![Page 2: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Background:• RUU and UvA (Theoretical Physics Msc and PhD)
• Univ. Pennsylvania and Brandeis (Computational Neuroscience)
Mark van Rossum, Informatics
Research interests:• plasticity and homoeostasis models• computation in networks• sensory coding and retinal processing
See poster
![Page 3: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Edinburgh University
Computational NeuroScience meeting
Summer 2006
•UK’s largest Informatics department (80 staff) Tradition: AI, Linguistics, and Neural nets
•Strong Neuroscience department
![Page 4: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
What is a Doctoral Training Centre?
• Students with quantitative background (CS, maths, physics) do PhD at the interface with the Life sciences
• 7 Doctoral Training Centres in the UK, (EPSRC/MRC funded)
• DTCs: Imaging, membrane biology, medical devices...
• Edinburgh: The only Neuroinformatics Centre
• 10 students/year/DTC (only UK students fully funded)
• Monitored by International External Board
![Page 5: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
International Context
• USA: Sloan-Swartz program
• USA: Human brain project
• USA: Obligatory data-sharing
• Germany: Comput. neuroscience initiative (“Das Denken verstehen”)
• UK: Novel Computation and Cognitive Systems initiative
![Page 6: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Areas of Neuroinformatics
Edinburgh's neuroinformaticsSoftware Systems, Computational Modelling, Neural Engineering
Software systems to help understand the brain
• Data amount is enormous and heterogeneous
• Concerns about animal expts. require data sharing
• Need tools to organize and share
• Need user-friendly tools to simulate
![Page 7: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Areas of Neuroinformatics
Edinburgh's neuroinformaticsSoftware Systems, Computational Modelling, Neural Engineering
Understanding the brain in computational terms• Models of Parkinson's disease• Development of the nervous system • Plasticity and learning• Cognitive processes and language• Applications: basic research, software, machine learning
![Page 8: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Areas of Neuroinformatics
Edinburgh's neuroinformaticsSoftware Systems, Computational Modelling, Neural Engineering
Devices linking neuroscience and engineering• Neuro-robotics• Traditional semi-conductors will reach capacity• Use brain-like engineering • Better interfaces between hardware and biological tissue: for experiments (silicon patch-clamp) and neuro-prosthesis
![Page 9: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Doctoral Training Centre: 1+3
• Provide neuroscience and neuroinformatics training so that students can apply their skills to neuroinformatics
• A view of many areas to ease choice of PhD project
• Prepares students for research practice
1 year training + 3 year PhD
1st year:
![Page 10: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
First Year Taught Training
1-3
4-6
Month
7-12
Neuroscience (existing Masters course)Each week different subject:Molecular, cellular, clinical, expt. methods, imaging, cognitiveRemedial teaching
Informatics courses (existing MSc courses)Neural networks, neural computation, databases, VLSISpecial interest courses
Summer projects in experimental labs1 x 20 weeks, or 2x 10 weeksPrepare for PhD choice, get hands-on experience
![Page 11: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Years 2-4: PhD Projects
Current PhD Projects:● Prior knowledge for inference ● Neurorobotics● Head direction cells and place cells in rats ● Modelling and ERP imaging of episodic memory ● Networks for hormone release● Attentional vision model for video● Diffusion tensor MRI● LTP and stability ● Protein networks
PhD Projects:● After 1st year students identify PhD project● Two supervisors (typically, Informatics + Biology)
![Page 12: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Keys to success
• Teaching shared with existing courses need few resources
• Specialized weeks for teaching the teaching is fun
• Supervisors compete for studentsstaff is involved
• Joint PhD supervision interdisciplinary research
• The program is large collaboration is necessity
![Page 13: Mark van Rossum Mark van Rossum mvanross@inf.ed.ac.uk Edinburgh](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081503/56649ead5503460f94bb401c/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Mark van Rossum www.anc.ed.ac.uk/neuroinformatics
Situation in the Netherlands
Good conditions:• Excellent computer science, physics, maths, and engineering• Excellent neuroscience• Good computation infrastructure
Keys to success:• Cross-department goodwill• Excite the students• Face international competition