Dr Justin Zakis joined NAL in 2024 as a Principal Research Engineer. Prior to that, he led research and human studies on hearing-aid signal processing algorithms and self-fitting software at Blamey Saunders Hearing and Sonova Audiological Care Australia. This was preceded by work at start-up company Dynamic Hearing, where he created signal-processing algorithms that were licensed to manufacturers of hearing aids and cochlear implants around the world. This included leading human studies to investigate the preferred settings of these algorithms. Justin started his research at the Bionic Ear Institute, where he worked with NAL researchers on Co-Operative Research Centre projects centred around fitting, and did his Ph.D. on trainable hearing aids (using machine learning to automate fine tuning) under the supervision and guidance of Prof. Hugh McDermott and Prof. Harvey Dillon. Justin has published his research in major peer-reviewed journals, presented it at international conferences, and patented its key intellectual property. The main impact of his research has been its commercialisation into products that help people with hearing difficulties.

Education

Dr Zakis received his B.Eng(Hons) degree in electrical and computer systems engineering from Monash University, and his Ph.D. on trainable hearing aids from the University of Melbourne (Department of Otolaryngology).