People

Director

Michael Schutz, Ph.D is the lab’s founding director and a core member of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. Drawing upon his unique background as a professional percussionist (BMA, MM), as well as his training in experimental psychology (MA, PhD), and computer science (BS), he explores core issues of music cognition from new points of view. He enjoys helping students acquire research skills by actively exploring novel topics relevant to psychologists, musicians, and neuroscientists alike. He is co-founder (with Fabrice Marandola) of the Canadian Percussion Network, connecting percussionists from across the country by building bridges between research and performance.  For additional information read his biography or view recent TV and radio appearances. For more information on percussion activities (including performing and teaching), visit his youtube channel or his website: www.michaelschutz.com.

Graduate Students

Cam Anderson, M.Sc is a PhD student and long-standing member of our lab who is exploring changes in musical emotion over historical eras. This project builds on his background in both music cognition and music theory, and will provide a novel look at the complex process of transmitting emotion from composer to performer to listener. He previously completed a Bachelor of Music with a specialization in Music Cognition, working on the Auditory Alarms project. Outside of the lab, Cam spends his free time practicing trombone, composing music, and learning Spanish.
Andres Elizondo Lopez is a PhD student working on our Auditory Alarms project. Andy completed their BSc (’21) in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour specializing in Music Cognition. They have a deep curiosity and appreciation of how we interpret musical qualities, and how we process auditory information from our environment. They have been part of the McMaster University’s Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, and the Marching Band. Andres is a percussionist, and also plays the piano and the guitar. They are very excited to be able to combine their love of psychology and music in the MAPLE Lab, and to contribute to the music cognition scientific community.
Angie Nikoleychuk is a M.Sc student, with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology with Distinction from the University of Lethbridge. Her honours thesis investigated how auditory sequences act as contextual cues to influence memory and decision-making. Angie’s research interests include the cognitive underpinnings of music performance, the role of sound in human-technology interaction, and the psychological perception of silence. She is a classically trained oboist with over 25 years of performance, composition, and teaching experience, and is excited to bring a musician’s insight to her interdisciplinary work.
Konrad Swierczek is a PhD candidate working on the Emotional Piano Project. He holds a Bachelor of Music (specialization, Music Cognition) from McMaster University where he studied Jazz Double Bass with Clark Johnston and completed a thesis under the supervision of Matthew Woolhouse. His research focuses on music information retrieval and musical corpus analysis across historical periods. Konrad is an active performer and audio engineer in southern Ontario and is the Digital Media Manager for the Canadian Chopin Society.
Yixuan Tong is a PhD student in the Lab. She earned her M.A. in Music Therapy from New York University and her B.A. from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Her research interests center on the cognitive mechanisms underlying musical emotion, communication, and social interaction, with a core focus on how listeners perceive and respond to music. Prior to joining MAPLE, she worked as a research assistant at NYU’s Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy, contributing to research on music engagement and physiological responses during musical interactions. Outside the lab, she enjoys photography, skiing, and reading mystery novels.
Serena Ho is a first-year MSc student who completed her HBSc with a double major in Computational Cognition and Economics (Data Analytics) at the University of Toronto. Her research interests lie at the intersection of music, emotion, and computational approaches to cognition. As a classically trained musician with over 18 years of experience, she is excited to integrate her musical background with cognitive science to advance research in music cognition. Outside the lab, she enjoys making music, photography, travelling, and spending time with loved ones.

Lab Manager

Aditi Shukla (’26 MSc) is our lab manager. She completed her undergraduate thesis and M.Sc. in Psychology at the MAPLE Lab. Her thesis explored elements of perception across music psychology and music theory. Specifically, she examined emotion perception in Classical- and Romantic-era preludes and investigated judgements of mode on a relative scale. Both of these projects focused on elucidating how musical cue use and cue relationships change over history, and how these shifts shape perception. When she is not studying papers or creating plots, you are likely to find her running, hiking, or lost in a good book.

Undergraduate Thesis Students

Christa Fernando is a fourth-year student majoring in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour with a Music Cognition Specialization, and will be starting her thesis in the lab this fall. She has played piano since she was 4 and completed up to RCM Level 10. Having played an instrument for so much of her life, looking at music from a different perspective is incredibly interesting to her and one of her favourite parts of the MAPLE lab! Christa loves to understand how different composers use varying techniques to make music their own. She is also learning the acoustic guitar in hopes that it will bring her closer to her lifelong dream of playing the electric guitar.
Brianna Vermue is a fourth-year Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour student who is very excited to be returning to the MAPLE Lab as a thesis student this fall. Music is one of Brianna’s greatest passions, particularly the piano. She is a piano teacher and enjoys playing classical piano repertoire in her free time. Having spent many years studying and teaching music, she is fascinated by the ways in which music can shape emotions and psychological experiences. Brianna is intrigued by how specific musical cues can influence human emotion and is excited to continue exploring this area through her work in music cognition.
Trisha Arora is a fourth-year student in the Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (B.Sc.) program at McMaster University, and will be starting her thesis in the lab this fall. She started taking vocal and piano lessons at the age of 9, and has loved music ever since. Trisha joined the MAPLE Lab in her second year, and is very excited to continue working with the team! She hopes to bring her passions for music, psychology, and healthcare together to contribute to the music cognition field. In her spare time, Trisha enjoys photography, teaching her students music at work, and spending time with her friends and family.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

 

Aiza Mujahid is a third-year Health Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship student in the iBioMed program. Throughout her life, Aiza has been fascinated by language, speech, sound, and how they are perceived through music. She has a passion for learning and speaking French and is currently a host on The Musings, a podcast on McMaster’s campus radio station. Her interest in language, sound and auditory perception drew her to the research conducted at the MAPLE Lab. She is thrilled to be a member of the MAPLE Lab and have the opportunity to explore how music and language shape cognition and emotional experience! Aiza is excited to gain hands-on research experience while working alongside the wonderful MAPLE Lab team. In her free time, she enjoys painting, playing squash, and spending time with her two cats.
Reecha Debgupta is a third-year PNB student with a long-standing involvement in music, having played since the age of nine both in and out of school. Over the years, she has studied piano, clarinet, and violin, and has consistently enjoyed music in its many forms, including listening, interpreting, and performing. She is excited to be a member of the MAPLE Lab and to work alongside like-minded individuals, gaining hands-on research experience while contributing to music cognition research. In her free time, Reecha enjoys reading, baking, and watching movies with friends and family.
Cailyn La is a third-year Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. Growing up, she always felt a pull towards music and has been singing since she was 6. She learned to play the French horn for 6 years, and has been singing in choir for the past 5 years (currently in the McMaster University Choirs). Since starting university, she discovered the field of music cognition and has been drawn to its application to healthcare and cognitive psychology. She is most excited to gain valuable experience in a research environment and learn more about the particulars of human perception on music. Apart from studying, you will definitely find her reading or rock climbing.
Kinda Biddah is a third-year student in the Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour program. Growing up, she had an interest in vocal music and has been involved in a number of choirs and vocal groups in school. She is excited to explore her interest in music through the lens of auditory and cognitive psychology. She is looking forward to joining the MAPLE Lab in understanding the applications of music and sound in the real world. In her free time, she enjoys painting, baking, playing with her cat Tamara, and going on aimless walks with her friends.
Nathan Locke is a third-year PNB student in the Music Cognition Specialization. His background working with individuals with disabilities has driven his interest in healthcare-focused research. The MAPLE Lab’s research on auditory alarms in medical settings is of great interest to him. Nathan enjoys playing the trumpet and piano in his free time. He is excited to collaborate with like-minded individuals in the lab!
Caleb Cheriyan is a fourth year student in the Applied Sciences of Human Behaviour program who is really looking forward to his experience in the MAPLE lab. Caleb has been learning piano since 6, singing since he was 7, and self-teaching guitar and bass since high school. His life was consumed by all things music until it was consumed by all things psychology (and still a lot of music). The MAPLE lab is an incredible intersection of those disciplines. He hopes to apply what he learns from this lab in areas such as trauma-coping and addictions.
Misbah Gaurd is a 4th year student in the Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour program. Music has always been a big part of her life; through competitive dance, performing clarinet, and listening to music in her free time! This lifelong connection to music sparked her interest in how music influences emotion and mood, as well as how sound can be used to improve real-world environments such as hospitals. This curiosity led her to the MAPLE Lab where she is excited to return this semester. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Chloe Lam is a third-year undergraduate student in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour specializing in Music Cognition. Having begun learning the harp at age 4, Chloe was a member of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and completed high school at the School of the Arts, Singapore, as a music major. She has extensive experience in competing as a soloist in international competitions which sparked her interest in the research related to music cognition. Chloe is particularly excited about the MAPLE Lab’s focus on improving auditory alarms in hospital settings.