Chair will build world-leading team
March 2007The Audiology and Deafness Research Group within the School of Psychological Sciences has received funding for a new Chair, in Amplification and Rehabilitative Audiology.
The world-leading Swiss hearing instruments company Phonak, which already funds projects within the group, will provide £250,000 over an initial period of three years to support the development of a world-class research team.
“World Health Organisation figures show that adult hearing loss is the world’s biggest disability, in terms of both numbers and impact, and the problem will only grow as the population gets older,” group leader Professor John Bamford said.
“There have been huge advances in digital technologies to address the problem and large numbers of hearing instruments are in use worldwide, but this is the first time academics and industry have come together to develop a specialist research capacity. We are most grateful for Phonak’s support in our endeavors to build a world-leading team.”
The Chair, who will be either an established leader in the field or an outstanding earlier-career researcher, will be appointed in late spring, and will build up a team which will draw on existing strengths within both the group and the wider School.
Phonak will also fund individual research projects alongside additional funding sources, and the team’s development is expected to facilitate cross-Faculty R&D with colleagues in Engineering and Physical Sciences.
