Research Scientist
Hearing Cluster
Binaural Audio and Auditory Modelling

Tel. +43 1 51581-2536
Email: katharina.pollack(at)oeaw.ac.at

Scientific IDs:
ResearchGate

Academic Background

Katharina Pollack studied "Electrical Engineering and Audio Engineering" at the Technical University and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. In 2026, she finished her PhD in "Sound and Music Computing" at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz with distinction while working at the Acoustics Research Institute in Vienna. Her main research interests are spatial audio and head-related transfer functions. She is an active member of the Austrian Acoustics Association, the Austrian section of the Audio Engineering Society and the Austrian section of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

Current Research

Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) represent the influence of the anthropometric properties on the incoming sound field. Not only are the interaural time differences (ITDs) and interaural level difference (ILDs) important for the localization ability of humans but also the shape of the outer ear - the pinna - is essential to this process. The state-of-the-art measurement process of HRTFs is well studied and the numeric calculation of the measurement (Ziegelwanger et al., 2015) was a milestone in this field, enabling perceptual valid HRTFs to be processed from 3D Models of the head and pinnae. However, this process relies heavily on high-quality 3D models, with a resolution of 1 mm and the acquisition of such a 3D model has been examined thoroughly within the LocaPhoto project. Katharina Pollack's current research focuses on the investigation in the influence of pinna changes in the HRTFs and parametric pinna modelling. This shall conclude the missing link between the properties of HRTFs and the virtual representation of complex biological structures such as the pinna.

Publications

  • Study on human response to the cumulative impact of air source heat pump noise. / Stürenburg, Lara ; Fels, Janina; Acun, Volkan et al.
    15th IEA Heat Pump Conference, 2026. 2026.
    RISENWBIB
  • Comparing measureas of information in head-related transfer functions. / Meyer-Kahlen, N; Pollack, Katharina; Lladó, P.
    Proceedings of the 11th Convention of the European Acoustics Association (Forum Acusticum). 2025.
    RISENWBIB
  • Parametric model of the human pinna based on Bézier curves and concave deformations. / Perfler, F; Pausch, F; Pollack, K et al.
    In: Computers in Biology and Medicine, Vol. 188, 109817, 01.04.2025.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • What you hear is what you see? Perspectives on modalities in sound and music interaction. / Iber, M; Enge, K; Rönnberg, N et al.
    In: Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 28, 29.10.2024, p. 655-656.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Mesh2HRTF 1.2.0: An Open-Source Project to Calculate HRTFs and wave scattering in 3D, minor release. Brinkmann, F (Author); Kreuzer, W (Author); Pollack, K (Author) et al.. 2024.
    RISENWBIB
  • NumCalc: An open-source BEM code for solving acoustic scattering problems. / Kreuzer, W; Pollack, K; Brinkmann, F et al.
    In: Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements, Vol. 161, 01.04.2024, p. 157-178.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Toward a Standard Listener-Independent HRTF to Facilitate Long-Term Adaptation. / Lladó, P; Pollack, K; Meyer-Kahlen, N.
    In: Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Vol. 72, No. 4, 01.04.2024, p. 188-192.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Mesh2HRTF 1.1.0: An Open-Source Project to Calculate HRTFs and wave scattering in 3D, minor release. Brinkmann, F (Author); Kreuzer, W (Author); Pollack, K (Author) et al.. 2023.
    RISENWBIB
  • Analysis of Impedance Effects on Head-Related Transfer Functions of 3D Printed Pinna and Ear Canal Replicas. / Giusto, Di; Sinev, D; Pollack, K et al.
    Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum 2023. Turin, 2023.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Concepts for the evaluation of a parametric pinna model. / Perfler, F; Majdak, P; Pausch, F et al.
    Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum 2023. Turin, 2023.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Spectral and psychoacoustic evaluation of head-related transfer functions calculated at the blocked ear canal and the eardrum. / Pollack, K; Giusto, Di; Sinev, D et al.
    Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum 2023. Turin, 2023.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Assessment of the Directional Characteristics of the Ear Canal Using 3D Printed Replicas and Numerical Simulations. / Sinev, D; Giusto, Di; Pollack, K et al.
    Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum 2023. Turin, 2023.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Combination of photogrammetry and non-rigid pinna registration for the calculation of personalised head-related transfer functions. / Pollack, K; Majdak, P; Furtado, H.
    Proceedings of the Forum Acusticum 2023. Turin, 2023.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Recent Advances in an Open Software for Numerical HRTF Calculation. / Brinkmann, F; Kreuzer, W; Thomsen, J et al.
    In: AES: Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Vol. 71, No. 7/8, 10.07.2023, p. 504-514.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Importance of the acquisition accuracy of various pinna regions on the median-plane sound-localisation performance. / Pollack, K; Majdak, P.
    154th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society. Helsinki, 2023. p. Express Paper 64.
    RISENWBIB
  • Application of non-rigid registration to photogrammetrically reconstructed pinna point clouds for the calculation of personalised head-related transfer functions. / Pollack, K; Majdak, P; Furtado, H.
    Fortschritte der Akustik - DAGA 2023. Hamburg, 2023. p. 1094 - 1098.
    RISENWBIB
  • Mesh2HRTF 1.0: An Open-Source Project to Calculate HRTFs and wave scattering in 3D, Major release. Brinkmann, F (Author); Kreuzer, W (Author); Pollack, K (Author) et al.. 2023.
    RISENWBIB
  • Modern Acquisition of Personalised Head - Related Transfer Functions: An Overview. / Pollack, K; Kreuzer, W; Majdak, P et al.
    Advances in Fundamental and Applied Research on Spatial Audio. London: IntechOpen, 2022. p. 25-61.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Mesh2HRTF / NumCalc: An Open-Source Project to CalculateHRTFs and wave scattering in 3D. / Kreuzer, W; Pollack, K; Majdak, P et al.
    Proceedings of the Euroregio/BNAM 2022. Aalborg, Denmark, 2022. p. 443-452.
    RISENWBIB
  • Parametric pinna model for a realistic representation of listener-specific pinna geometry. / Pollack, K; Pausch, F; Majdak, P.
    Proceedings: A21, Virtual Acoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju, 2022. p. 168-178.
    RISENWBIB

Memberships

Katharina Pollack is member of the AAA, the Vice-President of the Austrian section of the AES and in the board of the Women in Engineering Affinity Group of IEEE.