Neurodiversity

Researchers know that autistic people often experience problems with sound sensitivity and processing speech (e.g. Haesen et al., 2011). But many positive experiences with sound give pleasure and are under-researched, such as an increased capacity for detail and structure in sound (e.g. Brinkert & Remington, 2020; Woods & Estes 2023). This PhD will use a mixed-methods approach to characterise the full range of autistic listening experience, including interviews/focus groups, listening tests and EEG measurement. Some experience of working with EEG methods and data is desirable.  

Supervisors: Bill Davies and Sam Gregory

Autistic individuals show differences to non-autistic individuals in voice processing, including differences around processing social signals in voices (e.g. Haesen et al., 2011). However autistic individuals process social signals from other autistic individuals with more fluency than from non-autistic individuals and vice versa, i.e., the double empathy problem (e.g. Crompton et al., 2020). Yet, there is limited research into how autistic individuals process the voices of other autistic individuals. This PhD would help fill this gap using social cognitive experimental methods.  

Supervisors: Sam Gregory and Bill Davies

How can composers make music which takes into account the needs of neurodivergent participants in collaborative and community music projects? Can collaborative and participatory methods ensure that these needs are respected in the outcomes, and what methods might be developed to do so more effectively? This project would generate practice-based outcomes for, and with neurodiverse communities, with input from creatives identifying as neurodivergent, and assess their effectiveness in making work which is built around the needs of these communities. Ideally, you will be a composer with experience of community music projects.

Supervisors: Alan Williams and Adam Hart