Connectionist Modelling Group
Department of Computer Science
Technical University of Berlin, Germany
The positions are available beginning June 1st for a maximum of five years
(grad.-student) and two years (postdoc) at the Technical University in
Berlin, Germany. The graduate position is a full BAT IIa position but
involves four hours per week teaching of graduate courses in neural networks
for CS and physics students.
The applicants are expected to work on close-to-biology computational models
of primary visual cortex. The first project involves the modelling of
activity dependent and intrinsic developmental processes underlying the
formation of orientation and ocular dominance in striate cortex. The second
project involves building a detailled model of layer IVc in macaque striate
cortex which is the primary cortical layer for receiving the thalamic
afferents. Data are available through an ongoing collaboration with
neurophysiologists (G. Blasdel, Harvard) and neuroanatomists (J. Lund, U.
London) working on the organization of macaque cortex. Computational methods
will include the analysis and simulation of connectionist type models,
spiking neuron models as well as of compartmental models of layer IVc
neurons.
The ideal candidate should have experience with close-to-biology modelling
as well as with connectionist type neural networks, a solid background in
mathematics and neurobiology and programming experience (C, UNIX). Hands-on
experience in neurophysiology / -anatomy is highly appreciated, in
particular for the postdoc position.
The whole CS department at TU Berlin has 28 faculty members covering all
areas in computer science. The computing environment is good and mainly
involves SUN based workstations (Sparc 10 and 20). The connectionist
modelling group has access to parallel supercomputer which serve as
platforms for computationally expensive numerical simulations.
Please send applications (CV, list of publications, copies of diplomas and
grades and statement of research interests) as well as three letters of
reference to
Dr. Klaus Obermayer phone: 49-521-106-6058
Technische Fakultaet fax: 49-521-106-6011
Universitaet Bielefeld e-mail: oby@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de
Universitaetsstrasse 25
33615 Bielefeld, Germany
For those applicants interested in the postdoc position, please send an
application ALSO to
Dr. Jennifer Lund
Institute of Ophthalmology
UCL
11-47 Bath Street
London EC1V 9EL, UK
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Some relevant papers for the projects:
@article{lund93,
author={J. S. Lund and T. Yoshioka and J. Levitt},
journal={Cerebral Cortex},
volume=3,
year=1993,
pages={148-162},
title={Comparison of Intrinsic Connectivity in Different Areas of Macaque Monkey
Cerebral Cortex}
}
@article{lund87,
author={J. S. Lund},
journal={J. Comp. Neurol.},
volume=257,
year=1987,
pages={60-92},
title={Local Circuit Neurons of Macaque Monkey Striate Cortex: I. neurons of laminae 4C
and 5A}
}
@article{gilb93,
author={C. D. Gilbert},
journal={Cerebral Cortex},
volume=3,
year=1993,
pages={373-386},
title={Circuitry, architecture, and functional dynamics of visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex}
}
@article{oby-93b,
author={K. Obermayer and G. G. Blasdel},
journal={J. Neurosci.},
volume=13,
year=1993,
pages={4114-4129},
title={Geometry of Orientation and Ocular Dominance Columns in Monkey Striate
Cortex}
}
@article{oby-92c,
author={K. Obermayer and G. G. Blasdel and K. Schulten},
journal={Phys. Rev. A},
year=1992,
volume=45,
pages={7568-7589},
title={A Statistical Mechanical Analysis of Self-Organization and Pattern Formation
during the Development of Visual Maps}
}
@article{blas92a,
author={G. G. Blasdel},
journal={J. Neurosci.},
volume=12,
year=1992,
title={Differential Imaging of Ocular Dominance and Orientation Selectivity in Monkey
Striate Cortex},
pages={3117-3161}
}
@article{blas94,
author={G. G. Blasdel and K. Obermayer},
journal={Neur. Netw.},
volume=7,
year=1994,
pages={865-881},
title={Strategies of Scene Segmentation Suggested by Patterns of Orientation Preference
in Monkey Visual Cortex}
}
@article{erwi95,
author={E. Erwin and K. Obermayer and K. Schulten},
year=1995,
journal={Neur. Comp.},
volume=7,
pages={425--468},
title={Models of Orientation and Ocular Dominance Columns in the Visual Cortex: A
Critical Comparison}
}