From prodrigues at liacc.up.pt Mon Sep 3 17:55:16 2007 From: prodrigues at liacc.up.pt (Pedro Pereira Rodrigues) Date: Tue Sep 4 09:25:32 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Deadline Approaching - ACM SAC 2008 - Data Streams Track Message-ID: <200709031655.17924.prodrigues@liacc.up.pt> *** Deadline Approaching *** ACM Symposium on Applied Computing The 23rd Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, March 16 - 20, 2008. Data Streams Track http://www.liaad.up.pt/~jgama/SAC08/ Call for Papers For the past twenty years, the ACM Symposium on Applied Computing has been a primary gathering forum for applied computer scientists, computer engineers, software engineers, and application developers from around the world. SAC 2008 is sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Applied Computing, and is hosted by the the University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR) and the Federal University of Ceara (UFC). IMPORTANT DATES Paper Paper Submission: 8 September, 2007 Paper Author Notification: 16 October, 2007 Paper camera-ready Copy: 30 October, 2007 TOPICS OF INTEREST We are looking for all possible contributions related to incremental learning algorithms on data streams. Topics include (but are not restricted to: Data Stream Models Data Stream Management Systems Continuous queries, Summarization, Sampling, etc Change Detection Algorithms Clustering from Data Streams Classification from Data Streams Sequential Patterns from Data Streams Feature Selection from Data Streams Visualization Techniques for Data Streams Data Stream applications Sensor Networks PAPER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Papers should be submitted in PDF using the SAC 2008 conference management system: http://sac.cs.iupui.edu/SAC2008 The paper should omit authors and affiliations. Author names and addresses must not appear in the body of the paper, self-reference must be in the third person, attribution to the author(s) must be in the form of "author", and bibliographical entries by the author(s) must also be in the form of "author". Each submitted paper will be fully refereed and undergo a blind review process by at least three referees. The conference proceedings will be published by ACM. Hence, all accepted papers should be submitted in ACM 2-column camera ready format for publication in the symposium proceedings. The maximum number of pages allowed for the final papers is 5 pages (about 4000 words), with the option (at additional expense) to add up to three (3) more pages. There is a set of templates to support the required paper format for a number of document preparation systems at http://www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html From john at mmmi.sdu.dk Tue Sep 4 04:38:45 2007 From: john at mmmi.sdu.dk (John Hallam) Date: Tue Sep 4 13:19:49 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] CFP: Simulation of Adaptive Behavior 10 (Osaka) Message-ID: CALL FOR PAPERS FROM ANIMALS TO ANIMATS 10 The 10th International Conference on the SIMULATION OF ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR (SAB'08) 7-12 July 2008, Osaka, Japan http://sab08.org ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chair: Minoru Asada PC Chair: Jun Tani General Co-Chairs: John Hallam, Jean-Arcady Meyer IMPORTANT DATES Call for workshop deadline, Februay 1st, 2008 Paper submission deadline, January 14th, 2008 Conference dates, July 7-10, 2008 Workshops date, July 11-12, 2008 The objective of this interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers in computer science, artificial intelligence, alife, control, robotics, neurosciences, ethology, evolutionary biology, and related fields so as to further our understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural and artificial animals to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The conference will focus on experiments with well-defined models --- robot models, computer simulation models, mathematical models --- designed to help characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive behavior in real animals and in synthetic agents, the animats. Contributions treating any of the following topics from the perspective of adaptive behavior will receive special emphasis: The Animat approach Motor control Body and brain co-evolution Self-assembling and self-replication Sensory-motor coordination Action selection & behavioral sequencing Navigation and mapping Internal models and representation Evolution, development and learning Motivation and emotion Collective and social behavior Communication and language Emergent structures and behaviors Neural correlates of behavior Evolutionary and co-evolutionary approaches Autonomous, bio-inspired, and hybrid robotics Autonomous robotics Humanoid robotics Cgonitive developmental robotics Software agents and virtual creatures Applied adaptive behavior Animats in education Philosophical and psychological issues Authors should make every effort to suggest implications of their work for both natural and artificial animals, and to distinguish the portions of their work which use simulation from those using a physical agent. Papers that do not deal explicitly with adaptive behavior will be rejected. CONFERENCE FORMAT: Following the tradition of SAB conferences, the conference will be single track, with additional poster sessions. Each poster session will start with poster spotlights giving presenters the opportunity to orally present their main results. PUBLISHER: Springer Lecture Notes on Artificial Intelligence (To Be Confirmed) Both oral and poster presentations will be published in conference proceedings. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Submitted papers must not exceed 10 pages (double columns). Detailed submission instructions will be available from the conference Web site. CONTACT US: Please contact us at sab2008 at sab08.org Minoru Asada, Jun Tani, John Hallam and Jean-Arcady Meyer From pkoenig at uos.de Tue Sep 4 17:25:14 2007 From: pkoenig at uos.de (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Peter_K=F6nig?=) Date: Wed Sep 5 10:56:19 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] PhD and Postdoc positions Message-ID: <46DD78DA.4040103@uos.de> The research group for Neurobiopsychology (Prof. Dr. Peter K?nig) has two vacancies for the position of a Researcher (Diploma/Master or Postdoc level) (Salary level according to E 13 TV-L) to be filled at earliest practicable date for a period of three years (subject to the availability of funds). The positions can be filled with either PhD-candidates (50% each) or Postdoc candidates (100% each). The position involves research within the EU research project "Synthetic Forager" in the area of processing of visual, auditory and tactile information and sensorimotor integration under natural conditions and includes the statistical analysis of natural stimuli, simulation of multimodal sensory systems, integration of experimental data on the neuronal activity with visual and auditory stimulation and the implementation on autonomous systems. Furthermore, the position involves participation in teaching Cognitive Science courses with an emphasis on Neurobiopsychology. The position offers the possibility of further academic qualification. Candidates are expected to have a university degree (diploma/Master or PhD) and a good research record in at least one of the following areas: Computer simulation of neuronal systems, electrophysiology, and visual psychophysics, as well as a good command of the English language. The university of Osnabr?ck strives for an increase in the number of women in academic employment. Women are therefore especially encouraged to apply and will be preferentially considered under the condition of equal qualification. Also disabled candidates are given a preference under the provision of equal qualification. . Applications with the usual documentation should be submitted no later than 30.9. to the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabr?ck, Albrechtstra?e 28, 49076 Osnabr?ck. Further information can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Peter K?nig, (peter.koenig@uni-osnabrueck.de). -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: pkoenig.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 185 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070904/cbf600a8/pkoenig.vcf From gary at cs.ucsd.edu Wed Sep 5 08:28:32 2007 From: gary at cs.ucsd.edu (Garrison Cottrell) Date: Wed Sep 5 10:56:20 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Three Assistant Professorship Openings at UCSD Cognitive Science In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <882DBB1D-39E0-4126-B715-0F51D2075534@cs.ucsd.edu> Please reply to Marta Kutas (mkutas@cogsci.ucsd.edu) see also http://ssfacrecruit.ucsd.edu/cogsci0708/ads.php Assistant Professorships The Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/ invites applications for three (3) faculty positions at the Assistant Professor level (tenure-track) starting July 1, 2008, the salary commensurate with the experience of the successful applicant and based on the UC pay scale. The Department of Cognitive Science at UCSD was the first of its kind in the world, and, as part of an exceptional scientific community, it remains a dominant influence in the field it helped to create. The department is truly interdisciplinary, with a faculty whose interests span anthropology, computer science, human development, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The department is looking for several top-caliber junior researchers in cognitive science. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or ABD). We seek applicants with a solid foundation in neuroscience and/or computation broadly construed, although a broad interdisciplinary perspective and experience with multiple methodologies will be highly valued. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. UCSD is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to excellence through diversity. All applications received by November 15, 2007 will receive thorough consideration until position is filled. Candidates should submit, via our online application, a vita, reprints of up to four representative publications, a short cover letter describing their background and interests, and at least three references (name, title, address and email). Applicants are welcome to include in their cover letter a personal statement summarizing their contributions to diversity. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: mkutas.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 347 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070904/b47f6e90/mkutas.vcf -------------- next part -------------- From harry.erwin at sunderland.ac.uk Wed Sep 5 09:39:08 2007 From: harry.erwin at sunderland.ac.uk (Harry Erwin) Date: Wed Sep 5 10:56:21 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Job Announcement: Research Scientist Neuro-Robotics Message-ID: <17C70405-4A16-4435-B6CB-7626564C8E0B@sunderland.ac.uk> Job announcement School of Computing & Technology, University of Sunderland Research Scientist Neuro-Robotics (MiCRAM) Fixed term ? 24 months ?27,466 - ?32,796 per annum Ref: CTR016/1436 At Sunderland, our focus in this EPSRC project is to develop and validate biomimetic robots, computational neural models and a neuroscience database for the development of a biologically realistic model of auditory processing (MICRAM project). Your job will involve the development of a biomimetic robot that uses neural computational modeling to simulate the auditory midbrain. You should be educated to PhD level or possess equivalent research experience and a proven ability in research and publication. A degree in a computing discipline is essential and knowledge of biomimetic robotics is desirable. Experience with GENESIS or similar neural modelling and knowledge of the auditory system in mammals and of bioacoustics would be advantageous. For informal discussions please contact Dr. Harry Erwin (+44-191 515 3227; harry.erwin@sunderland.ac.uk) or Professor Stefan Wermter (+44 191-515-3279 stefan.wermter@sunderland.ac.uk ). Interviews for this post will be held on 8th October 2007. Application form and Role Profile can be obtained by contacting Human Resources on 0191 515 2057 or www.sunderland.ac.uk/jobs Closing Date: 28th September 2007 From franco at dii.unisi.it Wed Sep 5 19:01:07 2007 From: franco at dii.unisi.it (Franco Scarselli) Date: Thu Sep 6 10:50:10 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] NEUROCOMPUTING CFP: Special Issue on "Pattern Recognition in Graphical Domains" Message-ID: <46DEE0D3.7030607@dii.unisi.it> ** Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement ** Call for Papers NEUROCOMPUTING Special Issue on PATTERN RECOGNITION IN GRAPHICAL DOMAINS Neurocomputing is seeking original and unpublished manuscripts for a Special Issue on "Pattern Recognition in Graphical Domains", scheduled for publication in June/July 2008. Traditional machine learning applications usually cope with graphs by a preprocessing procedure that transforms structured data to simpler representations. This approach relies on what is called the "feature extraction" process, but it turns out to be quite unnatural for several situations where data are intrinsically organized as graphs, i.e. relationships exist among atomic sub-entities. Unfortunately, valuable information may be lost during the preprocessing and, as a consequence, classical methods may suffer from poor performance and generalization. Therefore, recursive or nested representations, as opposed to "flat" attribute-value data organizations, seem to be more adequate for many relevant problems arising from chemistry, bioinformatics, and the World Wide Web. Recent studies on statistical pattern recognition and neural networks show possible directions to exploit structural information in problems which are inherently of sub-symbolic nature. This special issue is intended to propose a critical re-thinking of the classic learning approaches and to investigate on possible new methodologies and applications of pattern recognition in graphical domains. Submitted articles must not have been previously published and must not be currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: - Neural Network Models for Graphs - Support Vector Machines and Kernel Methods for Graphs - Probabilistic Models for Graphs - Statistical Relational Learning - Pattern Recognition Applications Involving Graphical Data Submission procedure: Manuscript should follow the standard guidelines of the Neurocomputing journal. Guidelines for formatting papers can be found in the Guide for Authors at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505628/authorinstructions Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the Elsevier online submission system at http://ees.elsevier.com/neucom/ by November 5, 2007. Important dates: Manuscript submission deadline: November 5, 2007 First notification: January 25, 2008 Revised manuscript submission: February 29, 2008 Notification of final decision: April 11, 2008 Final manuscript due: April 25, 2008 Publication of special issue: June/July 2008 Guest Editors: Monica Bianchini Universit? di Siena Siena, Italy e-mail: monica@dii.unisi.it Franco Scarselli Universit? di Siena Siena, Italy e-mail: franco@dii.unisi.it Information on the Special Issue are also available at http://www.dii.unisi.it/~monica/NeuroSI/ From galan at cnbc.cmu.edu Fri Sep 7 03:38:38 2007 From: galan at cnbc.cmu.edu (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Roberto_Fern=E1ndez_Gal=E1n?=) Date: Fri Sep 7 11:01:09 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] postdoctoral position in experimental and computational neuroscience Message-ID: <000301c7f0ef$d0d098d0$18101fac@rfgalan> Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce the opening of a postdoctoral position in experimental and computational neuroscience for up to two years, starting around March 2008, in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The position will be devoted to the study of spontaneous activity in cortical networks from in vitro preparations of the mouse brain. The ideal candidate will have a strong experimental background in electrophysiology and/or imaging techniques. Some mathematical or computational background is not required, but will be considered an asset. We offer the opportunity to join a young and energetic research group that applies a multidisciplinary approach to studying neural network dynamics. The selected candidate will have the chance to learn and further develop solid computational and analytical skills in an interactive environment. The appointee will receive a competitive salary according to the candidate?s experience. To apply for this position, please send (preferably in PDF format) a cover letter, a CV including a list of publications, and the names and electronic addresses of two mentors willing to provide a recommendation letter to Dr. Roberto Fern?ndez Gal?n (email: rfgalan@gmail.com). Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. In employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Please, feel free to forward this announcement to anybody who might be interested. Additional information about the lab, the department and the city is attached below. Sincerely, Roberto Fern?ndez Gal?n, PhD Department of Neurosciences Case Western Reserve University - Lab website: http://neurosciences.case.edu/faculty/galan/index - Overview on past research: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/rfgalan/home.htm - Department?s webpage: http://neurosciences.case.edu/index - The Department houses state-of-the-art imaging facilities: http://neurosciences.case.edu/imaging/index - Cleveland is a middle-size, affordable city at the shore of the Erie Lake: http://www.cleveland.oh.us/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland,_Ohio From vcu at cs.stir.ac.uk Fri Sep 7 12:13:30 2007 From: vcu at cs.stir.ac.uk (Vassilis Cutsuridis) Date: Fri Sep 7 13:05:13 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Neural accumulator model, superior colliculus, antisaccade task, decision making Message-ID: <00b801c7f137$bd4b4330$6ffd998b@cs.ad.stir.ac.uk> The following article is now available at: http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~vcu/papers/CutSmyEvdPer.pdf Cutsuridis, V, Smyrnis, N, Evdokimidis, I, Perantonis, S. (2007) A Neural Model of Decision Making by the Superior Colliculus in an Antisaccade Task Neural Networks, 20(6): 690-704 ABSTRACT In the antisaccade paradigm subjects are instructed to perform eye movements in the opposite direction from the location of a visually appearing stimulus while they are fixating on a central stimulus. A recent study investigated saccade reaction times (SRTs) and percentages of erroneous prosaccades (towards the peripheral stimulus) of 2006 young men performing visually guided antisaccades. A unimodal distribution of SRTs (ranging from 80 to 600 ms) as well as an overall 25% of erroneous prosaccade responses was reported in that large sample. In this article, we present a neural model of saccade initiation based on competitive integration of planned and reactive saccade decision signals in the intermediate layer of the superior colliculus. In the model the decision processes grow nonlinearly towards a preset criterion level and when they cross it, a movement is initiated. The resultant model reproduced the unimodal distributions of SRTs for correct antisaccades and erroneous prosaccades as well as the variability of SRTs and the percentage of erroneous prosaccade responses. Keywords: Eye movements; Antisaccades; Buildup neurons; Burst neurons; Nonlinear accumulator model; Decision making; Saccade reaction times; Superior colliculus -- The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070907/c4927eff/attachment.html From aburkitt at bionicear.org Sun Sep 9 09:13:41 2007 From: aburkitt at bionicear.org (Anthony BURKITT) Date: Mon Sep 10 10:44:10 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Job Announcement: Postdoctoral position available Message-ID: <878D1E4EA053B049A372ECE97FF4AECEBA46D1@GKAR.medoto.unimelb.edu.au> POSTDOCTORAL POSITION in Neural Modelling of Music & Voice Perception Salary: AUD$68,256 - AUD$81,052 (dependent on experience) http://www.bionicear.org/jobs/BEIResearchFellowLBMusic&VoicePerception.h tml The Bionic Ear Institute, Melbourne, Australia The aim of the proposed research is to determine how best to encode the frequency and time information contained in an auditory signal in order to maximise the perception of music and voice pitch information for people with cochlear implants. We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on modeling of the auditory system and perceptual processes. Key Responsibilities include: - Assisting in the development of a computer model that accurately accounts for the mechanical and neural response of the ear to sound. - Assisting in the development of models to compare pitch perception data against existing cochlear implant systems. - Carrying out research in relation to modifying electrical stimulation models to reflect the recommendations for the design of future stimulating electrodes and hardware of cochlear implants. - Preparation of journal articles, presentations, and grants. - Co-supervision of postgraduate research projects within this research program. Qualifications: - A Postgraduate qualification in Mathematics or Engineering or equivalent qualification (essential). - Previous experience with neural modelling or other relevant field (desirable). - Previous MATLAB experience (desirable). Applications should include a detailed CV and be sent via e-mail only to: hr-applications@bionicear.org Closing Date: 24th September 2007 Position open immediately, with preferred start date early 2008 or earlier. For informal discussions please contact Prof. Tony Burkitt (aburkitt@bionicear.org) The Bionic Ear Institute is an independent, not-for-profit medical research organisation specialising in bionics to find new and better ways to restore brain function and to help deaf children and adults communicate. http://www.bionicear.org ====================ooOOOoo==================== Anthony N. Burkitt Assistant Director and Professor The Bionic Ear Institute 384-388 Albert Street East Melbourne, VIC 3002 Australia Email: aburkitt@bionicear.org http://www.bionicear.org/people/burkitta Phone: +61 - 3 - 9667 7529 Fax: +61 - 3 - 9667 7518 =====================ooOOOoo=================== From netta at comp.leeds.ac.uk Tue Sep 11 15:53:31 2007 From: netta at comp.leeds.ac.uk (N Cohen) Date: Tue Sep 11 16:03:10 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Openings in biorobotics and C elegans neurobiology Message-ID: Apologies for cross posting Two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: Neural control of locomotion behaviour in biology and machines: A systems biology approach University of Leeds, Leeds, UK Applications are invited for two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships to join a multi-disciplinary research team and study motor control of locomotion in C. elegans nematode worms. Post 1: The use of fluorescent imaging tools to record neuronal and/or muscle activity in C. elegans nematode worms Post 2: Construction of a bio-robotic model of the worm Background: C. elegans is an exciting model system for biologists, modellers and roboticists alike. A relatively simple animal, with a small and fully mapped anatomy and nervous system and experimentally accessible, C. elegans is a leading model system in genetics and development as well as neurobiology. Dubbed the ???hydrogen atom??? of systems neuroscience, it is also the subject of intensifying efforts to model this creature completely ??? integrating bottom up and top-down approaches. You will join a multi-disciplinary, dynamic, and creative BioSystems group within the School of Computing at the University of Leeds, with close ties to the Faculty of Biological Sciences, where all biological experimental facilities are housed, and Mechanical Engineering, housing all robotic construction and testing facilities. Post 1: The use of fluorescent imaging tools to record neuronal and/or ------- muscle activity in C. elegans nematode worms (Job Ref: 312252) Your research will involve neuronal and muscle imaging experiments to link between neuronal and muscle activity and the behaviour of the worm. Work will include: the design and implementation of assays; their application to wildtype and mutant worms; data collection using computer imaging and relevant data analysis. Possible scope also exists for the development and implementation of novel molecular probes. This work will involve close interaction and collaboration with other aspects of the C. elegans project, in particular, to do with the behavioural studies and modelling of the worm's neural and motor control. The development of novel imaging tools is a possible extension of the project. Experience in microscopy and fluorescent imaging is required. Experience in invertebrate neurobiology is a plus, but not a requirement. You will be based in a laboratory that has been dedicated to C. elegans research for over 15 years. Previously, interest has concentrated on genomics approaches to the study of gene expression and nervous system modulation. The arrival of Netta Cohen has led to the collaborations in the systems biology of C. elegans with which you would be involved. The laboratory is fully equipped for C. elegans research: transformation of C. elegans is performed regularly by microinjection and microparticle bombardment; genetic and RNAi analyses are approaches followed routinely; confocal, fluorescence and DIC microscopy are fundamental technologies upon which much of this laboratory's activity relies. Post 1 is available immediately (and no later than January 2008) for a period of two years. Post 2: Construction of a bio-robotic model of the worm ------- (Job Ref: 312253) Your research will involve the design, construction and testing of robots mimicking C. elegans locomotion. Robots will be designed with a view to constructing a research tool to complement experiments on the biological worm. Work will include the design and implementation and testing of suitable sensors and actuators and lead to the design and construction of a robot of an entire worm. This work will involve close interaction and collaboration with other aspects of the C. elegans project, in particular, to do with the modelling of the worm's neural and motor control. Prior experience in biological motor control or bio-robotics is a plus. A strong previous track record in robot design and construction is required. Robotics research will be conducted in close collaboration with the Mechatronics and Robotics Research Group in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Leeds, an international leader in research on biomimetic sensors and actuators. The Mechatronics & Robotics Research Group (MRRG) in the School carries out fundamental and applied multidisciplinary research in close collaboration with a number of staff in other Schools of the University and also with many industrial partners. Research interests and activities of the group cover a broad area including: general mechatronics and robotics, biomechatronics/biorobotics/ biomimetics such as research in distributed smart sensors, actuators, machine intelligence and control, and machine vision, for a wide range of applications. Relevant laboratories to the group research are: Mechatronics and Control Lab, Advanced mechatronics lab and robotics lab. Post 2 is flexible in start time, and may start immediately and ideally no later than spring 2008 for a period of one year. ----------------------- Full adverts and application instructions can be found on http://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/ -- Click on "Research" under "In this section" and look for Job Ref: 312252 and 312253 Informal enquiries to Dr Netta Cohen, tel +44 (0)113 343 6789, email netta@comp.leeds.ac.uk Application packs and further details are available from Judi Drew, tel +44 (0)113 343 5432, email j.a.drew@leeds.ac.uk Closing date for both posts 8 October 2007 Interviews are planned for the week commencing 22 October 2007. ====================================================================== Netta Cohen BioSystems Group, School of Computing & Inst Membrane and Systems Biology Phone: +44 (0)113 3436789 University of Leeds Fax: +44 (0)113 3435457 Leeds, LS2 9JT Email: netta@comp.leeds.ac.uk United Kingdom www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/netta/ From vcu at cs.stir.ac.uk Wed Sep 12 17:40:15 2007 From: vcu at cs.stir.ac.uk (Vassilis Cutsuridis) Date: Thu Sep 13 10:15:23 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Parkinson's disease, dopamine, reciprocal inhibition, spinal cord, rigidity, neural model Message-ID: <00c501c7f553$36dfb630$6ffd998b@cs.ad.stir.ac.uk> Dear colleagues, The following article is now available at: http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~vcu/papers/IJNS2007.pdf Cutsuridis, V. (2007) Does Abnormal Spinal Reciprocal Inhibition Lead to Co-contraction of Antagonist Motor Units? A Modeling Study International Journal of Neural Systems, 17(4): 319-327 ABSTRACT It is suggested that co-contraction of antagonist motor units perhaps due to abnormal disynaptic Ia reciprocal inhibition is responsible for Parkinsonian rigidity. A neural model of Parkinson's disease bradykinesia is extended to incorporate the effects of spindle feedback on key cortical cells and examine the effects of dopamine depletion on spinal activities. Simulation results show that although reciprocal inhibition is reduced in DA depleted case, it doesn't lead to co-contraction of antagonist motor neurons. Implications to Parkinsonian rigidity are discussed. KEYWORDS: Parkinson's disease, dopamine, reciprocal inhibition, spinal cord, rigidity, neural model -- The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070912/2429c629/attachment-0001.html From aolifer at emory.edu Wed Sep 12 20:54:46 2007 From: aolifer at emory.edu (Andrey Olypher) Date: Thu Sep 13 10:15:26 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] A new paper on activity constraints and neuronal variability Message-ID: <46E835F6.4000300@emory.edu> The following article is now available at http://calabreselx.biology.emory.edu/andrey/pub/olypher_calabrese_07_jnphys_epub.pdf (4.7M) Using constraints on neuronal activity to reveal compensatory changes in neuronal parameters. Andrey V. Olypher and Ronald L. Calabrese J Neurophysiol, 2007 (in press). ABSTRACT: In this study, we developed a general description of parameter^ combinations for which specified characteristics of neuronal^ or network activity are constant. Our approach is based on^ the implicit function theorem and is applicable to activity^ characteristics which smoothly depend on parameters. Such smoothness^ is often intrinsic to neuronal systems when they are in stable^ functional states. The conclusions about how parameters compensate^ each other, developed in this study, can thus be used even without^ regard to the specific mathematical model describing a particular^ neuron or neuronal network. We showed that near a generic point^ in the parameter space there are infinitely many other points,^ or parameter combinations, for which specified characteristics^ of activity are the same as in the original point. These parameter^ combinations form a smooth manifold. This manifold can be extended^ as long as the gradients of characteristics are defined and^ independent. All possible variations of parameters compensating^ each other are simply all possible charts of the same manifold.^ The number of compensating parameters (but not parameters themselves)^ is fixed and equal to the number of the independent characteristics^ maintained. The algorithm that we developed shows how to find^ compensatory functional dependencies between parameters numerically.^ Our method can be used in the analysis of the homeostatic regulation,^ neuronal database search, model tuning and other applications. -- Andrei Olifer (Andrey Olypher) Biology Department Emory University 1510 Clifton Rd Atlanta, GA 30322 aolifer@emory.edu tel: 404-727-4202 fax: 404-727-2880 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070912/0bdc0bd8/attachment.html From djin at phys.psu.edu Thu Sep 13 21:12:35 2007 From: djin at phys.psu.edu (Dezhe Jin) Date: Fri Sep 14 10:57:54 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] A new paper on self-organizion of synfire chain Message-ID: <12F037EC-D7AA-4ED3-8F47-C2CB7BBFA449@phys.psu.edu> Dear Colleagues, I would like to announce publication of a new paper on self-organized growth of synfire chains. The abstract and link to the paper is as follows: Title: Development of neural circuitry for precise temporal sequences through spontaneous activity, axon remodeling, and synaptic plasticity. Joseph K. Jun and Dezhe Z. Jin Abstract: Temporally precise sequences of neuronal spikes that span hundreds of milliseconds are observed in many brain areas, including songbird premotor nucleus, cat visual cortex, and primary motor cortex. Synfire chains-networks in which groups of neurons are connected via excitatory synapses into a unidirectional chain-are thought to underlie the generation of such sequences. It is unknown, however, how synfire chains can form in local neural circuits, especially for long chains. Here, we show through computer simulation that long synfire chains can develop through spike-time dependent synaptic plasticity and axon remodeling-the pruning of prolific weak connections that follows the emergence of a finite number of strong connections. The formation process begins with a random network. A subset of neurons, called training neurons, intermittently receive superthreshold external input. Gradually, a synfire chain emerges through a recruiting process, in which neurons within the network connect to the tail of the chain started by the training neurons. The model is robust to varying parameters, as well as natural events like neuronal turnover and massive lesions. Our model suggests that long synfire chain can form during the development through self- organization, and axon remodeling, ubiquitous in developing neural circuits, is essential in the process. Available in an open access journal PLoS ONE: http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action? articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0000723 Also at http://phys.psu.edu/~djin/publications.html Best, -Dezhe Jin ---- Dezhe Z. Jin Assistant Professor of Physics Department of Physics The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 814-863-6673 (tel), 814-865-3604 (fax) Web: http://phys.psu.edu/~djin/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070913/13248728/attachment.html From stiber at u.washington.edu Sat Sep 15 00:07:14 2007 From: stiber at u.washington.edu (Michael Stiber) Date: Sat Sep 15 12:21:52 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Reminder: Student/Postdoc Travel Support to Neural Coding 2007, Montevideo, Uruguay Message-ID: A gentle reminder that the deadline for applications is fast approaching. Though we have listed the deadline as today, we will NOT reject applications that arrive over this weekend. ---------------------------- Neural Coding 2007 -- Student/Postdoc Travel Support Funding is available for US postdoctoral and predoctoral (graduate and undergraduate) researchers to attend the 2007 Neural Coding meeting and its associated Joint US/Uruguay Workshop on Neural Dynamics, to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay on November 4-12, 2007. Support in the amount of $2000, to be used toward registration fees, hotel expenses, and other travel costs, will include post-meeting travel to research laboratories in the southern cone region of South America; contacts to research laboratories will be provided (participants will be responsible for arranging the specifics of their own travel). This will be an excellent opportunity to establish contacts with international experts and a small but very valuable and growing community of Uruguayan and Latin American scientists. The Neural Coding symposia bring together scientists from different fields with the conviction that multidisciplinary approaches are essential for better understanding neural coding mechanisms as well as their disturbances in clinical cases. Hence, the attendees of the Neural Coding Workshop should be prepared to cross the borders of their own disciplines. Intense discussions of experimental, modeling, and analytical approaches are expected. Major emphasis will be placed on biologically inspired formal and computer models which could elucidate the functionally relevant dynamics of the neural coding mechanisms, including their possible roles in causing and treating neurological and related diseases. For more information on the meeting, please see the meeting web site at . The deadline for applications is September 14. In your application, please include: 1. For postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, an abstract prepared in accordance with the instructions at the Neural Coding web site. Alternatively, you may indicate that you are a co-author of an already submitted paper (please indicate the title and author list of the paper as well). You will be expected to present your research during the Joint Workshop. 2. A personal statement describing your research interests and plans and how this experience will factor into them. Your personal statement should also indicate: your commitment to attend both the Joint Workshop and the main Neural Coding meeting, a plan for your stay in the southern cone area of South America beyond these (see the Neural Coding web site for a list of contacts), and your agreement to submit afterwards a brief summary of your experiences at the Joint Workshop and during your travels in the region, including prospective new collaborations. 3. A curriculum vitae. 4. The name and contact information (including email) for a faculty member or other scientific reference who will be sending a (separate) letter of reference for you. Please arrange for this letter to be sent directly to us. All application materials should be sent via email to . Awardees will be notified of the grant within two weeks after the deadline date. Support is provided by the US National Science Foundation under grant number OISE-0652336. From nips2007publicity at msn.com Tue Sep 18 23:05:42 2007 From: nips2007publicity at msn.com (NIPS 2007 Publicity) Date: Wed Sep 19 09:03:33 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] [NIPS2007] REMINDER: Call for Demos Message-ID: REMINDER: CALL FOR DEMONSTRATIONS - NIPS 2007 Neural Information Processing Systems -- Natural and Synthetic NIPS 2006 Conference -- December 3 - 6, 2007 Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC, CANADA www.nips.cc Demonstration Proposal Deadline: September 21, 2007 Would you like to interactively demonstrate your novel hardware, software, or wetware technology, your robot, or your chip to people at the NIPS 2007 Conference? The Neural Information Processing Systems Conference has a Demonstration Track that will run in parallel with the popular evening Poster Sessions. Demonstrators will have a chance to show their live interactive demos in the areas of hardware technology, neuromorphic and biologically-inspired systems, robotics, and software systems. The only hard rules are that the demo must show novel technology and must be LIVE and INTERACTIVE! (It is not a back-door Poster Session.) The full call for demonstrations is at the following URL: http://nips.cc/Conferences/2007/Calls/CallForDemos Giacomo Indiveri and Xubo Song -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070918/9f895341/attachment-0001.html From fsommer at berkeley.edu Wed Sep 19 05:40:02 2007 From: fsommer at berkeley.edu (Fritz Sommer) Date: Wed Sep 19 09:03:35 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Scientific Programmer Position at UC Berkeley Message-ID: <8098257D-E870-40FF-8981-DFD7F7295C67@berkeley.edu> SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMER POSITION The Sommer lab at UC Berkeley seeks a scientific programmer to assume an integral role in the design and maintenance of the Core Services of the new NSF-Initiative Data-Sharing in Neuroscience, hosted at the Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. Specifically, work involves the design and administration of the data repository and website used for this initiative. This includes the integration and design of these resources, the development and documentation of tools for data sharing, maintaining a data server, design and maintenance of a website, as well as support and interaction with data contributors. Qualifications: *Interest in Neuroscience *Expertise in Python, Matlab, XML and HTML *Experience with content management systems (PLONE) and version control (CVS or SVN) *Experience with binary data formats and hierarchical data formats (HDF5) *Familiarity with different unix-like platforms (Linux and Mac OS X). *Strong problem-solving abilities Salary and start date The monthly salary range is $3987 - $7318, although most offers will not exceed midpoint of the salary range. Open: immediately, with preferred start date 15 Oct 2007 or earlier. Minimum one year commitment preferred. How to apply U.C. Berkeley has an online applicant website. Visit: http://jobs.berkeley.edu/ and search for job #007217. If you have any questions, please contact Fritz Sommer: fsommer@berkeley.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Friedrich T. Sommer, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor University of California, Berkeley Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience & HWNI 3210F Tolman Hall MC 3192 Berkeley, CA 94720 phone (510) 642-7251 fax (510) 642-7206 http://redwood.berkeley.edu/wiki/Fritz_Sommer From tobias at nld.ds.mpg.de Wed Sep 19 15:06:13 2007 From: tobias at nld.ds.mpg.de (Tobias Niemann) Date: Wed Sep 19 15:32:24 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Two PostDoc or PhD Positions in Robotics and/or Computer Vision Message-ID: <46F11EC5.4050208@nld.ds.mpg.de> Job Offer: Two PostDoc or PhD Positions (Duration 3 years) At the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) at the University of G?ttingen (Germany) there are two Postdoc openings in the fields of Robotics and/or Computer Vision based on neural information processing principles. In our group we are concerned with sensori-motor integration as well as motor-coordination problems towards solving complex robotic tasks like goal directed movement generation, reaching, grasping or bipedal walking. Central focus lies on dynamic robot systems that use adaptive methods (?learning?) solving these tasks employing neural network control. An example of this is RunBot (Manoonpong et al., PLoS CB, July 2007), a fast biped robot, which is able to adapt to novel situations using a multi-layered neural control structure. Its flexibility and dynamic performance has created quite some resonance in the press and on the internet. Information on our group and its research can be found at: http://www.bccn-goettingen.de/Groups/GroupCN. The goal of our future research is to extend these methods solving increasingly complex problems by integrating better sensorial information and by improving control and adaptivity. Our group at the BCCN works together with several groups in Europe (Glasgow, Odense, Barcelona) and Germany (Karlsruhe, Jena) offering the successful applicant interesting cooperation possibilities. G?ttingen itself (http://www.goettingen-tourismus.de/index.php?lang=en&menuid=2&topmenu=2&keepmenu=inactive ) is a beautiful, small, old university town in the center of Germany with a student community of more than 20,000 and a highly supportive research infrastructure especially in the neurosciences (http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/sh/1.html). Salaries are based on the German TV?D system and start for a Postdoc at about 35,500 Euro before deductions annually. PhD students will be paid according to their experience. Desired starting date before 01/01/2008 (negotiable). Both openings will allow the successful applicant to develop his/her own line of research. Hence applications with an own research plan fitting to the above described scenarios are strongly encouraged. Good programming skills are absolutely essential and we are especially interested in candidates with expertise in electronic and/or mechanical hardware design. For further information call or write to: Prof. Dr. F. W?rg?tter +49 551 5176528 Or send your application with CV, publication list, and research interests/plan (preferably as PDF) to: Prof. Dr. F. W?rg?tter (worgott@bccn-goettingen.de) Bunsenstr. 10, D-37073 G?ttingen, Germany. From steve at cns.bu.edu Mon Sep 24 21:44:15 2007 From: steve at cns.bu.edu (Stephen Grossberg) Date: Tue Sep 25 10:09:02 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] From stereogram to surface: How the brain sees the world in depth. Message-ID: The following article is now available at http://www.cns.bu.edu/Profiles/Grossberg: Fang, L. and Grossberg, S. From stereogram to surface: How the brain sees the world in depth. Spatial Vision, Special issue on Unresolved Questions in Stereopsis, in press. ABSTRACT How do we consciously see surfaces infused with lightness and color at the correct depths? Random Dot Stereograms (RDS) probe how binocular disparity between the two eyes can generate conscious surface percepts. Dense RDS do so despite the fact that they include multiple false binocular matches. Sparse stereograms do so across large contrast-free regions with no binocular matches. Stereograms that define occluding and occluded surfaces lead to surface percepts wherein partially occluded textured surfaces are completed behind occluding textured surfaces at a spatial scale much larger than that of the texture elements themselves. Earlier models suggest how the brain detects binocular disparity, but not how RDS generate conscious percepts of 3D surfaces. This article proposes a neural model that predicts and simulates how the layered circuits of visual cortex generate 3D surface percepts using interactions between boundary and surface representations that obey complementary computational rules. The model clarifies how interactions between layers 4, 3B, and 2/3A in V1 and V2 contribute to stereopsis, and proposes how 3D perceptual grouping laws in V2 interact with 3D surface filling-in operations in V1, V2, and V4 to generate 3D surface percepts in which figures are separated from their backgrounds. Keywords: stereopsis, visual cortex, surface perception, figure-ground separation, LAMINART model. From reiserm at janelia.hhmi.org Tue Sep 25 16:13:12 2007 From: reiserm at janelia.hhmi.org (Reiser, Michael) Date: Tue Sep 25 16:34:32 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Postdoctoral positions in Drosophila Neurobiology at Janelia Farm Message-ID: <822C670330691E4AAA444BFB78ABAEA44AD9A1@EXCHANGE03.janelia.priv> Two postdoctoral positions are available in the group of Michael Reiser (http://research.janelia.org/Reiser/) at the Janelia Farm Research Campus. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus (http://www.hhmi.org/janelia/) is a unique, world-class research community in the Washington, DC area. The work in our group draws upon experimental and computational approaches to investigate the processing of multisensory information by the Drosophila nervous system. We use tethered-flight experiments in a variety of virtual-reality flight simulators to quantify motor responses to controlled multisensory stimuli. In addition to studying several aspects of visual processing in flies, the lab is working to understand the mechanosensory pathways that underlie the behavioral responses to wind stimuli and the robust gravity response. The postdoctoral researchers will be involved in designing and conducting quantitative behavior experiments with the goal of identifying candidate neuronal circuits to be investigated using molecular-genetic tools, imaging, and electrophysiology. Along the way, several critical experiments will involve an animal-robot hybrid control system. These projects will benefit from close collaboration with several other groups at Janelia Farm working on complementary efforts to study neural circuits in the adult fly brain. The positions are open to candidates with either a strong background in experimental biology (prior experience with electrophysiology, biological imaging, quantitative behavior, and/or Drosophila genetics is preferred) or those with a technical background in Engineering/Physics/Mathematics and a keen interest in Neuroscience. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Biology/Engineering or a related field. Interested applicants should apply by email; please include your curriculum vitae and a letter of research interests, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to: Michael Reiser (reiserm at janelia.hhmi.org) Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Farm Research Campus 19700 Helix Drive Ashburn, VA 20147 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070925/a052fe53/attachment.html From rybak at drexel.edu Tue Sep 25 18:07:49 2007 From: rybak at drexel.edu (Ilya Rybak) Date: Thu Sep 27 09:30:45 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Faculty positions in Neuroengineering at Drexel University College of Medicine Message-ID: <012001c7ff8e$38495f40$6b00a8c0@RYBAK0> Faculty positions in Neuroengineering at Drexel University College of Medicine As part of a university-wide Neuroengineering Initiative, Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) is seeking to fill new tenure track faculty positions to enhance its ongoing research in neuroengineering. We are looking for individuals whose research focuses on spinal cord studies at the systems or/and cellular level, neural control, brain-machine interfaces, neuroengineering applications for recovery from spinal/brain injuries, and related areas. Interested candidates of any academic rank will be considered and are encouraged to apply. The primary appointment will be in one of DUCOM?s departments, depending on the individual?s research field. Faculty rank, salary, and start-up package will be commensurate with experience. The successful candidate should have an active, independent research program and be capable of working as a member of a multidisciplinary team. Interested applicants should submit a CV, statement of research interests and accomplishments, and the names and contact information for at least three references. Applications should be addressed to the Chair of Neuroengineering Search Committee at DUCOM and submitted electronically to neuroengineeringsearch@drexel.edu. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2007, and will continue until the positions are filled. Drexel University is an equal opportunity employer. **************************** Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 Fax: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak@drexel.edu http://neurobio.drexelmed.edu/Rybakweb/rybak.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070925/5318ebc5/attachment-0001.html From bhanupvsr at gmail.com Tue Sep 25 23:14:34 2007 From: bhanupvsr at gmail.com (Bhanu Prasad) Date: Thu Sep 27 09:30:46 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] AIPR-08: Call for papers Message-ID: <621812f80709251414q7bfbbf5cpc79a6bd5a7e385f9@mail.gmail.com> *Apologies for cross-posting. Please forward to interested people* The 2008 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition (AIPR-08) will be held during July 7-10 2008 in Orlando, FL, USA. You can see more details about the conference (and some other conferences that will be held at the same place and time) at the website: www.PromoteResearch.org Please feel free to contact me. Best regards B. Prasad Program Committee Co-Chair of AIPR-08 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070925/2590274d/attachment.html From knoesche at cbs.mpg.de Thu Sep 27 21:33:27 2007 From: knoesche at cbs.mpg.de (Thomas R.=?iso-8859-1?Q?Kn=F6sche?=) Date: Fri Sep 28 10:01:33 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] job openings Message-ID: <1342.91.65.222.58.1190921607.squirrel@mail.cbs.mpg.de> The Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany announces the following job openings: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Position 1: ----------- For the research project ?Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions?, the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science at Leipzig offers a position as postdoctoral Researcher for 3 years (initial contract 2 years + one year extension) The research project aims at the identification and characterization of neuronal networks of the human brain in order to improve the understanding of the neural basis of cognitive functions. The task of the successful applicant will be the development of dynamic modelling techniques (e.g. dynamic causal modelling) for brain networks incorporating electrophysiological (EEG/MEG) and imaging (fMRI, MRI, DTI) data, as well as their application to neuroscientific and in particular neuropsychological problems. The successful candidate holds a PhD degree in a relevant research area and should have previous experience in dynamic modelling techniques, preferably but not necessarily involving brain data (e.g. EEG/MEG or fMRI). A keen interest in cognition and its biological foundations should be present. The Max-Planck-Institute offers a friendly and generous environment as well as excellent infrastructure (including 3T and 7T MRI, EEG, MEG). It brings together a large number of researchers with very diverse backgrounds, united by their interest in the human brain and the methods for its exploration. The project is carried out in close co-operation with the Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne, where substantial expertise and infrastructure in the area of neurobiology (including animal research facilities, PET, PET-MRI) is concentrated. In order to increase the proportion of female staff members, applications from female scientists are particularly encouraged. Disabled applicants are preferred if qualification is equal. The selection procedure starts as the applications come in. Please send your application (including CV, publication list, letter of motivation), citing the code number "PD 3/07" to: Max-Planck-Institut f?r Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften - Verwaltung - Stephanstra?e 1a, 04103 Leipzig www.cbs.mpg.de Alternatively, the application materials may be sent by email to: Dr. Thomas Kn?sche knoesche@cbs.mpg.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Position 2: ----------- For the research project ?Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions?, the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science at Leipzig offers a position as PhD student for 3 years (initial contract 2 years + one year extension) The research project aims at the identification and characterization of neuronal networks of the human brain in order to improve the understanding of the neural basis of cognitive functions. The task of the successful applicant will be the development of techniques for the analysis of diffusion-weighted MR data, as well as the application of the results to neuroscientific and in particular neuropsychological problems. The successful candidate holds a degree in informatics, mathematics, physics, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering or similar, and ideally possesses some basic knowledge in neuroscience. Previous experience with the measurement and analysis of brain signals is an advantage, but not essential. A keen interest in the biological foundations of brain functions should be present. The Max-Planck-Institute offers a friendly and generous environment as well as excellent infrastructure (including 3T and 7T MRI, EEG, MEG). It brings together a large number of researchers with very diverse backgrounds, united by their interest in the human brain and the methods for its exploration. The project is carried out in close co-operation with the Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne, where substantial expertise and infrastructure in the area of neurobiology (including animal research facilities, PET, PET-MRI) is concentrated. In order to increase the proportion of female staff members, applications from female scientists are particularly encouraged. Disabled applicants are preferred if qualification is equal. The selection procedure starts as the applications come in. Please send your application, citing the code number "D 5/07" to: Max-Planck-Institut f?r Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften - Verwaltung - Stephanstra?e 1a, 04103 Leipzig www.cbs.mpg.de Alternatively, the application materials may be sent by email to: Dr. Thomas Kn?sche knoesche@cbs.mpg.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Position 3: ----------- For a co-operation project with ELEKTA Neuromag Oy (Helsinki, Finland), the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science at Leipzig offers a position as PhD student for 2.5 years (2/3 TV?D 13) The research project aims at the development of advanced methods for the analysis of EEG and MEG data. The focus will be on the estimation of neural activation from unaveraged (single trial) data. The successful candidate holds a degree in informatics, mathematics, physics, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering or similar, and ideally possesses some basic knowledge in neuroscience. Previous experience with the measurement and analysis of brain signals is an advantage, but not essential. A keen interest in the biological foundations of brain functions should be present. The Max-Planck-Institute offers a friendly and generous environment as well as excellent infrastructure (including 3T and 7T MRI, EEG, MEG). It brings together a large number of researchers with very diverse backgrounds, united by their interest in the human brain and the methods for its exploration. In order to increase the proportion of female staff members, applications from female scientists are particularly encouraged. Disabled applicants are preferred if qualification is equal. The selection procedure starts as the applications come in. Please send your application, citing the code number "D 6/07" to: Max-Planck-Institut f?r Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften - Verwaltung - Stephanstra?e 1a, 04103 Leipzig www.cbs.mpg.de Alternatively, the application materials may be sent by email to: Dr. Burkhard Maess maess@cbs.mpg.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Thomas R. Kn?sche Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Stephanstrasse 1a 04103 Leipzig / Germany Tel.: +49 341 35521735 Fax.: +49 341 35521740 Email: knoesche@cbs.mpg.de Web: www.cbs.mpg.de/~knoesche From stiber at u.washington.edu Fri Sep 28 03:27:36 2007 From: stiber at u.washington.edu (Michael Stiber) Date: Fri Sep 28 10:01:35 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Extended Deadline: Travel Support to Neural Coding 2007, Montevideo, Uruguay Message-ID: We have extended the deadline for new applications for travel support to Neural Coding 2007 until October 5. Please see below for details. ---------------------------- Neural Coding 2007 -- Student/Postdoc Travel Support Funding is available for US postdoctoral and predoctoral (graduate and undergraduate) researchers to attend the 2007 Neural Coding meeting and its associated Joint US/Uruguay Workshop on Neural Dynamics, to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay on November 4-12, 2007. Support in the amount of $2000, to be used toward registration fees, hotel expenses, and other travel costs, will include post-meeting travel to research laboratories in the southern cone region of South America; contacts to research laboratories will be provided (participants will be responsible for arranging the specifics of their own travel). This will be an excellent opportunity to establish contacts with international experts and a small but very valuable and growing community of Uruguayan and Latin American scientists. The Neural Coding symposia bring together scientists from different fields with the conviction that multidisciplinary approaches are essential for better understanding neural coding mechanisms as well as their disturbances in clinical cases. Hence, the attendees of the Neural Coding Workshop should be prepared to cross the borders of their own disciplines. Intense discussions of experimental, modeling, and analytical approaches are expected. Major emphasis will be placed on biologically inspired formal and computer models which could elucidate the functionally relevant dynamics of the neural coding mechanisms, including their possible roles in causing and treating neurological and related diseases. For more information on the meeting, please see the meeting web site at . The deadline for applications is October 5. In your application, please include: 1. For postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, an abstract prepared in accordance with the instructions at the Neural Coding web site. Alternatively, you may indicate that you are a co-author of an already submitted paper (please indicate the title and author list of the paper as well). You will be expected to present your research during the Joint Workshop. 2. A personal statement describing your research interests and plans and how this experience will factor into them. Your personal statement should also indicate: your commitment to attend both the Joint Workshop and the main Neural Coding meeting, a plan for your stay in the southern cone area of South America beyond these (see the Neural Coding web site for a list of contacts), and your agreement to submit afterwards a brief summary of your experiences at the Joint Workshop and during your travels in the region, including prospective new collaborations. 3. A curriculum vitae. 4. The name and contact information (including email) for a faculty member or other scientific reference who will be sending a (separate) letter of reference for you. Please arrange for this letter to be sent directly to us. All application materials should be sent via email to . Awardees will be notified of the grant within two weeks after the deadline date. Support is provided by the US National Science Foundation under grant number OISE-0652336. From ylevy at cs.umass.edu Sun Sep 30 02:36:57 2007 From: ylevy at cs.umass.edu (Yariv Z Levy) Date: Mon Oct 1 09:34:12 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] POSTDOCTORAL POSITION in NONLINEAR DYNAMICS of MEMORY and ACTIVE PERCEPTION Message-ID: POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH in NONLINEAR DYNAMICS of MEMORY and ACTIVE PERCEPTION Biologically Inspired Neural & Dynamical Systems (BINDS) Laboratory University of Massachusetts Amherst The postdoc work will be concentrating on: How memories are modified, what other systems take part of it, how can the system benefit from changing memories? These questions are asked from the functional and computational view, and will be tackled using theories of dynamical systems, knowledge of neurobiology and memory system, mathematical analysis and control. The modeling created will then be transferred into crisp principles and from there to machine learning, detection, and navigation. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Engineering or a related field. Excellent programming skills in C++ and Matlab, knowledge of machine learning, and deep analytical knowledge and skills. The initial appointment will be for one year and renewable based performance and funding. The position is open immediately and salary is standard for computer science. Applicants should send a cover letter, a CV, representative publications, and the names of three references directly to Hava Siegelmann --- http://binds.cs.umass.edu/ From rybak at drexel.edu Sun Sep 30 03:50:21 2007 From: rybak at drexel.edu (Ilya Rybak) Date: Mon Oct 1 09:34:16 2007 Subject: [Comp-neuro] Postdoctoral/research associate position in computational neuroscience Message-ID: <016901c80304$42b65fe0$6b00a8c0@RYBAK0> Postdoctoral/research associate position in computational neuroscience A postdoctoral/research associate position is available in the Lab for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine. Current projects in the lab supported by NIH include (1) computational modeling of brainstem respiratory network and neural control of breathing and (2) computational modeling of the spinal circuitry involved in the locomotor rhythm generation and neural control of locomotion. Requirements for the position include a PhD, experience in modeling of single neurons (in the Hodgkin-Huxley style) and small and/or high-scale biological neural networks, and strong C++ programming skills. Experience in the analysis of nonlinear systems is an advantage. The successful candidate will be involved in ongoing collaborations with several research groups in the USA and other countries performing complementary experimental studies. The position is available for at least 2 years. Interested individuals should respond (preferably by email) with a CV and names of at least 3 references to Dr. Ilya A. Rybak, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia PA 19129; email: rybak@drexel.edu Applications will be accepted until position is filled. Drexel University is an equal opportunities employer. Feel free to email any questions. A preliminary interview at the Society for Neuroscience Meeting is possible. **************************** Ilya A. Rybak, Ph.D. Professor Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Drexel University College of Medicine 2900 Queen Lane Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA Tel.: (215) 991-8596 Fax: (215) 843-9082 E-mail: rybak@drexel.edu http://neurobio.drexelmed.edu/Rybakweb/rybak.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.neuroinf.org/pipermail/comp-neuro/attachments/20070929/d9b208f8/attachment-0001.html