UTD - Callier AHRC Research Faculty

Click here for a list of UTD Callier AHRC Students

Dr. Phillip Loizou, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1995.

My research interests are in signal processing, spectral analysis, non-linear signal analysis, speech processing, and cochlear implants.

Dr. Ross Roeser, Professor Director, The Callier Center for Communication Disorders Ph.D., Florida State University, 1972.

As the Director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders, my role in the School of Human Development is primarily in administration. However, my previous and current research interests lie in the application of hearing instrument technology to improving communication skills. My past work has been in developing and evaluating tactile aids, cochlear implants, and hearing aids. In addition, I have been involved in defining and expanding the scope of practice of audiologists in the U.S.

Dr. Linda Thibodeau, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Minnesota 1986.

My primary research interest is the relationship between psychoacoustic processing and possible benefits from amplification circuits. Many new hearing aid designs are being introduced with limited research to support their effectiveness. It is possible that certain circuits are best for listeners with specific processing deficits. Based on measurements of the actual acoustic modification of the speech signal performed by the circuit, hypotheses regarding persons with processing deficits who may benefit from these circuits are tested.

My secondary research interest is the evaluation of auditory training approaches and assistive devices designed to enhance speech recognition. Electroacoustic measurements are made of devices used in auditory training to evaluate the nature of the signal with respect to safe intensity levels, stability across various coupling methods, and range of acoustic modifications imposed by the equipment. Studies are conducted in which auditory training methods are evaluated by including control groups which receive the same type of stimuli without the specific acoustic modification.

Dr. Emily Tobey, Nelle Johnston Chair Ph.D., City University of New York, 1981.

I am interested in how auditory feedback influences communication behaviors including speech perception, speech production, language development, and communication interactions. My current studies focus on how various types of sensory aids (i.e., hearing aids, tactile aids, and cochlear implants) influence the development and maintenance of speech and language in persons with profound hearing losses. At the moment, my investigations fall into three lines of research. The first series of studies investigates the speech production characteristics of individuals with unusual hearing losses or unusual settings of sensory aids. Examination of these individuals allows us to determine the consequence of damage to specific areas of the cochlea on speech production.

The second line of investigation focuses on the development of speech production in profoundly hearing impaired children using conventional hearing aids, tactile aids, or cochlear implants in a controlled educational setting. Investigating the development of speech in these children allow us to tease apart changes in speech production that are due to maturation versus feedback from different types of devices.

The third avenue of my research explores how rapidly auditory feedback influences speech production by experimentally changing information provided by a cochlear implant. These studies allow us to determine what specific features of speech should be coded by an implant to change speech production and how rapidly we might expect to observe changes.

Although my current research interests primarily deal with the inter-relationships of audition and speech production, I am a speech scientist by training. Thus, I am curious about all aspects of perception and production in man and other animals. I have conducted investigations of the communication behaviors of chickadees, pocket gophers, and rhinocherus hornbills, in addition to studies examining physiological and perceptual aspects associated with a variety of communication disorders.

Dr. Richard Wiggins, Visiting Professor, Ph.D.

My research is directed toward developing new speech processing technology for digital hearing aids and cochlear implants. Interested in new speech analysis algorithms that have the potential to deliver improved performance to users of the wide variety of new assistive hearing devices.

UT Southwestern Medical Center Research Faculty

Dr. Michael D.Devous, Sr
Dr. Peter S. Roland
Dr. Angela Shoup

UTD Clinical Faculty

Jennifer Basham
Jennifer Holcombe

UT Southwestern Clinical Faculty

Pam Kruger

Click here for a list of UTD Callier AHRC Students