Maria Neimark Geffen

Maria Neimark Geffen is a Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Neuroscience, and Neurology. She directs the Lab for Auditory Coding since 2010, focusing on how the brain encodes auditory information and how perception is shaped by experience and emotion. Her work combines two-photon imaging, optogenetics, electrophysiology, and behavioral experiments.

Dr. Geffen earned her A.B. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard, where she discovered a novel retinal circuit. After a postdoc at Rockefeller University, she joined UPenn, uncovering mechanisms like inhibitory neuron roles in sensory acuity and emotional learning links to auditory perception.

Her recent publications highlight computational models of auditory cortex circuits, inhibitory neuron subtypes in adaptation, and cross-modal integration, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach. Scientific awards include the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award and Klingenstein Fellowship.

• Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface
• Klingenstein Foundation Award in Neurosciences
• Human Frontiers Young Investigator Award
• Auditory Neurophysiology Spotlight Award
• Kaufman Foundation New Initiative Grant

Dr. Geffen mentors extensively, with trainees winning NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA and Brain Research Foundation Awards. Her lab collaborates across Computational Neuroscience Initiative, Hearing Sciences Center, and international institutions.