PhD position in speech processing for motor speech disorders

The research will be conducted in the framework of the Swiss NSF Sinergia project ChaSpeePro (Characterisation of motor speech disorders and processes). This is a consortium project that involves Idiap, University of Geneva, University of Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle, and Geneva University Hospitals.

Various conditions of brain damage may disrupt the speech production mechanism, resulting in motor speech disorders that encapsulate altered speech production in different dimensions. To diagnose motor speech disorders, clinicians exploit perceptual assessments typically involving detection by ear of clinical-perceptual signs of disrupted speech, e.g., articulation deficiencies, vowel quality changes, pitch variation, or rhythm disruptions. These assessments are subject to the expertise of the clinician and can be time-consuming. To complement the clinical perceptual assessment, the successful PhD candidate will research novel automatic speech processing approaches. Such approaches should be able to cope with realistic clinical constraints, (i.e., (i) the presence of noise and reverberation when recording speech in clinical settings and (ii) easy and fast availability of spontaneous speech as opposed to controlled speech tasks) and needs (i.e., provide interpretable feedback to clinicians).

The ideal PhD candidate should hold a Masters degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or related fields. They should have a background in statistics, applied mathematics, optimization, linear algebra and signal processing. The applicant should also have strong programming skills.

The successful PhD candidate will join the Signal Processing for Communication group at Idiap, under the supervision of Dr. Ina Kodrasi. They will also become a doctoral student at EPFL conditional on parallel application to, and acceptance by, the EPFL Doctoral School. Appointment for the PhD position is for a maximum of 4 years, provided successful progress, and should lead to a dissertation. Starting date is to be negotiated. The annual gross salary in the first year is 52,400 Swiss Francs. All queries related to the advertised position can be sent to Dr. Ina Kodrasi (ina.kodrasi [at] idiap.ch).

At Idiap we place great emphasis on diversity and strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit a cover letter, a detailed CV, and the names of three references through the Idiap online recruitment system:

PhD position in speech processing for motor speech disorders