The H. Steven and Theodora Colburn Distinguished Lecture is named in honor of Steve and Theo Colburn, who have been fixtures of our community for decades. Over the course of his 41 years on the faculty, Steve left an indelible mark on Boston University, especially the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is a towering figure in binaural hearing. Over his career, he has authored more than 250 papers, including seminal work relating physiological measures to perception through quantitative models. He is a Fellow and Silver Medal winner of the Acoustical Society of America, Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, recipient of the Javits Neuroscience Award, and winner of the “lifetime achievement” Award of Merit from the Association for Research in Otolaryngology.

Within Boston University, Steve made many impactful contributions. He migrated across the Charles River to chair BU BME, which flourished under his guidance throughout the 80s. In the mid 90s, he founded the Boston University Hearing Research Center, an iconic center in the rise of BU as a research-intensive university. His exceptional mentorship led the Boston University undergraduate student population to elect him Biomedical Engineering Professor of the Year on four separate occasions. In 2012, he delivered the College of Engineering Distinguished Scholar Lecture.

Theodora “Theo” Colburn has had a long and varied professional career of her own. She worked for many years as a registered nurse, then as a nurse practitioner, and later as a massage therapist and Feldenkrais practitioner. She is a devoted musician and professional-quality cellist.

2026 Colburn Lecture with Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, PhD

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