# In Memoriam: Bertrand Delgutte, PhD August 21, 2024 ![Dr. Delgutte Headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum8391/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/oto/files/delgutte_headshot.jpg?itok=opGNMGTO) It is with great sadness to share the news that Bertrand Delgutte, PhD, Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School and investigator in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear, passed away on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Dr. Delgutte came to Mass Eye and Ear and the Eaton Peabody Laboratories (EPL) in 1975, when he began his doctoral research on speech coding in the auditory nerve under the co-mentorship of Ken Stevens, PhD, from MIT Electrical Engineering, and Nelson Kiang, PhD, the founding Director of the EPL. After a three-year post-doctoral fellowship (1981 – 1984) at the Centre National d’Etude des Télécommunications in France, Dr. Delgutte returned to Mass Eye and Ear where he continued until his passing as a researcher and teacher. He was first appointed as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 1989 and promoted to Professor in 2010. His research focused on understanding the neural basis of auditory perception with an eye towards improving the design of hearing aids and cochlear implants. He and his students published over 70 neurophysiological studies on acoustically and/or electrically evoked responses in the auditory nerve and inferior colliculus. His body of work clarified the neural basis for the coding of pitch, the coding of binaural cues in cochlear implants, the importance of spatial hearing in challenging acoustic environments, and the neural mechanisms that allow humans to compensate for severe distortions in speech and other sounds caused by reverberation. In recognition of the importance of his research contributions, he was named a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America in 2010. In 2023, Dr. Delgutte received the prestigious William and Christine Hartmann Prize in Auditory Neuroscience from the Acoustical Society of America, in recognition of his pioneering achievements linking auditory physiology and auditory perception. Dr. Delgutte was a popular and effective mentor, serving as the thesis advisor for many graduate students in the Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT). His numerous trainees have gone on to pursue influential research careers in academia and industry, notably in key research and development (R&D) positions in leading hearing restoration companies, such as Starkey, Advanced Bionics, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Cochlear Corporation. Dr. Delgutte also played a major leadership role in the SHBT Program. He developed and taught a core course in the SHBT curriculum - Audition*: Neural Mechanisms, Perception and Cognition.* He also served as Program Co-Director from 2003 – 2012 and as Program Director from 2012 – 2022, shepherding SHBT through several successful five-year renewals of the large NIH training grant that has served as its major source of financial support. "Bertrand had a ready smile and an infectious laugh. He was a valued colleague, and he will be sorely missed," shared [M. Charles Liberman, PhD,](https://researchers.masseyeandear.org/details/323/) Harold F. Schuknecht Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at HMS and investigator in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear. Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)