UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELDANDUNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXAdvertisementSheffield Refs: UOS005250, UOS005253Sussex Ref: 816Three postdoctoral positions are available at the Universities ofSheffield (two posts) and Sussex (one post) as part of the EPSRC funded,Green Brain project. This exciting new project will developcomputational neuroscience models of learning and decision-making in thehoneybee brain, and controllers based on these to run on an NVIDIA GPUsupercomputer controlling a flying robot in real time. Invertebrateneuroscientists are continuing to demonstrate that despite their smallsized brains, insects, such as honeybees, have comparable cognitivesophistication to those of larger-brained animals, includingvertebrates. Honeybees, in particular, have been demonstrated to be ableto manage speed-accuracy trade-offs in decision-making, exhibit positiveand negative-reinforcement learning, and transfer concepts such as'sameness' and 'difference' across sensory modalities. This project isintended to advance our understanding of the invertebrate brain bycomputational neuroscience modelling, with the ultimate long-term goalof achieving a complete brain model of an animal such as the honeybee.To achieve this goal, modern GPU super-computing will be used to builddetailed models of brain function that can run in real time and caninterface with a flying robot to study its behaviour in an embodiedcontext. The work will be carried out in close collaboration withhoneybee experts in Toulouse. It is expected that the long-term goal ofa full brain model will not only represent a significant basic researchachievement, but also lead to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence,control of autonomous agents and computational insights into cognitivemechanisms in higher animalsThe postdoctoral positions of the research associates on this projectare as follows:1. Computational neuroscientist (Sussex): Your primary responsibilitieswill be to further develop models of the honeybee olfactory system andlearning pathways, develop GPU modelling tools, and integrate your workwith the other research associates.2. Computational neuroscientist (Sheffield): Your primaryresponsibilities will be to model the honeybee optic tubercle and visuallearning pathways, to investigate multi-modal integration and learning,and to integrate your work with the other research associates3. Roboticist (Sheffield): Your primary responsibility will be todevelop and maintain the GPU-supercomputer-controlled flying robot, andintegrate the work of the other research associates into the platformSuccessful candidates must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in aquantitative science discipline. All posts require a keen interest incomputational neuroscience and the basis of learning and behaviour inanimals. We are looking for candidates with a strong mathematical,computational and computational neuroscience background (posts 1 and 2)and keen interest in robotics (post 3). Knowledge of the insectolfactory system (post 1), visual system (post 2) and roboticcontrollers (post 3) is desirable, but is not a requirement. Allpositions require good programming skills and experience with GPUcomputing would be a big plus. The positions will involve travel betweenSheffield and Sussex and occasionally to the collaborating experimentalbee researchers in Toulouse.For informal inquiries about the positions, please contact Dr. JamesMarshall, James.Marshall@shef.ac.uk or Dr. Thomas Nowotny,t.nowotny@sussex.ac.uk.Candidates interested in applying for the University of Sussex jobplease apply through www.sussex.ac.uk/jobs. Candidates interested in theposts at University of Sheffield please apply throughhttp://www.shef.ac.uk/jobs. If candidates are interested in severalposts please apply on both sites.Please provide a CV with publication list, a brief (1 page) statement ofwhy you are interested in the position and about your future careerplans with your application form.Salary range: starting at 30,122