25 November 2025
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Sound Futures marked an exciting milestone last week as the full cohort came together in person for the first time at our Winter Residential hosted by the University of Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR).
Despite the chilly weather, the residential offered a warm welcome and a packed programme of activities designed to strengthen collaboration, broaden research perspectives, and introduce students to leading experts across the sound and vibration community.
Throughout the week, students took part in lectures, lab tours, tutorials and group activities organised by Professor Stefan Bleeck. Sessions included an in‑depth exploration of hearing physiology, hands‑on demonstrations within ISVR’s world‑class facilities, and a collaborative design challenge focused on room acoustic design, culminating in group presentations on the final morning.
Industry engagement was a major highlight. Specialists from Arup, RNID, ISVR Consulting and Valeo delivered insightful talks covering open‑plan office acoustics, aural diversity, advanced signal processing, and NVH analysis in electric vehicles. These sessions offered valuable real‑world context and sparked lively discussion among the cohort.
For many students, the residential was also an opportunity to build new friendships and discover the breadth of expertise within the CDT. Conversations across disciplines led to fresh ideas, new research directions and a deeper appreciation of the diverse challenges within sound‑related science and engineering.
As the week drew to a close, students left Southampton inspired, energised and equipped with a long list of ideas to explore further in their own doctoral projects.
The Sustainable Sound Futures CDT extends its thanks to Professor Stefan Bleeck, the ISVR team and all guest speakers for an engaging and memorable week of learning and collaboration.
