Research aims
Our research aims to:
i) take important discoveries from basic auditory (hearing) science and translate them into novel treatments and management strategies for patients, and
ii) understand the consequences of hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis so we can develop better ways for treatments to improve patients’ lives.
Scope of our research
Our research focuses within the fields of otology (studying the normal and diseased ear, diagnosis and treatment) neurotology (nerve-related ear disorders), rehabilitative audiology (evaluating treatments to improve hearing and manage tinnitus), epidemiology (population-based studies), auditory neuroimaging (imaging the brain in relation to hearing), and neural plasticity (how the brain changes).
Some of our research conducted by University staff is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre which is a partnership between University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals (NHS) Trust.
Our NIHR-funded research priorities are aimed towards clinical fields, including medical technologies and pharmaceutical interventions affecting hearing.
A number of our projects involve close collaboration with the MRC Institute of Hearing Research, the EENT department at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham Audiology Services and the Nottingham Auditory Implant Programme, which forms a pipeline from fundamental to clinical research.
Translational research: NIHR Nottingham Hearing BRU
The NIHR Nottingham BRC offers some of the best infrastructure in the UK for supporting early-phase translational research in the hearing sciences. In particular, its commitment is to pursue research through multi-disciplinary collaboration that can be translated into practical benefits for patients.
Our research encompasses six areas:
1. Mild-to-moderate hearing loss
2. Severe-to-profound hearing loss
3. Tinnitus and hyperacusis
4. Clinical hearing sciences
5. Objective measures
6. Outcome measures for clinical trials
Outcomes
Publications
Our research is published in leading peer-reviewed journals. Please see publication records under our individual staff profiles
NIHR award of a Biomedical Research Centre
The award of £23.6 million by the National Institute for Health Research for the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre will fund themes in hearing, digestive diseases, respiratory illness, musculoskeletal disease, mental health, all supported by a cross-cutting theme in magnetic resonance imaging.