Jessica Tsun Lem Hui

My research examines contemporary relationships between voice, technology and society.  Specifically, my PhD investigates the cultural histories and impact of vocal imitation technologies, ranging from 18th-century speaking automata to contemporary AI-generated voices.  I have also published on the pairing of singing voice synthesis and virtual technologies in musical performance.

More recently, my research engages with post-20th-century processes of codifying and archiving voices, particularly as they relate to visual forensic identification and automatic speaker recognition.

I employ an interdisciplinary approach to my research, within the evolving field of STS (science and technology studies), drawing from histories of technology, forensic science, sound studies, and postmodern cultural theory.

My research is currently funded by the Scottish International Education Trust.  Prior to my time at Cambridge, I studied musicology and composition at the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music, where I received my undergraduate and master's degrees.  I held a visiting researcher position at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2022, funded by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, and taught music history at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.  I am also a composer, predominantly of organ music, and my compositions have been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, across Europe and North America.