Sam Denys

KU Leuven is offering a four-year PhD position within the Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (ExpORL) research group in the Department of Neurosciences, in close collaboration with the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at UZ Leuven. The project sits at the intersection of audiology, otology, and clinical-translational research, and focuses on improving both the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss. The PhD project combines two complementary research lines. The first line investigates objective clinical assessment of speech understanding using neural speech tracking with CORGEE, an EEG-based technology recently implemented at UZ Leuven. This method measures neural processing of speech without requiring active participation from the patient, making it especially relevant for young children and other patients who are difficult to test with conventional behavioural audiological methods. The successful candidate will contribute to the clinical implementation and validation of CORGEE within the otology care pathway, and will study its added value for clinical decision-making, hearing aid fitting, cochlear implant fitting, and rehabilitation follow-up. The second research line addresses bony obliteration in cholesteatoma surgery. The PhD candidate will participate in CLEAR-EAR, an international multicentre prospective randomised study comparing the conventional canal wall up technique with the same procedure combined with bony mastoid obliteration. This part of the project will examine whether obliteration reduces residual and recurrent cholesteatomas, improves hearing outcomes and quality of life, and leads to more cost-effective treatment. The work includes prospective collection and analysis of clinical, surgical, audiological, and radiological data, with collaboration across university centres in Belgium and the Netherlands. This is a clinically oriented PhD with direct impact on patient care, offering hands-on experience in objective hearing assessment, otology research, surgery-related outcomes research, and translational data analysis. The project provides training in clinical research, scientific writing, and international collaboration, as well as opportunities to present findings at conferences and develop into an independent researcher. Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in Speech and Language Therapy and Audiological Sciences, (Bio)medical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field. Strong analytical skills, a critical scientific mindset, excellent communication, and the ability to work effectively with patients, clinicians, and researchers are expected. The position requires excellent Dutch and English, with good knowledge of French. The position is based at KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, and includes a competitive PhD scholarship according to KU Leuven salary scales. Applications close on 2026-11-17.