Listening in the Wild: Understanding Everyday Audio Exposure and Its Impact

About the Project

Billions of people use headphones, earbuds, and loudspeakers every day, yet we still know surprisingly little about how loud they really listen, how long they are exposed, and what this means for long-term hearing health. The World Health Organisation warns that over one billion young people are at risk of hearing damage due to unsafe listening practices, but most existing evidence is based on self-report or lab-based studies. These approaches cannot capture the full complexity of listening behaviour in daily life.

This PhD project will address that gap by creating the first multi-modal dataset of everyday listening practices. It will record listening levels, exposure times, and device use across both personal audio devices and loudspeakers, using objective and subjective measures. Traditional dosimetry and Head & Torso Simulator (HATS) recordings will be combined with novel methods such as in-ear microphones, device-side telemetry (volume settings, gain changes), and environmental spill monitoring to capture what both listeners and bystanders experience. These technical measures will be linked with self-reported comfort, fatigue, and tinnitus onset, providing perceptual ground truth.

The dataset will not only measure absolute sound pressure levels but will also reveal how listening behaviours shift across contexts such as commuting, leisure, work, driving, and home loudspeaker use. Longitudinal collection will allow the study of evolving habits, demographic variation, and device-specific profiles. By connecting technical measurements with perception and context, the project will generate a dataset of value for hearing health, accessibility design, consumer technology, and public health policy.

The student will play a leading role in designing and refining the capture framework, with freedom to choose emphasis according to their skills and interests. Possible approaches include:

• Sound exposure validation using dosimetry and HATS to establish reliable baselines.
• In-ear microphone capture to record personal exposure unobtrusively during daily life.
• Device telemetry integration to log real-world volume changes and usage behaviour.
• Loudspeaker exposure measurement to understand how room acoustics, device type, and distance affect listening behaviour.
• Bystander exposure mapping to assess how loudspeaker use impacts others in shared spaces such as households, offices, vehicles, and public environments.
• Contextual annotation linking exposure data to environment, activity, and user behaviour.
• Perceptual evaluation through surveys and diaries of comfort, fatigue, and tinnitus onset.
• Longitudinal data collection to track habits over weeks or months and assess change.

Expected outputs include raw exposure data, perceptual annotations, contextual metadata, and derived hearing risk metrics. Together, these will form a reference dataset for hearing science, accessibility design, consumer audio standards, and public health initiatives. The project aligns with global priorities in hearing loss prevention, dementia risk reduction, and equitable digital health.

Why this project?

This is a rare opportunity to create a dataset that could become the benchmark for future hearing research. The student will gain expertise in audio measurement, perceptual science, human–computer interaction, and data analysis. They will graduate with highly transferable skills for careers in academic research, health technology, or consumer audio innovation. Most importantly, they will be tackling a problem of global relevance: how billions of people can listen safely in a world that is always connected.

Academic qualifications

Have, or expect to achieve by the time of start of the studentship a first-class honours degree, or a distinction at master level, ideally in Audio Engineering / Sound Design, Human–Computer Interaction / Interaction Design, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Public Health / Epidemiology.

English language requirement

IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted.

Essential attributes:

• Fundamental knowledge of Auditory Perception, Digital Signal Processing, Hearing Science, Research Methods, Statistics and Data Analysis
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and manage a research programme
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Interest in hearing health and user behaviour
• Commitment to ethical and responsible research practice

Desirable attributes:

• Experience with audio measurement or dosimetry
• Background in perceptual psychology, audiology, or public health
• Experience in longitudinal study design and data management
• Programming skills for telemetry capture or data integration
• Creative approach to dataset design and annotation

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Completed application form
• CV
• 2 academic references, using the Postgraduate Educational Reference Form (download)
• Research project outline of 2 pages (list of references excluded). The outline may provide details about:
  1. Background and motivation of the project. The motivation, explaining the importance of the project, should be supported also by relevant literature. You can also discuss the applications you expect for the project results.
  2. Research questions or objectives.
  3. Methodology: types of data to be used, approach to data collection, and data analysis methods.
  4. List of references.
• Statement no longer than 1 page describing your motivations and fit with the project.
• Evidence of proficiency in English (if appropriate)

To be considered, the application must use the advertised title as project title.

For informal enquiries about this PhD project, please contact Dr McGregor - I.McGregor@napier.ac.uk