Postdoctoral research position on Vision Science and Machine Learning, at Spanish National Research...

Title: Replacing the standard model of vision: possibilities for Vision Science, Image Processing and Machine Learning

Description

The responses of visual neurons, as well as visual perception phenomena in general, are highly nonlinear functions of the visual input, while vision models and artificial neural networks (ANN) are grounded on the notion of a linear receptive field (RF). The linear RF has a number of inherent problems: it changes with the input, it presupposes a set of basis functions for the visual system, and it conflicts with recent studies on dendritic computations.

In a recent article we have proposed to model the RF in a nonlinear manner, introducing the intrinsically nonlinear receptive field (INRF):

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-73113-0

The INRF model is more physiologically plausible and has a key property of wide-ranging implications: for several vision science phenomena where a linear RF must vary with the input in order to predict responses, the INRF can remain constant under different stimuli. We also proved that ANNs with INRF modules instead of linear filters have a remarkably improved performance and better emulate basic human perception.

The main goal of this position is to further develop the INRF model, performing interdisciplinary research in vision science, mathematics and machine learning, with applications to image processing, computer vision and the media industry.

The work will be supervised by Marcelo Bertalmío in the Instituto de Óptica, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in Madrid:

https://www.io.csic.es/marcelo-bertalmio/?lang=en

This is a full-time position associated with a recent grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science, with an annual salary of 30K€ and a contract duration of up to two years, and the estimated starting date is October 1st, 2022.

Hosting Institution

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public research organisation in Spain, the fourth-largest public research institution in the European Union and the sixth in the world. CSIC produces 20% of the national scientific output and remains the first institution in Spain in the generation of patents. As of June 2020, CSIC had obtained 744 projects in H2020, with a total EU financial contribution of 303M€, and is ranked as the first organisation in Spain and the 4th European participant by number of projects. Attached to the Ministry of Science and Innovation, with independent legal personality, the CSIC plays a key role in scientific and technological policy in Spain and around the world.

Requirements

Successful candidates must hold a PhD degree in Vision Science, Mathematics, Computer Science or a related discipline.

Application procedure

Send application letter, CV and contact information of 3 academic references to: [email protected]

before Friday July 15th, 2022, 11AM.