PostDoc postion on predictive coding in mice and silico

Applications are invited for an open position for a PostDoc researcher at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI, http://www.ini.uzh.ch/), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. The researcher will be involved in a multi-disciplinary research project that aims to (1) model the principles of prediction-error computation in neural circuits, and (2) validate the models developed with closed loop animal experiments that involve the use of neuromorphic vision sensors and processors. The project has a challenging goal: to develop a radically new set of bio-physically realistic error-coding neural circuits as well as the methodology for implementing them on distributed, neuromorphic VLSI systems with spike-based learning capabilities.

The researcher is therefore expect to have experience in at least one of these interdisciplinary areas:

1. Neuroscience and/or VLSI basic device physics.
2. Spike-based computing paradigms: theory and modeling.
3. Neuromorphic VLSI implementation.
4. Asynchronous multi-chip communication systems.
5. Learning and state-dependent computation in neural circuits.

The project is a multi-team project that involves a tight collaboration with experts in computational neuroscience models and in experimental neuroscience. The model design and animal experiments setups will be developed by the project team partners. The applicant is expected to validate the models with hardware friendly software simulations and contribute to the development of the closed-loop experiments setup, which will involve the use of the Dynamic Vision Sensor. The project will start in September 2018, last between 2 and 4 years, and be conducted at INI together with a PhD student. The Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI) offers a highly interdisciplinary, lively, open-minded, and friendly environment to learn and conduct research. Research topics at the Institute of Neuroinformatics span a variety of domains, including experimental and computational neuroscience, machine learning, deep-neural networks, robotics, and neuromorphic hardware. PhD and Postdoc salaries are based on the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation.