Connectionists: Researcher Positions at ATR Neural Information Analysis Labs.

[KANEMURA Atsunori]

To Whom it May Concern:

ATR Neural Information Analysis Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan, have
openings for researcher positions and invite applications from
Ph.D. holders (or Ph.D. candidates who are very close to completion)
with strong motivations and ambitions in the research project
described below.

Our institute ATR, located in western Japan, is one of the top
research centers in computational neuroscience, biomedical signal
processing, and robotics in Asia (see http://www.cns.atr.jp/en/ for
more details).  Our group research on brain-machine interface (BMI),
which controls actuators by estimating human movement and intension
from brain activities measured noninvasively by MEG, EEG, fMRI, and
NIRS.  In particular, we focus on developing information scientific
methods, bio-measurement techniques, and neurosciences.

The project for which we are recruiting aims to construct a new
information-communication technology to connect people and machines
through engineering applications of neuroscience.  More specifically,
the project's goal is to develop a BMI methodology that works well in
various environments in the real world by simultaneous measurement of
human behavior and brain activities and also by parallel and
distributed processing of large-scale data.

We look forward to your applications and recommendations.

Shin Ishii
ATR Neural Information Analysis Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan


= Job description =

(1) Ambient informatics team
The researcher will join a team dedicated for establishing an
environment for continuous measurement and recognition of human
behavior in a daily life.  Here, the "environment" includes hardware
facilities, efficient network, and pattern recognition algorithms and
software.  The team is supported by engineers.  Data measurement
devices include stereo cameras, laser range finders, microphones,
pyroelectric sensors, power monitors (for appliance), and
bio-measurement devices (for electromyogram (EMG), heart pulse, blood
pressure, perspiration, and temperature).  Good proposals for
additional measurement modalities will be welcomed.

(2) Decoding team
The researcher will join a team dedicated for developing artifact
reduction and decoding algorithms for brain activities measured under
real environments.  Brain activity data measured in real environments
would often be contaminated by non-brain signals, which must be
reduced by all means for further analysis.  By solving a challenging
research problem of decoding of movement or intension in uncontrolled
experiments, the team will develop BMI algorithms under real
environments.  The successful candidate should have a strong
background in machine learning, information retrieval, or statistical
signal processing.  Excellent programming skills and experiences of
large-scale data analysis will be advantageous.

(3) Neurosciences team
The researcher will join a team dedicated for neuroscience studies
focusing on human decision making and motor control under real
environments.  The team's challenging goal is to elucidate the neural
bases involved in decision making and motor control, which are
sufficiently robust even in the uncertain real world, by fully
utilizing newly developed techniques of brain machine interface.

The teams include several foreign researchers and we also have
collaborated closely with researchers in countries overseas.  Thus,
applications from abroad are particularly welcome.

= Requirements =
Applicants must:
- have a Ph.D. (or be near completion).
- have strong motivations and ambitions to take part in the research above.
Also, researchers having interest in neural and human science with
expertise in one or more of the following areas are welcomed:
- Statistics, machine learning, parallel distributed computing, signal
  processing, artificial intelligence, bio-measurement and
  instrumentation, computer vision, statistical physics, cognitive
  psychology.
Exceptional applicants with a master’s or equivalent degree will be
considered as well.

= Number of openings =
Few

= Employment conditions =
Position : Full-time Researcher / Full-time Research Engineer
Tenure   : Single year based contract, renewable based on evaluation
Treatment: Based on individual performance
Work Location:
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan

= Application materials =
Please submit the following five materials to the contact address
below, either in printed or electronic form:
1. CV
2. List of publications
3. Reprints of 1–3 major publications
4. Document (one or two pages in A4 or letter size) describing:
  - Summary of your previous research
  - Interests and proposal for research
  - Additional research skills not directly foreseeable from publications
5. Recommendation letters from two researchers
* Original documents you submit will not be returned.

= Judging system =
After documentary examination, we ask for presentation and interview
if needed

= Starting date =
After October 2011 (negotiable)

= Deadline for application =
Opens until positions are filled.

= Contact =
ATR Neural Information Analysis Laboratories
(Application for Researcher Position)
2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan
Email: dbi-info at atr.jp

= Use of personal data =
All personal data received will be properly managed and only be used
for the purpose of recruitment.