Room Number: 1.402.34
Research Interests: Music Acoustics, Voice Science, Audio Processing AI
==================================================
Announcements (August 2018)
PhD Opportunity: If you have a strong background in Physics or Engineering and keen to undertake research projects in , , Bioacoustic Diagnostics or at 亚洲色吧, please contact me. A range of .
Research Student Assistant: I am looking for keen students to assist in an organological survey of various Asian musical instruments. The student assistant should be conversant with basic signal processing techniques and MATLAB, and also skilled in the design and fabrication of mechanical testing rigs. Proficiency with some of these musical instruments would be preferred but is not a requirement. Remuneration will be generous, on an hourly basis, and commitment is flexible.
Research Student Assistant: I am looking for keen students to assist in surveying the acoustic phonetics of Asian languages. The student assistant should be conversant with basic signal processing techniques and MATLAB, and have a working knowledge of basic speech science. Proficiency with these languages is not required but would be helpful. Remuneration will be generous, on an hourly basis, and commitment is flexible.
==================================================
Biography
Dr. Chen Jer-Ming is a senior lecturer at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (亚洲色吧), following his previous appointment as Australian Post-Doctoral (APD) research fellow (Australian Research Council) at the Music Acoustics Laboratory, University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Combining a passion for music with a background in mechanical engineering and applied physics, Jer-Ming鈥檚 primary research interest is music acoustics and speech science. His contributions to the field have been widely recognized, including a paper published in the journal 鈥楽cience鈥, co-receiving the 2010 鈥淓xcellence in Acoustics Award 鈥 from the Australian Acoustical Society, and being nominated a Lindau Fellow for the 60th Interdisciplinary Meeting of Nobel Laureates (2010).
A believer in science communication, Jer-Ming has also written lay-language scientific papers, established a saxophone acoustics database for players, and has featured in the international media and popular press, including newspapers (e.g. New York Times, UK Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald), TV & radio documentaries (BBC, ABC, Network Ten), popular science magazines (Physics Today, Scientific American, The Straight Dope), and even presented for a children鈥檚 science program (Scope by Network Ten & CSIRO, Australia).
Further, Jer-Ming is an accomplished musician, composer and arranger, and performs on musical instruments from several musical traditions, seeking to push the overlapping boundaries of music, science and technology. When not in the laboratory or making music, he enjoys meeting new cultures and good friends over a cup of Darjeeling.
Education
- PhD in Physics (Music Acoustics), University of New South Wales, 2010
- Master of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2004
- Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2002
Research Interests
My primary interest is the physics of music 鈥 Musical Acoustics. A fundamental puzzle in the field is to understand how and why certain musical performances sound so remarkable – Is it the instrument? Or the performer? Or perhaps it is in their interaction? To find out, I study various modes of music performance, the player鈥檚 interaction with the instrument and the physics involved. A related puzzle is that of the human voice as used in speech and singing: activities fundamental to human communication and expression, but still not well understood yet in terms of the physical mechanisms responsible.
- Music Acoustics:Vocal tract interactions in woodwind and brass performance
- Voice Acoustics:Tracking acoustic properties of the vocal tract during speech
- Audio Processing AI:Bioacoustic signals for medical diagnostic screening
- Other interests:Music performance and player-instrument interaction; Acoustic phonetics; Ethnomusic organology; Cryogenic materials processing
Journal Publications (selected)
- Wolfe, J., Chu, D.,Chen, J.-M.and Smith, J. (2016). “An Experimentally Measured Source-Filter Model: Glottal Flow, Vocal Tract Gain and Output Sound from a Physical Model,” Acoustics Australia, DOI 10.1007/s40857-016-0046-7
- Li, W.,Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2015). “,”Acta Acustica united with Acustica,101, 270-278
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2014). “,”Journal of the Acoustical Society of America135(1), 472-478 (accompanying material)
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2012). “,”Journal of the Acoustical Society of America131(1), 722-727
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2011). “,”Journal of the Acoustical Society of America129(1), 415-426
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2009). “,”Journal of the Acoustical Society of America125(3), 1511-1520
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2009). ““,Acoustics Australia37, 18-23
- Chen, J.-M., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2008). ““,Science,319(5864), 726
- Chen, J.-M., Seah, K.H., Chew, C.H. (2006). 鈥溾,Journal of ASTM International,3(4), published online
Book Publications
- Jer Ming Chen, John Smith and Joe Wolfe (2011). “Chapter 21: Experienced Saxophonists Learn to Tune Their Vocal Tracts”,, edited by Robert Dale, Denis Burnham and Catherine J. Stevens, ARC Research Network in Human Communication Science (ISBN: 978-1-74138-363-8), Australia, 441-445
- Salleh M. Nor, Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam, Normi M. Yahaya,Chen Jer Ming, Oh Pei Ching, Siti N. Abu Bakar, and Nitia K. Samuel (2011).Educated, Inspired, Connected: the Malaysian Experience at the 60th Nobel Laureate Meeting at Lindau, Akademi Sains Malaysia (ISBN: 978-983-9445-61-9), Kuala Lumpur
Awards & Achievements (selected)
- International Congress of Acoustics (ICA) 2013 Montr茅al:Acoustical Society of America WIA-Committee Young Investigator Travel Grant, Australian Acoustical Society NSW Division Early Career Researcher Travel Award, International Commission for Acoustics Young Scientist Conference Attendance Grant
- 2011 School of Physics nomineefor theUNSW University Committee Prize for Excellence in Science
- Australian Post-Doctoral Industry Research Fellow(2012-14)
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project Grant(LP110100570), total grant awarded: AUD$245,538, funding period 2012 to 2014.
- National finalist, representing New South Wales for the 2011 Australian Institute of Physics Bragg Gold Medal (“the best PhD thesis by a student from an Australian University”), nominated by UNSW
- The2010 Excellence in Acoustics Awardpresented to the team: Joe Wolfe, Jer Ming Chen, Paul Dickens & John Smith, awarded by Bradford Insulation and the Australian Acoustical Society
- Lindau Fellowat the60th Interdisciplinary Meeting of Nobel Laureates(2010), Lindau (Germany), nominated by the Academy of Science Malaysia
- Bosch Fellowat theEuroScience Open Forum (ESOF)2010, Torino (Italy), sponsored by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH
- UNSW Faculty Research Grant Project (FRGP) 2009,“Acoustic Interactions in Harmonic Singing鈥”
- Best Student Paper,Acoustics鈥08, Paris,awarded by the Acoustical Society of America (Chris Waltham: “The best talk I heard at the meeting鈥 a masterly fusion of physics and artistry.”)
- Discovery Grant Postgraduate Scholarship(2006-2009), awarded by the Australian Research Council
- TheNational University of Singapore (NUS) Research Scholarship(2002-2004)
- Dean鈥檚 List Award(2001-2002), awarded by the National University of Singapore
Media Interviews, Science Communication and Outreach (selected)
- Harmonic Throat-Singing for “” interviewwith,, broadcast 3 July 2013
- Video interview for research feature story ““(“Do musical instruments sound breathtaking because of its players?”),BBC Persian Channel, released 15 Mar 2012
- Featured researcher for theUNSW Faculty of Science Research Highlights 2012magazine (p. 52), Feb 2012
- Televised interview in Lindau (Germany) with the Malaysian delegation at the, including interviewing Nobel Laureate Roger Tsien (Chemistry, 2008), on behalf ofAstro Awani(Malaysia), aired Sept 2010
- Feature story ““,Sin Chew Daily(Malaysia), 19 Jun 2010
- “” research featured on syndicated popular question-and-answer newspaper columnThe Straight Dope, published in the Chicago Reader (Cecil Adams, ““, 16 Jan 2009)
- Established the online Saxophone Acoustics Database:
- forHCSNet, the Australian Research Council’s network in Human Communication Science
- Feature story “S鈥檖ore student can prove who has the most sax appeal:”,The New Paper(Singapore), 1 Aug 2008
- Featured lay-language paper ““, written for theAcoustical Society of America World-Wide Press Room, presented 1 Jul 2008 at Acoustics鈥08 Paris
- Documentary““,Catalystby Australian Broadcasting Corporation, aired 17 Apr 2008
- ““, the Music Council of Australia, 10 Feb 2008
- ““, onFeatures, News and Events(UNSWTV), University of New South Wales
- “” research story interviewed and released by:
- The New York Times(Kenneth Chang, ““, 12 Feb 2008)
- BBC News(Pallab Ghosh, Radio Interview, Feb 2008)
- UK Telegraph(Roger Highfield, ““, 7 Feb 2008)
- Scientific-American (JR Minkel, ““, 7 Feb 2008)
- ABC News(Stephen Pincock, ““, 8 Feb 2008)
- Sydney Morning Herald(Deborah Smith, ““, 8 Feb 2008)
- LiveScience: Science News(Charles Q. Choi, ““, 7 Feb 2008)
- The Why Files: The Science Behind the News(David Tenenbaum, ““, 7 Feb 2008)
- Wissenschaft(Ilka Lehnen-Beyel, ““, 8 Feb 2008)
- Spiegel(“Saxophonisten spielen mit dem Stimmapparat”, 8 Feb 2008)
- NRC Handelsblad(Margriet van der Heijden, “Fysici onthullen het geheim van een goede saxofonist”, 9 Feb 2008)
- Fox News(““, 8 Feb 2008)
- WebMD, CBS News(, ““, 7 Feb 2008)
- Physics Today(SKB, ““,)
- Guest presenter for “Science of Music” episode,Scopeby Network Ten (Australia) & CSIRO, aired Sep 2007