Tjeerd Andringa

Jobs and activities

Associate professor Auditory Cognition (80%), Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen
Senior researcher Cognitive Sensor Systems at INCAS3

Since 2005 I lead the Sensory Cognition Group. Currently I am board member of EuCognitionII - the 2nd European Network for the Advancement of Artificial Cognitive Systems, Interaction and Robotics

Research interests

What makes sound annoying and how annoyance impairs health
Sound analysis and recognition techniques for truly autonomous systems
Emotion, attention, and perception
Soundscape research and its applications to (community) well-being
Agency, Autonomy, Power, and Geopolitics

Short biography

Current position

For four days per week I am Associate Professor (Universitair Hoofddocent) in Auditory Cognition at the University of Groningen's Institute of Artificial Intelligence ALICE since Februari 2009. In addition I work as senior researcher at INCAS3. INCAS3 is a research institute which advances scientific and technological knowledge in the domain of sensors and sensor systems. One of my roles is to define cognitive sensors as endpoint of sensor technology, another is to help to set-up soundscape related research and to help to develop soundscape tools.

Past positions

In the period 1991 - 1999 I collaborated with Niels Taatgen and Petra Hendriks to design and build what is now the department Artificial Intelligence.
In the period 1995-2001 I used my spare time for PhD-research in Continuity Preserving Signal Processing (a form of processing that can be used separate and select individual sounds in mixtures of sounds).
From 1999-2004 I was founder and director of Sound Intelligence, the company that developed the first practical sound source detection system for a complex source (verbal aggression) for uncontrolled social environments.
In the period 2005-2009, when I had returned to the AI-department to start my own group, I doubled as director of Education of the AI programs.

Roles

I like to be involved in long — multi-year — projects, where I participate from conception to fruition.

The role that I aspire to fullfil is that of a bridge-builder between communities of experts. I do not necessarily need to be an expert in any of the domains since I am often able to detect and formulate both conflicts and commonalities on a more abstract level. Well presented, this more abstract level is often a place where creativity, complementarity and — eventually — solutions and opportunities are found.
The true value of scientific results cannot be determined in the fields where they originate from. The true value is determined by the benefits to other domains of science and — eventually — to society as a whole. I see it as a personal responsibility to detect scientific gems in one field, apply them in others, and help to make them work in society.
A good scientific, technological, or even commercial idea is not enough for success. Ultimately it is often a vision, which can be realized with the idea, that determines what can and cannot be funded. I often play a role in the formulation and eventual realization of visions. Examples of this are department of Artificial Intelligence that I helped to build from start, the Auditory Cognition Group, our real-world sound recognition technologies, and the EU cognitive Systems activities.