- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Several Openings, New Lab. Systems Neuroscience.

by Carmen Varela

We are looking for researchers (undergraduate to postdoc) to join a new systems neuroscience laboratory that will open in the rapidly growing Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in 2019. Under the direction of Dr. Carmen Varela, the lab will seek to discover fundamental cellular and network mechanisms that contribute to cognitive behavior, with a focus on learning and memory and on the role of the neuronal circuits formed by the thalamus https://www.thethalamus.org/ We will rely heavily on extracellular recordings in behaving rodents and quantitative analyses of cellular activity and local field potentials, in order to investigate how thalamic networks contribute to memory retrieval, problem solving, and sleep-dependent memory consolidation. If you are passionate about these topics we would love for you to join us and be part of the founding projects of the lab! *General requirements: * Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, demonstrated initiative and dedication, ability to learn fast. Hands-on research experience in neuroscience preferred, particularly with rodent models. Knowledge of MATLAB (and/or other programming languages) and computational skills (signal processing, statistics) desirable. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide contact information for two references. Start date is flexible from January 2019. *What you get: * · Research experience in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, electrophysiology, optogenetics, fiber photometry. · Mentorship and guidance to help you achieve your scientific and training goals. The lab is located in the Jupiter campus of FAU, an expanding neuroscience hub that also holds our partners the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and Scripps Research Institute. If interested in joining as a graduate student, there are several programs within FAU and with the Max Planck and Scripps (http://www.ibrain.fau.edu/gradneuro/program.html) Application deadlines for graduate programs in the Fall of 2018. *Interested candidates please send a CV and a brief description of research skills and interests to: carmenv(a)mit.edu <carmenv(a)mit.edu> *

Oct. 2, 2018

PhD opportunities at the Universities of Bath and Exeter

by Purcell, Sarah

Dear all, The Universities of Bath and Exeter are seeking applications for PhD candidates for two biology/medicine modelling projects. Both projects will use a combination of mathematical modelling and data analysis (possibly with some data collection for interested applicants). The studentship will cover 3.5 years, with a start date of September 2019. However, this is open for EU students only. The first project will involve multi-scale modelling of skeletal muscle bioenergetics, with applications to deficits in cystic fibrosis. The student would primarily be based at the University of Exeter (with Dr. Kyle Wedgwood & Prof. Craig Williams) with secondments at the University of Bath (with Dr. James Betts). For more information, see here: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=3236 The second project will investigate ion channel mutations associated with dementia. The student would primarily be based at the University of Bath (with Prof. Alain Nogaret) with secondments at the University of Exeter (with Prof. Andy Randall, Dr. Kyle Wedgwood). For full details of the project, please visit http://www.gw4biomed.ac.uk/available-projects-2/neuroscience-and-mental-hea… and select the project entitled "In-depth understanding of dementia-associated changes to neuronal signalling" Best wishes, Dr. Kyle Wedgwood MRC Research Fellow Centre for Biomedical Modelling & Analysis College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences University of Exeter Living Systems Institute Stocker Road EX4 4QD ________________________________________________________________

Oct. 2, 2018

Postdoctoral Fellow in Multifactorial Brain Analysis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

by Yasser Iturria Medina

We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral student, for joining the *Neuroinformatics for Personalized Medicine* lab (NeuroPM) at the Montreal Neurological Institute (McGill University, Montreal, Canada) and the Kalra lab for Neuroimaging and ALS Research (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada). The postdoc will be under the supervision of Professors Yasser Iturria-Medina and Sanjay Kalra, and will be expected to collaborate with multiple associated groups. The project, for one year and potentially extendable for another year, includes the analysis of direct multifactorial brain interactions and intra-brain network spreading of aberrant effects in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The NeuroPM lab (http://www.neuropm-lab.com/) is affiliated with the Healthy brain for Healthy Lives (HBHL) initiative (*https://www.mcgill.ca/hbhl/ <https://www.mcgill.ca/hbhl/>*), the Ludmer Center (http://ludmercentre.ca/) and the McConnell Brain Imaging Center (https://www.mcgill.ca/bic/) involving computationally intensive and interdisciplinary research on the brain. The MNI is an internationally renowned institution, characterized by the integration of research and patient care. The Kalra Lab ( http://www.ualberta.ca/ALS/research/) has the mission of improving our understanding of ALS biology through brain imaging and translational research. It is the central coordinating site for the Canadian ALS Neuroimaging Consortium (CALSNIC), a multicenter research platform for the collection of harmonized imaging and behavioural data. Interested candidates should have a solid background in brain imaging and Matlab. Experience in neurodegeneration and brain computational modeling will be an asset. Interested persons should send their CV, a cover letter stating research interests, and two reference letters. The competition will remain open until the position is filled. *Contact*: Yasser Iturria Medina, Emails: yasser.iturriamedina(a)mcgill.ca Sanjay Kalra, Email: kalra(a)ualberta.ca -- Yasser Iturria Medina, PhD. Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University Montreal, Canada H3A 2B4, Phone # 514-398-1524 Lab: http://www.neuropm-lab.com/

Oct. 1, 2018

Graduate Student openings in the UCR Brain Game Center and Sensory Learning Lab

by Aaron Seitz

Professor Aaron Seitz in the Department of Psychology at UC Riverside has several openings for graduate students. Students can work in one or both of the Perception and Learning lab and the Brain Game Center. The Perception and Learning lab conducts basic research on perception, learning and memory using a variety of approaches including advanced Psychophysics, EEG, and fMRI, and computational methodologies. The UCR Brain Game Center is a unique research unit that focuses on translational psychology and neuroscience work where we exploit the potential of consumer technologies to conduct research at large scale. This involves running hundreds to many thousands of participants on research studies designed to develop better measurements of perceptual and cognitive abilities as well as new training tools for these skills. To date we have developed numerous approaches addressing vision, hearing, working memory, executive function, and fluid intelligence. In both labs we use compu! tational modeling and machine learning as well as standard data analysis approaches. For more information on research in the Seitz labs please see http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/ and http://braingamecenter.ucr.edu. Prospective graduate students should send an email to aseitz(a)ucr.edu with their CV, and description of research interests. Successful applicants will receive funding toward their Ph.D. for at least 5 years. Please see the following websites for more information about the Psychology (https://psych.ucr.edu) or Neuroscience (http://neuro.ucr.edu) graduate programs. -Aaron ************************************************** Aaron Seitz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Director of UCR Brain Game Center University of California, Riverside 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521 Ph: (951) 827-6422 Fax: (951) 827-3985 Email: aseitz(a)ucr.edu Web: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/ BGC: http://braingamecenter.ucr.edu **************************************************

Oct. 1, 2018

Tenure-track faculty position in Computation Neuroscience at Western University, Canada

by Jorn Diedrichsen

Supported by BrainsCAN, a $66M grant from the Canadian government (www.uwo.ca/brainscan<http://www.uwo.ca/brainscan>), Western University is expanding it’s strength in Neuroscience with a new tenure-track faculty position (Assistant or Associate Professor) in Computational Neuroscience. Successful candidates will join the Brain and Mind Institute (www.uwo.ca/bmi<http://www.uwo.ca/bmi>), one of the leading centres in cognitive Neuroscience in Canada, with a full range of ultrahigh field, research-dedicated MRI scanners (3T, 7T, 9.4T) and state-of-the-art laboratories for cognitive, behavioural, and neurophysiological testing in humans, non-human primates and rodents. The academic appointment of the candidate will be, depending on the candidate’s background, in the Department for Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or Computer Science. The deadline for the position in Computational Neuroscience is November 1st: https://brainscan.uwo.ca/work_with_us/vacancies/index.html Jörn Diedrichsen Western Research Chair Brain Mind Institute Department of Computer Science Department of Statistics Email: jdiedric(a)uwo.ca<mailto:jdiedric@uwo.ca> Tel: 1-519-661-2111 x86994

Sept. 29, 2018

Postdoctoral research in theoretical neuroscience

by Brent Doiron

The Doiron group at the University of Pittsburgh is currently seeking up to three postdoctoral fellows to work on cutting edge problems in theoretical neuroscience. Research topics include 1) Large-scale collaboration on modeling diverse inhibitory circuits in mouse V1. The research will be in collaboration with the Columbia theory center (Ken Miller, Larry Abbott, Misha Tsodyks, and Liam Paninski) as well as experimental labs at Berkeley (Adesnik lab, Ji lab) , UCSF (Scanziani lab) and Caltech (Cai lab). 2) Modeling population activity in the visual system and its modulation through top-down cognitive processes. 3) Modeling the formation and stability mechanics of learning in recurrently coupled cortical networks. All projects will involve heavy collaboration with several prominent experimental groups both in Pittsburgh as well as abroad. The positions are 3 year terms (contingent upon satisfactory progress) with competitive salary and benefits packages offered by the University of Pittsburgh. The successful candidate will join the Mathematics department at the University of Pittsburgh and will have strong ties to the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition in Pittsburgh (joint between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University). Candidates should have a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience, mathematics, physics, or engineering and have an excellent track record of scholarship. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from under-represented groups. Interested persons should send their CV, a cover letter stating research interests and career goals, and names and contact information of two references to: bdoiron(a)pitt.edu . The competition will remain open until the positions are filled. -- Professor of Mathematics Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh 301 Thackeray Hall Pittsburgh, PA, 15260 www.math.pitt.edu/~bdoiron

Sept. 29, 2018

Faculty position in computational neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh

by Brent Doiron

Dear Computational neuroscience community The Dietrich School at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for two tenure-track faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level in *Mathematical and Computational Life Sciences *to begin in the fall term of 2019. Successful candidates will be placed in the departments most suitable for their backgrounds and research programs from among the Departments of Mathematics, Biology, Neuroscience, Physics, and Chemistry. We seek outstanding scientists who will enhance and complement our existing strengths and who will collaborate with members of our sizable neuroscience, biology, biophysics, and biochemistry communities. One position is in *Mathematical and Computational Neuroscience. *Candidates working on the following topics are especially encouraged to apply: - Circuits and information flow in neuroscience - Neuronal and population dynamics - Synaptic mechanisms and dynamics - Neuronal membrane properties and ion channel function The other position is in *Mathematics and Theory of Biological Processes*. Candidates working on the following topics are especially encouraged to apply: - Mathematical ecology - Evolutionary theory - Cellular sensing and signal processing - Epigenetic and gene network dynamics The University of Pittsburgh is an active center for interdisciplinary research in the life sciences offering exciting opportunities for collaborations across departments as well as with our highly ranked medical school. The University is currently ranked third in the nation in total NIH funding, and the city of Pittsburgh is often voted “most livable” in the nation. These positions represent part of a vision to grow our community of researchers at the interface of mathematics, physics, chemistry and the life sciences. Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. and should demonstrate substantial research accomplishment and dedication to teaching. They will be expected to establish an extramurally funded research program, train graduate students, and actively participate in undergraduate education. *Review of applications will begin on October 23, 2018, *and will continue until the positions are filled*. *Applicants can apply online at: https://facultysearch.as.pitt.edu/apply/index/MjQy. Candidates should submit (a) a cover letter, (b) a CV, (c) a statement of research accomplishments and future plans, (d) a brief description of teaching interests, (e) a brief description of how your research, teaching or service demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and (f) at least three letters of reference (for each reference, you will have the opportunity to input an email address through Interfolio’s Online Application system and a notification will be sent to the designated address with instructions). The positions are pending budgetary approval. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity. EEO/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled. Person to Contact: Erika Carpio 139 University Place Room 302 Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-624-8361 -- Professor of Mathematics Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh 301 Thackeray Hall Pittsburgh, PA, 15260 www.math.pitt.edu/~bdoiron

Sept. 29, 2018

job opening in neural dynamics and control

by Obermayer, Klaus, Prof. Dr.

Dear moderator, can post our job announcement below on the neuroinformatics mailing list? Thank you very much! Best regards Klaus Obermayer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Neural Information Processing Group @ Technische Universität Berlin Research Assistant (PhD Position) in Computational Neuroscience Brain network models: Dynamics and Control Salary grade E13 (TV-L Berliner Hochschulen) Duration: max. 4 years Starting date: January 1st, 2019 Working field: The successful candidate is supposed to work on the analysis and simulation of calibrated whole-brain networks using neuronal mass models and on the design and evaluation of novel control schemes for the stabilization of and the switching between their dynamical states. She/he will be part of the Collaborative Research Center "Control of self-organizing nonlinear systems: Theoretical methods and concepts of application" (https://www.itp.tu-berlin.de/sfb910/ sonderforschungsbereich_910/sonderforschungsbereich_910/) as well as the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (https://www.bccn-berlin.de/) The candidate is also expected to interact with clinical scientists who are interested in the non-invasive manipulation of the whole-brain dynamics using transcranial current stimulation. Requirements: Successfully completed university degree (Master, Diplom, or equivalent) in Computational Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or related fields; in-depth knowledge in non-linear dynamics and stochastic processes; very good programming and English language skills. How to apply: Please send your application with the usual documents (CV, motivation letter, transcripts of records, certificates, and the names of two persons who can provide recommendation letters) to Prof. Dr. Obermayer, FG Neuronale Informationsverarbeitung, Sekr. MAR 5-6, Marchstr. 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany, or by e-mail to klaus.obermayer(a)tu-berlin.de. For information about the research group see https://www.ni.tu-berlin.de/ Please send copies only. Original documents will not be returned. Aplication deadline: 26. 10. 2018 Reference number: IV-570/18

Sept. 28, 2018

Two PhD positions in computational and cognitive neuroscience

by Alireza Soltani

Two PhD positions are available in the Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab <http://ccnl.dartmouth.edu/> of Alireza Soltani at Dartmouth College. This NIH-funded project aims to uncover circuit-level mechanisms underlying adaptive learning. The project involves computational modeling at different levels (mean-field to spiking networks) as well as analyses of behavioral, electrophysiological, and calcium imaging data in rats during dynamic learning and decision-making tasks. Applicants should have a strong quantitative background (e.g. physics, math, statistics, computational neuroscience, computer science, etc), good programming skills, genuine interest in understanding the brain, and a collaborative attitude. A background in neuroscience is desirable, but not essential. Interested applicants should submit an inquiry to Alireza Soltani (soltani(a)dartmouth.edu <mailto:soltani@darmouth.edu>), and submit their applications to Psychological and Brain Sciences Program <https://pbs.dartmouth.edu/graduate/graduate-admissions>at Dartmouth College. Alireza Soltani, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Dartmouth College, NH Alireza.Soltani(a)Dartmouth.edu <mailto:Alireza.Soltani@Dartmouth.edu> http://ccnl.dartmouth.edu <http://ccnl.dartmouth.edu/> Phone: 603-646-2998 Office: Moore 356

Sept. 28, 2018

New ebook: Neural Information Theory

by James V Stone

This book (published June 2018) is now available in Kindle and pdf formats: Principles of Neural Information Theory: Computational Neuroscience and Metabolic Efficiency by James V Stone. Reviews, synopsis, and table of contents can be found here: http://sebtelpress.com "To understand life, one has to understand not just the flow of energy, but also the flow of information." William Bialek, 2012. regards, Dr James V Stone Honorary Reader, Sheffield University, UK. Web: sebtelpress.com Twitter: @jgvfwstone

Sept. 27, 2018

EEG time-varying networks - paper & code

by Williams, Nitin J

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING: Dear all, I am just writing to let you know of our recent paper on a Markov Model-based method to analyse time-varying networks in EEG task-related data: https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2018.00076 The method combines sparse-MVAR (Multi Variate Auto Regressive) modelling to estimate networks, with Markov modelling to characterise network changes. We propose this method as complementing existing methods to analyse time-varying networks in EEG/MEG task-related data. MATLAB code for the method can be downloaded from: https://github.com/nitinwilliams/eeg_meg_analysis/tree/master/sMVAR_MM_tool… Any comments/questions on the method/code are of course welcome. Regards, Nitin

Sept. 27, 2018

Workshop announcement: The HBP CodeJam #9 Workshop

by Andrew Davison

The HBP CodeJam #9 Workshop - Early-bird registration ends 30. Sept.! Grand Hotel Et Des Palmes, Palermo, Italy. Nov. 26, 2018 at 09:00 – Nov. 28, 2018 at 18:00 The goal of the CodeJam workshops is to catalyze open-source, collaborative software development in computational and systems neuroscience and neuroinformatics, by bringing together researchers, students and engineers to share ideas, present their work, and write code together. The general format of the workshops is to dedicate the mornings to invited and contributed talks, leaving the afternoons free for discussions, tutorials and code sprints. The theme of this 9th installment is "co-design": scientists, students and engineers from different disciplines collaborating to build research infrastructure for computation-based neuroscience, and to use this infrastructure to model brain circuits, behaviour and learning, develop novel bio-inspired computing systems, and help discover new drugs for neurological disorders. Topics of CodeJam#9: • Large-scale brain modelling: towards a mouse whole brain model • Cortical and subcortical microcircuit models: circuit and model workflows, simulation and analysing tools, computing resources and user interaction • Infrastructure and open data: Beyond traditional HPC, electrophysiology data formats and analysis • Visio-motor integration and hierarchical navigation planning: Integration with HBP Infrastructure (Neurorobotics platform) • Biological deep learning: Plasticity implementation on neuromorphic systems • Modelling for drug discovery and medicine Topics might change slightly, we are still finalizing the programme. Confirmed speakers (not yet complete): • Matteo Cantarelli • Oliver Schmid • Markus Diesmann • Stine Vennemo • Håkon Mørk • Armandi Romani • Genrich Ivaska • Shailesh Appukuttan • Bernd Schuller • Michael Denker • Alper Yegenoglu • Lorenzo Vannucci More information and registration details at https://neuralensemble.org/meetings/CodeJam9/ Registration fee: Early-bird registration ends on 30 September 2018 Programme Committee Luca L. Bologna (CNR), Andrew Davison (CNRS), Anna Kreshuk (U. Heidelberg), Eric Müller (U. Heidelberg), Jeff Muller (EPFL), Bernd Schuller (FZ Jülich) Organisers Luca L. Bologna (CNR), Alessia Bonafede (CNR), Martina Schmalholz (U. Heidelberg)

Sept. 27, 2018

Postdoctoral position in memory, sequence replay, and sleep

by Kamran Diba

<https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/diba-lab/>The Diba Lab <https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/diba-lab/> at the University of Michigan Medical School is currently recruiting a postdoctoral candidate for a project recently funded by two NIMH (R01 and R21) grants. The project involves a collaboration with Dr. Ted Abel’s lab at the University of Iowa to investigate the Molecular, Cellular and Circuit Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Hippocampal Function. The successful candidate will perform and analyze large-scale neuronal recordings from freely-behaving, sleeping and sleep-deprived animals, along with chemogenetic manipulations, immunohistochemistry and biochemical assays. Data analysis of oscillatory and sequential neuronal firing patterns, using MATLAB, python, and other tools, is critical for this research and the prospective candidate should demonstrate quantitative and programming skills. The salary will be based on the National Research Service Award (NRSA) payscale <https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-18-175.html>. Our lab is housed in the Department of Anesthesiology and the Center for Consciousness Science <https://consciousness.med.umich.edu/> at Michigan Medicine. We are affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering <http://bme.umich.edu/explore-research/> and the Neuroscience Graduate Program <http://neuroscience.med.umich.edu/program-0>. Collectively these programs and the University of Michigan at large provide a highly exciting and stimulating scientific environment for computational and systems neuroscience. The city of Ann Arbor is also consistently ranked <https://annarborusa.org/insights/communities/facts-rankings/> among the top places in the U.S. to live (with ready access to cultural events, sports, parks and natural beauty. Applicants should contact Kamran Diba: kdiba(a)umich.edu with a detailed C.V. or resume and a description of research background, skills, and interests. ------------- A top-ranked public university, the University of Michigan has a tradition of excellence in research, learning and teaching, sports and the arts, and more. The neuroscience community at the University of Michigan encompasses over 154 participating faculty from among 29 departments from the School of Medicine (including the Department of Anesthesiology), College of Literature Science and Arts, College of Engineering, School of Dentistry, School of Kinesiology and School of Public Health. As the longest standing neuroscience Ph.D. program in the United States the Neuroscience Graduate Program at U-Michigan has built an exceptional graduate program that features collaborative interactions among faculty and integration across individual disciplines. The program is composed of 70 to 80 graduate students (currently, 52% women, 30% under-represented minorities) and has more than 130 successful and accomplished alumni that work in academic research, industrial research and development, academic medicine and biotechnology. The NGP sponsors many activities that foster development of an active and cohesive neuroscience community on campus (e.g. Weekly Neuroscience Research Seminars, Annual Retreat, Spring Symposium, and Community Outreach).

Sept. 26, 2018

CFP: The OMG-Empathy Prediction Challenge

by Pablo Barros

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION The One-Minute Gradual-Empathy Prediction (OMG-Empathy) Competition held in partnership with the IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition 2019 in Lille, France. https://www2.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/wtm/omgchallenges/omg_empathy.html I. Aim and Scope The ability to perceive, understand and respond to social interactions in a human-like manner is one of the most desired capabilities in artificial agents, particularly social robots. These skills are highly complex and require a focus on several different aspects of research, including affective understanding. An agent which is able to recognize, understand and, most importantly, adapt to different human affective behaviors can increase its own social capabilities by being able to interact and communicate in a natural way. Emotional expression perception and categorization are extremely popular in the affective computing community. However, the inclusion of emotions in the decision-making process of an agent is not considered in most of the research in this field. To treat emotion expressions as the final goal, although necessary, reduces the usability of such solutions in more complex scenarios. To create a general affective model to be used as a modulator for learning different cognitive tasks, such as modeling intrinsic motivation, creativity, dialog processing, grounded learning, and human-level communication, only emotion perception cannot be the pivotal focus. The integration of perception with intrinsic concepts of emotional understanding, such as a dynamic and evolving mood and affective memory, is required to model the necessary complexity of an interaction and realize adaptability in an agent's social behavior. Such models are most necessary for the development of real-world social systems, which would communicate and interact with humans in a natural way on a day-to-day basis. This could become the next goal for research on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and could be an essential part of the next generation of social robots. For this challenge, we designed, collected and annotated a novel corpus based on human-human interaction. This novel corpus builds on top of the experience we gathered while organizing the OMG-Emotion Recognition Challenge, making use of state-of-the-art frameworks for data collection and annotation. The One-Minute Gradual Empathy datasets (OMG-Empathy) contain multi-modal recordings of different individuals discussing predefined topics. One of them, the actor, shares a story about themselves while the other, the listener, reacts to it emotionally. We annotated each interaction based on the listener's own assessment of how they felt while the interaction was taking place. We encourage the participants to propose state-of-the-art solutions not only based on deep, recurrent and self-organizing neural networks but also traditional methods for feature representation and data processing. We also enforce that the use of contextual information, as well as personalized solutions for empathy assessment, will be extremely important for the development of competitive solutions. II. Competition Tracks We let available for the challenge a pre-defined set of training, validation and testing samples. We separate our samples based on each story: 4 stories for training, 1 for validation and 3 for testing. Each story sample is composed of 10 videos with interactions, one for each listener. Although using the same training, validation and testing data split, we propose two tracks which will measure different aspects of the self-assessed empathy: The Personalized Empathy track, where each team must predict the empathy of a specific person. We will evaluate the ability of proposed models to learn the empathic behavior of each of the subjects over a newly perceived story. We encourage the teams to develop models which take into consideration the individual behavior of each subject in the training data. The Generalized Empathy track, where the teams must predict the general behavior of all the participants over each story. We will measure the performance of the proposed models to learn a general empathic measure for each of the stories individually. We encourage the proposed models to take into consideration the aggregated behavior of all the participants for each story and to generalize this behavior in a newly perceived story. The training and validation samples will be given to the participants at the beginning of the challenge together with all the associated labels. The test set will be given to the participants without the associated labels. The team`s predictions on the test set will be used to calculate the final metrics of the challenge. III. How to Participate To participate to the challenge, please send us an email to barros @ informatik.uni-hamburg.de with the title "OMG-Empathy Team Registration". This e-mail must contain the following information: Team Name Team Members Affiliation Participating tracks We split the corpus into three subsets: training, validation and testing. The participants will receive the training and validation sets, together with the associated annotations once they subscribe to the challenge. The subscription will be done via e-mail. Each participant team must consist of 1 to 5 participants and must agree to use the data only for scientific purposes. Each team can choose to take part in one or both the tracks. After the training period is over, the testing set will be released without the associated annotations. Each team must submit, via e-mail, their final predictions as a .csv file for each video on the test set. Together with the final submission, each team must send a short 2-4 pages paper describing their solution published on Arxiv and the link for a github page to their solution. If a team fails to submit any of these items, their submission will be invalidated. Each team can submit 3 complete submissions for each track. IV. Important Dates 25th of September 2018 - Opening of the Challenge - Team registrations begin 1st of October 2018 - Training/validation data and annotation available 1st of December 2018 - Test data release 3rd of December 2018 - Final submission (Results and code) 5th of December 2018 - Final submission (Paper) 7th of December 2018 - Announcement of the winners V. Organization Pablo Barros, University of Hamburg, Germany Nikhil Churamani, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Angelica Lim, Simon Fraser University, Canada Stefan Wermter, Hamburg University, Germany -- Dr.rer.nat. Pablo Barros Postdoctoral Research Associate - Crossmodal Learning Project (CML) Knowledge Technology Department of Informatics University of Hamburg Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30 22527 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 40 42883 2535 Fax: +49 40 42883 2515 barros at informatik.uni-hamburg.de https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/people/barros.html https://www.inf.uni-hamburg.de/en/inst/ab/wtm/

Sept. 26, 2018

Postdoc in computational neuroscience/mathematical biology

by Rubchinsky, Leonid L

NSF-supported postdoctoral position in mathematical biology/computational neuroscience in my group in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). This position involves research in the mechanisms and properties of synchronization in neural and other living systems including collaboration with experimentalists. The position offers excellent interdisciplinary training possibilities in computational neuroscience and mathematical biology. Applicants should have (or expected to get in a near future) Ph.D. in mathematics, physics, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, or another related field. Applicants should have strong quantitative skills in dynamical modeling and data analysis and a strong interest in life sciences applications. Experience in nonlinear dynamics, computational neuroscience, and mathematical biology is a plus. Please apply via mathjobs.org at https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/12619. Screening of applications will continue until position is filled. Please address informal inquires to Leonid Rubchinsky via e-mail: lrubchin(a)iupui.edu Leonid *********************** Leonid Rubchinsky, PhD Associate Professor Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indiana University - Purdue University, Indianapolis Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine 402 N. Blackford St Indianapolis, IN 46202-3216 lrubchin(a)iupui.edu http://www.math.iupui.edu/~leo 317-274-9745 317-274-3460 (fax) ***********************

Sept. 26, 2018

Postdoctoral positions in computational neuroscience

by Maxim Bazhenov

Applications are invited for post-doctoral research position in the laboratory of Dr. Maxim Bazhenov at the University of California, San Diego to study cellular and circuit level mechanisms behind large-scale brain electrical activity. This project involves close collaboration with experimental laboratories. The ultimate goal of the work is to develop detailed multi-scale models of how human MEG and EEG are generated, including channels, synapses, neurons, and networks. The successful candidate will be responsible for the design of the anatomically realistic brain network models based on experimental data. These models will be used to understand network dynamics behind MEG and EEG rhythms. Specific focus of the project is on sleep rhythms. This project will be developed in close collaboration with other projects in the lab focusing on the role of sleep in memory and learning. Qualified applicants are expected to have experience in computational/theoretical neuroscience and neural modeling. Programming experience with C/C++ , PYTHON, MATLAB is required. 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/

Sept. 25, 2018

Software Developer / Research Associate

by Stephanie Jones

Applications are invited for a research software developer / research associate position in the lab of Dr. Stephanie Jones at Brown University in Providence, RI. The level of the hire depends on experience. Our group combines human electrophysiological recordings and computational neural modeling techniques to study the mechanisms and meaning of brain dynamics in health and disease. We collaborate extensively with animal electrophysiologists and clinicians to develop data constrained models that are translationally relevant. The software developer / research associate will work with a team of researchers at Brown, Mass General Hospital, and Yale, to help develop a new software tool for circuit level investigation of human magneto- and electro-encephalography (MEG/EEG) signals: Human Neocortical Neurosolver, HNN (https://hnn.brown.edu) <https://hnn.brown.edu)>. The goal of this software is to provide the community with a user friendly tool to develop and test hypotheses on the circuit origin of their data. The hired candidate will help support and expand HNN’s capabilities, including software development and working with researchers to apply HNN to specific neuroscience questions. Duties will also include development of tutorials, online resources, and participation in workshops aimed at training the community in the use and applicability of HNN. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in computer science, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and/or related field. Strong Python programming skills are required, and experience with neural modeling, particularly NEURON, is preferred. Familiarity with MEG/EEG analysis methods and/or non-invasive brain stimulation is also beneficial. Candidates should be able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and fun work environment. Interested candidates should send a cv and a brief description of qualifications and research interests to the Jones lab manager Dylan_S_Daniels(a)brown.edu <mailto:Dylan_S_Daniels@brown.edu>. ******************************************* Stephanie R. Jones, PhD Associate Professor Brown University Department of Neuroscience Stephanie_Jones(a)Brown.edu https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/ <https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/> Human Neocortical Neurosolver https://hnn.brown.edu <https://hnn.brown.edu/>

Sept. 24, 2018

Postdoctoral researchers - computational modeling, EEG, TMS

by Stephanie Jones

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the lab of Dr. Stephanie Jones at Brown University in Providence RI. Our group combines human electrophysiological recordings and computational neural modeling techniques to study the mechanisms and meaning of brain dynamics in health in disease. We collaborate extensively with animal electrophysiologists and clinicians to develop data constrained models that are translationally relevant. We are expanding our research efforts to including non-invasive brain stimulation. A postdoctoral position is available to integrate simultaneous human EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in humans, with computational neural modeling developments. The postdoctoral researcher will help expand our new software tool Human Neocortical Neurosolver (https://hnn.brown.edu) <https://hnn.brown.edu)/> for circuit level interpretation of EEG/MEG signals to include TMS studies. She/he will also help with the design, implementation and analysis of our TMS/EEG experiments. Candidates should have a PhD in neuroscience, computational neuroscience, computer science, applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, and/or related field. Strong quantitative and programming skills are required. The ideal candidate would have experience in computational neuroscience methods applied to human EEG and brain stimulation data. However, experience in all areas is not required. Candidates should be able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary and fun work environment. Interested candidates should send a cv and a brief description of qualifications and research interests to the Jones lab manager Dylan_S_Daniels(a)brown.edu <mailto:Dylan_S_Daniels@brown.edu>. ******************************************* Stephanie R. Jones, PhD Associate Professor Brown University Department of Neuroscience Stephanie_Jones(a)Brown.edu https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/ <https://blogs.brown.edu/joneslab/> Human Neocortical Neurosolver https://hnn.brown.edu <https://hnn.brown.edu/>

Sept. 24, 2018

Workshop: High Performance Computing in Neuroscience

by Carnevale, Nicholas

Does your research involve computationally intensive tasks such as large scale modeling or data analysis? Come to the workshop on High Performance Computing Resources for Parallel Simulations and Data Analysis: NSG and HPAC to share your experience with others who are dealing with similar challenges, and learn about resources that are currently available and/or being developed that may help accelerate your own research. This workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at a location in downtown San Diego. Space is limited, and the registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 12, so you should act early. For the on-line registration form see https://neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/nsg2018/nsg2018.html The workshop will include a combination of short presentations and discussions. Confirmed speakers and topics include: "The Neuroscience Gateway" Amit Majumdar, Subhashini Sivagnanam, Kenneth Yoshimoto, Ted Carnevale "Research Activities at the Human Brain Project's High Performance Analytics and Computing Platform" Alexander Peyser "Human Neocortical Neurosolver: A New Modeling Platform for Cellular and Circuit Level Interpretation of EEG/MEG" Samuel A Neymotin, Dylan S Daniels, Noam Peled, Robert A McDougal, Ted Carnevale, Christopher I Moore, Michael L Hines, Matti Hamalainen, Stephanie R Jones "Towards a Complete Description of the Hippocampal Circuitry Underlying Sharp Wave-Mediated Memory Replay" Ivan Soltesz "Neuroanatomical models beyond the spatial resolution of MRI require HPC: The Big Brain and fiber tracts" Karl Zilles, Nicola Palomero-Gallagher and Katrin Amunts "The Virtual Brain: personalized large-scale brain network modeling and its applications" Viktor Jirsa

Sept. 24, 2018

Postdoc position in Geometric Methods for Machine Learning and Deep Learning at RIST

by Luigi Malagò

=========================================================== *Subject*: Postdoc position in Machine Learning (1 year, renewable up to 2 years) *Institution*: RIST - Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj-Napoca *Keywords*: Geometry of Latent Spaces, Optimization over Manifolds, Information Geometry, Natural Gradient, Riemannian Geometry *Application deadline*: 10 October 2018 (applicants are encouraged to apply earlier) *Salary*: around 2200 euro net *Official announcement*: http://rist.ro/en/details/news/postdoc-positions-in-deep-learning-and-machi… =========================================================== Dear colleagues, the Romanian Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) has an opening for a postdoc position, in the context of the DeepRiemann project “Riemannian Optimization Methods for Deep Learning”, funded by European structural funds through the Competitiveness Operational Program (POC 2014-2020). The appointments will be for 1 year, with possible extensions up to 2 years. The DeepRiemann project aims at the design and analysis of novel training algorithms for Neural Networks in Deep Learning, by applying notions of Riemannian optimization and differential geometry. The task of the training a Neural Network is studied by employing tools from Optimization over Manifolds and Information Geometry, by casting the learning process to an optimization problem defined over a statistical manifold, i.e., a set of probability distributions. The project is highly interdisciplinary, with competences spanning from Machine Learning to Optimization, Deep Learning, Statistics, and Differential Geometry. The objectives of the project are multiple and include both theoretical and applied research, together with industrial activities oriented to transfer knowledge, from the institute to a startup or spin-off of the research group. The positions will be part of the new Machine Learning and Optimization group https://rist.ro/en/teams.html, which performs research at the intersection of Machine Learning, Stochastic Optimization, Deep Learning, and Optimization over Manifolds, using geometric methods based on Information Geometry. The group is one of two newly-formed groups in Machine Learning at RIST. The official job announcement can be seen here: http://rist.ro/en/details/news/postdoc-positions-in-deep-learning-and-machi… Informal inquiries can be sent to Dr. Luigi Malagò <malago(a)rist.ro>, principal investigator of the DeepRiemann project. Application deadline: 10 October 2018 (applicants are encouraged to apply earlier) best regards, Luigi Malagò

Sept. 24, 2018

Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements (NICE) 2019 Abstract Submission Open!

by Aimone, James Bradley

Dear Colleagues: The call for abstracts for NICE 2019 is open for submissions at https://easychair.org/cfp/NICE2019 As with past NICE workshops, we are seeking submissions describing advances at the intersection of theoretical neuroscience, neural computing hardware and algorithms, and applications of this brain-inspired computing technology. Preference will be given to unpublished results that bridge our community. For agendas and videos of talks from past meetings, please see http://niceworkshop.org Submissions are 2 page extended abstracts, which will be reviewed to select full and short talks, as well as posters. New for NICE this year we are looking at potential options for proceedings papers, to be invited from the top submissions this year. Abstracts are due on November 15th. Registration will open in a few weeks. ---------------- NICE 2019 will be taking place during March 26-29, 2019 in Albany CNSE Campus in Albany, NY Important dates: Abstract call: September 15, 2018 Abstract submission open: September 22, 2018 Abstracts due: November 15, 2018 Selection announcement: January 15, 2019 ----------------- Hope to see you in Albany! Brad Aimone NICE Program Chair -------------------------- James Bradley Aimone, Ph.D. Principal Member of Technical Staff Data-driven and Neural Computing Department Center for Computing Research Sandia National Laboratories Phone: (505) 284-3147 Fax: (505) 844-4728 http://neuroscience.sandia.gov

Sept. 24, 2018

BrainScaleS, SpiNNaker and NES: EITN workshop 'Are we building the right user-level documentation?'

by Martina Reske

Dear users of BrainScaleS, SpiNNaker and NEST, Documentation is where we provide guidance for our users to successfully navigate, understand and use our software. But how do we ensure that the documentation we provide is achieving this goal? We want to hear from you! This EITN workshop 'Are we building the right user-level documentation?' is an opportunity for users to help steer documentation in the right direction and for us to better understand the needs of our communities. Join us November 21 to November 22 in Paris, France. Registration is now open! See program details and register at https://eitnconf-211118.sciencesconf.org/ -- Dr. Martina Reske Scientific Coordinator Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) Computational and Systems Neuroscience & Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) Theoretical Neuroscience Jülich Research Centre and JARA Jülich, Germany Work +49.2461.611916 Work Cell +49.151.26156918 Fax +49.2461.619460 www.csn.fz-juelich.de<http://www.csn.fz-juelich.de> Office hours: TU & FR 9.00-17, WE & TH 9.00-13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sept. 24, 2018

Assistant Professor positions at Keele University

by Peter Andras

Two Assistant Professor (UK Lecturer) positions in Computer Science *Keele University *- Faculty of Natural Sciences - School of Computing and Mathematics *Closing date for applications: 21st October 2018* Keele University is renowned for its exciting approach to higher education, innovative research, beautiful campus, strong community spirit and excellent student experience. With a turnover in excess of £150 million, over 10,000 students and a total staff of approximately 2000, the University provides high quality teaching across a wide range of academic and vocational subjects and promotes world-class research. The University hosts the largest UK Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) with an associated Centre for Doctoral Training based in the School of Computing and Mathematics. Applications are welcome from dynamic and enthusiastic individuals committed to high quality teaching and research in any relevant field of Computer Science (e.g. software engineering, evolutionary systems, security, human-computer interaction, biological computation, machine learning, formal methods, distributed systems, smart energy, high-performance computing – but not restricted to these particular fields). Applicants will have interests that complement our existing research strengths while broadening the scope of our teaching expertise. The Assistant Professor (UK Lecturer) posts are part of continued growth and expansion of Computer Science at Keele, which presents many new opportunities for the development of synergies in both teaching and research. Candidates will be expected to develop an active research programme that both complements and extends our existing research profile in Computer Science. Candidates are also expected to develop research collaborations with colleagues at Keele and elsewhere in strategic research areas of the University, such as smart energy, AI, big data or digital health. Details of the research carried out in Computer Science at Keele can be found at: http://www.keele.ac.uk/scm/research/compsci/ The successful candidates will have a PhD in an appropriate area of Computer Science (or be very close to completion of his/her PhD) and will have a strong commitment to delivering high quality undergraduate teaching, including supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and the development and delivery of new modules. The post-holders will have the skills, enthusiasm and flexibility for teaching across a wide range of computer science topics and will also contribute to recruitment activities and administrative duties within our Computer Science programmes. Informal enquires can be made to Professor Peter Andras on 01782 733412 or p.andras(a)keele.ac.uk Keele University is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN charter, and values equality and diversity across our workforce. We strive to ensure that our workforce is representative of broader society, and therefore, we would actively welcome applications from women for this role. Keele University values equality and diversity across our workforce and to ensuring our staff community is reflective of the diversity of our student population. In support of these commitments the University welcomes applications from individuals of Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds for *all* roles. *For full post details please visit: www.keele.ac.uk/vacancies <http://www.keele.ac.uk/vacancies>* *Keele University employees wishing to apply should login to Employee Self Service and click on the 'View current vacancies' link.* *Closing date for applications: 21st October 2018* *Interviews will be held on: 16th November 2018* *Post reference: KU00000898*

Sept. 23, 2018

New, introductory, tutorial-based textbook

by Paul Miller

Hi, Particularly if you teach introductory classes or mentor students with limited math/computational background, you may be interested in a new textbook "An Introductory Course in Computational Neuroscience" (http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/introductory-course-computational-neuroscience) The textbook contains numerous computer tutorials, with selected solutions, as well as over 100 codes used to simulate figures, all available online at https://github.com/primon23/Intro-Comp-Neuro or http://people.brandeis.edu/~pmiller/TEXTBOOK/ I hope you find it useful, Paul

Sept. 21, 2018

COSYNE 2019: Meeting announcement and Call for workshop proposals

by Tomas Hromadka

==================================================== Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2019 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 28 February - 03 March 2019 Lisbon, Portugal WORKSHOPS 04 March - 05 March 2019 Cascais, Portugal www.cosyne.org ==================================================== ---------------------------------------------------- MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT ---------------------------------------------------- The annual Cosyne meeting provides an inclusive forum for the exchange of empirical and theoretical approaches to problems in systems neuroscience, in order to understand how neural systems function. The MAIN MEETING is single-track. A set of invited talks is selected by the Executive Committee, and additional talks and posters are selected by the Program Committee, based on submitted abstracts. The WORKSHOPS feature in-depth discussion of current topics of interest, in a small group setting. For details on workshop proposals please see below or visit Cosyne.org -> Workshops. Cosyne topics include but are not limited to: neural coding, natural scene statistics, dendritic computation, neural basis of persistent activity, nonlinear receptive field mapping, representations of time and sequence, reward systems, decision-making, synaptic plasticity, map formation and plasticity, population coding, attention, and computation with spiking networks. This year we would like to foster increased participation from experimental groups as well as computational ones. Please circulate widely and encourage your students and postdocs to apply. IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission opens: 09 October 2018 Abstract submission deadline: 15 November 2018 Workshop pre-proposal deadline: 30 September 2018 Workshop proposal deadline: 31 October 2018 COSYNE SPEAKERS Bruno Averbeck (NIMH) Gwyneth Card (Janelia) Kathleen Cullen (John Hopkins) Kenji Doya (OIST) Ken Harris (UCL) Sonja Hofer (Sainsbury Wellcome Centre) Yann LeCun (NYU) Edvard Moser (NTNU) Yiota Poirazi (IMBB-FORTH) Maneesh Sahani (Gatsby-UCL) Eric Shea-Brown (U Washington) Sara Solla (Northwestern) Karel Svoboda (Janelia) Ilana Witten (Princeton) When preparing an abstract, authors should be aware that not all abstracts can be accepted for the meeting, due to space constraints. Abstracts will be selected based on the clarity with which they convey the substance, significance, and originality of the work to be presented. ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chairs: Linda Wilbrecht (Berkeley) and Brent Doiron (U Pittsburgh) Program Chairs: Eugenia Chiappe (Champalimaud) and Christian Machens (Champalimaud) Workshop Chairs: Catherine Hartley (NYU) and Ralf Haefner (U Rochester) Undergraduate Travel Chairs: Angela Langdon (Princeton) and Robert Wilson (U Arizona) Publicity Chair: Il Memming Park (Stony Brook) Development Chair: Michael Long (NYU) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Stephanie Palmer (U Chicago) Zachary Mainen (Champalimaud) Alexandre Pouget (U Geneva) Anthony Zador (CSHL) CONTACT meeting [at] cosyne.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 30 September 2018 FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 31 October 2018 PRE-PROPOSALS In an effort to coordinate submissions, the organizers are encouraged to submit a pre-proposal by *30 September 2018.* Pre-proposals will be shared among submitters. Pre-proposals are not mandatory, but are strongly encouraged. The organizers may submit the full proposal by its deadline. A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting. The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops). Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. In order to foster discussion within Workshops and reduce overlap between workshops, organizers should inform invited speakers that a single person should not speak in more than one of the Workshops taking place on the same day. WORKSHOP DETAILS - There will be 4-8 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 15 and 80 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (8.00-11.00 AM) and afternoon (4.30-7.30 PM) sessions. - Workshops will be held at Cascais, a coastal village ~34 km west of Lisbon. Buses from the main conference will be provided. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Submission instructions for workshop (pre)-proposals are available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops. PRE-PROPOSALS should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). The first author on the list becomes the contact author for the proposal. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names, affiliations, and expected topics of talks of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with the most confirmed speakers. - A brief summary of relevant prior experiences and publications of the organizers (about half a page total). - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs two days, please explain why. FULL PROPOSALS should include the list of confirmed speakers in addition to components required for a pre-proposal. Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers and submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can be speakers but need not speak depending on scheduling constraints. SUGGESTIONS Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend fewer than 10 talks. When preparing pre-proposals and full proposals, the organizers are encouraged to: - address timeliness of workshop in the proposal: what new insights have been generated (new papers, data, techniques, whatever) over the past few years that make now the right time for discussing them and for presenting them to the wider community? - directly describe how speakers address the central topic, e.g. which are the big question(s), which speakers represent different viewpoints on the same question, which experimentalist addresses the theories addressed by which theoretician (and vice versa); - address controversies and bring together speakers from different “camps” in the same field, or from different fields that---according to the organizers---should talk more to each other for whatever reason; WORKSHOP COSTS Detailed registration costs, etc, will be available at www.cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does NOT provide travel funding for workshop speakers. All workshop speakers are expected to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complementary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with 2 organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE 2019 WORKSHOP CHAIRS Catherine Hartley (NYU) and Ralf Haefner (University of Rochester) QUESTIONS email: workshops [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

Sept. 20, 2018

LACONEU 2019 - last days to apply

by Patricio Orio

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30th!! Only few more days to apply! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- We have the pleasure to invite Graduate and Undergraduate students to participate in: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- LACONEU 2019 V Latin American Summer School in Computational Neuroscience Special Topic: Complex Systems and Network Connectivity January 7-25th, 2019 Valparaíso - CHILE http://www.laconeu.cl ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The principal aims of LACONEU 2019 Summer School are to disseminate and to develop Computational Neuroscience in Latin America, gathering researchers and students with common interests in the beautiful and historical city of Valparaiso, in Chile. LACONEU 2019 expects to foster a collaborative exchange between the attendees, researchers and students, based on fundamental theoretical and practical knowledge, and thus, to help the establishment of strong, long-term collaborations. This version also includes a WORKSHOP on January 16th, 2019 CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: - Demian Battaglia, Theoretical Neuroscience Group, INS, France - Joana Cabral, University of Oxford, UK - Bruno Cessac, INRIA Sophia-Antipolis, France - Dante Chialvo, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina - Rodrigo Cofré, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile - Mauro Copelli, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil - Maxime Descoteaux, Université de Sherbrook, Canada - Wael El-Deredy, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile - Pamela Guevara, Universidad de Concepción, Chile - María-José Escobar, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile - Henrik Jensen, Imperial College London, UK - Thierry Mora, École Normale Superiéure, France - Patricio Orio, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile - Adrián Palacios, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile - Tomás Pérez Acle, Fundación Ciencia y Vida, Chile - Peter Robinson, The University of Sydney, Australia - Fernando Rosas, Imperial College London, UK - Inés Samengo, Centro Atómico Bariloche e Instituto Balseiro, Argentina IMPORTANT DATES - Call for Applications: June 8th, 2018 - Application submission deadline: September 30th, 2018 (visit the webpage to see the details) - Acceptance notification: October 31st, 2018 TRAVEL GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDENTS Looking forward to see you in January! *Prof. Patricio Orio* Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso *CINV* Facultad de Ciencias, *Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile* +56 32 299 5538 / 32 250 8040

Sept. 20, 2018

AMAM 2019, Adaptive motion in animals and machines, Aug 19-23 2019, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

by Auke Ijspeert

AMAM 2019, Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines, Aug 19-23 2019, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland https://amam2019.epfl.ch/ Mark the date and first call for abstracts 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). Abstract contributions are invited from all areas pertaining to adaptive motion in animals and machines. Accepted abstracts are presented in either oral or poster sessions based on assessed suitability by the program committee. Invited talks and some selected speakers will be presented in oral sessions in a single track. We also encourage participants to contribute hardware demonstrations, as part of the ‘Robot Zoo’@AMAM2019. Important dates: * Jan 18th, 2019 Opening of the extended abstract submission * 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 19-23, 2019 Conference 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 General Chair: * Auke Ijspeert, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -----------------------------------------------------------------

Sept. 20, 2018

Postdoctoral researchers - multimodal fMRI

by Alessandro Gozzi

The Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy, is seeking postdoctoral researchers interested in studying the neural basis of connectivity disruption in brain disorders. Our research, funded by the European Research Council (ERC - project "DisConn"), is aimed at identifying the general neural and cellular principles governing the assembly of spontaneous neural activity, and its breakdown in developmental disorders. We address these questions at the level of identified cell types by combining cutting-edge functional MRI methods with neural manipulations in the living mouse. This research sits at the intersection of computational neuroscience, neurobiology and neuroimaging. The successful candidate will have a PhD in neuroscience, biotechnology, computer science, physics, or equivalent. Training in experimental neuroscience is desirable, but not mandatory. The IIT center in Rovereto (http://cncs.iit.it/) is actively expanding its infrastructure and space for system-level neuroscience research. The center is inserted both in the vibrant community of the IIT (http://www.iit.it) and of the CIMeC center of the University of Trento (http://www.cimec.unitn.it) which specializes in cognitive neuroscience. Rovereto is conveniently located near Trento and Verona, two of the most important "Citta d'Arte" in Italy. The Trentino area is a region of Northern Italy nestled in the Dolomite Mountains, offering spectacular natural beauty, vibrant culture and exceptional quality of life. Please send your application (full CV, research statement, and names of 2 referees) by email to mailto:alessandro.gozzi@iit.it. Applications will be examined until the positions are filled. https://www.iit.it/careers/openings/opening/846-postdoctoral-positions-in-n… Alessandro Gozzi, PhD Senior Scientist, Group Leadel Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy Tel: +39 0464 808 701

Sept. 20, 2018

PhD studentship in "Computational modelling of cryopreservation"

by roman bauer

*We are seeking a PhD student with excellent programming skills and an interest in biology. The studentship will be based at Newcastle University (UK) and benefit from collaboration with CERN.* Interested in computers as well as biology? Then this project might be what you are looking for! The aim is to use novel software and high-performance computers to model how biological tissue, including neural tissue, behaves during freezing and thawing. Cryopreservation of biological tissue is in its infancy. State-of-the-art freezing and thawing techniques lead to tissue damage in anything larger than 1-3 mm3. Above-freezing storage times of human organs range from approximately 3 to 24 hours - depending on organ - before becoming unviable. This lack of preservation capacity results in 2/3 of donor hearts and 4/5 of lungs being rejected for transplant for logistical reasons. By improving our knowledge of how cryogenic processing affects biological/neural tissue, new methodologies for cryogenic processing will be studied. To this end, you will work together with experts in the field, learn to incorporate the results in detailed 3D computer simulations, and produce novel hypotheses that will generate better methodologies. For informal enquiries please contact Dr Roman Bauer (roman.bauer(a)ncl.ac.uk ). Further details on this PhD studentship and how to apply can be found via this link: *https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=100152 <https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=100152>*

Sept. 19, 2018

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience - Ref 80046

by Chris Miall

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience - Ref. 80046 The School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham wishes to strengthen our School with the appointment of a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer with specific expertise in computational modelling. The School is continuing to recruit as a result of outstanding performance in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and major investment provided to the School by the University. The School The School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham (http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/psychology/index.aspx) is one of the largest and most successful in the UK, currently ranked in the top 5 Schools in the country (REF 2014). The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from currently under-represented groups. The School of Psychology has a Bronze Athena SWAN award and strives to maintain a flexible and supportive environment that enables its staff to flourish. Role purpose We welcome applicants whose research expertise will complement and extend any of our existing four Research Themes: Perception, Cognition, and Action; Mental Health and Wellbeing; Language, Interaction, and Social Cognition; Memory and Attention. One strategic objective for the School is to build on the strength of our Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics, and so we particularly welcome applicants with strength in computational science approaches, including machine learning, Bayesian modelling, and computational models of perception, categorisation and attention. We will consider a joint appointment with the School of Computer Science, which has staff whose research expertise complement and extend those of Psychology. Closing Date: 28 Oct 2018 A full job description is available in PDF format here: http://www.download.bham.ac.uk/vacancies/jd/80046.pdf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Professor R.C. Miall Hills Building Tel +44 121 414 2867 School of Psychology, Fax +44 121 414 4897 University of Birmingham, Mobile: 07709 586997 Edgbaston, Email: r.c.miall(a)bham.ac.uk<mailto:r.c.miall@bham.ac.uk> Birmingham B15 2TT UK Web: http://prism.bham.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sept. 19, 2018

NEURON Course at SFN 2018

by Ted Carnevale

The registration deadline for the NEURON course at the SFN 2018 meeting is Friday, October 12--less than a month from now. The online registration form is at https://neuron.yale.edu/neuron/static/courses/sd2018/sd2018.html This course is suitable for applicants with a wide range of interests and expertise, ranging from experimentalists who have never done any computational modeling, to advanced modelers who want to know the latest tips for using NEURON with Python. Topics that will be covered include: --using Python and NEURON's graphical tools to build and work with models of individual cells --using the Import3d tool to import detailed anatomical neuronal data from NeuroLucida and SWC files --using the CellBuilder to specify the biophysical properties of model cells with detailed anatomical structure --expanding NEURON's library of ion channels and other biophysical mechanisms --analyzing models with the Model View tool --building network models --speeding up simulations on parallel hardware --Ted

Sept. 18, 2018

PhD student position in Decision Making, Sorbonne Universite, Paris (B. Girard, O. Davidenko)

by Benoît Girard

Fully funded PhD: Cognitive and computational neurosciences studies to decipher how the social context affects individual food decisions Institution: Sorbonne Université (Paris, France) Disciplins: Computational Neurosciences, Behavioral Neuroscience, Brain Imaging Hosting laboratory: ISIR, Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique (SU/CNRS) Thesis Supervisors: Benoît Girard (ISIR, UPMC/CNRS) , supervisor Olga Davidenko (INRA/AgroParisTech/UPSay PNCA), co-supervisor Starting date: fall 2018 Key Words: Reinforcement learning, Human eating behavior, Brain imaging Scientific environment of the project: Excessive intake of sugars and salt are linked to deleterious consequences on Human health. Current strategies to design and favor healthier options have limited effects due to their poor acceptability. SHIFT proposes a multidisciplinary approach, combining life, social and computer sciences to understand the determinants, mechanisms, and levers to modulate the acceptability of a meal option. This project will address precise alimentary situations where margins of improvement with respect to salt and sugar reduction are possible, ie. acceptability of (i) water or low energy beverages in substitution of sodas and (ii) sugar- or salt-reduced options at the end of main meals. Interdisciplinary research activities will be conducted at the populational, contextual and individual scales to decipher criteria driving the acceptability foods. SHIFT gathers 5 academic partners: The “Physiologie de la Nutrition et du Comportement Alimentaire” lab (UMR PNCA; INRA-AgroParisTech-Université Paris-Saclay, project leader), the “Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique” (ISIR, Sorbonne Université-CNRS-INSERM), the “Mathématiques et Informatique Appliquées” lab (UMR MIA; INRA-AgroParisTech-Université Paris-Saclay), the “Alimentation et Sciences Sociales” lab (ALISS; INRA), the School of Psychology of the University of Birmingham and an industrial partner: Danone Nutricia Research (Global Nutrition Department) Work Programme: In the selection of foods as in many other decision processes, individuals tend to conform to social norms (i.e. a collectively-established acceptable behaviour). For instance, when eating with others, if individuals are offered to choose between two foods, they will take the decision that conforms to the choices made by the others guests. In some cases, for instance when all guests need to make a choice within a very short time lapse, there might be an uncertainty on this social norm. Before making their decision, individuals infer the appropriate choice from the available information of the choices made by others and after taking their decision, subjects judge the appropriateness of their own decision the basis of the overall choices of commensals. The acceptability of a food option is modulated by whether or not it is imitated by the commensals. The aim of this thesis is to explore how the social context affects individual decisions. The student will study the question from the point of view of the individual: what are the contributions of various types of social modulation (imitation, conformity to a social norm) to food choices? Fundamental to every decision is the brain’s ability to internally evaluate subjective values. The theoretical framework of this thesis, the “value-based decision-making” (Pessiglione et al., 2006, Johnson & Ratcliff, 2014), suggests that, although from an external point of view, the outcome of a decision can be reduced to a binary phenomenon (acceptance or rejection) the underlying mental computation of the value is represented as a continuous function. Our working hypotheses are that the aforementioned social modulations to food choices can be integrated in an individual-centric modeling approach of decision-making (as has been shown in simpler contexts by Burke et al. (2010)), that the influences of these various types of modulations can be disentangled, so as to help identifying the possibly specific neural substrates. In this thesis, we will design a behavioural task dedicated to investigate the different causes of social modulations, and we will then explore which brain circuits are involved, using fMRI. We will use the theoretical tools of value-based decision-making to model the mechanisms by which social modulations affect decision. This will allow us to derive time series of internal variables of the model as regressors to refine the analysis of fMRI data. The student will work to establish a fully specified model of a decision task incorporating mathematical formalizations of the social modulations. The model will be based on the so-called model-free reinforcement learning algorithms (Sutton & Barto, 1998), to which additional value update modalities will be added in order to take into account the influence of commensals. Burke, C.J., Tobler, P.N., Baddeley, M., and Schultz, W. (2010). Neural mechanisms of observational learning. PNAS 201003111. Johnson, E.J., and Ratcliff, R. (2014). Chapter 3 - Computational and Process Models of Decision Making in Psychology and Behavioral Economics. In Neuroeconomics (Second Edition), P.W. Glimcher, and E. Fehr, eds. (San Diego: Academic Press), pp. 35–47. Pessiglione, M., Seymour, B., Flandin, G., Dolan, R.J., and Frith, C.D. (2006). Dopamine-dependent prediction errors underpin reward-seeking behaviour in humans. Nature 442, 1042–1045. Sutton, R. S., & Barto, A. G. (1998). Reinforcement learning: An introduction. MIT press. To apply Applicants should send a CV, letter of motivation (max 2 pages), and references via e-mail to benoit.girard(a)sorbonne-universite.fr and olga.davidenko(a)agroparistech.fr, with [SHIFT] in the subject of the mail. Review of applicants will begin immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. The earliest start date is November 2018. -- Benoît Girard, ISIR, UPMC/CNRS Pyramide T55/65, CC 173 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex http://people.isir.upmc.fr/girard/ Submit your replications to ReScience: https://rescience.github.io/

Sept. 18, 2018

1-year position for an engineer to work in Parkinson, in the frontiers of imaging and machine learning (Bilbao, Spain)

by Jesus Cortes

We are looking for an Engineer with skills in computer vision, programming and machine learning to collaborate in the research project entitled: "Study of the retina and the visual pathway by neuroimaging in genetic and aggressive idiopathic synucleinopathies as a model to identify phenotypes and prognostic biomarkers in idiopathic Parkinson's disease" (Principal Investigator: Iñigo Gabilondo, MD, PhD) led by the Neurodegenerative Diseases Group. The data to analyse are multimodal and longitudinal, with a sample size bigger than N=100 and consisting in retina OCT, neuroimaging (structural, functional, tensor tensor and spectroscopy), neuropsychology and clinical scales. The engineer also will work in close collaboration with the Computational Neuroimaging Group, led by Prof. Jesus M Cortes. For further information about the groups, visit: https://biocrucesbizkaia.org/web/biocruces/bc5.01and https://biocrucesbizkaia.org/bc5.08 Requirements: - Bachelor of Engineering - Good academic marks (average score higher than 7 over 10) - Experience in computer vision, programming j(Matlab, Python and / or R), machine learning and other artificial intelligence techniques - Experience with the magnetic resonance imaging analysis packages SPM, FSL and Freesurfer - Advanced English level (demonstrable with official degree - C1) - Intention to develop a PhD in Biomedicine. The contract is for 1 year, but exists the possibility to extend it to finalize the PhD Working conditions: - Duration: 12 months (extendable) - Full working day (100%) (1592 annual hours) - Estimated annual gross salary: 23,004 euros per year - Expected start date: As soon as possible Interested candidates send 2 reference letters and updated CV to igabilon(a)gmail.com and/orjesus.m.cortes(a)gmail.com

Sept. 18, 2018

Postdoc position: Computational modelling & primate neurophysiology of multi-stable perception

by jobraun

Postdoc position: Computational modelling & primate neurophysiology of multi-stable perception Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellowship with Jochen Braun in Magdeburg, Germany, and in collaboration with Kristine Krug in Oxford, UK. The research will examine the neural basis of multi-stable perception, by comparing single- and multi-unit recordings from non-human primates with computational models of hierarchical neural dynamics. Candidates must have a degree in physics (or similar), a Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., neuroscience, physiology, physics), and strong quantitative and writing skills. Experience with single- or multi-unit recordings from behaving vertebrates is highly desirable. The initial appointment will be for two years with the possibility of renewal. Cognitive Biology is part of a large and vibrant neuroscience community (www.neuroscience-magdeburg.de/research/professor-jazz) Magdeburg is a lively university town with a beautiful historical centre around the river Elbe and with convenient transport links to Leipzig and Berlin. To apply, please send a PDF file with a CV, a statement of research interests, and names of two references to jochen.braun(a)ovgu.de. Prof. Jochen Braun, Ph.D. Cognitive Biology Group Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany www.kobi-ovgu.de Prof. Kristine Krug, D.Phil. Dept. Physiology Anatomy & Genetics University of Oxford Oxford, UK www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/research/krug-group

Sept. 17, 2018

PhD positions in machine learning/neuroimaging available at Charité - University Medicine Berlin

by Stefan Haufe

Dear all, PhD positions for highly motivated graduate students are available in the ERC funded research group of Stefan Haufe at the Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (BCAN) of the Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Germany. The group will develop machine learning and signal processing methods for the analysis of non-invasive brain signals (primarily EEG/MEG) and apply these methods to patient data with the aim of better understanding neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s disease. Appointments can be made for up to four years starting from January 2019 or later. Remuneration is based on the German pay scale TVL E13 (65% working time). Candidates are required to hold a very good MSc or equivalent degree in a relevant field and are expected to demonstrate extraordinary skills in at least one of the following core areas A: Mathematics and quantitative data analysis/modeling (machine learning, signal processing, statistics, numerical optimization, etc.). Experience with efficient algorithms and large data sets. B: Neuroscience (psychology, cognitive science). Knowledge of general research practices and experience in the design, execution, and statistical evaluation of studies. C: Computer science. Experience in software development, programming in Matlab/Python/C, system administration. Further required are excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken), and a genuine interest in interdisciplinary work. Prior experience with functional neuroimaging data is a plus. Successful candidates will work at Charité's historic Mitte campus in the center of Berlin, and will be embedded in a stimulating research environment. Applications should be sent by email to stefan.haufe(a)charite.de quoting the reference number DM.143.18b. In addition to cv and cover letter, applicants are encouraged to include further documentation such as references, transcripts, copies of bachelor/master theses/research papers (in English or German), links to github repositories, etc. . All documents should be contained in a single pdf.

Sept. 16, 2018

Postdoctoral Position in Visual & Computational Neuroscience

by Burge, Johannes

A NIH-funded postdoctoral position is available in the lab of Johannes Burge at the University of Pennsylvania (http://burgelab.psych.upenn.edu) We use natural images, statistical learning tools, ideal observer analysis, and behavioral experiments to gain a precise understanding of the processes that support perception. We have ongoing projects across a range of topics in vision and computational neuroscience, but we tend to focus on projects directly or indirectly related to motion and depth perception. My lab is affiliated with the Computational Neuroscience Initiative at Penn, a community of top researchers working on an array of problems in sensation, perception, and cognition. Strong mathematical and programming skills are necessary, as well as strong communication skills and a record of research productivity. Familiarity designing and running psychophysical experiments via Matlab is also required. A solid background in computer graphics and knowledge of C/C++ and object oriented programming is also desirable. The lab has a high refresh-rate VPixx ProPixx projector, a haploscope driven by two high-resolution VPixx ViewPixx monitors, and a large suite of custom code for statistical learning and for the analysis of psychometric data. Applicants must have finished their Ph.D. in neuroscience, vision science, engineering, computer science, or related fields and have a demonstrated record of research productivity. The position is available immediately but the precise start date is flexible. Applicants should send a brief statement of interest, CV, and the names of three references to Johannes Burge (jburge(a)sas.upenn.edu<mailto:jburge@sas.upenn.edu>). Letters will be requested if your candidacy is being considered. Applications will be assessed as they arrive and the position will remain open until filled. Salary will be based on NIH post-doctoral rates and commensurate with experience. ======================== Johannes Burge, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Psychology Neuroscience Graduate Group University of Pennsylvania http://burgelab.psych.upenn.edu jburge(a)sas.upenn.edu (215) 573 6528

Sept. 15, 2018

Computer Models in 3R Research

by Peter Jedlicka

Dear colleagues, The programme and further information for the Kick-off Symposium of the 3R Centre JLU Giessen are available online at ICAR3R.de. The minisymposium covers also the topic of computer models in 3R research. You can register on the event website or at www.xing-events.com/3R-Symposium-Giessen.html. Abstracts for the 3R poster session can be submitted until 20th September at ICAR3R(a)uni-giessen.de. 1st International Symposium: New Prospects in Interdisciplinary 3R Research Date 18th/19th October 2018 Venue Aula at Justus Liebig University Gießen Registration fee is 90 Euro. Eight hours of training are granted for the event. Best regards, Peter Jedlicka -- Peter Jedlicka, MD, PhD Professorship for Computer-Based Modelling in the field of 3R Animal Protection Faculty of Medicine Justus-Liebig-University Rudolf-Buchheim-Str. 6 D-35392 Giessen Fax: ++49 (0)641 9941359 Interdisciplinary Centre for 3Rs in Animal Research (ICAR3R) Frankfurter Straße 104 35392 Gießen www.ICAR3R.de

Sept. 15, 2018

PhD position: US-German Collaboration in Computational Neuroscience

by Peter Jedlicka

Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD position in an NIH & BMBF funded US-Germany project aimed at creating biophysically realistic multi-scale computer models of TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)-induced changes of neuronal and synaptic properties. The position will be based at the Justus Liebig University (Giessen). This project is in collaboration with the University of Freiburg, the University of Minnesota and the Temple University (Philadelphia). The student will be using computer simulations to reproduce/predict data from electrophysiology and functional optical imaging experiments in hippocampal tissue cultures. Visits to Freiburg and to US for short-term and long-term periods of time to learn techniques and exchange information are part of the activities of this grant. The successful candidate should have a background in physics, mathematics, engineering, computational neuroscience or closely related field. Experience in scientific programming is highly desirable. The appointment will be starting in November/December 2018 or in 2019. Please submit a single pdf file including CV, list of publications, statement of research interests and names and email addresses of three references to: Prof. Dr. Peter Jedlicka; Peter.Jedlicka(a)informatik.med.uni-giessen.de The project is related to these recent publications: Lenz M, Galanis C, Müller-Dahlhaus F, Opitz A, Wierenga CJ, Szabó G, Ziemann U, Deller T, Funke K, Vlachos A (2016) Repetitive magnetic stimulation induces plasticity of inhibitory synapses. Nature Communications 7:10020 Beining M, Mongiat LA, Schwarzacher SW, Cuntz H, Jedlicka P (2017) T2N as a new tool for robust electrophysiological modeling demonstrated for mature and adult-born dentate granule cells. Elife 6:e26517 Lenz M, Platschek S, Priesemann V, Becker D, Willems LM, Ziemann U, Deller T, Müller-Dahlhaus F, Jedlicka P, Vlachos A (2015) Repetitive magnetic stimulation induces plasticity of excitatory postsynapses on proximal dendrites of cultured mouse CA1 pyramidal neurons. Brain Structure & Function 220:3323–3337. P.S. If you are interested and will be attending Bernstein Conference in Berlin (27, 28 September), feel free to send me an email so that we can meet for an in-person interview. -- Peter Jedlicka, MD, PhD Professorship for Computer-Based Modelling in the field of 3R Animal Protection Faculty of Medicine Justus-Liebig-University Rudolf-Buchheim-Str. 6 D-35392 Giessen Phone: ++49 (0)69 179 238 6269 Fax: ++49 (0)641 9941359 NeuroScience Center Clinical Neuroanatomy (Anatomy I) Goethe-University Theodor-Stern-Kai 7 D-60590 Frankfurt am Main Fax: ++49 (69) 6301 6425 Email: jedlicka(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de

Sept. 14, 2018

Post-doc at FIAS - Computational Modeling of Epilepsy: Conducting Interviews at the Bernstein Conference 2018

by Peter Jedlicka

Dear Comp-Neuro community, I would like to inform you that a post-doc position will be available in 2019 in the context of Frankfurt's new Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER). The project focuses on better understanding circuit changes and neuroimmune interactions during the development of epilepsy and is jointly lead by Prof. Jochen Triesch and me. I am attending the Bernstein Conference in Berlin (September 27-28). If you are interested, contact me by email and attach your CV so that we can meet for an in-person interview. Best, Peter Jedlicka P.S. If you are not attending the Bernstein conference, you can send your applications (single pdf file including CV, list of publications, statement of research interests and names and email addresses of three references) to jedlicka(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de and triesch(a)fias.uni-frankfurt.de. The position will be based at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (https://fias.uni-frankfurt.de/en/) Frankfurt has a vibrant Neuroscience community and the successful candidates will work closely together with experimental labs. An ideal candidate will have obtained a PhD/Master Degree in Computational Neuroscience or closely related field and have a strong interest in applying their knowledge to problems of medical relevance. Prior experience with modeling spiking neural networks or compartmental modeling is highly desirable. Experience in modeling epilepsy, neural plasticity and neuro-immune interactions is a plus. -- Peter Jedlicka, MD, PhD Professorship for Computer-Based Modelling in the field of 3R Animal Protection Faculty of Medicine Justus-Liebig-University Rudolf-Buchheim-Str. 6 D-35392 Giessen Phone: ++49 (0)69 179 238 6269 Fax: ++49 (0)641 9941359 NeuroScience Center Clinical Neuroanatomy (Anatomy I) Goethe-University Theodor-Stern-Kai 7 D-60590 Frankfurt am Main Fax: ++49 (69) 6301 6425 Email: jedlicka(a)em.uni-frankfurt.de

Sept. 14, 2018

[meetings] Call for Participation : Workshop on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning - Tokyo - September 17th

by Nguyen, Sao Mai

*Call for Participation* Workshop on Continual Unsupervised Sensorimotor Learning at IEEE ICDL-Epirob 2018 - Tokyo - September 17th Website : http://conferences.au.dk/icdl-epirob-2018-workshop/ ============================================================ *Updated list of Invited Speakers* - Jochen Triesch, Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies, Germany Title: Active Efficient Coding - David Ha, Google Brain Title: Generative World Models - Kathryn Kasmarik, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW Canberra), Australia Title: Computational Motivation for Learning, Optimisation and Decision Making *Schedule* 09:50 – 10:10 Welcome and introduction 10:10 – 10:50 *Invited talk: **David Ha* Title: Generative World Models 10:50 – 11:10 Coffee break *Inference and Representations* 11:10 – 11:30 *Where do I move my sensors? Emergence of an internal representation from the sensorimotor flow*Valentin Marcel, Sylvain Argentieri and Bruno Gas 11:30 – 11:50 *Active inference in continual learning* Pablo Lanillos *Sensorimotor Learning* 11:50 – 12:10 *Towards Biological Plausibility of Sensorimotor Learning Models: a Short Review* Silvia Pagliarini, Arthur Leblois, and Xavier Hinaut 12:10 – 12:30 *A Computational Model For Action Prediction Development* Serkan Bugur, Yukie Nagai, Erhan Oztop, and Emre Ugur *Application/Tools* 12:30 – 12:50 *Flatland: a Lightweight First-Person 2-D Environment for Reinforcement Learning* Hugo Caselles-Dupré, Louis Annabi, Oksana Hagen, Michael Garcia-Ortiz, and David Filliat 12:50 – 14:10 Lunch break 14:10 – 14:50 *Invited talk. Jochen Triesch* Title: Active Efficient Coding *Intrinsic Motivation and alike* 14:50 – 15:10 *Learning Sequences of Policies by using an Intrinsically Motivated Learner and a Task Hierarchy* Nicolas Duminy, Alexandre Manoury, Sao Mai Nguyen, Cédric Buche, and Dominique Duhaut 15:10 – 15:30 *Emergent emotion as a regulatory mechanism for a cognitive task implemented on the iCub robot* Murat Kirtay, Lorenzo Vannucci, Egidio Falotico, Cecilia Laschi, and Erhan Oztop *Application/Tools* 15:30 – 15:50 *Towards Life Long Learning: Multimodal Learning of MNIST Handwritten Digits* Eli Sheppard, Hagen Lehmann, G. Rajendran, Peter E. McKenna, Oliver Lemon, and Katrin S. Lohan 15:50 – 16:10 Coffee break 16:10 – 16:40 *Invited talk: Kathryn Kasmarik* Title: Computational Motivation for Learning, Optimisation and Decision Making 16:40 – 17:40 Discussion 17:40 – 18:00 Conclusions and farewell ============================================================ *Scope* As the algorithms for learning single tasks in restricted environments are improving, new challenges have gained relevance. They include multi-task learning, multimodal sensorimotor learning in open worlds and lifelong adaptation to injury, growth and ageing. In this workshop we will discuss the developmental processes involved in the emergence of representations of action and perception in humans and artificial agents in continual learning. These processes include action-perception cycle, active perception, continual sensory-motor learning, environmental-driven scaffolding, and intrinsic motivation. The discussion will be strongly motivated by behavioural and neural data. We hope to provide a discussion friendly environment to connect with research with similar interest regardless of their area of expertise which could include robotics, computer science, psychology, neuroscience, etc. We would also like to devise a roadmap or strategies to develop mathematical and computational models to improve robot performance and/or to attempt to unveil the underlying mechanisms that lead to continual adaptation to changing environment or embodiment and continual learning in open-ended environments. The primary list of topics covers the following (but not limited to): - Emergence of representations via continual interaction - Continual sensory-motor learning - Action-perception cycle - Active perception - Environmental-driven scaffolding - Intrinsic motivation - Neural substrates, neural circuits and neural plasticity - Human and animal behaviour experiments and models - Reinforcement learning and deep reinforcement learning for life-long learning - Multisensory robot learning - Multimodal sensorimotor learning - Affordance learning - Prediction learning *Organizers:* Nicolás Navarro-Guerrero, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark Sao Mai Nguyen, IMT Atlantique, France Erhan Öztop, Özyeğin University, Turkey Junpei Zhong, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan ============================================================ Nguyen Sao Mai nguyensmai(a)gmail.com Researcher in Cognitive Developmental Robotics http://nguyensmai.free.fr

Sept. 14, 2018

PhD student position in neural data analysis, University of Edinburgh (Arno Onken)

by Arno Onken

A fully funded PhD position is available in the group of Arno Onken at the University of Edinburgh, on the development and application of novel methods for analysing multi-modal and multi-scale neural recordings. The group collaborates closely with the experimental groups of Nathalie Rochefort (University of Edinburgh, joint EPSRC-funded project to start in March) and Shuzo Sakata (University of Strathclyde). Potential projects are interdisciplinary, bridging computational neuroscience, statistical modelling and machine learning. The successful applicant will join the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation (http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/) which hosts strong research groups in the relevant fields. Applicants should have a strong quantitative background (e.g. math, statistics, computer science, physics, computational neuroscience), good programming skills and a keen interest in interdisciplinary research. A background in neuroscience is desirable, but not essential. The position is available to UK/EU applicants. Other excellent applicants may be eligible for international postgraduate scholarships - please get in touch. The start date is flexible. Interested applicants should submit their application to the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation: https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degrees/index.php?r=site/view&ed… For further information, please contact Arno Onken (aonken(a)inf.ed.ac.uk) -- The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Sept. 14, 2018

Call for applications to participate in NSF funded Workshop on Future Frameworks of Theoretical Neuroscience

by Fidel Santamaria

NSF Funded workshop - Future Frameworks of Theoretical Neuroscience, Feb 4-7, 2019, San Antonio, TX. Call for applications to participate: graduate students, postdoctoral fellows & junior assistant professors As it is widely known, the objective of the BRAIN initiative has been to develop novel neurotechnologies, which will provide vast streams of experimental data in the coming years. For the neuroscience community as a whole to benefit from these advances, theoretical frameworks that span across scales, systems, and species need to be developed. The main challenge for the theoretical neuroscience community is to design these frameworks with a long-term vision to anticipate and guide the development of new techniques and experiments. We view this as a collective effort. Another of our objectives is for the theoretical neuroscience community to identify leading areas of scientific inquiry, key theoretical questions, and to discuss methodological ways to address these questions. This will highly contribute to shape the future research endeavors towards the understanding of brain function across interacting levels of organization, scales, and range of species. This will also help the funding agencies to establish programs and priorities. The workshop will take place in San Antonio, TX from Feb 4-7, 2019. The NSF will cover the participant's transportation (up to $500, economy class, no upgrades) and lodging (up to 4 nights) for a selected group junior researchers. If interested, please submit a CV and two paragraphs describing the reason(s) to participate in the workshop (1 page maximum, divided into two paragraphs, one titled 'present work' and another one titled 'motivation'). While all the neuroscience community is encouraged to apply we are also looking for people outside neuroscience with fresh ideas that would like to participate. Please send your application to fidel.santamaria(a)utsa.edu<mailto:fidel.santamaria@utsa.edu> with the subject line [Framework Workshop] Application no later than October 10, 2018. As a participant, we would like you to contribute to (1) the description of the present framework(s) of theoretical neuroscience; and (2) the definition of a roadmap for the development of future theories of brain function across scales. In practice, we would like you to contribute to identifying key questions and organizing principles across scales of biological organization that share common theoretical foundations. We also would like you to interact with other participants to develop strategies to advance the field in order to "...transform our understanding of the linkages between neural activity and cognition and behavior across different systems, environments, and species." We would like to emphasize that the objective of the workshop is not to describe current projects but the ideas and theories that are yet to be developed and are needed to move the field forward. While the meeting will have a component of talks we will devote most of the time to organizing formal and informal discussions among the participants. We expect the participants to collectively produce a series of papers describing the identified fields, state of the art and present/future questions so these can reach the broader community and foster additional discussions and interactions. We will also generate a white paper to distribute to public and private funding agencies that describe our views of the future frameworks of theoretical neuroscience. More information available at http://www.utsa.edu/SantamariaLab/Workshop/ Horacio G. Rotstein (NJIT) & Fidel Santamaria (UTSA) Organizers _______________________________________________________________________________ Fidel Santamaria, PhD Associate Professor Department of Biology University of Texas at San Antonio www.utsa.edu/SantamariaLab Office: BSB 1.03.30 Tel +1(210) 458 6910

Sept. 13, 2018

Professorship in Auditory Neuro-Engineering (Ghent University)

by Sarah Verhulst

Dear List, We have an opening for a research professorship in Auditory Neuro-engineering to foster interdisciplinary approaches to hearing science within the Faculties of Engineering and Medical sciences at Ghent University. The succesful candidate will become a member of the Ghent Auditory Science Platform (www.gasp.ugent.be)<http://www.gasp.ugent.be)/>. Kind Regards, Sarah Verhulst --- Sarah Verhulst Associate Professor T +32 9 33 14 844 Dept. Information Technology Waves Technology Campus, iGent, Technologiepark 15, 9052 Zwijnaarde (BE) T secretariaat +32 9 264 33 21 / F +32 9 264 35 93 www.ugent.be<https://www.ugent.be/> www.waves.intec.ugent.be e-maildisclaimer<https://helpdesk.ugent.be/e-maildisclaimer.php> More information and application: https://www.ugent.be/nl/onderzoek/carriere/21zap.htm Job Title: Professor in Auditory Neuro-engineering Req ID 11671 - Posted 12/09/2018 - Professorial staff - 100% - Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences → Apply until 12/10/2018 23:59 CET → Discipline: Auditory Neuro-engineering → 100% Associate professor / Full professor / Senior full professor → Reference number: 201806/ZAP-21/65-01 ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY Ghent University is one of the most important education and research institutions in the Low Countries. On a daily basis, over 9,000 staff members and 41,000 students implement its motto "Dare to Think". Ghent University's mission statement is characterised by qualitative education, internationally renowned research and a pluralistic social responsibility. ASSIGNMENT Within her vision on the importance of inter-disciplinary research, Ghent University wishes to stimulate cooperation between different faculties. One of the initiatives that is deployed in this context is the Ghent Auditory Science Platform (GASP; www.gasp.ugent.be) Auditory science and auditory medicine are increasingly engineering driven. Hence, GASP combines expertise from various medical and engineering disciplines with an additional touch of psychology. This inter-faculty collaboration will be supported by a full time (100%) associate or full professor in auditory neuro-engineering. The professor in auditory neuro-engineering will further develop research in auditory science at the interface between technology and neurology. The focus will be on the possibility to couple electronic and opto-electronic components more effectively to the auditory nerve, the auditory brainstem and cortex. By extending the team of professors that conducts research in the area of auditory science, Ghent University wants to strengthen its position as a leading research institute in this area. This position is part of a unique strategic investment by Ghent University: 21 new professorships are embedded in interdisciplinary consortia, designed to generate a significant societal impact with their research. For more information, see: www.ugent.be/21zap Academic education You lecture a limited number of course units in the discipline of audiology and biomedical engineering. These courses are situated in the faculty of medicine and the faculty of engineering. In addition you will be the promoter of Master dissertations and PhDs in biomedical sciences, audiology, and engineering. Academic Research You conduct research in the discipline of auditory neuro-engineering. In particular you study the interaction between human substrate – auditory nerve/brainstem/cortex – and high tech chips and electronic and opto-electronic implants. In this way you contribute to the innovation goals of the GASP team in relation to: * biological strategies for use in inner ear therapeutics: gene therapy, stem-cell therapy, and molecular therapy; * auditory nerve fiber stimulation, resynchronizing, brain-computer interfacing; * stimulating brain plasticity (e.g. post deafness, in tinnitus and/or decreased sound tolerance cases), and individualized interventions; * cochlear nerve sensing and brainstem processing (auditory processing on implanted chip); * neuro-acoustic phenotype determination allowing for personalized hearing deficit treatment when needed. Academic services You take part in the internal and external service provision of the Ghent Auditory Science Platform. PROFILE Experience * You have already conducted eminent academic research in the given discipline, which is clearly reflected in publications in high-quality academic journals and peer-reviewed books; * You are capable of initiating, supervising and acquiring the necessary funding for academic research; * You are didactically skilled to teach university students to develop academic competences; * Recommended are: * International mobility, among other things thanks to research stays at institutions external to the one where you acquired your highest academic degree; * Positively evaluated experience in provided or organized academic lecturing; * Professionalisation of education. Skills / Attitude * You are quality-oriented; * You take initiative; * You have leadership qualities; * You have good communication skills (English proficiency) and make connections with colleagues and industry. Admission requirements * You hold a thesis-based doctorate or a diploma or certificate that is recognised as equivalent (article V.20 Codex Higher Education) in biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering, medical physics, neuro-engineering, or doctorate in medicine with a strong emphasis on technical aspect, or a doctorate in electronics/ICT engineering or engineering physics/mathematics with a strong emphasis on biomedical aspects. Upon evaluation of a foreign (non-EU) diploma, a certificate of equivalence may still have to be requested at NARIC. If this is the case, we advise you to initiate this recognition procedure as soon as possible. You are required to have the recognition no later than on the date of your appointment. * You have at least two years of postdoctoral experience on 2 October 2018. This term of two years is determined by the date written on the above-mentioned required diploma. APPOINTMENT INFORMATION Depending on the specific profile of the selected candidate, the degree of associate professor or full professor is awarded. This will be decided by the University Board as proposed by the Faculty Board. * We offer you a permanent appointment in the starting grade of associate professor or full professor, without prejudice to the possibility of a temporary appointment offered in article V.28 of the Codex of Higher Education. The recruitment is possible no sooner than 1 February 2019. OUR OFFER Ghent University reserves a budget of €200.000 in its Special Research Fund for each of the newly appointed professors under the strategic “21ZAP” scheme, equaling the value of 1 PhD student for 4 years. This research budget is allocated out of competition but is subject to approval of the applicant’s research proposal by Ghent University’s Research Council. Ghent University is committed to properly welcoming new professorial staff members and offering them appropriate guidance. The basic teacher training and courses of 'Dutch' and 'English' for foreign-speaking lecturers are only a few examples of our wide range of training and education opportunities. Furthermore, each Ghent University staff member can count on a number of benefits such as a bike allowance, reimbursement of public transport commuting costs, daycare, a wide range of sports facilities and EcoCheques. A complete overview of all our employee benefits (in Dutch). Ghent University also invests in welcoming international professorial staff. It offers various housing options, a relocation bonus, the International School for school-aged children (with a discount on the tuition fee), support when registering at the City of Ghent, support with the procedure of family reunification and other administrative matters in connection with moving to Ghent. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/living and www.ugent.be/en/staff. GENDER AND DIVERSITY Ghent University conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply. Ghent University also strives for a gender balance. Female applications are thus especially welcomed. SELECTION PROCEDURE After the final application date, all received applications will be sent to the assessment committee assembled for this vacancy. This committee will first evaluate the application files. Therefore it will match all elements of the file against the required expertise for the position in terms of education, research and scientific service. Based on this deliberation, relevant candidates will be shortlisted to be invited for further selection (interview, possible presentation or test lecture …). Afterwards, the committee will rank the suitable candidates and present this ranking to the Faculty Board. The advice of the Faculty Board will then be presented to the University Board for approval. Candidates are asked to further discuss their top 5 most important publications or other academic achievements with the highest impact. Next to academic publications, the candidate is thus also able to show merit of knowledge transfer by academic dissemination, social valorisation, public awareness, seminars or conference presentations. These competences are also taken into account when evaluating the candidates. Candidates are also asked to prepare a research proposal. The research proposal can be taken into account by the selection committee in order to assess the candidate’s potential contribution to the consortium; nevertheless, the evaluation of the proposal itself by the Research Council will not be initiated until after the professorship appointment in order to award the €200,000 research budget. The evaluation of the required international mobility is broad and partly takes the gender perspective into account, thus not only considering longer stays abroad by also other forms of internationalisation. Pregnancy leave, prolonged sick leave, parental leave, filial leave or other forms of absence are taken into account when evaluating the available time for the realisation of academic output. HOW TO APPLY Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not sent through the online system. Your application must include the following documents: * In the field ‘Cv’: the professorial staff application form (+ all annexes mentioned in the form), merged into one pdf file. * In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format * In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your doctoral degree. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages. * In the field ‘Certificate of equivalence’: only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union: certificate of equivalence (NARIC) (if already in you possession) Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB. MORE INFORMATION The strategic goals of this vacancy. For further information regarding these vacancies, please contact Prof. Ingeborg Dhooge (ingeborg.dhooge(a)UGent.be, +32 332 23 31) at the Faculty Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Otorhinolaryngology or Prof. Dick Botteldooren (dick.botteldooren(a)UGent.be, +32 9 264 9968) at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Information Technology.

Sept. 13, 2018

Postdoc positions at Harvard in theoretical neuroscience and brain-inspired machine learning

by Cengiz Pehlevan

Postdoctoral positions are available in Cengiz Pehlevan’s theoretical neuroscience group at Harvard University. We are looking for candidates with strong analytical and numerical skills, and backgrounds in (theoretical) neuroscience, applied mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, or related fields. Our group seeks to understand the algorithms of the brain and their neural implementation. Current interests include, but are not limited to, unsupervised learning of sensory representations, reinforcement learning of motor skills, decision making and brain-inspired machine learning. For recent publications, see pehlevan.seas.harvard.edu <https://pehlevan.seas.harvard.edu/>. Successful candidates will join a vibrant community of researchers at Harvard and take part in collaborations with experimental labs across the campus. The position is funded for multiple years, with an initial one-year appointment and expectation of extension contingent on satisfactory progress. To apply, please email a short statement of research interests, a CV, and the contact information of at least two references to Cengiz Pehlevan (cpehlevan at seas.harvard.edu) with the subject line “Theory Postdoctoral Fellow”. Review of applications will begin immediately. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Sept. 12, 2018

PhD positions in Electrophysiology / Brain-machine interface at U. Sherbrooke, Canada (co-supervision with U. of Minnesota, USA)

by Jean Rouat

Auditory implants aim at restoring audition by stimulating a specific structure of the auditory system with an electrode array. The most successful auditory implant, the cochlear implant that stimulates the spiral ganglions in the cochlea, has allowed more than 325 000 people worldwide to regain audition. However, cochlear implants are not appropriate for patients that have a disfunctionnal auditory nerve or for which the cochlea cannot be implanted. Alternative implants have therefore been developed such as the auditory midbrain implant (AMI) that stimulates a structure named the inferior colliculus (IC). One aspect that limits the development of the AMI is the lack of knowledge regarding the optimal approach to stimulate the IC. The proposed project aims at gaining more insight into the optimal design of stimulation patterns for the IC. Objectives: ----------- Design optimal inferior colliculus stimulation patterns using adaptive filters specifically adapted for neural signals: the neural activity will be recorded in the auditory cortex and optimal stimulation in the inferior colliculus will be evaluated using a closed-loop approach. A financial support will be provided. Requirements: —————— - Excellent academic record. - Master’s degree in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, biophysics or other related field with a strong background in mathematics and signal processing. - Willing to conduct experiments in electrophysiology to record the neural activity of the auditory system. No prior knowledge in electrophysiology is required. - Excellent ability to communicate in English, knowledge of French is considered an advantage. The Université de Sherbrooke is a French-speaking institution located in the province of Quebec, Canada, and the heart of an international research pole. It is the host to more than 40 000 students from over 120 different countries worldwide. (Source: UdeS) Interested candidates should send their CV, academic transcripts as well as the names of 2 references to Prof. Eric Plourde. Contact: Eric Plourde, Eng., Ph.D., Université de Sherbrooke (eric.plourde(a)usherbrooke.ca)

Sept. 11, 2018

COSYNE 2019: Call for workshop proposals

by Tomas Hromadka

================================================= Computational and Systems Neuroscience 2019 (Cosyne) MAIN MEETING 28 February - 03 March 2019 Lisbon, Portugal WORKSHOPS 04 - 05 March 2019 Cascais, Portugal www.cosyne.org ================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 30 September 2018 FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 31 October 2018 PRE-PROPOSALS In an effort to coordinate submissions, the organizers are *strongly encouraged* to submit a pre-proposal by *30 September 2018.* Pre-proposals will be shared among submitters. Pre-proposals are not mandatory, but workshops with a pre-proposal will have priority. The organizers may submit the full proposal by its deadline. A series of workshops will be held after the main Cosyne meeting (www.cosyne.org) The goal is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of important research questions and challenges. Controversial issues, open problems, comparisons of competing approaches, and alternative viewpoints are encouraged. The overarching goal of all workshops should be the integration of empirical and theoretical approaches, in an environment that fosters collegial discussion and debate. Preference will be given to proposals that differ substantially in content, scope, and/or approach from workshops of recent years (examples available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops). Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: sensory processing; motor planning and control; functional neural circuits; motivation, reward and decision making; learning and memory; adaptation and plasticity; neural coding; neural circuitry and network models; and methods in computational or systems neuroscience. In order to foster discussion within Workshops and reduce overlap between workshops, organizers should inform invited speakers that a single person should not speak in more than one of the Workshops taking place on the same day. WORKSHOP DETAILS - There will be 4-8 workshops/day, running in parallel. - Each workshop is expected to draw between 15 and 80 people. - The workshops will be split into morning (8.00-11.00 AM) and afternoon (4.30-7.30 PM) sessions. - Workshops will be held at Cascais, a coastal village ~34 km west of Lisbon. Buses from the main conference will be provided. . SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Submission instructions for workshop (pre)-proposals are available at Cosyne.org -> Workshops. PRE-PROPOSALS should include: - Name(s) and email address(es) of the organizers (no more than 2 organizers per session, please). A primary contact should be designated. - A title. - A brief description of 1) what the workshop will address and accomplish, 2) why the topic is of interest, 3) who is the targeted group of participants. - Names of potential invitees, with indication of confirmed speakers. Preference will be given to workshops with the most confirmed speakers. - Proposed workshop length (1 or 2 days). Most workshops will be limited to a single day. If you think your workshop needs two days, please explain why. - A brief resume of the workshop organizer along with a short list of workshop-relevant publications (about half a page total). FULL PROPOSALS should include the list of confirmed speakers in addition to components required for a pre-proposal. Workshop organizer responsibilities include coordinating workshop participation and content, scheduling all speakers and submitting a final schedule for the workshop program, and moderating the discussion. Organizers can be speakers but need not speak depending on scheduling constraints. SUGGESTIONS Experience has shown that the best discussions during a workshop are those that arise spontaneously. A good way to foster these is to have short talks and long question periods (e.g. 30+15 minutes), and have plenty of breaks. We recommend fewer than 10 talks. When preparing pre-proposals and full proposals, the organizers are encouraged to: - address timeliness of workshop in the proposal: what new insights have been generated (new papers, data, techniques, whatever) over the past few years that make now the right time for discussing them and for presenting them to the wider community? - directly describe how speakers address the central topic, e.g. which are the big question(s), which speakers represent different viewpoints on the same question, which experimentalist addresses the theories addressed by which theoretician (and vice versa); - address controversies and bring together speakers from different “camps” in the same field, or from different fields that you think should talk more to each other for whatever reason; WORKSHOP COSTS Detailed registration costs, etc, will be available at www.cosyne.org. Please note: Cosyne does NOT provide travel funding for workshop speakers. All workshop speakers are expected to pay for workshop registration fees. Participants are encouraged to register early, in order to qualify for discounted registration rates. One complementary (free) organizer registration is provided per workshop. For workshops with 2 organizers, the free registration can be given to one of the organizers or split evenly between them. COSYNE 2019 WORKSHOP CHAIRS Catherine Hartley (NYU) and Ralf Haefner (University of Rochester) QUESTIONS email: workshops [at] cosyne.org COSYNE MAILING LISTS Please consider adding yourself to Cosyne mailing lists (groups) to receive email updates with various Cosyne-related information and join in helpful discussions. See Cosyne.org -> Mailing lists for details.

Sept. 10, 2018

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS, BROWN UNIVERSITY (TRUCCOLO LAB)

by Wilson Truccolo

Applications for post-doctoral positions in Computational Neuroscience are invited for the laboratory of Dr. Wilson Truccolo in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. The positions are for the development of data-driven stochastic models of neuronal network dynamics, including applications to propagation and control of epileptic seizures. Neural data consist of recordings of ensembles of single-neurons and high-density local field potentials obtained via multiple intracortical microelectrode arrays implanted in human and non-human primates. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in computational/theoretical neuroscience and modeling of stochastic neural dynamics. Related publications can be found on the Truccolo lab website ( http://www.truccololab.com/) Inquiries should be addressed to Dr. Truccolo (wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu) Applications including a CV, statement of research interests, and the names and full contact details of three referees should be sent to wilson_truccolo(a)brown.edu. -- Wilson Truccolo, Ph.D. Pablo J. Salame '88 Goldman Sachs Assistant Professor of Computational Neuroscience Department of Neuroscience & Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Lab website: http://www.truccololab.com/

Sept. 10, 2018

Two Open Postdoc positions on Multi-modal and Computational Brain dynamic studies (MPI-Biological Cybernetics)

by Xin Yu

Postdoctoral Position at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany The Department of High-field Magnetic Resonance at the Max Plank Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen is offering TWO postdoctoral positions. This position is open now until filled. Research Description: Understand and learn to control the brain circuits underlying critical brain states. Potential assignments: Position #1 (Bio-engineering and computational direction) a) Build up a real-time bio-feedback controlling system for brain functional studies: i) Neural network-based signal processing, ii) MR-guided robotic system development, iii) Machine learning-based multi-modal brain signal dynamic prediction. b) High field MRI methodology development and applications i) High spatiotemporal fMRI method development from rodents to humans. ii) Advanced resting-state fMRI analysis method development based on the neural network-based learning schemes. Candidates with strong computational skills are highly encouraged to apply for this position. Position #2 (multi-modality imaging in animal brains, Biologists/biomedical engineers/electrophysiologists) a) Implement the MRI/EEG/calcium recording methods for global brain state monitoring. b) Target specific nuclei with deep brain optogenetic stimulation methods to study circuit-specific brain state neuromodulation. c) Develop an advanced fiber-optic imaging device for MRI compatible concurrent brain dynamic signal recordings, e.g., Ca2+, Glutamate, K+, and other neuromodulators. Experience with viral transfection, 2-PM or fiber optic recordings, or in vivo. / in vitro. electrophysiology in animal models (rodents) is highly desirable. The candidates should bear experience or strong interests in brain functional imaging, e.g. task-based BOLD fMRI. The Max Plank Institute for Biological Cybernetics is located in Tübingen, Germany. The High-field Magnetic Resonance Department is equipped with the 3T, 9.4T human MR scanner and 14.1T animal Bruker MR Scanner. Please send your CV (in English) to Dr. Yu (E-mail: xin.yu(a)tuebingen.mpg.de) Best, Xin

Sept. 10, 2018

postdoc positions in statistical neuroscience

by xaq pitkow

POSITION: We seek several highly motivated postdoctoral research fellows for a collaborative team project building statistical tools for interpreting large scale neural recordings (10^5 neurons per animal). The fellows will develop new methods and applications of probabilistic graphical models to infer statistical interactions amongst neurons and with their environment. The tools will be validated in neural network simulations, tested in physiological recordings, and made widely available to the neuroscience community for understanding data from next-generation experiments. TEAM: Fellows will join principal investigators and theorists Krešimir Josić, Genevera Allen, Xaq Pitkow, Ankit Patel, and Robert Rosenbaum. The team will interact closely with experimentalists including co-Investigator Andreas Tolias and several other labs interested in applying novel methods we develop. Fellows will also be members of the new Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence housed at the Baylor College of Medicine and supported in part by the NSF NeuroNex program. The Center brings together interdisciplinary researchers from across Houston, including members from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Houston, and University of Texas Health Sciences. Researchers at the Center contribute diverse expertise in fields including neuroscience, machine learning, statistics, physics, computer science, electrical engineering, and applied mathematics. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must have outstanding mathematical skills, a PhD in a relevant quantitative discipline, and expertise in probabilistic graphical models or statistical machine learning. APPLYING: Applicants should email a letter of research interests and CV to Camila Lopez (Camila.Lopez at bcm.edu) along with contact information for three references. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sept. 7, 2018

Multiple Faculty Positions in Neuroengineering, Rice University

by Caleb Kemere

Multiple Assistant Professor Positions in Neuroengineering Rice University in Houston, Texas Rice University’s School of Engineering invites applicants for multiple open tenure-track faculty positions at the assistant professor level in the emerging and broad area of neuroengineering. Research areas of interest include but are not limited to, development of technologies for interfacing with and manipulating the nervous system, as well as computational, data, and theory-driven approaches to improve our understanding of the function of the brain, neurological disorders, and treatment outcomes. Rice University has recently launched a $50 million initiative in neuroengineering to support growing research and education programs in neuroengineering, signal processing, data science, sensing, and nano-electronics with great national and international visibility. A Ph.D. is required, or the Ph.D. requirements must be fulfilled by July 1 of the year employment commences, and the successful applicants will be required to teach undergraduate and graduate courses and build successful research programs. Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research and teaching interests, and at least three references through school’s faculty application website: http://jobs.rice.edu/postings/16626/ Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning December 15, 2018, through January 15, 2019. The positions are expected to be available July 1, 2019, and successful candidates can choose any of the nine departments in the school of engineering as their home department. Additional information can be found on our website: http://neuroengineering.rice.edu/ Caleb Kemere : 713-348-6089 / 832-356-6089 : MS-384 : BRC727 : http://rnel.rice.edu Asst. Prof, Rice University Electrical & Computer Engineering

Sept. 7, 2018