Welcome to the Music and Neuroscience Lab! The lab is run by Dr. Jessica Grahn, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies music. Dr. Grahn is a Professor in Brain and Mind and the Department of Psychology at Western University, in London, Ontario.

Before that, she was at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, England, and an Associate Lecturer in Biological Psychology with the Open University. 

(And a little tip: Grahn rhymes with "on", not "an").

Research Interests

  • Why do we move to music? 
  • How is musical rhythm processed in the brain? How do brain responses to musical rhythm differ from similar types of movement and timing? 
  • How and why do other animals' brain responses to music differ from ours? 
  • Can musical rhythm have therapeutic benefit? (more information). 

Other areas in which I have expertise include:
  • the use of real-time fMRI scanning to examine if people can change their own brain activity (neurofeedback)
  • the effects of training on cognitive function (brain training, musical training)
  • how listening to different types of music affects memory

  • Want to participate in ongoing cognitive neuroscience research at Western? Check out: OurBrainsCAN

Research Opportunities

If you are interested in research opportunities in the Music and Neuroscience lab, please get in touch. Students may want to read about important traits I look for in both undergrads and grads.  

Undergraduate students should send Dr. Grahn a CV, transcript, writing sample, as well as a short description of why they are interested in this area of research and the time commitment they are able to make.

Graduate Students should examine OGS and NSERC/CIHR funding, if eligible.

All grads may be interested in the Collaborative Specialization in Music Cognition.

Post-docs. We are considering postdoctoral position applications.
Postdocs may want to look at the Banting Fellowships, Marie Curie fellowships (Europeans), CIHR Fellowships, NSERC Fellowships, or other lists of fellowships. This list, too.

International students interested in doing a placement in the lab should send similar materials as undergraduate students (as above), and should look at Western's procedures.

News

- Here are our recent publications
June 2022 March 2022
  • Congratulations to Karli Nave on her NSERC CREATE Postdoctoral Fellowship!
January 2022
  • Welcome to new postdocs Karli Nave and Thibault Chabin!
  • Check out a Blog Post written by Dr. Dawn Rose during her visit to the lab as part of the Scientific Exchange!
November 2021
  • Congratulations to Dr. Grahn on winning the NSERC EWR Steacie Memorial Fellowship for her contributions to psychology and neuroscience. Read more here and here.
October 2021
  • Congratulations to Justin Hopper for successfully defending his Master's thesis!
September 2021
  • Congratulations to Avital Sternin who successfully defended her PhD! Good luck with you next adventure!
  • Welcome Ana Luisa Pinho, our new BrainsCAN Postoctoral Fellow. She will be investigating the role of the cerebellum in music cognition.
May 2021: April 2021: January 2021:
  • Welcome, new PhD student Riya Sidhu! And also to Marina Emerick, a first-year Master's student, who arrived in London this month, after a semester of remote work in Brazil.
November 2021: October 2020:
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Call for Postdocs! Interested applicants can see here for more information. 
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 Jessica Grahn                                                        jgrahn@uwo.ca
 Brain and Mind at Western
 Department of Psychology
 Western Interdisciplinary Research Building, 5118
 Western University
 London, ON, CANADA