Research

About my research

I have always been fascinated with the intersection of music, sound, science, and engineering. This passion guided me to follow an academic career devoted to studying these disciplines in an interdisciplinary manner for researching voice disorders and voice production using tools from Biomedical Engineering, Acoustics, and Audio Signal Modeling and Processing.



Currently, I am working on validating clinically relevant data captured from a tiny accelerometer situated over the neck skin to obtain approximations of the glottal airflow for objectively assessing vocal function. I also work in music technology and audio/acoustic research, developing applications for audio production, audio transducers, loudspeaker enclosures, and room acoustics applications.


Ongoing Research Projects

Project name: "Advancing ambulatory voice monitoring using acoustics and neck skin acceleration signals to objectively assess vocal hyperfunction for clinical applications."

Awarded to : Víctor M. Espinoza, Ph.D.

Role: Principal Investigator (PI)

Grant: Fondo Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (FONDECYT). 

Grant number = FONDECYT 1241142

Funding source: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID)¹

Award = US$ 225K

Begin/End = 2024-2027

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 ¹ANID is a Chilean government agency affiliated to Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación, Chile.

Finished Research Projects

Project name: "Glottal Aerodynamics Estimated From Inverse Filtered Neck-surface Vibration In Subjects With Phonotraumatic And Nonphonotraumatic Vocal Hyperfunction."

Awarded to : Víctor M. Espinoza, Ph.D.

Role: Principal Investigator (PI)

Grant: Fondo Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (FONDECYT).

Grant number = FONDECYT 11200665

Funding source: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID)

Award = US$ 115K

Begin/End = 2021-2023

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 ¹ANID is a Chilean government agency affiliated to Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación, Chile.

Project name: "Advanced Signal Processing, Machine Learning and Modeling on Voice-related Problems."

Awarded to : Matías Zañartu (Ph.D.).

Role: Víctor M. Espinoza (Ph.D.), Co-Investigator

Grant: PROGRAMAS REGIONALES STIC-AMSUD, MATH-AMSUD Y CLIMAT-AMSUD, AÑO 2020.

Grant number = STIC2020015

Funding source: Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID)

Award = €$ 2460

Begin/End = 2022

Project name: "Clinical Research Center for Improved Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Vocal Hyperfunction."

Awarded to: Robert E. Hillman, Ph.D., (Harvard University)

Role : Víctor M. Espinoza, Site Research Fellow (PI: Matías Zañartu, UTFSM)

Research Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH) – National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Award = US$ 11.6MM

Begin/End = 2017-2022

URL: NIH P50 Center website

Project name: "International Internship abroad for Doctoral Students in Thesis."

Awarded to: Víctor M. Espinoza, Ph.D.(c)

Program: Internships abroad for doctoral students in thesis. Project number: CD FSM1204

Institution: MECESUP Program (Minister of Education, Chile) through Vice-rectoria Académica, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaiso, Chile.

Internship place: The Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation (Voice Center), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. (A Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST) partner)

Supervisor: Robert E. Hillman, Ph.D. (Harvard University)

Award = US$ 6000

Begin/End = 2015-2015

Project name: "Classifying hyperfunctional behavior from oral airflow and neck surface acceleration signals using in-lab recordings."

Awarded to: Víctor M. Espinoza

Grant: Initiation Program in Scientific Research, Dirección General de Investigación y Postgrado (DGIP), Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaiso, Chile.

Award = US$ 3000

Begin/End = 2014-2015

Project name: "Scholarship for Doctoral Students USM."

Awarded to: Víctor M. Espinoza

Grant: Beca Dirección General de Investigación y POstgrado, DGIP, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaiso, Chile

Award = US$ 3000

Begin/End = 2016-2016

Project name: "Scholarship for Doctoral Studies in Chile."

Awarded to: Víctor M. Espinoza

Grant: Programa de Desarrollo de Capital Humano Avanzado. Beca CONICYT de Doctorado en Chile. Santiago, Chile.

Award = US$ 100k

Begin/End = 2012-2015