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Dear AUDITORY list, One more competitively funded MRC Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship at The University of Manchester, UK, under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Couth, Prof. Chris Plack and Prof. Chris Armitage. The project aims to investigate noise-induced hearing loss and hearing conservation behaviours across the career span of musicians.
Application deadline 12th November 2021. Further details on the project and how to apply below. Best wishes, Sam Dr. Samuel Couth Lecturer Division of Human Communication, Development and Hearing B1.9 Ellen Wilkinson Building
The University of Manchester M13 9PL
To participate in HEARING RESEARCH, please join our volunteer database at:
http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/audiologyvolunteers/ Investigating
hearing health and hearing conservation behaviours across the career span of musicians Faculty
of Biology, Medicine and Health Dr
Samuel Couth, Prof C Plack, Prof
Chris Armitage Application Deadline: 12 November 2021
Details Hearing loss ranks third for disease burden in England and second globally for prevalence
of impairment [1]. Musicians are at high risk of hearing loss due to regular exposure to noise [2], which can impact on performance abilities, limit employment opportunities, and affect general wellbeing. Conventional measures of hearing loss (i.e. audiometry)
do not reliably predict common hearing problems, such as hearing in noisy environments. Therefore, some hearing deficits might go undetected and the extent of hearing problems in musicians may have been underestimated. In a recent investigation, we found that high levels of noise exposure were associated
with poorer function of sensory hair cells in the inner-ear and poorer transmission of auditory signals towards the brain in audiometrically “normal” early-career musicians (aged 18-26 years), yet speech-in-noise performance was not affected [3]. One possible
explanation is that the participants were relatively young, so the detrimental impact of noise damage on speech-in-noise perception may not become evident until later in life. Alternatively, enhanced auditory cognitive skills developed through musical training
could counteract the negative effects of noise damage on hearing abilities [4]. Despite the high risk of hearing damage, we found that only 42.5% of these early-career musicians regularly used hearing protection, which was attributed to the impact of earplugs
on music performance and a lack of concern about noise exposure [5]. Based on these findings, there is a unique opportunity to gain a richer understanding
of the effects of noise exposure on the auditory system, and to explore hearing conservation behaviours comprehensively at different stages of musicians’ careers. Using our expertise and world-class facilities, this project aims to address the following research
questions: 1. How does noise-induced hearing damage translate into real-world hearing problems,
especially those that are pertinent for musicians, such as tinnitus, musical competency, and speech-in-noise processing? 2. What are the mechanisms of noise-induced hearing problems across the career
span? 3. Can we detect early signs of sub-clinical hearing loss (e.g. hair cell damage),
potentially in children as young as 11 years old? 4. How do cognitive and auditory processing skills mitigate the effects of noise
damage on real-world hearing abilities? 5. What are the barriers and facilitators of hearing conservation behaviours
(e.g. earplug use) at different stages of musicians’ careers? This information could be used to develop tailored interventions to prevent hearing
loss and for rehabilitation of real-world hearing problems, and ultimately ensure hearing and career longevity. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/samuel.couth.html https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/chris.plack.html https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/chris.armitage.html https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/ https://www.manchesterbrc.nihr.ac.uk/our-research/hearing-health/ Entry Requirements Applicants must have obtained or be about to obtain a First or Upper Second class
UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science, engineering or technology. How to Apply To be considered for this project you MUST submit a formal online application form - full details on
how to apply can be found on the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) website www.manchester.ac.uk/mrcdtpstudentships Applicants interested in this project should make direct contact with the Primary
Supervisor to arrange to discuss the project further as soon as possible. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and
is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/equality-diversity-inclusion/ Funding Notes Funding will cover UK tuition fee and stipend only. The University of Manchester aims to support the
most outstanding applicants from outside the UK. We are able to offer a limited number of scholarships that will enable full studentships to be awarded to international applicants. These full studentships will only be awarded to exceptional quality candidates,
due to the competitive nature of this scheme References 1. NICE (2018) Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management. National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence. http://www.nice.org.uk. |