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Bernstein Conference 2019 in Berlin: Deadline for Workshop Proposals, March 27!
by Alexandra Stein 07 Mar '19

07 Mar '19

The Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience<https://www.bernstein-network.de/en/start_page> invites proposals for Satellite Workshops directly preceding the Bernstein Conference 2019<http://www.bernstein-conference.de/> in Berlin. ************************************************************** Important Dates: Satellite Workshops: September 17 - 18, 2019 Main Bernstein Conference: September 18 - 20, 2019 Deadline for Satellite Workshop proposal submission: March 27, 2019, 3 pm CET (Deadline will not be extended!) Notification of Workshop acceptance: April 2019 Special in 2019: The Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience (CCN)<https://ccneuro.org/> will be held back-to back with the Bernstein Conference on September 13 - 16. ************************************************************** The Bernstein Conference is the largest annual single-track Computational Neuroscience conference in Europe. It hosts pre-conference workshops which provide a stage to discuss topical research questions, novel scientific approaches and challenges in Computational Neuroscience and related fields. Workshops addressing controversial issues, open problems, and comparisons of competing approaches are encouraged. The format should be designed to foster debate, rather than a mere series of talks. The selection criteria for workshop proposals will include scientific excellence, topical relevance and gender diversity. Satellite Workshop Schedule: September 17, 2019, 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm September 18, 2019, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm Workshop proposals are welcome for either half-day or full-day workshops. Workshop Costs – Financial Support: All organizers and speakers of accepted workshops will receive a waiver for the workshop fee. Organizers of accepted workshops additionally receive a waiver for the main conference. Coffee break catering will be provided. Up to 10 selected workshops can receive financial support up to 1.500,00 € each. Instructions for Workshop Proposal Preparation: Workshop proposals must contain: 1) Workshop Title 2) Concise description of workshop topic 3) List of potential speakers indicating speaker commitment 4) Optional: a comment on how the organizers plan to achieve gender diversity among speakers Please use the Workshop Proposal Form that can be downloaded here: www.bernstein-network.de/en/bernstein-conference/2019/satellite-workshops<http://www.bernstein-network.de/en/bernstein-conference/2019/satellite-work…> Deadline for submission of Workshop Proposals: March 27, 2019, 3 pm CET (Deadline will not be extended!) For further information about the conference, please visit the conference website www.bernstein-conference.de<http://www.bernstein-conference.de> Contact: bernstein.conference(at)fz-juelich.de We are looking forward to seeing you in Berlin! Workshop Selection Committee: Tatjana Tchumatchenko (Workshop Chair) Tim Vogels (Workshop Vice Chair) Danielle Bassett Alexander Borst Alain Destexhe Tim Gollisch Máté Lengyel Stephanie Palmer Elad Schneidman (Program Vice Chair) Susanne Schreiber (Program Chair) Terry Sejnowski Sara Solla Henning Sprekeler (Conference Chair and Host) Gina Turrigiano -- Dr. Alexandra Stein Head of Bernstein Coordination Site Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience | Bernstein Coordination Site (BCOS) Branch Office of the Forschungszentrum Jülich at the University of Freiburg Hansastr. 9A | 79104 Freiburg, Germany phone: (+49) 0761 203 9583 mobile: (+49) 0151 67114645 mail: a.stein(a)fz-juelich.de<mailto:a.stein@fz-juelich.de> web: www.bernstein-network.de<http://www.bernstein-network.de> Twitter: NNCN_Germany YouTube: Bernstein TV Facebook: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany LinkedIn: Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, Germany ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH 52425 Juelich Sitz der Gesellschaft: Juelich Eingetragen im Handelsregister des Amtsgerichts Dueren Nr. HR B 3498 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: MinDir Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher Geschaeftsfuehrung: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Marquardt (Vorsitzender), Karsten Beneke (stellv. Vorsitzender), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Harald Bolt, Prof. Dr. Sebastian M. Schmidt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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SUMMER SCHOOL ON COGNITIVE FOUNDATIONS OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR
by Rava A. da Silveira 07 Mar '19

07 Mar '19

*SUMMER SCHOOL ON* *COGNITIVE FOUNDATIONS OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR* *FRI June 28 to SUN July 7, 2019* *Sponsored by the NOMIS Foundation and the* *Alfred P. Sloan Foundation* >From the evening of Friday June 28 to noon of Sunday July 7, 2019, the second Summer School on Cognitive Foundations of Economic Behavior will take place in Vitznau, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland ( http://www.floraalpina.ch/en/hotel.html) The last 2.5 days of the Summer School consist of a workshop in which leading international researchers will present their recent findings in this area of research. The purpose of the first six days of the Summer School is to introduce graduate students and beginning researchers in economics and related disciplines to findings and methods from economics, psychology and neuroscience that allow features of human attention and perception to be taken into account when modeling economic behavior. The Summer School is part of an initiative sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the NOMIS Foundation, pursuing the idea that many well-documented but seemingly disparate behavioral phenomena – such as framing effects, anchoring or base-rate neglect, as well as hyperbolic discounting, probability weighting or overconfidence – may have a unified explanation in terms of imperfect attention and perceptual error. The co-organizers and principal faculty of the Summer Institute are Andrew Caplin (NYU), Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich), and Michael Woodford (Columbia University), who will be in attendance for the full program. Teaching faculty will also include Peter Dayan (Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tubingen), Sam Gershman (Harvard), George Loewenstein (Carnegie Mellon), Weiji Ma (NYU), Antonio Rangel (CalTech), Rava Azeredo da Silveira (ENS, Paris), Andrei Shleifer (Harvard), Dmitry Taubinsky (UC Berkeley), and Angela Yu (UC San Diego). The program will include lectures and tutorials about economic models of biases resulting from inattention, imperfect memory and other forms of cognitive imprecision, as well as the psychological and neuroscientific foundations and empirical measurement of imperfect attention and memory. The sessions will outline evidence, principles, empirical methods and formal models that enable the examination of the consequences of imperfect attention and perception for important individual behaviors and market outcomes. The program will also provide opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and research with the organizers, visiting faculty, and other participants. Participation is restricted to Ph.D. students who by July 2019 will have completed at least one year of their doctoral program, postdoctoral researchers, and to faculty who have only started their faculty position in the fall of 2018 or later. Candidates in related disciplines (e.g., psychology, neuroscience, computational science) who have a strong interest and advanced training in formal economics are also eligible. Most participant costs during the workshop, including housing and most meals, will be covered, and a capped travel stipend (covering most but not all of anticipated travel costs) will also be provided. About twenty- five participants will be admitted. Participants will be required to complete some assigned readings in advance, and to fully attend all sessions of the program. There is no application form or program information beyond this announcement. (For interested students, schedules of previous conferences organized by the Sloan-Nomis program will give an indication of the kind of topics to be discussed, and can be found at https://wp.nyu.edu/sloan_nomis_project/home/events/.) To apply, send (i) a curriculum vitae, (ii) a statement (maximum three pages) describing any current research, and the general nature of your interest in the cognitive foundations of economics, (iii) an (unofficial) course/grade transcript, and (iv) two letters of recommendation from faculty advisors. All applications must include an e-mail and an alternative means of contact (e.g., phone number). Send your curriculum vita, statement, and course/grade transcript (all collapsed into a *single *pdf file) to Sloan-Nomis-Summerschool(a)econ.uzh.ch. Ask your recommenders to send their letters to the same email address, with the following subject line: *Sloan-Nomis recommendation letter for APPLICANT NAME. *We anticipate a large pool of highly qualified applicants and to make final decisions quickly, so applications and letters must be received by the deadline. *Complete applications, including letters of recommendation, must be received by Sunday, March 17. *We will notify applicants solely through e-mail, by Monday, April 1, and will ask participants to confirm their participation soon thereafter. Inquiries can be sent to Sloan-Nomis-Summerschool(a)econ.uzh.ch.

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Neuromodulation of Neural Microcircuits NM² conference, 24-26 May 2019
by Srikanth Ramaswamy 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

Dear All, We are delighted to announce the second Neuromodulation of Neural Microcircuits NM² conference on May 24 – 26, in Champéry, Switzerland. Click here for the Conference website<https://nm2.epfl.ch/> The overarching goal of the second NM² Conference is to provide a unifying and mechanistic view by which an ever-increasing number of neuromodulators, including monoamines, and peptides – the master switches – control genes, proteins, neurons and glia, dendrites, synapses, and emergent states in neural microcircuits across different brain regions in health and disease. Building such a mechanistic view of neuromodulation encounters several fundamental challenges to consider: 1. How do sensory signals, internal brain states, and computations in microcircuits, trigger the release of specific neuromodulators? 2. How do neuronal assemblies and larger brain circuits respond to neuromodulators? 3. How do neuromodulators shape synaptic plasticity and brain states? To this end, the NM² Conference will bring together researchers to bridge a variety of disciplines using state-of-the-art techniques in different brain regions, towards the common goal of understanding the mechanisms and principles of neuromodulation and addressing the challenges above. Our fundamental objective is to organize a dynamic conference that will highlight an up-to-date view of the neuromodulation of brain states, establish future directions, and attract new talent to drive forward this important field. REGISTRATION To register for the Conference, please click here<https://nm2.epfl.ch/registration/> Please register as soon as possible; only a limited number of seats are available. POSTER ABSTRACTS When submitting an abstract PhD students and Postdocs are encouraged to apply for Blue Brain travel awards to participate in the NM2 Conference. Awards, which are only open to those who submit abstracts, include registration for the Conference (including accommodation and full board), and travel support. Some of the submitted abstracts will be selected for flash talks. Please feel free to contact Dace Stiebrina<mailto:mailto:dace.stiebrina@epfl.ch> should you have any questions concerning the conference. Looking forward to seeing many of you there! Best, Srikanth ------------ Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy Senior Scientist - Neuromodulation of Cells and Circuits EPFL - Blue Brain Project Campus Biotech Chemin des Mines 9 CH 1202, Geneva, Tel: +41 21 693 9633 Fax: +41 21 693 5350 www: people.epfl.ch/srikanth.ramaswamy<http://people.epfl.ch/srikanth.ramaswamy>

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Computational Neuroscience Faculty position at Bristol University
by Conor Houghton 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

In the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol we are seeking to appoint a faculty member in Computational Neuroscience and Machine Learning at Lecturer or Senior Lecturer level, comparable to Assistant or Associate Professorship level. http://bit.ly/Bristol_neuro_job Candidates are sought with expertise in computational neuroscience or computational cognitive science and preference will be given to candidates whose research interests emphasise the parts of our discipline that are informed by, or relate, to machine learning. The University of Bristol is a significant centre for both computational neuroscience and machine learning and a leader in experimental, clinical and cognitive neuroscience. There is a robust tradition of collaboration between experimental and computational neuroscientists. Bristol itself is a friendly green coastal city with a rich and lively cultural scene and has consistently been voted one of the best places to live in the UK. You are welcome to contact one of us (conor.houghton||cian.odonnell||rui.costa)(a)bristol.ac.uk, or our head of department Seth Bullock, seth.bullock(a)bristol.ac.uk, to discuss the post informally. The closing date for applications is 31 March, with interviews in late May. We value diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity. All the best Conor Houghton Cian O'Donnell Rui Ponte Costa http://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/research/computational-neuroscience/

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The Neuron School - Basic Computational Neuroscience in Alghero - ITALY
by Sergio Solinas 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

**Apologies for cross-posting** [All details about this school can be found online at The NEURON School Initiative <http://neuronschool.org/>] The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Sassari is excited to announce *the second edition* of *The NEURON School* on Computational Neuroscience. This *one-week* school will introduce to the use of the simulation environment NEURON and related software to build brain models starting from experimental data up to their applications. - The school will provide basic notions on experimental methods to extract and process morphological and electrophysiological data targeting their use to build computational models of single neurons and neuronal networks. - We will explore the best practices to build sound computational models of ion channels and synaptic receptors. - The school will cover how these models can be constructed based on the principles of biological tissue growth in simulations. We welcome applications from all interested full graduate, Ph.D. students, and PostDocs in a variety of fields from biology, neurobiology, and psychology, to physics, engineering, and mathematics, and industry professionals with relevant background. Applicants are expected to have a good background in their discipline, interest in neuroscience, and some knowledge (even basic) of computer programming. *Format*: Morning tutorials will be complemented with Afternoon coding sessions and Evening discussions promoted by Senior Scientists. *Date and Location:* April 29th to May 3rd, 2019 at the Porto Conte Research Center <http://www.portocontericerche.it/en> within the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia and at the Hotel Catalunya <http://www.hotelcatalunya.it/en/>, Alghero - Sardinia (ITALY). Application Deadline: 14th April 2019 Applications: Please visit *http://neuronschool.org/ <http://neuronschool.org/>*, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, and lodging. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact enrico(a)uniss.it We look forward to your registration and to welcome you in Alghero!

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Full-time research technician at the University of Vienna
by Moritz Grosse-Wentrup 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

Dear Colleagues: I am setting up a new research group at the University of Vienna and have an open (full time and, following a successful evaluation after one year, open-ended) position for a research technician.Besides general IT-support, the primary task of the research technician would be to maintain our EEG lab. I would appreciate if you could pass on the ad to potential candidates: https://tinyurl.com/y2ll2ak5 Informal inquiries should be sent to moritz.grosse-wentrup(a)univie.ac.at. Thanks, Moritz -- Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Research Group Neuroinformatics Faculty of Computer Science University of Vienna Hörlgasse 6, A-1090 Wien, Austria moritz.grosse-wentrup(a)univie.ac.at

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Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2019
by Yiyin Zhou 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2019 FFBH 2019 <http://fruitflybrain.org/hackathons>March 20, 2019Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 The 4th Fruit Fly brain Hackathon (FFBH 2019) will be held on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. The goal of the hackathon is to bring together researchers interested in developing executable models of the fruit fly brain. In this year’s hackathon, we will focus on the FlyBrainLab <http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu/research/ffbo/fbl> (FBL), a newly developed interactive computing platform for studying the function of executable circuits constructed from fly brain data. The hackathon is aimed at three main groups of participants: neurobiologists, modelers and software engineers. We welcome researchers working on the fruit fly brain as well as those working on other model organisms to participate and broaden the discussion in the hackathon. The Fruit Fly Brain Hackathon 2019 is organized in conjunction with the Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuit, Memory and Computation <http://fruitflybrain.org/workshops.html> on March 21-22, 2019. Participants of the hackathon are welcome to attend the workshop. Registration is free but all participants have to register <https://ffbh2019.eventbrite.com/>. (*https://ffbh2019.eventbrite.com/ <https://ffbh2019.eventbrite.com/>*). Organizers: Tingkai Liu, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University Mehmet Kerem Turkcan, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University Chung-Heng Yeh, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University Yiyin Zhou, Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University More information can be found on the hackathon website: http://fruitflybrain.org/hackathons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Best Regards, Yiyin Zhou, on behalf of the organizers -- Yiyin Zhou Associate Research Scientist Bionet Group: www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu Department of Electrical Engineering Columbia University

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12ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python in Camerino, Italy, 2—7 September, 2019
by Jakob Jordan 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

12ᵗʰ Advanced Scientific Programming in Python ============================================== a Summer School by the G-Node and the University of Camerino https://python.g-node.org Scientists spend more and more time writing, maintaining, and debugging software. While techniques for doing this efficiently have evolved, only few scientists have been trained to use them. As a result, instead of doing their research, they spend far too much time writing deficient code and reinventing the wheel. In this course we will present a selection of advanced programming techniques and best practices which are standard in the industry, but especially tailored to the needs of a programming scientist. Lectures are devised to be interactive and to give the students enough time to acquire direct hands-on experience with the materials. Students will work in pairs throughout the school and will team up to practice the newly learned skills in a real programming project — an entertaining computer game. We use the Python programming language for the entire course. Python works as a simple programming language for beginners, but more importantly, it also works great in scientific simulations and data analysis. We show how clean language design, ease of extensibility, and the great wealth of open source libraries for scientific computing and data visualization are driving Python to become a standard tool for the programming scientist. This school is targeted at Master or PhD students and Post-docs from all areas of science. Competence in Python or in another language such as Java, C/C++, MATLAB, or R is absolutely required. Basic knowledge of Python and of a version control system such as git, subversion, mercurial, or bazaar is assumed. Participants without any prior experience with Python and/or git should work through the proposed introductory material before the course. We are striving hard to get a pool of students which is international and gender-balanced. Date & Location =============== 2–7 September, 2019. Camerino, Italy. Application =========== You can apply online: https://python.g-node.org/wiki/applications Application deadline: 23:59 UTC, 26 May, 2019. There will be no deadline extension, so be sure to apply on time. Be sure to read the FAQ before applying: https://python.g-node.org/wiki/faq Participation is for free, i.e. no fee is charged! Participants however should take care of travel, living, and accommodation expenses by themselves. Program ======= • Version control with git and how to contribute to open source projects with GitHub • Tidy data analysis and visualization • Testing and debugging scientific code • Advanced NumPy • Organizing, documenting, and distributing scientific code • Advanced scientific Python: context managers and generators • Writing parallel applications in Python • Profiling and speeding up scientific code with Cython and numba • Programming in teams Faculty ======= • Caterina Buizza, Personal Robotics Lab, Imperial College London, UK • Jenni Rinker, Department of Wind Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, Denmark • Juan Nunez-Iglesias, Bioimage Analysis Research Fellow, Monash University, Australia • Nelle Varoquaux, Department of Statistics, UC Berkeley, CA, USA • Pamela Hathway, Neural Reckoning, Imperial College London, UK • Pietro Berkes, NAGRA Kudelski, Lausanne, Switzerland • Rike-Benjamin Schuppner, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany • Stéfan van der Walt, Berkeley Institute for Data Science, UC Berkeley, CA, USA • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany Organizers ========== For the German Neuroinformatics Node of the INCF (G-Node), Germany: • Tiziano Zito, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany • Caterina Buizza, Personal Robotics Lab, Imperial College London, UK • Zbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek, Red Hat Inc., Warsaw, Poland • Jakob Jordan, Department of Physiology, University of Bern, Switzerland For the University of Camerino, Italy: • Barbara Re, Computer Science Division, School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino Italy Website: https://python.g-node.org Contact: python-info(a)g-node.org

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Final Program of the Columbia Workshop on Brain Circuits, Memory and Computation, March 21-22, 2019
by Aurel A. Lazar 03 Mar '19

03 Mar '19

http://fruitflybrain.org/workshops.html Aurel http://www.bionet.ee.columbia.edu

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Discovering dynamic functional networks in the human neonatal brain with electric source imaging
by Steve Mehrkanoon 02 Mar '19

02 Mar '19

Dear Colleagues, We announce new findings in the human brain dynamics: Title: Discovering dynamic functional networks in the human neonatal brain with electric source imaging <http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/545616v1?rss=1> https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/545616v1?rss=1 Kind regards Steve Dr Steve Mehrkanoon Senior Mathematical Neuroscientist, The University of Queensland Advance Queensland Research Fellow, Home: http://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/14135 [UQEmailBannerGeneric]

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EXTENSION: CNS*2019 Call for Abstracts
by Sharon Crook 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

The abstract submission deadline for CNS*2019 has been extended to Monday March 11, 2019, 11:00 pm Pacific Time. Please remember to renew your OCNS membership and register for the meeting prior to abstract submission. CNS*2019 Call for Abstracts Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) 28th Annual Meeting Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain July 13-17, 2019 Local Organizers: Alex Roxin, Klaus Wimmer, Albert Compte, Jaime de la Rocha, Gemma Huguet Ramon The main meeting begins the evening of Saturday July 13 and runs through Tuesday July 16. It will be preceded by a day of tutorials (Saturday July 13) and followed by workshops (Tuesday July 16 mixed with the main meeting and Wednesday July 17 workshops only). Invited Keynote Speakers: Ed Bullmore, University of Cambridge Kenji Doya, Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology Mavi Sanchez-Vives, Universitat de Barcelona Ila Fiete, University of Texas Note that one of the authors must register as sponsoring author for the main meeting before abstract submission. In case the abstract is not accepted for presentation, the registration fee will be refunded. Submitted abstracts are used for creating the program and for publication. Please follow the formatting guidelines on the submission site. Travel awards are available for student and postdoc members of OCNS. Please apply using the checkbox on the abstract submission form and note that an extended abstract is required when applying for a travel award or oral presentation format. Registration: https://ocns.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=form_259… Abstract Submission: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2019-abstract-submission For up-to-date conference information, please visit: https://www.cnsorg.org/cns-2019-quick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OCNS is the international member-based society for computational neuroscientists. Become a member to be eligible for travel awards and more. Visit our website for more information: http://www.cnsorg.org

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Postdoctoral position in cortical circuit modelling (Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics)
by Etay Hay 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

Postdoctoral position in cortical circuit modelling (Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics) Hay lab, at Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics and the University of Toronto, is currently accepting applications for a postdoctoral position in using computational models to study the effects of cellular mechanisms on cortical circuit activity and brain recordings, in health and disease. We will simulate biophysical models of cortical circuits, constrained with data from rodents and humans, to study the effect of synaptic connectivity and dendritic ion channels on cortical circuit activity and processing. In turn, we will characterize the predicted signatures of the effects in measurable signals of cortical circuit activity, which will include the spatio-temporal propagation of neuronal spiking activity, LFP in different cortical layers, and EEG. The position will be up to 3 years, renewed yearly. Applicants should have strong and relevant peer-reviewed publications, particularly modelling studies of spiking neuronal networks (conductance-based or integrate-and-fire), and experience in using NEURON and Matlab. Hay lab is located at Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics (KCNI), which is part of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The centre is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is situated at the downtown campus. Neuroscience research at KCNI offers a unique environment that is both specialized and collaborative, spanning computational genomics, brain circuits, whole-brain networks, and behavior. Interested applicants should send their CV to Dr. Etay Hay, at: etay.hay(a)camh.ca Etay Hay, PhD Independent Scientist, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto www.haybrainlab.com CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. AVIS DE CONFIDENTIALITÉ : Ce message électronique, ainsi que tout fichier qui y est joint, est reserve à l'usage exclusif du destinataire visé et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels et privilégiés. Toute lecture, utilisation, divulgation ou distribution non autorisée est interdite. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire visé, veuillez en aviser l'expéditeur par retour de courriel et détruire toutes les copies du message original.

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Postdoctoral positions in computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence
by Maxim Bazhenov 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

Applications are invited for post-doctoral research positions in the laboratory of Dr. Maxim Bazhenov at the University of California, San Diego to study memory and learning and to develop neuroscience inspired computer algorithms capable of continual learning and adapting to the novel situations and contexts.This project involves close collaboration with the experimental laboratory of Dr. Bruce McNaughton (UC Irvine). The ultimate goal of the work is to advance the knowledge of how human and animal brains learn from experience and apply these principles to the artificial systems to enable continuous learning without catastrophic forgetting. The successful candidate will collaborate with a team of researchers to design neural network models of dynamic interactions between the hippocampus and neocortex during learning and memory consolidation in sleep and awake based on experimental data. These models will be used to derive learning principles that can be combined with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. An ideal candidate should have experience in computational/theoretical neuroscience and a basic knowledge of machine learning, or, alternatively, experience in machine learning algorithms and some basic knowledge of neuroscience. Experience with hierarchical learning, reinforcement learning, and/or goal-directed decision-making would be particularly helpful. The University of California offers excellent benefits. Salary is based on research experience. Applicants should send a brief statement of research interests, a CV and the names of three references to Maxim Bazhenov at mbazhenov(a)ucsd.edu -- Maxim Bazhenov, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Medicine, Neurosciences Graduate Program, UCSD, School of Medicine http://www.bazhlab.ucsd.edu/

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PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at Unipd
by Samir Suweis 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

The Padova Neuroscience Center (http://pnc.unipd.it/ <http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/>) is delighted to announce its second call for at least 10 fully funded PhD fellowships in Neuroscience at the University of Padova. The multidisciplinary PhD program includes research lines and methods from Imaging, Cellular, Cognitive, Translational and Computational Neuroscience. The time-frame for the application is 8th of April-10th of May 2019 (at 1 pm). The details for the application will be published on the 8th of April at: http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/ <http://pnc.unipd.it/admission/>. Stay tuned! Interested candidate can also contact me suweis(a)pd.infn.it <mailto:suweis@pd.infn.it> for further information. Please forward this message to collaborators and students. Thanks **** Padova University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe - established in 1222. The University of Padova invests significantly in research activities and projects. Padova, is a small and beautiful town, shaped around the University. Low living costs, great food, and you can bike everywhere! Samir Suweis, Ph.D. https://impactstory.org/u/SamirSuweis <https://impactstory.org/u/SamirSuweis> @SamirSuweis Research Scientist (RTDa) LIPh Lab, Physics Department, University of Padova Tel: +39 049 827 71 74 www.pd.infn.it/~maritan/people/Samir/samir.html

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Workshop: Structure and disorder: From random connections to functional circuits, July 10-12 2019, Göttingen
by Rainer Engelken 01 Mar '19

01 Mar '19

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to draw your attention to the fourth edition of the workshop on advanced methods in theoretical neuroscience. The programme is intended for the exchange of new approaches and methods, and presentations that will spark new ideas for future developments. Please see the details below or at https://www.neuro-theory.org/ Best regards, Viola Priesemann, Rainer Engelken, Farzad Farkhooi and Jonathan Kadmon *Structure and disorder: From random connections to functional circuits* July 10-12, 2019, Göttingen (Tutorials: July 9th) https://www.neuro-theory.org/ This workshop will focus on the inherent difficulties of studying the underlying dynamics that guide the synaptic organization in neuronal circuits. The forum is intended for researchers to not only share results but also survey and discuss recent advances in methods and to pinpoint limitations of the existing theoretical tools. These exchanges will be complemented by poster presentations from students and postdocs. A day of tutorial sessions will be held prior to the main meeting, covering some of the background and methods discussed in the workshop. ** Confirmed speakers ** Yashar Ahmadian (Oregon) Nicolas Brunel (Duke) Carson C Chow (NIH) Carina Curto (Penn State) Julijana Gjorgjieva (MPI Brain, Frankfurt) Valerio Mante (University of Zurich) Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (UCL-Gatsby Unit) Raoul Martin Memmesheimer (Universität Bonn) Andreas Neef (Göttingen) Cengiz Pehlevan (Harvard) Kanaka Rajan (Mount Sinai) Maria V. Sanchez-Vives (Barcelona) Silvia Scarpetta (Salerno) Elad Schneidman (Weizmann Institute) Jordi Soriano (Barcelona) Tali Tishbi (Hebrew University) ** Registration ** Accepting application through April 30. Space is limited. Preference will be given to presenting authors (posters) and by order of application so early registration is encouraged. A small fee of 50 Euro (+ 20 Euros for tutorials) will be collected upon confirmation. Apply now <https://goo.gl/forms/JEJWuWO1wnutYwJh1> ** Tutorials ** The tutorials will be held prior to the main meeting on July 9, 2019. The tutorials aim to introduce some mathematical techniques relevant to the workshop talks. ** Poster submission/short talks ** Poster submissions are highly encouraged. Presenting authors will receive higher priority for acceptance. Some abstracts may be selected for short or full talks in the workshop. Organizers: Viola Priesemann (MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Goettingen) Rainer Engelken (Columbia University) Farzad Farkhooi (Technische Universität Berlin) Jonathan Kadmon (Stanford University) -- ************************************************************* Rainer Engelken Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Columbia University m: 9178648856 pgp fingerprint: F94E 83D9 77AB 76F6 15E9 1503 3AD6 FCDC 410B 14F2 re2365(a)columbia.edu ctn.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu *************************************************************

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Kosice Neuroscience Workshop, 3 - 5 June, 2019
by Norbert Kopco 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

SAVE THE DATE! The 4th Workshop on */"Cognitive neuroscience of auditory and cross-modal perception"/* 3 - 5 June 2019 Kosice, Slovakia http://pcl.upjs.sk/workshop2019 *Objectives* ·This workshop will include research talks (and introductory lectures) on a range of topics related to the *neural processes of auditory, visual and cross-modal perception*. ·The main focus of this year’s workshop will be on *adaptation, learning and training in spatial perception and cognition*. ·The talks will illustrate the *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 targets *early-stage and advanced students and young researchers*. It will provide ample opportunities for direct interactions between the lecturers and the attendees. The workshop will follow-up on our previous workshops organized in 2014, 2015 and 2017 <http://pcl.upjs.sk/workshop>. *Format* 1/2-day sessions, including invited talks, contributed talks, and posters, focusing on the topics of *Adaptation*,*Learning and training*, *Auditory and cross-modal perception (general)*, and *Vision and other topics in computational and cognitive neuroscience*. Non-scientific program (outings to tourist destinations near Kosice) will take place on the day before and day after the workshop. *Venue* Lecture hall 2.17T,Faculty of Science / Technicom building, P. J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 04001 Košice Slovakia <https://goo.gl/maps/6m3GC3iJNeA2>. *Organizers* Norbert Kopco, P. J. Safarik University in Košice <https://pcl.upjs.sk/noro/> Erick Gallun, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland and OHSU <http://www.ncrar.research.va.gov/AboutUs/Staff/gallun.asp>Piotr Majdak, Austrian Academy of Science, Vienna <https://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:…> Aaron Seitz, University of California, Riverside <http://faculty.ucr.edu/%7Easeitz/> Invited talks and talks by ALT consortium (tentative): * *Jana Basnakova*, Slovak Academy of Sciences <https://www.sav.sk/?lang=sk&doc=user-org-user&user_no=5398&lang_change=en> ** * *Virginia Best <http://cns.bu.edu/~ginbest/>*, Boston University <http://cns.bu.edu/~ginbest/> * *Lauren Calandruccio, <http://caslabs.case.edu/sparlab/>*Case Western Reserve University, Ohio <http://caslabs.case.edu/sparlab/> * *John Culling, <http://cullinglab.org/>*Cardiff University <http://cullinglab.org/> * *Inyong Choi, <https://clas.uiowa.edu/comsci/people/inyong-choi>*The University of IOWA – “Adapting to simultaneous electric and acoustic stimulation for word-in-noise recognition in listeners with single-sided deafness.” <https://clas.uiowa.edu/comsci/people/inyong-choi> * *Erick Gallun <http://www.ncrar.research.va.gov/AboutUs/Staff/gallun.asp>*, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland and OHSU <http://www.ncrar.research.va.gov/AboutUs/Staff/gallun.asp> * *Catarina Hiipakka, <https://www.aalto.fi/people/catarina-macedo-mendonca-hiipakka>* Alto University, Finland – “Changes in auditory space following audiovisual experience.” <https://www.aalto.fi/people/catarina-macedo-mendonca-hiipakka> * *Andrej Kral, <http://neuroprostheses.com/>*Hannover Medical School, Germany <http://neuroprostheses.com/> * *Norbert Kopco, <https://pcl.upjs.sk/noro/>*Safarik University, Slovakia <https://pcl.upjs.sk/noro/> * *Bernhard Laback <https://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&…>*, Austrian Academy of Sciences <https://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&…> * *Petr Marsalek <http://www.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~marsalek/>*, Charles University of Prague and Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems <http://www.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~marsalek/> * *Piotr Majdak <https://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:…>*, Austrian Academy of Sciences <https://www.kfs.oeaw.ac.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56:…> * *John van Opstal, <https://www.ru.nl/english/people/opstal-a-van/>*Radbound University, Netherlands – “Perceived Target Range Shapes Human Sound-Localisation Behaviour” <https://www.ru.nl/english/people/opstal-a-van/> * *Josefa Oberem, <http://www.akustik.rwth-aachen.de/cms/Technische-Akustik/Das-Institut/Team/…>*RWTH Aachen University, – “Individual dynamic binaural reproduction in complex acoustic scenes: Understanding mechanisms in auditory attention.” <http://www.akustik.rwth-aachen.de/cms/Technische-Akustik/Das-Institut/Team/…> * *Chris Stecker, <http://spacelab.spatialhearing.org/>*Vanderbilt University Medical Center <http://spacelab.spatialhearing.org/> * *Dan Sanes, <http://www.cns.nyu.edu/corefaculty/Sanes.php>*New York University <http://www.cns.nyu.edu/corefaculty/Sanes.php> * *Nelli Salminen, <https://people.aalto.fi/nelli.salminen>*Alto University, Finland <https://people.aalto.fi/nelli.salminen> * *Aaron Seitz <http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/>*, University of California, Riverside <http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/> * *Filip Smolik, *Czech Academy of Sciences <http://www.psu.cas.cz/people-contacts/cv/smolik/index.html> * *Brigitta Toth, <http://www.ttk.mta.hu/en/phonebook/brigitta-toth>*Hungarian Academy of Sciences <http://www.ttk.mta.hu/en/phonebook/brigitta-toth> * *Bev Wright,* Northwestern University <https://communication.northwestern.edu/faculty/BeverlyWright> * more TBA *Travel, accommodation, visitor information* see workshop webpage: http://pcl.upjs.sk/workshop2019/ *Registration* The workshop is open to all interested students/scientists. Registration is free of charge but required. To register, please send an email to kogneuro(a)gmail.com stating your name and affiliation and the dates on which you are planning to attend. All accepted abstracts will be published on the workshop website. No proceedings will be published. In case you would like to have a presentation please send us an abstract (up to 200 words; also indicate whether you prefer poster or oral presentation) no later than May 10, 2019. This workshop is supported by theEU H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 project #691229 <http://pcl.upjs.sk/grants/alt/>.

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Postdoctoral opening at Brandeis University
by Thomas Fai 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

Dear Colleagues, There is a postdoctoral position available in my group in the Mathematics department at Brandeis University, for a research project involving the modeling and numerical simulation of membrane-bound vesicle transport inside of neurons. The position is for up to 2 years and is funded by an NIH postdoc training grant in Neuroscience. Funding is limited to US citizens or permanent residents. Candidates should be available to start by June 2019. Please circulate this advertisement (details below) to any potential candidates. For further info, contact me directly at tfai(a)brandeis.edu. Thank you, Thomas Fai ==================================================== A postdoctoral position is available at Brandeis University to work on mathematical modeling and simulation of membrane-bound vesicle transport inside of neurons (hosted by Thomas Fai). Mathematical techniques include PDE-based models of cell mechanics and fluid dynamics, numerical methods for fluid-structure interaction, dynamical systems, and asymptotics. Potential research topics include building stochastic models to assess the importance of noise, using image processing of experimental data to characterize the behavior in real dendritic spine geometries, and exploring the mechanisms of synaptic strengthening and atrophy. The postdoc will join the Mathematics Department at Brandeis University ( http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/mathematics/) and have strong ties to the Neuroscience group (http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/) The position, which is for up to 2 years contingent on funding and satisfactory progress, is funded through an NIH postdoc training grant in Neuroscience. Postdocs in this program participate in seminars and journal clubs, obtain mentoring experience, and are expected to apply for external awards during the first year. Funding is limited to US citizens or permanent residents. Candidates should be prepared to start no later than June 16, 2019. Candidates should hold a Ph.D (in neuroscience, mathematics, physics, engineering, or a related topic) by the starting date, have an excellent track record of scholarship, with experience in numerical simulations and interest in learning continuum mechanics and/or fluid dynamics. For further information, contact Thomas Fai (tfai(a)brandeis.edu)

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computational postdoc at CSHL, NY
by Engel, Tatiana 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

I am recruiting computational postdoctoral fellows to my lab at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY. I will be at Cosyne workshops on March 3-5, and I would be happy to meet with interested candidates to provide more information about our work and answer questions. Please feel free to e-mail me with informal inquiries. The position description is included below. Tatiana Postdoctoral position in Computational Neuroscience, Engel Lab, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY Position description: The Engel lab in the Department of Neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory invites applications from highly motivated candidates for a postdoctoral position working on the cutting-edge research in computational neuroscience. We are looking for theoretical/computational scientists to work at the exciting interface of systems neuroscience, machine learning, and statistical physics, in close collaboration with experimentalists. The postdoctoral scientist is expected to exhibit resourcefulness and independence, developing computational models of large-scale neural activity recordings with the goal to elucidate neural circuit mechanisms underlying cognitive functions. The candidates should e-mail their application to Tatiana Engel (engel(a)cshl.edu<mailto:engel@cshl.edu> ) as a single pdf file with subject: Postdoc Application. The application file should include: (1) CV with the publication list, (2) a brief description of research interests, (3) contact information for three references. Position requirements: - PhD in physics, mathematics, neuroscience, computer science, engineering or related quantitative discipline - Expertise in scientific programming, e.g., C/C++, Python, Matlab - Track record of publications in scientific journals - Effective communication skills, both written and oral - Dedication and passion for solving hard scientific problems -- Tatiana Engel, PhD Assistant Professor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY (+1) 408 409 3647

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Modeller's Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox
by Stewart Heitmann 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

Modeller’s Workshop for the Brain Dynamics Toolbox Online Course March 1-22, 2019 https://bdtoolbox.org/p/modellers-workshop/ Learn the art of programming differential equations in Matlab using the Brain Dynamics Toolbox. This is an on-line course for modellers who wish to simulate their own dynamical systems using the graphical toolbox. Participants are taken step-by-step through the process of programming differential equations and solving them numerically. Participants learn to program custom systems of Ordinary Differential Equations, Partial Differential Equations, Delay Differential Equations and Stochastic Differential Equations. Example code is provided in all cases. Early-bird enrolments ($100) close Friday 15th March, 2019. Late enrolments ($150) close Friday 22nd March,2019.

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Doctoral position in computational neuroscience, Ruhr Uni. Bochum
by Vinita Samarasinghe 27 Feb '19

27 Feb '19

Prof. Sen Cheng, Institute for Neural Computation at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, invites applicants for the position of *Doctoral Fellow in Computational Neuroscience*. The work will focus on studying the interaction between neocortex and hippocampus using spiking neural network models. The position is part of the project"Theory of the interplay between sensory cortices and hippocampus in memory formation and retrieval", which is funded by the German Research Foundation as part of the collaborative research center SFB 874. The position is funded from*01.07.2019 - 30.06.2022* (TV-L E13 65%). Candidates should have an excellent university degree in neuroscience, physics, mathematics, engineering or a related field and be eligible to enroll in a relevant PhD program at the Ruhr University. Competence in mathematical modeling and excellent programming skillsare mandatory. Familiarity with computational neuroscience or computational cognitive modeling would be a further asset. The Ruhr University Bochum is home to a vibrant research community in neuroscienceand cognitive science. The Institute for Neural Computation is an independent research unit and combines different areas of expertise ranging from experimental and theoretical neuroscienceto machine learning androbotics. For further information see www.rub.de/cns <http://www.rub.de/cns>. To apply please send a statement of your motivation and research interests, academic transcripts, and a complete CV to samarasinghe(a)ini.rub.de <mailto:samarasinghe@ini.rub.de> in a single PDF file. Please, also request from at least two academic referees that they send letters of reference directly to the same email address. The *deadline for applications is 31.03.2019*. The Ruhr University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity. We strongly encourage applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities. https://www.ini.rub.de/the_institute/jobs/doctoral_position_in_computationa… -- Vinita Samarasinghe M.Sc., M.A. Science Manager Arbeitsgruppe Computational Neuroscience Institut für Neuroinformatik Ruhr-Universität Bochum, NB 3/26 Universitätstr. 150 D-44801 Bochum Tel: +49 (0)234 32 27316 Email: samarasinghe(a)ini.rub.de Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8-11

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Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience 2019
by Macke, Jakob 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

CAJAL COURSE IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 11 August - 31 August 2019, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown<http://www.fchampalimaud.org/en/the-foundation/champalimaud-centre-unknown/>, Portugal http://www.cccn.pt Applications deadline: 11 March 2019 Course directors: Brent Doiron<https://www.mathematics.pitt.edu/people/brent-doiron> (University of Pittsburgh, USA) Maria Geffen<https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g329/p8404062> (University of Pennsylvania,USA) Jako<http://www.mackelab.org/people/>b Macke<http://www.cne.ei.tum.de> (Technical University of Munich, Germany) Joe Paton<http://neuro.fchampalimaud.org/en/person/115/> (Champalimaud Research, Portugal) Confirmed faculty: Matt Botvinick<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fdeepmind.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=…>, Google Deepmind, UK Claudia Clopath<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bg.ic.ac.uk%2Fresearch%2Fc.clo…>, Imperial College London, UK Sophie Denèv<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Flnc2.dec.ens.fr%2Fen%2Fmember%2F…>e, Institut d'Etudes de la Cognition (IEC), France Julijana Gjorgjieva<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbrain.mpg.de%2Fresearch%2Fcomputat…>, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Pedro J. Gonçalves<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fppjgoncalves.github.io%2F&sa=D&snt…>, Research Center Caeser, an Associate of Max Planck Society, Bonn, Germany Ann Hermundstadt<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.janelia.org%2Flab%2Fhermunds…>, Janelia Research Campus, USA Kate Jeffery<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucl.ac.uk%2Fjefferylab&sa=D&sn…>, University College of London, UK Brian Lau<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Ficm-institute.org%2Fen%2Fmember%…>, Brain and Spine Institute, France Gilles Laurent<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbrain.mpg.de%2Fresearch%2Flaurent-…>, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Máté Lengyel<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.eng.cam.ac.uk%2F~ml468%2F&sa=…>, University of Cambridge, UK Jennifer Linden<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucl.ac.uk%2Fear%2Fresearch%2Fp…>, UCL Ear Institute, UK Christian Machens<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmachenslab.org%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=…>, Champalimaud Research, Portugal Ken Miller<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fctn.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.…>, Columbia University, USA Tony Movshon<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cns.nyu.edu%2Fcorefaculty%2FMo…>, New York University, USA Mala Murthy<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fmala-murthy.squarespace.com%2F&sa=…>, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, USA Maneesh Sahani<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk%2F~maneesh%2F…>, Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK Eero Simoncelli<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cns.nyu.edu%2F~eero%2F&sa=D&sn…>, New York University, USA Tim Vogels<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dpag.ox.ac.uk%2Fresearch%2Fv…>, University of Oxford, UK About the course: Computational Neuroscience is a rapidly evolving field whose methods and techniques are critical for understanding and modelling the brain, and also for designing and interpreting experiments. Mathematical modeling is an essential tool to cut through the vast complexity of neurobiological systems and their many interacting elements. This three-weeks school teaches the central ideas, methods, and practice of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Each morning is devoted to lectures given by distinguished international faculty on topics across the breadth of experimental and computational neuroscience. During the rest of the day, students work on research projects in teams of 2-3 people under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Research projects will be proposed by faculty before the course, and will include the modeling of neurons, neural systems, and behavior, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data (behavioral data, multi-electrode recordings, calcium imaging data, connectomics data, etc.), and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. The course is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from a variety of disciplines, including neuroscience, physics, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics and psychology. Students are expected to have a keen interest and basic background in neurobiology, a solid foundation in mathematics, as well as some computer experience. A four-day pre-school in mathematics and programming is offered for students that want to catch up on their math and programming skills. A maximum of 24 students will be accepted. Students of any nationality can apply. We specifically encourage applications from researchers who work in the developing world. Stipends are available. Apply here: www.fens.org/Training/CAJAL-programme/CAJAL-courses-2019/CCCN2019/<http://www.fens.org/Training/CAJAL-programme/CAJAL-courses-2019/CCCN2019/> Applications deadline: 11 March 2019 Stipends are available. CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Programme is funded by FENS<http://www.fens.org/>, IBRO<http://ibro.info/> and The Gatsby Foundation<http://www.gatsby.org.uk/>. For more information on the CAJAL programme: www.cajal-training.org<http://www.cajal-training.org/> Contact address: Simone Zacarias, simone.zacarias(a)research.fchampalimaud.org<mailto:simone.zacarias@research.fchampalimaud.org> — Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jakob Macke Technical University of Munich Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professorship for Computational Neuroengineering macke(a)tum.de<mailto:macke@tum.de> www.cne.ei.tum.de<http://www.cne.ei.tum.de> +49 89 289 26902 Office: Alexandra Petelski Alexandra.Petelski(a)tum.de<mailto:Alexandra.Petelski@tum.de> Tel.: +49 (0)89 - 289 26900 Fax: +49 (0)89 - 289 26901

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Masters in Neuroengineering at TU Munich
by Macke, Jakob 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

Dear colleagues, we are accepting applications for the Masters of Science in Neuroengineering (MSNE) at TU Munich. The ENB Elite Master of Science program in Neuroengineering (MSNE) at the Technische Universität München (TUM) is a two-year graduate program, with an optional Research Excellence Certificate, hosted by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Center of Competence on Neuroengineering. Neuroengineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field that aims to translate findings in neuroscience to engineering applications, and to provide engineering solutions for neuroscience research. MSNE provides research-oriented, interdisciplinary and international training in this novel research field, combing experimental and theoretical neuroscience with fundamental training in engineering. Funding by the Elite Network Bavaria is making it possible to ensure small class-sizes, to provide individual mentoring to students, and to emphasize hands-on, research-oriented courses. Core courses in Systems- and Computational Neuroscience, Neural Recording and Interface-Technologies, Neuro-Inspired Engineering, Data-Analysis, Signal Processing and Machine Learning, are supplemented by mentor-approved electives, hands-on practicals, research internships (both in TUM and abroad), early-career training for independent research, and awareness of ethical aspects of Neuroengineering. Final deadline for applications is May 31, 2019. Applications will be reviewed on a ‘rolling’ basis, and we encourage interested students to apply as soon as possible. Detailed information can be found on www.msne.ei.tum.de<http://www.msne.ei.tum.de>, and enquiries should be directed to msne(a)ei.tum.de<mailto:msne@ei.tum.de>. Best regards, Jakob Macke — Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jakob Macke Technical University of Munich Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professorship for Computational Neuroengineering macke(a)tum.de<mailto:macke@tum.de> www.cne.ei.tum.de<http://www.cne.ei.tum.de> +49 89 289 26902<tel:+49%2089%20289%2026902> Office: Alexandra Petelski Alexandra.Petelski(a)tum.de<mailto:Alexandra.Petelski@tum.de> Tel.: +49 (0)89 - 289 26900<tel:+49%2089%20-%20289%2026900> Fax: +49 (0)89 - 289 26901<tel:+49%2089%20-%20289%2026901>

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postdoc opportunity at MIT: Halassa and Fiete groups
by Ila Fiete 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

The Halassa lab, in collaboration with the Fiete lab, at MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is seeking to fill one postdoctoral position at the interface of computational systems neuroscience and theoretical neuroscience. Specifically, the work will involve analyzing neural recordings and constructing neural models of prefrontal circuit operations during decision making, working memory and perceptual inference. The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in joint- and individual-lab projects. The researcher will also have the opportunity to participate in several ongoing department- and institution-wide initiatives such as the Center for Brains Minds and Machines (https://cbmm.mit.edu/) and the MIT Quest for Intelligence (https://quest.mit.edu/) The Halassa lab combines well-controlled, parametric behavioral tasks in multiple species (rodents, tree shrews and marmosets) with high-density multi-site electrophysiological recordings of neural ensembles and circuit-specific optical perturbation tools. Recent studies have revealed novel roles of subcortical structures such as the thalamus in regulating prefrontal activity, and thereby, its engagement in working memory and selective attention (e.g. Schmitt et al., 2017 Nature; Rikhye et al., 2018 Nature Neuroscience). The Fiete lab builds theories and models of neural circuit plasticity, dynamics, coding, and function, and performs quantitative analysis of neural data to test models of circuit function. This is an excellent opportunity for a theoretically inclined candidate who would like to work closely with neural data. An ideal candidate will have some familiarity with neuroscience and a background in a relevant quantitative discipline, such as theoretical or computational neuroscience, physics, engineering, or mathematics. Knowledge and experience in spike train analysis and building neural models are a plus. Please contact Mike Halassa: mhalassa(a)mit.edu<mailto:mhalassa@mit.edu> or Ila Fiete: fiete(a)mit.edu<mailto:fiete@mit.edu>. See also: halassalab.mit.edu<http://halassalab.mit.edu>, http://clm.utexas.edu/fietelab/

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PhD Studentship at Keele University
by Peter Andras 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

Applications are sought from candidates interested in PhD research in Computer Science. Deadline for applications: 10th March 2019. One particular area of interest is machine learning and computational intelligence. Interested applicants are encouraged to discuss project ideas first informally by email by contacting Professor Peter Andras (p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk <mailto:p.andras@keele.ac.uk> ). Possible projects include: . machine learning applied to medical imaging data (e.g. x-ray, EEG, MRI), bioinformatics data (e.g. virus evolution) or astronomy data (e.g. exoplanet discovery and analysis); . machine learning synthesis of realistic scenarios and interactions in virtual worlds; . complexity and learnability analysis of deep learning architectures; . evolutionary learning of deep networks. The full call is available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/study/postgraduateresearch/studentships/FNSGS%202019 -04%20studentship%20form.pdf

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Postdoctoral Position in Computational Neuroscience
by Vinita Samarasinghe 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

Prof. Sen Cheng, Institute for Neuroinformatics at Ruhr University Bochum, invites applications for a full-time position of *Postdoctoral Scholar (TV-L E13) in Computational Neuroscience. *The position starts on 1st July 2019 and is funded for *3 years*. This project is part of the newly established DFG research unit 2812 “Constructing Scenarios of the Past: A New Framework in Episodic Memory” at the Ruhr University Bochum and the Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster. The research unit will study the cognitive and neuronal mechanisms underlying the constructed scenarios that make up episodic memory. It will employ and combine approaches from Philosophy, Psychology as well as Experimental and Computational Neuroscience. Further information about the project can be found at www.rub.de/cns <http://www.rub.de/cns>. *Job description* The successful candidate will model the function of episodic memory in inference and prediction using abstract computational models. This project strives to find answers to the questions: * Why are specific experiences stored in episodic memory helpful for predicting the future? * Why can general, or semantic, information not serve the same purpose? *Your Profile: * Candidates should hold a PhD in neuroscience, physics, mathematics, engineering, or a related field. Competence in mathematical modeling or machine learning, and excellent programming skills are mandatory. In addition, relevant research experience in neuroscience or a related field is required. Experience in the study of episodic memory and in working within a collaborative research group would be a further asset. Candidates should have excellent communication skills in English and the ability to work well in a team. The Ruhr University Bochum is home to a vibrant research community in neuroscienceand cognitive science. The Institute for Neural Computation is an independent research unit and combines different areas of expertise ranging from experimental and theoretical neuroscienceto machine learning androbotics. For further information see www.rub.de/cns <http://www.rub.de/cns>. Please send your application, including CV, transcripts and research statement electronically, as a single PDF file, to samarasinghe(a)ini.rub.de <mailto:samarasinghe@ini.rub.de>. In addition, at least two academic references may be sent independently to the above email address. The deadline for applications is 15.03.2019. The Ruhr University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity. We strongly encourage applications from qualified women and persons with disabilities. We are committed to providing a supportive work environment for female researchers, in particular those with young children. Our university provides mentoring and coaching opportunities specifically aimed at women in research. We have a strong research network with female role models and will provide opportunities to meet with them. Wherever possible, events will be scheduled during regular childcare hours. Special childcare will be arranged if events have to be scheduled outside of regular hours, in case of sickness and during school or daycare closures. Where childcare is not an option parents will be offered a home office solution. Contact person: Vinita Samarasinghe -- Vinita Samarasinghe M.Sc., M.A. Science Manager Arbeitsgruppe Computational Neuroscience Institut für Neuroinformatik Ruhr-Universität Bochum, NB 3/26 Universitätstr. 150 D-44801 Bochum Tel: +49 (0)234 32 27316 Email: samarasinghe(a)ini.rub.de Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8-11

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CfP, Special session - Hybrid Life II, ALife 2019
by Manuel Baltieri 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

[Apologies for cross-posting] ********** Call for Papers ********** Special session - Hybrid Life II: Approaches to integrate biological, artificial and cognitive systems https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life-ii/ <https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life-ii/> 2019 Artificial Life conference (ALife) Newcastle, UK, 29 July - 3 August 2019 - http://2019.alife.org/ <http://2019.alife.org/> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION: The main focus of ALife research is the study of natural systems with the goal of understanding what life is. More concretely, ALife defines ways to investigate processes that contribute to the formation and proliferation of living organisms. In this session we focus on three common approaches to tackle this investigation, proposing ways to integrate, extend and possibly improve them. More specifically we refer to: 1) the formalisation of the necessary properties for the definition of life, 2) the implementation of artificial agents, and 3) the study of the relation between life and cognition. For this special session we propose to start from these well-established Alife methodologies, and extend them through: a unified formal language for the description and modelling of living, as well as artificial and cognitive systems, e.g. control theory, Bayesian inference, dynamical systems theory, etc., the exploration of biological creatures enhanced by artificial systems (or artificial systems augmented with organic parts) in order to investigate the boundaries between living and nonliving organisms, and the evaluation of coupled biological-artificial systems that could shed light on the importance of interactions among systems for the study of living and cognitive organisms. This special sessions aims to invite contributions from the fields of psychology, computational neuroscience, HCI, theoretical biology, artificial intelligence, robotics and cognitive science to discuss current research on the formalisation, combination and interaction of artificial/living/cognitive systems from theoretical, modelling and implementational perspectives. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: Formalisation of life and cognition (e.g. dynamical systems theory, stochastic optimal control, Bayesian inference, etc.) Cognitive robotics Autopoiesis Life-mind continuity thesis Systems biology Origins-of-life theories with relationships to artificial and cognitive systems Animal-robot interaction Bio-inspired robotics Bio-integrated robotics Human-machine interaction Augmented cognition Sensory substitution Interactive evolutionary computation Artificial perception Important Dates 8th March 2019 – Paper submission deadline 24th April 2019 – Paper acceptance notification 24th May 2019 – Camera-ready version 29th July - 3rd August 2019 – Artificial Life conference (ALife), Newcastle, UK Paper Submission Papers and abstracts submitted to this special sessions will be reviewed by a selected group of experts from the a-life community as well as from other areas key to our proposal, specifically chosen for this review process. If you are submitting to a special session you will be given the opportunity to select it during the submission process. Submissions to special sessions follow the same format, instructions and deadlines of regular ALife papers. Organizers Manuel Baltieri, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK Keisuke Suzuki, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK Hiryuki IIzuka, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Olaf Witkowski, Earth-Life Science Institute - Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan Contacts For questions, enquiries and more information please check our website https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life-ii/ <https://sites.google.com/view/hybrid-life-ii/> or get in touch with m.baltieri(a)sussex.ac.uk <mailto:m.baltieri@sussex.ac.uk>. All the best, -- Manuel Baltieri PhD Candidate, EASy group, Sussex Neuroscience, Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, UK Twitter: @manuelbaltieri

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Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Whole Brain Modelling
by John Griffiths 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Whole Brain Modelling The Whole Brain Modelling Group (PI Dr. John Griffiths; www.grifflab.com) at the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Toronto, is looking to hire a Post-Doctoral Fellow with a strong background in computational neuroscience and/or neuroimaging. The successful candidate shall spearhead the group's efforts in computational modelling of large-scale brain dynamics, with a particular focus on brain stimulation (TMS, TDCS), EEG, neural plasticity, and macro-connectomics. The fellow will have the opportunity to shape the details of the project based on their specific interests, as well as to contribute to other ongoing projects on a range of topics, including: neuroinformatics of whole-brain modelling, mapping and modelling anatomical connectivity and microstructure with DWI in relation to ageing and stroke, and multi-scale modelling of the thalamocortical system in relation to sleep, pharmacological neuromodulation, and neuropsychiatric disease. The successful candidate will have a PhD in neuroscience, engineering, physics, psychology, or related area, a track record for independent research, and a strong publication record. Strong programming skills and familiarity with neuroimaging data analysis (s/d/fMRI and/or M/EEG) are required; experience with computational modelling using numerical simulations (particularly modelling of neural population activity with mean-field/neural mass/neural field techniques) would be advantageous. Full details of the position and application instructions can be found at www.grifflab.com/positions/ For informal inquiries, please email Dr. John Griffiths at john.griffiths(a)camh.ca with the title “Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Whole Brain Modelling” in the subject line. -- Dr. John D. Griffiths Independent Scientist @ Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH, Toronto Assistant Professor @ Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto www.grifflab.com

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PhD Available: Predicting Recovery from Stroke with Machine Learning
by Howard Bowman 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

PhD Available: Predicting Recovery from Stroke with Machine Learning Professor Howard Bowman (University of Kent and University of Birmingham) is looking to take on a PhD student to work on interpretable machine learning applied to data acquired from stroke patients (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ploras/) This work will be with Professor Cathy Price (Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL), whose (PLORAS) team has collected one of the largest data sets of stroke patients (greater than 1,000), including structural MRI scans, behaviour and demographics. A key focus of Cathy Price's work is to predict the recovery trajectory of stroke patients from their structural MRI scans, particularly patients with language deficits (i.e. that are aphasic). Progress has been made on this using traditional and now deep learning methods. Critical to clinical uptake of machine learning in this area is the ability to interpret the predictions it provides in a fashion that can be communicated to clinicians, patients and carers. We seek to appoint a PhD student to work on this topic, using methods such as neural-symbolic techniques. The student will be located in the School of Computing at the University of Kent, but will regularly visit and work closely with Cathy Price's team at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging. Expertise in machine learning will be provided by Dr Thomas Hope (Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL) and Dr Marek Grzes (School of Computing, University of Kent). The PhD being advertised will be one of a tranche of scholarships available in the School of Computing at the University of Kent at Canterbury. These will be competitively allocated across a range of topics. To be eligible for these scholarships, please contact Howard Bowman (H.Bowman(a)kent.ac.uk) before 31st March 2019. Relevant articles: Besold, T. R., Garcez, A. D. A., Bader, S., Bowman, H., Domingos, P., Hitzler, P., ... & de Penning, L. (2017). Neural-symbolic learning and reasoning: A survey and interpretation. arXiv preprint arXiv:1711.03902. Hope, T. M., Seghier, M. L., Leff, A. P., & Price, C. J. (2013). Predicting outcome and recovery after stroke with lesions extracted from MRI images. NeuroImage: clinical, 2, 424-433. Seghier, M. L., Patel, E., Prejawa, S., Ramsden, S., Selmer, A., Lim, L., ... & Price, C.J. (2016). The PLORAS database: a data repository for predicting language outcome and recovery after stroke. Neuroimage, 124, 1208-1212.

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PhD position in computational neuroscience with Prof. Laurenz Wiskott in Bochum, Germany
by Laurenz Wiskott 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

Please forward this job advertisement to candidates who might be interested. Thanks, Laurenz Wiskott. ___________________________________________________________________________ Open position for a PhD student with Prof. Laurenz Wiskott at the Institute for Neural Computation, Bochum, Germany ___________________________________________________________________________ University: The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of the leading research universities. The university draws its strengths from both the diversity and the proximity of scientific and engineering disciplines on a single, coherent campus. This highly dynamic setting enables students and researchers to work across traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. Institute: Institute for Neural Computation Ruhr-University Bochum Universitaetsstr. 150 D-44801 Bochum, Germany, EU The Institute for Neural Computation is a central research institute at the Ruhr-University Bochum, see https://www.ini.rub.de/. It focuses on the dynamics and learning of perception and behavior on a functional level but is otherwise very diverse, ranging from neurophysiology and psychophysics over computational neuroscience to machine learning and technical applications. Research group: Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott, see https://www.ini.rub.de/research/groups/theory_of_neural_systems/ Research topics: We are looking for an outstanding candidate who will be working on a system-level model of spatial navigation with the hippocampus as one of its central areas. We use methods from neural networks and machine learning. It is also planned to simulate experiments done with rat and/or mice by our experimental partners. The position is part of a joint team with Prof. Sen Cheng working on developing a system-level model of hippocampal function for memory and navigation. This is being done in close interaction with a team working on similar questions from the machine learning perspective. Teaching: There is a teaching load of 3 hours per week during the semester, in particular for a programming course in python. Time: The appointment will be for three years and can then be extended for one more year if needed. Anticipated starting date is May 15th. Requirements: Candidates should have an education (equivalent to a MSc) in computer science, physics, mathematics, electrical engineering or any related field. Required are strong mathematical and programming skills (ideally in python) as well as the ability to communicate and work well in a team. Salary: Salary is 75% of salary scale TV-L E13. Inquiries: Informal inquiries can be addressed to Prof. Laurenz Wiskott <laurenz.wiskott(a)rub.de>. Application: Applications (CV, transcript of records for MSc and BSc, statement of purpose) should be sent as a single pdf file to Prof. Laurenz Wiskott <laurenz.wiskott(a)rub.de>. Ruhr-University Bochum is committed to equal opportunity in employment and gender equality in its working environment. We therefore look forward to applications from qualified women. Applications from appropriately qualified handicapped persons are also encouraged.

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Reminder: XI. Dubrovnik Conference on Cognitive Science - Computational Rationality
by Gergo Orban 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

Dear all, This is a reminder that the deadline is approaching for submitting abstracts for the XI. Dubrovnik Conference on Cognitive Science, which is devoted to the topic of Computational Rationality. The conference will take place between 23-25 May 2019 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. You may submit your poster abstract here: http://www.cecog.eu/ducog/page_submission.php <http://www.cecog.eu/ducog/page_submission.php> Our invited speakers are: Ulrike Hahn (Birkbeck, University of London, UK) Quentin Huys (Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK) Julian Jara-Ettinger (Yale University, USA) Máté Lengyel (University of Cambridge, UK, and Central European University, Hungary) Azzurra Ruggeri (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany) Laura Schulz (MIT, USA) Deadline for poster abstract submission is 28 February 2019. Authors will be notified of acceptance of their abstracts by 15 March 2019. For more information please visit: http://www.cecog.eu/ducog/page_invitation.php <http://www.cecog.eu/ducog/page_invitation.php> or email us: ducog(a)cogsci.bme.hu <mailto:ducog@cogsci.bme.hu> On behalf of the organisers, Oana Stanciu Gergő Orbán Programme chairs

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student/postdoc/RA positions with Li Zhaoping in Tuebingen Germany on experimental/theoretical neuroscience
by Li Zhaoping 23 Feb '19

23 Feb '19

I am recruiting for students/postdocs/research assitants for my group in Tuebingen, where we work in the University of Tuebingen and in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, seehttps://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/sensory-and-sensorimotor-systems I will be at COSYNE workshop on March 4-5th, and would be happy to provide additional information, answer questions, and chat with interested people. Zhaoping

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Conference Models of Consciousness, Oxford
by Johannes Kleiner 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

Dear all, I'd like to point your attention to the following conference on formal approaches to the mind-matter relation: Models of Consciousness Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford September 9 - 12, 2019 https://models-of-consciousness.org/ With best wishes, Johannes

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From Dagmar Sternad: Position for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Motor Control
by Marta Russo 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

On behalf of Prof. Dagmar Sternad *Position for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Motor Control* Dagmar Sternad Professor of Biology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Physics Northeastern University d.sternad(a)northeastern.edu We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to work in the area of computational neuroscience and physical human-robot interaction. The research of Prof. Sternad’s Action Lab’s at Northeastern University in Boston is on human motor control and learning with extensions to clinical populations and rehabilitation http://www.northeastern.edu/actionlab/. Ongoing projects are on complex object manipulation and on human walking on unstable support. Our research addresses fundamental questions on human motor control, with a view to human-robot interactions and also clinical applications. Several ongoing collaborations are with Prof. Neville Hogan at MIT. The Action Lab’s interdisciplinary research program addresses questions in motor control from the perspective of dynamical system, bridging disciplinary approaches from nonlinear dynamics, biomechanics and engineering, neuroscience and psychology. The overall goal of our research is to understand the generation of perceptually controlled behavior in human systems. Our lab is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental equipment, including 3D motion capture, three virtual reality set-ups with a robot manipulandum, force plates and wireless EMG. We also use brain measurement and stimulation techniques, such as EEG and TMS. Our laboratory is currently supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. For more information about ongoing projects please visit our website: http://www.northeastern.edu/actionlab/ Candidates should have graduate training in one of the following disciplines: Computational Motor Neuroscience, Physics, Mechanical, Electrical or Computer Engineering, the latter with an emphasis on robotics and interest in human motor control. The applicant should demonstrate an academic record of scientific excellence, independent research, and a strong interest in an interdisciplinary approach to human and robotic motor control. Experience in programming is expected (Matlab, C++, Statistics packages, etc.). He/she will get involved in existing research projects, but is also encouraged to bring to bear his/her expertise into the research project. The Action Lab is located in the Departments of Biology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Physics at Northeastern University as well as the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Complex Systems. Northeastern University is located in the heart of Boston, which provides a stimulating environment for interdisciplinary research. Applicants should submit a curriculum vita, including a list of publications, and two letters of recommendation to d.sternad(a)northeastern.edu. Hiring will start as soon as possible. -- <http://www.hsantalucia.it/5x1000-sostieni-la-nostra-ricerca> *Rispetta l'ambiente: se non ti è necessario, non stampare questo messaggio - **Please consider the environment before printing this email.*

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Workshop: Spike Sorting and Reproducibility for Next Generation Electrophysiology
by Matthias Hennig 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

Spike Sorting and Reproducibility for Next Generation Electrophysiology 24. and 25. June 2019 Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh The analysis of extracellular recordings is a computationally and conceptually complex task with multiple sources of error and bias that can affect subsequent data interpretation. The advent of high-density extracellular micro-electrode arrays (MEAs) now allows recording from hundreds to thousands of channels that poses significant challenges. Additionally, current analysis workflows lack standardisation, and few attempts have been made to make perform systematic comparisons between different solutions and approaches. This workshop will bring together electrophysiologists and developers of tools for the analysis of extracellular recordings, with the following goals: - to showcase new approaches to analyse large scale recordings - to discuss approaches for validation and quality control - to discuss how elements of reproducibility and provenance can be added - to typical analysis workflows Invited Speakers: Alessio Buccino, Oslo Espen Hagen, Oslo Felix Franke, ETHZ Samuel Garcia, CNRS James Jun, Flatiron Institute Jeremy Magland, Flatiron Institute André Marques Smith, UCL Olivier Marre, Institut de la vision Hernan G Rey, Leicester (tbc) Evelyne Sernagor, Newcastle Olivier Winter, Champalimaud Pierre Yger, Institut de la vision (more speakers tba) Registration is free (workshop dinner £30), spaces are limited. More info: http://workshops.inf.ed.ac.uk/ssnge/ Organisers: Matthias Hennig, Edinburgh Cole Hurwitz, Edinburgh Jeremy Magland, Flatiron Alessio Buccino, Oslo -- The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

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EuroCogSci 2019: Invitation
by Laurenz Wiskott 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Sent in behalf of Prof. Albert Newen, Ruhr-University Bochum. Laurenz Wiskott. ========================================================================================== EuroCogSci 2019 SITUATED MINDS AND FLEXIBLE COGNITION Call for Papers, Posters and Contributed Symposia The conference EuroCogSci 2019 aims at providing a platform for discussing the most recent developments in Cognitive Science. It will feature contributed papers, symposia, and posters covering all subfields of cognitive science, bringing together a large number of experts from Europe and overseas. Venue: Ruhr-Universität Bochum Start: Monday, September 2nd, 2019 End: Wednesday, September 4th, 2019 Keynote Speaker: Lawrence Barsalou (University of Glasgow) Julia Fischer (Universität Göttingen) Patrick Haggard (UCL, London) Asifa Majid (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics) Brian McLaughlin (Rutgers University) Natalie Sebanz (CEU, Hungary) John Spencer (University of East Anglia) Invited Symposium I: Situated Robotics and its Applications Minoru Asada (Osaka University) and Etienne Burdet (Imperial College London) Invited Symposium II: Evolutionary Robotics Dario Floreano (EPFL) and Partica A. Vargas (Heriot-Watt University) Invited Symposium III: Theory of Mind and Its Developments Ágnes M. Kovács (CEU), Beate Priewasser (Salzburg), Albert Newen (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) Local organizing team: Albert Newen (main organizer), Sabrina Coninx, Onur Güntürkün, Dorothea Kolossa, Beate Krickel, Jonas Rose, Tobias Schlicht, Gregor Schöner, Alfredo Vernazzani, Markus Werning, Pascale Willemsen Call for Contributed Symposia We encourage the joint submission of thematically related papers of a key research topic as symposia. More information at: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/philosophy/EuroCogSci2019/call-for-contribut… The deadline for submission of symposia proposals: 28 February 2019 Call for Papers and Posters We invite contributions on recent research in any subfield of cognitive science. More information at: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/philosophy/EuroCogSci2019/call-for-papers-an… The deadline for submission of papers & posters: 31 March 2019 Call for Registration: a detailed call will be sent out later. Contact information: EuroCogSci2019(a)rub.de ________________________________ Dr.des. Alfredo Vernazzani Scientific Manager: EuroCogSci 2019 Ruhr-Universität Bochum Institut für Philosophie II GA 6/35, Universitätsstr. 150 44799 Bochum, Deutschland

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Internship on Multi-scale and multi-modal data analysis and modeling of neural signals in epileptic patients
by Maurizio De Pitta 19 Feb '19

19 Feb '19

Dear colleagues, please share with your students and anyone who be interested. The Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM) and the BioCruces Hospital in Bilbao (Biscay, Spain) are offering a 6-month internship tailored to advanced bachelor students or Master students interested in the fascinating theory of complex networks in relation with multi-scale analysis of time series data from neural signals of epileptic patients. Candidates should apply here: http://www.bcamath.org/en/research/internships Interviews are currently open and will go on till fulfilment of the position. The internship can be used by Spanish and Basque students to fulfil their mandatory training credits. However, international candidates will also be very welcome. There is also the possibility to exploit the internship experience later into a full PhD project. Following are the details of the internship. Title. Multi-scale analysis of neuronal signals in epileptic patients Brief description of the research topic. About one epileptic patient out of four is diagnosed with intractable (drug-resistant) epilepsy, presenting severe, life-impairing seizures for which the only, currently available treatment option is surgical removal of epileptogenetic neuronal circuits. The success of this surgery however depends on our ability to exactly identify epileptogenic circuits. This task is challenged by the emerging hypothesis that epileptogenic circuits are distributed rather than localised in a single brain spot. In turn, this distributed scenario suggests that epileptic seizures present multi-scale spatial organisation in conjunction with hierarchical temporal activation of multiple neural circuits. In line with this hypothesis is the observation that the spectrum of oscillatory neural electrical activity during seizures recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) presents multiple frequency components, ranging from milli- to kilo hertz. It remains however unclear how to relate such temporal structure with the underlying spatially-organised activation of epileptogenic neural networks. The aim of this internship is to gain familiarity with development of mathematical and modelling techniques that could help the analysis of spatial and temporal correlations in epileptic neural activity. The intern will work in collaboration with Dr. Maurizio De Pittà (BCAM) to adapt current models of neuron-glial networks to reproduce epileptic seizures, and with Dr. Paolo Bonifazi (BioCruces) for the analysis of neural time series. Requirements. - Basic knowledge of graph theory and statistical data analysis, and numerical integration - Essential programming skills in MATLAB and/or Python - Basic knowledge in neuroscience is a plus - Ability to meet deadlines - Strong interest to pursue research in complex network theory Keywords: computational neuroscience, time-series analysis, network theory, epilepsy, neuron-glia interactions. Contact details: Maurizio De Pitta', mdepitta(a)bcamath.org Paolo Bonifazi, paolo.bonifazi(a)osakidetza.eus ----- Maurizio De Pitta' Research Fellow MCEN -- Group of Mathematical, Computational and Experimental Neuroscience BCAM -- Basque Center of Applied Mathematics https://sites.google.com/site/mauriziodepitta/home

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Postdoc in Human Laminar Electrophysiology at NYU (BRAIN Initiative)
by Lucia Melloni 19 Feb '19

19 Feb '19

Postdoc in Human Laminar Electrophysiology at NYU (BRAIN Initiative) A full-time Postdoc position will be available in the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, to study the electrophysiological basis of laminar functional MRI (fMRI). The position is part of a National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative-funded project in collaboration with the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) at the University of Minnesota and Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University. The postdoc will conduct intracranial and laminar electrophysiological recordings, as well as 7T laminar fMRI studies in people with epilepsy, and collaborate closely with a team of leading neuroscientists, physicians, and biomedical engineers. The aim of the project is to understand the neural underpinning of the laminar functional MRI signals by combining in-vivo electrophysiology in humans (NYU), high field MRI (NYU/CMRR/Maastricht) and computational modeling (Maastricht/CMRR). The candidate will benefit from the rich resources of our neuroscience community, which includes researchers at NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health’s Neuroscience Institute <https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/neuroscience/>, and the Center for Neural Science at NYU. The candidate will work closely with collaborators at the CMRR (Dr. Yacoub), Maastricht (Drs. Formisano, De Martino, Havlicek) and CMRR/Toronto/Suwon (Dr.Uludag). The ideal candidate has a PhD in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, psychology, or a related field. She/he should have a solid background in (human) electrophysiology and signal processing (EEG, MEG and/or ECoG), programming (Matlab or Python), statistics, and scientific writing. The candidate is expected to be able to work independently, to enjoy interacting within an interdisciplinary research environment as well as with a clinical team, and to have a track-record of peer-reviewed publications. Some supervision and mentoring of research assistants and students is expected. Previous experience with human electrophysiology will be an asset. Preferred starting date: August 2019 or as soon as possible. Initial appointment will be for 2 years with the option to renew up to 4 years. Interested individuals should send an email to lucia.melloni(a)nyulangone.org <mailto:lucia.melloni@nyulangone.org> and sasha.devorea(a)nyulangone.org <mailto:sasha.devorea@nyulangone.org> including a cover letter describing research experience and qualifications, an academic CV, and contact information of 2-3 referees who have agreed to be contacted, by March 30th, 2019.

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Post doctoral position in neuroMRI to study BOLD-based spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity
by Verhoye Marleen 19 Feb '19

19 Feb '19

Dear The Bio-Imaging Lab at the University of Antwerp (Department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences) is seeking to fill the following full time vacancy: Post doctoral (m/f) position in neuroMRI to study BOLD-based spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity for a period of one year, with the possibility of renewal for 1 year after positive evaluation. Starting date: ASAP. The position is available for a multidisciplinary project that aims to study changes in functional connectivity (FC) in animal models for Alzheimer. The Bio-Imaging lab has already great expertise in acquiring and analyzing BOLD-based FC. In this project, the post-doctoral fellow will create and implement algorithms to extract quasi-periodic patterns (QPPs), known as large-scale recurring spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity, which have been suggested to be likely contributors to 'altered' network connectivity. The project is multidisciplinary (acquiring MRI data of dedicated animal models by PhD students), where the focus of the Post Doc job lies in the advanced image analysis. Interested candidates should - hold a doctoral degree in (bio)-informatics, biomedical imaging, biomedical engineering, statistics, mathematics, physics, computational neuroscience or a closely related field. - have comprehensive knowledge and experience in one or more topics within the signal and image sciences: data analysis, signal processing techniques, statistical decision theory, and algorithm development. - be familiar with machine learning and pattern discovery techniques is a plus. - have experience with coding algorithms in C, C++, Matlab, Python, or similar language used in the signal and image sciences. - have preferably experience with in-vivo Neuro MRI analysis, neurosciences The full job announcement can be found here: https://www.uantwerpen.be/images/uantwerpen/container2675/files/Post%20doct… Candidates can learn more about the Bio-Imaging Lab at https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/rg/bio-imaging-lab/ The Lab is a member of the EGAMI (Expert Group Antwerp Molecular Imaging https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/rg/bio-imaging-lab/collaborations/egami-imagin… ), which represent a service platform that integrates all molecular imaging techniques and expertise present at the University of Antwerp. To apply please send your application, CV and two names of referees to An.Ost(a)uantwerpen.be<mailto:An.Ost@uantwerpen.be> and marleen.verhoye(a)uantwerpen.be<mailto:marleen.verhoye@uantwerpen.be>. Further information can be obtained from: Marleen Verhoye, PI at the Bio-Imaging lab (Tel: + 32 (0)3 265.27.86, Secretary: +32 (0) 3 265.27.80), Deadline of application: March 21th, 2019. Please forward this message to people who might be interested Regards, Marleen Verhoye Faculty of FBD/Department of Biomedical Sciences Campus Drie Eiken - Building UC 1.12 Universiteitsplein 1 - B-2610 Antwerp Belgium marleen.verhoye(a)uantwerpen.be http://bioimaginglab.ua.ac.be/ T +32 3 265 27 86

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Please post: Programmer/Analyst Opening in the Center for Visual Science in Rochester, NY
by Pasternak, Tatiana 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Programmer/Analyst Opening in the Center for Visual Science in Rochester, NY The Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester (http://www.cvs.rochester.edu) is seeking a computer programmer to develop software for studying visual information processing in the eye and brain. The position involves working with multiple faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students on a wide range of research projects and requires familiarity with at least some of the systems, programming languages/libraries, and other software tools listed below. Preference will be given to candidates with prior experience in 3D graphics, image processing, computer vision, interfacing of hardware and software, and/or vision research in general. A successful candidate should have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a related field, and be comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced academic research environment. Systems: DOS, Windows, Macintosh, Linux Languages/Libraries: C, C++, C#, Java, Python, MFC, OpenGL, OpenCL Development tools: Visual Studio, .NET Framework, ASP.NET<http://ASP.NET>, MVC Software: Matlab, LabVIEW Applications should be sent to dshannon(a)ur.rochester.edu<mailto:dshannon@ur.rochester.edu>. **************************************** Tatiana Pasternak, Ph.D. Professor Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Departments of Neuroscience, Brain & Cognitive Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Center for Visual Science University of Rochester

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[job] Call for postdoc application on curiosity-driven deep reinforcement learning
by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Call for postdoc application Topic: Intrinsically motivated multi-goal deep reinforcement learning in open virtual worlds Host and location: Inria Flowers Lab, Bordeaux, France Collaboration with Ubisoft (Bordeaux) Supervision: Pierre-Yves Oudeyer (Flowers team, Inria and Ensta ParisTech) Duration: between 18 months and 2 years Deadline for application: the position will be assigned and start as soon as possible (from april or may 2019). This postdoc project aims to develop autonomous lifelong machine learning techniques that enable virtual intelligent agents to make discoveries and acquire large repertoires of skills in open uncertain environments. This is key for developing agents that need to continuously explore and adapt interaction skills to new or changing tasks, environments, people to interact with, and preferences of others. The approach will leverage recent advances in curiosity-driven developmental learning (also called intrinsically motivated learning) to drive exploration in a multi-goal deep reinforcement learning framework. In particular, it will consist in studying several extensions of recent results of the Flowers lab in this area, including unsupervised learning of goal spaces using deep learning approaches (Laversanne-Finot et al., 2018) and the CURIOUS algorithm for intrinsically motivated multi-task multi-goal deep RL (Colas et al., 2019). These algorithms will be evaluated on benchmarks involving novel virtual environments dedicated to study exploration and curiosity (e.g. based on Unity3D MLagents), as well as modern open world video games in the context of a collaboration with Ubisoft (Bordeaux). Keywords : Deep RL, neural networks, multi-task learning, transfer learning, curiosity, intrinsic motivation, curriculum learning, Unity3D. Required knowledge and background: Candidates should already have shown very strong experience and achievements, shown by publications in top-tier AI/machine learning conferences and journals (e.g. NIPS, ICML, ICLR) in either: - Deep Learning algorithms (theory and practical implementations) - Reinforcement learning Other requirements: - strong skills in mathematics, statistical inference, machine learning - Advanced programming skills - Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary project Contact and application: Send CV and letter of motivation to pierre-yves.oudeyer(a)inria.fr Web: Inria Flowers: http://flowers.inria.fr and http://www.pyoudeyer.com The Flowers Lab: developmental robotics and lifelong multitask machine learning ================================================================== The Flowers Lab, headed by Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, gathers a team of ~20 members and has been one of the pioneers of developmental robotics and lifelong machine learning and artificial intelligence in the last decade, in particular through developping models of intrinsically motivated learning of repertoires of skills that have both contributed to advance understanding of human curiosity and development, and to advance incremental online multitask machine learning techniques in difficult high-dimensional robotic spaces. This work in the Flowers lab is conducted in the context of large international projects (e.g. ERC grant, European projects 3rdHand and DREAM, HFSP project Neurocuriosity), with interdisicplinary collaborations with other labs in neuroscience, psychology, machine learning and robotics. The successful candidates would be directly involved in these international collaborations. The Flowers lab has recently spin-off the Pollen Robotics startup company, and is involved in multiple collaborations with industrials through Inria's strong support towards impacting both science and industry. Inria and EnstaParistech =================== The lab is within Inria Bordeaux, which is a prestigious, and also the largest, public European research insitution focused on computer science, mathematics and their applications. Inria's teams and researchers (> 2800 employees) have received prestigious awards, coordinate many international projects, and have created strong innovations now used in many parts of industry. Inria research center in Bordeaux gathers around 300 researchers. The Flowers Lab is also associated to EnstaParisTech, which is a prestigious French engineering school (university). Bordeaux ======== The Flowers lab in Bordeaux is located in a great building on the border of one of the world most famous vineyard, and 10mn by tram from Bordeaux town center (and 2 hours from Paris through high-speed trains): https://www.inria.fr/en/centre/bordeaux Bordeaux has been recently rated by Lonely Planet as the world's best city to visit: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/best-cities-in-the-worl… References: Baranes, A., & Oudeyer, P. Y. (2013) Active learning of inverse models with intrinsically motivated goal exploration in robots. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 61(1), 49-73. https://hal.inria.fr/hal-00788440/document COLAS, Cédric, SIGAUD, Olivier, et OUDEYER, Pierre-Yves (2019) CURIOUS: Intrinsically Motivated Multi-Task, Multi-Goal Reinforcement Learning. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.05054.pdf Colas, C., Sigaud, O., and P-Y. Oudeyer (2018) Gep-pg: Decoupling exploration and exploitation in deep reinforcement learning algorithms. arXiv preprint arXiv:1802.05054, 2018. https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05054 Laversanne-Finot, A., Péré, A., Oudeyer, P-Y. (2018) Curiosity Driven Exploration of Learned Disentangled Goal Spaces, In Proceedings of Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL 2018). Blog post : https://openlab-flowers.inria.fr/t/discovery-of-independently-controllable-… Péré, A., Forestier, S., Sigaud, O, and P.-Y. Oudeyer (2018) Unsupervised learning of goal spaces for intrinsically motivated goal exploration. In International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), 2018. https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.00781

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Abstract submissions open for UK Neural Computation 2019
by Mark Humphries 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

The UK Neural Computation 2019 meeting is now accepting abstract submissions. The main meeting will be 2nd-3rd July 2019, at the University of Nottingham. Abstracts can be in any field of neural computation and computational neuroscience. 300 words maximum. All submissions will be considered for the poster sessions. Please indicate if you are interested in giving a talk (4 abstracts will be selected for talks) Abstract submission closes: May 10th Decisions: May 24th Please visit the Abstracts page for full details on how and where to submit: https://drmdhumphries.wixsite.com/ukneuralcomp2019/abstracts Full details of the conference are here: https://drmdhumphries.wixsite.com/ukneuralcomp2019 Invited speakers: Athena Akrami / Andy Barron / Tim Behrens / Claudia Clopath / Matthias Hennig / Simon Laughlin / Rosalyn Moran / Cian O'Donnell / Chris Summerfield / Tim Vogels / Barbara Webb Chair: Mark Humphries Committee: Hannes Saal, Robert Schmidt and Stuart Wilson. This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

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PhD position to study neural representations of spatial memory in freely moving mice
by Pablo Jercog 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Project Title: Neuronal representations of spatial memories: immune ablation of synaptic mechanisms of memory formation as an animal model of memory malfunction. Keywords: spatial memory, neural activity, hippocampus and cortex interaction, NMDA receptors, calcium imaging, animal behavior, quantitative data analysis Project description: This is a unique opportunity for a strongly motivated candidate interested in studying how information is stored long-term in the brain. The candidate will develop a set of read-outs to measure how memories are generated, retain and recalled utilizing calcium imaging data and animal behavioral readouts. The behavior is be combined with a cutting-edge freely moving calcium imaging technology (nVista minimicroscopes) to simultaneously monitor the activity of large number of individual neurons distributed over many days. Using our recently established reversible antibody-mediated disruption of NMDA receptor function in mice (Planagumà et al 2015) we will characterize at the behavioral and neural circuit levels, the mechanisms of memory formation and recall during normal and malfunctioning brains. The candidate will perform quantitative analyses of large data sets using methods from modern statistical analysis and machine learning. The project will be developed within a collaboration between several investigators in IDIBAPS (Barcelona): Josep Dalmau, MD, PhD, Jaime de la Rocha PhD, Albert Compte PhD and Pablo Jercog PhD. Together, these labs have a strong publication record investigating the neural circuit basis of different types of memory formation mechanisms, and synaptic receptor mediated autoimmune brain pathologies, and they have extended experience in Calcium imaging, electro-physiology, analysis of behavioral/neuronal data sets and computational modeling. The project is supported by CELLEX foundation and will be developed at IDIBAPS, a public biomedical research institute whose mission is to encourage Systems Neuroscience, translational research, and technological progress in the field of Biomedicine. The candidate will enroll in the Biomedicine PhD program of the University of Barcelona, one of the most exciting cities to develop a broad range of biotechnologies in Europe. Candidate profile: Candidates with a very good track record in their undergraduate degree (e.g. physics, math, bioinformatics, bioengineering), a Master’s in a neuroscience-related discipline and with an interest in cognition, and advanced data analysis techniques are encouraged to apply. Candidates with good oral and written skills in English will be given preference. Previous experience with neuroscience data analysis or programming (Matlab, Python, etc.) will be highly valued. Applications should be addressed to Pablo Jercog (pjercog(a)gmail.com) with the subject: “predoctoral position” and include a: Statement of Research Interest, CV and 1-2 referees information. Candidates will be evaluated starting in March 1st 2019 and until the position is filled. Estimated starting date: between May and September 2019. Pablo Jercog Cellex Fellow IDIBAPS, Cellex Centre C. Roselló 149-153 (CEK -1) Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain. tel: +34 932275400 (4167) cell: +34 620562808 e-mail: pjercog(a)gmail.com

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Up to 7 PhD fellowships in Cognitive Neuroscience at SISSA, Trieste, Italy
by Alessandro Treves 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

SISSA is an elite postgraduate research institution, focused on Maths, Physics and Neuroscience. It operates in English: many among its students and faculty are not Italian. Campus above Trieste, overlooking the Gulf. Research approaches in the CNS PhD https://phdcns.sissa.it/ span the range from cognitive psychology and imaging in humans to behavioural neuroscience and multiple single-unit recording in rats, mathematical and computational modeling; with research groups led by Domenica Bueti, Davide Crepaldi, Mathew Diamond, Chris Mathys, Raffaella Rumiati, Alessandro Treves and Davide Zoccolan. Allied approaches are pursued in other SISSA PhDs. All admitted students receive a 4-year fellowship and engage full-time in research based in Trieste, with limited coursework in the first few months, talks and seminars throughout the year and a TEX event in the summer. First deadline for all candidates: 12.3.2019, for nonEU only: 28.2.2019 https://www.sissa.it/bandi/concorso-lammissione-ai-corsi-di-phd-della-sissa… -- Alessandro Treves http://people.sissa.it/~ale/limbo.html SISSA - Cognitive Neuroscience, via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy +39-040-3787623 Ambassador (BlaBlaCar) +39-349-2504602

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postdoc positions with Peter Dayan
by Peter Dayan 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

From: Peter Dayan I recently moved my lab to the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tuebingen. I am therefore recruiting one or more postdocs working in the areas of neural reinforcement learning and computational psychiatry. I am seeking postdocs working in neuromodulation, meta-control, neuroimaging and behavioural experiments and analysis, and all areas of dysfunctional decision-making. I am going to be attending COSYNE 2019 - so would be very happy to meet there. The aim of the MPI for Biological Cybernetics as a whole is to understand information processing in the brains of humans and animals. We use experimental, theoretical and computational methods to elucidate the characteristics and implementations of the cascades of plastic and recurrent interactions that transform sensory data into perceptions, memories, appropriate choices of actions, and motor output. We are richly multidisciplinary, have excellent facilities, and are building close links with neighbouring Max Planck Institutes and the University of Tuebingen that cover systems neuroscience, machine learning, and beyond. The working language of the Institute is English. Remuneration will depend on experience. The position will be for two years. Applications should include a CV, a list of publications, summaries of scientific achievements and research plans, and the names and contact details of three referees. Applications should be sent in PDF format to: kyb-application(a)tuebingen.mpg.de My lab, the Institute and the Max Planck Society strive for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. Informal inquiries can be addressed to Peter Dayan: kyb-inquiry(a)tuebingen.mpg.de

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Postdoc position – studying the effect of cellular mechanisms on cortical circuit activity using computational modelling, at Hay lab (KCNI and UofT)
by Etay Hay 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

Postdoc position – studying the effect of cellular mechanisms on cortical circuit activity using computational modelling, at Hay lab (KCNI and UofT) Hay lab is currently accepting applications from postdocs interested in using computational models to study the effect of cellular mechanisms on cortical circuit activity, in health and disease. We will simulate biophysical models of somatosensory cortical circuits, constrained with recordings from rodents and humans, to study the effect of synaptic connectivity and dendritic ion channels on cortical circuit activity. In turn, we will characterize the predicted signatures of the effects in measurable signals of cortical circuit activity, which will include the spatiotemporal propagation of neuronal spiking activity, LFP in different cortical layers, and EEG. Applicants should have experience in simulating neuronal networks (conductance-based or integrate-and-fire), and using NEURON and Matlab. Our lab is located at the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics (KCNI), which is part of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). We are affiliated with the University of Toronto, and are situated at the heart of the downtown campus. Neuroscience research at KCNI offers a unique environment that is both specialized and collaborative, spanning computational genomics, brain circuits, whole-brain networks, and behavior. Interested applicants should send their CV to Dr. Etay Hay, at: etay.hay(a)camh.ca Etay Hay PhD Scientist, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto www.haybrainlab.com CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. AVIS DE CONFIDENTIALITÉ : Ce message électronique, ainsi que tout fichier qui y est joint, est reserve à l'usage exclusif du destinataire visé et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels et privilégiés. Toute lecture, utilisation, divulgation ou distribution non autorisée est interdite. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire visé, veuillez en aviser l'expéditeur par retour de courriel et détruire toutes les copies du message original.

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position: machine learning research scientist at NIMH
by Francisco Pereira 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

The Machine Learning Team at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD, has an open position for a machine learning research scientist. The NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders, and part of the the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our mission is to help NIMH scientists use machine learning methods to address a diverse set of research problems in clinical and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. These range from identifying biomarkers for aiding diagnoses to creating and testing models of mental processes in healthy subjects. We work with many different data types, including very large brain imaging datasets from various imaging modalities, behavioral data, and picture and text corpora. We also develop new machine learning methods and publish in the main machine learning conferences (e.g. NeurIPS and ICLR), and in psychology and neuroscience journals. Many of our problems require devising research approaches that combine imaging and non-imaging data, and leveraging structured knowledge resources (databases, scientific literature, etc) to generate explanations and hypotheses. We have excellent computational resources, both of our own (tens of GPUs for deep learning) and shared within the NIH (a top-100 supercomputer with hundreds of thousands of CPUs, and hundreds of GPUs). You can find more about our work and publications at https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/mlt.html. This is an ideal position for someone who wants to establish a research career in methods development and applications driven by scientific and clinical needs. Given our access to a variety of collaborators and large/unique datasets, there is ample opportunity to match research interests with novel research problems. We also maintain collaborations outside of the NIH, driven by our own research interests. We are seeking candidates with practical machine learning experience (e.g. training of classification and regression models, statistical testing of results, interpretation and visualization of key aspects of models). Beyond this, the ideal candidate would have knowledge of optimization and statistics, insofar as they bear on machine learning methods development. Experience working with neuroimaging data (any MRI modality, as well as MEG/EEG) will be considered very favorably, but is not required. Finally, you should have demonstrable experience coding in languages currently used in data-intensive, scientific computing such as Python, MATLAB or R. If you would like to be considered for this position, please send francisco.pereira(a)nih.gov a CV, with your email as cover letter; if you have a research statement, please feel free to send that as well. Other inquiries are also welcome. Thank you for your interest! ReplyForward <https://drive.google.com/u/0/settings/storage?hl=en> <https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/> <https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/> <https://www.google.com/gmail/about/policy/>

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PhD, Master and Postdoc positions in theoretical neuroscience at the MPI for Brain Research
by Tatjana Tchumatchenko 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

PhD, Master and Postdoc positions in theoretical neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research We are looking for undergraduate students interested in writing a Master or PhD thesis and also have open positions for Postdocs to join our group "Theory of neural dynamics" at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research lead by Dr. Tatjana Tchumatchenko. Our group studies how networks of neurons encode and decode sensory stimuli and how these functions are related to computations that underlie cognitive functions and behavior. We develop models to address linear and non-linear properties of neuronal networks and have ongoing collaborations with experimental labs where we analyze in vitro as well as in vivo data and develop appropriate models to explain the observed phenomena. Successful applicants should have a strong background in a quantitative field such as physics, mathematics or computer science and should be interested in an interdisciplinary exchange with other disciplines such as biology or medicine. Life science majors interested in quantitative modeling work are also encouraged to apply, particularly if they would like to combine experiments and theory in their Master or Ph.D. thesis work. We are looking for candidates with strong English skills and prior programming experience. In order to make teamwork in our group enjoyable and fun, the ideal candidate should have a strong work ethic and have demonstrated consistent self-motivation skills. Female students are particularly encouraged to apply. Prospective students should apply by sending an email to theoryneuraldynamics(a)gmail.com which includes * a letter of motivation, * CV, * and a copy of the current academic transcripts To make your motivation letter easier to write for you and more informative for us, please check the list of questions to be answered in your motivation letter at http://www.tchumatchenko.de/Opportunities.html Looking forward to your applications! Tatjana Tchumatchenko

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Post-doctoral position: Applying machine learning and Bayesian modeling to functional connectivity
by Joshua Hartshorne 14 Feb '19

14 Feb '19

Profs. Stefano Anzellotti and Joshua Hartshorne (Psychology Department, Boston College) are seeking a post-doctoral fellow for a collaborative project applying machine learning and nonparametric models to functional connectivity data in order to better understand individual variability in Autism Spectrum Disorder. This position is funded for two years and may be extended, pending additional funding. Candidates can learn more about the PIs and labs at sccnlab.bc.edu and l3atbc.org. Qualifications include either experience with functional neuroimaging (especially functional connectivity) or computational modeling. Experience with both is a plus. To apply, submit a CV, contact information for 2-3 references, and a cover letter highlighting relevant research experiences and interests directly to: jkhartshorne+sfari(a)gmail.com Preferred start date is between April 1 and Sep. 1. Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in psychology/neuroscience are particularly encouraged to apply. Review of applications is rolling and will continue until the position is filled.

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Call for abstracts, AMAM 2019, Adaptive motion in animals and machines, Aug 20-23 2019, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
by Auke Ijspeert 13 Feb '19

13 Feb '19

AMAM 2019, Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines, Aug 20-23 2019, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland https://amam2019.epfl.ch/ Call for abstracts, deadline March 8th, 2019 Investigating how animals and humans excel at adaptive movements can help engineers to improve the adaptive capabilities of robots. In return, robots can serve as scientific tools to explore the basic principles of biological systems, in particular the neuromechanical mechanisms underlying their fascinating motor abilities. AMAM 2019 is the 9th international symposium dedicated to stimulate fruitful interactions among biologists and engineers interested in adaptive motion. It aims at bringing together researchers in robotics, biomechanics, neuroscience, sports science, and other fields related to motor behavior in biological and artificial systems. Previous symposia were held in Montreal, Canada (2000); Kyoto, Japan (2003); Ilmenau, Germany (2005); Cleveland, USA (2008); Awaji, Japan (2011); Darmstadt, Germany (2013); Cambridge, USA (2015); and Sapporo, Japan (2017). Two-page abstract contributions are invited from all areas pertaining to adaptive motion in animals and machines. Accepted abstracts will be presented in poster sessions and short high-light presentations (3 slides, 2 min). Plenty of time will be dedicated for fruitful discussions among participants. Invited talks will be presented in oral sessions in a single track (see the exciting list of speakers below). We also encourage participants to contribute hardware demonstrations, as part of the ‘Robot Zoo’@AMAM2019. See https://amam2019.epfl.ch/ for instructions. Important dates: * March 8th, 2019 Deadline of extended abstracts submission * April 12th, 2019 Notification of acceptance for extended abstracts * May 31st, 2019 Deadline of submission for Robot Zoo (Robot Demos) * August 20-23, 2019 Conference Sponsors: Swiss National Science Foundation and Maxon https://www.maxonmotor.com Plenary speakers: * Grégoire Courtine, EPFL, Switzerland * Monica Daley, Royal Veterinary College, UK * Dario Floreano, EPFL, Switzerland * Radhika Nagpal, Harvard University, USA * Lena Ting, Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology, USA * Herman van der Kooij, University of Twente & Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Invited speakers: * Shinya Aoi, Kyoto University, Japan * David Franklin, Technische Universität München, Germany * John Hutchinson, Royal Veterinary College, UK * Tetsuya Iwasaki, University of California, Los Angeles, USA * Katsushi Kagaya, Kyoto University, Japan * Sangbae Kim, MIT, USA * Megan Leftwich, The George Washington University, USA * David Lentink, Stanford University, USA * Charlotte Le Mouel, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany * Poramate Manoonpong, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark * Kamilo Melo, EPFL, Switzerland * Katja Mombaur, Heidelberg University, Germany * Beth Mortimer, University of Oxford, UK * Ulrike Müller, California State University, Fresno, USA * Jamie Paik, EPFL, Switzerland * Pavan Ramdya, EPFL, Switzerland * Chris Richards, Royal Veterinary College, UK * Nidhi Seethapathi, University of Pennsylvania, USA * Simon Sponberg, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA * Emily Standen, University of Ottawa, Canada * Dagmar Sternad, Northeastern University, USA * Barbara Webb, University of Edinburgh, UK * Kotaro Yasui, Tohoku University, Japan Program Committee: * Hitoshi Aonuma, Hokkaido University, Japan * Jordan Boyle, Leeds University, UK * Monica Daley, Royal Veterinary College, UK * Koh Hosoda, Osaka University, Japan * Fumiya Iida, Cambridge, UK * Auke Ijspeert, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland * Akio Ishiguro, Tohoku University, Japan * Masato Ishikawa, Osaka University, Japan * Takeshi Kano, Tohoku University, Japan * Sangbae Kim, MIT, USA * Jun Nishii, Yamaguchi University, Japan * Dai Owaki, Tohoku University, Japan * Andre Seyfarth, TU Darmstadt, Germany * Emily Standen, University of Ottawa, Canada * Dagmar Sternad, Northeastern University, USA * Barry Trimmer, Tufts University, USA * Eric Tytell, Tufts University, USA * Hartmut Witte, TU Ilmenau, Germany Local organization committee: * Jonathan Arreguit * Alessandro Crespi * Florin Dzeladini * Peter Eckert * Sylvie Fiaux * Anne Koelewijn * Mehmet Mutlu * Laura Páez * Amy Wu -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Auke Jan Ijspeert Biorobotics Laboratory EPFL-STI-IBI-BIOROB, ME D1 1226, Station 9 EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Office: ME D1 1226 Tel: +41 21 693 2658 Fax: +41 21 693 3705 www:http://biorob.epfl.ch Email:Auke.Ijspeert@epfl.ch -----------------------------------------------------------------

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Cognitive Modeling Spring School: Early Registration Deadline ends this Friday
by Jelmer Borst 13 Feb '19

13 Feb '19

Fourth Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling – ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, & Error-driven learning– Date: April 8-12, 2019 Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Fee: € 250 (late fee after February 15 will be € 300) More information and registration: www.cognitive-modeling.com/springschool <http://www.cognitive-modeling.com/springschool> The deadline for our Spring School ends this Friday. So if you want to profit from the early fee, be fast. The Spring School will cover four paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, and error-driven learning. More information about the paradigms can be found below and on our website. Please let us know if you have any questions. Best regards, the Spring School team Please feel free to forward the information to anyone who might be interested in the Spring School. ______________ Error-driven learning Teachers: Jacolien van Rij and Dorothée Hoppe (University of Groningen) Error-driven learning (also called discrimination learning) allows to simulate the time course of learning. It is based on the Rescorla-Wagner model (Rescorla & Wagner, 1972) for animal cognition, which assumes that learning is driven by expectation error, instead of behaviorist association (Rescorla, 1988). The equations formulated by Rescorla and Wagner have been used to investigate different aspects of cognition, including language acquisition (e.g., Hsu, Chater, and Vitányi, 2011; St. Clair, Monaghan, and Ramscar, 2009), second language learning (Ellis, 2006), and reading of complex words (Baayen et al, 2011). Although error-driven learning can be applied for all domains in cognitive science, in this course we will focus on how it could be used for modeling language processing and language learning. ACT-R Teachers: Jelmer Borst & Katja Mehlhorn (University of Groningen) Website: http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu <http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/>. ACT-R is a high-level cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time experiments to driving a car, learning algebra, and air traffic control. ACT-R can be used to develop process models of a task at a symbolic level. Participants will follow a compressed five-day version of the traditional summer school curriculum. We will also cover the connection between ACT-R and fMRI. Nengo Teacher: Terry Stewart (University of Waterloo) Website: http://www.nengo.ca <http://www.nengo.ca/> Nengo is a toolkit for converting high-level cognitive theories into low-level spiking neuron implementations. In this way, aspects of model performance such as response accuracy and reaction times emerge as a consequence of neural parameters such as the neurotransmitter time constants. It has been used to model adaptive motor control, visual attention, serial list memory, reinforcement learning, Tower of Hanoi, and fluid intelligence. Participants will learn to construct these kinds of models, starting with generic tasks like representing values and positions, and ending with full production-like systems. There will also be special emphasis on extracting various forms of data out of a model, such that it can be compared to experimental data. PRIMs Teacher: Niels Taatgen (University of Groningen) Website: http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/actransfer.html <http://www.ai.rug.nl/~niels/actransfer.html> How do people handle and prioritize multiple tasks? How can we learn something in the context of one task, and partially benefit from it in another task? The goal of PRIMs is to cross the artificial boundary that most cognitive architectures have imposed on themselves by studying single tasks. It has mechanisms to model transfer of cognitive skills, and the competition between multiple goals. In the tutorial we will look at how PRIMs can model phenomena of cognitive transfer and cognitive training, and how multiple goals compete for priority in models of distraction.

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