A professor of mechanical engineering, Cowan founded and directs Johns Hopkins University’s Locomotion in Mechanical and Biological Systems (LIMBS) Laboratory to further the study of neuromechanics, locomotion, control theory, system identification, and robotics. Cowan’s lab works across disciplinary boundaries with outstanding collaborators to make important basic discoveries about how the brain, often subconsciously, navigates our world and controls our bodies with precision and grace. LIMBS is part of JHU’s Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, for which Cowan served as deputy director from 2013 to 2018. Noah is also is a member of the Data Science and AI Institute. 

Cowan’s team is known for research using exotic creatures such as the electric knife fish, a unique animal that cuts through the water like a knife’s edge while using electricity to navigate its murky surroundings, hide from predators, and catch prey—much like bats use sonar in the dark. His team is applying its understanding of locomotion in animals to build new algorithms and robotic devices.