My fields are music and speech acoustics and cellular biophysics.

Our group studies the acoustics of musical instruments and of the vocal tract, and the production and analysis of sound by physiological, mechanical and electronic systems. We have collaborative research projects with the leading manufacturer of cochlear implants (on the coding of music), and with local instrument makers. John Smith and I have developed a technique for rapid, precise measurement of acoustic impedance spectra and transfer functions. We use this technique to study musical instruments and the human vocal tract.

Important examples of cellular thermodynamics occur in cryobiology. Many living tissues are damaged by freezing and in most cases tissue damage can be traced to damage of cell membranes. We study the thermal physics of these processes at scales from the ultrastructural to the environmental.

• Chen, J.M., Smith,. J. and Wolfe, J. (2008) "Experienced saxophonists learn to tune their vocal tracts", Science, 319, 726.
• Tarnopolsky, A, Fletcher, N. Hollenberg, L., Lange, B., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2005) The vocal tract and the sound of a didgeridoo. Nature, 436, 39.
• Joliveau, E., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2004) "Tuning of vocal tract resonances by sopranos", Nature , 427, 116.
• Wolfe, J., Carter, P., Parker, S., Fearn, R., and Frampton, N. (Patent, 2001) "Multirate cochlear stimulation strategy and apparatus". (International publication date: 18/1/2001; priority date: 13/7/1999). Australia (App'n No 56652/00), Canada (TBA), Japan (TBA), US (TBA) and Europe (Appn No 00941808.8)
• Fearn, R, and Wolfe, J (2000) "The relative importance of rate and place: experiments using pitch scaling techniques with cochlear implantees" Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, 109, 51-53.
• Dowd, A., Smith, J.R. and Wolfe, J. (1998) "Learning to pronounce vowel sounds in a foreign language using acoustic measurements of the vocal tract as feedback in real time" Language and Speech , 41, 1-20.
• Music acoustics A web-based resource based on results of our research in music acoustics.
• Speech Acoustics. A web resource based on results of our research in the acoustics of the speech

Selected Publications in Biophysics

Recognition of research and teaching.

• Physclips has won the Physics division of the 2007 Pirelli Prizes for Science Communication. Physclips uses animations and film clips to introduce basic ideas in mechanics.
• In 2006 The Australian College of Educators awarded Joe Wolfe an ACE quality teaching award.
• In 2005 Scientific American gave Science and Technology Web Awards to Einstein Light, a teaching site for relativity and to Music Acoustics, the research site of the acoustics group.
• The French Acoustical Society presented Joe Wolfe with the Society's International Medal (la Médaille Étrangère) on 8 December 2004. (The medal recognises the research of the acoustics group.)
• On 30 November 2004, the Minister for Education, Science and Training presented Joe with the award for the Physical Sciences and Engineering section of the Australian Awards for University Teaching.

Educational Publications

• "How to write a PhD thesis" , J. Wolfe (1996).
• "The Science of Music", J. Wolfe, ABC, Sydney (1992) .
• A longer list of educational publications

List of publications

School of Physics
The University of New South Wales
SYDNEY 2052
Australia

J.Wolfe@unsw.edu.au

61 2 9385 4954 (UT +10, +11 Oct-Mar)

61 2 9385 6060