ISR appoints three new assistant research scientists

ISR welcomes three new assistant research scientists to the faculty, beginning July 1.

Sharba Bandyopadhyay will be working on auditory cortical organization and development. Bandyopadhyay is currently a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Shihab Shamma (ECE/ISR) and Assistant Professor Patrick Kanold (Biology/ISR). Bandyopadhyay has developed a neural model for auditory cortical development that replicates all observed developmental changes in the auditory cortex and plastic changes with perturbations in early acoustic environment. It is a first step towards understanding the development of auditory cortical organization.

Didier Depireux will be conducting research relevant to his U.S. Army award, "Targeting and Reducing Noise Trauma-Induced Tinnitus and Hearing Loss." Depireux previously was an assistant professor in anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is a former postdoctoral researcher of Professor Shihab Shamma.

Susanne Sterbing-D’Angelo is currently a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Cynthia Moss (Psychology/ISR). She will be conducting research into the behavior and physiology of spatial hearing, specifically the physiological and behavioral role of airflow-sensitive hair sensors on the bat wing membrane for flight control. Sterbing-D’Angelo studies the anatomy and distribution of the hairs and the central nervous system's processing of those and other tactile inputs from the wing. Her research has applications for biomimetic sensor technology for autonomous micro-air vehicles.

Published June 25, 2009