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

Serre, Thomas thomas_serre at brown.edu
Sun Sep 30 20:01:14 -05 2018


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 at the intersection between vision, memory and
reinforcement learning. Relevant projects in the two groups can be seen in
the following example works:

   - Drew Linsley, Junkyung Kim, Vijay Veerabadran, Thomas Serre. (2018)
   Learning long-range spatial dependencies with horizontal gated recurrent
   units. Neural Information Processing Systems. 2018
   https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.08315v1
   - J.K Kim, M. Ricci & T. Serre. Learning same-different relations
   strains feedforward neural networks. Interface Focus (special issue on
   ‘Understanding images in biological and computer vision’), 8(4), 2018
   - Drew Linsley, Dan Scheibler, Sven Eberhardt, Thomas Serre. (2018)
   Global-and-local attention networks for visual recognition. 2018
   https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.08819v1
   - 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

Candidates are expected to have a solid background in one or more of the
following domains: modern machine learning and deep learning, computational
models of neural dynamics underlying perceptual or cognitive processes and
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 <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
Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University
Associate Professor, Dept of Cognitive Linguistic & Psychological Sciences
Faculty Director, Center for Computation and Visualization
T: +1(401) 484-0750 | Skype: thomas.serre | Gchat: thomas.serre at brown.edu
Web: *http://serre-lab.clps.brown.edu <http://serre-lab.clps.brown.edu/>*
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