Prof. Dick Botteldooren
Dick Botteldooren is full professor at Ghent University, where he heads the Acoustics Research Group and teaches several courses on sound and computational techniques.
His research spans a wide range of topics, including acoustic modeling, noise mapping, environmental sensor networks, computational intelligence, perception of environmental sound, health effects of sound, biomonitoring, urban sound planning, soundscapes, and noise policy support. He has authored 105 journal articles and hundreds of conference papers. Thanks to his expertise, he has served as an advisor to both national and international health councils and noise policy makers.
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
Department of Information Technology
e-mail: Dick.Botteldooren@UGent.be
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
Department of Information Technology
e-mail: Georgios.Spyropoulos@ugent.be
Prof. Georgios Spyropoulos
Georgios (George D.) Spyropoulos is associate professor in the Department of Information Technology at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Materials Science and Technology from the University of Crete, where he first worked on organic electronics. He completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, focusing on advanced fabrication strategies for solution-processed solar cells.
As a postdoctoral fellow—supported by the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program—he continued his work at Columbia University’s Translational Neuro-Electronics Lab, developing organic-electronic neural interface technologies.
His current research centers on innovative neural interfaces to study auditory–neurological pathways, understand brain function, and enable diagnostics and interventions for related disorders. Prof. Spyropoulos is the principal investigator of the Neural Waves (NeW) Lab.
Prof. Sarah Verhulst
Prof. Dr. Sarah Verhulst is Full Professor in Hearing Technology at Ghent University, where she leads the Hearing Technology Lab, an interdisciplinary research group focused on auditory neuroscience and hearing technologies. She earned her PhD from the Technical University of Denmark, completed postdoctoral training at Boston University and Harvard University, and later became Assistant Professor at Oldenburg University. She joined UGent with an ERC Starting Grant and currently leads several EU and FWO projects. She is a member of the Belgian Young Academy, a laureate of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium, and a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America.
The Hearing Technology Lab combines EEG, otoacoustic emissions, and computational modelling to study how normal and impaired auditory systems encode sound. This work enables new hearing-screening methods, improved hearing-restoration strategies, AI-driven technologies, and evidence-based noise-exposure guidelines.
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
Department of Information Technology
e-mail: Sarah.Verhulst@ugent.be
Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Department of Head and Skin
e-mail: Ingeborg.Dhooge@ugent.be
Prof. Ingeborg Dhooge
Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Dhooge is Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent), a role she has held since 2007. She completed her medical degree in 1988, specialized in ENT in 1992, and received additional otology training in Nijmegen, as well as short fellowships in Switzerland and France. She earned her PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Groningen in 1997.
Her expertise lies in diagnosing and treating ear and hearing disorders, with broad experience in middle-ear surgery. She is actively involved in a multidisciplinary skull-base team and has a strong clinical and research focus on deafness, cochlear implantation, balance disorders, and tinnitus.
Prof. Dhooge combines her clinical work with teaching in medicine, speech-language pathology, and audiology, and contributes to ENT resident training. She has published widely, mentors young researchers, and regularly presents at national and international scientific meetings.
Prof. Hannah Keppler
Prof. Dr. Hannah Keppler is a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Ghent University. Her research focuses on the prevention and diagnosis of hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, as well as the development of tests for listening effort and speech comprehension, and the treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids.
She teaches several courses in the bachelor’s and master’s programs in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, supervises master’s theses, and serves on various academic committees. She also works as an audiologist at Ghent University Hospital, where she leads clinical audiological evaluations and coordinates a multidisciplinary team caring for patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
e-mail: Hannah.Keppler@ugent.be
Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Department of Head and Skin
e-mail: Frederic.Acke@ugent.be
Prof. Frederic Acke
Prof. Dr. Frederic Acke is an ENT specialist at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent), focusing on disorders of the ear, hearing, and balance system. He completed his medical degree at Ghent University in 2011, earned a PhD in Medical Sciences in 2015 for research on hereditary hearing loss, and became a certified ENT specialist in 2019.
After his clinical training at ZNA Middelheim and UZ Gent, he spent a year at the Chen Lab in Boston (Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts Eye and Ear), conducting research on gene therapy for hearing loss. Since October 2020, he has been a staff member in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at UZ Gent.
In addition to his clinical work, he teaches in the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology program and contributes to the training of ENT residents. His research focuses on the pathophysiology and treatment of ear and balance disorders, and he has published multiple articles in international journals.