SOTON-ISVR
The University of Southampton is the leading university in the UK for research in engineering, having approximately 22,000 students overall. ISVR is the world’s leading centre for research into noise and vibration phenomena. Its Hearing and Balance Centre with approximately 50 staff (75% female) combines fundamental and applied research on hearing with audiological teaching and patient services, including the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre. It links closely with the Signal Processing and Control Group to pursue interdisciplinary research at the interface between engineering and medicine. Patients treated at the Centre participate in ongoing research, including evaluation of novel processing strategies for hearing aids and cochlear implants. ISVR was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2005 for improving quality of life for profoundly deaf people.
Southampton is situated on the South coast of England and is famous at the port from which the Titanic sailed on its ill-fated initial voyage. As well as being a large passenger and container port, the nearby Solent is a world renowned area for sailing and water sports. Close to Southampton there is also the large unspoilt New Forest, where you can see wild horses and deer roaming. The University is mainly situated on a pleasant suburban campus near the outskirts of the city.
Relevant research in the Hearing and Balance Centre involves studies of hearing impairment, hearing aid benefit and cochlear implants. Funding sources include UK research councils, EU, government organisations, hearing aid companies, cochlear implant companies and charities. Examples of research areas include: development and evaluation of signal processing algorithms for hearing aids and cochlear implants; evaluation of hearing aids; methodology for assessing capabilities of the auditory system, including speech recognition; evaluation of quality of life for hearing impaired people; characterisation of effects of sensorineural hearing loss; benefits of cochlear implants for children and adults; screening to identify people with hearing impairment.
| Meet ISVR researcher Prof. Mark Lutman. |
