Dr. Ryherd came to Georgia Tech in Fall 2007 as an Assistant Professor. Prior, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy of Medicine in Gothenburg, Sweden. She worked with specialists in occupational and environmental medicine and intensive car nursing to quantify the effects of hospital noise on patients and staff. She plans to implement similar methodologies in hospitals and other living and working environments in the United States.

Dr. Ryherd’s primary research interests are in noise control, architectural acoustics, and the associated psychological and physiological responses to sound. This involves creating desirable sound environments through control of unwanted noise sources and use of appropriate systems design, construction, materials, and form. She is particularly interested in how engineered systems impact the acoustic environment, such as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Dr. Ryherd has research and consulting experience in the acoustics of a variety of spaces including offices, schools, performing arts venues, churches, hotels/resorts, and dwellings. She is currently collaborating with specialists from the Sahlgrenska Academy of Medicine in Gothenburg, Sweden, to research noise in healthcare environments. This research includes improving sound measurement and quantification techniques, examining the physiological and psychological response of occupants, and identifying and evaluating noise abatement methods and technology.

An additional interest is investigating methods of quantifying noise. Dr. Ryherd has experience have experience investigating limitations in indoor noise criteria systems with regards to level, spectral quality, and tonality. She has studied how various aspects of background noise impact worker perception and productivity. She is also interested in other metrics used to describe the acoustic environment. For example, she previously investigated differences in speech intelligibility through impulse-response-based room measurements, three-dimensional computer models, and jury listening tests.

Dr. Ryherd plans to pursue future research in areas such as noise control of engineered building systems, product sound quality, environmental noise, and sustainable technologies. A central theme to her research is to improve the sound environment in which society lives and works. In today’s modernizing world, the field of acoustics continues to grow into an important factor of everyday life. Students working with her might pursue careers in acoustical consulting firms (including architectural acoustics or noise control engineering), architectural engineering related design firms, or research and development of products involving acoustics.