Ewen MacDonald (He/Him)
Associate Professor
Email: ewen.macdonald@uwaterloo.ca
Location: E7 6436
Phone: +1 519 888-4567 ext 41483
Biography
Ewen MacDonald's research expertise is in hearing, speech perception and production, and hearing-assistive devices.
In his Ph.D., he investigated the consequences of the loss of temporal synchrony on speech intelligibility in noise. The loss of synchrony in the auditory system reduces temporal information that is available to a listener's brain and can occur as a result of aging and/or synaptopathy (often referred to as "hidden" hearing loss). After graduating from the University of Toronto, he moved to Queen's University and investigated the role of auditory feedback on control of speech production. This work examined how talkers changed their speech when the acoustic feedback they received was altered in real-time. In 2011, Ewen moved to Copenhagen to take a faculty position at the Technical University of Denmark. There he continued his research into the perceptual consequences of hearing loss and how they can be addressed by hearing assistive devices.
A recent focus of his research has been on the timing of turn taking in interactive conversation and how this can be used to evaluate hearing-aid signal processing.
In his Ph.D., he investigated the consequences of the loss of temporal synchrony on speech intelligibility in noise. The loss of synchrony in the auditory system reduces temporal information that is available to a listener's brain and can occur as a result of aging and/or synaptopathy (often referred to as "hidden" hearing loss). After graduating from the University of Toronto, he moved to Queen's University and investigated the role of auditory feedback on control of speech production. This work examined how talkers changed their speech when the acoustic feedback they received was altered in real-time. In 2011, Ewen moved to Copenhagen to take a faculty position at the Technical University of Denmark. There he continued his research into the perceptual consequences of hearing loss and how they can be addressed by hearing assistive devices.
A recent focus of his research has been on the timing of turn taking in interactive conversation and how this can be used to evaluate hearing-aid signal processing.
Research Interests
- Speech Perception
- Speech Production
- Speech Communication
- Perceptual Consequences of Hearing loss and Aging
- Hearing Aid Processing
- Auditory Perception
- Acoustics
Education
- 2007, Doctorate Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
- 2002, Master of Applied Science Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
- 1999, Bachelor of Applied Science Engineering Science, University of Toronto, Canada
Awards
- 2021 Distinguished Performance Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo
Teaching*
- BME 101L - Communications in Biomedical Engineering-Visualization
- Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- BME 284 - Physiological and Biological Systems
- Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- BME 544 - Biomedical Measurement and Signal Processing
- Taught in 2025
- SYDE 101L - Communications in Systems Design Engineering-Visualization
- Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- SYDE 740 - Selected Topics in Human Systems
- Taught in 2025
* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.
Selected/Recent Publications
- Sørensen AJM, Fereczkowski M, MacDonald EN, The effects of noise and second language on conversational dynamics in task dialogue, Trends in Hearing, , 2021
- Kowalewski B, Fereczkowski M, Strelcyk O, MacDonald E, Dau T, Assessing the effects of hearing-aid compression on auditory spectral and temporal resolution using an auditory modeling framework, Acoustical Science and Technology, 214, 2020
- Kowalewski B, Zaar J, Fereczkowski M, MacDonald EN, Strelcyk O, May T, Dau T, Effects of Slow-and Fast-Acting Compression on Hearing-Impaired Listeners’ Consonant--Vowel Identification in Interrupted Noise, Trends in hearing, 233121651, 2018
- Fereczkowski M, Jepsen ML, Dau T, MacDonald EN, Investigating time-efficiency of forward masking paradigms for estimating basilar membrane input-output characteristics, PloS one, , 2017
- Ohlenforst B, Souza PE, MacDonald EN, Exploring the Relationship Between Working Memory, Compressor Speed, and Background Noise Characteristics., Ear and hearing, 137, 2016
- Chabot-Leclerc A, MacDonald EN, Dau T, Predicting binaural speech intelligibility using the signal-to-noise ratio in the envelope power spectrum domain, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 192, 2016
- Lőcsei G, Pedersen JH, Laugesen S, Santurette S, Dau T, MacDonald EN, Temporal fine-structure coding and lateralized speech perception in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners, Trends in Hearing, 233121651, 2016
- MacDonald EN, Johnson EK, Forsythe J, Plante P, Munhall KG, Children's development of self-regulation in speech production, Current Biology, 113, 2012
- MacDonald EN, Purcell DW, Munhall KG, Probing the independence of formant control using altered auditory feedback, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 955, 2011
- MacDonald EN, Goldberg R, Munhall KG, Compensations in response to real-time formant perturbations of different magnitudes, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1059, 2010
In The News
Graduate studies
- Currently considering applications from graduate students. A completed online application is required for admission; start the application process now.