[Comp-neuro] 2 postdoc positions in computational neuroscience

[Alain Destexhe]

Dear Colleagues,
Please pass on these two positions that we have for postdocs in
computational neuroscience at the Paris-Saclay Institute of
Neuroscience - many thanks.
best,
Alain

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2 POSTDOC POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Two postdoc positions are available for computational and theoretical 
studies in the framework of the Human Brain Project. The theoretical 
work associated to these two postdoctoral positions consists of (1) 
investigating models and mathematical techniques to model decision 
making phenomena (in collaboration with Rubem Moreno-Bote in Barcelona), 
and (2) investigate models of sensory perception, up to consciousness 
(in collaboration with Fanis Panagiotaropoulos and Stan Dehaene at 
NeuroSpin). Both postdocs will be supervised by A. Desyexhe and will 
work in tight collaboration with the European Institute for Theoretical 
Neuroscience (EITN).

DETAILS OF THE FIRST POSTDOC POSITION:

We are seeking for a postdoc position in the framework of a project 
called "COREDEM", and which was recently integrated in the Human Brain 
Project European flaghsip. COREDEM aims at conceiving decision making 
models based on electrophysiological recordings in human and monkey, and 
ultimately test these models on neuromorphic and neuro-robotic 
applications. The project comprises a significant computational 
neuroscience component consisting mainly of two laboratories, Alain 
Destexhe at the CNRS and Paris-Saclay University, and Ruben Moreno-Bote 
at the UPF in Barcelona. We will consider spiking models that will 
compare parallel and sequential strategies to decision making, in a way 
constrained by unit recordings in monkey and human. Mean-field models 
will be derived from the spiking models, and such mean-field models will 
be incorporated in large-scale models of interacting brain areas. Both 
spiking and mean-field models will be integrated in neuromorphic 
SpiNNaker computers to be simulated in real time, to open the 
possibility of being used in real-time applications such as 
neuro-robotics.

The postdoc can begin as early as January 2021, and latest on March 
2021, and will be for a 2-year period. We expect that candidates have 
prior experience either in computational neuroscience, or in decision 
making.

The working environment is the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience 
(NeuroPSI) of the CNRS, which comprises 22 research labs in experimental 
and computational neuroscience, mixed in the same environment. The 
postdoc will thus interact on a daily basis with experimentalists and 
theoreticians, and regular visits to the experimental labs of COREDEM 
(Stefano Ferraina from Rome and Tom Theys from Leuven) are planned. The 
postdoc will also interact strongly with the researchers and staff of 
Destexhe's lab at NeuroPSI, and will actively participate to the 
activities of the EITN.

DETAILS OF THE SECOND POSTDOC POSITION:

We are seeking for a postdoc position in the framework of a project 
called "BRICON", and which was recently integrated in the Human Brain 
Project European flaghsip. BRICON aims at investigating mechanisms of 
sensory perception and consciousness based on a strong interaction 
between computational models and experiments on human and monkey. The 
model will consider how the state of the brain interacts with external 
input and allows neural activity related to external input to propagate 
(or not) between brain areas. We will constrain the model based on unit 
recordings obtained in awake monkey collected by the experimental teams 
(Fanis Panagiotaropoulos and Stanislas Dehaene, NeuroSpin center). 
Models will start with conventional spiking neural networks, which then 
will be converted into population models using mean-field techniques. 
These mean-field model will then form the basis of whole-brain models 
simulated using The Virtual Brain platform of the HBP.

The postdoc can begin as early as January 2021, and latet on June 2021, 
and will be for a 20 month period. We expect that candidates have prior 
experience either in computational neuroscience, or in sensory 
perception.

The working environment is the Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience 
(NeuroPSI) of the CNRS, which comprises 22 research labs in experimental 
and computational neuroscience, mixed in the same environment. The 
postdoc will thus interact on a daily basis with experimentalists and 
theoreticians, and regular visits to the experimental labs of BRICON 
(Panagiotaropoulos and Dehaene), who are working next-door in the 
NeuroSpin center. The postdoc will also interact strongly with the 
researchers and staff of Destexhe's lab at NeuroPSI, and will actively 
participate to the activities of the EITN.

Interested candidates should send a CV and two recommendation letters at 
Alain Destexhe or email for more details.  alain.destexhe (at) cnrs.fr

Alain Destexhe

Department of Integrative and Computational Neuroscience (ICN),
Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI),
CNRS, Bat 33,
1 Avenue de la Terrasse,
91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.