel imaging and neuroanatomical techniques in the recent years, a more systematic study of the brain at a full-size scale is getting close to reality. However, our current understanding of the dynamics of large-scale brain networks, constituted by a complex composite of different neural micro- and mesocircuits, is very limited and requires a significant theoretical and computational effort. In this one-day workshop, recent theoretical and experimental advances on the structure and dynamics of large-scale neural circuits will be presented. Our main goal will be to foster interactions between experimental, computational and theoretical neuroscientists interested in the brain as a large-scale networked system. Confirmed speakers: - Chris Eliasmith (U. Waterloo) - Henry Kennedy (INSERM, Lyon) - Stefan Mihalas (Allen Institute, Seattle) - Randy McIntosh (Baycrest Center, Toronto) - Adrian Ponce (UPF, Barcelona) - Rishidev Chaudhuri (CNS, NYU) - Francis Song (CNS, NYU) One or two slots might be available for researchers who would like to present their work. Please contact the organizers if interested. More information at: https://sites.google.com/site/cns14largescale/ -- Jorge F. Mejias, PhD Postdoctoral Associate Center for Neural Science New York University, 10012 NY www.ugr.es/~jmejias

May 6, 2014

Fwd: Submit your abstract now for the IPEG-Meeting 2014

by Martijn Arns

Dear colleagues, I would like to share the below announcement re. the upcoming IPEG meetin in Leipzig and the call for abstracts. Kind regards, Martijn Arns, PhD Director Research Institute Brainclinics Researcher Utrecht University, Dept. of Experimental Psychology Twitter: @Brainclinics Bijleveldsingel 34 6524 AD Nijmegen The Netherlands Tel: +31(0)24-7503505 GSM: +31 (0)6-48177919 Fax: +31(0)24-8901447 E-mail: martijn(a)brainclinics.com<mailto:martijn@brainclinics.com> URL: www.brainclinics.com<http://www.brainclinics.com/> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/header_top.png] [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6c19f6fe4835a13ca14644c8b/images/IPEG_LOGO.JPG] Reminder: CALL for Abstracts and Registration<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca146…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_borde…] [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/title_line_le…] Bienal Meeting IPEG-Society<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca1464…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/title_line_ri…] SEPTEMBER 25-28th, 2014; Leipzig, Germany [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_borde…] [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/6c19f6fe4835a13ca14644c8b/images/fbd0d5cd-37f2…] There are only about four weeks left for submission of your abstract! Deadline 1st June 2014 The IPEG-meeting 2014 in Leipzig, Germany will have outstanding keynote speeches: Scott Makeig (USA): EEG and measures of arousal Hartmuth Schulz (Germany): Sleep EEG Christoph Mulert (Germany): simultaneous EEG and fMRI in neuropsychiatric disorders Leslie S. Prichep (USA): qEEG in neuropsychiaric disorders Clifford B. Saper (USA): neurophysiology of sleep-wake regulation Gerard Bruder (USA): EMBARC study on biological biomarkers in major depression Therefore it is a pleasure for me to welcome all EEG-enthusiasts, neuropsychiatrists and neuroscientists to the IPEG-Meeting 2014 in Leipzig. It would be a pleasure for us to receive an abstract about your latest EEG, pharmaco-EEG and brain stimulation research and related fields to enrich the program of the meeting and share your findings with colleagues around the world. Prof. Hegerl, Scientific Head of the Conference and Director of the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and PSychotherapy, University Leipzig IPEG Board and Conference-Organization Group [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/content_divid…] REGISTER NOW<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca146…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/icon_twitter.…] TWITTER<http://ipeg-society.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6c19f6fe4835a13ca1464…> [http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0d61bb2ec9002f0e9872b8c36/images/icon_facebook…]

May 6, 2014

NEURAL COMPUTATION - June, 2014

by Terry Sejnowski

Neural Computation - Contents -- Volume 26, Number 6 - June 1, 2014 Available online for download now: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/toc/neco/26/6 ----- Article A Causal Perspective on the Analysis of Signal and Noise Correlations and Their Role in Population Coding Daniel Chicharro Letters Towards Unified Hybrid Simulation Techniques for Spiking Neural Networks Michiel D'Haene, Michiel Hermans, and Benjamin Schrauwen Neural Decoding With Kernel-based Metric Learning Austin J. Brockmeier, John S. Choi, Evan G. Kriminger, Joseph T. Francis, and Jose C. Principe Adaptive Multiclass Classification for Brain Computer Interfaces Alberto Llera, Vicenc Gomez, and Hilbert J. Kappen On Non-negative Matrix Factorization Algorithms for Signal-dependent Noise With Application to Electromyography Data Karthik Devarajan, Vincent C.K. Cheung Direct Learning of Sparse Changes in Markov Networks by Density Ratio Estimation Song Liu, John A. Quinn, Michael U. Gutmann, Taiji Suzuki, and Masashi Sugiyama Short Term Memory Capacity in Networks via the Restricted Isometry Property Adam Charles, Han Lun Yap, and Chris Rozell ------------ ON-LINE -- http://www.mitpressjournals.org/neuralcomp SUBSCRIPTIONS - 2014 - VOLUME 26 - 12 ISSUES USA Others Electronic Only Student/Retired $70 $193 $65 Individual $124 $187 $115 Institution $1,035 $1,098 $926 Canada: Add 5% GST MIT Press Journals, 238 Main Street, Suite 500, Cambridge, MA 02142-9902 Tel: (617) 253-2889 FAX: (617) 577-1545 journals-orders(a)mit.edu ------------

May 6, 2014

Reminder: CfP - Special issue on Multimodal Interfaces

by Yves Rybarczyk

*EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies * *Special issue on Multimodal Interfaces **for** Natural Interactions * *Call* *for* *Papers* *Main submission deadline*: May 25th, 2014 *AIMS AND SCOPE * Creativity and user interfaces become an application field of cutting edge technologies like human behavior tracking and understanding, social signal processing, artificial intelligence systems or embodied agents. EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies aims in providing a forge between science, technology and human factors on one side, and creative industries on the other side naturally leading to the theme of this special issue: “where technology gets closer to the human being”. This special issue aims to encourage and publish research about the challenges and new trends associated with applying multimodal interactions and natural user interfaces to education, entertainment and assistive technologies in a creative way or to foster human creativity. The publications can be either long or short papers ( http://eai.eu/transaction/creative-technologies) related to the three main applications domains listed below: *APPLICATION DOMAINS * *Human factor perspective * - Telepresence, immersion feeling and body ownership - Human-machine cooperation in teleoperation and telerobotics - Usability and ergonomic systems - User experience - Human performance in virtual and augmented reality - Intuitive interfaces and personalized systems in real and virtual environments - Involvement of original sensorial modalities in HCI (e.g. proprioception, touch, smell, ...) - Human behavior analysis for media personalization and motivation/emotions discovery (head/eye/face/body tracking) - Multimodality for biometric interfaces *Technologies **for** gaming and entertainment * - Creative interfaces for games and serious games - One or a set of robots interaction with human players - Augmented instruments and new digital instruments - Real-time audio/voice/singing/laughter synthesis - Real-time MoCap mapping and interpretation - Sensors for artistic performances - Live interaction with intelligent robots - Stylistic movement synthesis and human behavior mapping on virtual Characters - Real-time HQ data processing - Linked TV and web media - Mobile movement/localization and multimedia data visualization and browsing - Adaptive and intelligent projections on buildings or inside buildings (e.g., walls, objects, ...) *Assistive and educative technologies * - Augmentative and alternative communication - Ambient assisted living / domotics - Design for all - Interfaces for sensory impairments - Interfaces for motor impairments (e.g., eye-tracking, BCI, ...) - Gestures analysis and recognition for interactive setups - On the use of Natural User Interfaces in education - Multimodal interfaces for improving the learning process - Acquisition of new cognitive and motor skills through NUI - Tangible interfaces *IMPORTANT DATES * - By May 25th, 2014: Submission of manuscripts - By July 25th, 2014: Notification about decisions on initial submissions - By September 25th, 2014: Submission of revised manuscripts - By November 25th, 2014: Notification about decisions on revised manuscripts - By December 25th, 2014: Submission of manuscripts with final minor changes and electronic publication on the EAI Transactions website early 2015. *GUEST EDITORS * The invited editors of this special issue of the EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies on Multimodal Interfaces for Natural Interactions are: - Yves Rybarczyk - Tiago Cardoso - João Rosas from the New University of Lisbon (FCT/UNL), Portugal *HOW TO SUBMIT * Please see the instructions for authors on the EAI Transactions website (http://eai.eu/transaction/creative-technologies) ABOUT EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies The EAI Transactions on Creative Technologies provide fast review and online publication process. The papers are both freely visible by any person (open access) and free for the paper authors. -- Prof. Yves Rybarczyk Departamento de Engenharia Electrotécnica Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia Universidade Nova de Lisboa Campus da Caparica 2829-516 Caparica PORTUGAL Tel: +351 917691175 Email: y.rybarczyk(a)fct.unl.pt<https://webmail.fct.unl.pt/src/compose.php?send_to=y.rybarczyk%40fct.unl.pt> Site: http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/y-rybarczyk/

May 5, 2014

Vision Research Special Issue on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception

by Frank Jäkel

Vision Research Special Issue on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception Call for papers: Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception Submissions are invited for a special issue of Vision Research on Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception. Gestalt Perception has been the topic of research for more than 100 years since Wertheimer’s seminal publication in 1912. Recently, quantitative approaches to study Gestalt phenomena helped to specify and clarify some of the early Gestalt notions, generating testable quantitative predictions lacking from much of the original Gestalt writings. This special issue aims to bring together the many diverse quantitative approaches to the study of Gestalt Perception. Contributions are sought from visual psychophysics, computer vision, cognitive psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, computational neuroscience as well as machine learning and theory. Papers are invited on all aspects of Gestalt Perception; given the aim of this Special Issue we have a preference for quantitative approaches, but may exceptionally consider purely experimental work as well as historical treatments and reviews if they specifically provide groundwork for future formal developments. Examples of specific topics include (but are not limited to): - Attention and Top-Down Effects on Gestalt Perception - Configural Superiority - Environmental and Image Statistics and Gestalts - Figure-Ground Segmentation - History and Review of Gestalt Perception - Learning and Development of Gestalt Perception - Models of Gestalt Phenomena - Neuronal Basis of Gestalt Effects - Object Formation - Object Recognition and Gestalt - Perceptual Grouping - Perceptual Organization of Motion, Form or Scenes - Shape Perception - Structural Representations The call for this Special Issue will appear on the Vision Research WWW-site by the end of May 2014. The deadline for submissions is the 30th of September 2014, and the publication of the Special Issue is planned for the end of May 2015. The Special Issue will be edited by Michael Herzog, Frank Jäkel, Manish Singh and Felix Wichmann. Should you have any questions feel free to contact the managing guest editor Frank Jäkel (fjaekel(a)uos.de) or one of the other guest editors.

May 5, 2014

Special Issue on Computational Neuroscience: May 2014 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE

by Mark McDonnell

Dear Colleagues, I invite you to browse the May 2014 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE on "Engineering Intelligent Electronic Systems Based on Computational Neuroscience", edited by M. D. McDonnell, K. Boahen, A. Ijspeert, and T. J. Sejnowski. An editorial overview is at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6807551 Individual papers can be downloaded from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=6807530 (you need to have access to a subscription). For more information on Proceedings of the IEEE, see http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/proceedings/proceed… Papers in the special issue: • The SpiNNaker Project, Furber, S.B. ; Galluppi, F. ; Temple, S. ; Plana, L.A. • Information Systems Opportunities in Brain–Machine Interface Decoders, Kao, J.C. ; Stavisky, S.D. ; Sussillo, D. ; Nuyujukian, P. ; Shenoy, K.V. • Dynamic and Succinct Statistical Analysis of Neuroscience Data, Kim, S. ; Quinn, C.J. ; Kiyavash, N. ; Coleman, T.P. • Neurogrid: A Mixed-Analog-Digital Multichip System for Large-Scale Neural Simulations; Benjamin, B.V. ; Gao, P. ; McQuinn, E. ; Choudhary, S. ; Chandrasekaran, A.R. ; Bussat, J. ; Alvarez-Icaza, R. ; Arthur, J.V. ; Merolla, P.A. ; Boahen, K. • Spike-Based Synaptic Plasticity in Silicon: Design, Implementation, Application, and Challenges; Rahimi Azghadi, M. ; Iannella, N. ; Al-Sarawi, S.F. ; Indiveri, G. ; Abbott, D. • Power Consumption During Neuronal Computation; Sengupta, B. ; Stemmler, M.B. • Small Brains, Smart Machines: From Fly Vision to Robot Vision and Back Again; Franceschini, N. • An Augmented Two-Layer Model Captures Nonlinear Analog Spatial Integration Effects in Pyramidal Neuron Dendrites; Jadi, M.P. ; Behabadi, B.F. ; Poleg-Polsky, A. ; Schiller, J. ; Mel, B.W. • Prospective Optimization; Sejnowski, T.J. ; Poizner, H. ; Lynch, G. ; Gepshtein, S. ; Greenspan, R.J. • Stereo, Shading, and Surfaces: Curvature Constraints Couple Neural Computations; Zucker, S.W. • Regulating Cortical Oscillations in an Inhibition-Stabilized Network; Jadi, M.P. ; Sejnowski, T.J. • Stochastic Electronics: A Neuro-Inspired Design Paradigm for Integrated Circuits; Hamilton, T.J. ; Afshar, S. ; van Schaik, A. ; Tapson, J. • Noise as a Resource for Computation and Learning in Networks of Spiking Neurons; Maass, W. • Large-Scale Synthesis of Functional Spiking Neural Circuits; Stewart, T.C. ; Eliasmith, C. • Evolved Machines Shed Light on Robustness and Resilience; Bongard, J. ; Lipson, H. Regards Mark McDonnell (on behalf of Guest_Editors, M. D. McDonnell, K. Boahen, A. Ijspeert, and T. J. Sejnowski)

May 5, 2014

deadline extended for the Neurobiology of Cognition GRC/GRS!

by Lucia Melloni

Dear colleagues, The deadline for application and abstract submission for the Gordon Research Seminar has been extended to the *15th of May*. Please submit your application and abstract soon!. We are very much looking forward to receiving your contributions and to a vibrant seminar. We have also added a mentorship component which promises to provide us with important tips for a successful transition from postdoc to PI. Looking forward to seeing you at the GRS/GRC! Lucia Melloni. Ayelet N. Landau > > > [image: Gordon Research Conferences] > > > Join us at the 2014 *Gordon Conference* and *Seminar* On > > *Neurobiology of Cognition*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > Circuits, Dynamics, Action and Perception > > We are meeting *July 20-25, 2014 -*New GRC site: *Sunday River Resort*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > Newry, Maine > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>to see the > *GRC* program. > > There is also an associated *GRS* *July 19-20 *for students and postdocs > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>to see the > *GRS* website. > > *GRS* application & abstract deadline to be considered for oral > presentation - *May 15* > > *Please use attached **flyer > <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > **to help spread the word! * > > > > The Neurobiology of Cognition is a recently-inaugurated GRC designed to > foster convergence of traditional neuroscience investigations with more > recent developments in systems, cellular and molecular neurobiology, in > engineering and imaging and in computational sciences. Cognition is > construed broadly to embrace empirical findings in a range of species > including humans, and there is a strong focus on integration of findings > and principles across species and levels of analysis. > > In the opening Keynote Session, two leading neuroscientists with provide > an experimental and computational perspective on the recent initiative, > termed Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies > (BRAIN). This initiative, spearheaded by the President and NIH, is aimed at > developing innovative methodologies to study how complex systems of neurons > interact in time and in space during complex behaviors. Along with recent > findings in a few traditional "core" areas, formal sessions will then > explore several new themes, including: 1) the neuroanatomy and 2) > coordination of cognitive circuits in the brain, 3) motor cognition and > brain-computer interfaces, 4) music and language, and 5) learning and > plasticity. The program juxtaposes human psychophysical, neuroimaging and > electrophysiological studies with parallel investigations in rodents and > non-human primates, and with computational approaches that explicate > empirical findings and construct robust, detailed models to represent the > developing picture and guide future experimentation. The program also > underscores novel experimental and theoretical approaches that promise to > define fundamental principles that guide and integrate the understanding of > cognition at a fundamental level, and to extend these to improved treatment > of brain dysfunction. The format of the meeting promotes intensive > interactions among investigators and trainees from different perspectives > and analytic levels, and in particular, between experimentalists and > theorists. There is a linked Gordon Research Seminar for trainees, most of > whom also attend the GRC. > > > > All that is missing now is your *application* to attend. > > Click *here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>for the > *GRC*. Click* here*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…>for the > *GRS*. (You must apply to both to attend both.) > > Best regards, > > GRC Chair: *Charles E. Schroeder*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > GRC V. Chair:*Tatiana Pasternak*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > GRS Chair: *Lucia Melloni*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > GRS Assoc. Chair: *Ayelet N. Landau*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > > > *Apply*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> now > and see why our attendees consistently rate GRCs > > "the best conference I've attended this year"! > > [image: Like us on Facebook]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > [image: Follow us on Twitter]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > [image: View our profile on LinkedIn]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001WmUIQVsC75imVB3bWl9ZZPIlEuZLUMcBQfSHB8NCzlGR…> > > > > *Forward this email > <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=8zdsldnab&m=1113583062843&ea=…>* > > > <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001yZEdZuQ8HYK105RSD5eD0w%3D%3…> > > <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=&cc=> > > This email was sent to htobin(a)grc.org by announcements(a)grc.org | > > Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001yZEdZuQ8HYK105RSD5eD0w%3D%3…>™ > | Privacy Policy<http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp> > . > > Gordon Research Conferences | 512 Liberty Lane | West Kingston | RI | > 02892 > > > > Follow GRC: Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/GordonResearchConferences/>| > Twitter <https://twitter.com/GordonConf/> > Call > Send SMS > Add to Skype > You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype > > > > > > >

May 4, 2014

Assistant Professor Job in BioRobotics; Odense, Denmark

by John Hallam

Application deadline: 1st June 2014 The Center for BioRobotics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense seeks to recruit two new assistant professors. These posts are for 3 years in the first instance. The scientific goal of the Centre for BioRobotics is to tackle questions arising from the acoustic behaviours of animals which cannot be addressed completely by biology or technology alone while also exploring applications of insights from biology in the robotics and technological domain and vice versa. Practically, the intention is to strengthen existing synergy and use it to create new opportunities for seeking external funding. The first position is based in the Maersk Institute (Faculty of Engineering) and is intended for a technically-educated person who has experience in biorobotics, biomimetics or modelling biological systems using engineering tools. Further details of the position can be found via this[1] direct link. A complementary position in the Biology Department at SDU (Faculty of Science) is being advertised, for which information can be found here[2]. This position is intended for a person educated in biology who has experience with technically-based methods for modelling and replicating biological systems. If you need further information beyond that in the linked page, contact John Hallam <john(a)mmmi.sdu.dk> in the first instance. [1] https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?Po… [2] https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?Po…

May 4, 2014

Extended dealine - call for papers - 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning for Signal Processing (MLSP)

by 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning fo Signal Processing

The deadline for full paper submission has been extended to May 16, 2014. Call for papers: - Submission of full paper: May 16, 2014 - Notification of acceptance: June 27, 2014 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Machine Learning for Signal Processing (MLSP) September 21-24, 2014 Reims, France http://mlsp2014.conwiz.dk CALL FOR PAPERS The 24th MLSP workshop in the series of workshops organized by the IEEE Signal Processing Society MLSP Technical Committee will present the most recent and exciting advances in machine learning for signal processing through keynote talks, tutorials as well as special and regular single-track sessions. Prospective authors are invited to submit papers on relevant algorithms and applications including, but not limited to: - Learning theory and techniques - Graphical models and kernel methods - Data-driven adaptive systems and models - Pattern recognition and classification - Distributed, Bayesian, subspace/manifold and sparsity-aware learning - Multiset data analysis and multimodal data fusion - Perceptual signal processing in audio, image and video - Cognitive information processing - Multichannel adaptive and nonlinear signal processing - Applications, including: speech and audio, image and video, music, biomedical signals and images; communications; bioinformatics; biometrics, computational intelligence, genomic signals and sequences; social networks; games, and smart grid. DATA ANALYSIS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING COMPETITION Data Analysis and Signal Processing Competition is being organized in conjunction with the workshop. The goal of the competition is to advance the current state-of-the-art in theoretical and practical aspects of signal processing domains. The problems are selected to reflect current trends, evaluate existing approaches on common benchmarks, and identify critical new areas of research. Winners will be announced and awards given at the workshop. BEST STUDENT AWARD The MLSP Best Student Paper Award will be granted to the best overall paper for which a student is the principal author and presenter. This author must be a registered student at the time of paper submission to be eligible for this award. The award will be presented during the conference and consists of a honorarium (to be divided equally between all student authors of the paper), and a certificate for each such author. The award will be selected by a subcommittee of the program committee. The selection is based on the quality, originality, and clarity of the submission. PAPER SUBMISSION Prospective authors are invited to submit a double column paper of up to six pages using the electronic submission procedure at http://mlsp2014.conwiz.dk/paper_submission.htm Accepted papers will be published on memory sticks to be distributed at the workshop. The presented papers will be published in and indexed by IEEE Xplore. SCHEDULE: - Submission of full paper: May 5, 2014 - Notification of acceptance: June 27, 2014 - Advance registration before: July 25, 2014 - Camera-ready paper: July 25, 2014 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: General Chair Mamadou Mboup Contact general chair at mlsp2014-chair(a)conwiz.dk Program Chairs Tülay Adali Eric Moreau Contact program chairs at mlsp2014-programchairs(a)conwiz.dk Data Competition Chair Vince Calhoun Special Session Chair Jean-Yves Tourneret Publicity Chair Marc Van Hulle Web and Publication Chair Jan Larsen Kevin Guelton Local Arrangement Chairs Valeriu Vrabie Hassan Fenniri

May 4, 2014

MSc. SCHOLARSHIP AT JAUME I UNIVERSITY, SPAIN

by Enric Cervera Mateu

MSc. SCHOLARSHIP AT JAUME I UNIVERSITY,SPAIN The purpose of this announcement is to grant one scholarship for the training of research personnel at UJI Robotic Intelligence Laboratory, Universitat Jaume I, Castellon, Spain, an internationally renowned research center. The goal of this scholarship is to train qualified personnel for R&D tasks, and is aimed at university degree holders from non-Spanish universities, with a recent degree in science/engineering with outstanding performance, fulfilling requirements for admittance to a master degree. The beneficiary is also expected to join a research team within the framework of an on-going project related to robotic research, working with state-of-the-art equipment such as a humanoid torso with anthropomorphic head and multifinger hands, and/or teams of humanoid robots. http://robinlab.uji.es The research will typically pertain to bio-inspired approaches about learning and multimodal sensorimotor coordination of head, eyes and limbs movements during the planning and execution of manipulation or interaction tasks. After getting acquainted with the computational models and the humanoid torso available at the Lab, the beneficiary is expected to extend it by modeling additional mechanisms and implementing other tasks and capabilities. Coordination between eyes, head, arm and hand movements and multimodal integration will be central from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. In this context, the student will have freedom to pursue his/her own research goals according to his/her background and interests. This scholarship is intended for brilliant young graduates and experience in robotics is desirable but not required. Interest in theoretical neuroscience, mental development, or interdisciplinary bio-inspired research would be a plus. Scholarship period The period of validity covered by the scholarships is two years or until defending one’s doctoral thesis, should this be earlier. If, in the period of one month before the end of the scholarship, the beneficiary applicant has obtained the university master’s degree, or has been admitted to a doctorate programme in research phases, he/she may apply for an extension of an additional scholarship up to 12 months, with a view to prolonging his/her research period. The beneficiary applicant may take a master’s degree during this period, namely the "Master on Intelligent Systems. Service Robotics" at the UJI Department of Engineering and Computer Science. http://www.uji.es/UK/infoest/estudis/postgrau/oficial/sistemint.html Scholarship stipend 1. Scholarships’ stipend will be €1,200 monthly (gross). The corresponding IRPF (income tax) will be deducted from this amount. 2. The scholarship also includes an additional stipend of: a) €1,600 to cover costs of travel and settling in Castellon, during the first year of the scholarship. b) €1,200 per year, where applicable, for registration fees for university master’s during the first two years of the scholarship. 3. UJI shall take out an accident insurance and public liability insurance, plus health insurance with coverage for the whole period of the scholarship, if applicants are citizens of countries that have no arrangements with the Spanish Social Security or if insurance coverage of such arrangements were not sufficient. Requirements of beneficiary These scholarships are open to persons fulfilling the following requirements within the period of submission of applications: a) An Engineering or Science degree from a non-Spanish university, fulfilling requirements for admittance to a master degree. b) Having obtained the degree after 1 January 2011. c) Knowledge of Spanish or English (with good speaking skills) for the proposed training. d) Not being in possession of a PhD. Applications The scholarship candidate shall submit the following documents NO LATER THAN MAY 16, 2014 24:00 CET (strict) to robinlab(a)uji.es a) Personal data (see below) b) Photocopy of national identity card of your country. Citizens of EU member states should also include a photocopy of NIE (residence permit) in the event of possessing one. c) Photocopy of valid passport, if not a citizen of the EU. Also a photocopy of NIE (residency permit) in the event of possessing one. d) Photocopy of official academic transcript including the name of obtained degree, showing courses taken and grades achieved together with dates, as well as its translation into English or Spanish. e) Photocopy of academic degree or deposit made for the issuance of degree. f) Applicant’s updated résumé. g) Statement of motivation about your research interests h) 2 reference letters i) Supporting documents of knowledge of Spanish or English. Admission Beneficiaries must join the corresponding research body within the scheduled period as provided in the award decision. In the event that he/she does not join within the scheduled period, the scholarship will be canceled, unless the beneficiary has been granted an adjournment period (to be authorized only by the General Director of Scientific Policy) for a maximum period of three months from the date specified in the award decision. Beneficiary may not recover said adjournment period. Temporary suspension of scholarship The voluntary suspension, previously authorized by the General Director of Scientific Policy, shall not exceed 6 months from the whole period of scholarship and during such suspension period no stipend shall be paid. For further information contact: Mail_to: robinlab(a)uji.es UJI Robotic Intelligence Lab http://robinlab.uji.es ****** Personal data (see (a) above) NATIONAL ID / PASSPORT NO. OR EQUIVALENT: SURNAME: NAME: NATIONALITY: DATE OF BIRTH (YYYY/MM/DD): GENDER: ADDRESS FOR NOTIFICATION ADDRESS (STREET / SQUARE): No..: POSTCODE: COUNTRY: PROVINCE: CITY: PHONE : MOBILE PHONE: E-MAIL: SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC RECORD ACADEMIC DEGREE: UNIVERSITY: STUDIES END DATE (YYYY/MM/DD):

May 2, 2014

2 PhD positions at the Institute of Neuroinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland

by Jean-Pascal Pfister

Applications are invited for two PhD student positions at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (ETHZ, UZH) in Zurich. The positions are funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation grant entitled "Inference and Learning with Spiking Neurons". The PhD students will be supervised by Jean-Pascal Pfister in the Theoretical Neuroscience Group. There are several lines of evidence showing that the brain combines unreliable sensory informations in a Bayesian optimal way. The aim of the project is to determine how Bayesian inference and learning can be implemented at the level of neurons and synapses. The Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich (which is a joint institute belonging to both the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and the University of Zurich) offers an ideal environment for studying Computational Neuroscience due to the presence of multiple theoretical and experimental labs. Candidates should hold a Diplom/Master degree in Physics, Mathematics, Machine learning, Computational Neuroscience or a related field. They should have a strong analytical background and demonstrate interest in theoretical neuroscience. Preference will be given to candidates with good programming skills. The position is offered for a period of three years, starting on the 1st of September 2014 at earliest. Salary scale is provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation (www.snf.ch) Applicants should submit (by email) a CV, a statement of research interests, 2 reference letters, marks obtained for the Diploma/Master, abstract of the Diploma/Master to Jean-Pascal Pfister (pfister(a)pyl.unibe.ch) Deadline for application is 30th of Mai 2014 or until the positions are filled. --------------------------------- Jean-Pascal Pfister, PhD Theoretical Neuroscience Group Physiology Department, University of Bern 5 Bühlplatz, CH-3012 Bern, CH e-mail: pfister(a)pyl.unibe.ch URL: http://www.physio.unibe.ch/~pfister/ tel: ++41 31 631 35 09 From the 1st of September 2014: Institute of Neuroinformatics University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland

May 2, 2014

Workshop and lecture series on "Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception"

by Norbert Kopco

Workshop and lecture series on "Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception" 26 - 30 May 2014 (Lectures 26 - 28 May, Consultations 29 - 30 May) Web: http://pcl.upjs.sk/Workshop2014/ Venue: Institute of Computer Science Faculty of Science, P. J. Safarik University Jesenna 5, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia Organizers: doc. Norbert Kopco, PhD. (norbert.kopco(a)upjs.sk) - scientific program Beata Tomoriova, PhD. (beata.tomoriova(a)upjs.sk) - technical Perception and Cognition Lab Contact: kogneuro(a)gmail.com Objectives: This workshop and lecture series will include introductory lectures and advanced research talks on a range of topics related to the neural processes of auditory, visual and cross-modal perception. The talks will illustrate multidisciplinary character of cognitive neuroscience research, covering behavioral, neuroimaging, and modeling approaches, as well as applications of the research in auditory prosthetic devices. The workshop is aimed at early-stage and advanced students and young researchers, and it will provide ample opportunities for direct interactions between the lecturers and the attendees. Themes: spatial hearing vision and crossmodal perception neural modeling methods in cognitive neuroscience: behavioral experiments, imaging (EEG, fMRI), modeling applications: cochlear implants, hearing aids Format of lectures on 26 - 28 May: 14 one-hour lectures by experts on individual topics (2 lectures per expert) student / attendee session with short 10-min presentations and/or posters by the students small modeling / data analysis assignments prepared by the experts for the students Some of the lecturers will be available for individual consultations by appointment following the lectures on 29 - 30 May 2014 Program: TBA Speakers (and tentative topics): Simon Carlile (University of Sydney) Six degrees of spatial separation - The portal for auditory perception (abstract) The plastic ear: Perceptual relearning and auditory spatial perception (abstract) Pierre Divenyi (Stanford University) Cocktail-party effect deficit in aging: what formant transition processing tells us Phonemic restoration: done by our brain or our tongue? Frederick (Erick) Gallun (US Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Oregon Health & Science University) Impacts of age and hearing loss on spatial release from masking (abstract) Characterizing attentional resources using the auditory dual-task (abstract) Bernhard Laback (Austrian Academy of Sciences) Binaural cues in electric hearing Spectral localization cues in acoustic and electric hearing Aaron Seitz (University of California, Riverside) Cognitive Neuroscience of Perceptual Learning: Specificity and Transfer Cognitive Neuroscience of Perceptual Learning: Mechanisms Guiding Learning Christopher Stecker (Vanderbilt University) Integration of spatial information across multiple cues Neuroimaging of spatial hearing Arash Yazdanbakhsh (Boston University) Neural and computational models of vision: Fundamental problems of vision (abstract) Neural and computational models of vision: Neural models and their implementation in early vision (abstract) Registration: The workshop is open to all interested students/scientists. Registration is free of charge but required (mostly for organizational reasons). In order to register, please send an email to kogneuro(a)gmail.com stating your name and affiliation, dates on which you are planning to attend. In case you would like to have a presentation please send us an abstract (up to 200 words) and an indication whether you prefer poster or oral presentation no later than May 19. Travel, accommodation, visitor information: Attendants are kindly requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Travel:The Kosice Airport is served by Austrian Airlines and Czech Airlines (via Vienna, Prague, Bratislava) and by low-cost airline Wizzair (London Luton Airport). Alternatively you can fly to Budapest and take a 3.5-hr shuttle bus to Kosice (for example, using the cassoviaexpres shuttle company which also offers shuttle bus from the Krakow airport). More information about how to get to Kosice (also by train or bus) can be found here. Accomodation:There are several hotels close to workshop venue, for example Hotel Yasmin, Hotel Maraton (for more hotel options please see http://www.booking.com, http://www.hotels.com, for hostels see: http://www.hostels.com, http://www.hostelworld.com) Visitor information: Kosice was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2013, for current events see http://www.visitkosice.eu/ , http://www.mickosice.sk/, http://slovakia.travel/ , or http://www.slovakia.com/ Funding: This workshop / lecture series is organized within the Project implementation: SOFOS – knowledge and skill development of the academic staff and students at the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik in Kosice with emphasis on interdisciplinary competencies and integration into international research centres, ITMS: 26110230088, supported by the Research & Development Operational Programme funded by the ESF. -- doc. Norbert Kopco, Ph.D. Inst of Computer Sci, Faculty of Science, Safarik Univ, Kosice, Slovakia Visiting Scholar: Ctr for Computational Neurosci (CompNet), Boston Uni & Martinos Ctr for Biomed Imaging, Harvard Med School - Mass Gen Hospital Phone: +1 (617) 575 9556 Fax: +1 (484) 727 9884 Email: kopco(a)bu.edu Web: http://cns.bu.edu/~kopco

May 1, 2014

Phd position in the Human Brain Project: Principles of Brain Computation and Learning

by Wolfgang Maass

We are inviting applications for a fully funded Phd position at the Graz University of Technology (Faculty for Computer Science) for research on Principles of Brain Computation and Learning in the Human Brain Project https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/ It is planned to combine this Phd position with a part-time position as University Assistant, thereby providing the first step for a possible university career. Our Lab in Graz focuses currently on the development of new paradigms for probabilistic inference and learning in networks of spiking neurons (either in brain networks, or in neuromorphic hardware). Preceding results on which we will build can be found on http://www.igi.tugraz.at/maass/publications.html Excellent research skills, a genuine interest in answering fundamental open questions about computation and learning in networks of spiking neurons, and the capability to work in an interdisciplinary research team are expected. Applications are especially invited by students who have a strong background in a theoretical area related to machine learning, computational theory or probabilistic models, and who also have substantial experience in programming and computer simulations. Our doctoral program will lead to a Phd in Computer Science. Please send your CV, information about your grades, and a letter describing your scientific interests and goals by May 21 to my assistant Regina Heidinger: regina.heidinger(a)igi.tugraz.at It would be helpful if you could include names and email addresses of referees, and pdf files of your master thesis and/or other publications. -- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maass Institut fuer Grundlagen der Informationsverarbeitung Technische Universitaet Graz Inffeldgasse 16b , A-8010 Graz, Austria Tel.: ++43/316/873-5822 Fax ++43/316/873-5805 http://www.igi.tugraz.at/maass/Welcome.html

April 30, 2014

CoSMo 214: extended deadline! - May 5, 2014

by Gunnar Blohm

Due to continues interest, we have decided to extend the application deadline for CoSMo 2014! This is a tremendous opportunity for students and postdocs to get hands-on training in computational neuroscience. *Extended deadline: May 5, 2014* http://www.compneurosci.com/CoSMo/ Best Gunnar Blohm, Konrad Körding, Paul Schrater (organizers) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Gunnar BLOHM Assistant Professor in Computational Neuroscience Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology, School of Computing, and Canadian Action and Perception Network (CAPnet) Queen's University 18, Stuart Street Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3385 Fax: (613) 533-6840 Email: Gunnar.Blohm(a)QueensU.ca Web: http://www.compneurosci.com/

April 29, 2014

Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, PhD Programme

by Peter Dayan

Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London 4 year PhD Programme The Gatsby Unit is a centre for theoretical neuroscience and machine learning, focusing on unsupervised, semi-supervised and reinforcement learning, neural dynamics, population coding, Bayesian and nonparametric statistics, kernel methods, and applications of these to the analysis of perceptual processing, neural data, machine vision and bioinformatics. It provides a unique opportunity for a critical mass of theoreticians to interact closely with each other, and with other world-class research groups in related departments at UCL, including the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, with which we will shortly share a building, and Biosciences, Computer Science, Functional Imaging, Physics, Physiology, Psychology, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Statistics, the cross-faculty Centre for Computational Statistics and Machine Learning, and also with other UK and overseas universities. The Unit has openings for exceptional PhD candidates. Applicants should have a strong analytical background, a keen interest in neuroscience and/or machine learning and a relevant first degree, for example in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Psychology or Statistics. The PhD programme lasts four years, including a first year of intensive instruction in techniques and research in theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. All students are fully funded, regardless of nationality. The Unit also welcomes applications from students with pre-secured funding or who are currently soliciting other scholarship/studentships. We will review applications as soon as they are complete (including a CV, statement of research interests and letters from three referees) until the positions are filled. Early application is thus advised. Full details of our programme, and how to apply, are available at: http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/phd For further details of research interests please see http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/research.html and the individual faculty webpages at http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/members.html

April 29, 2014

Postdoc EEG data analysis and source modeling

by Thomas Knoesche

The Research & Development Unit „MEG and Cortical Networks“ at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science at Leipzig offers a position as POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER in the area of Medical Signal Processing and Biophysical Modelling. The research project aims at the development of fast and effective processing techniques for EEG data. The task of the successful applicant will be to develop methods for artefact identification and correction, spatial interpolation and source reconstruction. The successful applicant holds a PhD degree in informatics, mathematics, physics, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering or similar. Experience with the measurement and analysis of brain signals is an advantage, but not essential. A keen interest in the biological foundations of cognition should be present. Decent programming skills are of importance. In order to increase the proportion of female staff members, applications from female scientists are particularly encouraged. Disabled applicants are preferred if qualification is equal. The position is available for 2 years. Payment is according to the German scale TVöD 13. The selection procedure starts as the applications come in. Please send your application by email, citing the code number "PD 14" to: PD Dr.habil. Thomas R. Knösche Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany [phone: +49 341 9940-2619] [email: knoesche(a)cbs.mpg.de]

April 29, 2014

Fully funded PhD position in the Neural Computation Lab Italian Institute of Technology

by Stefano Panzeri

I have an open fully funded PhD position in computational neuroscience in my laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology in Trento. Stipend, tuition fees and research expenses of the successful candidate will be fully covered by the Italian Institute of Technology. The topic of investigation is how neuronal populations encode and exchange sensory information. The successful candidate will begin the PhD in November 2014 and will be registered with the Doctoral Programme at the University of Trento (ranked 1 st in Italy according to the Times Higher Education). All PhD courses are given in English, and the working language of the research institute is English. The selection requires a Master level degree (Laurea Magistrale or equivalent), a certifiable B2 level of English (or BA/BS/MA/MSc done entirely in English), and a proposed research project. There are no constraints on nationality for the applicants. *The deadline for applications is* *Tuesday May 13, 2014 at 4:00 p.m Italian Time.* Please visit the Doctoral Programme’s website http://www.unitn.it/en/drcimec/10140/admission-doctoral-school-cognitive-an… for information pertaining to the timeline of the application process and for a link to the actual online application. Note that the candidates will have to apply for the topic “computational neuroscience” (see http://www.unitn.it/en/drcimec/32957/30th-cycle-topics-2014-call) and submit with application a brief summary of the proposed research project applicants will submit. This brief document should be intended as a description of the candidate’s research interests within computational neuroscience rather than a detailed research project. Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to write to me ( stefano.panzeri(a)iit.it) as soon as possible attaching their CV to discuss the application further. However, applications will be formally considered only if submitted through the above official link of the University of Trento PhD selection programme. Regards Stefano Panzeri Research Professor Italian Institute of Technology Neural Computation Laboratory – Rovereto (Trento) Italy http://cncs.iit.it/people/iit-unitn-neural-computation/senior-researcher/st… http://cncs.iit.it/research-labs/neural-computation.html

April 29, 2014

NEURON Summer Course openings

by Ted Carnevale

Space is still available in the NEURON Summer Course, but you'll have to act quickly to make sure you qualify for the early registration rates. NEURON Fundamentals June 21-24 This addresses all aspects of using NEURON to model individual neurons, and also introduces parallel simulation and the fundamentals of modeling networks. Parallel Simulation with NEURON June 25-26 This is for users who are already familiar with NEURON and need to create models that will run on parallel hardware. Apply by Friday, May 9, and pay only $1050 for the Fundamentals course $650 for the Parallel Simulation course $1600 for both Registration fees for applications received after May 9 are $1200 for Fundamentals $750 for Parallel Simulation $1800 for both These fees cover handout materials plus food and housing on the campus of UC San Diego. Registration is limited, and the registration deadline is Friday, May 30, 2014. For more information and the on-line registration form, see http://www.neuron.yale.edu/neuron/courses --Ted

April 28, 2014

INNS Request for nominations: Hebb, Helmholtz, Gabor, and Young Investigator awards

by Schmidhuber Juergen

The International Neural Network Society's Awards Program is established to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of Neural Networks. Up to three awards, at most one in each category, of up to $1,000 ($500 cash award plus up to $500 travel award), are presented annually to senior, highly accomplished researchers for outstanding contributions made in the field of Neural Networks. The Hebb, Helmholtz and Gabor Awards: - The Hebb Award - recognizes achievement in biological learning. - The Helmholtz Award - recognizes achievement in sensation/perception. - The Gabor Award - recognizes achievement in engineering/application. - Young Investigator Awards: Up to two awards of $500 each are presented annually to individuals with no more than five years postdoctoral experience and who are under forty years of age, for significant contributions in the field of Neural Networks. Nominations: 1. The Awards Committee should receive nominations of no more than two pages in length, specifying: - The award category (Hebb, Helmholtz, Gabor, or Young Investigator) for which the candidate is being nominated. - The reasons for which the nominee should be considered for the award. - A list of at least five of the nominee's important and published papers. 2. The curriculum vitae of both the nominee and the nominator must be included with the nomination, including the name, address, position/title, phone, fax, and e-mail address for both the nominee and nominator. 3. The nominator must be an INNS member in good standing. Nominees do not have to be INNS members. If an award recipient is not an INNS member, they shall receive a free one-year INNS membership. 4. Nominators may not nominate themselves or their family members. 5. Individuals may not receive the same INNS Award more than once All nominations will be considered by the Awards Committee and selected ones forwarded to the INNS Board of Governors, along with the Committee's recommendations for award recipients. Voting shall be performed by the entire BoG. The INNS Award Committee members must be INNS Governors in the year that they are appointed. The 2014 Committee consists of Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber, Prof. Leonid Perlovsky, and Prof. Hava Siegelmann. Please email the 2015 nominations along with their attachments directly to the chair of the Awards Committee at juergen(a)idsia.ch, with a copy to the Secretary of the Society at bill(a)billhowell.ca by June 1, 2014. Please use the following subject line in the email: INNS award nomination. Please find additional information here: http://www.inns.org/awards Jürgen Schmidhuber http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/

April 28, 2014

CFA: Two postdoctoral positions in mathematical modeling and machine learning for collective behavior

by Kristiaan Pelckmans

CFA: Two postdoctoral positions in mathematical modeling and machine learning for collective behavior Dear all, We have openings for two postdocs on our project for relating social behavior to brain morphology. A full description of the applications can be found at http://www.uu.se/en/jobs/jobs-detail-page/?positionId=36625 Best, -Kristiaan Pelckmans

April 28, 2014

Post-doc (or PhD student) in Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience

by Pieter Roelfsema

Post-doc (or PhD student) in Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience - What is the role of the cortical layers? A post-doc (or PhD student) position is available to study computational models about the roles of the different layers of the cerebral cortex in the Vision & Cognition group (head Pieter Roelfsema) at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. What roles do the different cortical layers play in visual processing? This project, funded by the Human Brain Project, aims to build computational models for the unique contributions of the different cortical layers to perceptual processing. We recently discovered that the cortical layers have different roles in visual perception (Self et al., Curr. Biol, 2013). We now wish to understand this subdivision of labor by making models of the layers and the interactions between them that take place in the visual cortex during perception. The candidate will have close interactions with researchers addressing laminar processing with high-field fMRI. The successful applicant will have a solid computational background and an interest in cognitive neuroscience, preferably affinity with neuroimaging, and good programming skills. Appointment: The position involves a temporary appointment for 2-4 years. To apply, please send application letter, CV and two letters of recommendation to: Tini Eikelboom The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience Meibergdreef 47 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands Telephone: +31-20-5664587 E-mail: t.eikelboom(a)nin.knaw.nl<mailto:t.eikelboom@nin.knaw.nl>

April 28, 2014

Two PhD Positions and one Postdoc Position in Machine Learning / Sensory Data Processing

by Jörg Lücke

The Machine Learning research group at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, is seeking to fill Two PhD Research Positions and one (postdoctoral) Research Associate Position All positions are part of the Machine Learning group which develops learning and inference technology for sensory data. We pursue basic research, develop new technology, and apply our approaches to different tasks. Our research hereby combines modern probabilistic data descriptions, modern computer technology and insights from the neurosciences. We contribute to the improvement of current methods for computer hearing, pattern recognition and computer vision as well as to the understanding of biological and artificial intelligence. Research will be conducted in close collaboration with leading international and national research labs. Our research field can be considered as part of the Data Sciences, Computational Sciences, or Big Data approaches (to name some terms recently used in the media). Salary levels of the positions are based on the TV-L scale of the German public sector (Öffentlicher Dienst). After the deduction of health insurance, pension tax and other taxes, the salary for the PhD positions amounts to approximately 1600 EUR per month, and to about 2000 EUR per month for the (postdoctoral) Research Associate Position. Depending on the experience of the candidates, the salary can be higher. But please note that the only definite sources for all information on the positions including salary, job description and application/selection procedure are the central websites of the University of Oldenburg. For the PhD positions see: http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/stellen/?stelle=63323 For the postdoc position see: http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/stellen/?stelle=63322 Depending on the skills and interests of the candidates, the research focus will be on the development of new probabilistic learning algorithms and/or their applications to high-dimensional sensory data. Projects can emphasize basic research for general purpose learning and pattern recognition, or applications of algorithms to specific tasks. Candidates for the PhD positions have to hold a Master degree in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics or a closely related subject (at the latest at the time when the contract is signed). Analytical/mathematical skills and programming skills (e.g. python, matlab, C++) are required for all candidates. Experiences with Machine Learning algorithms are desirable. Experiences with acoustic data, other types of sensory data, and an interest in the neurosciences are a plus but are not strictly required. The candidates for the (postdoctoral) Research Associate position have to hold a Master degree or (preferably) a PhD/Doctoral degree in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics or a closely related subject (alternatively, a statement can be provided that a PhD/Doctoral degree will be issued when the position is taken or shortly thereafter). Analytical/mathematical skills, programming skills, and experience with Machine Learning algorithms are required. Experiences with acoustic data, other types of sensory data, and an interest in the neurosciences are a plus but are not strictly required. The (postdoctoral) Research Associate position is suitable for part-time work. All positions can be filled immediately and are available for initially two years with an option for extension. The appointed researchers will be part of a very new working environment. The research group is currently established through a strategic investment into Machine Learning technology at Oldenburg. The group is located in a new building, and the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all is part of the German Excellence Initiative which funds top-tier research in Germany. The cluster comprises many interdisciplinary research groups that are currently set up or that are extended. As a consequence, many new PhD, postdoc and faculty positions allow for interesting collaboration opportunities and provide an attractive scientific and social environment. The city of Oldenburg is one of Germany's cities with the highest rated living quality, it is close to the North See and near to the cities of Bremen and Hamburg. For more information about the Machine Learning research group visit: http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/ml/ For more information about the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all visit: http://hearing4all.eu/EN/ The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increasing the percentage of women in science. Therefore, female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. According to § 21 III NHG (legislation governing Higher Education in Lower Saxony) preference will be given to female candidates in cases of equal qualification. Handicapped applicants will be given preference if equally qualified. Please send your application including the usual documents (including contact details for reference letters) preferably electronically (PDF) to Jörg Lücke <joerg.luecke(a)uni-oldenburg.de> or per mail to: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Fakultät VI, Machine Learning, z.Hd. Frau Jennifer Köllner, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany. Please use “Research Position (PhD)” as subject line for applications to the PhD positions, and “Research Associate Position (postdoc)” for applications to the (postdoctoral) Research Associate position. The application deadline is 15 June 2014. Applications received after this date are not guaranteed to enter the selection process. -- Jörg Lücke (PhD) Associate Professor Machine Learning Lab and Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Oldenburg 26111 Oldenburg Germany www.uni-oldenburg.de/ml

April 27, 2014

BCBT2014 summer school

by BCBT, Bústia Compartida

*Barcelona Cognition, Brain and Technology Summer School (BCBT2014)* University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. September 1-12, 2014 http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14/ Join us for the annual *"Barcelona Cognition, Brain and Technology summer school - BCBT2014 *" (see* http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14 <http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14>*) to be held from September 1-12, 2014 in Barcelona Spain. The BCBT summer school is part of a series of events organized by the Convergent Science Network of Biomimetics and Neurotechnology (*http://csnetwork.eu/ <http://csnetwork.eu/>*) and is positioned at the interface between biology and future and emerging technologies with an emphasis on the principles underlying brains and their translation to avant-garde technologies. BCBT promotes a shared systems-level understanding of the functional architecture of the brain and its possible emulation in artificial systems. This is the 7th year of BCBT, which has ran with great success in previous years thanks to an excellent line-up of outstanding speakers (see bcbt.upf.edu for previous editions of the school). BCBT lectures are available online (see *http://csnetwork.eu/ <http://csnetwork.eu/>*) as well as the CSN *Podcast interviews *with many of the BCBT speakers. BCBT caters to students and researchers involved in projects that are in the ambit of "BIO-ICT convergence", "Brain Inspired ICT", "Cognitive systems-robotics". BCBT will offer up to 30 student slots for the practical workshops while as many researchers can register to attend the presentations and discussion sessions as they are interested. The atmosphere of the BCBT summer school is informal with the goal to stimulate in-depth discussion. There are presentations in the morning, usually 2, with the afternoons reserved for tutorials and projects for student participants and road-mapping workshops or further discussion for senior scientists. For the 2014 edition we plan a *1st week* of the school addressing *Evolutionary and Developmental aspects of nervous systems and behavior*(*Session 1*, 1-5 Sept*)*, while the *2nd week* will include presentations aimed at the investigation of *Core Brain Systems* with emphasis on the basal ganglia (*Session 2*, 8-9 Sept) followed by roadmapping sessions (*Session 3*, 10-11 Sept). Friday 12 is reserved for the presentation of the student projects to which everybody is invited. *Application deadline: August 2nd, 2014* For more information, and to apply, please go to http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt14/home BCBT2014 is supported by the Convergent Science Network of Biomimetics and Neurotechnology (*http://csnetwork.eu/ <http://csnetwork.eu/>*). and is co-organized by Paul Verschure (BCBT Chair) SPECS, University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, ES Tony Prescott (BCBT Co-Chair) University of Sheffield, UK Leah Krubizer (BCBT Co-Chair) UC Davis, CA, USA Anna Mura (BCBT Co-Chair) SPECS, University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, ES

April 25, 2014

Invitation to NeuroFutures Summit - Seattle, June 16-18, 2014.

by Rad Roberts

We are pleased to invite you to the 2014 NeuroFutures Summit. Who/what/why: The NeuroFutures Summit will bring together research, industry, and clinical thought leaders to explore how innovations in neuromodulation, brain mapping, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, and brain computer interfaces will transform our understanding of neural systems and enable life-changing medical treatments. Participants will learn the state of the art, present and discuss their work, and interact with neurotechnology leaders in a small conference setting. The abstract deadline for poster presenters is May 16th, 2014. Over thirty speakers are confirmed. See agenda below. When: Public lecture 6-8pm June 16th followed by the technical conference on June 17th and 18th, 2014. Where: Hotel Deca and the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Website: Visit www.neurofutures.us to learn more. We hope you can join us. Sincerely, The organizers: Rad Roberts, Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, University of Washington, Dan Rizzuto, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Bill Rooney, Oregon Health and Science University, and Bobby Heagerty, Oregon Health and Science University. NeuroFutures Summit Agenda June 16th- 18th, 2014 University of Washington, Seattle, WA <http://www.neurofutures.us> www.neurofutures.us Monday, June 16th, 6pm - 8pm Public lecture: The Brain on Circuit Training: Finding and Fixing Misfiring Neural Circuitry. A presentation by Dr. Andres Lozano with an interactive discussion moderated by David Heil. Tuesday, June 17th Functional Mapping Informs BCI and Neuromodulation Innovations Richard Buxton, UCSD, Kim Burchiel, OHSU, Richard Andersen, Caltech Measuring, Mapping, and Modifying Cognitive Function. Justin Sanchez, DARPA, Tom Grabowski, U of Washington, Brian Kopell, Mt. Sinai Hospital. Lunch, posters, informal discussion. Structure and Target Selection in Neuromodulation Chris Kroenke, OHSU, Andres Lozano, U of Toronto, David Newell, Swedish Neuroscience Institute. Mining Shared Neural Data Sets Magali Haas, Orion Bionetworks, Julie Harris, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Mike Hawrylycz, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Paul Fearn, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Northwest NeuroNeighborhood Resources and Partnering Opportunities I. Bart Keogh, Radia Inc., Rajesh Rao, U of Washington, John Henson, Swedish Neuroscience Institute. Evening reception at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Wednesday, June 18th The Past, Present, and Future of Closed-loop Neuromodulation. Milton Morris, Cyberonics, Eberhard Fetz, U of Washington, Tim Denison, Medtronic. Ryder Gwinn, Swedish Neuroscience Institute. De-coding Commands and Learning Modes in the Motor Cortex. Chet Moritz, U of Washington, Jeff Ojemann, U of Washington, Adrienne Fairhall, U of Washington. Neurotechnology Development and Brain Mapping: A Virtuous Cycle Ed Lein, AIBS, Craig Forest, Georgia Institute of Technology. Northwest NeuroNeighborhood Resources and Partnering Opportunities II. Norman Beauchamp, U of Washington. Bob Wilcox, Viket Medical. Lunch, posters, informal discussion. Generating and Handling Large Neural Data Sets. Hanchuan Peng, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Tim Blanche, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Bing Brunton, U of Washington, Matt Reynolds, U of Washington. Neural engineering approaches for hearing, sight, and memory prostheses. Adrian KC Lee, U of Washington, Josh Jacobs, Drexel University

April 25, 2014

Reminder: Abstract submission closes April 27 for Neuroinformatics 2014

by Malin Sandström

Welcome to the 7th INCF Congress of Neuroinformatics in Leiden, the Netherlands, August 25 - 27, 2014 Neuroinformatics 2014 includes keynote lectures (Margarita Behrens, Mitya Chklovskii, Daniel Choquet, Ila Fiete, Michael Milham, and Felix Schürmann), workshops, and a special symposium on population-based neuroimaging, hosted by the INCF Netherlands Node. The last day to submit your abstract is April 27, submit it here: http://www.neuroinformatics2014.org/abstracts Registration is open at http://www.neuroinformatics2014.org/registration Watch the NI2014 promo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEudq3SOwK0 We kindly ask that you print and display the congress poster at your institution: it's available for download at http://www.neuroinformatics2014.org/documents/a0_poster_nov_2013 We're looking forward to seeing you in August! -- Malin Sandström, PhD Community Engagement Officer malin.sandstrom(a)incf.org International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility Karolinska Institutet Nobels väg 15 A SE-171 77 Stockholm Sweden http://www.incf.org

April 25, 2014