Ester Vidaña Vila

Research webpage: https://users.salle.url.edu/~ester.vidana/

Dr. Ester Vidaña-Vila is a lecturer and researcher in the Human-Environment Research group at La Salle-URL. She holds a degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering, a master’s degree in Telecommunications, a master’s degree in Philosophy and Humanities, and a PhD from the same university. 

Her doctoral thesis, Acoustic Event Detection and Classification in Urban Environments Using Low-Cost Devices (Cum Laude, 2022), developed a framework for real-time acoustic event detection and classification using deep learning and embedded computing on low-cost sensors. This work established her research line in artificial intelligence applied to sound and edge AI.

Her research has progressively expanded from urban acoustics to bioacoustics, ultrasound, ambient assisted living, and underwater acoustics, with a common focus on intelligent systems for automatic acoustic event analysis. She has participated in national and international competitive projects including DL-ANED, EMMA, SUARAMAP, TEMPRIA, ITAM, CowTalk-Pro (SNEO-20211301), ULTRAPACK, SONORA, CHARPAL (PID2025-175028NB-I00), and JPI Oceans DeuteroNoise (PCI2022-135063-2) and MenorcaNoise (I0015-2025-000007). She has also contributed to citizen science initiatives including Sons al Balcó, Sons de Granollers/Sabadell, Sons als Monestirs, ECHO-POLIS, and SONAIR (PID2025-169119OB-C21).

She is co-founder of BioDCASE, serving as workshop chair of its first edition in Barcelona in 2025 and general chair in 2026. She has also contributed to international events including Urban Sound Symposium 2023, Forum Acusticum 2025, and Tecniacústica 2026, and reviews for journals including Bioacoustics, Computer Speech & Language, Ecological Informatics, and JASA.

She has taught in undergraduate and master’s programmes and, since 2026, has been coordinator of the University Master’s Degree in Acoustics, Audio and Vibrations at La Salle-URL. She has supervised more than 31 undergraduate and master’s theses, some resulting in scientific publications, and co-supervised Daniel Bonet-Solà’s doctoral thesis (2025). She currently co-supervises the doctoral thesis of Marcos Moreno-Blanco.

As of October 2026, her scientific output includes 20 indexed articles, 3 non-indexed articles, 52 conference contributions, and 1 book chapter.