Continuing Professional Development
Our current CPD courses and bespoke options are detailed below. We are in the process of redeveloping our CPD offering and updates and new courses will be posted here.
Using speech and audio as evidence
Details
Location: In person, University of York
Dates: Thursday 24th and Friday 25th April 2025
Cost: £1500 (standard rate)
Overview
The course is intended for those who want to learn more about how speech and audio are analysed for evidential purposes and this area of forensic science. A range of topics will be covered and sessions will include a mix of practical tasks and theoretical content.
The first day will provide an overview of different types of speech and audio evidence and what is and isn’t possible. We will discuss important practical considerations when collecting material for evidential purposes. Throughout both days, attendees will develop an understanding about the range of methods applied in forensic speaker comparison - the most common type of voice evidence - including the combined auditory-acoustic method, and automatic speaker recognition. Sessions will cover how experts arrive at conclusions and the place of speech and audio evidence in the court. Consideration will be made of the role of regulation and accreditation in forensic speech science and the implications of this.
Note: This course is not intended to provide attendees with the skills and knowledge to carry out forensic speech and audio analysis. It is intended to raise awareness and give an understanding of how speech and audio can be used as evidence.
More details about the course can be found on the University of York CPD page.
Bespoke training
We are always happy to develop bespoke training to meet the needs of individual clients. We are able to develop courses on a range of topics within speech and audio analysis and these can be delivered in-person or online to suit your needs. We're in the process of redeveloping the full range of modules, but below is a list of example modules which could be included in a bespoke course. Get in touch for more details.
Principles of forensic audio
Methods of forensic speaker comparison - linguistic phonetic analysis
Methods of forensic speaker comparison - automatic speaker recognition
Presentation of speech and audio evidence
Previous courses
Automatic speaker recognition: getting started for research
In-person at University of York; January 2025
Run in collaboration with Oxford Wave Research, This day-and-a-half-long workshop focussed on understanding the basics of automatic speaker recognition and how to use a system for research purposes. The course was attended by research students interested in (i) learning more about how automatic speaker recognition systems work, (ii) understanding how systems can be used in forensic casework, and (iii) expanding their methodological toolkit to use automatic speaker recognition systems in research.
What our delegates said about the course:
"Well-structured and insightful workshop, with excellent support from the instructors."
"I really loved the structure and the welcoming atmosphere. The team did a great job of making something I have always found daunting feel accessible."
"This workshop provided an excellent insight into state of the art automatic speaker recognition systems."
