Fwd: PhD studentships at ISVR - UK

[Daniel Rowan <dr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A colleague asked me to forward this on

Daniel

>>> Mark Lutman 03/09 12:00 pm >>>
Dear colleague

Please feel free to disseminate the following advertisements as you think fit. They are for two separate projects.

1. Development of tests of auditory communication and performance
2. Effects of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones on the auditory system

Both are funded partially from European Union (EU) projects, which allows the usual (EPSRC-based) rate for bursary to be supplemented by £2,000, giving a total of £14,000 per year, which should be attractive to potential applicants. They are open to UK, EU and international applicants.

Best wishes

PhD Studentship - Institute of Sound and Vibration Research

Development of tests of auditory communication and performance

The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research wishes to attract a high-quality student to study this topic under its Rayleigh Scholarship scheme. The project will develop and evaluate new speech recognition tests and tests of supra-threshold auditory performance in a European context. Methods will include word and sentence tests in noise for implementation over telephone and Internet. The studies will be associated with the EU project HEARCOM and travel to European partner institutions for scientific meetings will be involved. The methods developed will find application for self-diagnosis and screening for individuals who may benefit from a hearing aid.
The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research is a world leader in many aspects of noise and vibration phenomena. It has received the highest possible rating for its research excellence in the UK Research Assessment Exercise. The Rayleigh Scholarship scheme covers university fees for a period of 3 years and an additional maintenance award of £12,000 per year. Funding from HEARCOM enables this to be supplemented by a further £2,000 per year.
Interested applicants should make initial contact with Prof Mark Lutman (mel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tel +44 2380 592798). Closing date is 29 April 2005.


PhD Studentship - Institute of Sound and Vibration Research

Effects of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones on the auditory system

The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research wishes to attract a high-quality student to study this topic under its Rayleigh Scholarship scheme. The project will develop and evaluate sensitive methods for detecting any changes that occur in the auditory system following short-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation using the UTMS coding scheme employed in 3G mobile phones. Methods will be based primarily on otoacoustic emissions and auditory evoked potential measurements. The studies will be associated with the EU project EMFnEAR and travel to European partner institutions for scientific meetings will be involved. The methods developed will also find application for the detection of ototoxicity and incipient noise-induced hearing loss.
The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research is a world leader in many aspects of noise and vibration phenomena. It has received the highest possible rating for its research excellence in the UK Research Assessment Exercise. The Rayleigh Scholarship scheme covers university fees for a period of 3 years and an additional maintenance award of £12,000 per year. Funding from EMFnEAR enables this to be supplemented by a further £2,000 per year.
Interested applicants should make initial contact with Prof Mark Lutman (mel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tel +44 2380 592798). Closing date is 29 April 2005.

[More detailed versions]

Development of tests of auditory communication and performance

Society is becoming increasingly communication-orientated for work and leisure activities. Focus on sound and speech places substantial limitations on people who do not hear well, especially in difficult listening situations, such as the elderly, people with hearing impairments and second-language users. The EU integrated project "Hearing in the Communication Society" (HEARCOM)  aims to provide knowledge and tools to minimise the disadvantage experienced by such people. Part of HEARCOM entails the development of standardised testing and evaluation procedures across a range of European languages, for implementation in various formats including in clinics, via telephone and over the Internet.
The aim of the PhD project is to develop and evaluate new speech recognition tests in the English language within the European framework. The project will also include further tests of supra-threshold auditory performance, such as localisation. The overall purpose of these tests is to obtain a measure of the individual's auditory-impairment profile, which will be used to estimate the difficulty they will experience in a variety of listening situations, and how much they may benefit from various means of assistance such as provision of hearing aids. The work will include travel to European partner institutions for scientific meetings. The methods developed will also find application for self-diagnosis and screening for individuals who may benefit from a hearing aid.
The project will suit a student with interests in audiology or speech science, although other disciplines may contribute to the work. Applicants should have a good honours degree in a suitable subject with experience of research involving humans. For applicants with a UK degree, this should be a First or Upper Second.

Effects of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones on the auditory system

The phenomenal growth of mobile phone technology means that most people are exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in their daily life. This has raised widespread public concern over the potential health risks associated with EMF exposure in general and the modulated microwaves used for cellular telephone systems in particular. The proximity of the antenna of the mobile phone to the ear and the sensitivity of the ear to noxious agents suggest that the auditory system may be most at risk. Studies of the modulation pattern GSM used for second generation (digital) phones have not shown adverse effects on the auditory system to date, although the evidence base is limited. There have not yet been studies of the UTMS coding scheme used for third generation (3G) phones.
Detection of effects on the auditory system of short-term exposure to agents such as EMF requires extremely sensitive measures. They should be repeatable in the absence of exposure yet show measurable changes when there are only minor effects. The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate sensitive methods for detecting any changes that occur in the auditory system following short-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation using the UTMS coding scheme. Methods will be based primarily on otoacoustic emissions and auditory evoked potential measurements. The studies will be associated with the EU project EMFnEAR  and travel to European partner institutions for scientific meetings will be involved. The methods developed will also find application for the detection of ototoxicity and incipient noise-induced hearing loss. The work may link with other studies at ISVR aimed at detecting early effects of exposure to noise at work using similar methods.
The project will suit a student with interests in audiology or physiological measurement, although other disciplines may contribute to the work. Applicants should have a good honours degree in a suitable subject with experience of research involving humans. For applicants with a UK degree, this should be a First or Upper Second.



Prof Mark E Lutman
Institute of Sound and Vibration Research
University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
Tel 023 80592798
Fax 023 80593190