Biography

Ross joined the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience in 2016. He earned his PhD and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and his BS in Sound Engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Following his PhD, he completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Washington Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS). Among the awards and honors he has received are a grant from the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program of the National Science Foundation and the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institutes of Health. Ross has published his research in numerous scientific journals.

Research Overview

The human brain can focus on one sound source while tuning out the cacophony of daily life, effortlessly solving the so-called “cocktail party problem.” Solving this problem is remarkably complex: it involves precise neural coding of extremely fine acoustic information, integration of cues from the visual system, and two-way flow of information between a number of cortical and subcortical brain areas. The Maddox lab uses psychophysics (measuring behavior) and electroencephalography (measuring electric potentials on the scalp corresponding to brain activity) together in human subjects to investigate the processes that underpin selective attention and listening in general. Our research comprises an interplay of basic science, clinical/translational work, and development of new methods. With this approach, we hope to answer fundamental questions about how humans make sense of their noisy auditory world and how to improve diagnostic and assistive technologies.

Research Interests

• Auditory neuroscience
• Auditory brainstem response
• Audio-visual integration
• Selective attention
• Audiologic diagnosis