The Cooper Union is welcoming multiple additions to its full-time faculty at the start of the upcoming academic year. We spoke with these newest community members to learn more about their research interests and what drew them to Cooper. For Martin S. Lawless, joining the Department of Mechanical Engineering marks a return to the Albert Nerken School of Engineering. In addition to being an alumnus, Lawless served as a visiting assistant professor from 2018 to 2021 before pursuing research on the localization of real and virtual sound sources at L'Institut Jean Le Rond ∂’Alembert at l'Université de la Sorbonne in Paris. Lawless then served as assistant professor of mechanical engineering at SUNY Maritime College from 2022 to 2025. He received his Ph.D. in acoustics from the Pennsylvania State University. 

Tell us about your research interests 

My research broadly focuses on the human perception of sound. In graduate school, I used neuroimaging techniques to assess the brain's response to different types of acoustic stimuli, including changing the amounts of reverberation in a concert hall or varying levels of distracting noises in an office environment. Since then, I have worked on acoustics projects involving spatial audio, active noise control, machine learning, and exhaust noise attenuation. Acoustics is inherently multi-disciplinary, combining aspects of physics, signal processing, music, and psychology, among others, so I am especially excited to be working with Cooper students, inspired by and drawing on the diversity of their perspectives and talents. 

What brought you to The Cooper Union? 

Coming back to The Cooper Union is like coming home. I graduated from Cooper in 2013 and taught here as a visiting assistant professor. I learned so much both as a student and instructor, and I am eager to bring back the experiences that I have had elsewhere to provide a space for our students to grow and shine. I can confidently say that there is no other school like The Cooper Union, and I feel honored to be able to contribute to this special place. 

What aspects of teaching are you most excited about in the coming academic year at Cooper? 

Off the bat, I am excited to teach my two fall courses, ESC-330C: Thermodynamics for CEs and EID/ME-465: Sound and Space. While I have taught thermodynamics before, I have been spending this summer working on ways to specifically tailor the class towards sustainability and resilience, particularly in regard to infrastructure. Sound and Space on the other hand is right in my wheelhouse in terms of research in spatial audio and room acoustics, and it will be nice to once again teach a graduate-level course.

A School of Engineering alumnus, Lawless received his Ph.D. in acoustics from the Pennsylvania State University