About the project
Noise, hearing loss and listening difficulties at the workplace can require high levels of (listening) effort in order to maintain performance. This can lead to increased levels of stress and fatigue, which can result in productivity loss and increased sick leave. However, applying effort to listening leads to positive consequences as well (good work performance, pleasure, safety, societal participation).

In the Horizon Europe Doctoral Network project “EASYLI” (Easy Listening: optimizing the consequences of effortful listening in occupational settings), our objective is to optimize the ratio between the costs and benefits of effortful listening.

EASYLI will train 6 doctoral candidates to develop and apply a toolbox of ambulatory and laboratory measures to assess listening effort in occupational settings in normal hearing people and people with different degrees of hearing loss.

• They will apply real-time acoustic scene analysis, virtual acoustics, and physiological and subjective measures in laboratory and real-life conditions.
• The candidates will also evaluate individualized interventions (e.g. machine learningbased speech enhancement algorithms, hearing aids).

EASYLI consists of 5 academic partners and 4 non-academic partners representing hearing-aid and communication systems industries, audiology, and occupational sectors with challenging acoustic environments.

About the role
We recruit 6 PhD students for this project. More detailed information about each of the positions can be found at www.easyli.eu.
A summary is provided here:

PhD student 1 will work on the development of (ambulatory) subjective and physiological measures to assess auditory task demand and resulting listening effort in real-life (occupational) settings. These will be applied to evaluate hearing-aid benefit. The student will receive a 3-year contract; the first contract is at VU University Amsterdam. This position includes an appointment of 1.5 years at Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark. The doctoral thesis will be obtained from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Vacatures - PhD position in stress research | Working At VU - Amsterdam UMC

PhD student 2 will research and develop machine learning-based technologies for acoustical scene analysis and improvement of the acoustical signal in the context of occupational communication in safety-critical conditions. The student will receive a 3-year contract, starting with a 1.5 year contract at Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg, Germany, and a 1.5 year appointment at CeoTronics AG, Rödermark, Germany. The doctoral thesis will be obtained from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.

Vacatures - PhD stipend position in the field of audio scene analysis and speech enhancement - Amsterdam UMC

PhdD student 3 will assess new ways to manipulate auditory task demand and motivation to investigate their impact on listening effort and fatigue as measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and pupillometry. The students with apply the new tests to investigate the impact of (work-related) acoustical conditions and hearing aid settings. The student will receive a 4-year contract: the first 1.5 year the appointment is at Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark. The next 2.5 year, the appointment is at Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The doctoral thesis will be obtained from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Vacatures - PhD The physiological and subjective signature of listening effort - Amsterdam UMC

PhD student 4 will work on the identification of individual differences that modify susceptibility to occupational listening-related fatigue (Phase 1) and then apply the information learned to drive development and evaluation of personalized hearing interventions (Phase 2) using quantitative and qualitative data collection. The student will receive a 3-year appointment at Eriksholm Research Centre, Snekkersten, Denmark. Part of the work will be performed at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) near Copenhagen, and during secondments to the University of Manchester, UK. The doctoral thesis will be obtained from DTU.

Vacatures - PhD position in hearing-related effort and fatigue research - Amsterdam UMC

PhD student 5 will use virtual acoustic scenarios to create laboratory-based listening tests with higher ecological validity than traditional tests. These tests will be evaluated using measures of physiological activity, stress and (subjective) fatigue. The student receives a 3-year contract at Hörzentrum Oldenburg, and will perform part of the work during secondments to Liverpool John Moores University (UK). The student will enroll in a joint PhD programme at Carl von Ossietzky Universitaet Oldenburg (Germany) as well as Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.

Vacatures - PhD Making a career at the Hörzentrum Oldenburg gGmbH (hz-ol.de) - Amsterdam UMC

PhD student 6 will assess the factors influencing the (auditory) workload of aircraft pilots associated with communication tasks, auditory alerts and flight operation. Scenarios will be developed to manipulate and assess the listening effort and workload during aircraft operation. The student will receive a 4-year contract: the first 1.5 year the appointment is at Hinfact, Toulouse, France. The next 2.5 year, the appointment is at Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. The doctoral thesis will be obtained from at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Vacatures - PhD Listening effort characterization during aircraft operations - Amsterdam UMC

Profile
Details about the required background and expertise for each of the positions can be found in the specific application texts for each appointment.

• Please note that we ask everyone interested in any of the six positions to apply via the specific link associated with that position.
• Note that EU mobility rules apply - this means that the candidate must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the first appointment (see specific advertisements, or see https://easyli.eu/index.php/phd-positions-6/) for more than 12 months in the past 3 years.

Our offer

• A full-time PhD position in a MSCA project, which implies involvement in a European research project with high international visibility.
• A thorough training in the context of an industrial doctorate training program, while spending at least 18-months at a non-academic partner.
• The possibility to participate in local as well as international courses, workshops and conferences.
• For details of the employment offer and workplace characteristics for each position, please see the descriptions of the individual positions.
• The expected starting date for each of the positions is around 1 August 2024.

About the workplace
EASYLI consists of 5 academic partners and 4 non-academic partners representing hearing-aid and communication systems industries, audiology, and occupational sectors with challenging acoustic environments.

More detailed information about each of the positions can be found at www.easyli.eu

Let's meet
More detailed information about each of the positions can be found at www.easyli.eu