We are delighted to award four PhD studentships and two fellowships to researchers across the UK, supporting the future of hearing research.
Our PhD Studentship Scheme trains the next generation of hearing researchers, while our Fellowship Scheme supports rising stars on their journey to becoming independent hearing scientists. Read about their projects below.
Developing treatments for chronic eardrum perforations
Around three in 10 children experience eardrum perforations caused by middle-ear inflammation. Sometimes these perforations don’t heal naturally, leading to pain, tinnitus, infections, and hearing loss. Current treatment requires surgery, so simpler, less invasive options are urgently needed.
Karishma Panchani, a PhD student in Professor Abigail Tucker’s lab at King’s College London, is investigating how the eardrum heals and the role of stem cells in repair. This project is co-funded with the Masonic Charitable Foundation.
The RNID studentship gives me the chance to pursue meaningful, translational research that could directly improve people’s lives. I hope my research will reveal how eardrum stem cells behave during injury and infection and identify ways to stimulate them in chronic cases where healing fails.”
Read more about Karishma’s project.
Understanding the role of auditory nerve cells in different types of hearing loss
Kelly Lo, working in Dr Marcela Lipovsek’s lab at University College London, is studying what happens to auditory nerve cells, which carry sound information from the ear to the brain, in different types of hearing loss. Her goal is to identify new genes or biological processes that could be targeted by future treatments.
The RNID studentship is a great honour and a source of encouragement. It allows me to pursue high-quality and impactful research that directly addresses the challenges faced by people with hearing loss.”
Exploring the long-term effects of noise exposure
Dr Samuel Webb, at the University of Sheffield, is investigating how noise damage early in life might accelerate age-related hearing loss. His research focuses on the medial olivocochlear (MOC) system – the ear’s “volume control” – which may be particularly vulnerable to noise damage. This project is co-funded with the Vivensa Foundation.
I hope that my research will help explain why people exposed to loud noise, whether through their environment or lifestyle, are more likely to experience a faster progression of age-related hearing loss. By identifying these early risk factors, I aim to lay the foundation for new strategies that can preserve hearing over time and ultimately improve the quality of life for those affected.”
Improving speech understanding in noisy environments
Bindiya Patel, in Dr Emma Holmes’ lab at University College London, is testing whether auditory training can help people with age-related hearing loss understand speech in noisy places. Her work could lead to new training protocols that improve communication and reduce social isolation.
Our research is focused on developing an auditory training programme to reflect the complexity of real-world listening, particularly noisy environments, which remains one of the most frustrating challenges for many people with hearing loss. We hope to reduce the wider impacts of age-related hearing loss, including social withdrawal and reduced wellbeing, and help people stay connected, independent, and engaged in the world around them.”
Developing new hearing tests for better hearing aid fitting
A major problem in adjusting the settings of a hearing aid to a person’s hearing loss is the lack of good hearing tests when it comes to loud sounds. When matching loudness for two different sounds a person will usually give different answers on different testing occasions.
Emma Foottit, working with Dr Josef Schlittenlacher at University College London, is exploring whether reaction time can be used as an objective measure of loudness perception. This could lead to more accurate hearing aid settings and better outcomes for users.
My research aims to improve hearing tests, to make them more objective, and thus enable more personalised and precise treatments. The RNID studentship will give me the opportunity to learn from and engage with leading researchers in the field.”
Improving cochlear implant performance
Current cochlear implant technology works well for some users, while others struggle to follow conversations, especially in noisy environments with background conversations or street noise.
Dr Charlotte Garcia at the University of Cambridge is studying how cochlear implant users perceive the pitch of sounds. Her goal is to develop personalised cochlear implant settings, that improve speech and music perception.
To me, RNID funding means that I finally have the means and the platform to pursue questions about how to improve pitch perception in cochlear implant users. This is a key step toward my ultimate research goal: to develop ways in which we can provide the clearest auditory cues to cochlear implant users that are key for perceiving not just speech, but also for more complex sounds such as music.”
