Melissa Caras

Melissa Caras is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, with an affiliation in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience and Biology from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington. Her postdoctoral training at New York University focused on auditory development and perceptual learning. Her research explores neural mechanisms of auditory learning and plasticity, employing techniques like electrophysiology, optogenetics, and telemetry.

Research interests include auditory neuroscience, perceptual learning, neuroplasticity, and cognitive neuroscience. Her work emphasizes top-down modulation of sensory processing and the impact of non-sensory factors on auditory learning. Recent studies investigate orbitofrontal-auditory pathways in gerbils and neural correlates of perceptual plasticity in auditory circuits.

Current students include Ying, Rose and Marissa, Renee. The CarasLab website (caraslab.org) highlights her lab’s focus on sensory plasticity mechanisms. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, but her research has contributed to understanding developmental hearing loss and neural variability in adolescents.