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The momentum that has been building behind the new Audio and Music Engineering major received another boost with the hiring of Zhiyao Duan, who joins the Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty as assistant professor.

“Zhiyao is a wonderful addition to the Hajim school, both for role he will be able to play in our new Audio and Music Engineering major as well as in the ongoing research programs in audio and signal processing in the ECE department,” chair Mark Bocko said.

Duan earned his PhD in electrical and computer engineering earlier this summer from Northwestern University. His research focus is in computer audition. “The objective,” he noted, “is to design computational systems that are capable of analyzing and processing auditory scenes” – everything from performances of a string quartet, to teleconferences.

Bocko said applications range from making cell phone conversations in noisy environments more intelligible, to computer music transcription – taking a music recording and producing a written score.

All of which lies at the heart of the new Audio and Music Engineering major, which will train students in recording and sound design, acoustics, electronics, digital signal processing and computer programming. State approval of the B.S. degree was granted earlier this year, and the opening of the Ronald Rettner Hall for Media Arts and Innovation provides state-of-the-art studios and technology.

“Zhiyao … also will help to strengthen the ties to the Eastman School and our long tradition of multi-disciplinary research at the intersection of music, engineering and science,” Bocko added.

“Building a vibrant research group to perform computer audition research is my career dream,” Duan said. “I also enjoy teaching, mentoring and working with students, both undergrads and grads.”