POSTDOC: Computational modelling

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW

Computational modelling of the neural mechanisms of spatial cognition

A post-doctoral research position in Neil Burgess’s lab. at UCL is available for computational modelling of the interactions between grid cells and place cells in coding spatial location (see e.g. 1,2,3) and their role in human spatial memory and imagery in combination with parietal cortex (see e.g. 4,5,6). Applicants should have experience of computational modelling applied to neuroscience or cognition and of programming languages such as MatLab. Experience of analysis or acquisition of experimental data in neuroscience or psychology would be a bonus.

Neil’s lab. forms part of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/), located close to the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit (http://www.gatsby.ucl.ac.uk/), the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging  (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/) and other facilities for research including electrophysiology and virtual reality. For details of the lab’s research interests see:  http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/Research-Groups/Space-and-Memory-Group/.

The post is part of a European Union grant on computational modelling of spatial cognition, with partners Fred Hamker (T U Chemnitz), Patrick Cavanagh (U Paris Descartes), Pieter Menendorp (Donders/Neijmegen) and Rufin Van Rullen (CNRS/U Toulouse). It will start in March 2013, for 3 years, with starting salary from around £30,000 pa, including London allowance. For more information please send informal inquiries to: n.burgess@ucl.ac.uk (he will be at SfN this year).

1. Burgess N, O’Keefe J (2011) Models of place and grid cell firing and theta rhythmicity. Curr Opin. Neurobiol. 21: 734-744.

2. Barry C, Ginsberg LL, O’Keefe J, Burgess N (2012) Grid cell firing patterns signal environmental novelty by expansion. P.N.A.S. In press.

3. Krupic J, Burgess N, O’Keefe J (2012) Neural Representations of Location Composed of Spatially-periodic Bands. Science, 337: 853-857.

4. Doeller CF, Barry C, Burgess, N (2010) Evidence for grid cells in a human memory network. Nature 463 657- 661.

5. Byrne P, Becker S, Burgess N (2007). Remembering the past and imagining the future: a neural model of spatial memory and imagery. Psychological Review 114 340-375.

6. Tcheang L, Bülthoff H, Burgess N (2011) Visual influence on path integration in darkness indicates a multimodal representation of large-scale space. P.N.A.S. 108: 1152-1157

______________________________

_________________
Comp-neuro mailing list
Comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
http://www.neuroinf.org/mailman/listinfo/comp-neuro

POST-DOC IN BRAIN NETWORKS AT IMT LUCCA

POST-DOC IN BRAIN NETWORKS AT IMT LUCCA (www.imtlucca.it). Deadline for
applications is October 26th 2012.

IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca invites applications for a
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Brain Network Analysis, with specific emphasis
on the reconstruction of networks from time-signal analysis and the
detection of communities. Other than a PhD in NMR and international
experience in the field,  candidates must have an excellent record of
high-impact international publications and should demonstrate enthusiasm for
performing applied research in an interdisciplinary Research Unit.

The appointed candidate will join the NATWORKS - Natural Networks research
unit (http://natworks.imtlucca.it/) and specifically the APrICor (Analysis
and Processing of Image Correlation) project. The project’s main objective
is the definition of a framework for the interpretation of dynamical,
multiparametric biomedical images based on advanced statistical analysis
methods. More specifically, it will explore the benefits of a
complex-network representation of spatially and temporally correlated
signals to extract topological features that may be informative of the
underlying dynamical processes. The project will establish and validate
biological correlates for these features, in order to make this framework
useful for biological and medical research purposes. Software tools based on
these concepts will be developed and integrated within a flexible platform
for image analysis that will be made available to the scientific community.

IMT Lucca is a public international Graduate School and Institute of
Technology that acts as a research university with the aim of forming human
capital in disciplines characterized by their high potential for concrete
applications. IMT strives to reach the fusion of theoretical comprehension
and practical relevance.

For further information about the position and the online form, applicants
can refer to the website, or can contact pdf.calls@imtlucca.it.

Sara L. Olson
Communication & Events

IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca
Piazza San Ponziano, 6
55100 Lucca – Italy
Tel: +39 0583 4326 597
Fax: +39 0583 4326 565
E-mail: sara.olson@imtlucca.it
www.imtlucca.it
--------------------------
The content of this message and of its attachments is under exclusive
responsibility of the account owner and doesn't bind IMT anyhow with respect
to the recipient or third parties.


______________________________

_________________
Comp-neuro mailing list
Comp-neuro@neuroinf.org
http://www.neuroinf.org/mailman/listinfo/comp-neuro

Announcement: PhD program in computational neuroscience

Dear Colleagues,

Please inform students interested in computational neuroscience, mathematical biology, or computational biology PhD programs about the Tri-Institutional Training Program in Computational Biology and Medicine (CBM).

CBM takes advantage of the outstanding educational and research resources of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and the Sloan-Kettering Institute (the research arm of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) in New York City to train computational biologists in the interdisciplinary approaches (quantitative and experimental) they need to solve the complex problems that characterize biology and medicine.

This NIH T32-funded PhD program is recruiting highly qualified students from biological science and/or quantitative backgrounds.  Neuroscience is one of CBM's main focus areas.

Please visit www.triiprograms.org/cbm for more information.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
David Christini, PhD
Director, CBM Program

postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience to study sleep oscillations

Applications are invited for an NIH-funded post-doctoral position to study mechanisms and functions of sleep oscillations. The successful candidate will join a research team involving the laboratories of Eric Halgren (UCSD), Terry Sejnowski (UCSD) and Maxim Bazhenov (UC Riverside).  For relevant references see, Chen et al, Journal of Physiology (London), 2012, Jul 9; Bonjean et al, Journal of Neuroscience, 2012, 32(15):5250-63. The ultimate goal of this work is to understand mechanisms and functions of sleep rhythms during stage 2 sleep and the role of sleep oscillations in memory and learning.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the design of a thalamocortical model generating sleep rhythms based on existing experimental data. These models will be used to understand underlying neural mechanisms, as well as guide data analysis and produce novel experimental predictions. Qualified applicants are expected to have experience in computational/theoretical neuroscience and conductance-based neural modeling. Programming experience with C/C++ is required. Knowledge of PYTHON or MATLAB is a plus.

The University of California offers excellent benefits. Salary is based on research experience. The initial appointment is for 1 year with a possibility of extension. Applicants should send a brief statement of research interests, a CV and the names of three references to Maxim Bazhenov at maksim.bazhenov@ucr.edu

-- 
Maxim Bazhenov, Ph.D.
Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521
Ph: 951-827-4370
http://biocluster.ucr.edu/~mbazhenov/

Five PostDoc Positions in Glasgow

Research Associate (5 posts available)

University of Glasgow - Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology

You will contribute to Wellcome Trust funded research entitled "Natural and modulated neural communication: State-dependent decoding and driving of human Brain Oscillations" (Joint Investigators: Gregor Thut, Joachim Gross). This is one of 5 simultaneously filled 5-year Research Associate positions covering different aspects of the above project.

The job requires working in an interdisciplinary team of researchers on longstanding questions of how brain oscillations orchestrate brain functions, or relate to brain dysfunction. Depending on the position within the team, this will involve the development and/or application of new analysis methods to eavesdrop on brain communication and decode some of the information coded in brain oscillations (MEG/EEG), or using this knowledge for controlled intervention into brain oscillations by transcranial stimulation to modulate brain function (combined TMS/tACS-EEG).

For more information on the position and environment please write to Joachim.Gross@glasgow.ac.uk,  or Gregor.Thut@glasgow.ac.uk 

This post has funding available until 31 December 2017

Ref: 002653

Please apply here:  http://www.gla.ac.uk/about/jobs/

Salary: Grade 7, £31,948 - £35,938 per annum

Closing date: 15 October 2012

3 Postdoc Positions available

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
AND
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

Advertisement

Sheffield Refs: UOS005250, UOS005253
Sussex Ref: 816

Three postdoctoral positions are available at the Universities of
Sheffield (two posts) and Sussex (one post) as part of the EPSRC funded,
‘Green Brain’ project. This exciting new project will develop
computational neuroscience models of learning and decision-making in the
honeybee brain, and controllers based on these to run on an NVIDIA GPU
supercomputer controlling a flying robot in real time. Invertebrate
neuroscientists are continuing to demonstrate that despite their small
sized brains, insects, such as honeybees, have comparable cognitive
sophistication to those of larger-brained animals, including
vertebrates. Honeybees, in particular, have been demonstrated to be able
to manage speed-accuracy trade-offs in decision-making, exhibit positive
and negative-reinforcement learning, and transfer concepts such as
'sameness' and 'difference' across sensory modalities. This project is
intended to advance our understanding of the invertebrate brain by
computational neuroscience modelling, with the ultimate long-term goal
of achieving a complete brain model of an animal such as the honeybee.
To achieve this goal, modern GPU super-computing will be used to build
detailed models of brain function that can run in real time and can
interface with a flying robot to study its behaviour in an embodied
context. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with
honeybee experts in Toulouse. It is expected that the long-term goal of
a full brain model will not only represent a significant basic research
achievement, but also lead to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence,
control of autonomous agents and computational insights into cognitive
mechanisms in higher animals

The postdoctoral positions of the research associates on this project
are as follows:

1. Computational neuroscientist (Sussex): Your primary responsibilities
will be to further develop models of the honeybee olfactory system and
learning pathways, develop GPU modelling tools, and integrate your work
with the other research associates.

2. Computational neuroscientist (Sheffield): Your primary
responsibilities will be to model the honeybee optic tubercle and visual
learning pathways, to investigate multi-modal integration and learning,
and to integrate your work with the other research associates

3. Roboticist (Sheffield): Your primary responsibility will be to
develop and maintain the GPU-supercomputer-controlled flying robot, and
integrate the work of the other research associates into the platform

Successful candidates must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a
quantitative science discipline. All posts require a keen interest in
computational neuroscience and the basis of learning and behaviour in
animals. We are looking for candidates with a strong mathematical,
computational and computational neuroscience background (posts 1 and 2)
and keen interest in robotics (post 3). Knowledge of the insect
olfactory system (post 1), visual system (post 2) and robotic
controllers (post 3) is desirable, but is not a requirement. All
positions require good programming skills and experience with GPU
computing would be a big plus. The positions will involve travel between
Sheffield and Sussex and occasionally to the collaborating experimental
bee researchers in Toulouse.

For informal inquiries about the positions, please contact Dr. James
Marshall, James.Marshall@shef.ac.uk or Dr. Thomas Nowotny,
t.nowotny@sussex.ac.uk.
Candidates interested in applying for the University of Sussex job
please apply through www.sussex.ac.uk/jobs. Candidates interested in the
posts at University of Sheffield please apply through
http://www.shef.ac.uk/jobs. If candidates are interested in several
posts please apply on both sites.

Please provide a CV with publication list, a brief (1 page) statement of
why you are interested in the position and about your future career
plans with your application form.

Salary range: starting at £30,122 and rising to £37,012 per annum,
according to experience

Expected start date: 1 December 2012

Closing date for applications: 17/14 October 2012

Interviews are anticipated for: 1 November 2012

For full details and how to apply see
www.shef.ac.uk/jobs
www.sussex.ac.uk/jobs

The Universities of Sheffield and of Sussex are committed to equality of
opportunity.

Postdoc position in psychophysics and modeling

Department of Neuroscience

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX

Postdoc in human psychophysics and mathematical modeling

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position (minimum 2 years) in the laboratory of Dr. Wei Ji Ma (http://neuro.bcm.edu/malab) in the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

The long-range goal of our lab is to understand decision-making under uncertainty. Our methods include human psychophysics, mathematical modeling of behavior, and theoretical neuroscience. Recent publications have been in the areas of visual perception, visual short-term memory, visual attention, and multisensory perception.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. and experience in both psychophysics and modeling/theory. Good analytical and programming skills are required. Expertise in machine learning is an advantage.

To apply, please send CV, statement of interest, and the names and contact information of two references to Wei Ji Ma at wjma@bcm.edu. Consideration of applications will begin immediately, and will end when the position is filled. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal-Opportunity, Affirmative-Action and Equal-Access Employer.

--

Wei Ji Ma, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Neuroscience

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, TX 77030, USA

+1 713 798 8407

http://neuro.bcm.edu/malab