Connectionists: Postdoc or PhD student in Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience

[Sander Bohte]

Apologies for cross posting


Post-doc (or PhD student) in Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience

– How is reinforcement learning implemented in the brain?



A post-doc (or PhD student) position is available to develop new
biologically plausible reinforcement learning theories. This project is a
collaboration between in the Vision & Cognition group (Dr. Pieter
Roelfsema) at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam and
the NeuroInformatics Lab at the *Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in
Amsterdam* (Dr. Sander Bohte).



Our recent theoretical insights have allowed a preliminary understanding of
how animals learn to represent and memorize the key features of sensory
stimuli for the guidance of action, and how this learning can proceed by
trial-and-error (Rombouts et al. NIPS 2012, Roelfsema et al., TiCS, 2010).
The present project focuses on the learning of subroutines, which can be
incorporated into larger routines, during trial-and-error learning. We aim
to develop a biologically plausible learning rules that endow neural
networks with the possibility to learn hierarchical task structures.



The project is funded by the NWO “Natural Artificial Intelligence” program.



The successful applicant will have a solid computational background, an
interest in cognitive neuroscience and good programming skills.



Appointment:

The position involves a temporary appointment for 2-4 years. We offer a
competitive salary with excellent secondary benefits and friendly taxes,
and also an extremely friendly, interactive and international working
environment. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most beautiful and lively cities
where almost everybody speaks and understands English, so that candidates
need not be afraid of the language barrier.



To apply, please send application letter, CV and two letters of
recommendation to:



Tini Eikelboom

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

Meibergdreef 47

1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Telephone: +31-20-5664587

E-mail: t.eikelboom at nin.knaw.nl




-- 
=============================
Dr Sander M. Bohte
CWI Life Sciences
NeuroInformatics Lab
http://www.cwi.nl/~sbohte
tel +31-205924074
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