Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Prof. (Dr.) Swagatam Das
We are seeking highly qualified and motivated individuals for the positions of Assistant and Associate Professors in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). The successful candidate will join our esteemed faculty in the Institute for Advancing Intelligence (IAI), TCG Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Kolkata, India, and contribute to our commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and academic services.
Dr James Stovold
Two new Assistant Professor positions available at Lancaster University Leipzig, one with a focus on data science, one focussed on cyber security. Lancaster University Leipzig is a young branch campus of Lancaster University, based in Leipzig Germany. The department is focussed on intelligent systems, including topics such as emergent behaviour, unconventional computing, quantum software engineering, and robotics. These are grade 8 openings, so we would expect to see a research plan and teaching experience from interested applicants (grade 7 is the typical entry-level asst. prof. level).
Prof. (Dr.) Swagatam Das
We are seeking highly qualified and motivated individuals for the positions of Assistant and Associate Professors in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). The successful candidate will join our esteemed faculty in the Institute for Advancing Intelligence (IAI), TCG Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Kolkata, India, and contribute to our commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and academic services. TCG CREST has set up the campus in Sector V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, India. State-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities for the individual Institutes, spacious classrooms and technology interventions for executing both off-line and on-line academic classes and programs, conference rooms, and other infrastructures provide the students and the faculty an ideal environment for creative exchanges and high-end research collaborations.
Massimo Sartori
The Department of Biomechanical Engineering at the University of Twente (The Netherlands) has an opening for an Assistant Professor to contribute to outstanding research and education activities in the broad area of Smart Sensing Technologies for the Human Neuromuscular System. We seek exceptional candidates with proven expertise in combining wearable sensors with AI-data analytics. We seek candidates with expertise either at the software or hardware development levels. We look for applications combining AI and sensing to measure signals such as those related to the neural control of skeletal muscles, skeletal muscle mechanics, skeletal joint bending, etc., where such information is crucial and widely applied in scenarios such as personalized healthcare technologies, or musculoskeletal injury prevention, or assistive robotics, or human–robot interactions, or for the deeper understanding of human movement or neuro-rehabilitation processes. We’re looking for candidates with proven capacity to teach at BSc and MSc levels.
Decebal Mocanu
Two open professorships at the University of Luxembourg. Both can be at the Assistant Professor (tenure-track) or Associate Professor (tenured) level. International and dynamic environment, friendly atmosphere, competitive salaries and welcome packages.
Loizos
The Open University of Cyprus invites applications for the following positions in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences: One (1) academic position at the rank of Lecturer and/or Assistant Professor in the area of 'Human AI Interaction'. One (1) academic position at the rank of Lecturer and/or Assistant Professor in the area of 'Information Technologies in Education and Learning'.
Dr. Alfonso Caramazza, Jorge Almeida
The Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (FPCE-UC) Portugal invites applications from rising and aspiring leaders in Cognitive Science and Neuroscience for 2 tenure-track positions at the Assistant (1) and Associate (1) Professor level. These positions are part of a transformative ERA Chair grant CogBooster from the European Union to FPCE-UC led by Dr. Alfonso Caramazza. The goal of CogBooster is to implement a strong and international line of research in Cognitive Science/Neuroscience, so as to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the Psychological and Brain Sciences in Portugal over the next decade.
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The Faculty of Computer Science of HSE University invites applications for full-time, tenure-track positions of Assistant Professor in all areas of computer science including but not limited to artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, programming language theory, software engineering, system programming, algorithms, computation complexity, distributed and parallel computation, bioinformatics, human-computer interaction, and robotics. The successful candidate is expected to conduct high-quality research publishable in reputable peer-reviewed journals with research support provided by the University.
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The KINDI Center for Computing Research at the College of Engineering in Qatar University is seeking high-caliber candidates for a research faculty position at the level of assistant professor in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). The applicant should possess a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering or related fields from an internationally recognized university and should demonstrate an outstanding research record in AI and related subareas (e.g., machine/deep learning (ML/DL), computer vision, robotics, natural language processing, etc.) and fields (e.g., data science, big data analytics, etc.). Candidates with good hands-on experience are preferred. The position is available immediately.
Thomas Serre
The Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University invites applications from rising and established leaders in computational brain science for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level. The successful applicant will have an outstanding record of research and teaching that contributes to the mission of the candidate’s appropriate home department and the Carney Institute Center for Computational Brain Science. We are particularly interested in scholars who demonstrate commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the brain sciences.
Dr. Alfonso Caramazza, Jorge Almeida
The Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (FPCE-UC) Portugal invites applications from rising and aspiring leaders in Cognitive Science and Neuroscience for 2 tenure-track positions at the Assistant (1) and Associate (1) Professor level. These positions are part of a transformative ERA Chair grant CogBooster from the European Union to FPCE-UC led by Dr. Alfonso Caramazza. The goal of CogBooster is to implement a strong and international line of research in Cognitive Science/Neuroscience, so as to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the Psychological and Brain Sciences in Portugal over the next decade.
Bei Xiao
The Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at American University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor beginning August 1, 2024. Rank will be dependent on experience and stature in the field. Depending on qualifications, the appointee to this position may be recommended for tenure at the time of hiring. In addition to scholarship and teaching, responsibilities will include participation in department, school and university activities. We welcome applications from candidates engaged in high-quality research in Cognitive or Social Psychology. The University has areas of strategic focus for research in Data Science and Analytics, Health, Security, Social Equity, and Sustainability. Priority will be given to outstanding researchers who can contribute meaningfully to one or more of these areas.
Prof. (Dr.) Swagatam Das
We are seeking highly qualified and motivated individuals for the positions of Assistant and Associate Professors in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). The successful candidate will join our esteemed faculty in the Institute for Advancing Intelligence (IAI), TCG Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Kolkata, India, and contribute to our commitment to excellence in research, teaching, and academic services. The campus is set up in Sector V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, India with state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities for the individual Institutes, spacious classrooms and technology interventions for executing both off-line and on-line academic classes and programs, conference rooms, and other infrastructures provide the students and the faculty an ideal environment for creative exchanges and high-end research collaborations.
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We are recruiting a tenure-track assistant professor who will establish a cutting-edge research program in deep learning methods & applications. The successful candidate will join the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at the Medical University of Vienna, with ample opportunities to integrate into the European research landscape, including the European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and European Health Data Space. This is a university-funded tenure-track position with startup package / core funding. The call is open to candidates seeking to establish their first independent group (~ERC Starting Grant) as well as to candidates who are already established group leaders (~ERC Consolidator Grant).
Dr. Alfonso Caramazza
The University of Coimbra invites applications from rising and aspiring leaders in Cognitive Science and Neuroscience for 2 tenure-track positions at the Assistant (1) and Associate (1) Professor level. These positions are part of a transformative ERA Chair grant CogBooster from the European Union to FPCE-UC led by Dr. Alfonso Caramazza. The goal of CogBooster is to implement a strong and international line of research in Cognitive Science/Neuroscience, so as to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the Psychological and Brain Sciences in Portugal over the next decade. The positions are tenure-track at the rank of Assistant (1) and Associate (1) Professor. The start date should be around November/December, 2023 (but potentially negotiable). Applicants for the Associate Professor position should have completed their PhD before September 2018.
Steven M. Weisberg
The Department of PSYCHOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, invites applications for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-accruing, OPEN-AREA Assistant Professor with special emphasis in QUANTITATIVE METHODS, beginning August 16, 2024. We encourage applications from any research orientation in psychology and the position is open to candidates who employ a wide variety of methodological tools or approaches (including, but not limited to, computational modeling, statistics, artificial intelligence, structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, network analysis, and longitudinal data analysis). Applicants will be expected to maintain an outstanding program of research with high potential for external funding, teach psychology graduate and undergraduate courses, advise students, and provide service to the institution.
Thomas Serre
The Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University invites applications from rising and established leaders in computational brain science for a tenure-track/tenured position at the Assistant, Associate of Full Professor level. The successful applicant will have an outstanding record of research and teaching that contributes to the mission of the candidate’s appropriate home department and the Carney Institute Center for Computational Brain Science. We are particularly interested in scholars who demonstrate commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the brain sciences.
Professor Geoffrey J Goodhill
The Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine is currently recruiting investigators with the passion to create knowledge, pursue bold visions, and challenge canonical thinking as we expand into our new 600,000 sq ft purpose-built neurosciences research building. We are now seeking a tenure-track investigator at the level of Assistant Professor to develop an innovative research program in Theoretical/Computational Neuroscience. The successful candidates will join a thriving theoretical/computational neuroscience community at Washington University, including the new Center for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience. In addition, the Department also has world-class research strengths in systems, circuits and behavior, cellular and molecular neuroscience using a variety of animal models including worms, flies, zebrafish, rodents and non-human primates. We are particularly interested in outstanding researchers who are both creative and collaborative.
Timothy F. Brady
The Department of Psychology at UC San Diego invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position focused on computational and theoretical mechanisms of behavior and/or its neural bases. The selected candidate will be responsible for establishing a rigorous, high-quality research program that complements existing departmental strengths in Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and/or Social Psychology. Additional responsibilities include teaching graduate and undergraduate level courses and mentoring students within the Department of Psychology, as well as participating in department and university service.
Dimitrios Diochnos
The School of Computer Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma seeks applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in the area of hybrid machine-learning/first-principles modeling with a targeted start date of Fall 2024. Candidates are expected to leverage existing first-principles modeling strengths across GCoE as well as existing strengths in machine learning and data mining in CS. The role involves supporting OU's strategic research verticals and engaging in collaborative research. The position also includes teaching responsibilities, advising M.S. and Ph.D. students, and contributing to the advancement of the community.
John P. Spencer
The School of Psychology at the University of East Anglia has two lecturer / assistant professor posts available. We welcome applications in all areas of neuroscience – come join our outstanding faculty! We have great resources here at UEA (fNIRS, EEG, MRI, TMS, virtual reality, EyeLink 1000+, Tobii eye-trackers, mobile eye-trackers), including the newly established UEA Wellcome-Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre.
Michael J Frank, PhD
The Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences (CoPsy) at Brown University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or tenured Associate Professor beginning July 1, 2025. We anticipate hiring up to two candidates with the area open. However, candidates' research must focus on one of the following research themes: (1) the interface between artificial intelligence and cognition, (2) collective cognition and behavior, and/or (3) mechanisms of mental and brain health. In addition to building an externally funded nationally recognized research program, a successful candidate will provide effective instruction and advising to a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students, and be willing to interact with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines and academic backgrounds. The CoPsy department is committed to creating a welcoming and supportive environment that values diversity. The department strongly encourages qualified candidates who can contribute to equity, diversity, and inclusion through their teaching, mentoring, service and research. Successful candidates are expected to have (1) a track record of excellence in research, (2) a well-specified research plan that is likely to lead to research funding, and (3) a readiness to contribute to teaching and mentoring at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The CoPsy department has a highly interdisciplinary research environment in the study of mind, brain, and behavior, offering curricular programs in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Behavioral Decision Sciences. The Department is located in the heart of campus, and is associated with many Centers and Initiatives at the University, including the Carney Institute for Brain Science, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Data Science Initiative, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.
John Serences
The department of psychology at UC San Diego has an open assistant professor position focused on computational approaches to understanding behavior. More information can be found here: https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04049
Brad Wyble
The Department of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, invites applications for a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology with anticipated start date of August, 2025. Areas of specialization within cognitive psychology are open and may include (but are not limited to) such topics as cognitive control, creativity, computational approaches and modelling, motor control, language science, memory, attention, perception, and decision making. A record of collaboration is desirable for both ranks. Substantial collaboration opportunities exist within the department that align with the department’s cross-cutting research themes and across campus. Current faculty in the cognitive area are active in units including the Center for Language Sciences, the Social Life and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center, the Center for Healthy Aging, the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition and the Applied Research Lab. Responsibilities of the Assistant or Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology include maintaining a strong record of publications in top outlets. This position will include resident instruction at the undergraduate and graduate level and normal university service, based on the candidate’s qualifications. A Ph.D. in Psychology or related field is required by the appointment date for both ranks. Candidates for the tenure-track Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology position must have demonstrated ability as a researcher, scholar, and teacher in a relevant field and have evidence of growth in scholarly achievement. Duties will involve a combination of teaching, research, and service, based on the candidate’s qualifications. Candidates for the tenure-track Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology position must have demonstrated excellence as a researcher, scholar, and teacher in a relevant field and have an established reputation in scholarly achievement. Duties will involve a combination of teaching, research, and service, based on the candidate’s qualifications. The ideal candidate will have a strong record of publications in top outlets and have a history of or potential for external funding. In addition, successful candidates must either have demonstrated a commitment to building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community, or describe one or more ways they would envision doing so, given the opportunity. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates should submit an online application at Penn State’s Job Posting Board, and should upload the following application materials electronically: (1) a Cover letter of application, (2) Concise statements of research and teaching interests, (3) a CV and (4) three selected (re)prints. System limitations allow for a total of 5 documents (5mb per document) as part of your application. Please combine materials to meet the 5-document limit. In addition, please arrange to have three letters of recommendation sent electronically to PsychApplications@psu.edu with the subject line: “Cognitive Psychology” Questions regarding the application process can be emailed to PsychApplications@psu.edu and questions regarding the position can be sent to the search chair: cogsearch@psu.edu. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusion that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusion as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission. Penn State offers competitive benefits to full-time employees, including medical, dental, vision, and retirement plans, in addition to 75% tuition discounts (including for a spouse and dependent children up to the age of 26) and paid holidays.
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We offer three full-time and permanent positions as Assistant Professor in Computer Science. The positions include teaching activities, research and co-operation with industry. We are looking for new colleagues who are interested in contributing to our academic environment and who are committed to student learning, actively contribute to your own research and are interested in collaborating with industry. The specific roles are: Reinforcement Learning and Deep Learning: Expertise in machine learning with a focus on reinforcement learning and deep neural networks. Strong research background in developing and applying advanced neural network models to complex real-world problems. Proven experience in advancing AI methodologies and contributing to the academic community through research and publications. Software Engineering for Machine Learning (SE4ML): Expertise in the intersection of software engineering principles and machine learning system design. Research background in building scalable, maintainable, and efficient machine learning infrastructure. Experience with MLOps, version control for models, deployment strategies, and ensuring the quality of machine learning codebases. Trustworthy AI: Expertise in AI interpretability, explainability, and the development of reliable and trustworthy AI systems. Research background in understanding how machine learning models make decisions and ensuring robustness in AI algorithms. Experience in designing solutions that address ethical and legal implications of AI deployment in real-world applications. Teaching is primarily campus-based, performed in both English and Swedish, and distributed over the academic year. Particularly relevant to these positions is teaching in the first and second cycle of education. Academic staff are also expected to participate in Departmental and University activities and administration and collaborate with other academics in the Department's teaching and research activities. We offer an equal and inclusive workplace, and we strongly encourage applications from persons with diverse backgrounds (gender, ethnic background, and nationality). As an employee, you are entitled to favourable benefits regulated in Swedish law and agreements, as well as the benefits offered by Jönköping University. Collective agreements and individual salary settings are applicable. Employment starts at the earliest convenience.
Computational bio-imaging via inverse scattering
Optical imaging is a major research tool in the basic sciences, and is the only imaging modality that routinely enables non-ionized imaging with subcellular spatial resolutions and high imaging speeds. In biological imaging applications, however, optical imaging is limited by tissue scattering to short imaging depths. This prevents large-scale bio-imaging by allowing visualization of only the outer superficial layers of an organism, or specific components isolated from within the organism and prepared in-vitro.
Spatio-temporal Regulation of Gene Expression in Neurons: Insights from Imaging mRNAs Live in Action
Brain Emulation Challenge Workshop
Brain Emulation Challenge workshop will tackle cutting-edge topics such as ground-truthing for validation, leveraging artificial datasets generated from virtual brain tissue, and the transformative potential of virtual brain platforms, such as applied to the forthcoming Brain Emulation Challenge.
Optogenetic control of Nodal signaling patterns
Embryos issue instructions to their cells in the form of patterns of signaling activity. Within these patterns, the distribution of signaling in time and space directs the fate of embryonic cells. Tools to perturb developmental signaling with high resolution in space and time can help reveal how these patterns are decoded to make appropriate fate decisions. In this talk, I will present new optogenetic reagents and an experimental pipeline for creating designer Nodal signaling patterns in live zebrafish embryos. Our improved optoNodal reagents eliminate dark activity and improve response kinetics, without sacrificing dynamic range. We adapted an ultra-widefield microscopy platform for parallel light patterning in up to 36 embryos and demonstrated precise spatial control over Nodal signaling activity and downstream gene expression. Using this system, we demonstrate that patterned Nodal activation can initiate specification and internalization movements of endodermal precursors. Further, we used patterned illumination to generate synthetic signaling patterns in Nodal signaling mutants, rescuing several characteristic developmental defects. This study establishes an experimental toolkit for systematic exploration of Nodal signaling patterns in live embryos.
Adaptive deep brain stimulation to treat gait disorders in Parkinson's disease; Personalized chronic adaptive deep brain stimulation outperforms conventional stimulation in Parkinson's disease
On Friday, August 31st we will host Stephanie Cernera & Doris Wang! Stephanie Cernera, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Starr lab at University of California San Francisco. She will tell us about “Personalized chronic adaptive deep brain stimulation outperforms conventional stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease”. Doris Wang, MD, PhD, is a neurosurgeon and assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco. Apart from her scientific presentation about “Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Gait Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease”, she will give us a glimpse at the “Person behind the science”. The talks will be followed by a shared discussion. You can register via talks.stimulatingbrains.org to receive the (free) Zoom link!
Causal Symptom Network Mapping Based on Lesions and Brain Stimulation; Converging Evidence about a Depression Circuit Using Causal Sources of Information
It’s our pleasure to announce that we will host Shan Siddiqi and Michael D. Fox on Thursday, March 30th at noon ET / 6PM CET. Shan Siddiqi, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the director of Psychiatric Neuromodulation Research at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Michael D. Fox, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and the founding director of the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The talks will be followed by a shared discussion. You can register via talks.stimulatingbrains.org to receive the (free) Zoom link!
The functional connectome across temporal scales
The view of human brain function has drastically shifted over the last decade, owing to the observation that the majority of brain activity is intrinsic rather than driven by external stimuli or cognitive demands. Specifically, all brain regions continuously communicate in spatiotemporally organized patterns that constitute the functional connectome, with consequences for cognition and behavior. In this talk, I will argue that another shift is underway, driven by new insights from synergistic interrogation of the functional connectome using different acquisition methods. The human functional connectome is typically investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that relies on the indirect hemodynamic signal, thereby emphasizing very slow connectivity across brain regions. Conversely, more recent methodological advances demonstrate that fast connectivity within the whole-brain connectome can be studied with real-time methods such as electroencephalography (EEG). Our findings show that combining fMRI with scalp or intracranial EEG in humans, especially when recorded concurrently, paints a rich picture of neural communication across the connectome. Specifically, the connectome comprises both fast, oscillation-based connectivity observable with EEG, as well as extremely slow processes best captured by fMRI. While the fast and slow processes share an important degree of spatial organization, these processes unfold in a temporally independent manner. Our observations suggest that fMRI and EEG may be envisaged as capturing distinct aspects of functional connectivity, rather than intermodal measurements of the same phenomenon. Infraslow fluctuation-based and rapid oscillation-based connectivity of various frequency bands constitute multiple dynamic trajectories through a shared state space of discrete connectome configurations. The multitude of flexible trajectories may concurrently enable functional connectivity across multiple independent sets of distributed brain regions.
The Role of Cerebrovascular Pathology in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease Populations
Late-life cognitive impairment and dementia are heterogeneous and multifactorial conditions driven by a combination of genetic, vascular, and lifestyle-related factors. More than 75% of patients with dementia have evidence of cerebrovascular pathology at autopsy. Cerebrovascular disease lesions can be detected on structural MRI and used as biomarkers to determine the extent of cerebrovascular pathology. These biomarkers are associated with cognitive difficulties and increase the risk of dementia for the same level of neurodegenerative pathology. Given that some of the risk factors for cerebrovascular disease are potentially modifiable, identifying the role of cerebrovascular pathology in aging and neurodegenerative disease populations opens a window for prevention of cognitive decline and dementia.
Predator-prey interactions: the avian visual sensory perspective
My research interests are centered on animal ecology, and more specifically include the following areas: visual ecology, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology, as well as the interactions between them. My research is question-driven. I answer my questions in a comprehensive manner, using a combination of empirical, theoretical, and comparative approaches. My model species are usually birds, but I have also worked with fish, mammals, amphibians, and insects. I was fortunate to enrich my education by attending Universities in different parts of the world. I did my undergraduate, specialized in ecology and biodiversity, at the "Universidad Nacional de Cordoba", Argentina. My Ph.D. was in animal ecology and conservation biology at the "Universidad Complutense de Madrid", Spain. My two post-docs were focused on behavioral ecology; the first one at University of Oxford (United Kingdom), and the second one at University of Minnesota (USA). I was an Assistant Professor at California State University Long Beach for almost six years. I am now a Full Professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue University.
Analyzing Retinal Disease Using Electron Microscopic Connectomics
John DowlingJohn E. Dowling received his AB and PhD from Harvard University. He taught in the Biology Department at Harvard from 1961 to 1964, first as an Instructor, then as assistant professor. In 1964 he moved to Johns Hopkins University, where he held an appointment as associate professor of Ophthalmology and Biophysics. He returned to Harvard as professor of Biology in 1971, was the Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Natural Sciences from 1971-2001, Harvard College professor from 1999-2004 and is presently the Gordon and Llura Gund Professor of Neurosciences. Dowling was chairman of the Biology Department at Harvard from 1975 to 1978 and served as associate dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1980 to 1984. He was Master of Leverett House at Harvard from 1981-1998 and currently serves as president of the Corporation of The Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Awards that Dowling received include the Friedenwald Medal from the Association of Research in Ophthalmology and Vision in 1970, the Annual Award of the New England Ophthalmological Society in 1979, the Retinal Research Foundation Award for Retinal Research in 1981, an Alcon Vision Research Recognition Award in 1986, a National Eye Institute's MERIT award in 1987, the Von Sallman Prize in 1992, The Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research in 2000 and the Llura Ligget Gund Award for Lifetime Achievement and Recognition of Contribution to the Foundation Fighting Blindness in 2001. He was granted an honorary MD degree by the University of Lund (Sweden) in 1982 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University (Canada) in 2012. Dowling's research interests have focused on the vertebrate retina as a model piece of the brain. He and his collaborators have long been interested in the functional organization of the retina, studying its synaptic organization, the electrical responses of the retinal neurons, and the mechanisms underlying neurotransmission and neuromodulation in the retina. Dowling became interested in zebrafish as a system in which one could explore the development and genetics of the vertebrate retina about 20 years ago. Part of his research team has focused on retinal development in zebrafish and the role of retinoic acid in early eye and photoreceptor development. A second group has developed behavioral tests to isolate mutations, both recessive and dominant, specific to the visual system.
Irruption theory of consciousness
Tom Froese is Assistant Professor at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), where he heads the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit. He is a cognitive scientist with a background in phenomenological philosophy, human-computer interaction, and complex systems theory. His interdisciplinary research centers on the role of agent-environment interaction in shaping cognition and consciousness, specifically when the interaction process involves sociality and technology. In this talk he will present current work in progress on “irruption theory”, a new theory of consciousness that integrates an embodied-enactive account of basic mind with radical formulations of the freedom and efficacy of intentional agency.