Ronald R. Hoy

David and Dorothy Merksamer Professor of Biological Sciences and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor.. Researches neuroethology of auditory communication in insects. Discovered tympanal hearing organs in many insects, previously thought to be deaf; mechanisms of directional hearing; and ultrasound-triggered escape behavior in diverse nocturnal species. Work on hearing in flies is being translated into a miniature directionally sensitive membrane, via nanotech fabrication, that is revolutionizing hearing aid design. Recent work focused on the sensory ecology of spiders and revealing the diversity of sensory adaptations in spiders for predatory action by making neurophysiological recordings from the brain of spiders.  Spiders deploy sophisticated behavioral choice strategies that suggest proto-cognitional "skills."

Dedicated to neuroscience teaching in the laboratory--use of invertebrate models to replace traditional vertebrate and mammalian teaching models--and classroom, through "flipped" lecture pedagogy.   Awarded Neuroscience Educator of the Year (2004, Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs) and Lifetime Award for Contributions in Neuroscience Teaching (2006, Society for Neuroscience).