Richard Daniel Mooney

Richard Daniel Mooney is the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor for Research in Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine, where he also serves as Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the T32 Neurobiology Training Program. He is a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. Dr. Mooney received his B.S. from Yale University in 1981 and his Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology in 1991.

Dr. Mooney's research focuses on the neural mechanisms by which experience guides learning, behavior, and perception. His laboratory explores the structure and function of sensorimotor circuits important to learned vocal communication in songbirds and auditory-motor integration in mice. His group has developed extensive technical expertise including in vivo multiphoton neuronal imaging, chronic recording of neural activity in freely behaving animals, intracellular recordings, and manipulation of neuronal activity using electrical, chemical and optogenetic methods.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on vocal learning circuits, auditory-motor integration, and neuromodulatory control of vocal behavior. His work spans from cellular and synaptic mechanisms to systems-level neural dynamics, with particular emphasis on how neural circuits encode, produce, and refine vocal communication. His research bridges basic neuroscience with potential applications for understanding human speech disorders.

Major Awards:

• National Academy of Sciences Member (2024)
• American Academy of Arts & Sciences Member (2020)
• Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (1997)
• Advanced Mini-Microscope Award (2014)

Dr. Mooney has mentored numerous students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to successful careers in neuroscience. His laboratory receives substantial funding from multiple NIH grants, including the Neurobiology Training Program which he directs. His team works at the cutting edge of neural circuit analysis, developing innovative approaches to understand how complex behaviors like vocal learning are encoded in brain circuits.