We are delighted to inform you that Emeritus Professor David Kemp who is a BSA Honorary member and won the BSA Thomas Simm Littler Prize in 1984, together with other members of UCL’s community, has been recognised in the New Year Honours 2026 with a CBE for services to auditory sciences and public health.
Professor Kemp is widely known for his discovery of otoacoustic emissions – sounds emitted by the healthy inner ear. When the inner ear is damaged, the production of these sounds ceases. His work led to new, practical techniques for measuring hearing and the first NHS screening programme in 50 years for hearing in newborn babies.
He also founded the company Otodynamics, which makes equipment to diagnose hearing defects.
Professor Kemp said: “This work involved many people and research groups – it was much bigger than my efforts. The aim was to stop kids born with bad hearing from being handicapped by not hearing and learning their language in their early years. Parents’ suspicions were ignored by doctors until they should have started to talk at 2-3 years and didn’t – this was too late. The answer was a test of hearing quick enough to give to every baby at birth – made possible by otoacoustic emissions.
“The ear is an amazing bit of bio-machinery and research goes on to uncover the mystery of how it works. I provided a missing piece of the jigsaw, but there are still lots of missing pieces to find. Long live the UCL Ear Institute!”
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