Matthew Winn

Matthew Winn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He directs the Listen Lab, which focuses on understanding speech communication and the challenges faced by people with hearing loss, particularly those using cochlear implants.

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy: Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, 2011
• Doctor of Audiology: Clinical Audiology, University of Maryland, 2010
• Bachelor of Arts: Psychology, Philosophy, University of Delaware, 2005
• Postdoctoral training: Cochlear implants, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2012-2015

Dr. Winn's primary research focuses on listening effort in people with cochlear implants, examining how hearing loss affects speech communication. His work combines clinical audiology with detailed measurements and manipulations of speech acoustics, viewing speech through the lens of the auditory system. He has made significant contributions to understanding how spectral degradation affects speech perception, how contextual cues influence listening effort, and how listeners accommodate gender-related voice differences. His research often employs pupillometry as a measure of cognitive load during speech processing.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the relationship between listening effort and speech intelligibility, showing that these are distinct constructs. He has also critically examined methodological approaches in speech perception research and addressed sociolinguistic issues such as gender bias in vocal fry perception.

Dr. Winn is committed to improving communication skills among scientists through seminars, workshops, and publicly available educational materials. He has developed Praat scripts and other research tools that are widely used in the speech science community.

His laboratory work bridges clinical audiology with fundamental speech science, with implications for improving communication strategies for individuals with hearing loss and optimizing cochlear implant technology.