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Susan Voss, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Engineering
Susan Voss is an electrical engineer and scientist in the field of speech and hearing. Her research focuses on sound transmission in normal and diseased ears. Her work has applications in audiometric instrumentation, surgical auditory implants, and aids for the hearing impaired.
 Voss received her B.S. in Engineering from Brown University (1991) where she worked on computer speech recognition. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she received her M.S. (1995) from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and her Ph.D. (1998) from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
Her doctoral work examined the auditory effects of eardrum perforations. She continued at MIT as a post-doctoral associate within the Research Laboratory of Electronics, where she identified inaccuracies within widely used audiometric testing procedures and enjoyed teaching at MIT in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Voss currently holds an appointment at the Harvard Medical School and continues to collaborate with colleagues at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Voss joined the faculty of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College in January 2001. She has taught several subjects, including Introduction to Engineering, Circuit Theory, Signals and Systems, Neuroengineering, and Digital Signal Processing.
Voss's research lab focuses on basic science questions related to the structure and function of the peripheral auditory system. One current project involves measuring and modeling the ear-canal reflectance in order to help develop a noninvasive diagnostic tool for middle-ear problems, including detection of fluid in newborn and infant ears. A second project aims to develop a noninvasive tool to monitor changes in intracranial pressure using the auditory response of otoacoustic emissions. Current support for my research comes from the National Institutes of Health (R15 grant) and the National Science Foundation (CAREER award).
Additionally, Voss has advised several student research projects and senior honors theses.
With her sister Amy, Voss was a member of the U.S. Sailing Team (1990-92). Together they won the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, and placed third in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. Voss grew up in Holmdel, New Jersey. She, her husband Paul Voss, and their children Erin and Jasper enjoy biking, canoeing, and hiking. |
