Contact Information
707 S. Mathews Ave. | MC-168
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Interests
Speech intelligibility enhancement
Perceptually-motivated signal processing
Computational modelling of speech perception in noise
Speech perception and production in non-ideal listening conditions
Blind source separation
Robust automatic speech recognition
Research Description
My current research focuses on speech technologies such as speech intelligibility enhancement in adverse listening conditions, computational modelling of speech perception in noise and perceptually-motivated context-sensitive speech modification algorithms. My research interests also include speech perception and production in noise, psychoacoustics, source separation, and robust automatic speech recognition.
Education
Ph.D., Applied Linguistics (Computational Speech and Hearing), Universidad del País Vasco, Spain, 2014
MSc, Computer Science, University of Sheffield, UK, 2008
MSc, Environmental Chemistry, Sichuan University, China, 2007
BSc, Environmental Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, China, 2004
Courses Taught
LING 291 - Linguistics Laboratory Research Experience
LING 391 - Honors Individual Study
LING 402 - Tools and Techniques for Speech and Language Processing
LING 446 - Fundamentals for Speech Signal Processing and Analysis
LING 448 - Introductory Machine Learning
LING 520 - Acoustic Phonetics
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Associate Professor, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Recent Publications
Cai, H., Tang, Y., & Yan, X. (2026). A tutorial on unsupervised Gaussian mixture model for performance clustering in second language research. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 5(1), Article 100296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2026.100296
Huo, M., Zhang, Y., & Tang, Y. (2025). Identifying and Calibrating Overconfidence in Noisy Speech Recognition. Proceedings of the IEEE Automatic Speech Recognition and Understanding (ASRU) Workshop 2025. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.07195
Huo, M., Sun, Y., Fogerty, D., & Tang, Y. (2024). Release from same-talker speech-in-speech masking: Effects of masker intelligibility and other contributing factors. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 156(5), 2960-2973. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0034235
Ma, Y., & Tang, Y. (2024). The Intelligibility Benefits of Modern Computer-Synthesized Speech for Normal-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Listeners in Non-Ideal Listening Conditions. Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, Hearing and Balance Medicine, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ohbm5010005
Huo, M., Sun, Y., Fogerty, D., & Tang, Y. (2023). Quantifying Informational Masking due to Masker Intelligibility in Same-talker Speech-in-speech Perception. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association, INTERSPEECH, 2023-August, 1783-1787. https://doi.org/10.21437/Interspeech.2023-1122