[AUDITORY] PhD student positions at the University of Illinois

Dear Auditory List,

The Department of Speech and Hearing Science (SHS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites prospective PhD trainees to apply for doctoral training in our program. Specific opportunities are available for doctoral training in the labs of Ian Mertes, AuD, PhD; Mary Flaherty, PhD; and Brian Monson, PhD. Descriptions for each opportunity are provided below.

The SHS department is home to an active research faculty, with investigators holding expertise spanning the field of human auditory research (https://ahs.illinois.edu/speech-%26-hearing-science/research). The curriculum and research training are catered to the interests of the individual trainee. Opportunities to train in other research labs may also be available. PhD students who are accepted into the program typically receive funding in the form of graduate assistantships or fellowships.

The Mertes Lab is seeking a talented PhD student who is enthusiastic about conducting research in the areas of hearing physiology and perception. Individuals with an interest in objective and behavioral measures of auditory function in adults with normal hearing and with sensorineural hearing loss are encouraged to apply. Current projects include determining contributions of the olivocochlear reflex and middle ear muscle reflex to speech-in-noise perception, optimizing otoacoustic-emissions-based measurements of the olivocochlear reflex, and examining the use of auditory evoked potentials to study the olivocochlear reflex. Please visit our website for more info: http://hrl.shs.illinois.edu/.

The Flaherty Lab is recruiting students who have an interest in exploring auditory development and complex speech perception in school-age children with hearing loss. Our primary research objectives include characterizing how age and listening experience influence the development of the perceptual skills required to understand speech in natural environments. The current research focuses on the ways familiarity with voices and environments can benefit children’s speech perception throughout childhood. The project includes testing the ways familiar and unfamiliar voice characteristics influence the recognition of speech in multitalker backgrounds. Understanding the maturation of these processes in children with developmental disorders is also of interest. Please visit our website for more info: http://childsrl.shs.illinois.edu/.

The Monson Lab is seeking talented individuals interested in human auditory neurodevelopment in typically developing and atypically developing populations. Our research in this area focuses on the effects of premature birth on auditory nervous system development. This project includes measuring the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) acoustic environment and assessing the effect of NICU auditory exposures (including language and noise exposure) on neurophysiological and communication outcomes for infants and children born preterm. This research involves collaboration with NICU physicians and staff as we work with NICU infants and their families. Please visit our website for more info: http://anexlab.shs.illinois.edu/.

Please forward this announcement to any individuals (undergraduates, AuD or MA-SLP students or professionals) interested in PhD training in speech and hearing science. The application deadline is Jan 5, 2020.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact their mentor of interest for further information:

Ian Mertes, AuD, PhD imertes@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Mary Flaherty, PhD maryflah@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Brian Monson, PhD monson@xxxxxxxxxxxx