Benjamin D. Auerbach

Benjamin D. Auerbach is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds additional affiliations with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. His research focuses on neural mechanisms of sensory processing and plasticity, particularly in the auditory system, with emphasis on neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorders and hearing impairments such as hyperacusis. Auerbach uses rodent models and multidisciplinary techniques including electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavioral analysis to study experience-dependent plasticity and its disruption in disease.

He completed his Ph.D. at MIT and postdoctoral training at the University at Buffalo's Center for Hearing and Deafness. His awards include the NARSAD Young Investigator Award and Blavatnik Award Nominee recognition. His lab actively investigates auditory hypersensitivity in Fragile X Syndrome and the functional neuroanatomy of tinnitus/hyperacusis, aiming to translate findings into therapies.

Key research themes include: 1) Auditory perception and plasticity; 2) Mechanisms of sound processing deficits in ASD; 3) Central auditory gain control following hearing loss. Recent grants include NIH funding to study autism-related sensory hypersensitivity mechanisms.

Lab members include postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates. Notable collaborations span neuroscience, physiology, and bioengineering. Future directions emphasize developing transgenic rat models and optogenetic tools for studying circuit-level dysfunction in ASD.