Connectionists: Postdoctoral Positions - Visuo-Motor Network Simulation

[Shigeyuki Oba]

Postdoctoral Researchers and Scientific Programmers

Brain and Neural Systems Team

Integrated Life Simulation Project

The goal of the Brain and Neural Systems Team of the Integrated Life
Simulation Project is to understand how the brain achieves adaptive
behaviors by re-creating the nervous system through integrating
neurobiological data available at multiple-levels spanning from genes
and molecules to neurons and behaviors.

As the first step toward a whole-brain simulation of the human brain,
the Visuo-Motor Network Group focuses on the network linking retinal
input to eye-movement output, for which rich accumulation of
neurobiological knowledge, experimental data, and computational models
are available. The simulation model aims to reproduce natural
eye-movement behaviors in a real visual environment by integrating the
molecular mechanisms for synaptic plasticity, the cellular mechanisms
for network development and adaptation, and the network mechanisms for
attention and motivation.

The research project is sponsored by the Next-Generation Supercomputer
Project of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT). The major goals in its first phase from
FY2008 to 2010 are the following:

1) to set up a multi-scale neural simulation environment for linking
dynamics at molecular, neuronal, and network levels;

2) to construct a model linking the retina, the superior colliculus,
the oculomotor nuclei and the cerebellum to replicate spontaneous and
visually evoked eye-movement behaviors.

The simulation will be run on the next-generation super computer to
boot up in 2011 with 10 peta-flops peak performance
(http://www.nsc.riken.jp/project-eng.html).

In the subsequent phase from FY2011, we will include the basal
ganglia, the thalamus, and the cortical areas to achieve goal-directed
visual search and human-like eye communication. We aim to understand
the mechanisms of robust and flexible adaptation and to reveal the
causes of eye-movement features found in disorders like schizophrenia,
autism, and Parkinson's disease.

Positions Available

We have two postdoctoral researcher or scientific programmer positions
starting October 2008. The candidate should have a strong
computational background in areas including parallel programming,
statistical machine learning, systems biology, image processing, and
database management and have, or be willing to acquire,
neurobiological knowledge to navigate the literature and databases.
The research will be conducted at Kyoto University and other
collaborating research institutes. Salary is commensurate with
experience. The initial contract continues until March 2009 and is
renewable yearly until March 2011.

Candidates should send a CV, a list of publications and software
projects, and a brief description of interests in science and
computing by e-mail to bns08 at sys.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp by October 10, 2008.
The search will continue until the position is filled.

Brain and Neural Systems Team:

Shin Ishii, Kyoto University

Kenji Doya, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

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Posted by Shigeyuki Oba, Kyoto University