Alina Schulte

Currently, I investigate how listening fatigue affects our choices to engage or disengage in listening situations. Given the buildup of mental fatigue in combination with how rewarding a listening situation is for us personally, we are willing to invest more or less effort. Understanding the dynamics of these processes better may eventually allow us to monitor each person’s ”listening battery” and which can be used to alleviate listening-related fatigue by the end of the day. Within this project, I am particularly interested in the neural correlates responsible for discounting behavior and mental fatigue.

During one of the first conference I attended as a neurocognitive psychology student, I heard a talk about cochlear implants, which I found fascinating and really triggered my interest in hearing science. This is when I realized that neuro–prostheses and studying how the brain adapts to sensory impairments such as hearing difficulties is an exciting field, I would like to focus on for my PhD.  

I was lucky to get a PhD position at Eriksholm in a project that exactly matched my interests in multisensory perception, cochlear implants and neuroimaging. After that, I was fortunate again, being able to stay to work in my current position as a postdoc in collaboration with DTU, now focusing on listening fatigue. 

In addition to the long-term vision of impacting hearing care, I find the combination of interacting with test participants, analyzing data, and presenting results through papers and presentations very rewarding. I don’t think any other job offers such variety in tasks and skill development. Both Eriksholm and DTU are inspiring workplaces with unique atmospheres, work cultures and colleagues, which motivate me every day. Sometimes also the cows and horses on my bike ride to Eriksholm in the morning sun contribute to unexpected joy and motivation for the day.  

I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of how the brain processes sounds along with other sensory inputs, and how we can use this knowledge to improve hearing devices. I believe we haven’t yet fully explored the holistic potential of hearing aids.  

I enjoy sauna sessions, yoga, contemporary dance and taking a dip in the sea – it’s always super refreshing and clears my mind. I also love live music and, occasionally, a good techno party.  

Hearing and brain implants are both fascinating and a bit scary to me. I find neuro–engineering an exciting field that I believe will also affect how we use hearing aids in the future. 

In the bigger picture, I hope that science will be able to manage the climate crisis, keeping our planet livable. Generally, I hope that the work of scientists will be better acknowledged, resulting in more stable job opportunities and better working conditions, especially in academia.