The Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group at the University of Amsterdam is seeking a highly qualified and motivated candidate for a PhD position in Computational Neuroscience. The position falls under the Horizon Health Europe Consortium grant “Virtual Brain Twins for Personalized Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders”. This Consortium constitutes a large collaboration between different European institutions, aiming to develop personalized brain simulation software (“virtual brain twins”) to improve the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. The main objective of this PhD project is to develop a biologically realistic computational model of the human brain, and use it to study alterations in brain activity associated with schizophrenia. Such model will make use of local neural mass models (developed by our Consortium partners) to simulate multiple brain areas, and will bring them together using structural connectivity data from human subjects. The model will be then used to explore the effects of schizophrenia-related alterations in brain dynamics and function, and to derive patient-specific virtual brain simulations to improve diagnosis and explore treatments in collaboration with clinical Consortium partners. The project will be supervised by Dr. Jorge Mejias, principal investigator in computational neuroscience and leader of the Dutch component of the Consortium, and by Prof. Dr. Cyriel Pennartz, head of the Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group. You will closely collaborate with other Consortium members, particularly with the team of Prof. Viktor Jirsa at Aix-Marseille University, and will also benefit from interactions with local colleagues including other theoretical, computational and experimental neuroscientists at the Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group. For more information and to apply, visit the following link: https://vacatures.uva.nl/UvA/job/PhD-position-in-Computational-Neuroscience/786924102/

The Swartz Program for Theoretical Neuroscience at Yale University invites applications for up to two postdoctoral positions in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience, with flexible start date in 2022. Competitive candidates include those with a strong quantitative background who wish to gain neuroscience research experience. We especially encourage candidates with an interest in collaborating directly with experimental neuroscientists. The candidates will be expected to perform theoretical/computational studies relevant to one or more laboratories of the Swartz Program at Yale and will be encouraged to participate in an expanding quantitative biology environment at Yale. More details here: https://neurojobs.sfn.org/job/31363/postdoctoral-swartz-fellowship-positions-in-theoretical-and-computational-neuroscience-at-yale/

The Department of Computer Science is seeking to appoint a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the area of computational neuroscience, to join the Neural Computation Research Group. The appointee will be expected to take an active role in providing high quality and innovative teaching and perform internationally-leading research. Interest in developing innovative ways of integrating teaching, research and technology development will be especially welcomed.

POSITION SUMMARY Applications are invited for Flatiron Research Fellowships (FRF) at the Center for Computational Neuroscience. The CCN FRF program offers the opportunity for postdoctoral research in areas that have strong synergy with one or more of the existing research groups at CCN or other centers at the Flatiron Institute. CCN FRF’s will be assigned a primary mentor from a CCN research group or project, though affiliations and collaborations with other research groups within CCN and throughout the Flatiron Institute are encouraged. In addition to carrying out an independent research program, Flatiron Research Fellows are expected to: disseminate their results through scientific presentations, publications, and software release, collaborate with other members of the CCN or Flatiron Institute, and participate in the scientific life of the CCN and Flatiron Institute by attending seminars, colloquia, and group meetings. Flatiron Research Fellows may have the opportunity to organize workshops and to mentor graduate and undergraduate students. The mission of CCN is to develop theories, models, and computational methods that deepen our knowledge of brain function — both in health and in disease. CCN takes a “systems" neuroscience approach, building models that are motivated by fundamental principles, that are constrained by properties of neural circuits and responses, and that provide insights into perception, cognition and behavior. This cross-disciplinary approach not only leads to the design of new model-driven scientific experiments, but also encapsulates current functional descriptions of the brain that can spur the development of new engineered computational systems, especially in the realm of machine learning. CCN currently has research groups in computational vision, neural circuits and algorithms, neuroAI and geometry, and statistical analysis of neural data; interested candidates should review the CCN public website for specific information on CCN’s research areas. Review of applications for positions starting between July and October 2022 will begin in mid-January 2022. Application Materials Cover letter (optional); Curriculum Vitae with bibliography; Research statement of no more than three pages describing past work and proposed research program. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the broad impact of the past and proposed research on computational neuroscience. Applicants should also indicate the primary CCN group(s) with which they’d seek to conduct research, and any desired affiliation with other Flatiron Centers. Three (3) letters of recommendation submitted confidentially by direct email to ccnjobs@simonsfoundation.org Selection Criteria: Applicants must have a PhD in a related field or expect to receive their PhD before the start of the appointment. Applications will be evaluated based on 1) past research accomplishments 2) proposed research program 3) synergy of applicant’s expertise and research proposal topic with existing CCN staff and research programs. Education PhD in computational neuroscience or a relevant technical field such as electrical engineering, machine learning, statistics, physics, or applied math. Related Skills Flexible multi-disciplinary mindset; Strong interest and experience in the scientific study of the brain; Demonstrated abilities in analysis, software and algorithm development, modeling and/or scientific simulation; Ability to do original and outstanding research in neuroscience; Ability to work well independently as well as in a collaborative team environment. FRF positions are two-year appointments and are generally renewed for a third year, contingent on performance. FRF receive a research budget and have access to the Flatiron Institute’s powerful scientific computing resources. FRF may be eligible for subsidized housing within walking distance of the CCN. THE SIMONS FOUNDATION'S DIVERSITY COMMITMENT Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.

The Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group is seeking a highly qualified and motivated candidate for a doctoral position in computational neuroscience, under the recently acquired NWA-ORC Consortium grant. The aim of this Consortium is to understand the fundamental principles used by our brains to integrate information in noisy environments and uncertain conditions, and then implement those principles in next-generation algorithms for safe autonomous mobility. Within the Consortium, the main objective of the present PhD project is to develop a biologically realistic computational model of multi-area brain circuits involved in multisensory perception under uncertainty. The model will be constrained by state-of-the-art neuroanatomical data (such as realistic brain connectivity and multiple cell types), and we will identify and study biological aspects of the model which contribute to an optimal integration of sensory information (following Bayesian and other principles). Model predictions will then be compared to experimental data from collaborators. The project will be supervised by Dr. Jorge Mejias, head of the Computational Neuroscience Lab, and Prof. Dr. Cyriel Pennartz, head of the Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience group. The candidate will also closely collaborate with other computational neuroscientists, experimental neuroscientists, theoreticians and machine learning experts. You are expected: -to perform research of multisensory integration and perception using computational neuroscience methods; -to review relevant literature and acquire knowledge on neurobiology, perception and computational neuroscience; -to build biologically realistic multi-area computer models of cortical circuits for multisensory perception, and compare their predictions with experimental findings; -to collaborate with other groups in the Consortium; -to take part in the teaching effort of the group, including supervision of bachelor and master students; -to write scientific manuscripts and a PhD thesis. Our offer: A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of four years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended to a total duration of four years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,434 in the first year to €3,111 (scale P) in the last year. This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

The Computational Neuroscience Lab, recently established within the Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Group at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), is seeking a highly qualified and motivated candidate for a postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience, under the project 'Translational biomarkers for compulsivity across large-scale brain networks'. The aim of this project is to understand the neurobiological roots of compulsivity, by identifying the neural signatures of compulsive behavior in cortical and subcortical brain regions. A combination of experimental and computational work will be used, with the presently advertised position being associated with the computational modeling part. You will develop and analyze computational models of large-scale brain networks of rodents and humans, following previous work in macaques (Mejias et al., Science Advances 2016). These new models will explicitly replicate neural dynamics underlying compulsive behavior, and will be constrained by existing anatomical, electrophysiological and clinical data from the experimental partners of the project. You will be supervised by Dr. Jorge Mejias, head of the Computational Neuroscience Lab, and the work will be carried out in close collaboration with Drs. Ingo Willuhn and Tara Arbab, from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. You will also closely collaborate with other computational neuroscientists, experimental neuroscientists, clinicians, theoreticians, and machine learning experts at the UvA. You are expected: -to perform research on computational neuroscience;-to review relevant literature and acquire knowledge on neurobiology, compulsivity and computational neuroscience; -to build biologically realistic multi-area computational models of cortical circuits, and compare their predictions with experimental findings; -to collaborate and discuss regularly with other researchers in the project; -to take part in teaching efforts of the Computational Neuroscience Lab, including supervision of bachelor and Master students; -to write scientific manuscripts and present your results at meetings and conferences. Our offer: A temporary contract for 38 hours a week, preferably starting on 1 November 2021. The duration of the contract is 18 months (with a two months probation period). An extension of the contract is possible provided a positive performance of the candidate and further availability of funds. The salary, depending on relevant work experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €2,836 to €4,474 (scale 10) gross per month, based on a full-time contract (38 hours a week). This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favorable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labor Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

The lab of Rava Azeredo da Silveira invites applications for PhD positions at the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), an associated institute of the University of Basel. Research questions will be chosen from a broad range of topics in theoretical/computational neuroscience and cognitive science (see the description of the lab’s activity, below). Candidates with backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence, physics, computer science, engineering, biology, and psychology are welcome. Experience with data analysis and proficiency with numerical methods, in addition to familiarity with neuroscience topics and mathematical and statistical methods, are desirable. Equally desirable are a spirit of intellectual adventure, eagerness, and drive. The positions will come with highly competitive work conditions and salaries. Application deadline: We will start reviewing applications on 20 December 2020. How to apply: Please send the following information in one single PDF, to silveira@iob.ch: 1. letter on motivation and interests; 2. curriculum vitæ; 3. transcripts of undergraduate and Master grades. In addition, please arrange for three letters of recommendations to be sent to the same email address. In all email correspondence, please include the mention “APPLICATION-PHD” in the subject header, otherwise the application will not be considered. *** The Silveira Lab focuses on a range of topics, which, however, are tied together through a central question: How does the brain represent and manipulate information? Among the more concrete approaches to this question, the lab analyses and models neural activity in circuits that can be identified, recorded from, and perturbed experimentally, such as visual neural circuits in the retina and the cortex. Establishing links between physiological specificity and the structure of neural activity yields an understanding of circuits as building blocks of cerebral information processing. On a more abstract level, the lab investigates the representation of information in populations of neurons, from a statistical and algorithmic—rather than mechanistic—point of view, through theories of coding and data analyses. These studies aim at understanding the statistical nature of high-dimensional neural activity in different conditions, and how this serves to encode and process information from the sensory world. In the context of cognitive studies, the lab investigates mental processes such as inference, learning, and decision-making, through both theoretical developments and behavioral experiments. A particular focus is the study of neural constraints and limitations and, further, their impact on mental processes. Neural limitations impinge on the structure and variability of mental representations, which in turn inform the cognitive algorithms that produce behavior. The lab explores the nature of neural limitations, mental representations, and cognitive algorithms, and their interrelations.

The #Imbizo2024 is a southern hemisphere summer school aiming to promote computational neuroscience in Africa. It will bring together international and local students under the tutelage of the world's leading experts in the field. This four-week summer school aims to teach central ideas, methods, and practices of modern computational neuroscience through a combination of lectures and hands-on project work. Mornings will be devoted to lectures on topics across the breadth of computational neuroscience, including experimental underpinnings and machine learning analogues. The rest of the day will be spent working on research projects under the close supervision of expert tutors and faculty. Individual research projects will focus on the modelling of neurons, neural systems, behaviour, the analysis of state-of-the-art neural data, and the development of theories to explain experimental observations. It also includes a week focused on neuroscience-inspired machine learning.

Postdoctoral scientist positions are available at the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) for Psychiatric Research to work on computational neuroscience research funded by recently awarded NIH and DoD grants. Our NIH-funded projects investigate the brain's dynamic circuit motifs underlying internal vs. external-oriented processes in the auditory and interconnected areas, using circuit modeling of the thalamocortical system. In this project, the postdoc will build data-driven biophysical models constrained by data collected from electrophysiology labs at NKI and Columbia & The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, and then use the models to predict optimal neuromodulation strategies for inducing/suppressing circuit patterns, testable in vivo. Our DoD project involves developing computational models of the hippocampal and entorhinal cortex circuitry used in spatial navigation, higher level decision making circuits, and integrating the models with agents learning to solve navigation tasks using neurobiologically-inspired learning rules. This project includes mathematicians and robotics researchers at UTK and CMU.

Postdoctoral scientist positions are available at the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) for Psychiatric Research to work on computational neuroscience research funded by NIH and DoD grants. Applicants should have a PhD in computational neuroscience (or a related field), strong background in multiscale modeling using NEURON/NetPyNE, Python software development, neural/electrophysiology data analysis, machine learning, and writing/presenting research.

The Institute for Neural Computation is looking for a postdoc in the field of Computational Neuroscience. The position is part of the group 'Theory of Neural Systems' and offers the opportunity to develop your own research profile and establish an independent research group. The research topic should be in the field of computational neuroscience on a system level, in particular modeling the visual system, episodic memory, or navigation in mammals. Collaborations with colleagues at the institute are welcome. The tasks include independent research projects and publications, acquiring third party funding, teaching, supervising student projects and your own PhD projects, and active participation in the local research environment.

The position involves conducting research in computational neuroscience and bio-inspired machine intelligence, writing research articles and presenting them at international conferences, publishing in neuroscience journals and machine learning venues such as ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, etc., and interacting and collaborating with experimental neuroscience groups or neuromorphic hardware developers nationally and internationally.

IIT welcomes applicants with an outstanding track-record in Computational Neuroscience. Appropriate research areas include computational and modelling approaches for understanding the function of the nervous system. Investigators with expertise in mathematics, physics, statistics, and machine learning for neuroscience are also encouraged to apply. The position can be either tenured or tenure-track, depending on seniority and expertise. If tenure-track, the position is for an initial period of 5 years with renewal depending on evaluation. We provide generous support for salary, start-up budget, and annual running costs.

A two-year postdoctoral position in computational neuroscience and neural coding is open to investigate the role of hippocampal-dependent memory function in visual perceptual learning. The postdoc will work in Eugenio Piasini's group at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), in close collaboration with Manuela Allegra at the Italian National Research Council (CNR). Although this role is focused on a specific project, we are happy to support the development of the postdoc's individual research pursuits.

Undergraduates interested in receiving research training in computational neuroscience are encouraged to apply to an NIH-sponsored summer program at the Neuroscience Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. The environment at Carnegie Mellon University has much to offer to students interested in computational approaches. We benefit from a partnership with the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, a joint interdisciplinary program of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Admitted students will receive a stipend of $4500, in addition to travel expenses to/from Pittsburgh, PA, and university dormitory housing.