James M Scobbie

Professor James M Scobbie is a Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Queen Margaret University's School of Health Sciences and serves as Director of the Clinical Audiology, Speech and Language Research Centre (CASL).

He holds a PhD in theoretical phonology from the University of Edinburgh (1991), preceded by studies in Cognitive Science, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence, and conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University.

His research investigates speech production through phonetics and articulation, utilizing accent variation to uncover systematic sound differences. He focuses on speech acquisition, disorders, and variation, employing instrumental techniques like ultrasound tongue imaging to develop clinical biofeedback tools for speech therapy.

His scientific awards include:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)

Professor Scobbie has secured substantial research funding as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator from major bodies. Key projects:

• PI: "Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders in Children" (CSO, 2015-2016)
• Co-I: "Changes in shape, space and time: the impact of position on the spatiotemporal and configurational articulatory properties of liquid consonants" (ESRC, 2016-2018)
• Co-I: "Dynamic Dialects: Integrating articulatory video to reveal the complexity of speech" (AHRC, 2014-2015)

He led CASL's contribution to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, achieving 92% internationally excellent or world-leading ratings, and co-founded QMU's Articulatory Research Clinic, which pioneers ultrasound-based speech assessment and therapy.