It’s been a bit of a crazy time. I’m just three weeks away from finishing up my stint in professional services at the University of Edinburgh (for now). After 12 years living in Glasgow, I’m shortly moving south to Cambridge and I can finally publicly tell you why! I’m still completely shocked to announce that I was successful in my application for postdoctoral research funding and from 1 October I will be taking up the post of British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge.
I’m going to be based at the Phonetics Lab there with my fabulous mentor Dr Kirsty MacDougall. I was fortunate to visit the lab earlier this Summer while I was down in Cambridge for all of 6 hours. Happily happening upon two practice talks by PhD students in the lab, seeing the office where I’ll be based, and the recording studio, I got the feeling that I was going to be right at home there — just like my beloved GULP!
Well, what am I going to be doing? Continuing on the theme of analyzing choral singing, I seek to answer whether singers phonetically accommodate in choral singing in a series of experiments. Fundamentally, there is an assumption in choral singing that singers adapt to each other in various ways, sometimes referred to as “choral blend”. It is known that they are capable of matching fine changes in pitch and vibrato rate, but what about vowel quality, voice quality, and consonant realization? What better place to test this question than in Cambridge? I still can’t quite believe that I have been afforded the privilege to continue this work, not least because the competition this year has been very tough. I am extremely grateful. You can read the full abstract here: ‘Building choral sound from the ground up: phonetic convergence in choral singing’
Even though this is possibly the best news in the world, it is a bittersweet time. I am leaving my lovely little home in Glasgow’s West End, where I have made so many friends. My 12 years’ service in the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir drew to a close in June (for real this time), at the end of our tour to Paris and the Basque region. I have met countless legends through UofG chapel choir over the years and there are too many to list (you know who you are!). I’ve been told that I will be missed — almost as much as I will miss it!
I’m also leaving Edinburgh Research Office where I’ve had my first full-time “proper” job. While being relatively new, I have learned so much in such a short space of time and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the extraordinary varied people that work there. I will miss tapping away at my keyboard in the surreal Ballroom, and all my wonderful colleagues, especially the ever cheerful School of Biological Sciences RO team (Mairead, Caroline, and Jayne), and my brilliant line manager, Charis.
The removal van is booked, I’ve put down a deposit on a room, and my current flat is also ready to fly the roost — so it is all systems go — excitement and trepidation all at once.
If you’re passing through Cambridge in the next three years, don’t hesitate to reach out!
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