VCCA2023 - Organization - Computational Audiology

Organizing Committee (2023)		Bio & Motivation
Jessica Monaghan (Chair) Senior Research Scientist at National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney		Jessica has a background in Physics and Engineering with expertise in automatic speech recognition, psychoacoustics, and noise-reduction techniques for hearing devices. Her current research at the National Acoustic Laboratories centers on leveraging machine learning and technology to enhance diagnosis and communication for people with hearing loss.
Karina De Sousa (Chair) Postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pretoria in South Africa		Karina is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She has a background in speech recognition tests as a screening tool to detect and classify types of hearing loss. Her more current research is translational and centers on mHealth and self-fitting hearing aids to improve access to hearing care.
Kaye Xianhui Wang (Chair)Postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Irvine		Kaye attained her M.D. and Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Capital Medical University in Beijing, China. She pursued her Master’s training at University College London, UK, where she specialized in speech perception mechanisms. Her Ph.D. training at Ohio University delved into solving speech perception challenges faced by individuals with hearing loss. Her current research at UC Irvine focuses on incorporating machine learning approaches to address difficulties in speech perception in cochlear implant users
Jan-Willem Wasmann (Co-Chair) Medical Physicist – Audiologist at Radboudumc.		Jan-Willem’s recent work includes data driven CI fitting techniques, remote care and AI chatbots in hearing healthcare. He would like to stimulate the creation of a network of more (hybrid) AI & Audiology experts and hopes the conference could lead to novel projects.
Xiaoyin Shang (Technical Chair) NAL – Soundbites team, Sydney		Xiaoyin is the Head of Strategy and Innovation at National Acoustic Laboratories and a Board Director of Audiology Australia. Xiaoyin was an Audiologist, clinic manager, an entrepreneur, and currently lectures MBA students and startups on innovation and strategy courses. Xiaoyin has a passion for combining research, innovation, business practice and strategic planning to deliver translational impact.
Jessica Tsiolkas (Technical Chair) NAL – Soundbites team, Sydney		Jessica has a background in clinical audiology having worked in adult diagnostics including vestibular function testing, electrophysiological testing, and aural rehabilitation where she fit both hearing aids and implantable hearing technologies. Jessica has an interest understanding the client’s journey and access to hearing health services, especially via the General Practice pathway. In her time at the National Acoustic Laboratories Jessica has been involved in a number of studies aimed towards informing Government policy as well as research, development and validation of new technologies to improve the lives of those with hearing impairment.
Megan Knoetze (Technical Chair) PhD student at the University of Pretoria, South Africa		Megan is a full-time PhD Audiology student at the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and she is also a member of the Virtual Hearing Lab. Her research focuses on examining the factors that influence hearing help-seeking and hearing aid uptake among adults with hearing difficulties.
Caitlin Frisby (Technical Chair) PhD student at theUniversity of Pretoria, South Africa		Caitlin is a final-year PhD student at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She is also a clinical supervisor at the paediatric hearing aid clinic and a research assistant at the University of Pretoria. Her current research focuses on mHealth to enhance community-based service delivery models as well as exploring the feasibility of community-based rehabilitation using low-cost hearing aids in resource stricken communities.
Ye Yang (Technical chair) Ph.D. candidate in the department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Irvine		Ye Yang is a Ph.D candidate in Biomedical engineering at UC Irvine. His research focuses on the application of speech denoising algorithm in hearing aids.