My fields are the physics of music and speech, and cellular biophysics.

Our group studies the acoustics of musical instruments and of the vocal tract, and the production and analysis of sound by physiological, mechanical and electronic systems. John Smith and I have developed a technique for rapid, precise measurement of acoustic impedance spectra and transfer functions. We use this technique to study musical instruments and the human vocal tract and its involvement in speech, singing and wind instrument performance.

Important examples of cellular thermodynamics occur in cryobiology and anhydrobiology. Many living tissues are damaged by freezing and/or dehydration. I study the thermal physics of these processes at scales from the ultrastructural to the environmental.

• Chen, J.M., Smith,. J. and Wolfe, J. (2008) "Experienced saxophonists learn to tune their vocal tracts", Science, 319, 726.
• Tarnopolsky, A, Fletcher, N. Hollenberg, L., Lange, B., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2005) The vocal tract and the sound of a didgeridoo. Nature, 436, 39.
• Joliveau, E., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2004) "Tuning of vocal tract resonances by sopranos", Nature, 427, 116.
• Wolfe, J. (2002) "Cellular Thermodynamics" Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (http://www.els.net). London: Nature Publishing Group.
• Wolfe, J., Carter, P., Parker, S., Fearn, R., and Frampton, N. (Patent, 2001) "Multirate cochlear stimulation strategy and apparatus" 01/03622.010628.
• Fearn, R, and Wolfe, J (2000) "The relative importance of rate and place: experiments using pitch scaling techniques with cochlear implantees" Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, 109, 51.
• Wolfe, J. and Bryant, G. (1999) "Freezing, drying and/or vitrification of membrane-solute-water systems" Cryobiology, 39, 103.
• Dowd, A., Smith, J.R. and Wolfe, J. (1998) "Learning to pronounce vowel sounds in a foreign language using acoustic measurements of the vocal tract as feedback in real time" Language and Speech, 41, 1.
• Music acoustics A web-based resource including results of our research in music acoustics.
• Voice Acoustics A web resource including results of our research in the acoustics of the speech and singing.

Educational Publications

• Physclips: a multi-level, multimedia introduction to physics J. Wolfe and G. Hatsidimitris (2008–)
• How to write a PhD thesis, J. Wolfe (1996).
• The Science of Music, J. Wolfe, ABC, Sydney (1992).
• A longer list of educational publications, including formal publications.

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