Alan Archer-Boyd and Bob Carlyon, have been awarded a Pauline Ashley Fellowship from Action on Hearing Loss.

The aim of the scheme is to build research capacity in hearing research by supporting new investigators towards becoming independent scientists. Alan is a post-doctoral scientist at the CBU, and his sponsor is CBU deputy director Bob Carlyon. Pauline Ashley was a campaigner for disadvantaged people and the wife of the profoundly deaf MP and campaigner Jack Ashley.

The 12-month project (starting May 2017) will investigate the effect of cochlear-implant dynamic-range compression, reverberation and head movement on cochlear-implant users’ ability to segregate sound sources. It combines Alan Archer-Boyd’s previous research into the utilization of head movement in hearing-aid processing and virtual acoustics, with Bob Carlyon’s extensive research experience in the fields of cochlear-implants and a sound segregation. The research could lead to a significant improvement in cochlear-implant outcomes and advice for users, especially in acoustically challenging environments.