Dr. Francis Li

Current positions

Senior Lecturer

Biography

I embarked on an academic career at Shanghai University in 1986, where I taught many key modules in the areas of electronics and computer engineering, carried out government and industry funded research, and was promoted to Head of Teaching and Research Group with 13 academic members of staff.  I instigated the audio and lighting engineering programme and wrote a textbook on audio engineering as a result of teaching in this field in 1994-1995. Appointed Senior Lecturer in Computing at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2001, I then joined the University of Salford as Senior Lecturer in Audio Engineering and Acoustical signal processing in 2006. I currently teach several modules on BSc and MSc levels, lead the IoA (Institute of Acoustics) Diploma programme in acoustics and noise control at Salford Learning Centre, undertake several research projects, including projects funded by EPSRC, EU, Leverhulme Trust, the BBC, HMGCC, and supervise PhD students.

Over many years of my academic career, I have accumulated a broad spectrum of expertise and research interests including audio engineering, architectural and building acoustics, signal processing, artificial intelligence, soft-computing, data and voice communications, machine audition, speech technology, DSP applied to biomedical engineering, novel computer architecture, and control theory.  But my major and long-standing research interest centres around signal processing, artificial intelligence and soft-computing applied to concert hall acoustics, speech processing, audio information retrieval, multi-platform broadcasting and machine audition.

I have published numerous research papers. I am a regular reviewer for several international journals, major conferences, Associate Editor-in-Chief for Signal Processing, one of the CSC Journals and Associate Technical Editor for the Journal of Audio Engineering Society.

Areas of research

Acoustics, Audio, DSP, Machine Learning, Intelligent system and Instrumentation