Hearing Sciences

Hearing Sciences, Scottish Section 

Hearing Sciences – Scottish Section is a thriving research group dedicated to understanding and alleviating hearing difficulties, based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The section’s research programme includes a broad portfolio of projects seeking to (a) understand real-life auditory behaviour, (b) improve methods of assessing hearing loss and intervention benefit, and (c) propose innovative solutions for hearing problems. We study these questions using a variety of different techniques, from qualitative interviews to neural recordings (EEG). Our special strength is in linking hearing loss to behaviours in real-life situations, especially where verbal communication is challenging. As an outpost of the University of Nottingham, we collaborate with the Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre – Hearing Theme, and as a research group located in Glasgow, we also have strong links with the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian University, Strathclyde University and NHS Scotland. 

Our Research

Our team is made up of around a dozen people including senior researchers, postdoctorate fellows, PhD students, and support and operations staff. Our research leads are Dr Lauren V. HadleyProf. Graham Naylor (Section director) and Dr William Whitmer.

We regularly work with industry partners from major hearing aid manufacturers such as Oticon, WS Audiology, and Sonova. In addition to our local academic collaborators (e.g., the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh ), we also collaborate with institutions well beyond our doorstep (e.g., UCLDanish Technical UniversityCarl von Ossietzky Universität OldenburgNational Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (US)). 

We have a core MRC-funded research programme, Understanding and alleviating hearing disability: the contribution of natural behaviours. Other projects hosted at Hearing Sciences – Scottish Section include:

 
Large soundproof booth and ring of loudspeakers

One of our testing rooms

 

Our Facilities

Our state-of-the-art facilities include two large chambers with high-fidelity loudspeaker arrays, allowing recreation of a multitude of auditory environments, as well as motion-tracking systems to measure body movement, eye-tracking systems to measure gaze and pupil responses, and electroencephalography systems to measure neural activity. We have a long history of expertise in auditory psychophysics and in self-report outcome measures, recently supplemented with expertise in smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) methodology.

Get Involved

Would you like to take part in our research? We are recruiting people of all hearing abilities to take part in some of our future online studies and surveys. Please get in touch with us at hs-glasgow@nottingham.ac.uk.
 

Contact Us

Level 3, New Lister Building​
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
16 Alexandra Parade
Glasgow​
United Kingdom​
G31 2ER​ 

(0141) 242 9665 – Reception​

hs-glasgow@nottingham.ac.uk

Glasgow Royal Infirmary Building on Alexandra Parade
New Lister Building
 
 

 

Hearing Sciences

Mental Health & Clinical Neuroscience
School of Medicine
University of Nottingham
Medical School, QMC
Nottingham, NG7 2UH


telephone: University Park +44 (0) 115 74 86900
Ropewalk House +44 (0) 115 82 32600
Glasgow +44 (0) 141 242 9665
email: hearing-research@nottingham.ac.uk