Connectionists: 2 PhD Positions in Computational Neuroscience and BCIs in Rostock, Germany

[Lars Schwabe]

Dear all,

we do have TWO OPEN PhD positions in the field of Computational Neuroscience and Applied Machine Learning/BCI at University of Rostock (Computer Science and Electrical Engineering):


1) PhD in (Formal) Ontology and Epistemology of Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience

Together with the Moritz Schlick Research Institute in Rostock (moritz-schlick.de) we have an open PhD position in order to investigate Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience from the point of view of Philosophy of Science (and *not* Philosophy of Mind). The goal is to better understand the kind of theories currently employed in these two disciplines, their ontological commitments, and the kind of knowledge obtainable with the current practices.

More specifically, the relation between mechanistic models of embodied “enactive” agents, emergent dynamical properties, teleological explanations, cognitive processes and social phenomena shall be made explicit using *formal* methods from ontology and logic. These studies shall also consider the history of both disciplines by means of versioning ontologies. Similar projects at the center are ongoing in the field of Systems Biology and Morphology, and we expect that a comparison will yield important insights into the epistemological basis of 21st century life science.

The ideal candidate has a background (or at least a documented interest) in philosophy and either life science, computer science, engineering, or mathematics with a strong formal training. The position is open immediately and remains open until a suitable candidate is found.

Please send applications as PDFs via email (see below).



2) PhD Position for using BCIs in Smart Meeting and Situation Rooms

As part of a larger research training group focusing on smart environments, the candidate will apply EEG-based BCI techniques in smart meeting and situation rooms. The goal is to infer the intention of a user using various sensors (including EEG) in order to provide assistive services. We consider i) group meetings and discussion scenarios, and ii) decison making under uncertainty and time-constraints. EEG-based BCIs shall be used to infer the cognitive load of users (as a pure monitoring device) and as an output device in the classical BCI setting, where we employ mainly SSVEP-based BCIs, but explore various displays and visual stimulus designs.

The ideal candidate has a background in signal processing, statistics, machine learning, neural networks, etc. and a documented track record in software development.

Please send applications as PDFs via email (see below) until May 20th, 2012.



The University of Rostock was established in 1419 and is located at the coast of the Baltic Sea in north-eastern Germany. Rostock is home to ~200000 people, incl. 15000 students, and it has a lively student life. In terms of academic history, the following list shows a selection of names associated with the University: Tycho Brahe studied at the University of Rostock, Felix Hausdorff became professor at the the neighboring University of Greifswald, Albert Einstein and Max Planck received a honorary doctoral degree from the University (the only honorary degree Einstein received in Germany), Moritz Schlick worked here from 1911-1921, etc. The Computer Science Institute provides an excellent working environment with the newly constructed Konrad Zuse Bld, and various local, national, and international collaborations.



Please send applications as PDFs via email to

Lars Schwabe
Dept of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Str. 22
Konrad Zuse Building, 18059 Rostock, Germany
E-Mail, Web: lars.schwabe at uni-rostock.de, ars.informatik.uni-rostock.de