New research project in Aachen: MOSAIC” for better hearing!

New research project in Aachen: MOSAIC” for better hearing!

The HEAD Genuit Foundation has approved a new graduate school called “MOSAIC” at RWTH Aachen, the University Hospital RWTH Aachen (UKA) and the TU Berlin. This college will be funded from July 2025 to June 2029 and is based on the concept of “Acoustic Well-being in a multi-domain and context-dependent spatial approach”.

The coordination of the college is in the hands of RWTH Aachen, while the scientific management is taken over by Professor Marcel Schweiker and Professor Janina Fels. Both are active in the Chairs of Healthy Living Spaces and Hearing Technology and Acoustics, which offer innovative perspectives on the study of acoustic environments. The main aim of the project is to generate sound scientific knowledge and develop innovative solutions to improve the acoustic environment.

Central research priorities

The graduate school will deal with a variety of research topics. This includes acoustic well-being in indoor and outdoor spaces as well as the influence of acoustic environments on everyday activities such as learning, working and relaxing. The latest findings from the “soundscape” research area are also examined. The focus here is on environmental factors and their influence on the hearing sensation.

The chairs involved cover a wide range, including important factors such as room temperature, lighting conditions, air quality and physical and geometric aspects of rooms. The aim is to achieve a deeper analysis of people's physiological reactions to their acoustic environment.

Interdisciplinary approaches

The MOSAIC graduate school will include a total of eight chairs: Healthy Living Spaces, Hearing Technology and Acoustics, Energy-Efficient Construction, Building and Indoor Climate Technology, Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Urban Development, Housing and Psychoacoustics. This interdisciplinary collaboration is intended to expand the professional and methodological skills of doctoral students and at the same time promote young scientists.

In addition, the HEAD Genuit Foundation has approved funding for another project to study noise pollution from drones and electric aircraft. This project, led by Dr. Closely. Marco Oliveira, has set himself the goal of analyzing the effects of noise on the urban soundscape, also focusing on aspects of psychoacoustics and the soundscape. Both the graduate school and the project are expected to make a significant contribution to creating quieter and more sustainable environments for future generations.

Psychoacoustics in focus

Another central element of research is psychoacoustics, which deals with the effect of sound on people. Sound is viewed as an acoustic stimulus that influences hearing. The research approaches include the physical description of sound (e.g. sound pressure level) and the analysis of perceptions caused by acoustic stimuli, such as loudness and annoyance. Specialized listening tests provide detailed insights into the complex perception of noise, which leads to a more precise description of the noise situation.

Overall, the MOSAIC graduate school is a significant step in research on acoustic well-being and emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches to improve our quality of life through targeted acoustic design. RWTH Aachen reports that this initiative will continue to make an important contribution to noise research in the coming years, while the HEAD Genuit Foundation remains committed to innovative research projects in this area. Additional information about psychoacoustics can be found on the website Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics.