Understanding how animals sense, decide, and act through sound.

Dr Ravi Umadi

TUM School of Life Sciences
Technische Universität München

My doctoral research at the Technical University of Munich focused on echolocation dynamics in bats, particularly how they adapt their sonar system during active foraging and pursuit. I combined theoretical modelling, laboratory experiments with real-time virtual acoustic environments, and field studies to explore how bats modulate sound production, ear movements, and flight behaviour to optimise prey detection and capture.

A key part of my work has been developing new experimental and computational methods to study these processes, including ways to model and simulate acoustic interactions with dynamic morphology—such as moving ears or noseleaves—that shape auditory perception. This has allowed me to uncover new insights into emitter-receiver coordination and the sensory strategies bats use in complex environments.

Beyond my core work on bats, I am deeply interested in applying generative simulation and AI-based modelling to broader questions in sensory biology. I enjoy building projects that bridge biology, physics, and computation, and I am constantly driven by the challenge of understanding how living systems exploit physical laws to navigate and survive in the world.