Deakin-Coventry Cotutelle - Detecting Mechanical Vibration Signals from Human Vocal Folds

This is a doctoral cotutelle project between Deakin University (Australia) and Coventry University (United Kingdom). The successful PhD Student will be awarded a scholarship from Coventry University with the supervision team being drawn from Deakin University and Coventry University. The PhD Student will graduate with two testamurs, one from Deakin University and one from Coventry University, each of which recognises that the program was carried out as part of a jointly supervised doctoral program. The program is for a duration of 3.5 years and scheduled to commence in January 2023. The PhD Student is anticipated to spend at least 12 months of the total period of the program at Deakin University, with the remainder of the program based at Coventry University.

Research on the vibration of vocal folds is important for evaluating speech production and other associated speech signal processing areas, particularly, human phonation and voice disorders. Vocal fold vibration is a highly complicated, compact three-dimensional vibration. The observation and measurement of vocal fold vibrations using equipment such as electroglottographs (EGGs), video laryngoscopes, and high-speed video devices have been successfully applied for studying the motion of the vocal cord tissues. However, these methods cannot directly express the vocal cord motion characteristics and they must be applied to the throat, causing discomfort to patients. Certain external monitoring devices such as microphones have also been employed for acquiring acoustic signals, however, the recorded acoustic signals are easily disturbed by the surrounding background noise, which can degrade the signal quality considerably.

The electromagnetic (EM) radar sensor in tandem with biosignal processing techniques and state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms has been a promising alternative for various applications associated with phonation and can reliably address above mentioned research challenges due to its non-contact nature and the radiation that emits are far below the international standard.

Applications close 5pm, Sunday 15 January 2023

This  scholarship is supported by Coventry University, is available over 3.5 years and includes:

• Stipend of £15,000 per annum
• A Tuition Fee Waiver
• Travel Support Package to support residency period in Australia
• Student visa and health insurance costs for period of residency at Deakin University in Australia

Deakin University will also provide a full tuition fee waiver for a duration of up to 4 years.

To be eligible you must:

• be either a domestic or international candidate currently residing in Australia. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship.
• meet the PhD entry requirements of both Deakin University and Coventry university, including English language proficiency requirements (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component)
• a masters degree in a relevant subject area, with overall mark at minimum 80%
• be enrolling full-time
• be able to physically locate to both Coventry University (UK) and Deakin University (Australia)

Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page and Coventry’s research entry criteria page for further information.