Current Members

Graduate Students

Yuval Adler, PhD Student (Music Technology)

During my Bachelor's in Music Composition at Tel-Aviv University I began my path in Music Technology when I was frustrated by the available amount and quality of software tools aimed at contemporary music composers. Though my interests have broadened beyond that aspect of Music Technology, especially during my Master's in Music, Science and Technology at Stanford's CCRMA, I hope to return to that initial motivation with the work I undertake at MPCL. I intend to help bridge the gap between composers and researchers by making knowledge and tools more accessible to those musicians who wish to explore topics of perception and orchestration.

yuval [dot] adler [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Joshua Rosner, PhD Student (Music Composition)

Upon graduating from Oberlin College and Conservatory with degrees in Music Cognition and Perception (Individual Major) and Jazz Studies/Composition, I founded a contemporary music organization, The Syndicate for the New Arts, in Cleveland, Ohio. My time as executive director and ensemble guitarist not only allowed me to commission and perform new works, offer free educational programming, and present touring ensembles but also the opportunity to observe different audiences perceive and enjoy (or dislike) unfamiliar and complex music. My research is primarily concerned with how people structure sound over time and the role that attention plays in grouping and segmentation. More specifically, my doctoral research as a music theorist focuses on how listeners hear form in contemporary chamber music that focuses on non-default instrumental playing techniques. A major motivation behind my research is to expand the repertoire covered in music theory classes to include and highlight marginalized musical traditions and in turn develop curricula which help create musicians who are not bound by genre. My work draws from gestalt psychology, embodied cognition, and phenomenology, as well as my experiences as a composer and performer. My doctoral research is co-supervised by Robert Hasegawa and Stephen McAdams.

joshua [dot] rosner [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Linglan Zhu, PhD Student (Music Technology)

During my master’s studies in MPCL, my research interests consolidated around composers’ timbral practice and the role of inner hearing in it. My general interests concern how timbre can be used as an important parameter in analysis of contemporary music, and how listeners’ perception can lever the process of analyzing and evaluating composers’ compositional plan. Prior to my graduate studies, I received a B.Sc. in chemistry from Fudan University.

linglan [dot] zhu [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Yifan Huang, PhD Student (Music Technology)

I am currently pursuing a PhDin Music Technology at McGill University. My research interests include timbre perception in emotion, cross-cultural studies, and cross-modal studies. I'm enthusiastic to investigate how timbre and orchestrations affect people's feelings and understanding of music, and how we can use this knowledge to enhance people's understanding of music from different cultural backgrounds. Before doing my graduate studies, I obtained a bachelor's degree in computer science from Zhejiang University in China, as well as a minor in archaeology and museum studies. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted research on machine learning music generation. I really enjoy my "timbre life" at MPCL!

yifan [dot] huang3 [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Jonas Régnier, PhD Student (Composition)

Jonas Regnier is a French composer and researcher. Their research and artistic interests focus on music perception and psychology, and more specifically the ways to direct listeners’ attention with timbre, space and musical discourse. They are exploring instrumental, electroacoustic, and mixed music composition with equal interest.

Jonas Regnier obtained an Organ performance diploma, an instrumental composition diploma and an electroacoustic composition diploma at the Conservatoire of Music of Toulouse (France) in 2018. At the same time, they obtained their Bachelor of Arts degree in Musicology at the Sorbonne University (Paris). They are now pursuing a PhD in Composition under the supervision of Philippe Leroux and Stephen McAdams. Jonas Regnier’s music is published by BabelScores in digital and printed formats.

Jonas' Website | Soundcloud

jonas [dot] regnier [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Yudan Ding, PhD Student (Music Technology)

My research focuses on music perception and cognition in human voices, exploring how people perceive, interpret, and emotionally respond to vocal sounds. I am broadly interested in all topics related to human voices, including their roles in music semantics and the connections between vocal production mechanisms and measurable acoustic features.

Before joining MPCL, I earned my Master of Music in Music Technology from New York University and my Bachelor of Music in Professional Music (concentrating in Recording and Engineering) from Berklee College of Music.

yudan [dot] ding [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Susanne Sevcik, PhD Student (Music Technology)

I am excited to continue my interdisciplinary research, driven by a lifelong passion for music, here at the MPCL. I recently completed my MA in Music Technology under the supervision of Stephen McAdams, where my thesis focused on memory for musical meaning, which includes how we understand music through metaphors and cross-modal correspondences. Specifically, I investigated implicit memory for timbre semantics—the ways we describe sound—and how timbre can prime lexical retrieval. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Experimental Psychology, specializing in Behavioral Neuroscience, and am co-supervised by Signy Sheldon in the Sheldon Memory Lab. My research examines how music, particularly timbre, can evoke different emotions and how these emotional responses may influence the encoding and retrieval of event memories. I completed my undergraduate degree at Mount Allison University, where I studied cognitive science, piano performance, and musicology. As a classically trained pianist, I remain active as a performer, teacher, and event coordinator with the Windwood Music Festival, as collaborating with other musicians is what continues to inspire me. 

susanne [dot] sevcik [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Mai Lyn Puittinen, Master's Student (Music Technology)

My interest in music research was sparked by an ecomusicology elective taken during my undergraduate. Having completed my BSc in computer science at the University of Ottawa, I am extremely excited about the potential of interdisciplinary study. In pursuit of my masters, I hope to deepen my overall understanding of sound’s role in perceptual, physical and societal contexts. My specific research interest seeks to examine the boundaries of music and sound through the study of musical listening and soundscapes.

emily [dot] puittinen [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Tianqi Peng, Master's Student (Music Technology)

I began my studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Piano and Harpsichord and later graduated with a BA in Cognitive Science (Distinction), with undergraduate research focusing on music memory. Before coming to McGill, I served a year as an RA at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, studying emotional responses to music. Outside of my academic work, I enjoy learning instruments, including organ, lute, drum kits, guqin, bamboo flute, and celesta. I am always open to collaborating, researching, or simply making music together.

tianqi [dot] peng [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Undergraduate Students

Fernando Hartogs, Undergraduate Student (Music Research)

I am an undergraduate student studying Jazz Saxophone with a Minor in Music Technology. My quest for understanding music has led me to become obsessed with how we can analyze its mathematical facets and interpret their effects. My research centers on musical tension and release, specifically how acoustic descriptors shape a listener’s sense that music is building and resolving. I’m honored and excited to collaborate with MPCL members and learn from everyone as I see where this research takes me.

Fernando [dot] hartogs [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca

Domi Wong, Honours Student (Psychology)

Domi is currently in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Science with a major in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience. Her previous research includes volunteer work at the Centre for Research in Neuroscience and a project under McGill’s Office of Science Education. Building on the interdisciplinary nature of her work, Domi is currently working on her honours thesis with the Music Perception Cognition Lab. Under the supervision of Dr. Stephen McAdams and in collaboration with researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Ursinus College, the University of Rochester, and Northwestern University, Domi will be exploring auditory segmentation in music. The focus of this research is to determine the role of orchestral, registral, and textural contrasts in music listening and mental structuring of complex event sequences. Outside of the laboratory, Domi enjoys playing both contemporary and classical piano as well as orchestral French horn. 

Domi [dot] wong [at] mail [dot] mcgill [dot] ca