# Dr. Scott H. Hawley

Professor of Physics at Belmont University

> I teach physics to audio engineering students and develop machine learning applications for audio and creative tools. My work spans AI/ML for audio, AI ethics, acoustics, and physics education.

## About

Scott H. Hawley is a Professor of Physics at Belmont University who bridges physics, audio engineering, and artificial intelligence. His current research focuses on machine learning applications for audio (including generative models, audio effects, and music technology), AI ethics, and acoustics. He has published in top-tier venues including ICML, ICLR, Science, and Astrophysical Journal.

**Contact:** scott.hawley@belmont.edu  
**Links:** [GitHub](https://github.com/drscotthawley), [Blog](https://drscotthawley.github.io/blog/), [BlueSky](https://bsky.app/profile/drscotthawley.bsky.social)

## Current Research Areas

### Machine Learning for Audio
- Generative audio models (diffusion models, flow-based models, latent representations)
- Neural audio effects and signal processing
- Music generation and control (e.g., Pictures of MIDI project)
- Co-author of "Fast Timing-Conditioned Latent Audio Diffusion" (Stable Audio paper, ICML 2024)
- ICLR 2025 Best Blog Post: "Flow With What You Know" on flow-based generative models

### AI Ethics & Philosophy
- Intersection of AI, humanities, and faith
- Ontological and epistemological challenges in AI
- Human creativity vs. machine generation
- Course development: Deep Learning & AI Ethics

### Acoustics & Audio Technology
- Musical instrument acoustics (steelpan drums, directivity patterns)
- Individual identification in acoustic recordings
- Interactive educational tools for physics and audio

## Teaching

**PHY/BSA 3895 - Deep Learning & AI Ethics** ([GitHub](https://github.com/drscotthawley/DLAIE))  
Interdisciplinary course covering deep learning fundamentals, applications, and ethical considerations

**PHY2010 - Physics for Audio Engineering**  
Applied physics for audio engineering students, focusing on acoustics and wave phenomena

**PHY2250 - Electronics & Circuit Theory**  
Practical electronics and circuit analysis for audio applications

**PHY3110 - Analytical Mechanics**  
Upper-level physics using differential equations for classical mechanics

**Educational Resources:**
- [Interactive Apps for Physics/Audio/Electronics](https://hedges.belmont.edu/physapplets/index.html)
- [Acoustic Tool Suite](http://hedges.belmont.edu/~shawley/SHAART/index.html)

## Selected Publications & Projects

### Recent Highlights (2024-2025)

**"Flow With What You Know"** (ICLR 2025) - Best Blog Post award  
Tutorial on flow-based generative models using physics principles  
[Blog Post](https://iclr-blogposts.github.io/2025/blog/flow-with-what-you-know/)

**"Fast Timing-Conditioned Latent Audio Diffusion"** (ICML 2024)  
The Stable Audio paper - breakthrough in audio generation  
[ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.04825)

**"Pictures Of MIDI"** (2024)  
Controlled music generation via graphical prompts for diffusion inpainting  
[Website](https://picturesofmidi.github.io/PicturesOfMIDI/) | [Demo](https://huggingface.co/spaces/drscotthawley/PicturesOfMIDI) | [ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.01499)

**"Operational Latent Spaces"** (AES 2024)  
Novel approach to audio manipulation in latent space  
[Demo](https://drscotthawley.github.io/oplas/)

**"Individual Identification in Acoustic Recordings"** (Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2024)  
ML applications for wildlife monitoring and bioacoustics

### AI Ethics & Philosophy

**"Narrative, Creativity, and Open Source in 'Back to Eden'"** (2024)  
Chapter in *Faithful AI: Stories of Hope from 2045*

**"Who 'Makes' The Rules?"** (2020)  
Winner of FaithTech Institute's Writing Contest on ML ethics

**"Challenges for an Ontology of Artificial Intelligence"** (2019)  
*Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith* | [ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.03171)

### Audio & Acoustics

**"Leveraging Neural Representations for Audio Manipulation"** (AES Europe 2023)  
[Interactive 3D Figures](https://api.wandb.ai/links/drscotthawley/p4m93xbz)

**"Tracking Transients in Steelpan Strikes"** (JASA 2022)  
[Demos](https://drscotthawley.github.io/espiownage/)

**"ConvNets for Counting"** (JASA 2021)  
Object detection for transient phenomena in steelpan drums

**"Exploring Quality and Generalizability in Parameterized Neural Audio Effects"** (JAES 2020)  
[ArXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.05584)

**"SignalTrain: Profiling Audio Compressors with Deep Neural Networks"** (AES 2019)  
[Demo](http://www.signaltrain.ml)

### Earlier Career (Computational Relativity)

Prior to audio/ML work, Dr. Hawley conducted research in computational general relativity and astrophysics, with publications in Physical Review and Classical and Quantum Gravity on black hole physics, numerical methods, and gravitational phenomena.

## Key Themes

- **Interdisciplinary Approach:** Combining physics, audio engineering, machine learning, and ethics
- **Educational Innovation:** Developing interactive tools and apps for teaching
- **Open Source:** Commitment to accessible tools and knowledge sharing
- **Ethical AI:** Thoughtful consideration of AI's impact on creativity, society, and humanity
- **Practical Applications:** Building tools that serve musicians, audio engineers, and researchers

## More Information

- Full CV: https://hedges.belmont.edu/cv.pdf
- Blog: https://drscotthawley.github.io/blog/
- GitHub: https://github.com/drscotthawley
- Main Website: https://hedges.belmont.edu/