Our researchers are working to better understand the auditory system and develop therapeutic interventions for hearing loss. Meet some of our Institute members to find out what they're working on, and their motivations for researching this area.
I’m interested in understanding how the auditory system develops and processes sound, and the processes involved in genetic forms of deafness. Hearing allows us to communicate with our loved ones and also to indulge in activities such as listening to beautiful music. Hearing loss can therefore isolate people from their surroundings, which can be a devastating feeling. I want to make a difference to people’s lives in this respect, which is the reason why I dedicate my life to providing key knowledge and tools that are required for developing treatments for hearing loss.
Professor Walter Marcotti
Professor of Sensory NeuroscienceCo-director of the Neuroscience Institute
When I joined the Hearing Research Group five years ago, I knew very little about hearing, nor had I ever wondered why my grandma had started to need hearing aids.Soon I became fascinated at how special the cells in our ears are, as they can perceive sounds loud and quiet, high and low, and tell our brain about it. My project is trying to answer fundamental questions on how our hearing system develops and works. Thanks to my colleagues, I have been following the latest research on deafness and hearing loss, such as associated with age, or with exposure to noise. With growing awareness and curiosity, I watched Coda and Sound of Metal, and last year I enrolled in a British Sign Language course. As leader of the outreach working group of the laboratory, I hope that our public engagement helps to educate and spread a deeper understanding of the challenges linked with hearing loss and deafness.
Dr Francesca de Faveri
Research associate, School of Biosciences
As a sensation, I find hearing to be the most intriguing. The fact that we as people can detect vibrations and turn them into sensations is fascinating, and when thinking deeper about it, the ability to do this effectively is something my life (and many others) is dependent on. A big problem in our society is that so many people as they get older start to lose this ability, and when it goes too far, they can no longer enjoy life in the same way. A big concern is that, unfortunately, there are currently very few options for helping people who lose their hearing as they get older, and this is because the exact reasons for why it happens are currently unknown. A key factor that has been shown to accelerate the development of hearing loss is exposure to loud noise. This means that whatever structures in the ear noise targets, are likely what are responsible for the development of age-related hearing loss. This knowledge led me to undertake a project in the Hearing Research Group, where I am currently investigating the exact structures that are affected by noise and how the effect on these structures accelerates the development of age-related hearing loss. Findings from this project will be instrumental in identifying what structures in the ear to target when developing more effective treatments.
Dr Samuel Webb
Postdoc in the Hearing Research Group working with Dr Stuart Johnson
I am a research fellow studying age- and noise-related hearing loss. The laboratory technique I most use in my research is electrophysiology and I will be starting a fascinating new field involving gene therapy and in vivo imaging. I enjoy research because of the new challenges every day.
Dr Jing-yi Jeng
Research Fellow, School of Biosciences
I initially became interested in hearing research during my undergraduate degree. I completed my dissertation on the pathophysiology behind Hidden Hearing Loss. People with this disorder have normal hearing test results but have great difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. My enjoyment of this research topic led me to apply for my current PhD position which is focused on age-related hearing loss. I study the non-sensory cells of the inner ear which are important for supporting the function of the sensory hair cells and neurons to allow us to hear sound effectively. I want to determine whether the ability of the non-sensory cells to support hair cell function is affected in the aged inner ear, and whether this could influence the development of age-related hearing loss.
Sarah Hool
PhD student in the Hearing Research Group working with Professor Walter Marcotti
When I was younger, I used to play the piano very often, and since the day I started, I’ve always found pretty incredible how our ears allow us to finely distinguish different tones and semitones of a keyboard in a matter of milliseconds. Later, during my undergrad, I began understanding with a much more comprehensive approach how the sensory systems help us constantly perceive different cues from the environment, and the consequences that may arise when these senses don’t work properly. This way, I had the chance to appreciate the vital role that hearing plays in our everyday life, in both professional and more private contexts. People affected by hearing impairments often struggle due to communication barriers and social stigmas, which have well-known detrimental consequences on their mental health. These kinds of hearing deficits are often caused by environmental factors, but in many cases genetic mutations happen to be the putative culprit. This is why I am now working on my PhD project within the Hearing Research group, and I aim to investigate the potential of gene therapy to delay or perhaps even reverse progressive hearing loss.
Alice Zanella
PhD student in the Hearing Research Group
I am a first year PhD Student studying within the Hearing Research Group at Sheffield. I first became interested in auditory neuroscience during my undergraduate course. From my course I developed a fascination for the hearing process, with a particular inclination for understanding why hearing impairment is so prevalent. Personally, I have always been curious as to why my grandmother could never hear correctly, to the point where I have to borderline scream. Yet, when I attend a concert or nightclub with loud music, my hearing would only temporarily become impaired. This difference in why some people develop temporary hearing loss and others exhibit permanent hearing loss is something that I strive to better understand. This ambition has led me to undertake my current PhD project where I am studying not only the role of hair cell development in the zebrafish auditory pathway, but also how these cells are affected by varying levels of loud noise exposure.
Andrea Aveta
PhD student working in the Hearing Research Group with Professor Marcotti
Hi, I’m Charlie, a third-year PhD student in the Marcotti lab. Knowing how many people suffer from hearing loss (it’s about 1.5 billion worldwide) and knowing how heavily it can impact their lives, I have lots of motivation to do the work that I do, which is finding out how hearing loss actually occurs. Specifically, I am looking to see if hearing loss can be caused by damage to the DNA inside the cells of the inner ear. If this is the case, then it would mean that we can inform people on how to protect their DNA, and protect their hearing.
Charlie Cranston
PhD Student