Joseph Sisneros, Ph.D.
Professor
(206) 543-8893
Advising:
Not accepting new graduate students in 2025-2026.
Areas:
Neural Systems and Behavior
Interests: Neuroethology, Sensory Neurobiology, Animal Communication, and Animal Behavior
Links:
Research
Our lab studies the adaptive plasticity of sensory systems for the encoding of biologically relevant signals used during social and reproductive behaviors.
We use fish as model systems to investigate ontogenetic and steroid-dependent seasonal changes in the response properties and function of the auditory system.
We are also interested in sound source localization and how fishes detect and locate underwater sound sources in both relatively simple and complex acoustic environments.
Education
Florida Institute of Technology (1999)
- March 30, 2023 Loranzie Rogers and co-authors published in Journal of Neurophysiology
- August 11, 2021 Joseph Sisneros received a $25,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
- August 4, 2021 Loranzie Rogers and his thesis adviser, Joe Sisneros were selected by The Howard Hughes Medical Institute for the 2021 class of Gilliam adviser-student pairs.
- May 6, 2021 Congratulations to Joseph Sisneros, and his graduate student Sujay Balebail, who received a four-month, $5,000 award from Vulcan, Inc.
- April 24, 2020 Congratulations to Joe Sisneros, who has received a 5-year collaborative award from the National Science Foundation
- August 7, 2019 Joe Sisneros is cited in this PhysOrg article about dopamine in fish.
- July 20, 2018 Joe Sisneros’ fish studies featured on KUOW
- June 9, 2017 Congratulations to Joe Sisneros, who was among 19 UW Latina and Latino Faculty recognized by the Latino Center for Health.
- September 20, 2012 Joe Sisneros and Ashwin Bhandiwad took their recorders out to West Seattle, on labor day weekend, after there was some talk about a mystery hum being heard around parts of West Seattle at night.
- January 5, 2010 Ione Fine, Cheryl Kaiser, Scott Murray, and Joe Sisneros were approved by the College Council for promotion with tenure.
- July 26, 2004 Joe Sisneros had an article published in an issue of Science and news articles have appeared in the Seattle P.I., San Francisco Chronicle, NY Times, and University Week.
- July 15, 2004 When male fish hum females swim in, thanks to hormones, adaptable hearing
- Rogers LS, Coffin AB, and JA Sisneros. 2022. Reproductive state modulates utricular auditory sensitivity in a vocal fish. Journal of Neurophysiology 128: 1344-1354. doi:10.1152/jn.00315.2022
- Zeddies DG, Fay RR, and JA Sisneros. 2011. Sound Source Localization and Directional Hearing in Fishes. In Farrell, AP (ed.), Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology: From Genome to Environment, volume 1, pp. 298-303. San Diego: Academic Press.
- Zeddies DG, Fay RR, Alderks PW, Shaub KS, and JA Sisneros. 2010. Sound source localization by the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 127:3104-3113