Successful launch of EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Sound Futures’

The launch event for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Sustainable Sound Futures  was held on the 1st November at the Royal Academy of Engineering, London.

This CDT will train 70 future engineering leaders who will reduce the harms caused by noise and poor acoustics and forge a more positive-sounding future. This is an unprecedented collaboration for doctoral training in Acoustics between four universities and over 50 project partners.

The University of Salford is leading the CDT in Sustainable Sound Futures, which is a collaboration with the Universities of Sheffield, Bristol and Southampton, and over 50 project partners from industry, government and other stakeholders. Funding for the project will total around £19m.

The initiative has been strongly supported by the Institute of Acoustics.  IOA President David Waddington commented "The IOA is delighted to support this initiative and I look forward to active participation."

Professor Trevor Cox, of the University of Salford, who will lead the project, said: “Earth is a Noisy Planet. Human activity means that from megacities to oceans, most places are infected with noise and tranquility is disappearing. We have no “ear-lids”, and so our brains are constantly dealing with unwanted noise, which creates stress.

The extensive training will go far beyond what is normally available for standard PhDs in Acoustics. A mixture of week-long residentials, master classes, theme days and online training will develop technical skills for acoustics (simulation, measurement, machine learning, psychoacoustics, etc.) and key skills for research (project planning, entrepreneurship, public engagement, policy influencing, responsible innovation, etc.). Placements in industry or academic partners will play an important role in ensuring students learn about context and how to create impact. The learning outcomes of the training were co-created between academics and partners, to ensure the graduates have the skills, knowledge and understanding to create a more sustainable sound future for all.

The CDT will train 70 students over five cohorts starting from 2025. Students are fully funded with stipends and fees for four years. The cohort will include part-time PhD students for employees already in the acoustic industry.

· We’re always looking for new partners to get involved in training and funding PhD studentships.

· If you’re interested in applying, please email and we’ll message you when the first positions are adverstised.

Contact the Director Professor Trevor Cox at see-soundfutures@salford.ac.uk.