Dear Users
Today (YNiC open plan from 4.30 pm) there will be an internal project
proposal presentation by David Watson on "The Representation of Scenes
in the Brain".
Abstract: Human ventral visual cortex has been noted to contain regions
showing selectivity for place scenes. Such regions include the
Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA), Retrosplenial Complex (RSC) and the
Transverse Occipital Sulcus / Occipital Place Area (TOS / OPA).
Multivariate analyses can decode scene category from the neural activity
patterns in these regions elicited by viewing scenes. This suggests that
the representation of scenes in these regions may be topographically
organized along the basis of scene category. However, it remains unclear
whether scene category is the best descriptor, or whether lower-level
perceptual dimensions may further underlie this organization. For
instance, it has also been shown that the PPA demonstrates a bias
towards the high- over the low-spatial frequency content of both scene
and non-scene images. A key question then is to what degree higher-level
dimensions (such as scene category) and lower-level dimensions (such as
spatial frequency) may predict the topographic organization of scene
selective regions. In this study we aim to directly compare and contrast
the relative contributions of scene category and spatial frequency
information to the responses in scene selective regions.
Everyone is welcome to attend and refreshments will be provided afterwards.
Best wishes
Rebecca
--
************************************************************************
Dr. Rebecca E. Millman
Science Liaison Officer
York Neuroimaging Centre
The Biocentre
York Science Park
Heslington
YO10 5DG
Tel: +44 (0) 1904 567614
Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356
Dear Users
This week (YNiC open plan from 4.30 pm) there will be an internal
project proposal presentation by David Watson on "The Representation of
Scenes in the Brain".
Abstract: Human ventral visual cortex has been noted to contain regions
showing selectivity for place scenes. Such regions include the
Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA), Retrosplenial Complex (RSC) and the
Transverse Occipital Sulcus / Occipital Place Area (TOS / OPA).
Multivariate analyses can decode scene category from the neural activity
patterns in these regions elicited by viewing scenes. This suggests that
the representation of scenes in these regions may be topographically
organized along the basis of scene category. However, it remains unclear
whether scene category is the best descriptor, or whether lower-level
perceptual dimensions may further underlie this organization. For
instance, it has also been shown that the PPA demonstrates a bias
towards the high- over the low-spatial frequency content of both scene
and non-scene images. A key question then is to what degree higher-level
dimensions (such as scene category) and lower-level dimensions (such as
spatial frequency) may predict the topographic organization of scene
selective regions. In this study we aim to directly compare and contrast
the relative contributions of scene category and spatial frequency
information to the responses in scene selective regions.
Everyone is welcome to attend and refreshments will be provided afterwards.
Best wishes
Rebecca
--
************************************************************************
Dr. Rebecca E. Millman
Science Liaison Officer
York Neuroimaging Centre
The Biocentre
York Science Park
Heslington
YO10 5DG
Tel: +44 (0) 1904 567614
Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356
Dear Users
This afternoon (YNiC open plan from 4.30 pm) there will be a talk on the
"Art of atomic magnetometer" given by Witold Chalupczak from the
National Physical Laboratory.
http://www.npl.co.uk/people/witold-chalupczak
Abstract:In recent years, alkali-metal-vapour atomic magnetometers have
emerged asa promising non-cryogenic, low-cost alternative to
superconducting quantuminterference device detectors. I am going to
discuss basics conceptsbehind atomic magnetometer operation as well as
progress of magnetometerdevelopment at National Physical Laboratory.
Everyone is welcome to attend and refreshments will be provided afterwards.
Best wishes
Rebecca
--
************************************************************************
Dr. Rebecca E. Millman
Science Liaison Officer
York Neuroimaging Centre
The Biocentre
York Science Park
Heslington
YO10 5DG
Tel: +44 (0) 1904 567614
Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356
Dear all,
A reminder of today's Psycholinguistics Research Group meeting, at 12:30 in room PS B204.
Elise Lesage, from the University of Birmingham, will be presenting her talk entitled "Language and the cerebellum".
We look forward to seeing you there.
Best wishes,
Kirsten and Huarda
PRG calendar
PS: Apologies for cross-posting!
--
Huarda Valdés-Laribi
Early Stage Researcher / PhD Student
Room C104 - Department of Psychology
The University of York
York, YO10 5DD
Dear Users
This Thursday (YNiC open plan from 4.30 pm) there will be a talk on the
"Art of atomic magnetometer" given by Witold Chalupczak from the
National Physical Laboratory.
http://www.npl.co.uk/people/witold-chalupczak
Abstract:In recent years, alkali-metal-vapour atomic magnetometers have
emerged asa promising non-cryogenic, low-cost alternative to
superconducting quantuminterference device detectors. I am going to
discuss basics conceptsbehind atomic magnetometer operation as well as
progress of magnetometerdevelopment at National Physical Laboratory.
Everyone is welcome to attend and refreshments will be provided afterwards.
Best wishes
Rebecca
--
************************************************************************
Dr. Rebecca E. Millman
Science Liaison Officer
York Neuroimaging Centre
The Biocentre
York Science Park
Heslington
YO10 5DG
Tel: +44 (0) 1904 567614
Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356
Job Advert: Postdoctoral Position (Volition and Cognitive Control)
Within the University of Excellence Technische Universität Dresden, the Section of Systems Neuroscience is closely associated with the Department of Psychology and the Neuroimaging Centre, which offers excellent research collaborations and infrastructure, e.g. a 3 Tesla MRI scanner for full-time research, MRI-compatible EEG and eye tracking, and access to the PET centre at Dresden-Rossendorf.
Our international and multidisciplinary group conducts basic research in neuroscience at the interface to clinical applications. We investigate the function of neural systems that are involved in elementary cognitive processes such as emotion, motivation, learning, executive function, or decision making. In order to better understand neural mechanisms underlying mental disorders, we investigate how these processes contribute to the complex behavioural dysfunctions observed, for example, in addictive behaviour. Recently, the German Funding Agency DFG has approved a new collaborative research centre (CRC) titled “Volition and Cognitive Control: Mechanisms, Modulators, and Dysfunctions”.
Within this CRC, we invite applications for a project cluster on “Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Modulation of Meta-Control Parameters” as:
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f)
The Position is limited till 30.06.2016 and paid according to the TV-L salary scale.
The project aims to investigate the effects of neuromodulatory pathways on elementary cognitive processes such as reward processing, different facets of learning and decision making. For this purpose functional and molecular neuroimaging (MRI and PET), neuropharmacological interventions and genetics will be combined.
The successful candidate will be involved in implementing experimental protocols, processing of behavioural and MRI data (e.g. by using computational modelling) and improving methods in the field of pharmacological MRI and model-based fMRI analysis. Furthermore, the successful candidate is expected to undertake project management duties including supervision of PhD students, data management, and publication of the results. Moreover, the position offers the possibility for further scientific qualification (i.e., Habilitation).
Requirements:
• Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in any scientific field of study with a strong curriculum in cognitive neuroscience (i.e., psychology, neuroinformatics, medicine, mathematics)
• Substantial hands-on experience in the field of neuroimaging, including knowledge of common software packages (e.g. SPM or FSL, Freesurfer, Matlab, Python, Presentation, PsychToolbox)
• Expertise in computational modelling (e.g., Rescorla-Wagner, Hidden Markov, Bayesian inference methods) of imaging data
The ideal candidate would additionally be characterized by:
• Sharing our passion to push the limits in understanding the brain
• Keen interest in experimental approaches to study complex human behaviour
• Strong publication record
We offer you the possibility of:
• Working in an interdisciplinary team contributing to our understanding of the brain with the particular skills that you already have and will further develop
• Being part of the structured program of our CRC
• Arranging for flexible working hours to find a balance between work and family life
• Providing for the future in the form of a company pension plan
Women are explicitly invited to apply. Disabled persons will be preferred in case of equal qualification. Interested applicants should send their application to
systems.neuroscience(a)tu-dresden.de
Please submit a full CV, transcript of records, statement of research interest (max. 2 pages), and names and contact information for two or three referees. For more information about the position please contact: Dr. Michael Smolka, +49 351 46342201 or systems.neuroscience(a)tu-dresden.de.
Dear friends and colleagues,
I would appreciate it if you could distribute the following PhD
opportunity in human neuroimaging to your lists and to any talented STEM
students you happen to be entertaining in your labs.
Many thanks,
Anastasia
Dr Anastasia Christakou
Centre for Integrative Neuroscience & Neurodynamics
School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences
University of Reading
anastasia.christakou.org <http://anastasia.christakou.org>
*PhD Studentship in Human Neuroimaging*
http://www.reading.ac.uk/pcls-pgrabout.aspx
The School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences invites
applications for a 3-year EPSRC funded studentship to develop a platform
for the integration of dynamic magnetic resonance spectroscopic and
haemodynamic data in human brain imaging.
Leveraging recent progress and ongoing work on dynamic models of
neuronal activity and neurovascular coupling, the project aims to
integrate data from magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and blood
oxygen level-dependent functional MR imaging (BOLD fMRI). The project
will develop, test and compare a series of computational models designed
to simulate data that integrate structural, functional and neurochemical
magnetic resonance measurements. The acquisition of structural, BOLD and
spectroscopic data from cortical and subcortical structures will be
optimised. The effectiveness of the best performing models will be
tested in these different brain regions to examine whether the
relationship between structural markers, haemodynamics and
neurochemistry remains constant or changes systematically across neural
tissue. A number of key questions in our ongoing work will be
specifically addressed in this way, although the precise application of
the project methodology will be tightly coupled to the interests of the
student. The project will be at the forefront of efforts to
reverse-engineer the MR signal to its neural constituents, addressing a
significant methodological issue in modern neuroimaging applications.
The studentship will be hosted in a cross-disciplinary, multi-centre
environment under the primary direction of Dr Anastasia Christakou
(Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) and School
of Psychology and Clinical Sciences (PCLS), University of Reading). The
project will be undertaken in collaboration with Dr Ying Zheng
(University of Sheffield), Professor Tom Johnstone (University of
Reading), and a number of external partners. The student will be
affiliated to PCLS and based in the CINN at Reading. It is envisaged
that the successful candidate will visit collaborators in the UK as well
as internationally during the project.
The ideal applicant will possess a postgraduate qualification in
Mathematics, Engineering, Physical Sciences or other relevant background
with a strong mathematical component; applicants with an undergraduate
degree of 2.1 or above may also be considered. Excellent computer
programming is highly desirable, as is a keen interest in human
neuroimaging, dynamical systems theory, and methods development. The
mathematical modelling work will involve iterative methods such as the
expectation-maximisation algorithm. The developed mathematical models
will be solved using appropriate numerical packages (e.g. MATLAB). The
MR data acquisition development work will be undertaken in collaboration
with senior scientists in the CINN and external collaborators, and will
form a key aspect of the project.
For further details or for an informal conversation about the scope of
the project, please contact Dr Anastasia Christakou
(anastasia.christakou(a)reading.ac.uk
<mailto:anastasia.christakou@reading.ac.uk>). To apply for this
studentship please submit an application for a ‘PhD in Human
Neuroimaging’ to the University before 26^th July, 2013 – see
http://www.reading.ac.uk/Study/apply/pg-applicationform.aspx. It is
envisaged that interviews for short-listed candidates will be held on
Monday 12^th August.
UCSF (San Francisco, CA USA)'s Laboratory for Educational Neuroscience (brainLENS.org), under the direction of Fumiko Hoeft, is seeking to hire 1-2 postdoctoral fellows for a minimum commitment of two-years.
The lab focuses on (1) predicting academic / developmental outcome using brain imaging measures in combination with cognitive, behavioral, environmental and genetic measures in health and disease, (2) applying multi-modal, multivariate classification and network approaches to neuroimaging, behavioral and genetic data to understand developmental processes, motivation, creativity, learning and literacy, and conditions such as exceptional abilities, learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia) and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism), and (3) development of novel behavioral interventions to promote motivation& learning.
The ideal candidate will be "an easy-going, hard-working, great-thinker", and have strong methodological background in computational neuroscience, bioinformatics, imaging genetics, neuroimaging (fMRI, structural MRI, MEG or EEG) or related fields together with excellent programming, communication and writing skills. MDs, PhDs, or equivalent are encouraged to apply. In rare instances, individuals with a MSc will also be considered. The position can begin as early as July 1, 2013.
Interested candidates should email a cover letter and CV. Please add "[UCSF job]" and your full name in the Subject of the email. Qualified candidates will be asked to have 3 letters of reference forwarded.
CONTACT
Fumiko Hoeft MD PhD
URL: brainlens.org
EMAILl: fumiko.hoeft(a)ucsf.edu
TEL: +1-415-476-9861
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Singapore
National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore is looking for postdoctoral
fellow in the field of multimodal neuroimaging in dementia. This is a
collaborative project with Center for Cognitive Neuroscience,
Duke-National University Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore.
Our group, studies the vulnerability patterns underlying cognitive
impairment in neurodegenerative diseases. Multimodal neuroimaging and
psychophysical techniques are employed, including magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and
electroencephalography (EEG). We are interested in examining the
network-level structural and functional brain connectivity to shed light
on the neurobiological mechanism of disease, paving the way for early
detection and intervention.
Candidates must have a passionate enthusiasm for research, a strong
background in one of the following fields: cognitive neuroscience,
neuropsychiatric disorders, neuroimaging analyses,
mathematics/statistics/machine learning or related-fields. He/She should
also possess the ability to take the initiative, work independently and
be motivated to work in a highly collaborative and international
research environment, and be able to demonstrate creativity, technical
independence and excellent communication skills. Strong interest in
applications of multimodal neuroimaging in neuropsychiatric disorders is
preferred. Proven skills in fMRI/EEG/DTI data or neuropsychological data
analyses is a plus but not necessary.
Key attractions are access to a 3T Tim Trio MR scanner and a MR
compatible digital EEG system as well as collaboration opportunities
with an excellent network of domestic and international scientists and
clinicians. The position will be two years with possible extension.
Competitive package will be provided based on experience.
Interested applicants are welcome to email Asst Prof Nagaendran Kandiah
at_ _Nagaendran_Kandiah(a)nni.com.sg
<mailto:Nagaendran_Kandiah@nni.com.sg>_ _with application letter,
curriculum vitae, three references, and contact information.
The Brain Connectivity and Cognition Laboratory in the Department of
Psychology at the University of Miami invites applicants interested in a
postdoctoral position focusing on functional and structural neuroimaging
approaches to the study of attention and social cognition in
neurotypical adults, typically developing children, and atypical
development. Individuals with an interest in the neurobiology of autism
are particularly encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will have
completed a PhD in psychology, neuroscience, or a related field and have
a strong publication record that includes neuroimaging studies,
preferably with a focus on using fMRI and/or DTI to examine brain
connectivity in typical and atypical development. Candidates with
substantial prior experience with advanced data analytic techniques (eg.
multivariate pattern analysis) and programming in the Matlab environment
are welcome. The position will be available starting in January 2014,
but start date is negotiable.
Interested applicants can send their CV, three letters of reference, and a cover letter describing their research interests and career goals to Dr. Lucina Uddin (lucina(a)stanford.edu). Additional information can be found at (http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/luddin/).
