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

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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

Faculty Position at the University of Southern California

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR FROM COGNITIVE / NEURAL PERSPECTIVES

The University of Southern California, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, in Los Angeles, California, invites applications for a position as Assistant or Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and/or Linguistics to start Fall 2013. We seek candidates engaged in novel research in the computational modeling of language behavior. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the modeling of language acquisition, comprehension, development, evolution, processing, production and variation. The research may be from neural or cognitive perspectives and with a strong link to empirical investigations. For an appointment at the level of Assistant Professor (tenure track), the appointment will be made in either the Department of Linguistics or the Department of Psychology. For an appointment at the level of Associate Professor (with tenure), a joint appointment between the two Departments is possible.

USC offers many opportunities for collaboration across these and other units of the university. Resources include the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center, the Brain and Creativity Institute, the High-Performance Computing and Communications supercomputing cluster, and a broad interdisciplinary Neuroscience community, including a program in Hearing and Communication Neuroscience, composed of more than 70 faculty members in the basic, engineering, and clinical sciences. USC strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. Women and men, and members of all racial and ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.

All applicants should have a Ph.D. at the time of appointment and should provide a CV, a research statement, a teaching statement, representative scholarly papers, and three letters of reference via email to Mr. Stephen Stephenson at psyling@dornsife.usc.edu. Screening of applicants will begin October 15, 2012. In order to be considered for this position, applicants are also required to submit an electronic USC application; follow this job link or paste in a browser: https://jobs.usc.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=66228 .

PARMENIDES FELLOWSHIPS IN THEORETICAL BIOLOGY

PARMENIDES FELLOWSHIPS IN THEORETICAL BIOLOGY - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Two thematic Parmenides fellowships are open in the Parmenides Center for
the Conceptual Foundations of Science (Münich, Germany) under the
supervision of Prof. Eörs Szathmáry.

Successful candidates will carry out their own research agenda in the
fields described below. The positions are for a minimum of 1 year to a
maximum of 3 years. Successful applicants will receive a stipend of 2500
EUR per month (net).The proposed projects can start as soon as a suitable
candidate is identified, but not later than the 15th October, 2012.

Origin of life: Theory of the emergence and development of the RNA world.
The major evolutionary transitions, of which at least the first 3 is bound
to this period in the evolution of life on Earth, should be in the focus of
the proposed research project.

Replicator evolution in the brain: Population biology of replicators as
proposed in Darwinian neurodynamics, with special emphasis on the
application to Fluid Construction Grammar.

We seek applicants with an interest in theoretical evolutionary biology
and experience in using a range of computational, bioinformatic and
mathematical techniques to answer evolutionary questions. Furthermore,
candidates should have a few years of postdoctoral experience, a track
record in publishing in international scholarly journals and fluency
in English.

Candidates interested in either of the positions should submit an
application consisting of a CV with full list of publications, a motivation
letter (1 page) and a detailed workplan (max 5 pages).
The deadline for applications is 14th, September, 2012. Applications should
be sent by email to Eörs Szathmáry, szathmary.eors@gmail.com.

szathmary.eors@gmail.com

Postdoc position in Math Neuroscience

Computational/Mathematical Neuroscience Postdoc

Bard Ermentrout (http://www.pitt.edu/~phase) in the Mathematics Department
at the University of Pittsburgh is seeking applicants for a three-year
postdoctoral research position. The project is concerned with (1) the
interactions between correlated inputs and spatio-temporal patterns ; (2)
the origin and analysis of spatio-temporal patterns in mean-field and
spiking models of neurons; (3) relationship between population
oscillations and their mean-field approximations.  The ability to do
simulations and some perturbation analysis is desirable and knowledge of
XPPAUT or Matlab is also a plus.  The salary is competitive and there are
full benefits.

Please contact Bard Ermentrout at bard@pitt.edu