Meet the people who make up STEM Faculty.
Keith Attenborough is Emeritus Professor of Acoustics at the Open University. He worked at the Open University from 1970 to 1999 before becoming Head of Engineering at the University of Hull between July 1999 and April 2002 and research profesor in Engineering between 2002 and 2007. He has carried out theoretical and experimental studies on linear and nonlinear acoustical characteristics of porous surfaces, acoustical methods for surveying soils, sound propagation through suspensions and emulsions and on outdoor sound propagation. These activities have been supported by eighteen Research Council Grants (3 SERC, 12 EPSRC, 2 AFRC and 1 BBSRC) and fifteen grants or contracts from other sources (including Ferranti International, Thorn -EMI, TRL, BRE, DOE, T&N Technology, ESDU International, MOD (QINETIQ), EC, DSTL, AEA Technology and the US Army). This research has resulted in twenty four Ph.D. theses, 151 papers in refereed journals and over 160 international conference presentations (including 12 invited). An important output of previous SERC and US Army-funded research on outdoor sound propagation and acoustic-to-seismic coupling, has been the development of a numerical Fast-Field propagation prediction code FFLAGS which has been used in research for Thorn -EMI (now TME) and by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Other numerical outdoor sound prediction codes developed at the OU for predicting outdoor sound propagation have been used by ESDU International plc. His research has included projects on sonic crystal noise barriers and non-invasive acoustic-seismic monitoring of soils supported by EPSRC, and a project ‘Holistic and Sustainable Actions against Noise by combinations of Natural and Artificial means’ (HOSANNA) supported by EC FP7. He has conducted EPSRC-supported research on acoustic metamaterials and surfaces which, as a result of periodically-spaced inclusions have properties not met in existing noise abatement materials. In 1996 Keith was awarded the Rayleigh Medal for contributions to acoustics by the (UK) Institute of Acoustics and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute in 2011. In 2012 Keith was awarded the Silver Medal (Noise) of the Acoustical Society of America for contributions to the acoustics of porous materials and to outdoor sound propagation. In April 2014 he received the 2013 'medialle etrangere' of the French Acoustical Society for contributions to acousttics and collaborations with French acousticians. In 2022 he was the first recipient of the Institute of Acoustics Dr Bob Peters award for significant and sustained contributions to acoustics education and training.
Current research concerns additive manufacturing of porous materials and acoustic metamaterials. With current and former colleagues he is working on the exploitation and charcateristics of audio-frequency surface waves, devising surfaces useful for reducing noise near surface transport, acoustical effects of 'greening' in cities and applications of acoustics in agriculture.
Keith has not been involved with teaching at the Open University since 1998. But, between 2008 and 2025 Keith was Education Manager for the Institute of Acoustics maintaining quality in and contributing to a Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control as well as short courses in various aspects of professional practice in acoustics and noise control includiung workplace noise risk assessment, measurement of environmental noise, management of occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration, building acoustics measurements, the Anti-Social Behaviour Act (Scotland) and acoustic report writing.
Keith has given talks on applications of acoustics and vibration in monitoring health to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust grand round, on applications of acoustics in agricuture to the 'Beer and Berries' festival in Arbroath and on greening for noise control to both lay and professional audiences.
Keith is a member of the Noise Network Plus, and has collaborated with colleagues at the Universities of Salford and Sheffield.
Keith works on 3D printing of sound absorbers with Tomasz Zielinski and Kamil Opiela at the Institute for Fundamental Research in Poland and on creating sound absorbers from plants and nut shells with Iranian scientists.
