[visionlist] Call for Applications: Paul J. Salem Postdoctoral Scholars in Computational Brain Science – Brown Institute for Brain Sciences (Providence, RI)

[Thomas Serre]

The Frank and Serre labs at Brown university are seeking applicants for the
Paul J. Salem Postdoctoral Scholarships in Brain Science. The postdoctoral
fellow will lead an exciting new project at the interface between machine
learning and neuroscience. In particular, we are looking for computational
neuroscience and machine learning experts interested in the intersection
between vision, memory and reinforcement learning. Relevant projects in the
two groups can be seen in the following example works:

   - Franklin, N.T. & Frank, M.J. (2018). Compositional clustering in task
   structure learning. *PLOS Computational Biology, 14(4): e1006116*.
   http://ski.clps.brown.edu/papers/FranklinFrank_Compositional18.pdf
   - Nassar, M.R., Helmers, J. & Frank, M.J. (2018). Chunking as a rational
   strategy for lossy data compression in visual working memory. *Psychological
   Review*. http://ski.clps.brown.edu/papers/NassarHelmersFrank_chunking.pdf
   - Drew Linsley, Junkyung Kim, Vijay Veerabadran, Thomas Serre.  Learning
   long-range spatial dependencies with horizontal gated-recurrent units. 2018
   https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.08315v1
   - Drew Linsley, Dan Scheibler, Sven Eberhardt, Thomas Serre.
   Global-and-local attention networks for visual recognition. 2018
   https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.08819v1

Candidates are expected to have a solid background in one or more of the
following domains: modern machine learning, computational models of neural
dynamics underlying perceptual or cognitive processes, signal processing.
In addition, to conducting primary research with neural networks,
candidates will be involved in the mentoring of students, and will
participate in workshops and challenges at the interface between machine
learning and neuroscience (see e.g.,
http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu/datathon_2017/ and
http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu/2018-modeling-competition/).

The initial appointment is for 12 months, renewable for another year, and
potentially longer depending on funding. The start date is negotiable
though an early start is strongly preferred. Salary is commensurate with
experience and is competitive. We encourage Salem Scholars to seek external
funding during their appointment, as a critical component in their
professional development.

*Requirements:*

Candidates must have received their PhDs within 3 years of the application
deadline, and will work under the supervision of Drs Frank and Serre who
are affiliated with the Carney Initiative for Computation in Brain and
Mind.   They must have a strong background in computational neuroscience
and machine learning, with a track record of relevant publications at top
venues (such as NIPS, ICML, PLOS Computational Biology, etc). Excellent
programming skills are required (e.g., C/C++/Matlab/Python/R).

*Application:*

Please send your applications by email to michael_frank at brown.edu
thomas_serre at brown.edu. Please include a brief statement of interests, a
curriculum vita, a list of publications and the name of 2-3 reference
writers (no letter needed at this stage). There is no deadline for the
application but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as
the position will be filled as soon as a suitable applicant is found.

*The Carney Initiative for Computation in Brain and Mind (CICBM;*
http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu), which began Fall 2013 as a component of
BIBS, is an energetic and enthusiastic effort that fosters synergistic
collaborations across departments. Groups affiliated with the initiative
work on two core levels of computation. The first level focuses on
theoretical neuroscience, including computational perception, control over
action and learning, and fundamental questions in neuronal networks
(synaptic plasticity, circuits, networks, oscillations). The second level
focuses on applications and neurotechnology, including brain-machine
interfaces, advanced neural data analysis, computer vision, computational
psychiatry, and robotics. CICBM has 16 core computational faculty (
http://compneuro.clps.brown.edu/people/) spanning six departments, and many
more faculty who incorporate computation for theory development, analysis,
or both. Computational neuroscience tools at Brown have been applied in
projects including brain-machine control of robotic arms in paralyzed
humans; models of visual systems in biological organisms and their
innovative application for classifying animal behavioral patterns;
predicting and quantifying effects of genetics, disease, medications, and
brain stimulation on motor and cognitive function; identification of the
source of neural rhythms and their roles in sensorimotor function;
development of fundamental theories of brain plasticity, and learning;
state-of-the art models of machine learning and reinforcement learning in
computer science.

The Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University advances
multidisciplinary research, technology development, and training in the
brain sciences and works to establish Brown University as an
internationally recognized leader in brain research. The institute was just
endowed with a new $100 million gift. CIBS unites more than 100 faculty
from a diverse group of departments at Brown, spanning basic and clinical
departments, and physical and biological sciences. CIBS provides a
mechanism to advance interdisciplinary research efforts among this broad
group.  CIBS provides  essential support to obtain and administer
multi-investigator grants for research, infrastructure, and training. The
Institute actively seeks new training funds to support interdisciplinary
education that transcends that available in individual academic departments.
-- 
Thomas Serre | GMT -5:00  EDT | T: +1 401-484-0750
Associate Professor of Cog Ling & Psych Sciences | Brown University
URL: goo.gl/G69SaF <http://serre-lab.clps.brown.edu> | Google Talk: tserre
| Skype: thomas.serre
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