The Neurocomputation and Biological Vision Team (NeuroBiT) (http://wwwo.cvc.uab.es/neurobit) offer a PhD scholarship to work in a highly multidisciplinary project which includes computational modelling of primary visual cortex and psychophysical experimentation of colour perception and its relationship to visual migraines.

The Research will take place at the Computer Vision Centre (http://www.cvc.uab.es) of the Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, which is consistently ranked among the top Spanish Universities (https://www.uab.cat/web/about-the-uab/the-uab/the-uab-in-the-rankings-1345667138662.html). The centre is located in a campus outside the vibrant city of Barcelona and has a strong tradition of multidisciplinary research in computational colour vision with their own psychophysical laboratory, living labs facilities and several computer clusters. The candidate will be part of the NeuroComputation and Biological Vision Team (NeuroBiT), a recently-formed multidisciplinary research group which combines perceptual and computational approaches with visual neuroscience. We offer regular meetings with other PhD students, international contacts and the possibility of internship/cooperation with other experimental/theoretical labs. The successful candidate is likely to obtain several high-impact publications.

The student research topic will be one of the following (to talk about with the candidate): 1) The development of recurrent multilayer spiking networks to reproduce the biological architecture of the primary visual cortex and several of its physiological properties, aiming at reproducing the results of psychophysical studies in colour perception and clinical studies on migraines. 2) Use of STDP (Spike Time Dependent Plasticity) for the definition of biologically plausible deep learning computational architectures (i.e. SNN –Spiking Neural Networks-).

The duration of the position is 4 years (48 months). We expect the position to start on september/october 2020 (i.e. eventual visa issues should be solved beforehand!). The total annual stipend of the grant is around €15.000 gross, which include the cost of registration fees for the official doctorate program.

Conditions: The candidate must

• hold a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) qualification of at least 300 ECTS credits or a university-awarded Master degree or equivalent in the natural sciences/engineering at the time of signing the contract.
• have experience in programming with Python and/or Matlab (C, C++, Unix environment and computer cluster experience are also valued)
• have knowledge of / interest in the human visual system, visual perception and statistics
• proficiency in English and Spanish
• have excellent skills in analytical thinking, perceptiveness, commitment, self-organization, teamwork, and communication

Any previous experience in the subject of computational modelling will also be a bonus.

How to apply:

Please send your CV and a short statement (500 words) connecting your previous work with the topics of this grant to xotazu@cvc.uab.es and a copy of the official academic transcript (including GPA). We encourage candidates with strong skills in programming who are interested to work in a highly multidisciplinary project and environment (computer science, neuroscience, psychophysics), to apply. Candidates should have a degree in a related subject (Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, etc.).