Connection Research group - NTNU Community
Connection - Research group
Update in progress.
A community is embodied by connection among its members. Inclusion in a community depends on connection via a shared means and system of communicative exchange. We are connected by a shared facility to see, hear, smell, taste and touch and exchange information by means of these senses. They are used in speech, emotion, mutual tastes, appreciation and reaction to scents, shared rhythm, and the arts, just to name a few. This contributes to the development of expectations which facilitate our daily activities (e.g., a ticking clock) and can be tweaked to stimulate interest (e.g., jazz). However, if the means for contact with others in the community is disrupted (e.g., reduced hearing or vision, neurological disease), connection between individuals can begin to break down and over time, this disruption may undermine trust, diminish empathy, and create barriers to meaningful interaction, ultimately affecting both personal relationships and broader social cohesion. In short, connection within a community makes a substantial contribution to life quality.
What if we could develop methods and leverage knowledge about our senses and the communicative systems to contribute to the maintenance of connection with a community? As an example, speech is a goldmine of information and modern technology (including AI) can assist with early detection of communication anomalies such that early intervention can facilitate maintaining social connection.
Our long-term goal is to contribute innovative scientific knowledge through interdisciplinary research, with a focus on the network of information that connects a community.
Projects
Speech Test for Early Parkinson's Symptoms - STEPS
Speech Test for Early Parkinson's Symptoms - STEPS
Parkison's disease (PD) is a progressive degenerative neurological condition affecting motor control. Early symptoms of PD include changes in speech due to altered fine motor and respiratory control which, in turn, are realised in acoustic speech signal. Thsi project investigates the poetenial use of acoustic variations in speech as potential early markers for Parkinson's diagnosis.
Team
Sara Martin
Dawn Behne
Yue Wang
Peter Svensson
Saurabh Garg
Ute Gabriel
Raul Martinez Fernandez
Giampiero Salvi
Torbjørn Svendsen
Activities
2025-2026 Funding for innovation through SU Faculty, NTNU
Psychoacoustic Mechanisms of Sound Perception
Psychoacoustic Mechanisms of Sound Perception
Psychoacoustic investigations incorporating measures such as frequency modulation detection, temporal fine structure sensitivity and difference limen for frequency demonstrate that sound perception relies on both temporal and place‑based coding mechanisms. These findings provide important insights into how distinct auditory mechanisms affect perceptual abilities in individuals with normal hearing and hearing impairment.
Team
- Vinay Swarnalatha Nagaraj
- Brian Moore
- Vinaya Manchaiah
- Carlos Jurado
- Sandhya Vinay
- De Wet Swanepoel
Global Hearing Care
Global Hearing Care
Through the activities of the European Federation of Audiology Societies (EFAS), coordinated efforts are directed toward strengthening the visibility and impact of hearing care across Europe and internationally. This work emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, translational research and equitable access to hearing healthcare.
Team
- Vinay Swarnalatha Nagaraj
- Robert Trotic
- Debi Vickers
- Ulrich Hoppe
- Christof Stieger
I Hear You
I Hear You
The I Hear You initiatives in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Europe focus on developing accessible, scalable and cost‑effective hearing‑screening approaches for children. These projects aim to improve early detection of hearing loss in diverse and resource‑limited settings by creating screening tools that are language‑independent, culturally adaptable and suitable for large‑scale implementation. The work contributes to global hearing‑health equity by supporting UN‑aligned sustainable models that facilitate access to hearing services for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Team
- Arne Henning Eide
- Tone Øderud
- Vinay Swarnalatha Nagaraj
- Tron Tronstad
- Cosmas Mnyanyi
- Peter Shija
Multisensory adaptation and learning – Olfaction, audio and vision (OlAV)
Multisensory adaptation and learning – Olfaction, audio and vision (OlAV)
Description:
Humans and other organisms constantly adjust to the world around them, using their senses to shape expectations and guide a dynamic exchange with the environment. Reduced access to this sensory landscape (such as with reduced sensory sensitivity) can affect adaptation, well‑being, and community inclusion. Building on multisensory research involving hearing and vision, we incorporate olfaction to deepen understanding of cross-sensory adaptation and learning in sensory‑rich environments.
Team:
News
• Congratulations to Phoebe Parsons on her PhD defense, 18.03.26, titled On Dialects and Speech Technology. Her work was supervised by Prof. Giampiero Salvi, Prof. Torbjørn Svendsen and Prof. Knut Kvale.
• Sara Martin and Dawn Behne visited Yue Wang and other collaborators at SFU in Vancouver, Canada. There, they participated in the Spring 2026 Language and Brain Lab Research Workshop where they presented and discussed the STEPS and OlAV projects.
• Vinay Swarnalatha Nagaraj – Newly elected president of the European Federation of Audiology Societies
• Vinay Swarnalatha Nagaraj have been invited to hold a keynote talk in Indian Speech and Hearing Association, January 2026.
Conferences/Talks
• Dawn Behne and Sara Martin attended Cognitive Neuroscience Conference (CNS) (04.-13.03.2026). Many thanks to our host, Yue Wang!
• Alok presented their work with title Detecting Weight-Related Stress and Emotional Eating Triggers in Adolescents Using Social Media posts at the Novo Nordisk conference Copenhagen in Science Cluster conference (17.-20.03.2026)
• Ayca Sentop Dumen, Dawn Behne and Sara Martin will be joining the workshop Omgivelser som fremmer aktiv aldring og bidrar til mer bærekraftige helse- og omsorgstjenester in Gjøvik on 09.04 2026
• Dawn Behne (coauthors Peter Svensson, Ayca Sentop Dumen, and Sara Martin) presented "Hvordan kan lyden og rommet påvirke barnets utvikling og kommunikasjon?" at Hørselsforbundet´s "Fagdag – God lyd I barnehagen" (05.12.2025)
Activities
Coordinators
Members
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Xi Chu Researcher
xi.chu@ntnu.no Department of Psychology -
Darren Rhodes School of Psychology, Keele University, UK
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Linda Ernstsen Professor in Public Health
+47-73413036 linda.ernstsen@ntnu.no Department of Public Health and Nursing -
Ute Barbara Gabriel Professor (Social Psychology)
+47-73591778 ute.gabriel@ntnu.no Department of Psychology -
Carlos Andres Jurado Orellana Postdoctoral Fellow
carlos.jurado@ntnu.no Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science -
Nina Jakhelln Laugen Associate professor
+47-73559505 +4745031397 nina.jakhelln.laugen@ntnu.no Department of Psychology -
Luis Bravo-Moncayo Sound and Acoustics Engineering, University of the Americas, Ecuador
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Alok Mishra Professor Data Management & Software Engineering
alok.mishra@ntnu.no Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering -
Dominik Osiński Associate Professor
+47-73559609 +4792550365 dominik.osinski@ntnu.no Department of Electronic Systems -
Giampiero Salvi Professor
giampiero.salvi@ntnu.no Department of Electronic Systems -
Ayca Sentop Dumen Associate Professor
ayca.s.dumen@ntnu.no Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering -
Torbjørn Karl Svendsen Professor
+47-73591481 +4793080477 torbjorn.svendsen@ntnu.no Department of Electronic Systems -
Ulf Peter Svensson Professor
+47-73590546 peter.svensson@ntnu.no Department of Electronic Systems -
Sandhya Vinay Assistant Professor
+47-73412826 sandhya.vinay@ntnu.no Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science -
Yue Wang Language and Brain Lab, Linguistics, Simon Fraser University, Canada
