Dr Bec Bennett is the Principal Research Audiologist at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and a leading figure in adult audiological rehabilitation. Her research focuses on improving the social and emotional well-being of adults with hearing loss, with particular expertise in the development of digital health interventions, implementation science, and person- and family-centred care.

Bec is passionate about bridging the gap between research and clinical practice. She leads innovative projects that translate complex evidence into practical tools for both clinicians and people with hearing loss. Her recent work includes the co-development of mobile apps and clinician resources that support self-management and empowerment throughout the hearing rehabilitation journey.

Bec is committed to community-driven research. She actively involves consumers, families, and clinicians in all stages of her research through participatory design methods.

Bec regularly collaborates with national and international partners and is widely published in peer-reviewed journals. She is a sought-after speaker on topics such as holistic hearing care, digital health, and the role of implementation science in hearing care.

Education

Bec completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours in Microbiology and Parasitology) in 2002 and a Masters of Audiology in 2004 at the University of Queensland. While working as a clinical audiologist she completed a Masters of Business through the University of Newcastle to develop her managerial and project management skills. Bec managed a chain of hearing clinics in Western Australia from 2009 to 2013, during which time she competed a Graduate Diploma of Counselling so that she could develop a training program to help her staff develop their skills for providing better social and emotional support to their clients. Bec completed her PhD (School of Medicine) through the University of Western Australia in 2019, and worked as a Research Lead at the Ear Science Institute Australia from 2019 to 2023. During this time, Bec was awarded two competitive post-doctoral research fellowships: (i) a Raine Medical Research Foundation Priming Fellowship 2020-2021, and (ii) a NHMRC Investigator Fellowship 2023-2028.