Postdoctoral fellow (2018): Virtual acoustics for subjective tests campaign

This position is now closed. The information is still available since this is an active research topic for us. Please contact if interested as other related opportunities may exist.

Objective of the postdoctoral fellowship

Preparation, realization and valorization of tests with human subjects for the evaluation earplugs comfort. The tests are based on the virtual reproduction of sound environments thanks to a system of 96 loudspeakers. Contribute to the creation of a series of earplugs comfort indices by campaigns of subjective tests with a variety of commercial earplugs using virtual acoustic technologies. Possible extension of virtual acoustics to virtual mock-up for sound quality.

Context: This fellowship is part of a large-scale research project entitled "Development of a series of comfort indices for earplugs to improve the hearing protection of workers," carried out by a multidisciplinary team (École Technologie Supérieure [ETS], Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et sécurité au travail [IRSST], Université de Sherbrooke).

Issue: In Québec, hearing loss is by far the most registered occupational disease and the number of workers affected by it is increasing. The effectiveness of hearing protectors is often lower than expected because protectors are badly worn and/or insufficiently long. The cause is yet well known: the hearing protectors are uncomfortable.

Responsible researchers

Alain Berry: Professeur à l’Université de Sherbrooke, Alain dot Berry at USherbrooke dot ca

Philippe-Aubert Gauthier: Professeur à l’Université de Sherbrooke, Philippe-Aubert dot Gauthier at USherbrooke dot ca

Terms of the fellowship

Locations: The postdoctoral fellow will be registered at Université de Sherbrooke and remunerated by Université de Sherbrooke, where he or she will have a workspace (UdeS, 2500 boul. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1). Testing campaigns will take place at Groupe d’Acoustique de l’Université de Sherbrooke.

Dates: To be defined. The duration of the internship is 12 months, renewable for an additional 12 months.

Hours of work: Full-time

Salary: To be discussed, with MITACS grants.

Main duties and responsibilities

With the support of the research team, the candidate will conduct laboratory testing campaigns at the Groupe d’Acoustique de l’Université de Sherbrooke (GAUS). He will be responsible for recruiting participants. Tests include collecting data through questionnaires, and managing participant follow-up throughout the collection. He will also have to implement the reproduction of the targeted sound environments thanks to the GAUS "Wave Field Synthesis" system.

The candidate will also take care of the statistical analysis of the data collected during the tests. It will thus contribute to the development of subjective indices of comfort. He will conduct article reviews and contribute to the writing of deliverables, articles and presentations.

This postdoctoral project could also extend to the use of virtual acoustics for virtual models in sound quality with industrial applications.

Position Requirements

· Hold a PhD in acoustics, signal processing, psychoacoustics, audiology, cognitive psychology or other related field

· Have a good knowledge of research methodology for human subjects (or have an interest in developing this knowledge)

· Have excellent interpersonal skills and communication skills

· Have experience in collecting and analyzing quantitative data

· Have knowledge in the field of audiology, acoustics, or psychoacoustics

· Have ease with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Matlab (or MaxMSP, C++, Python)

· Fluency in French and English, both spoken and written

· Be autonomous, resourceful and enjoy working as part of a team in a research project

· Be punctual, persistent and meet deadlines