Cynthia F. Moss

Cynthia F. Moss is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), with joint appointments in Neuroscience and Mechanical Engineering. She directs the Comparative Neural Systems and Behavior Laboratory (Bat Lab), investigating neural mechanisms of sensory perception and spatial navigation in echolocating bats. Her work combines neurophysiology, behavioral ecology, and engineering to study how bats process auditory information for navigation, communication, and obstacle avoidance.

Dr. Moss earned a B.S. (summa cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. from Brown University. She held prior faculty positions at Harvard University and the University of Maryland, where she directed the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science graduate program. Her research has received prestigious awards including the Hartmann Award (2017), James McKeen Cattell Award (2018), and Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize (2019).

Her research focuses on sensory coding of natural stimuli, spatial perception, attention, and adaptive motor control. Key findings include discoveries about 3D auditory space representation in the midbrain, age-resistant hearing in bats, and the role of wing hairs in flight control. Her lab employs innovative techniques like wireless neural recording, two-photon imaging, and DREADDs-mediated inactivation to study neural circuits.

Dr. Moss collaborates across disciplines, bridging neurobiology, robotics, and sensory systems engineering. Her work informs biomimetic technologies for sonar navigation and adaptive control systems. She actively mentors students and postdocs in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, and School of Medicine at JHU.