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Vinaya Manchaiah, Jo Mayo Endowed Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University, was recently named as an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for his collaborative research spanning the last two years. This distinguished honor highlights the importance of Manchaiah’s international research and combined efforts between ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University and the South African university.

“It is my honor and privilege to have this position. It has been wonderful collaborating with Prof. De Wet Swanepoel and his colleagues at the University of Pretoria over the last two years. This honorary appointment will help strengthen the partnership even further.”

For the last two years, Manchaiah has been working with the University of Pretoria to develop methods to analyze free text data from hearing aid users about their experiences, thanks in part to funding from Sonova, a hearing aid company. Manchaiah is also working with the LU Department of Speech and Sciences and the University of Pretoria, through a Memorandum of Understanding, on developing a Virtual Hearing Lab.

“This position allows me to supervise Ph.D. students at the University of Pretoria and also help contribute to the research mission there and also at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University,” said Manchaiah. “We are in the process of creating the website for the virtual hearing lab which will bring much needed attention to our research efforts.”

For more information about Manchaiah and his international research efforts or the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, please visit lamar.edu/speechandhearing.