Xu's PhD student earns top honors in AAA poster competition
By Mylous Hairston
Published July 9, 2026
An innovative study using a wearable brain-computer interface to assess hearing disorders placed computer science and engineering PhD student Anarghya Das in a select group of winners at the 2026 American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Annual Convention. Out of 320 submissions worldwide, his research was among 10 projects to receive the Professional Poster Award.
The study focuses on tracking around-the-ear-brainwaves in hearing disorders, including tinnitus and hyperacusis. The wearable device monitors brainwave activity, which can serve as a biological fingerprint of sound sensitivity. The device is non-invasive and more user friendly compared to traditional EEG systems, which require many electrodes to be placed across the scalp.
Tens of millions of people across the globe are affected by hearing disorders. Regarding the potential impact, Wenyao Xu, Das’s PhD advisor and professor, and Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair, in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, states, “Our goal is to understand the root causes of hearing disorders, develop new interventions and therapies, and, ultimately, find a cure — so that millions of people living with these conditions can feel better.”
Xu notes that the study may be the first to show that important biomarkers of hearing disorders can be detected using a wearable device around the ear.
Das’s winning research was a collaboration between the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences;, co-authored by Elizabeth Rivera Rosario, a communicative disorders and sciences PhD student;, and jointly supervised by Xu and Wei Sun, associate professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences.
“My PhD thesis focuses on advancing brain-computer interface technologies for human health,” says Das. “I am excited to work with an interdisciplinary team on this journey.”
The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is based on long-term brain-computer interface research in Xu’s lab. The work could introduce a more reliable method of diagnosing hearing disorders that also allows patients to continue monitoring their condition at home.
Xu adds that he is impressed by Das’s dedication to cutting-edge research focused on neural sensing and brain-computer interface.
“The human brain is the most complicated and least explored organ in the human body — understanding how it works is a moonshot,” Xu says. “This work sits at the intersection of brain-computer interface technology and hearing science, where technical innovation meets clinical innovation. It’s rare to see both in a single student’s research.”