Karolina Kluk is Senior Clinical Lecturer in Audiology at the University of Manchester, and Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. Her research spans auditory perception, hearing loss, and the interplay between hearing and balance. She has contributed to understanding noise-induced hearing loss, vestibular influences on hearing, and the development of objective hearing assessments for infants. Her work bridges fundamental science and clinical application. She has secured substantial competitive funding, published widely, and leads programmes translating research into improved hearing healthcare, advances equality in healthcare, and supports improved quality of life for people with hearing loss.

My research journey began during my postgraduate studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland, where I specialised in acoustics. As part of an Erasmus Socrates Studentship, I completed a research project at the University of Cambridge, under the expert guidance of Professor Brian Moore and his hearing group at the Department of Experimental Psychology. This experience shaped my career path and led me to pursue a PhD in Psychology of Hearing under Professor Moore’s supervision, which I completed in 2005. Soon after, I was awarded the Pauline Ashley Prize from Deafness Research UK, which I used to train with Professor Terry Picton and Dr. Sash John at the University of Toronto’s Evoked Response Laboratory. There, I gained expertise in human auditory electrophysiology, which has remained a core method in my research.

In 2006, I started my independent career at the University of Manchester (UoM), combining a lectureship with a clinical role at Central Manchester Children’s University Hospital, before moving into a full-time university post in 2007. Since 2014 I have been a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Audiology. My research integrates auditory neuroscience and translational hearing science, funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust, NIHR, NHMRC Australia, and industry partners including Cochlear, Advanced Bionics, and Sonova.

In 2022 I became SHS Director for Social Responsibility, and in 2025 I was apointed FBMH Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

My fundamental research investigates how hearing and balance interact and contribute to our perception of sounds and appreciation of music, supported by Wellcome Trust. I also study noise-induced and sub-clinical hearing loss, with MRC Programme Grants shaping the WHO “Make Listening Safe” campaign. My applied research focuses on objective infant hearing assessment and EEG-based hearing aid fitting, supported by MRC, EPSRC, Wellcome, and NHMRC Australia funding. Recent projects also explore auditory biomarkers for systemic disease and management of Ménière’s disease.

I also supervise PhD students who publish their work in leading journals and receive awards including the University of Manchester Doctoral Academy’s Best Contribution to Internationalisation (2019) and Best Contribution to Society (2022).

Beyond research, I am Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. I lead initiatives on social responsibility, health inequalities, and citizen science, ensuring my work improves hearing health and clinical practice worldwide.

BSc:

• PCHN34441 - Tinnitus, BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science (Audiology)
• PCHN38880 - Audiology Research Project
• I am also an Academic Advisor to UG and PG Students

MSc:

• PCHN61616 -  MSc Research Dissertation 
• PCHN64003 - Research Project STP Dissertation 

      I also contribute to:

• PCHN62010 & 60041 - Neurosensory Science, MSc in Clinical Sciences (Neurosensory Sciences)
• PCHN60080 & 62100 - Clinical Applications of Neurosensory Science, MSc in Clinical Sciences (Neurosensory Sciences)
• PCHN60091 & 60650 - Adult Auditory Assessment and Management

• Professor BCJ Moore, Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
• Professor T Picton, Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto, Canada
• Dr M S John, Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto, Canada
• Prof James Colebatch, Neurology, Prince of Wales Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
• Dr N Todd, Neuroscience Research Institute, The University of Manchester, UK
• Professor C McKay, Audiology and Deafness Research Group, The University of Manchester, UK
• Professor C Plack, Audiology and Deafness Research Group, The University of Manchester, UK
• Dr K Munro, Audiology and Deafness Research Group, The University of Manchester, UK
• Dr K Uus, Audiology and Deafness Research Group, The University of Manchester, UK
• Dr A Malicka, The University of Queensland, Australia

• Acoustical Society of America 
• British Society of Audiology
• Association for Research in Otolaryngology

PhD

Department of Experimental Psychology,                                            
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; 2002-2006
Thesis title: Measuring and characterising cochlear dead regions.

MSc

Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics (Acoustics)    
University of Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan, Poland; 1999-2001
Thesis title: Speech intelligibility in noise for people with cochlear dead regions.

BSc

Hearing Prosthetics, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics          
University of Adam Mickiewicz, Poznan, Poland; 1996-1999