About

Juan Guan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and her postdoctoral training in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California San Francisco. Prior to her current position, she served as an assistant professor at the University of Florida before moving to Austin. Her research interests focus on applying quantitative fluorescence imaging techniques to various systems, including studying the link between biomolecular condensates and cancer signaling, as well as nanoparticle formulation and drug delivery in the nanomedicine field. Her work aims to advance discovery, innovation, and patient care within the pharmaceutical sciences.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Humanities
• Artificial Intelligence
• Sociology
• Audiology
• Medicine
• Literature
• Developmental psychology
• Archaeology
• Communication
• History
• Linguistics
• Gender studies
• Aesthetics
• Art
• Speech recognition

Selected publications

• Restoring auditory discrimination in noise: mismatch negativity evidence for a deep neural network-based denoising system in hearing aids

  Hearing Research · 2026-04-10

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Verification of an Amplification Strategy to Enhance Soft Speech for Adults With Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss

  American Journal of Audiology · 2025-10-13

  articleSenior author

  PURPOSE: This study investigated the effects of a soft speech enhancement algorithm on distant speech perception for adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss (SPHL), examining speech intelligibility, listening effort, and sound quality. METHOD: = 58 years) with symmetrical severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. They had at least 1 year of hearing aid experience. A within-subject experimental design compared two hearing aid conditions: with the Speech Enhancer algorithm activated and deactivated. Speech intelligibility was assessed using the Mandarin Chinese matrix sentence test at individual speech reception thresholds. Subjective listening effort was measured using a categorical rating scale for speech presented at three distances (2, 4, and 8 m). Sound quality ratings were collected for loudness, speech understanding, and overall impression using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: Activation of the speech enhancement algorithm led to a notable increase in speech intelligibility from 45% to 67%. Subjective listening effort decreased significantly with the algorithm activated at all distances, with greater benefits observed at farther distances. Similarly, sound quality ratings were significantly higher with the algorithm on for all attributes across all distances, with the largest improvements in overall impression ratings at greater distances. CONCLUSIONS: The soft speech enhancement algorithm significantly improved speech intelligibility, reduced listening effort, and enhanced sound quality for distant speech perception in Mandarin-speaking adults with SPHL. These findings suggest that targeted signal processing for soft speech can provide substantial benefits for individuals with SPHL, including speakers of tonal languages, potentially improving communication in challenging listening situations.

  PublisherDOI

• In between the neoliberal reality and the humanities imagination: a narrative inquiry of an English major’s identity construction in China

  Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development · 2024 · 3 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Sociology
  • Humanities
  • Sociology
  PublisherDOI

• Auditory Challenges and Listening Effort in School-Age Children With Autism: Insights From Pupillary Dynamics During Speech-in-Noise Perception

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2024-06-11 · 5 citations

  article

  PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate challenges in speech-in-noise (SiN) processing faced by school-age children with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) and their impact on listening effort. METHOD: Participants, including 23 Mandarin-speaking children with ASCs and 19 age-matched neurotypical (NT) peers, underwent sentence recognition tests in both quiet and noisy conditions, with a speech-shaped steady-state noise masker presented at 0-dB signal-to-noise ratio in the noisy condition. Recognition accuracy rates and task-evoked pupil responses were compared to assess behavioral performance and listening effort during auditory tasks. RESULTS: No main effect of group was found on accuracy rates. Instead, significant effects emerged for autistic trait scores, listening conditions, and their interaction, indicating that higher trait scores were associated with poorer performance in noise. Pupillometric data revealed significantly larger and earlier peak dilations, along with more varied pupillary dynamics in the ASC group relative to the NT group, especially under noisy conditions. Importantly, the ASC group's peak dilation in quiet mirrored that of the NT group in noise. However, the ASC group consistently exhibited reduced mean dilations than the NT group. CONCLUSIONS: Pupillary responses suggest a different resource allocation pattern in ASCs: An initial sharper and larger dilation may signal an intense, narrowed resource allocation, likely linked to heightened arousal, engagement, and cognitive load, whereas a subsequent faster tail-off may indicate a greater decrease in resource availability and engagement, or a quicker release of arousal and cognitive load. The presence of noise further accentuates this pattern. This highlights the unique SiN processing challenges children with ASCs may face, underscoring the importance of a nuanced, individual-centric approach for interventions and support.

  PublisherDOI

• Influences of noise reduction on speech intelligibility, listening effort, and sound quality among adults with severe to profound hearing loss

  Frontiers in Neuroscience · 2024-07-23 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Noise reduction (NR) algorithms have been integrated into modern digital hearing aids to reduce noise annoyance and enhance speech intelligibility. This study aimed to evaluate the influences of a novel hearing aid NR algorithm on individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Methods: Twenty-five participants with severe-to-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss underwent three tests (speech intelligibility, listening effort, and subjective sound quality in noise) to investigate the influences of NR. All three tests were performed under three NR strength levels (Off, Moderate, and Strong) for both speech in noise program (SpiN) and speech in loud noise program (SpiLN), comprising six different hearing aid conditions. Results: NR activation significantly reduced listening effort. Subjective sound quality assessments also exhibited benefits of activated NR in terms of noise suppression, listening comfort, satisfaction, and speech clarity. Discussion: Individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss still experienced advantages from NR technology in both listening effort measure and subjective sound quality assessments. Importantly, these benefits did not adversely affect speech intelligibility.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Auditory Challenges and Listening Effort in School-Age Children with Autism: Insights from Pupillary Dynamics during Speech in Noise Perception

  2023 · 1 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Audiology

  Purpose: School-age children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) often experience difficulties in speech-in-noise (SiN) perception, leading to increased listening effort that impacts their well-being and academic performance. This study aimed to investigate the SiN processing challenges faced by Mandarin-speaking children with ASC and its impact on their listening effort. Methods: Participants completed sentence recognition tests in both quiet and noisy conditions, with a steady-state noise masker presented at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio in the noisy condition. We compared recognition accuracy and task-evoked pupil responses from 23 Mandarin-speaking children with ASC to 19 age-matched neurotypical (NT) counterparts to gauge their behavioral performance and listening effort during these auditory tasks. Results: The ASC group demonstrated notably decreased accuracy in noise compared to their NT peers, suggesting poorer SiN perception. Pupillometric data further revealed significantly larger peak dilations in the ASC group than in the NT group under comparable conditions. Importantly, the ASC group's peak dilation in quiet mirrored the NT group's in noise. However, the ASC group exhibited shorter peak latencies and reduced mean dilations than the NT group in similar conditions. Such patterns indicate the ASC group might initially experience a heightened cognitive load but utilize fewer cognitive resources as the task continued, indicating an atypical allocation of cognitive resources and a potential tendency towards relatively superficial and automated auditory processing. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the unique SiN processing challenges children with ASC face, underscoring the importance of a nuanced, individual-centric approach for interventions and support.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Second Language Experience Facilitates Sentence Recognition in Temporally-Modulated Noise for Non-native Listeners

  Frontiers in Psychology · 2021-04-07 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Non-native listeners deal with adverse listening conditions in their daily life much harder than native listeners. However, previous work in our laboratories found that native Chinese listeners with native English exposure may improve the use of temporal fluctuations of noise for English vowel identification. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Chinese listeners can generalize the use of temporal cues for the English sentence recognition in noise. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) sentence recognition in quiet condition, stationary noise, and temporally-modulated noise were measured for native American English listeners (EN), native Chinese listeners in the United States (CNU), and native Chinese listeners in China (CNC). Results showed that in general, EN listeners outperformed the two groups of CN listeners in quiet and noise, while CNU listeners had better scores of sentence recognition than CNC listeners. Moreover, the native English exposure helped CNU listeners use high-level linguistic cues more effectively and take more advantage of temporal fluctuations of noise to process English sentence in severely degraded listening conditions [i.e., the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of -12 dB] than CNC listeners. These results suggest a significant effect of language experience on the auditory processing of both speech and noise.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tone-in-noise Audiometry (TINA): An automated, Bayesian-based and calibration-free method for audiogram prediction

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2021-04-15

  articleSenior author

  https://www.internetaudiology.com/2021/?p=presentations

  Publisher

• Effects of Adaptive Non-linear Frequency Compression in Hearing Aids on Mandarin Speech and Sound-Quality Perception

  Frontiers in Neuroscience · 2021 · 6 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Audiology
  • Psychology

  OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at examining the effects of an adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm implemented in hearing aids (i.e., SoundRecover2, or SR2) at different parameter settings and auditory acclimatization on speech and sound-quality perception in native Mandarin-speaking adult listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. DESIGN: Data consisted of participants' unaided and aided hearing thresholds, Mandarin consonant and vowel recognition in quiet, and sentence recognition in noise, as well as sound-quality ratings through five sessions in a 12-week period with three SR2 settings (i.e., SR2 off, SR2 default, and SR2 strong). STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-nine native Mandarin-speaking adults aged 37-76 years old with symmetric sloping moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss were recruited. They were all fitted bilaterally with Phonak Naida V90-SP BTE hearing aids with hard ear-molds. RESULTS: The participants demonstrated a significant improvement of aided hearing in detecting high frequency sounds at 8 kHz. For consonant recognition and overall sound-quality rating, the participants performed significantly better with the SR2 default setting than the other two settings. No significant differences were found in vowel and sentence recognition among the three SR2 settings. Test session was a significant factor that contributed to the participants' performance in all speech and sound-quality perception tests. Specifically, the participants benefited from a longer duration of hearing aid use. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggested possible perceptual benefit from the adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm for native Mandarin-speaking adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss. Periods of acclimatization should be taken for better performance in novel technologies in hearing aids.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• How to Construct and Apply Self-learning Support System of Art Curriculum in the New Media Environment

  Lecture notes in electrical engineering · 2019-08-21

  book-chapterCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Juan Fan

  Shaanxi Normal University

  8 shared

• Xiaoming Jiang

  Shanghai International Studies University

  8 shared

• Hua Zhang

  Precision for Medicine (United States)

  8 shared

• Qi Dong

  Northwest Normal University

  8 shared

• Chang Liu

  Zhejiang Lab

  7 shared

• Sha Tao

  China Agricultural University

  7 shared

• Hongwei Ding

  Google (United States)

  5 shared

• Wenjing Wang

  Xi'an International Studies University

  5 shared

Education

• PhD, Dept. of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

  The University of Texas at Austin

  2017