The sentient hearing aid: engineering a symbiotic link between mind and machine

About the Project

Supervisory Team: Professor Stefan Bleeck and David Simpson

Millions struggle with "hidden hearing loss." Pilot data from our lab shows a disconnect between the brain's effort and listening success. This project will engineer a "sentient" hearing aid that reads the user's unique physiological signature of effort to intelligently adapt its sound processing in real-time.

Current hearing aids are deaf to the listener's internal struggle. This project will pioneer a 'sentient' hearing device that creates a symbiotic link between mind and machine. Building on our lab's pilot data on physiological "signatures" of listening effort, you will be the first to engineer a closed-loop, physiologically-guided speech enhancement system.

You will use cutting-edge generative adversarial networks (GANs) for speech enhancement and a full suite of physiological measures, such as electroencephalography (EEG) or pupillometry, to capture the rich nature of listening effort. Your research journey will involve:

• developing a model to track a user's unique effort signature in real-time
• engineering a novel control loop where this signature strategically modulates a real-time audio enhancement algorithm
• validating the complete system to prove it significantly reduces listening effort and improves user experience

You will join the world-leading Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR), where you will receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary training and finish your PhD with a rare skillset at the frontier of AI and hearing healthcare. You will be embedded within the Signal Processing Audio and Hearing Group, gaining hands-on expertise in:

• advanced machine learning: practical application and development of deep learning architectures, specifically GANs, for audio signal processing
• physiological signal processing: real-time acquisition and analysis of a suite of physiological signals, including EEG, pupillometry, galvanic skin response (GSR), and electrocardiography (ECG)
• psychophysical experimentation: design, implementation, and statistical analysis of complex human-participant experiments
• scientific programming: advanced programming in MATLAB and Python for data analysis, modelling, and real-time system control

You will also have access to the full range of postgraduate development courses offered by the University of Southampton's Doctoral College, covering academic writing, presentation skills, project management, and public engagement.

Entry Requirements

You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in one of the following:

• engineering
• computer science
• neuroscience

You must have excellent programming skills (Python/MATLAB/C++).

Closing date: 31 July 2026. Applications will be considered in the order that they are received, the position will be considered filled when a suitable candidate has been identified.

Funding: We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.

Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.

Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs for top-ranked applicants.

Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.

For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk)

You need to:

• choose programme type (Research), 2026/27, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• select Full time or Part time
• search for programme PhD Engineering & the Environment (7175)
• add name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application

Applications should include:

• your CV (resumé)
• 2 academic references
• degree transcripts and certificates to date
• English language qualification (if applicable)

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk