COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AVAILABLE

[Sue Becker]

   COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AVAILABLE
                   Department of Psychology
                     McMaster University

A postdoctoral position is open in the Psychology Department of
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.  A multidisciplinary
approach will be taken to develop biologically plausible models of
hippocampal and neocortical memory systems. Projects will include
developing simulations of cortical-cortical and subcortical-cortical
interactions during learning and information storage.  In addition
to our focus on processing in hippocampal-cortical systems, we are
also investigating and modelling the role of cortico-thalamic
back-projections.  Research projects will be conducted in close
collaboration with R. Racine, a neuroscientist, S.  Becker, a
computational modeller, S. Haykin, an electrical engineer, and
G. Gerstein, a computational neuroscientist.  The primary goal of
this collaborative effort is to build powerful learning algorithms
in neural networks which are based on rules suggested by both memory
research and physiology research (e.g. LTP work). Racine's
laboratory has recently provided the first demonstrations of LTP in
the neocortex and cortico-thalamic connections in chronic
preparations.  The rules that apply to LTP induction in these
systems are quite different from those determined for the
hippocampus.  An optional component of this postdoctoral position
would be participation in further experimental investigations of
neocortical LTP in either slice or in vivo preparations.
   
This project is funded by a collaborative research grant from the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to
R. Racine, G. Gerstein, S. Haykin and S. Becker.  Please send
curriculum vitae, expression of interest, and the names and e-mail
or phone numbers of three references to Ron Racine at
racine at mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca