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Sound Futures PhD Researcher Reaches 3MT Final at SPARC 2026

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Sound Futures CDT student Matt Torjussen has been recognised for their outstanding research communication skills after reaching the finals of this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the University of Salford’s SPARC conference.

Congratulations to Matt Torjussen who was selected as a finalist and showcased his PhD research in a presentation named ‘A Short, Sharp Shock: Measuring the sounds that grate’ as part of the prestigious 3MT competition during SPARC 2026 (Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference).

SPARC, the University of Salford’s flagship postgraduate research event, returned on 23–24 June 2026, bringing together postgraduate researchers, academic staff, students and members of the public to celebrate and share innovative research from across the University. This year’s conference marked a significant milestone, celebrating 25 years of postgraduate research at Salford.

The annual event provides a platform for postgraduate researchers to present their work to both in-person and online audiences, encouraging collaboration, discussion and knowledge exchange across disciplines. The Three Minute Thesis competition forms a key part of the programme, challenging doctoral researchers to communicate complex research projects in a clear and engaging way to a non-specialist audience.

Also presenting at the conference on the topic of ‘Sound’ were Sarah Armstrong who presented on ‘Developing Methods to Assess the Impact of Noise Pollution on British Terrestrial Mammals’ and James Hipperson who presented ‘Gradient-based Geometry Optimisation for Acoustic Devices’. On day 2, Katie Salter presented under the topic ‘Home’ with a presentation titled ‘Influence of Tonality and Placement on Perception of Air Source Heat Pump Noise’.

The achievements of Matt, Sarah, James and Katie highlight the exciting and impactful research taking place within the CDT Sound Futures community. They demonstrated not only academic excellence but also the ability to make their research accessible and relevant to wider audiences.

A wide view of a lecture theatre during a presentation event. Audience members are seated in tiered rows facing a stage, where a presenter, Matt Torjussen, stands beneath two large projection screens. One screen displays a slide titled “A Short, Sharp Shock,” while the other shows a countdown timer reading 1:49. Event staff are seated at a desk to one side of the stage, and the lecture theatre features grey walls, purple flooring, and green accent panels.
A speaker, James Hipperson, stands indoors delivering a presentation while holding a remote control. The speaker wears glasses and a black shirt with a pink flamingo pattern and a visible name badge. A whiteboard and grey wall are visible in the background, indicating a lecture or conference setting.
A presenter, Sarah Armstrong, stands at the front of a lecture theatre delivering a talk, with two large projection screens displaying a slide titled “Current Protection & Assessment of Noise.” The slide includes text, photographs, and an image of a sound level meter. Whiteboards line the wall behind the presenter, and a lectern and equipment desk are visible to the side. The room has purple carpeting and auditorium-style presentation facilities.