Dr Kiri Mealings is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working with the ECological Hearing Outcomes Laboratory (ECHO Lab), Macquarie University Hearing, Centre for Language Sciences (CLaS) and the Department of Linguistics.

As a member of the ECHO Lab, directed by Associate Professor Jorg Buchholz, Dr Mealings works to solve the challenge of communicating in complex, noisy environments for people with listening difficulties.

She leads a research program that focuses on understanding the impact of classroom design on children’s listening, learning and wellbeing. Equipped with this knowledge, the research team aims to influence inclusive design policy to promote acoustically friendly classrooms that benefit children’s learning.

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1. What made you choose linguistics?

It wasn’t my first choice. My undergraduate degree was in maths, and I also did a music diploma. I did not want to go into teaching, so my sister, who completed her speech pathology degrees at Macquarie, suggested I might be interested in speech, hearing and acoustic sciences.

I picked up linguistics as a second major and met some great lecturers and supervisors. I did honours in speech and hearing sciences and a PhD on the effects of open-plan and enclosed classroom acoustic conditions on children’s speech perception. It turns out my sister was right! 

2. What project are you working on now?

We are about to start a study assessing how children communicate in the different acoustic conditions of different classrooms. This will involve taking 3D audio-visual recordings that we will use to reproduce different classroom acoustic environments in the 3D audio-visual display of the Australian Hearing Hub’s anechoic chamber. We will use this to assess children’s listening.

3. If someone gave you $1 million in research funding, what would you do with it?

My dream is to conduct a large-scale study in as many different classrooms as possible (open plan, enclosed, flexible) with as many different children as possible (typically developing children, as well as children with hearing loss, ADHD and language difficulties) to assess what is the best, most inclusive acoustic classroom design for promoting children’s listening, learning and wellbeing.

4. What is something you are proud of, either in your professional or private life?

I’m thankful that I was able to graduate with a PhD. I am the first person in my family to complete a PhD, so I am thankful for my family’s encouragement and support.

5. When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I think I wanted to be a meteorologist.

6. What is your favourite photo from your camera roll?

In my spare time I love to play music and netball and do craft. This is a photo of some of my favourite craft projects – a macrame lamp shade and macrame bag, my ‘all-sorts’ paper flowers bunch, and potted paper tulips.

 

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7. What does a perfect weekend look like for you? 

A trip to regional New South Wales to visit my family and enjoy the space and country air.

8. Who is someone who has had a big influence on you?

My parents. They taught me kindness and compassion, and how to have a laugh.

9. What is an object that is special to you and why?

My flute. I am thankful for the encouragement I received when I was growing up and the investment I made into practicing and preparing for exams, so now I can enjoy creating music and bringing joy to others.

10. You have a blank ticket to anywhere in the world. Where are you going and what will you do while you are there?

I have never been to Canada, but I would like to visit. I like exploring the outdoors as well as new cities so I think Canada would have a lot to offer.