Maria Geffen is professor of otorhinolaryngology, neuroscience and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She is an expert in the field of auditory neuroscience and is developing a research program to better understand the neuronal circuits for auditory perceptual differences associated with autism. She studies how the brain interprets information about the world and how our perception is shaped by our emotional state and experience. She combines computational and biological approaches to study the mechanisms behind dynamic auditory perception, memory and learning. Geffen has been directing the Laboratory for Auditory Coding at the University of Pennsylvania since 2010.
Geffen’s recent discoveries include: identifying a novel cell type that supports hearing of unexpected sounds; establishing the connection between emotional learning and sound perceptual acuity; and elucidating the neuronal code for representation of communication signals in the brain.
Her research accomplishments have been recognized with such awards as the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface, the Klingenstein Foundation Award in Neurosciences, the Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Award, the Auditory Neurophysiology Young Investigator Spotlight Award and the Kaufman Foundation New Initiative Grant. Her research is supported by multiple grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the BRAIN Initiative, as well as by private and international foundations.
Geffen serves as a permanent member on an NIH review panel and has served as the general chair and workshop director for multiple national and international meetings. She also currently serves as a co-director of the Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience and an organizer of the Electronic Auditory Research (E.A.R.S.) seminar series.
