Karin Loh

Karin Loh

Open for new challenges and interesting topics

Alumni from RWTH Aachen University

Biography

My passion is to work within the linkage of human and technology with the goal to contribute to human health, well-being, and development. Currently, I am finishing up my doctoral thesis on exploring hearing and cognitive abilities in young children (3 to 10 years old) and adult with respect to spatial, noise and health aspects. A new chapter is about to start and I am eager to join new opportunities and challenges.

Being a creative and analytical problem solver, I have proven abilities to work successfully in inter- and multi-disciplinary projects and teams within international context. In my previous position as the Chief Engineer of the Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics at RWTH Aachen University I have proven my ability to successfully streamline processes and internal communications to improve research and working procedures and conditions alike. I am dedicated to strategic planning, people and project management, as well as, team development.

I genuinely advocate equality in gender and diversity and the promotion of juniors. As the former vice chair of the Young Acousticians Network, I developed and introduced the EAA Mentoring Programme, and within my work as a gender and diversity representative in my faculty, I committed to support underrepresented groups in Electrical Engineering.

Languages

de
German: Mother tongue (spoken & written)
gb
English: Fluent (spoken & written)
cn
Mandarin: Good (spoken & written)
Cantonese: Mother tongue (spoken)

Soft skills

Experience in leadership and decision-making
Project management, conceptualization, and execution
Resources and funding allocation
Initiative, problem-solving, strategic thinking, and self-management
Communication skills, collaboration, mediation, and networking
Inter-cultural competence
Inter- & multi-disciplinary project work
Public relation management (social media & science communication)

Methodical skills

Experimental and clinical trial management:
research protocols, ethics application, and data protection regulations
Auditory cognition, health, and developmental research
Analyses of electrophysiological signals
Indoor acoustic, psychoacoustic and room acoustic assessment
Statistical data analysis (MS Office, R & SPSS)
Programming languages for numerical computing (MATLAB & Python)
Scientific writing and presentation (LaTEX & MS Office)
 
 
 
 
 
Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University
Chief Engineer
February 2021 – December 2023 Aachen, Germany

Responsibilities include:

  • Institute organization & representation
  • Teaching management
  • Data protection management
  • Organizational process development and implementation
  • Event (& team building) organization and onboarding management
  • Research (data, project & knowledge) management
  • Funding acquisition for teaching and equipment
  • Contribution to grant applications (e.g.,DFG, DFG-RTG, DFG-PP, DFG-CRC, EU, AiF, BmDV)
  • Contribution to and support in other research projects
 
 
 
 
 
Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University
Research Associate
May 2017 – December 2023 Aachen, Germany

Responsibilities include:

  • Execution of research projects
  • Presentation & communicating research results
  • Lecture support, exercises, seminar & lab courses
  • Student supervision: 7 bachelor theses, 9 master theses, 13 student workers
 
 
 
 
 
Cochlear Benelux NV
Intern
June 2016 – October 2016 Mechelen, Belgium

Projects:

  • Speech Intelligibility Prediction - Development of speech intelligibility predictor based on electrodograms of CIs
  • Multi-lingual digit triplet test - Analyses and post-processing of text-to-speech-generated stimuli material
 
 
 
 
 
Abiomed Europe
Intern
October 2015 – December 2015 Aachen, Germany

Project:

  • Signal processing in cardiac implants
 
 
 
 
 
Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University
Student research assistant
July 2015 – December 2015 Aachen, Germany

Project:

  • iCARE – Improving Children’s Auditory Rehabilitation
 
 
 
 
 
Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1, RWTH Aachen University
Student research assistant
July 2015 – December 2015 Aachen, Germany

Projects:

  • InMEAs – Parameter determination of “intelligent micro-electrode arrays”
  • VLARS - Building hardware multiplexer for connector to micro-electrode arrays
 
 
 
 
 

Project:

  • MedIT exoskeleton - Building and setting up a test station to test joint stresses; basic circuit board design, printing and soldering
 
 
 
 
 
RWTH Aachen University
Doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering
(Hearing Technologies and Acoustics)
October 2017 – Present Aachen, Germany

Doctoral project: Noise exposition in pre- and primary schools: Exploring noise effects in young children

Associated doctoral student in Research Training Group RTG 2416: MultiSenses-MultiScales

 
 
 
 
 
RWTH Aachen University
M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering
(Biomedical Engineering)
October 2014 – May 2017 Aachen, Germany

Master thesis:

Investigation of noise exposure in educational institutions using aurally-accurate techniques for preschool and primary school-aged children

 
 
 
 
 
School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University
Erasmus Exchange Program
(Bioinformation Technology)
January 2016 – May 2016 Espoo, Finland
 
 
 
 
 
RWTH Aachen University
B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering
(Computer Engineering)
September 2010 – September 2014 Aachen, Germany

Bachelor thesis:

Studies on Auditory Selective Attention with Visual and Acoustic Cue

 
 
 
 
 
Abitur (general qualification for university entrance)
Städt. Gymnasium Eschweiler
July 1997 – June 2010 Eschweiler, Germany

Projects

.js-id-project-lead
(2022). Examining the Auditory Selective Attention Switch in a Child-Suited Virtual Reality Classroom Environment. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health, 19(24), 16569.

PDF DOI

(2022). Toward Child-Appropriate Acoustic Measurement Methods in Primary Schools and Daycare Centers. Frontiers in Built Environment, 8.

PDF DOI

(2022). Children’s intentional switching of auditory selective attention in spatial and noisy acoustic environments in comparison to adults.. Developmental Psychology, 58(1), 69-82.

PDF DOI

(2021). Special Issue - Speech Communication in Complex Auditory Scenes and Effects on Voice Behaviour and Health, Listening Comfort, Well-being, and Learning. Guest editorship in International journal of environmental research and public health : IJERPH.

Website

 
 
 
 
 
RWTH Aachen University
Elected representative for scientific employees of the Electrical Engineering Faculty
October 2021 – December 2023 Aachen, Germany

Responsibilities:

  • Faculty council
  • Committee for structure and budget allocation
  • Examination board
  • Appointment committees
 
 
 
 
 
RWTH Aachen University
Representative for gender and diversity of the Electrical Engineering Faculty
April 2019 – December 2023 Aachen, Germany

Responsibilities:

  • Faculty council
  • Appointment committees
 
 
 
 
 

Responsibilities:

  • People recruiting and management
  • Change management of organization structure and processes
  • Conceptualization and implementation: Forum Laboris (job fair for young acousticians)
  • Conceptualization and implementation: EAA mentoring program for young acousticians
  • Organization of conference events for networking purposes
  • Implementation of stable social media channels and communication
  • Implementation of an online platform for networking and communication for young acousticians
 
 
 
 
 
TANDEMdok - Mentoring programme, RWTH Aachen University
Mentee
January 2019 – December 2019 Europe
  • Partipation in mentoring, training and networking.
  • Career development
  • Personal improvement
  • Development of managing, communication and work skills
 
 
 
 
 
ROCK YOUR LIFE! Aachen e.V.
Chair
April 2017 – November 2014 Europe

Responsibilities:

  • Recruitment of cooperating schools
  • Funding aquisition
  • People management
  • Event and project management
  • Mentoring pair support
 
 
 
 
 
Electrical Engineering Students Association, RWTH Aachen University
(Elected board) Member
January 2019 – December 2019 Europe
  • Elected board member
  • Coordination of several projects (first-year student introduction, graduation ball, Ice hockey Unicup)
  • Student representation (committee for studies and teaching, appointment committees)
 
 
 
 
 
Grant commission, RWTH Aachen University
Student representative
October 2014 – September 2015 Europe
  • Grant commission for ‘Förderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses (RFwN)’ (Funding for young academics)
 
 
 
 
 
Best Poster Award, 2nd price, Category “Natural Science”
May 2023 – May 2023 Prague, Czech Republic

Contribution:

Seitz, J., & Loh, K. (2023). A Listening Experiment to Study Intentional Switching of Auditory Selective Attention in Preschool Children. POSTER 2023, 27th International Student Conference on Electrical Engineering, Prague, Czech Republic.

 
 
 
 
 
Brigitte-Gilles-Award 2020, Category “External”
March 2021 – March 2021 Aachen, Germany

Brigitte-Gilles-Award 2020: Category external – promoting interests of female primary school students for STEM

Initiative “The interactive world of acoustics for young and older children”.
Coordination and supervision – Karin Loh
Lead – Janina Fels

 
 
 
 
 
EAA Travel Grant for Young Researchers – Euronoise 2018
May 2018 – May 2018 Hersonissos, Crete, Greece

Contribution:

Loh, K., & Fels, J. (2018). Binaural psychoacoustic parameters describing noise perception of children in comparison to adults. [Invited talk in structured session] Euronoise 2018, Hersonissos, Crete, Greece.

 
 
 
 
 
Best Poster Award, 3rd price, Category “Biomedical Engineering”
May 2017 – May 2017 Prague, Czech Republic

Contribution:

Loh, K. (2017) A concept to compare noise perception by adults and children using aurally accurate measurements. POSTER 2017, 21th International Student Conference on Electrical Engineering, Prague, Czech Republic.

Contact

Feel free to contact me - You can reach me via email or LinkedIn.