Jonathan Simon

Jonathan Simon is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), with affiliations in Biology, the Institute for Systems Research (ISR), and the Brain and Behavior Institute. He holds joint appointments in multiple departments, reflecting his interdisciplinary research in neuroscience and engineering. Simon earned his B.S. in Physics from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Physics from UC Santa Barbara, followed by postdoctoral work in theoretical relativity before transitioning to auditory neuroscience.

His research focuses on auditory neuroscience, particularly how the brain processes speech and complex sounds using non-invasive techniques like magnetoencephalography (MEG). Key interests include the 'cocktail party problem'—selective attention in noisy environments—and the neural mechanisms underlying speech comprehension. He co-directs the KIT-Maryland Magnetoencephalography Center and the Computational Sensorimotor Systems Laboratory (CSSL).

Simon’s work bridges computational neuroscience and engineering applications, such as improving hearing aids and cochlear implants. His recent studies investigate aging-related changes in auditory processing, neural plasticity from auditory-cognitive training, and post-stroke cognitive recovery. He has published extensively on cortical responses to speech, neural decoding of attention, and functional connectivity in aging and clinical populations.

His research has been featured in journals like *Neuron*, *Nature Communications*, and *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)*, and he collaborates internationally on projects funded by grants from NIH, NSF, and industry partners.