Natasha

What's a brief synopsis of your research project?

I’m researching individual differences in cochlear physiology and how these may relate to differences in auditory perception, particularly in the context of aural diversity. The method for my research project involves using and evaluating distortion-product otoacoustic emissions for this purpose, which are sounds recorded in the ear canal generated within the cochlea. These recordings are traditionally used for newborn hearing screenings, but I'm interested in understanding if they can be useful for understanding aspects of hearing diversity. Within this I'm additionally advocating for greater diversity of participants within hearing and audio research, to ensure that everyone impacted by the research we do has been part of and considered within the entire process.

Why did you choose to study at Surrey for your PhD?

I joined Surrey in 2019 to complete my undergraduate in Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister). When I started, I felt like I'd found a great group of students and staff and grew a lot throughout my undergraduate. 

Going into my final year, I felt supported and able to develop my own ideas and interest in the perception of sound. This then developed into a PhD idea and it felt like the best fit to stay and continue on that path and see where it leads me. 

Additionally, during my undergraduate I developed a passion for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and I have been able to help develop initiatives within our department and across the university then and since.

Why are you passionate about your area of research?

I've always found myself asking why why why to everything I'm told, and when I started studying music as a child, I began wondering about why we like music and how we experience it physically. This has led me into psychoacoustics and audiology as a framework for investigating this question. Additionally, I deeply care about diversity and inclusion, so when I discovered the research area of aural diversity it felt like the perfect combination. I hope my research can add to the growing evidence that "one-size-fits-all" is not acceptable, and we need to be ensuring that more people are represented and benefitting from the work within audio research.

Have you had opportunities to collaborate with others during your PhD?

Yes, I have been lucky to be able to meet and collaborate with other researchers within my group and at other universities. From the University of Southampton, I have been very grateful to receive guidance relating to audiology, and I was thankful to be included on a project with the University of York about gender representation within audio engineering research.

What support have you had?

I have a great supervisory team, who push me to do my best whilst also listening to my ideas and valuing my input. When dealing with health issues, they've been excellent support, alongside the Doctoral College, and the Disability and Neuroinclusion. Because of this support, I was able to return to my research with ease.

What do you plan to do once you've finished your PhD?

Alongside my PhD, I am now lecturing in acoustics, psychoacoustics, sound synthesis and computer systems, as well as supervising undergraduate research projects and leading workshops on inclusive research methods. I really enjoy this, and hope to continue teaching as well as supporting others in their careers. I would also like to continue conducting research understanding aural diversity as well as evaluating and improving EDI within the audio and music industries.