EUEmory University · Biology
Auditory Perception Lab
Robert C Liu · Atlanta, Georgia
Research Focus
Dr. Robert Liu's research focuses on understanding how the brain processes sounds that carry social meanings, like those used in communication among animals and humans. His lab examines learning mechanisms in the auditory cortex of mice, particularly how they learn to recognize and respond to new sounds in noisy environments. This research is not only important for basic science but also has implications for helping to understand auditory processing disorders and communication challenges in humans.
auditory processingcommunication soundsneural plasticityanimal modelslearning mechanismselectrophysiologysocial interactionsound discriminationbehavioral neuroscienceacoustic communication
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the impact of learning a new communicative sound on its detectability in complex soundscapes.
AIM 02Explore how the auditory cortex changes during learning to differentiate or group new sounds.
AIM 03Examine the role of specific neuronal circuits in recognizing new communication sounds within complex auditory environments.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologyoptogeneticsmouse modelsoperant conditioningbehavioral testingcell cultureneural circuitry analysissignal processingdata analysis using Pythonsoundscape simulation
Output against the department
Publications61bottom 16% of dept.869th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.3kbottom 16% of dept.866th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.