Connectionists: Teaching Assistant (TA) applications now open for Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo 2027

[Spyridon Chavlis]

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are seeking passionate post-doctoral or senior PhD researchers to 
join our team as Teaching Assistants (TAs) for the upcoming Simons 
Computational Neuroscience Imbizo, a deeply immersive summer school held 
in Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa. Apply here: 
https://imbizo.africa/ta-application/

Application Requirements

Before you begin your application, please ensure you have the following 
ready:
- A brief CV: 2-4 pages maximum, uploaded as a PDF.
- A motivational statement: A short text (max 600 words) outlining your 
scientific interests and background, why you would be a good fit, and 
your preferred topics for teaching tutorials and supervising student 
projects.
- Reference details: The name and contact information of one referee. 
(Note: Your referee will automatically receive an email prompt once you 
submit. Please inform them to check also their spam emails).

Important Dates:
- Applications Close: 1st September 2026 at 20:00 UTC
- Imbizo Dates: 27th August - 16th September 2027

About the Imbizo:
The school hosts 27-28 students for approximately three weeks of 
intensive lectures, tutorials, projects, and forging new friendships. 
All this takes place on Noordhoek beach, nestled between the mountain 
and the ocean, a truly spectacular location.

The Imbizo is a special experience. Students are totally immersed in 
academic, social, touristic, and cultural activities, which has 
historically resulted in previous cohorts of students and TAs becoming 
very close, both personally and scientifically. This is fantastic, as a 
major goal of the Imbizo project is to help young African researchers 
grow their academic peer and friend groups.

The Role of a TA
- Academic Responsibilities: (a) Design and run one afternoon tutorial 
during the first week of the school. Each TA will teach a different 
topic, chosen collaboratively among the TA team and the Academic 
Directors, to provide students with broad exposure to methods in 
computational neuroscience, (b) Supervise a group of approximately 5 
students for their project work during the last two weeks of the school, 
and (c) Assist the organizing committee in processing student 
applications in early 2027.
- Social Responsibilities:  TAs are integral to the daily life of the 
school. In addition to academic support, you will be expected to foster 
good social interactions, spark academic discussions, and help ‘shy’ 
students meet faculty. TAs act as the ‘social glue’ of the Imbizo, 
helping to notice and support students who may be feeling ill, having 
difficulties fitting in, or struggling with the workload.

To fulfill these roles, TAs are required to attend all school meals and 
activities.

What We Provide
We cover direct, economy-class flights to Cape Town, as well as all 
board and lodging for the duration of the school.

A separate call for student applications will follow in January 2027. 
Please reach out if you have any questions!

Please spread the word. Thank you in advance.

On behalf of the #Imbizo2027 Organizing committee
Spiros Chavlis
Twitter: @CompNeuroImbizo
Bluesky: imbizo.bsky.social
email: info [AT] imbizo [DOT] africa


-- 

*Spyridon Chavlis, PhD* Postdoctoral Researcher and Systems 
Administrator Poirazi Lab Institute of Molecular Biology and 
Biotechnology (IMBB) Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas 
(FORTH) Nikolaou Plastira, 100 GR 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece Tel: 
(+30) 2810 39 1264 Εmail: schavlis at imbb.forth.gr Webpage: dendrites.gr 
<https://www.dendrites.gr>
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