Internal News

SZRI Successfully Hosts Postdoctoral Mid-term Review for Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt

To support the development of high-level talent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and to promote technological innovation and industry-academia-research integration in auditory neuroscience and cochlear implant research, on the afternoon of 5 August 2026 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI) successfully held the mid-term defence of Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt in Conference Room R4, 2nd Floor, Shenzhen Virtual University Park. This mid-term assessment marks a new phase in the postdoctoral research work at SZRI. As an international postdoctoral researcher at the institute, Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt's training and development during his appointment fully demonstrates SZRI's internationalized and diversified postdoctoral talent cultivation system, and reflects the institute's strategic vision of attracting top young research talents from around the globe and building a cross-border integrated research platform. 

The mid-term defense was conducted in a hybrid online-offline format. The review panel consisted of Professor Jan Schnupp from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor WEI Chaogang from Shenzhen Longgang ENT Hospital, Professor YU Xiongjie from Zhejiang University, Professor HUANG Pingbo from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Professor MENG Qinglin from South China University of Technology, who conducted the assessment of his progress report. Also in attendance were Mr. LIU Wenlin, Head of the Strategy Research Department at Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Research Center, Ms. YANG Junyan from the Postdoctoral Research Workstation of Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Ms. ZHAN Chenyu, Secretary of Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt, as well as LI Yangyan, Postdoctor Administrator of CUHK-SZRI.

During the session, Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt presented a comprehensive report on the research project titled "Towards Near-Normal Spatial Hearing: Identifying Neural Markers of Interaural Time Differences via Fast Cochlear Implant-Compatible Optical and Electroencephalographic Imaging." The presentation covered the research objectives and significance, recent progress in China and abroad, academic value, core research content, and methodological approaches. The project is centred on the core scientific question of how the auditory system encodes fine temporal information in sound, and how the brain subsequently reads and utilizes that information. Mandarin Chinese is a tone language, yet current cochlear implant sound-processing strategies convey the fundamental frequency and temporal fine-structure cues essential for lexical tone perception with only limited efficacy - a gap that is directly relevant to the rehabilitation needs of China's large hearing-impaired population. To address this, the study employs a non-invasive neuroimaging approach combining functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with electroencephalography (EEG) to simultaneously record subcortical frequency-following responses and cortical auditory evoked potentials from the same cohort of listeners. These recordings are complemented by auditory nerve computational modeling and neural decoding analyses. The research aims to resolve two key questions: how continuous pitch contours are transformed into discrete lexical tone categories, and whether difficulties in tone perception arise from limited information encoding at the peripheral auditory system or from restricted central decoding capacity. The findings are expected to yield quantifiable neural markers that can inform the optimization of cochlear implant sound-processing algorithms and support the objective evaluation of post-implantation auditory rehabilitation outcomes.

Following the presentation, the panel engaged in in-depth discussion regarding the research design, technical feasibility, and novelty of the project. The panel unanimously agreed that the research topic is cutting-edge, the research questions are clearly focused, the research content is substantial, and the technical approach is both reasonable and feasible, aligning with the current development directions in the field of auditory neuroscience and cochlear implant research. The panel unanimously approved that Dr. Rens Elia Burghardt has passed the mid-term assessment with distinction.

About the CUHK-Shenzhen ENT, Head and Neck Institute

Located within the National University Science Park in Shenzhen Virtual University Park, CUHK-SZRI Research Institute focuses on advancing scientific research in biomedicine, information technology, and sustainable development. The Institute actively implements Shenzhen’s high-level talent policies by leveraging the university's robust intellectual property and technology transfer management systems. It continuously explores new models for research institutions, project management, and technology transfer, dedicated to cultivating outstanding talent for Shenzhen and the entire nation.

The CUHK-Shenzhen ENT, Head and Neck Institute's primary research areas include head and neck tumours, hearing, and other otorhinolaryngology-related diseases. The joint research team is committed to establishing the institute as a significant platform for scientific research exchange, medical and biopharmaceutical research and development, and a model demonstration of health cooperation in the field of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Institute is led by Professor TANG Zhihui, who holds concurrent appointments as professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Research Fellow at CUHK-SZRI. The research team currently comprises one senior researcher and one postdoctoral fellow.