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Maria Geffen

@geffenlab.bsky.social
2.9K followers 628 following 112 posts

Brain scientist who studies how we hear and form memories of sounds 🧠 🧬🔬🧪; prof at Penn. Loves🧘‍♀️🚴‍♀️✈️🥐🧶📷⛷️🏔️. Mom to 👦👧👦🐈🐈. Lab: hosting.med.UPenn.edu/hearing

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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Our brain is constantly looking for patterns. When something unexpected happens, we notice it more in a predictable context, than in an unpredictable environment. Our study identifies how the auditory cortex amplifies responses to unexpected sounds in predictable contexts. doi.org/10.1523/jneu...
Two photon imagine was used to identify the neuronal circuit for amplify the responses to unexpected sounds in predictable contexts.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Wonderful end-of-the-year neuroscience training grants retreat. So proud of our own Omer Zeliger presenting on her research on hearing mechanisms in changing acoustic environments and @laurenkreeger.bsky.social presenting exciting new data. The keynote by Jess Cardin was inspiring.
Jess Carding finishing her talk.Omer Zeliger thanking Geffen lab members.Lauren Kreeger, Jess Cardin and Maria Geffen
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
This is what the future of computational neuroscience looks like.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Really enjoyed a fantastic lineup of talks at our annual Graduate Certificate in Computational Neuroscience Symposium. From studying monkey behavior to identifying biomarkers of food-related preoccupied thoughts to optimal color transformation in color blindness. Love the energy!
Maria Geffen and Josh Gold with students from Penn Certificate in Computational Neuroscience program.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Love this artwork!
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Loved sharing my thoughts about Hopfield’s seminal paper with @thetransmitter.bsky.social @franciscorr25.bsky.social . It’s so important to be reminded of the beauty and impact of free scientific investigation in these uncertain times.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
What a fun conversation @franciscorr25.bsky.social @thetransmitter.bsky.social
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Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
This changes everything! 😮👂🏼
AI nonsense published by Elsevier
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Really enjoying my visit to Seattle — today giving a lecture and meeting with the faculty and trainees at the department of Psychology, tomorrow joining the auditory training grant retreat, and visiting the @alleninstitute.org on Friday.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Join us for the next installment of EARS on Tuesday May 12 at 1 pm ET! Jennifer Bizley @bizleylab.bsky.social "Mapping sounds into space" Brice Bathellier @bathellierlab.bsky.social "A deep encoder for sensory restoration by neuromimetic cortical stimulation" pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/96672201477
pennmedicine.zoom.us
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Looking forward to the inaugural Lurie Autism Institute Symposium: www.lurieautisminstitute.org/2026-lurie-a... today.
lurieautisminstitute.org
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
PSA: don’t self-censor your grants. Don’t use the AI tools or word/phrase alternative sheets you see out there. Here’s why: 1) These tools are almost certainly wrong bc the list keeps changing. There’s no way they can be up to date, POs can’t even stay up to date. 🧵1/2
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Congratulations to the Geffen lab undergrads Margot and Kehinde who are graduating from Penn later this month! We had a little Cinco de Mayo party as their send-off.
Maria Margot and Kehinde holding crocket mallets.Margot playing crocket.Geffen lab having Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo.
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Amelia Eisch 🧪🧠👩‍🔬 🐁 @eisch.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
1/ New preprint! 🧪With @talmo.bsky.social and team, we used deep learning on archival NASA video of mice on the ISS. Turns out mice in microgravity become tiny acrobats: huddling to sleep, doing backflips, even briefly generating their own ~1g. #SpaceBiology #OpenScience #NASA #SLEAP
biorxiv.org
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The Daedalus Quartet came back for another magical lecture/experimental demo for our systems neuroscience students. This time, we focused on predictable and unexpected components in music. The musicians had lots of fun messing up Pachelbel Canon! @zabj.bsky.social @audreydrotos.bsky.social
Daedalus quartet with Maria Geffen, Audrey Drotos and Elizabeth Johnson doing demos in systems neuroscience class at Penn.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Tune it at 1 pm EDT to EARS early career panel! pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/96672201477
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Deadline to submit your abstract to E.A.R.S. Early Career session is fast approaching!
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
My NIH update Let me start by saying again how glad I am that NIH is now posting these curves on the Reporter front page. It is satisfying that leading by example from outside has led to this change and (I hope) reflects a commitment for NIH_leadership™ to hold itself accountable for this. 1/6
A graph from the from page of the NIH Reporter website showing the number of extramural awards award by month for fiscal years 2022-2026. The curve for fiscal year 2026 lies below the other curves.
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Mariko Bennett @nachoriko.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
I defended my PhD 10 years ago today. That was the least remarkable thing that happened that day. Sharing something I wrote about it last year. Since then "the horrors persist but so do we." And with dignity.
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Applications to present in the Early Career Session for the E.A.R.S. seminar series now open! www.med.upenn.edu/pennhearing/... The Early Career Seminar will feature four presentations, selected by the EARS organizing committee from submissions. Deadline: March 31: forms.gle/ScNp8exjEQ3A... .
forms.gle
EARS Early Career seminar application
Thanks for your interest in participating in the EARS early career seminar on April 14, 2026 at 1 PM ET. Please complete this form to apply by March 31, 2026. Presentations will be 10 minutes long wit...
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
New paper from the Geffen and @labhaas.bsky.social Laboratories just published! We find that the enigmatic thalamic reticular nucleus exerts bi-directional cell-specific control over sound processing. The super-thin sheet of inhibitory neurons is rather mighty and highly computationally relevant!
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 07/03/2026
Which is why we are rallying NATIONWIDE TODAY!!! Visit standupforscience.net/march7 to attend your local National Day of Action Rally or host a pop-up rally if there is no rally near you! LET'S GET OUT THERE!!! #March7 #standupforscience #science #savescience #rally
standupforscience.net
Stand Up for Science: March 7th, 2026 — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
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John Murray @jisaacmurray.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Coolest class demo ever. What were the results?
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Really enjoyed hosting the Daedalus Quartet for our systems neuroscience class and doing a mini experiment with them. We tested whether the musicians’ brains synchronized differently while playing music under different conditions (e.g. playing with metronome, while marching or just playing).
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The deadline to apply for the Brain Prize Cajal summer course in Computational Neuroscience has been extended to March 9! We’re excited for you to join us in sunny Lisbon! Please do not hesitate to send in an application and learn about computational neuroscience! @gjorjulijana.bsky.social
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Our protocol for a multi-laboratory adversarial collaboration to test multiple theories of consciousness is published! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... with @alleninstitute.org @fanispa.bsky.social
journals.plos.org
Protocol for testing global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness in non-human primates and mice
Identifying the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) is widely regarded as imperative to our understanding of consciousness. Although several scientific theories of consciousness make predictions ...
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
@zabj.bsky.social and I had a lot of fun testing whether our brains are synchronized. We’re practicing for my lecture next week on auditory neuroscience featuring the Daedalus Quartet.
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Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
In Cambridge in the 1970s, my dad, Colin Blakemore, worked and lectured on sensitive periods of sensory development. In my Cambridge undergrad lectures on this topic, I show a clip from one of his TV shows, which describes sensitive periods for sound categorisation, and features Prof Janet Werker:
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
A special year for the Cajal Course in Computational Neuroscience: the BRAIN Prize winners Haim Sompolinsky and Larry Abbott will join us as keynote speakers. And we will bring you the same great roster of instructors as every year. Applications are now open! cajal-training.org/on-site/comp...
cajal-training.org
The Brain Prize Course - Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience - CAJAL
[…]
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Question re new biosketch format on sciEnv: under the previous nih biosketch format, we could list 5 references under personal statement and then additional 4 references per contribution to science (up to 25 references total). It seems that now it’s down to 10 references total. Is that right?
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Jason Shepherd @jasonsynaptic.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
While I’m a big fan of new technologies that help us study human biology…there’s still no replacement for animal research! See my article in Gen News. www.genengnews.com/topics/trans...
genengnews.com
Why We Still Need Animal Research in a World of AI and Organoids
The portrayal of uncaring scientists without any thought for the animals being used in their research is far from the truth.
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Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 14/06/2025
#NIH colleagues fight for true #HHS leadership. Health has no political affiliation. Sign the #BethesdaDeclaration if you agree.
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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
NEW: Democracy is alive in Philly! Amazing scenes in Philadelphia as thousands hit the streets for the anti-Trump protest. #NoKings #50501Movement
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
A great deal of hope in these uncertain times for the autism community— Jeffrey Lurie and family announced a large gift to create the Penn-CHOP Lurie Autism Research Institute to support cross-disciplinary and collaborative research. Let’s go do it! www.inquirer.com/health/upenn...
inquirer.com
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and family donate $50 million to CHOP and Penn for autism institute
The purpose of the new Lurie Autism Institute is to expand research already being done at CHOP and Penn, form a global hub for research, and attract more scientists to the field.
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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 10/06/2025
Thank you @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social for standing up. We all appreciate you and your colleagues for your courage!
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Today, my NIH colleagues and I did something scary but really important. We spoke up about egregious harms we are seeing happen to research participants and public health through thoughtless and politicized policies at NIH. 🧵1/3 apnews.com/article/nih-...
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 09/06/2025
"We are speaking on behalf of hundreds of NIH staff who are standing up together to say: WE DISSENT. I am so scared about doing this but I am trying to be brave for my kids because it's only gonna get harder to speak up." Thank you to Dr. Jenna Norton and NIH scientists for your courage!
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
If you weren't angry enough already, here are the rates of non-competitive renewals through May. 4008 Non-competitive renewals were due to be funded in May. The total funded was 99! Some is due to terminations, but most is due to slow grant making due to DOGE review and other impediments. 1/2
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Sign on to support the NIH staff in their demand to restore funding and infrastructure for life-saving research!
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Audrey Drotos, PhD 🧠 🔬 @audreydrotos.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Also—I direct the science communication nonprofit @your.neighborhoodscientist.org ! Check us out at neighborhoodscientist.org 😊
neighborhoodscientist.org
Your Neighborhood Scientist
cultivating community-based conversations around science, science policy, and scientists
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Huge thanks to all my colleagues for your generous contributions! The Eagles Autism Challenge 5K was a blast! It was amazing to end the run at the stadium. And it’s not too late to donate to the foundation that does so much for autism research and accommodations through the link below!
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
So sad to hear this @hhmi.org program that supports talented young scientists is cancelled, especially after the application deadline. Audrey came up with a really exciting project and worked so hard on her application!
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Thanks for another fabulous EARS season. As we're preparing for next year's edition, we are soliciting feedback and suggestions. Please fill out this survey with your suggestions by 5/20/25: forms.gle/R64F9V3Wz7uf...
docs.google.com
E.A.R.S. feedback survey
From the E.A.R.S. Organizers: Thank you for attending the E.A.R.S. seminar series for the past year. We will take a break from the series for the summer (June-August). We are currently planning the se...
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Tune it at 1 pm ET today!
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Maria Geffen @geffenlab.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
EARS seminar tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13 1 pm ET: Maria Chait (the Ear Institute, UCL) @mariachait.bsky.social “Inferring Instantaneous Auditory Attention from Ocular Dynamics” pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/96672201477.
pennmedicine.zoom.us
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
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Emerson Harkin @efharkin.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Everybody has that one VIP friend who boosts you up by dragging all your other buddies down.
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Mert Erginkaya @merterginkaya.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Excited to share my PhD paper is out! We studied how motion vision is processed beyond the optic lobes to help flies walk straight. It has been a wonderful collaboration with @michaelreiser.bsky.social, @dddavi.bsky.social and many others not in bluesky! Paper + digest here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
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UW Neurobiology & Biophysics @uw-nbio.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Congratulations to Adrienne Fairhall, Prof. of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Adjunct Prof. of Applied Mathematics, and Adjunct Prof. of Physics, who has just been elected to the National Academy of Sciences! 🍾 🎉
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