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KogWis2022 | 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society +++ The call for symposia is open

by Constantin Rothkopf

Event: The 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society, KogWis2022 Theme: Understanding Minds Date: 5.-7. September 2022 Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Host: Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg Web: https://www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de/ Abstract: The 15. biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society (KogWis2022) will take place from 5.-7. September 2022 in Freiburg i.Br., Germany, organized by the Center for Cognitive Science. The theme “Understanding Minds” reflects two perspectives: The conference provides a forum for all topics in the study of how minds – both human and artificial – operate. The theme also puts a specific spotlight on how cognitive systems make sense of the world, in particular in language comprehension and communication. The Call for Symposia for the 15th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society, KogWis2022, is now open! https://www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de/ Confirmed keynote speakers are: Dedre Gentner, Northwestern University, Illinois Seana Coulson, University of California, San Diego Marcel Brass, Humboldt University, Berlin Matthew Crocker, Saarland University, Saarbrücken For any inquiries please use the conference e-mail-address kogwis2022(a)cognition.uni-freiburg.de. Further information is available on the conference website: www.kogwis2022.uni-freiburg.de. Organising Committee: Evelyn Ferstl, Lars Konieczny, Rul von Stülpnagel, Lisa Zacharski, Judith Beck

Feb. 18, 2022

MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience Course

by Stephen A. Baccus

Applications are open for the Methods in Computational Neuroscience course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course will run from July 28 to August 24, 2022, and the online application form can be found at: https://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/methods-in-computational-neuroscience/<https://ws2.mbl.edu/studentapp/studentapp.asp?courseid=MCN> The course application deadline is *March 30*. The course covers a range of topics in computational neuroscience including neuronal biophysics, neural coding & information processing, circuit dynamics, learning & memory, motor control, and cognitive processing & disease. In addition, numerous tutorials and problem sets will cover a broad range of computational and mathematical modeling methods. The course strongly emphasizes the collaboration between theory and experiment in solving neuroscience problems, and lectures will be given by a mixture of theorists and experimentalists. The final weeks of the course are primarily reserved for work on projects that students design in collaboration with the resident faculty. Further information can be found on the MCN website: http://www.mbl.edu/mcn/ 2022 Course Directors: Stephen Baccus, Stanford University Xiao Jing Wang, New York University 2022 Faculty: Larry Abbott, Columbia University Tim Behrens, Univ. College London Emery Brown, MIT Randy Buckner, Harvard University Anne Churchland, UCLA Claudia Clopath, Imp. College London Albert Compte, IDIBAPS Shaul Druckmann, Stanford University Uri Eden, Boston University Bard Ermentrout, U. of Pittsburgh Adrienne Fairhall, U. of Washington Michale Fee, MIT James Fitzgerald, Janelia Res., HHMI Loren Frank, UCSF Stefano Fusi, Columbia University Surya Ganguli, Stanford University Paul Glimcher, New York University Mark Goldman, UC Davis Nancy Kopell, Boston University Eve Marder, Brandeis University Yiota Poirazi, IMBB-FORTH David Redish, U. Minnesota Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute Reza Shadmehr, Johns Hopkins Univ. Sara Solla, Northwestern University Haim Sompolinsky, Hebrew University Nelson Spruston, Janelia Res., HHMI Josh Tenenbaum, MIT Nao Uchida, Harvard University Greg Wayne, DeepMind

Feb. 18, 2022

[jobs] Phd opportunity in Lille, France - Spiking Neural Networks for Video Analysis

by Ioan Marius BILASCO

The FOX team from the CRIStAL laboratory (UMR CNRS), Lille France is looking to recruit a PhD student starting as soon as possible on the following subject : Spiking Neural Networks for Video Analysis The FOX research group is part of the CRIStAL laboratory (University of Lille, CNRS), located in Lille, France. We focus on video analysis for human behavior understanding. Specifically, we develop spatio-temporal models of motions for tasks such as abnormal event detection, emotion recognition, and face alignment. We are also involved in IRCICA (CNRS), a research institute promoting multidisciplanary research. At IRCICA, we collaborate with computer scientists and experts in electronics engineering to create new models of neural networks that can be implemented on low-power hardware architectures. Recently, we designed state-of-the-art models for image recognition with single and multi-layer unsupervised spiking neural networks. We were among the first to succesfully apply unsupervised SNNs on modern datasets of computer vision. We also developed our own SNN simulator to support experiments with SNN on computer vision problems. Our work is published in major journals (Pattern Recognition, IEEE Trans. on Affective Computing) and conferences (WACV, IJCNN) in the field. Abstract: Spiking Neural Network have recently been evaluated on classical image recognition tasks [1]. This work has highlighted their promising performances in this domain and have identified ways to improve them to be competitive with comparable deep learning approaches. In particular, it demonstrated the ability of SNN architectures to learn relevant patterns for static pattern recognition in an unsupervised manner. However, dealing with static images is not enough, and the computer vision community is increasingly interested in video analysis, for two reasons. First, video data is more and more common and corresponds to a wide range of applications (video surveillance, audio-visual productions, autonomous vehicles...). Second, this data is richer than isolated static images, and thus offers the possibility to develop more effective systems, e.g. using motion information. Thus, it is recognized in the community that modeling motion in videos is more relevant than studying visual appearance alone for tasks such as action or emotion recognition. The next step for SNNs is therefore to study their ability to model motion rather than, or in addition to, image appearance. The goal of the Ph.D. candidate will be to explore the use of SNNs for space-time modeling in videos. This work will be targeted towards applications in human behavior understanding and especially action recognition. More specifically, the Ph.D. candidate is expected to: * identify what issues may prevent space-time modeling with SNNs and how they can be circumvented; * propose new supervised and unsupervised SNN models for motion modeling, which are compatible with hardware implementations on ultra-low power devices; * evaluate the proposed models on standard datasets for video analysis. Detailed subject: https://bit.ly/stssnnfox <https://bit.ly/stssnnfox> Candidates must hold a Master degree (or an equivalent degree) in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or a related field. Experience in one or more of the following is a plus: • image processing, computer vision; • machine learning; • bio-inspired computing; • research methodology (literature review, experimentation…). Candidates should have the following skills: • good proficiency in English, both spoken and written; • scientific writing; • programming (experience in C++ is a plus, but not mandatory). This PHD thesis will be funded in the framework of the ANVI-Luxant industrial chair. The general objective of the Chair is to make a scientific and technological progress in the mastery of emerging information processing architectures such as neuromorphic architectures as an embedded artificial intelligence technique. The use-case studies will come from video protection in the context of retail and transportation. The candidate will be funded for 3 years; he/she is expected to defend his/her thesis and graduate by the end of the contract. The monthly gross salary is around 2000€, including benefits (health insurance, retirement fund, and paid vacations). The position is located in Lille, France. With over 110 000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one France's top education student cities. The European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de Calais is headquartered in Lille Metropole and includes 3,000 PhD Doctorate students supported by university research laboratories. Lille has a convenient location in the European high-speed rail network. It lies on the Eurostar line to London (1:20 hour journey). The French TGV network also puts it only 1 hour from Paris, 35 mn from Brussels, and a short trips to other major centres in France such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon. For application, please send the following information in a single PDF file to Dr. Marius Bilasco (marius.bilasco(a)univ-lille.fr <mailto:marius.bilasco@univ-lille.fr>) with subject [PhD_Luxant-ANVI]: * A cover letter. * A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications, if any. * Transcripts of grades of Master's degree. * The contact information of two references (and any letters if available). We look forward to receiving your application as soon as possible, but no later than 26.3.2022

Feb. 17, 2022

[jobs] PhD opportunity - Spatio-temporal augmentation models for motion pattern learning - AI_PhD@Lille, France

by Ioan Marius BILASCO

The FOX team from the CRIStAL laboratory (UMR CNRS), Lille France is looking to recruit a PhD student starting on October 1st 2022 on the following subject : Spatio-temporal data augmentation models for motion pattern learning using deep learning: applications to facial analysis in the wild The FOX research group is part of the CRIStAL laboratory (University of Lille, CNRS), located in Lille, France. We focus on video analysis for human behavior understanding. Specifically, we develop spatio-temporal models of motions for tasks such as abnormal event detection, emotion recognition, and face alignment. Our work is published in major journals (Pattern Recognition, IEEE Trans. on Affective Computing) and conferences (WACV, IJCNN). Abstract: Facial expression analysis is a well-studied field when dealing with segmented and constrained data captured in lab conditions. However, many challenges must still be addressed for building in-the-wild solutions that account for various motion intensities, strong head movements during expressions, the spotting of the subsequence containing the expression, partially occluded faces, etc. In recent years, learned features based on deep learning architectures were proposed in order to deal with these challenges. Deep learning is characterized by neural architectures that depend on a huge number of parameters. The convergence of these neural networks and the estimation of optimal parameters require large amounts of training data, especially when dealing with spatio-temporal data, particulary adequate for facial expression recognition. The quantity, but also the quality, of the data and its capacity to reflect the addressed challenges are key elements for training properly the networks. Augmenting the data artificially in an intelligent and controlled way is an interesting solution. The augmentation techniques identified in the literature are mainly focused on image augmentation and consist of scaling, rotation, and flipping operations, or they make use of more complex adversarial training. These techniques can be applied at the frame level, but there is a need for sequence level augmentation in order to better control the augmentation process and ensure the absence of temporal artifacts that might bias the learning process. The generation of dynamic frontal facial expressions has already been addressed in the literature. The goal of this Ph.D. is to conceive new space-time augmentation methods for unconstrained facial analysis (involving head movements, occultations, etc.). Attention should be paid in assessing the quality standards related to facial expression requirements: stability over time, absence of facial artifacts, etc. More specifically, the Ph.D. can didate is expected to conceive augmentation architectures that address various challenges (motion intensities, head movements) while maintaining temporal stability and eliminating facial artifacts. More details are available here : https://bit.ly/staugm_motion <http://bit.ly/st_augm_motion> Candidates must hold a Master degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or a related field. Experience in one or more of the following is a plus: • image processing, computer vision; • machine learning; • research methodology (literature review, experimentation…). Candidates should have the following skills: • good proficiency in English, both spoken and written; • scientific writing; • programming (experience in C++ is a plus, but not mandatory). This PHD thesis will be funded in the framework of the AI_PhD@Lilleprogram. http://www.isite-ulne.fr/index.php/en/phd-in-artificial-intelligence/ <http://www.isite-ulne.fr/index.php/en/phd-in-artificial-intelligence/> The candidate will be funded for 3 years; he/she is expected to defend his/her thesis and graduate by the end of the contract. The monthly gross salary is around 2000€, including benefits (health insurance, retirement fund, and paid vacations). Additional financial support is expected in the framework of the AI_PhD@Lille program. The position is located in Lille, France. With over 110 000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one France's top education student cities. The European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de Calais is headquartered in Lille Metropole and includes 3,000 PhD Doctorate students supported by university research laboratories. Lille has a convenient location in the European high-speed rail network. It lies on the Eurostar line to London (1:20 hour journey). The French TGV network also puts it only 1 hour from Paris, 35 mn from Brussels, and a short trips to other major centres in France such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon. We look forward to receiving your application as soon as possible, but no later than 26.03.2021.

Feb. 17, 2022

job: staff scientist/team leader at NIMH

by Francisco Pereira

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is recruiting for a Staff Scientist/Team Leader position to direct the Scientific and Statistical Computing Core/AFNI Team (https://afni.nimh.nih.gov).The primary function of this group is to support multimodal neuroimaging research in the intramural research program (IRP) at NIH. This includes (i) applying, extending, and developing new and existing software tools and techniques to conduct pioneering analyses on a diverse array of neuroimaging modalities (e.g. MRI, DTI, fMRI, MEG, PET, and EEG), (ii) advising and training IRP researchers on neuroimaging analysis methods, and (iii) leading the future growth and development of the AFNI code base ( https://github.com/afni/afni) Primary responsibilities of the Team Leader will include serving as a partner in and facilitator of neuroimaging research within the NIMH IRP; providing guidance on study design; and ensuring that appropriate standards of quality, rigor, and transparency are maintained. They will also act in coordination with the leaders of the Data Science and Sharing ( https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/dsst) and Machine Learning Teams ( https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/mlt) Finally, they will be responsible for management and supervision of approximately 9 full time staff members including software engineers, statisticians, and other biomedical science professionals. The successful candidate must be committed to scientific excellence and highly collaborative research, ensuring an immense impact on the fields of brain imaging and mental health research. Candidates must have earned a Ph.D. or M.D. and demonstrate experience as an outstanding scientist. Applicants must possess the ability to analyze, prioritize, and delegate resources while managing multiple projects. Expertise and experience should include demonstration of positive and collegial interactions with staff at all levels and the ability to communicate and promote their research, software, and scholarly contributions. Applicants should also have knowledge and experience in software engineering, including writing, distributing, maintaining, and supporting scientific software for a large user base while adhering to community recognized standards and practices. Please see the official posting https://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/compcore-job for more details, including instructions on how to apply.

Feb. 17, 2022

new Open Access Perspective

by Daniel Gardner

What do brains compute, and how do they do it? Has evolution conserved a small canonical set of computations performed by neural circuitry? In a just-published invited Perspective for the Journal of Computational Neuroscience, I present arguments for (and against) these fundamental questions. The title, Where are the cores in this thing? …and what are they computing? (with apologies to Larry Abbott) is of course an homage to Larry's 'Where are the switches on this thing?' It's Open Access and freely downloadable (tell your students and friends) at: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10827-021-00809-1.pdf The very first sentence is: "Evolution conserves neural components and connectivity—does this extend to computations and circuitry?" I go on to note that independent of specific microcircuit connectivity, some key neuronal and network properties, conserved across all nervous systems, may be essential for computation. Candidates include irregular firing, stochastic plastic synapses, alternate A/D PSPs/spikes, nonlinear f-I, cellular longevity, dynamic but stable networks with both fixed and adaptive features, and local processing linked by distant connectivity for coherence and modulation. Collegially, I invite discussion. I also urge neuroscientists to add these questions to those that guide their own research, and I offer community efforts to widen the scope. ...Daniel Gardner, Ph.D. dan(a)med.cornell.edu dg458(a)columbia.edu Head, Laboratory of Neuroinformatics Professor Physiology & Biophysics/Neurology/Neuroscience Weill Medical College of Cornell University lab: (212) 746-6373 cell: (917) 902-0654

Feb. 17, 2022

NEST Conference 2022 - registration is open

by Hans Ekkehard Plesser

Dear Colleagues, The NEST Initiative is excited to invite everyone interested in Neural Simulation Technology and the NEST Simulator to the NEST Conference 2022. The NEST Conference provides an opportunity for the NEST Community to meet, exchange success stories, swap advice, learn about current developments in and around NEST spiking network simulation and its application. We particularly encourage young scientists to participate in the conference! This year's conference will again take place as a virtual event on Thursday/Friday 23/24 June 2022. Register now! For more information please visit the conference website https://nest-simulator.org/conference We are looking forward to seeing you all in June! Hans Ekkehard Plesser and colleagues -- Prof. Dr. Hans Ekkehard Plesser Head, Department of Data Science Faculty of Science and Technology Norwegian University of Life Sciences PO Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway Phone +47 6723 1560 Email hans.ekkehard.plesser(a)nmbu.no<mailto:hans.ekkehard.plesser@nmbu.no> Home http://arken.nmbu.no/~plesser

Feb. 17, 2022

Postdoctoral Researcher in Medical Interactive Technologies

by Mastaneh Torkamani

The University of Eastern Finland is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher position in Medical Interactive Technologies on the Joensuu Campus. The position will be filled for a 2-year term from 1.3.2022 (or as agreed). Please find more information below and submit your application no later than 25.2.2022. We are looking for a highly motivated and self-driven Postdoctoral Researcher to work full-time on an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Academy of Finland: "Next generation sensory monitoring for improving microsurgical skills and performance" led by Associate Professor Roman Bednarik (https://www.uef.fi/en/web/int) As our new Postdoctoral Researcher in Medical Interactive Technologies, you will be working in the School of Computing at the Faculty of Science and Forestry, Joensuu. The project is in collaboration with Kuopio University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery and Microsurgery Training Center, https://www.microsurgerycenter.com/. The research will focus on deep understanding of sensorimotor perception and action in image-guided surgeries. A large part of the research evolves around the visual and tactile perception that underlies surgeon’s high-level skills, i.e. eye-hand coordination, action planning, and decision making. Situated in bimanual surgical tasks, our research combines human factors, human-robot interaction, computational modeling, machine learning, and computer vision for intelligent skill monitoring and interaction with robotic assistance in surgical procedures. For more information, please see the job advert at https://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&jc=16&id=0000… Please submit your application by using our electronic application form no later than 25.2.2022 (by 24.00 hours Finnish time). For further information on the position, please contact associate Professor Roman Bednarik, e-mail roman.bednarik(a)uef.fi, tel. +358 29 4453621 For further information on the application procedure, please contact HR-secretary Noora Hämäläinen, e-mail noora.hamalainen(a)uef.fi, tel. +358 29 4458 302 Best regards, Mastaneh Torkamani Azar, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Researcher Interactive Technologies Research Group School of Computing University of Eastern Finland Email: mastaneh.torkamani(a)uef.fi https://sites.uef.fi/int/

Feb. 17, 2022

Postdoc position at UTSA

by Fidel Santamaria

As part of a collaboration with the AFRL, the laboratory of Dr Santamaria at UTSA is looking for a talented postdoc to computationally study how fast thermal gradients impact synaptic mechanisms in dendritic spines. This will be part of a collaborative project between UTSA, AFRL, and other universities where experiments and simulations will combine to understand fundamental plasticity processes in neuronal synapses. The results will have important practical implications in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. The selected person will work on developing deterministic and stochastic models of how biochemical signals, involved in synaptic plasticity, are affected by thermal gradients. Interested individuals should send a CV and cover letter to Dr. Santamaria (fidel.santamaria(a)utsa.edu) The position is for one year, with the possibility of renewal. This position is only open to American citizens. Applicants must have experience with Python or Matlab and a background in physics or engineering is preferred. _______________________________________________________________________________ Fidel Santamaria, PhD Professor Department of Neuroscience, Development, and Regenerative Biology University of Texas at San Antonio www.utsa.edu/SantamariaLab<http://www.utsa.edu/SantamariaLab> Office: BSB 1.03.30 Tel +1(210) 458 6910

Feb. 16, 2022

Special issue of SIAP on the life sciences

by Kresimir josic

SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics (SIAP) invites contributions for a special section on the life sciences to highlight the use and development of mathematical models and analysis tools to address life sciences issues that are of true biological, medical, or industrial relevance. Papers submitted to this special section will be peer-reviewed, subject to the review criteria of SIAP. Papers will initially be handled by guest editors. The window for submissions runs from February 15 to June 30, 2022. For information about this issue please see: https://bit.ly/3LsPxcw <https://bit.ly/3LsPxcw>

Feb. 14, 2022