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Mark Avis
Lecturer
Contact details
Email: M.R.Avis@salford.ac.uk
Telephone: 0161 295 4716
Location: Newton Building
Profile
Mark Avis graduated from Salford University in 1993 having studied Electroacoustics at what was then the Dept. of Applied Acoustics. After a period in general acoustic consultancy he returned to carry out research into the active control of room modes as a part-time PhD candidate. He was awarded his PhD in 2001, and continues as a lecturer with research and consultancy interests in low-frequency room acoustics, active control, transducer design and vibration. Mark is the Programme Leader for the MSc Audio Acoustics. He is a member of the Institute of Acoustics.
Research Interests
My PhD project centred on attempts to reduce the frequency-, spatial- and time-domain artefacts associated with the reproduction of sound in small built spaces at low frequency. This involved quite a lot of work combining an understanding of modal systems (in my case rooms at low frequency), electroacoustic transducer design and digital signal processing. These three fields occupy a significant proportion of my teaching interests, and I am active in research in all three areas.
I have been working on two PPE (Partnerships for Public Engagement in science) projects recently, concerned with providing resources for GCSE and A/S level students working on wave and vibrations syllabi. The projects have produced a range of high-quality textual, sound, animation and video resources for students and teachers who might not be expected to have access to facilities such as those found at Salford.
A fair proportion of my time is spent working in association with industry, on a range of projects concerned with various aspects of acoustics and vibration. Recently I have been involved in projects looking at microphone enclosures for automotive applications, telephone handset acoustics, vibration-reduced power tools (which resulted in a patent application) and shock measurements on glass bus shelters subject to vandal attack. Clients have been both UK and EU-based. The department has recently invested heavily in a scanning laser dopler interferometer for non-contact velocity measurements, and I am keen to develop its commercial potential.
Also in conjunction with industry, I am involved in two KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) projects which are funded by the DTI to encourage knowledge transfer between academia and UK industry. Both are concerned with developing new acoustical products, where the company has wide-ranging expertise but needs sustained support in developing in-house acoustic design capability. This program offers benefits to industry and the academic, and provides an interesting ‘applied’ alternative to traditional academic research programs.
