Professor Trevor Cox
School of Science, Engineering and Environment
Biography
I carry out research, teaching and commercial activities in acoustic engineering, focusing on room acoustics, signal processing and perception. I am a former President of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA). I was awarded the prestigious Tyndall Award by the IOA as well as their award for Promoting Acoustics to the Public.
I was an EPSRC Senior Media Fellow and have presented many documentaries for BBC radio. I have written feature articles for New Scientist, Sound on Sound and The Guardian. I’m author of two popular science books, Sonic Wonderland for which I won an ASA science writing award and Now You’re Talking. "A David Attenborough of the acoustic realm, whose knowledge is unimpeachable yet worn lightly, whose language is vivid yet without indulgence" (The Observer). I hold the Guinness World record for producing the Longest Echo in one of the Inchindown Oil Tanks.
I’m currently Head of Acoustics Research at Salford.
Areas of research
Architectural Acoustics, Psychoacoustics, Signal Processing, Public Engagement
Areas of supervision
Metamaterials, Psychoacoustics, Signal Processing, Numerical Methods
I teach modules about speech, musical acoustics, loudspeakers and acoustic measurement. I supervise many final year and master’s projects linked to my research.
Architectural Acoustics. My work on diffusers is summarized in my academic book Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers, which was co-authored with Peter D’Antonio. My diffuser designs are used around the world. Current diffuser work is focussed on metamaterials.
Some other current projects include:
- The Clarity Project, which aims to revolutionise the processing of hearing aids through a series of machine learning challenges.
- New face masks to overcome communication issues, especially for people with hearing impairment. A joint project with University of Manchester.
- Inventive Podcast. Inventive mixes fact and fiction to create engaging stories about engineers and how their work is changing the World.