Vision
vision
sensorimotor control, mouvement, touch, EEG
Traditionally, touch is associated with exteroception and is rarely considered a relevant sensory cue for controlling movements in space, unlike vision. We developed a technique to isolate and measure tactile involvement in controlling sliding finger movements over a surface. Young adults traced a 2D shape with their index finger under direct or mirror-reversed visual feedback to create a conflict between visual and somatosensory inputs. In this context, increased reliance on somatosensory input compromises movement accuracy. Based on the hypothesis that tactile cues contribute to guiding hand movements when in contact with a surface, we predicted poorer performance when the participants traced with their bare finger compared to when their tactile sensation was dampened by a smooth, rigid finger splint. The results supported this prediction. EEG source analyses revealed smaller current in the source-localized somatosensory cortex during sensory conflict when the finger directly touched the surface. This finding supports the hypothesis that, in response to mirror-reversed visual feedback, the central nervous system selectively gated task-irrelevant somatosensory inputs, thereby mitigating, though not entirely resolving, the visuo-somatosensory conflict. Together, our results emphasize touch’s involvement in movement control over a surface, challenging the notion that vision predominantly governs goal-directed hand or finger movements.
Computational Mechanisms of Predictive Processing in Brains and Machines
Predictive processing offers a unifying view of neural computation, proposing that brains continuously anticipate sensory input and update internal models based on prediction errors. In this talk, I will present converging evidence for the computational mechanisms underlying this framework across human neuroscience and deep neural networks. I will begin with recent work showing that large-scale distributed prediction-error encoding in the human brain directly predicts how sensory representations reorganize through predictive learning. I will then turn to PredNet, a popular predictive coding inspired deep network that has been widely used to model real-world biological vision systems. Using dynamic stimuli generated with our Spatiotemporal Style Transfer algorithm, we demonstrate that PredNet relies primarily on low-level spatiotemporal structure and remains insensitive to high-level content, revealing limits in its generalization capacity. Finally, I will discuss new recurrent vision models that integrate top-down feedback connections with intrinsic neural variability, uncovering a dual mechanism for robust sensory coding in which neural variability decorrelates unit responses, while top-down feedback stabilizes network dynamics. Together, these results outline how prediction error signaling and top-down feedback pathways shape adaptive sensory processing in biological and artificial systems.
SISSA cognitive neuroscience PhD
Up to 2 PhD positions in Cognitive Neuroscience are available at SISSA, Trieste, starting October 2024. SISSA is an elite postgraduate research institution for Maths, Physics and Neuroscience, located in Trieste, Italy. SISSA operates in English, and its faculty and student community is diverse and strongly international. The Cognitive Neuroscience group (https://phdcns.sissa.it/) hosts 6 research labs that study the neuronal bases of time and magnitude processing, visual perception, motivation and intelligence, language, tactile perception and learning, and neural computation. Our research is highly interdisciplinary; our approaches include behavioural, psychophysics, and neurophysiological experiments with humans and animals, as well as computational, statistical and mathematical models. Students from a broad range of backgrounds (physics, maths, medicine, psychology, biology) are encouraged to apply. The selection procedure is now open. The application deadline is 27 August 2024. Please apply here (https://www.sissa.it/bandi/ammissione-ai-corsi-di-philosophiae-doctor-posizioni-cofinanziate-dal-fondo-sociale-europeo), and see the admission procedure page (https://phdcns.sissa.it/admission-procedure) for more information. Note that the positions available for the Fall admission round are those funded by the "Fondo Sociale Europeo Plus", accessible through the first link above. Please contact the PhD Coordinator Mathew Diamond (diamond@sissa.it) and/or your prospective supervisor for more information and informal inquiries.
Prof Li Zhaoping
The Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics studies the processing of sensory information (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) in the brain and the use of this information for directing body movements and making cognitive decisions. The research is highly interdisciplinary and uses theoretical and experimental approaches in humans. Our methodologies include visual psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS in humans. For more information, please visit the department website: www.lizhaoping.org We are currently looking for a Lab Mechatronics / Programmer/ Research and Admin Assistant (m/f/d) 100% to join us, this position is open until it is filled. The position: You will provide hardware, software, data taking, and managerial support for a diverse set of brain and neuroscience research activities. This includes: • Computer and IT support of Windows and Linux systems• Programming and debugging of computer code, especially at the stage of setting up new equipment or new experimental platforms • Provide technical, administrative, and operational support in the research data taking process. (The position holder should either have previous experience in visual psychophysics, or have the ability to quickly learn the data taking processes involved in the labs.) • Carry out or arrange for hardware repairs and troubleshooting• Equipment inventory and maintenance • Supervising and training of new equipment users • Setting up, updating and managing the database of knowledge and data from research projects, personnel and activities Our department is interdisciplinary, with research activities including human visual psychophysics, eye tracking, fMRI, EEG, TMS. We are looking for a person with a broad technical knowledge base, who loves working in a scientific environment and who is curious, open-minded, and able to adapt and learn new skills and solve new problems quickly. The set of skills that the individual should either already have or can quickly learn includes: MATLAB/Psychotoolbox, Python/OpenCV, Javascript, graphics and display technologies, EEG data taking techniques and similar, eye tracking, optics, electronics/controllers/sensors, etc. We offer: We offer highly interesting, challenging and varied tasks; you will work closely and collaboratively with scientists, students, programmers, administrative staff, and central IT and mechanical/electronic workshop support to help achieve the scientific goals of the department. An international environment with regular opportunities for further education and training awaits you. The salary is paid in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD Bund), based on qualification and experience and will include social security benefits and additional fringe benefits in accordance with public service provisions. This position is initially limited to two years, with the possibility of extensions and a permanent contract. The Max Planck Society seeks to employ more handicapped people and strongly encourages them to apply. Furthermore, we actively support the compatibility of work and family life. The Max Planck Society also seeks to increase the number of women in leadership positions and strongly encourages qualified women to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters electronically by e-mail to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de, where informal inquiries can also be addressed to. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. For further opportunities in our group, please visit https://www.lizhaoping.org/jobs.html
Eugenio Piasini
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).
Prof Li Zhaoping
Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics for understanding vision (m/f/d) – (TVöD Bund E13, 100%) The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using fMRI/MRI, TMS, EEG/MEG, and other relevant methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at: https://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. fMRI/MRI, TMS and/or EEG/MEG, methodologies can be used in combination with eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigator and other members of Zhaoping's team when needed. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for strategies and project planning • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for project planning, and in supervision of student projects or teaching assistance for university courses in our field Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, EEG, electrophysiology and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn other skills in our multidisciplinary group and benefit from interactions with our colleagues in the university as well as internationally. This job opening is for the CIN or the MPI working group. The position (salary level TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) is for a duration of two years. Extension or a permanent contract after two years is possible depending on situations. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by Nov. 30, 2023. We look forward to receiving your application that includes (1) a cover letter, including a statement on roughly when you would like to start this position, (2) a motivation statement, (3) a CV, (4) names and contact details of three people for references, (5) if you have them, transcripts from your past and current education listing the courses taken and their grades, (6) if you have them, please also include copies of your degree certificates, (7) you may include a pdf file of your best publication(s), or other documents and information that you think could strengthen your application. Please use pdf files for these documents (and you may combine them into a single pdf file) and send to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de, where also informal inquiries can be addressed. Please note that applications without complete information in (1)-(4) will not be considered, unless the cover letter includes an explanation and/or information about when the needed materials will be supplied. For further opportunities in our group, please visit www.lizhaoping.org/jobs.html
Matthew Chalk
A postdoctoral position is available for a project with Matthew Chalk (https://matthewjchalk.wixsite.com/mysite), at the Vision Institute (www.institut-vision.org/en/), within the Sorbonne Université, in Paris, France. The project will involve investigating principles of neural coding in the retina. Specifically, the project will investigate how different coding objectives, such as optimising efficiency or encoding predictive information, can explain the diverse ways that neurons in the retina respond to visual stimulation. The project will extend previous work by Chalk et al. to develop a general theory of optimal neural coding (Chalk et al. PNAS 2018, Chalk et al. 2022 biorxiv). For this, we will use a range of computational techniques including gaussian processes (Goldin et al. 2023 PNAS) and information theory. The project is part of an exciting interdisciplinary collaboration between theorists and experimentalists at the Vision Institute (Olivier Marre; http://oliviermarre.free.fr), and Thomas Euler (https://eulerlab.de) and Philip Berens (https://www.eye-tuebingen.de/berenslab/) at Tuebingen University. The Vision Institute is a stimulating environment for brain research. It brings together in a single building researchers, clinicians and industrial partners in order to discover, test and develop treatments and technological innovations for the benefit of visually impaired patients. The candidate will have a PhD with a strong, quantitative background (ideally in fields such as machine learning, theoretical neuroscience or physics). They will have a good grasp of oral and written English (French is not required). Most of all, they will enjoy tackling new problems with enthusiasm and as part of a team. The position is funded for three years. Applications should include a CV, a statement of research interests (~ 1 page), and two letters of recommendation. Electronic submissions in pdf-format are preferred and should be sent to Matthew Chalk (matthewjchalk@gmail.com). Feel free to ask any informal questions about the position if you are interested.
Dr. Jasper Poort
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate to study visual learning and attention brain circuits in mice. The post is based in the lab of Dr Jasper Poort in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. The successful candidate will work on a research project funded by the Wellcome Trust that will investigate the neural circuit mechanisms of visual learning and attention (see Poort et al., Neuron 2015, Khan et al, Nature Neuroscience 2018, Poort et al, Neuron 2021). The project combines two-photon calcium imaging, electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulation of different cell types and neural projections in visual cortical areas and decision-making brain areas to understand how mice (including mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders) learn to become experts in different visually-guided decision-making tasks and flexibly switch attention between tasks. The successful applicant will join a supportive and multi-disciplinary research environment and collaborate with experts on learning and attention in rodents and humans, experts on learning and attention impairments in mental disorders, and computational neuroscientists. Applicants should have completed (or are about to submit) a PhD (research associate) or (under)graduate degree (research assistant) in neuroscience, biology, engineering, or other relevant disciplines. We are looking for someone with previous experience in two-photon imaging/electrophysiology/optogenetics/pharmacology/histology and behavioural training in mice, and strong data analysis skills (e.g. Matlab or Python). The research position is available from Feb 2022 onwards for an initial 2 year period with the possibility for extension. For more information about the lab see https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/svl/. Apply here: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/32860/ In addition to the cover letter, CV, and contact details of 2 references, applicants are asked to provide a brief statement (500 words) describing the questions and approach they consider important for the study of the neural circuits for learning and attention in mice and their future research ambitions. The closing date for applications is 15th January 2022. Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Jasper Poort (jp816@cam.ac.uk). References: Poort, Wilmes,Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Clopath, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer, Khan (2021). Learning and attention increase neuronal response selectivity in mouse primary visual cortex through distinct mechanisms. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.016 Khan, Poort, Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2018). Distinct learning-induced changes in stimulus selectivity and interactions of GABAergic interneuron classes in visual cortex. Nature Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0143-z Poort, Khan, Pachitariu, Nemri, Orsolic, Krupic, Bauza, Sahani, Keller, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2015). Learning Enhances Sensory and Multiple Non-sensory Representations in Primary Visual Cortex. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.037
Dr. Tom Franken
A postdoctoral position is available in Dr. Tom Franken’s laboratory in the Department of Neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The project will study the neural circuits that parse visual scenes into organized collections of objects. We use a variety of techniques including high-density electrophysiology, behavior, optogenetics, and viral targeting in non-human primates. For more information on the lab, please visit sites.wustl.edu/frankenlab/. The PI is committed to mentoring and to nurturing a creative, thoughtful and collaborative lab culture. The laboratory is in an academic setting in the Department of Neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a large and collaborative scientific community. This provides an ideal environment to train, conduct research, and launch a career in science. Postdoctoral appointees at Washington University receive a competitive salary and a generous benefits package (hr.wustl.edu/benefits/). WashU Neuroscience is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 places worldwide for neuroscience research and offers an outstanding interdisciplinary training environment for early career researchers. In addition to high-quality research facilities, career and professional development training for postdoctoral researchers is provided through the Career Center, Teaching Center, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and campus groups. St. Louis is a city rich in culture, green spaces, free museums, world-class restaurants, and thriving music and arts scenes. On top of it all, St. Louis is affordable and commuting to campus is stress-free, whether you go by foot, bike, public transit, or car. The area combines the attractions of a major city with affordable lifestyle opportunities (postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs/why-st-louis/). Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply. Additional information on being a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis can be found at neuroscience.wustl.edu/education/postdoctoral-research/ and postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs. Required Qualifications Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral) degree in neuroscience (broadly defined). Strong background in either electrophysiology, behavioral techniques or scientific programming/machine learning. Preferred Qualifications Experience with training of larger animals. Experience with electrophysiology. Experience with studies of the visual system. Ability to think creatively to solve problems. Well organized and attention to detail. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Team player with a high level of initiative and motivation. Working Conditions This position works in a laboratory environment with potential exposure to biological and chemical hazards. The individual must be physically able to wear protective equipment and to provide standard care to research animals. Salary Range Base pay is commensurate with experience. Applicant Special Instructions Applicants should submit the following materials to Dr. Tom Franken at ftom@wustl.edu: 1) A cover letter explaining how their interest in the position matches their background and career goals. 2) CV or Biosketch. 3) Contact information for at least three professional references. Accommodation If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request. Pre-Employment Screening All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening. Benefits Statement Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits. EEO/AA Statement Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information. Diversity Statement Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.
Dr. Jasper Poort
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate to study visual learning and attention brain circuits in mice. The post is based in the lab of Dr Jasper Poort in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. The successful candidate will work on a research project funded by the Wellcome Trust that will investigate the neural circuit mechanisms of visual learning and attention (see Poort et al., Neuron 2015, Khan et al, Nature Neuroscience 2018, Poort et al, Neuron 2021). The project combines two-photon calcium imaging, electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulation of different cell types and neural projections in visual cortical areas and decision-making brain areas to understand how mice (including mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders) learn to become experts in different visually-guided decision-making tasks and flexibly switch attention between tasks. The successful applicant will join a supportive and multi-disciplinary research environment and collaborate with experts on learning and attention in rodents and humans, experts on learning and attention impairments in mental disorders, and computational neuroscientists. Applicants should have completed (or are about to submit) a PhD (research associate) or (under)graduate degree (research assistant) in neuroscience, biology, engineering, or other relevant disciplines. We are looking for someone with previous experience in two-photon imaging/electrophysiology/optogenetics/pharmacology/histology and behavioural training in mice, and strong data analysis skills (e.g. Matlab or Python). The research position is available from Feb 2022 onwards for an initial 2 year period with the possibility for extension. For more information about the lab see https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/svl/. Apply here: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/32860/ In addition to the cover letter, CV, and contact details of 2 references, applicants are asked to provide a brief statement (500 words) describing the questions and approach they consider important for the study of the neural circuits for learning and attention in mice and their future research ambitions. The closing date for applications is 15th January 2022. Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Jasper Poort (jp816@cam.ac.uk). References: Poort, Wilmes,Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Clopath, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer, Khan (2021). Learning and attention increase neuronal response selectivity in mouse primary visual cortex through distinct mechanisms. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.016 Khan, Poort, Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2018). Distinct learning-induced changes in stimulus selectivity and interactions of GABAergic interneuron classes in visual cortex. Nature Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0143-z Poort, Khan, Pachitariu, Nemri, Orsolic, Krupic, Bauza, Sahani, Keller, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2015). Learning Enhances Sensory and Multiple Non-sensory Representations in Primary Visual Cortex. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.037
Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine
Multiple electrophysiology positions available for neuroscientists with experience in in vivo electrophysiology or patch clamp techniques. Our laboratories are looking for passionate scientists with experience with either in vivo electrophysiology or patch clamp electrophysiology (recording and data analysis). Successful applicants will lead innovative experiments in which electrophysiology is a key method, analyze the data, and contribute to writing research papers and grant applications. We are committed to mentoring and offer a creative, thoughtful and collaborative scientific environment. Richards lab (https://sites.wustl.edu/richardslab/): We are seeking a creative scientist with experience in in vivo electrophysiological brain recordings such as local field potentials, multielectrode arrays, and/or in vivo single unit recordings and the analysis of these data. This project will investigate the formation of patterned activity throughout development and into adulthood in a new animal model, the marsupial fat-tailed dunnart. Chen lab (https://sites.wustl.edu/yaochenlab/): The projects aim to understand how the spatial and temporal features of key plasticity signals impact cellular and synaptic electrophysiology, as well as learning and memory. These experiments will be combined with optogenetics and two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. We welcome experts in either patch clamp or in vivo electrophysiology, and we can train you for the rest. We welcome individuals who value rigor and craftsmanship, and will value your creativity in shaping the projects. Franken lab (https://sites.wustl.edu/frankenlab/): The electrophysiologist will lead experiments that aim to understand how the brain parses visual scenes into organized collections of objects. They will use advanced behavior, high-density electrode probes (e.g. Neuropixels) and optogenetics to understand how ensembles of neurons in cortical circuits perform these computations. We seek a creative scientist with prior expertise in electrophysiology, and look forward to train you in the other techniques. Our labs are members of the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, a large and collaborative scientific community. WashU Neuroscience is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 places worldwide for neuroscience research. Additional information on being a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis can be found at https://postdoc.wustl.edu/prospective-postdocs/ St. Louis is a city rich in culture, green spaces, free museums, world-class restaurants, and thriving music and arts scene. On top of it all, St. Louis is affordable and commuting to Washington University’s campuses is stress-free, whether you go by foot, bike, public transit, or car. The area combines the attractions of a major city with affordable lifestyle opportunities (https://medicine.wustl.edu/about/st-louis/). Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply. Minimum education & experience The appointee will have earned a Master’s degree or Ph.D. by the time of starting the appointment. Applicants should submit their CV and a cover letter explaining their background and interest in the position to Dr. Linda Richards (linda.richards@wustl.edu), Dr. Yao Chen (yaochen@wustl.edu), or Dr. Tom Franken (ftom@wustl.edu).
Prof. Li Zhaoping
Postdoctoral position in Human Visual Psychophysics with fMRI/MRI, (m/f/d) (TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using fMRI/MRI. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at: https://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html. The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. fMRI/MRI technology can be used in combination with other methods such as eye tracking, TMS and/or EEG methodologies, and other related methods as necessary. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigator and other members of Zhaoping's team when needed. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for strategies and project planning. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for project planning, and in supervision of student projects or teaching assistance for university courses in our field. Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, EEG/ERP, and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn other skills in our multidisciplinary group and benefit from interactions with our colleagues in the university, at MPI, as well as internationally. This job opening is for the CIN or the MPI working group. The position (salary level TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) is for a duration of two years. Extension or a permanent contract after two years is possible depending on situations. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by March 19th, 2023. We look forward to receiving your application that includes (1) a cover letter, including a statement on roughly when you would like to start this position, (2) a motivation statement, (3) a CV, (4) names and contact details of three people for references, (5) if you have them, transcripts from your past and current education listing the courses taken and their grades, (6) if you have them, please also include copies of your degree certificates, (7) you may include a pdf file of your best publication(s), or other documents and information that you think could strengthen your application. Please use pdf files for these documents (and you may combine them into a single pdf file) and send to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de, where also informal inquiries can be addressed. Please note that applications without complete information in (1)-(4) will not be considered, unless the cover letter includes an explanation and/or information about when the needed materials will be supplied. For further opportunities in our group, please visit https://www.lizhaoping.org/jobs.html
University of California Irvine
The Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for an assistant professor (tenure-track) position with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2023. We are seeking scientists who study human vision, with a particular interest in those who combine an empirical research program with innovative approaches in neuroscience and/or cutting-edge computational tools such as machine learning. The successful candidate will establish a vital research program, and contribute to teaching, mentoring, and to inclusive excellence. They will interact with a dynamic and growing community in cognitive, computational, and neural sciences within the department (http://www.cogsci.uci.edu/) and the broader campus. Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, a statement describing past or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, three recent or relevant publications, and the names and contact information of three references. The application requirements along with the online application can be found at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF07912. To ensure full consideration, applications must be completed by December 15, 2022.
Ruben Coen-Cagli
The Laboratory for Computational Neuroscience (Coen-Cagli lab) invites applications for a postdoctoral position at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein) in the Bronx, New York City. The position is available immediately, it is funded for two years through a NIH training grant to the Rose F. Kennedy IDDRC at Einstein, and targets eligible candidates interested in careers in the biomedical sciences focused on the neurobiological underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with intellectual disability and autism. The candidate will have the opportunity learn and apply an integrated approach that leverages innovative experiments and computational modeling of perceptual grouping and segmentation developed by the Coen-Cagli lab, to test theories of sensory processing in autism, in collaboration with the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory (Molholm lab) at Einstein.
Prof. Li Zhaoping
Postdoctoral position in Human Psychophysics with TMS and/or EEG (m/f/d) (TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html.The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. The postdoc will be working closely with the principal investigator and other members of Zhaoping's team when needed. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for strategies and project planning. • Coordinate with the PI and other team members for project planning, and in supervision of student projects or teaching assistance for university courses in our field. Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn other skills in our multidisciplinary group and benefit from interactions with our colleagues in the university as well as internationally. This job opening is for the CIN or the MPI working group. The position (salary level TVöD-Bund E13, 100%) is for a duration of two years, and renewable to additional years. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by June 5th, 2022. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically through our job portal: https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/169. Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Prof. Li Zhaoping
The Department of Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems (PI Prof. Li Zhaoping) at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and at the University of Tübingen is currently looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work on projects aimed towards understanding visual attentional and perceptual processes using TMS and/or EEG methodologies. The framework and motivation of the projects can be found at http://www.lizhaoping.org/zhaoping/AGZL_HumanVisual.html. The projects can involve, for example, visual search tasks, stereo vision tasks, visual illusions, and will be discussed during the application process. TMS and/or EEG methodologies can be used in combination with fMRI/MRI, eye tracking, and other related methods as necessary. Responsibilities: • Conduct and participate in research projects such as lab and equipment set up, data collection, data analysis, writing reports and papers, and presenting at scientific conferences. • Participate in routine laboratory operations, such as planning and preparations for experiments, lab maintenance and lab procedures. • Participate in teaching assistance duties for university courses in our field. Who we are: We use a multidisciplinary approach to investigate sensory and sensory-motor transforms in the brain (www.lizhaoping.org). Our approaches consist of both theoretical and experimental techniques including human psychophysics, fMRI imaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. One part of our group is located in the University, in the Centre for Integrative Neurosciences (CIN), and the other part is in the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics as the Department for Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems. You will have the opportunity to learn skills from other members of the group and benefit from multidisciplinary interactions, including with our collaborators locally and internationally. The PhD contract (TVöD-Bund E13, 65%) duration is for 3 years. We seek to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urge qualified women to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Your application: The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Preference will be given to applications received by June 5th, 2022. We look forward to receiving your application that includes a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, relevant certificates, and three names and contacts for reference letters) electronically through our job portal: https://jobs.tue.mpg.de/jobs/170 Informal inquiries can be addressed to jobs.li@tuebingen.mpg.de. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Jorge Almeida (Proaction Lab)
The Proaction Laboratory (Jorge Almeida’s Lab; proactionlab.fpce.uc.pt) at the University of Coimbra (www.uc.pt), Portugal is looking for 3 motivated and bright Research Assistants to work on a prestigious ERC Starting Grant project (ContentMAP; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/802553) on the neural organization of object knowledge. In this project we are exploring how complex information is topographically organized in the brain using fMRI and state of the art analytical techniques, as well as computational approaches, and neuromodulation. We strongly and particularly encourage applications from women, and from underrepresented groups in academia. General Requirements for the positions: 1. Candidates should have a BA and/or MA in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computer Science, Computational Neuroscience or any other related field as long as their work relates to the specific profiles below. 2. They should already have their diplomas (so that we can start the process of recognition in Portugal, which is a necessary step for hiring). 3. Interest in object recognition and neural representation. 5. Very good English (oral and written) communicative skills are necessary. Specific requirements for the positions: 1. Understanding of and experience with fMRI and data analysis, and specifically with MVPA. 2. Strong programming skills (matlab, python, etc.) are a requirement. Salary and duration: The position will start as soon as possible and finish in January 2024. The salary is the standard for a PhD student in Portugal – about 1100 per month tax free. Note that cost of living in Portugal (and particularly in Coimbra) is low compared to major European and American cities. Working conditions: The researcher will work directly with Jorge Almeida in Coimbra. The researcher will also be encouraged to develop her/his own projects and look for additional funding so that the stay can be extended. In fact, the expectation is that the applicants start a PhD one year after starting their positions. We have access to 2 3T MRI scanner with a 32-channel coil, to tDCS with neuronavigation, and to a fully set psychophysics lab. We have EEG and eyetracking on site. We also have access, through other collaborations, to a 7T scanner. Finally, the University of Coimbra is a 700 year old University and has been selected as a UNESCO world Heritage site. Coimbra is one of the most lively university cities in the world, and it is a beautiful city with easy access to the beach and mountain. How can I apply: Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as these positions will be closed as they are filled. Nevertheless, the deadline in May 15. The interested candidates should email Jorge Almeida for questions and applications. Please send an email (jorgealmeida@fpce.uc.pt) with the subject “Research assistant positions under ERC - ContentMAP” with: 1. The Curriculum Vitae with a list of publications, 2. 2 Reference letters 3. A motivation letter with a short description of your experience in the field and how you fulfill the requirements (fit with the position).
Dr. Jasper Poort, Prof. Ole Paulsen, Prof. Jeff Dalley, Dr. Steve Sawiak
Applications are invited for two Postdoctoral Research Associate positions to study GABAergic mechanisms in mouse visual learning. One will primarily focus on measuring GABA using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and will be based in the laboratories of Professor Jeff Dalley (Dept. Psychology) and Dr Stephen Sawiak (Innes building, West Cambridge), the other will primarily focus on measuring GABA using recently developed genetically encoded GABA sensors with 2P microscopy and will be based in the laboratories of Professor Ole Paulsen and Dr Jasper Poort (both Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience) at the University of Cambridge. Both post holders will interact closely with each other and other members of the consortium. The successful candidates will investigate the role of GABAergic interneurons in visual learning. The project will combine MRS-GABA, two-photon GABA and calcium imaging, electrophysiology, optogenetic and pharmacological manipulation of cell types and neural projections in visual cortical areas and decision-making brain areas to understand how mice learn visual decision-making tasks. Applicants should have completed (or be about to submit) a PhD (Research Associate) or (under)graduate degree (Research Assistant) in neuroscience, biology, experimental psychology, engineering or other relevant disciplines. We are looking for someone with previous experience in imaging/electrophysiology/optogenetics/pharmacology and behavioural training in rodents, and strong data analysis skills (e.g. Matlab or Python). The positions are available from January 2022 onwards for an initial two year period with the possibility for extension. For more information about the labs see: https://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/facilities/imaging/transneuro , https://noggin.pdn.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/svl/. In addition to the cover letter, CV and contact details of two referees, applicants are asked to provide a brief statement (500 words) describing the questions and approach they consider important for the study of the role of cortical inhibition in visual learning and their future research ambitions. The research is part of a new Wellcome Trust funded Collaborative award that brings together a cross-disciplinary team of international experts to investigate the role of GABAergic inhibition in learning. The programme bridges work across species (mice, humans) and scales (local circuits, global networks) and capitalises on cutting-edge methodological developments in our team: a) human/animal ultra high-field MR Spectroscopy and functional brain imaging (Emir lab, Purdue; Kourtzi and Sawiak labs, Cambridge), b) neuroengineering tools including optical GABA sensors (Looger lab: UCSD) and electrophoretic drug delivery (Malliaras lab, Cambridge), cellular imaging, optogenetics, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology (Paulsen, Dalley, Poort labs, Cambridge; Rusakov lab: UCL). This network provides unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary training in innovative animal and human neuroscience methodologies, neurotechnology and computational science. Successful applicants will be integrated in a diverse collaborative team and have the opportunity to participate in workshops and exchange visits across labs to facilitate cross-disciplinary training and collaborative working. Apply here: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/32553/ Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Jasper Poort (jp816@cam.ac.uk), Ole Paulsen (op210@cam.ac.uk), Jeff Dalley (jwd20@cam.ac.uk) and MR physicist Steve Sawiak (sjs80@cam.ac.uk).
Dr. Jasper Poort
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate to study visual learning and attention brain circuits in mice. The post is based in the lab of Dr Jasper Poort in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. The successful candidate will work on a research project funded by the Wellcome Trust that will investigate the neural circuit mechanisms of visual learning and attention (see Poort et al., Neuron 2015, Khan et al, Nature Neuroscience 2018, Poort et al, Neuron 2021). The project combines two-photon calcium imaging, electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulation of different cell types and neural projections in visual cortical areas and decision-making brain areas to understand how mice (including mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders) learn to become experts in different visually-guided decision-making tasks and flexibly switch attention between tasks. The successful applicant will join a supportive and multi-disciplinary research environment and collaborate with experts on learning and attention in rodents and humans, experts on learning and attention impairments in mental disorders, and computational neuroscientists. Applicants should have completed (or are about to submit) a PhD (research associate) or (under)graduate degree (research assistant) in neuroscience, biology, engineering, or other relevant disciplines. We are looking for someone with previous experience in two-photon imaging/electrophysiology/optogenetics/pharmacology/histology and behavioural training in mice, and strong data analysis skills (e.g. Matlab or Python). The research position is available from Feb 2022 onwards for an initial 2 year period with the possibility for extension. For more information about the lab see https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/svl/. Apply here: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/32860/ In addition to the cover letter, CV, and contact details of 2 references, applicants are asked to provide a brief statement (500 words) describing the questions and approach they consider important for the study of the neural circuits for learning and attention in mice and their future research ambitions. The closing date for applications is 15th January 2022. Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Jasper Poort (jp816@cam.ac.uk). References: Poort, Wilmes,Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Clopath, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer, Khan (2021). Learning and attention increase neuronal response selectivity in mouse primary visual cortex through distinct mechanisms. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.016 Khan, Poort, Chadwick, Blot, Sahani, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2018). Distinct learning-induced changes in stimulus selectivity and interactions of GABAergic interneuron classes in visual cortex. Nature Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0143-z Poort, Khan, Pachitariu, Nemri, Orsolic, Krupic, Bauza, Sahani, Keller, Mrsic-Flogel, Hofer (2015). Learning Enhances Sensory and Multiple Non-sensory Representations in Primary Visual Cortex. Neuron https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.037
Thomas Euler
Two PhD positions as part of interdisciplinary collaborations are available in Laura Busse’s lab at the Faculty of Biology of the LMU Munich and Thomas Euler’s lab at the Center for Integrative Neuroscience in Tübingen. The fully funded positions are part of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center Robust vision: Inference Principles and neural mechanisms. In the project, we will explore the visual input received by the mouse visual system under natural conditions and study how such input is processed along key stages of the early visual system. The project continues from Qiu et al. (2020) and will include opportunities for performing recordings of the visual input encountered by freely behaving mice under naturalistic conditions, statistical analysis of the recorded video material, quantitative assessment of behavior, and measurements (2P calcium imaging / electrophysiology) of neural responses from mouse retina, visual thalamus and primary visual cortex in response to naturalistic movies. The project requires a combination of experimental skills and interest in engineering and programming. Since the project will be conducted in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting and within a geographically distributed team, the candidate show have good capacity and value for teamwork and communication skills. One of the positions will be place in Thomas Euler’s lab (U Tuebingen) with a focus on retinal aspects of the project. A complementary PhD position in Laura Busse’s lab (LMU Munich), with a focus on central vision aspects, will closely collaborate on the development of the recording hardware and the software framework for data analysis and modelling. Both positions offer a thriving scientific environment, structured PhD programs and numerous opportunities for networking and exchange. Interested candidates are welcome to establish contact via email to thomas.euler@cin.uni-tuebingen.de and busse@bio.lmu.de. More information about the labs can be found here https://eulerlab.de/ and https://visioncircuitslab.org/ For applications to Thomas Euler’s position within the project, see further instructions on the lab’s webpage (https://eulerlab.de/positions/). For applications to Laura Busse’s position within the project, please visit the LMU Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience (GSN, http://www.gsn.uni-muenchen.de/index.html).
Dr Elisa Galliano
We are looking for a highly motivated, proactive and enthusiastic engineer for designing and building customized cages for rodent behavioural testing. This project is collaboration with the laboratories led by Jasper Poort (visual processing, PDN Department ) and Chris Proctor (bionic systems, Engineering department) groups, and aims at generating a multipurpose automatic apparatus for flexible operant conditioning across multiple sensory modalities (chiefly olfaction and vision). You will be the key person to liaise with original developers, source components, assemble and validate the apparatus, and design a data analysis pipeline. You will work in collaboration with other lab members and the ability to work in a team is essential. Moreover, you will be shadowed by an undergraduate student assigned to this project, which you will be co-supervising.
Prof Laura Busse
2 PhD positions as part of interdisciplinary collaborations are available in Laura Busse’s group at the Department of Biology II of the LMU Munich. We study neural circuits of visual perception in awake, behaving mice, where we combine extracellular electrophysiological recordings with genetic tools for circuit manipulation. The first position is part of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center Robust vision: Inference Principles and neural mechanisms. In collaboration with Philipp Berens (data analysis, University of Tübingen) and Thomas Euler (retinal imaging, University of Tübingen), the project builds upon Roman Roson*, Bauer* et al. (2019), and will investigate how feedforward, feedback, and neuromodulatory inputs dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus shape visual representations. The project will include opportunities for in vivo extracellular recordings in mouse dLGN, optogenetic manipulations of cortico-thalamic feedback, and advanced modeling approaches (in Philipp Berens’ lab). A second, complementary PhD position based primarily in Tübingen will have a computational focus and will focus on modeling of the experimental findings. The second position is part of the DFG-funded Priority Program Computational Connectomics and will be done in collaboration with Dr. Tatjana Tchumatchenko at the University of Bonn and Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The project combines questions from neurobiology and theoretical neuroscience. It will exploit simultaneous thalamic / cortical recordings and optogenetic manipulations to investigate how feedforward inputs and recurrent connectivity in the thalamocortical loop shapes population activity in the primary visual cortex. The successful candidate will perform extracellular recordings and optogenetics in mice, use quantitative data analysis and collaborate with our theory partner in Bonn/Frankfurt on theoretical network analyses. Interested candidates are welcome to establish contact via email to busse@bio.lmu.de. Both positions offer a thriving scientific environment, a structured PhD program and numerous opportunities for networking and exchange. Applications will need to go through the LMU Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience (GSN online application, https://www.gsn.uni-muenchen.de). The deadline for applications is February 15.
Dr Sylvia Schröder
“Integration of visual and behavioural signals in the early visual system” In this project, you will discover how retinal, cortical and neuromodulatory inputs shape the responses of visual neurons in the superior colliculus. The goal of your Phd project is to understand the mechanisms of signal integration, i.e. which inputs to the superior colliculus shape its neural activity, and the advantages of this integration for visual processing. You will use two-photon imaging in awake mice to simultaneously record activity of neurons in the superior colliculus as well as of axons originating in the retina, visual cortex, or brainstem nuclei such as the dorsal raphe (serotonin). You will compare the responses of the axonal inputs to those in the neurons, and you will observe how these signals change depending on the visual input and the behaviour of the animal. In the beginning of your project, you will develop an advanced imaging technique in collaboration with our industrial partner, Scientifica. You will adapt the existing two-photon microscope to image two separate fields of view simultaneously. This technique, termed multi-region imaging, will enable you to record inputs and outputs of superior colliculus at sufficient detail, speed, and quantity.
Dr Sylvia Schröder
The successful candidate will study information processing in the early visual system of mice using two-photon imaging, electrophysiology (Neuropixels probes), and opto- and chemogenetic manipulations. The lab’s goal is to determine how behavioural and internal states like arousal are integrated with visual responses in the retina and superior colliculus. We want to discover the underlying mechanisms and the purpose of this integration in terms of visual processing and the animal’s behavioural demands. This paper describes our previous findings. Start date: January 2021 or later Contract: for 2 years initially, funding available for 5 years (through Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, Wellcome Trust) Location: campus is just outside Brighton at the coast of South East England, surrounded by South Downs National Park, 1 h from London See the job advertisement for details on how to apply: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs/research-fellow-in-neuroscience-4726 Informal enquiries are highly encouraged and should be made to Sylvia Schröder (sylvia.schroeder@ucl.ac.uk).
Prof Jakob Macke
How do neural circuits in the human brain recognize objects, persons and actions from complex visual stimuli? To address these questions, we will develop deep convolutional neural networks for modelling how neurons in high-level human brain areas respond to complex visual information. We will make use of a unique dataset of neurophysiological recordings of single-unit activity and field potentials recorded from the medial temporal lobe of epilepsy patients. Our tools will open up avenues for a range of new investigations in cognitive and clinical neuroscience, and may inspire new artificial vision systems. The position is part of a collaboration with the `Dynamic Vision and Learning’ Group at TU Munich (Prof. Dr. Laura Leal-Taixé) and the Cognitive and Clinical Neurophysiology Group at University Hospital Bonn (Prof. Dr. Dr. Mormann). Our group develop computational methods that help scientists interpret empirical data, with a focus on basic and clinical neuroscience research. We want to understand how neuronal networks in the brain process sensory information and control intelligent behaviour, and use this knowledge to develop methods for the diagnosis and therapy of neuronal dysfunction. More details at https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/196976
Rava Azeredo da Silveira
Several postdoctoral openings in the lab of Rava Azeredo da Silveira (Paris & Basel) The lab of Rava Azeredo da Silveira invites applications for Postdoctoral Researcher positions at ENS, Paris, and 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). One of the postdoc positions to be filled in Basel will be part of a collaborative framework with Michael Woodford (Columbia University) and will involve projects relating the study of decision making to models of perception and memory. 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: Applications will be reviewed starting on 1 November 2020. How to apply: Please send the following information in one single PDF, to silveira@iob.ch: 1. letter of motivation; 2. statement of research interests, limited to two pages; 3. curriculum vitæ including a list of publications; 4. any relevant publications that you wish to showcase. 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-POSTDOC” in the subject header, otherwise the application will not be considered. * ENS, together with a number of neighboring institutions (College de France, Institut Curie, ESPCI, Sorbonne Université, and Institut Pasteur), offers a rich scientific and intellectual environment, with a strong representation in computational neuroscience and related fields. * IOB is a research institute combining basic and clinical research. Its mission is to drive innovations in understanding vision and its diseases and develop new therapies for vision loss. IOB is an equal-opportunity employer with family-friendly work policies. * 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.
IMPRS for Brain & Behavior
Join our unique transatlantic PhD program in neuroscience! The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Brain and Behavior is a unique transatlantic collaboration between two Max Planck Neuroscience institutes – the Max Planck-associated research center caesar and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience – and the partner universities, University of Bonn and Florida Atlantic University. It offers a completely funded international PhD program in neuroscience in either Bonn, Germany, or Jupiter, Florida. We offer an exciting opportunity to outstanding Bachelor's and/or Master's degree holders (or equivalent) from any field (life sciences, mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, etc.) to be immersed in a stimulating environment that provides novel technologies to elucidate the function of brain circuits from molecules to animal behavior. The comprehensive and diverse expertise of the faculty in the exploration of brain-circuit function using advanced imaging and optogenetic techniques combined with comprehensive training in fundamental neurobiology will provide students with an exceptional level of knowledge to pursue a successful independent research career. Apply to Bonn, Germany by November 15, 2020 or to Florida, USA by December 1, 2020!
Go with the visual flow: circuit mechanisms for gaze control during locomotion
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany
Applications are invited for our third edition of Systems Vision Science (SVS) summer school since 2023, designed for everyone interested in gaining a systems level understanding of biological vision. We plan a coherent, graduate-level, syllabus on the integration of experimental data with theory and models, featuring lectures, guided exercises and discussion sessions. The summer school will end with a Systems Vision Science symposium on frontier topics on August 20-22, with additional invited and contributed presentations and posters. Call for contributions and participations to the symposium will be sent out spring of 2025. All summer school participants are invited to attend, and welcome to submit contributions to the symposium.
Continuity and segmentation - two ends of a spectrum or independent processes?
Representational drift in human visual cortex
“Brain theory, what is it or what should it be?”
n the neurosciences the need for some 'overarching' theory is sometimes expressed, but it is not always obvious what is meant by this. One can perhaps agree that in modern science observation and experimentation is normally complemented by 'theory', i.e. the development of theoretical concepts that help guiding and evaluating experiments and measurements. A deeper discussion of 'brain theory' will require the clarification of some further distictions, in particular: theory vs. model and brain research (and its theory) vs. neuroscience. Other questions are: Does a theory require mathematics? Or even differential equations? Today it is often taken for granted that the whole universe including everything in it, for example humans, animals, and plants, can be adequately treated by physics and therefore theoretical physics is the overarching theory. Even if this is the case, it has turned out that in some particular parts of physics (the historical example is thermodynamics) it may be useful to simplify the theory by introducing additional theoretical concepts that can in principle be 'reduced' to more complex descriptions on the 'microscopic' level of basic physical particals and forces. In this sense, brain theory may be regarded as part of theoretical neuroscience, which is inside biophysics and therefore inside physics, or theoretical physics. Still, in neuroscience and brain research, additional concepts are typically used to describe results and help guiding experimentation that are 'outside' physics, beginning with neurons and synapses, names of brain parts and areas, up to concepts like 'learning', 'motivation', 'attention'. Certainly, we do not yet have one theory that includes all these concepts. So 'brain theory' is still in a 'pre-newtonian' state. However, it may still be useful to understand in general the relations between a larger theory and its 'parts', or between microscopic and macroscopic theories, or between theories at different 'levels' of description. This is what I plan to do.
Seeing a changing world through the eyes of coral fishes
Open SPM: A Modular Framework for Scanning Probe Microscopy
OpenSPM aims to democratize innovation in the field of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), which is currently dominated by a few proprietary, closed systems that limit user-driven development. Our platform includes a high-speed OpenAFM head and base optimized for small cantilevers, an OpenAFM controller, a high-voltage amplifier, and interfaces compatible with several commercial AFM systems such as the Bruker Multimode, Nanosurf DriveAFM, Witec Alpha SNOM, Zeiss FIB-SEM XB550, and Nenovision Litescope. We have created a fully documented and community-driven OpenSPM platform, with training resources and sourcing information, which has already enabled the construction of more than 15 systems outside our lab. The controller is integrated with open-source tools like Gwyddion, HDF5, and Pycroscopy. We have also engaged external companies, two of which are integrating our controller into their products or interfaces. We see growing interest in applying parts of the OpenSPM platform to related techniques such as correlated microscopy, nanoindentation, and scanning electron/confocal microscopy. To support this, we are developing more generic and modular software, alongside a structured development workflow. A key feature of the OpenSPM system is its Python-based API, which makes the platform fully scriptable and ideal for AI and machine learning applications. This enables, for instance, automatic control and optimization of PID parameters, setpoints, and experiment workflows. With a growing contributor base and industry involvement, OpenSPM is well positioned to become a global, open platform for next-generation SPM innovation.
From Spiking Predictive Coding to Learning Abstract Object Representation
In a first part of the talk, I will present Predictive Coding Light (PCL), a novel unsupervised learning architecture for spiking neural networks. In contrast to conventional predictive coding approaches, which only transmit prediction errors to higher processing stages, PCL learns inhibitory lateral and top-down connectivity to suppress the most predictable spikes and passes a compressed representation of the input to higher processing stages. We show that PCL reproduces a range of biological findings and exhibits a favorable tradeoff between energy consumption and downstream classification performance on challenging benchmarks. A second part of the talk will feature our lab’s efforts to explain how infants and toddlers might learn abstract object representations without supervision. I will present deep learning models that exploit the temporal and multimodal structure of their sensory inputs to learn representations of individual objects, object categories, or abstract super-categories such as „kitchen object“ in a fully unsupervised fashion. These models offer a parsimonious account of how abstract semantic knowledge may be rooted in children's embodied first-person experiences.
“Development and application of gaze control models for active perception”
Gaze shifts in humans serve to direct high-resolution vision provided by the fovea towards areas in the environment. Gaze can be considered a proxy for attention or indicator of the relative importance of different parts of the environment. In this talk, we discuss the development of generative models of human gaze in response to visual input. We discuss how such models can be learned, both using supervised learning and using implicit feedback as an agent interacts with the environment, the latter being more plausible in biological agents. We also discuss two ways such models can be used. First, they can be used to improve the performance of artificial autonomous systems, in applications such as autonomous navigation. Second, because these models are contingent on the human’s task, goals, and/or state in the context of the environment, observations of gaze can be used to infer information about user intent. This information can be used to improve human-machine and human robot interaction, by making interfaces more anticipative. We discuss example applications in gaze-typing, robotic tele-operation and human-robot interaction.
The Unconscious Eye: What Involuntary Eye Movements Reveal About Brain Processing
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation - an introduction to the diagnosis and treatment of vision disorders secondary to neurological impairment
Restoring Sight to the Blind: Effects of Structural and Functional Plasticity
Visual restoration after decades of blindness is now becoming possible by means of retinal and cortical prostheses, as well as emerging stem cell and gene therapeutic approaches. After restoring visual perception, however, a key question remains. Are there optimal means and methods for retraining the visual cortex to process visual inputs, and for learning or relearning to “see”? Up to this point, it has been largely assumed that if the sensory loss is visual, then the rehabilitation focus should also be primarily visual. However, the other senses play a key role in visual rehabilitation due to the plastic repurposing of visual cortex during blindness by audition and somatosensation, and also to the reintegration of restored vision with the other senses. I will present multisensory neuroimaging results, cortical thickness changes, as well as behavioral outcomes for patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which causes blindness by destroying photoreceptors in the retina. These patients have had their vision partially restored by the implantation of a retinal prosthesis, which electrically stimulates still viable retinal ganglion cells in the eye. Our multisensory and structural neuroimaging and behavioral results suggest a new, holistic concept of visual rehabilitation that leverages rather than neglects audition, somatosensation, and other sensory modalities.
Cognitive maps, navigational strategies, and the human brain
The hippocampus, visual perception and visual memory
Reading Scenes
Computational modelling of ocular pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics in the eye is an important factor for the success of ocular drug delivery and treatment. Pharmacokinetic features determine the feasible routes of drug administration, dosing levels and intervals, and it has impact on eventual drug responses. Several physical, biochemical, and flow-related barriers limit drug exposure of anterior and posterior ocular target tissues during treatment during local (topical, subconjunctival, intravitreal) and systemic administration (intravenous, per oral). Mathematical models integrate joint impact of various barriers on ocular pharmacokinetics (PKs) thereby helping drug development. The models are useful in describing (top-down) and predicting (bottom-up) pharmacokinetics of ocular drugs. This is useful also in the design and development of new drug molecules and drug delivery systems. Furthermore, the models can be used for interspecies translation and probing of disease effects on pharmacokinetics. In this lecture, ocular pharmacokinetics and current modelling methods (noncompartmental analyses, compartmental, physiologically based, and finite element models) are introduced. Future challenges are also highlighted (e.g. intra-tissue distribution, prediction of drug responses, active transport).
Plasticity of the adult visual system
Deepfake emotional expressions trigger the uncanny valley brain response, even when they are not recognised as fake
Facial expressions are inherently dynamic, and our visual system is sensitive to subtle changes in their temporal sequence. However, researchers often use dynamic morphs of photographs—simplified, linear representations of motion—to study the neural correlates of dynamic face perception. To explore the brain's sensitivity to natural facial motion, we constructed a novel dynamic face database using generative neural networks, trained on a verified set of video-recorded emotional expressions. The resulting deepfakes, consciously indistinguishable from videos, enabled us to separate biological motion from photorealistic form. Results showed that conventional dynamic morphs elicit distinct responses in the brain compared to videos and photos, suggesting they violate expectations (n400) and have reduced social salience (late positive potential). This suggests that dynamic morphs misrepresent facial dynamism, resulting in misleading insights about the neural and behavioural correlates of face perception. Deepfakes and videos elicited largely similar neural responses, suggesting they could be used as a proxy for real faces in vision research, where video recordings cannot be experimentally manipulated. And yet, despite being consciously undetectable as fake, deepfakes elicited an expectation violation response in the brain. This points to a neural sensitivity to naturalistic facial motion, beyond conscious awareness. Despite some differences in neural responses, the realism and manipulability of deepfakes make them a valuable asset for research where videos are unfeasible. Using these stimuli, we proposed a novel marker for the conscious perception of naturalistic facial motion – Frontal delta activity – which was elevated for videos and deepfakes, but not for photos or dynamic morphs.
Retinal input integration in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the mouse superior colliculus in vivo
An inconvenient truth: pathophysiological remodeling of the inner retina in photoreceptor degeneration
Photoreceptor loss is the primary cause behind vision impairment and blindness in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. However, the death of rods and cones allows retinoids to permeate the inner retina, causing retinal ganglion cells to become spontaneously hyperactive, severely reducing the signal-to-noise ratio, and creating interference in the communication between the surviving retina and the brain. Treatments aimed at blocking or reducing hyperactivity improve vision initiated from surviving photoreceptors and could enhance the signal fidelity generated by vision restoration methodologies.
The speed of prioritizing information for consciousness: A robust and mysterious human trait
Altered grid-like coding in early blind people and the role of vision in conceptual navigation
Vision for perception versus vision for action: dissociable contributions of visual sensory drives from primary visual cortex and superior colliculus neurons to orienting behaviors
The primary visual cortex (V1) directly projects to the superior colliculus (SC) and is believed to provide sensory drive for eye movements. Consistent with this, a majority of saccade-related SC neurons also exhibit short-latency, stimulus-driven visual responses, which are additionally feature-tuned. However, direct neurophysiological comparisons of the visual response properties of the two anatomically-connected brain areas are surprisingly lacking, especially with respect to active looking behaviors. I will describe a series of experiments characterizing visual response properties in primate V1 and SC neurons, exploring feature dimensions like visual field location, spatial frequency, orientation, contrast, and luminance polarity. The results suggest a substantial, qualitative reformatting of SC visual responses when compared to V1. For example, SC visual response latencies are actively delayed, independent of individual neuron tuning preferences, as a function of increasing spatial frequency, and this phenomenon is directly correlated with saccadic reaction times. Such “coarse-to-fine” rank ordering of SC visual response latencies as a function of spatial frequency is much weaker in V1, suggesting a dissociation of V1 responses from saccade timing. Consistent with this, when we next explored trial-by-trial correlations of individual neurons’ visual response strengths and visual response latencies with saccadic reaction times, we found that most SC neurons exhibited, on a trial-by-trial basis, stronger and earlier visual responses for faster saccadic reaction times. Moreover, these correlations were substantially higher for visual-motor neurons in the intermediate and deep layers than for more superficial visual-only neurons. No such correlations existed systematically in V1. Thus, visual responses in SC and V1 serve fundamentally different roles in active vision: V1 jumpstarts sensing and image analysis, but SC jumpstarts moving. I will finish by demonstrating, using V1 reversible inactivation, that, despite reformatting of signals from V1 to the brainstem, V1 is still a necessary gateway for visually-driven oculomotor responses to occur, even for the most reflexive of eye movement phenomena. This is a fundamental difference from rodent studies demonstrating clear V1-independent processing in afferent visual pathways bypassing the geniculostriate one, and it demonstrates the importance of multi-species comparisons in the study of oculomotor control.
Contentopic mapping and object dimensionality - a novel understanding on the organization of object knowledge
Our ability to recognize an object amongst many others is one of the most important features of the human mind. However, object recognition requires tremendous computational effort, as we need to solve a complex and recursive environment with ease and proficiency. This challenging feat is dependent on the implementation of an effective organization of knowledge in the brain. Here I put forth a novel understanding of how object knowledge is organized in the brain, by proposing that the organization of object knowledge follows key object-related dimensions, analogously to how sensory information is organized in the brain. Moreover, I will also put forth that this knowledge is topographically laid out in the cortical surface according to these object-related dimensions that code for different types of representational content – I call this contentopic mapping. I will show a combination of fMRI and behavioral data to support these hypotheses and present a principled way to explore the multidimensionality of object processing.
Guiding Visual Attention in Dynamic Scenes
Rethinking Attention: Dynamic Prioritization
Decades of research on understanding the mechanisms of attentional selection have focused on identifying the units (representations) on which attention operates in order to guide prioritized sensory processing. These attentional units fit neatly to accommodate our understanding of how attention is allocated in a top-down, bottom-up, or historical fashion. In this talk, I will focus on attentional phenomena that are not easily accommodated within current theories of attentional selection – the “attentional platypuses,” as they allude to an observation that within biological taxonomies the platypus does not fit into either mammal or bird categories. Similarly, attentional phenomena that do not fit neatly within current attentional models suggest that current models need to be revised. I list a few instances of the ‘attentional platypuses” and then offer a new approach, the Dynamically Weighted Prioritization, stipulating that multiple factors impinge onto the attentional priority map, each with a corresponding weight. The interaction between factors and their corresponding weights determines the current state of the priority map which subsequently constrains/guides attention allocation. I propose that this new approach should be considered as a supplement to existing models of attention, especially those that emphasize categorical organizations.
Traumatic brain injury and the visual sequela
Mind Perception and Behaviour: A Study of Quantitative and Qualitative Effects
Perceptual illusions we understand well, and illusions which aren’t really illusions
Imagining and seeing: two faces of prosopagnosia
Why age-related macular degeneration is a mathematically tractable disease
Among all prevalent diseases with a central neurodegeneration, AMD can be considered the most promising in terms of prevention and early intervention, due to several factors surrounding the neural geometry of the foveal singularity. • Steep gradients of cell density, deployed in a radially symmetric fashion, can be modeled with a difference of Gaussian curves. • These steep gradients give rise to huge, spatially aligned biologic effects, summarized as the Center of Cone Resilience, Surround of Rod Vulnerability. • Widely used clinical imaging technology provides cellular and subcellular level information. • Data are now available at all timelines: clinical, lifespan, evolutionary • Snapshots are available from tissues (histology, analytic chemistry, gene expression) • A viable biogenesis model exists for drusen, the largest population-level intraocular risk factor for progression. • The biogenesis model shares molecular commonality with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, for which there has been decades of public health success. • Animal and cell model systems are emerging to test these ideas.
Reactivation in the human brain connects the past with the present
Error Consistency between Humans and Machines as a function of presentation duration
Within the last decade, Deep Artificial Neural Networks (DNNs) have emerged as powerful computer vision systems that match or exceed human performance on many benchmark tasks such as image classification. But whether current DNNs are suitable computational models of the human visual system remains an open question: While DNNs have proven to be capable of predicting neural activations in primate visual cortex, psychophysical experiments have shown behavioral differences between DNNs and human subjects, as quantified by error consistency. Error consistency is typically measured by briefly presenting natural or corrupted images to human subjects and asking them to perform an n-way classification task under time pressure. But for how long should stimuli ideally be presented to guarantee a fair comparison with DNNs? Here we investigate the influence of presentation time on error consistency, to test the hypothesis that higher-level processing drives behavioral differences. We systematically vary presentation times of backward-masked stimuli from 8.3ms to 266ms and measure human performance and reaction times on natural, lowpass-filtered and noisy images. Our experiment constitutes a fine-grained analysis of human image classification under both image corruptions and time pressure, showing that even drastically time-constrained humans who are exposed to the stimuli for only two frames, i.e. 16.6ms, can still solve our 8-way classification task with success rates way above chance. We also find that human-to-human error consistency is already stable at 16.6ms.
Attending to moments in time
Visuomotor learning of location, action, and prediction
Trends in NeuroAI - Brain-like topography in transformers (Topoformer)
Dr. Nicholas Blauch will present on his work "Topoformer: Brain-like topographic organization in transformer language models through spatial querying and reweighting". Dr. Blauch is a postdoctoral fellow in the Harvard Vision Lab advised by Talia Konkle and George Alvarez. Paper link: https://openreview.net/pdf?id=3pLMzgoZSA Trends in NeuroAI is a reading group hosted by the MedARC Neuroimaging & AI lab (https://medarc.ai/fmri | https://groups.google.com/g/medarc-fmri).
Retinal Photoreceptor Diversity Across Mammals
Generative models for video games (rescheduled)
Developing agents capable of modeling complex environments and human behaviors within them is a key goal of artificial intelligence research. Progress towards this goal has exciting potential for applications in video games, from new tools that empower game developers to realize new creative visions, to enabling new kinds of immersive player experiences. This talk focuses on recent advances of my team at Microsoft Research towards scalable machine learning architectures that effectively capture human gameplay data. In the first part of my talk, I will focus on diffusion models as generative models of human behavior. Previously shown to have impressive image generation capabilities, I present insights that unlock applications to imitation learning for sequential decision making. In the second part of my talk, I discuss a recent project taking ideas from language modeling to build a generative sequence model of an Xbox game.
Applied cognitive neuroscience to improve learning and therapeutics
Advancements in cognitive neuroscience have provided profound insights into the workings of the human brain and the methods used offer opportunities to enhance performance, cognition, and mental health. Drawing upon interdisciplinary collaborations in the University of California San Diego, Human Performance Optimization Lab, this talk explores the application of cognitive neuroscience principles in three domains to improve human performance and alleviate mental health challenges. The first section will discuss studies addressing the role of vision and oculomotor function in athletic performance and the potential to train these foundational abilities to improve performance and sports outcomes. The second domain considers the use of electrophysiological measurements of the brain and heart to detect, and possibly predict, errors in manual performance, as shown in a series of studies with surgeons as they perform robot-assisted surgery. Lastly, findings from clinical trials testing personalized interventional treatments for mood disorders will be discussed in which the temporal and spatial parameters of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are individualized to test if personalization improves treatment response and can be used as predictive biomarkers to guide treatment selection. Together, these translational studies use the measurement tools and constructs of cognitive neuroscience to improve human performance and well-being.
Characterizing the causal role of large-scale network interactions in supporting complex cognition
Neuroimaging has greatly extended our capacity to study the workings of the human brain. Despite the wealth of knowledge this tool has generated however, there are still critical gaps in our understanding. While tremendous progress has been made in mapping areas of the brain that are specialized for particular stimuli, or cognitive processes, we still know very little about how large-scale interactions between different cortical networks facilitate the integration of information and the execution of complex tasks. Yet even the simplest behavioral tasks are complex, requiring integration over multiple cognitive domains. Our knowledge falls short not only in understanding how this integration takes place, but also in what drives the profound variation in behavior that can be observed on almost every task, even within the typically developing (TD) population. The search for the neural underpinnings of individual differences is important not only philosophically, but also in the service of precision medicine. We approach these questions using a three-pronged approach. First, we create a battery of behavioral tasks from which we can calculate objective measures for different aspects of the behaviors of interest, with sufficient variance across the TD population. Second, using these individual differences in behavior, we identify the neural variance which explains the behavioral variance at the network level. Finally, using covert neurofeedback, we perturb the networks hypothesized to correspond to each of these components, thus directly testing their casual contribution. I will discuss our overall approach, as well as a few of the new directions we are currently pursuing.
Vision Unveiled: Understanding Face Perception in Children Treated for Congenital Blindness
Generative models for video games
Developing agents capable of modeling complex environments and human behaviors within them is a key goal of artificial intelligence research. Progress towards this goal has exciting potential for applications in video games, from new tools that empower game developers to realize new creative visions, to enabling new kinds of immersive player experiences. This talk focuses on recent advances of my team at Microsoft Research towards scalable machine learning architectures that effectively capture human gameplay data. In the first part of my talk, I will focus on diffusion models as generative models of human behavior. Previously shown to have impressive image generation capabilities, I present insights that unlock applications to imitation learning for sequential decision making. In the second part of my talk, I discuss a recent project taking ideas from language modeling to build a generative sequence model of an Xbox game.
Inhibition in the retina
Perception in Autism: Testing Recent Bayesian Inference Accounts
Stability of visual processing in passive and active vision
The visual system faces a dual challenge. On the one hand, features of the natural visual environment should be stably processed - irrespective of ongoing wiring changes, representational drift, and behavior. On the other hand, eye, head, and body motion require a robust integration of pose and gaze shifts in visual computations for a stable perception of the world. We address these dimensions of stable visual processing by studying the circuit mechanism of long-term representational stability, focusing on the role of plasticity, network structure, experience, and behavioral state while recording large-scale neuronal activity with miniature two-photon microscopy.
Modeling idiosyncratic evaluation of faces
The Mirror Mechanism
Molecular Characterization of Retinal Cell Types: Insights into Evolutionary Origins and Regional Specializations
Consciousness and the brain: comparing and testing neuroscientific theories of consciousness
Scalable microelectrode arrays: moving beyond time division multiplexing
Bernstein Conference 2024
Timing and transmission: the role of axonal action potential propagation speed in the synchronization of foveal vision
Bernstein Conference 2024
Evaluating Noise Tolerance in Drosophila Vision
COSYNE 2022
An insect vision-based flight control model with a plastic efference copy
COSYNE 2022
An insect vision-based flight control model with a plastic efference copy
COSYNE 2022
Organization of local directionally selective neurons informs global motion vision encoding
COSYNE 2022
Organization of local directionally selective neurons informs global motion vision encoding
COSYNE 2022
A two-way luminance gain control in the fly brain ensures luminance invariance in dynamic vision
COSYNE 2022
A two-way luminance gain control in the fly brain ensures luminance invariance in dynamic vision
COSYNE 2022
Inferring the order of stable and context dependent perceptual biases in human vision
COSYNE 2023
Leveraging computational and animal models of vision to probe atypical emotion recognition in autism
COSYNE 2023
Biologically Realistic Computational Primitives of Neocortex Implemented on Neuromorphic Hardware Improve Vision Transformer Performance
COSYNE 2025
Enhancing Vision Robustness to Adversarial Attacks through Foveal-Peripheral and Saccadic Mechanisms
COSYNE 2025
Recurrent connectivity supports motion detection in connectome-constrained models of fly vision
COSYNE 2025
TweetyBERT, a self-supervised vision transformer to automate birdsong annotation
COSYNE 2025
Analyzing animal behavior with domain-adapted vision-language models
FENS Forum 2024
Compromised binocular vision and reduced binocularity in the visual cortex of postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95) knock-out mice
FENS Forum 2024
Computer vision and image processing applications on astrocyte-glioma interactions in 3D cell culture
FENS Forum 2024
Connectional subdivisions reflect neuronal features of the various sectors of the macaque ventrolateral prefrontal cortex
FENS Forum 2024
Exploring laryngeal effects of dorsolateral periaqueductal grey stimulation in anesthetized rats: Implications for c-Fos and FOXP2 expression in the nucleus ambiguus subdivisions
FENS Forum 2024
Exploring pupil dynamics in freely moving rats during active integration of vision and posture
FENS Forum 2024
Impact of barrel cortex lesions and sensory deprivation on perceptual decision-making: Insights from computer vision and time series clustering of freely moving behavioral strategies
FENS Forum 2024
The impact of the retinotopic subdivisions of area V1 on shaping the macaque connectome
FENS Forum 2024
Oculomotor vergence system through fMRI in persons with binocularly normal vision and persistent post-concussive symptoms with convergence insufficiency
FENS Forum 2024
Optogenetic stimulation in the visual thalamus for future brain vision prostheses
FENS Forum 2024
Projections from the ventral nucleus of the trapezoid body to all subdivisions of the rat cochlear nucleus
FENS Forum 2024
REST as a target for vision restoration
FENS Forum 2024
A retinotopic-and-orientation-based stimulation strategy induces neural activity patterns mimicking natural vision
FENS Forum 2024
Searching for input-output connectivity streams in the various subdivisions of mouse orbitofrontal cortex
FENS Forum 2024
Study of brain plasticity following loss of monocular vision in mice
FENS Forum 2024
Vision revival: NGF’s role in restoring retinal balance and activating BDNF’s lifesaving routes in diabetic retinopathy
FENS Forum 2024
When auditory rules over vision: The impact of temporal synchrony for auditory-visual sensory attenuation effects
FENS Forum 2024
AVATAR: AI Vision Analysis for Three-dimensional Action in Real-time
Neuromatch 5