• Skip to navigation
  • Skip to content
Ulster University logo Return to Ulster University homepage
  • Global students – Resources for Ulster University International Students
  • Staff Links – Resources for Ulster University staff
  • Student Guide - The Student Guide to Ulster
  • Portal - for Ulster University
  • Find staff & Departments – search and browse Ulster’s staff directory
  • News – for Ulster University
  • Events – for Ulster University
  • Home - Ulster University website homepage
  • Study at Ulster University

    Study options

    • Study in Northern Ireland
    • Undergraduate study options
    • Postgraduate study options
    • Postgraduate Research/ PhD
    • Short courses and CPD
    • Part-time Undergraduate study options
    • Part-time study options
    • eLearning study at Ulster University

    Courses

    • Search for courses
    • A to Z 2023/24
    • A to Z 2022/23

    More information

    • Entrance requirements
    • Equivalence of qualifications
    • Your rights and obligations
    • International students
    • Further education students
    • Associate students
  • Campus Life at Ulster University

    Campus Life

    • Campuses
    • Accommodation - Residential Services
    • Sport Services
    • Students' Union UUSU
    • All Ulster University Events

    Support

    • Student Guide
    • Student Wellbeing
    • Digital Services
    • Library

    Careers and Opportunities

    • Employability and Careers
    • Go Global
    • Science Shop
    • Student Enterprise
  • Research & Impact

    Research & Impact

    • Our research
    • Collaboration and Innovation
    • Work with us
    • Our Research Topics
    • Our Research Teams

    PhD/Research degrees

    • Funded & Self Funded PhDs
    • Postgraduate Research Programmes
    • How to apply for PhD Research
    • Funding for Phd's
    • Contact the Doctoral College

    More information

    • PURE - research portal
    • REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
    • Policies and Procedures
  • Business themed areas of Ulster University

    Work with Us

    • Recruit top talent
    • Business School student placements
    • Scholarships, sponsorships and corporate giving
    • Upskill courses by Sector

    Business Engagement

    • Build a course
    • Executive Education Courses
    • Apprenticeship Hub
    • Business leader Peer Mentoring
    • Postgraduate short courses

    Research Expertise

    • Work with us
    • Funding opportunities
    • Innovation Ulster Ltd
    • Case studies
    • Meet the team

    Further Information

    • Market information
    • Hire one of our venues
  • Graduates of Ulster University
  • Home - Go to homepage
  • Study Options at Ulster University
  • Find a course at Ulster University
  • Campus Life
  • Research & Impact at Ulster University
  • Business at Ulster University
  • Graduates - find out about Alumni and Supporters at Ulster University
  • Global Students – become part of our global community at Ulster University

  • Student Guide
  • Staff Links – Resources for Ulster University staff
  • Find staff & Departments – search and browse Ulster’s staff directory
  • Portal – customise and access your online services

  •   Twitter account for Ulster University
  •   Facebook account for Ulster University
  •   YouTube account for Ulster University
Ulster University
  • Search
  • Link for Ulster University
  • Link for News
  • Link for 2022
  • Link for February

Ulster University and Canary Speech build innovative partnership

Ulster University and Canary Speech, Inc have formed a new strategic partnership by sponsoring a PhD researcher in the School of Computing and School of Psychology to study how voice technology can be used to identify vocal biomarkers in speech as an indicator of mental health and wellbeing in young people.

10 February 2022
Share Article: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

Ulster University and Canary Speech, Inc have formed a new strategic partnership by sponsoring a PhD researcher in the School of Computing and School of Psychology to study how voice technology can be used to identify vocal biomarkers in speech as an indicator of mental health and wellbeing in young people.

Philip Donaghy, the Ulster PhD researcher who will be assisting in the joint venture between Canary Speech and Ulster University, has a breadth of experience making him qualified for this position. Donaghy will successfully run a clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the Canary Speech technology for cognitive and behavioral health monitoring, make meaningful contributions to the field of speech analysis for mental health support and assessment that can play a critical part in alleviating the burden of mental, neurological, substance use disorders, and self-harm.

AI voice technology is the future of healthcare innovation and I'm thrilled to be a part of this strategic partnership with Canary Speech and Ulster University,” said Phillip Donaghy, PhD researcher. “Our end goal is to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

This joint venture has the shared goal of using this cutting-edge technology to provide better client care and outcomes in young people by performing a clinical study assessing vocal biomarkers as an indicator of young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Eddie Friel, said:

“The University is delighted to have secured support from Canary Speech, a globally recognised company, to undertake further research in this vital area. The project, which will enable health professionals to make more informed decisions and improve the quality of care for young people, aligns perfectly with the University’s research expertise and other initiatives promoting positive mental health and wellbeing at Ulster University.”

Canary’s patented technology enables a new approach to capturing and measuring critical data, through advanced analysis using AI and machine learning techniques that use features in speech (biomarkers) enabling the replacement of today’s subjective behavioral health measurements with a standard approach to objectively and comprehensively measure an array of data points.

Ultimately the study, which will be conducted under informed consent using de-identified data, will enhance the information available to clinical teams about people in their care, and increase quality of care. Audio samples can be easily acquired using smartphones and are non-invasive. Canary Speech has validated its approach in clinical, FDA drug trials, pharmaceutical, and consumer studies under strict scientific double blinded studies, and is working across a range of diseases including: stress, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s, and others.


Related news

  1. Fri 01 Jul 2022

    Celebrate the Launch of ‘The Songs of Sam Henry’ Album by local musician and PhD Researcher

  2. Fri 01 Jul 2022

    Careers Teachers’ Summit 2022 welcomes 100 delegates to the Magee campus

  3. Thu 30 Jun 2022

    Ulster University supports Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference for UK Business Educators

  4. Thu 30 Jun 2022

    The 120 miles a day uni roundtrip that led to a dream research job in the USA

Elsewhere on Ulster

Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment

Faculty of Life and Health Sciences

Ulster University Business School- Faculty

Courses & Research

  • Search for courses
  • Undergraduate courses at Ulster University
  • Postgraduate courses at Ulster University
  • Part-time courses at Ulster University
  • Short courses & CPD at Ulster University
  • Study online at Ulster University
  • Research & Impact
  • Doctoral College
  • PURE

Campus locations

  • Belfast campus
  • Coleraine campus
  • Jordanstown campus
  • Magee campus
  • London and Birmingham
  • Qatar

Campus facilities

  • Residential Services / Accommodation
  • Sports Services - Memberships and Facilities
  • Library Services and resources supporting learning, teaching and research at the University

About The University

  • About Ulster University
  • Contact Details
  • Job opportunities
  • Key calendar dates
  • Faculties
  • News - Ulster University
  • Events - Ulster University

Other sites

  • Alumni & Supporters
  • Confucius Institute
  • Get advice from Employability and Careers
  • Finance Department
  • Flexible Education
  • Digital Services - computing, digital and media services
  • People & Culture
  • Student Wellbeing
  • Sustainability

Ulster University social

@StudyAtUlster Follow us on Twitter @UlsterUni Follow us on Twitter
/studyatulster /ulsteruniversity
/StudyAtUlster /UlsterUniversity
/ulsteruni
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statements
  • Copyright
  • Freedom of Information
  • Modern Slavery Statement

© Copyright Ulster University 2022.

Ulster University is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC100166).