£2.2 million funding for aural diversity research

The Leverhulme Trust has awarded Goldsmiths and The University of Salford £2.2 million to lead a ground-breaking initiative aimed at redefining our understanding of hearing.

The Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity Doctoral Research Hub (LAURA) will impact the 1.4 billion globally who hear things differently because of age, noise or disease by challenging the binary classification of “normal” and “impaired”.

Led by Professor John Drever, whose research work was instrumental in coining the phrase aural diversity, and Professor Daniel Müllensiefen at Goldsmiths with Professor Bill Davies from the University of Salford's Acoustics Research Centre, the hub will also train 25 doctoral scholars, researching the rich terrain of aural experiences while bridging the gap between academia, community, policy makers, and industry to enhance the auditory environment for everyone.

LAURA aims both to address hearing impairments and to explore perceptual differences such as tinnitus and misophonia. It will also investigate atypical sound processing experienced by neurodivergent individuals and those with cognitive differences like dementia. The project challenges the binary classification of ‘normal’ and ‘impaired’ hearing, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of aural diversity. As Professor Bill Davies explains:

 “The concept of aural diversity reflects the fact that hearing is a lived and embodied experience for most people, with complexity and fluctuation over time. We are bringing together a unique interdisciplinary group of researchers interested in hearing, from acoustics and psychology to music and social science.

“Our aim is to explore how musicians, theatre directors and sound engineers might make performances for an aurally diverse audience, how architects and planners might design buildings and cities for a range of hearing types, and what all our devices – from kettles to cars – might sound like if we allow that everyone hears differently.”

LAURA is one of only 11 programmes funded across all disciplines in the UK by the Leverhulme Trust in this year’s round of funding. It marks the first time both the University of Salford and Goldsmiths, University of London, have successfully secured funding from the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships scheme.

Professor Davies continued:“The University of Salford has been delivering world-leading research in acoustics for over six decades, and to achieve this funding is a huge boost for us that means we can explore these new ideas about experience of sound, challenge preconceptions about hearing, and ultimately contribute to a world where the richness of aural experiences is embraced. We are grateful for the support from the Leverhulme Trust and look forward to making impactful strides in understanding and enhancing the diverse tapestry of human hearing.”