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.
	Connor Wessel is a PhD student on the Auditory Alarms project. He undertook his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology at the University of Plymouth in England. His research focuses on how auditory alarms can be made to be more localisable, and how different levels of urgency can be more discriminable. He recently studied whether newly designed alarms are detrimental to performance on cognitive tasks (and vice versa), and whether digital bike bells can improve the safety and experience of cyclists and pedestrians. As a musician, Connor has played trumpet in Concert band and Orchestra, and has sung Tenor in various choral activities.
	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

	Diana Balko is a second year student in the Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour program, specializing in Mental Health. Growing up, she always had an interest in music. She loves listening to a variety of different music genres and grew up playing the piano but experimented with many instruments too (such as the violin, guitar, flute, saxophone). Diana has an interest in the neuropsychological reactions individuals have to music and sounds. She is also very excited to gain hands-on experience and is looking forward to working with a wonderful team! In Diana’s spare time, you can find her reading, cooking, or ice-skating.
	Kate Blumberg is a second-year PNB student in the Music Cognition Specialization. She has spent much of her life immersed in vocal music, both performing in and composing for choral ensembles throughout high school. She joined the MAPLE Lab after learning about the Auditory Alarms Project, drawn to the lab’s application-based approach to acoustics. Kate is excited to explore how principles of music cognition can be used to improve real-world sound design and listening experiences. When not in the lab, she can usually be found canoeing or crocheting. Fun Fact: she has artfully escaped not one, but three close calls with a bear (and one wolverine, briefly mistaken for a cub…).
	Reecha Debgupta is a second-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.
	Emily Duan is a fourth-year student in the Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour program, specializing in Music Cognition. “My family often sings Chinese opera, which inspired me musically when I was a child.”  Since then, to maintain her interest in music, she has continued to participate in school choirs. Emily is also deeply interested in video gaming and creating her own music. She is excited to be joining the MAPLE Lab as it is an opportunity for her to learn about the fascinating connection between music and cognitive psychology.
	Elica Eivani is a third-year PNB student specializing in Music Cognition. She has a deep appreciation for the relationship between music and the brain, with a particular interest in how music is processed emotionally and cognitively. She is currently in her second term on the Emotional Piano Project, where she has enjoyed exploring how musical experiences relate to emotional and cognitive processing. A fun fact about Elica is that she has been singing for as long as she can remember—and she rarely does anything without music playing.
	Misbah Gaurd is a 3rd student in the Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour program. Music has always been a big part of her life; through competitive dance, performing clarinet, or listening on her own. This connection sparked her interest in how music influences emotion and mood. This curiosity led her to the MAPLE Lab, where she volunteered on the Emotional Piano Project over the summer. She is excited to return as a 2QQ3 student this semester. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
	Alice Hong is a Level II General PNB student who transferred to McMaster this year. She began learning violin at the age of six, taught by her mother, despite being frightened by the sound as a baby. She later learned to play the piano, guitar, and trumpet. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, making hair bows, and cuddling with her cat, Panini. She appreciates that the MAPLE Lab’s research is especially applicable to the real world and is excited to work with everyone as a 2QQ student.
	Chloe Lam is a second-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.
	Nara Purevdash is drawn to the MAPLE Lab as she wants to explore several research questions, including how music compares to language and animal communication, how musical styles have changed across time and space, the music of nomadic cultures, and what happens when people make and perform music together live. In her free time, she enjoys writing, learning to sew, and studying French and Mongolian.
	Marika Wechsler is a third-year Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour student. She loves music and currently sings in the McMaster University choir. She is most interested in examining how music elicits certain emotions in the listener. In her spare time, she loves to get outdoors, and experiment with new instruments.
	Jamie Wells is a second-year student in the Honours Health Sciences Program at McMaster University. He enjoys playing percussion in many different musical contexts (including in the McMaster Percussion Ensemble), shooting photography (currently president of Mac’s photography club), and has a side passion for sustainable transportation methods. He is drawn to the MAPLE Lab because of the Auditory Alarms Project.
	Camilla Cortis-Siles is a third-year PNB student in the Music Cognition Specialization. Her passion for music drives her interest for academic research surrounding the arts. She is particularly drawn to the MAPLE Lab for its innovative research in emotional perception and its research in the healthcare field. Having played piano since she was 5, Camilla currently teaches piano lessons for students of all ages. She also plays the French Horn for a variety of ensembles in her spare time. Camilla is excited to collaborate with like-minded individuals while working on projects in the lab!
	Trisha Jesuthasan is a third-year student in the Honours Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour Program. Music has always been a big part of Trisha’s life, as she started singing at the age of 3, and has studied vocal music through the Royal Conservatory of Music since she was 9 years old. This sparked her passion for music, and since then, she has been fascinated by how music can change the way we feel and perceive the world. She is excited to join the MAPLE Lab as a 3QQ3 student and learn more about the cognitive mechanisms that underly the musical experience. In her spare time, Trisha loves to read, listen to music, and cook!
	Bennny Kosir is a third-year in the Psychology Neuroscience and Behaviour program. Music has always been a huge part of his life. He took piano lessons for at least 6 years when he was younger and has been in choir for the past 9 years (including the McMaster choir during the past few years). Benjamin is excited to join MAPLE Lab to further explore music in an academic and psychological setting. He is also looking forward to getting hands on experience with how psychological studies are run! Benjamin’s other interests include Art (drawing and painting), skiing and playing video games.
	Hannah McClung is a third-year student in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour program. She also enjoys music in all forms. Piano, playing and theory, interested her greatly in her younger years. Now she enjoys learning about obscure music genres. She finds it interesting how music can convey so much meaning without words. She is interested in what makes music sound “good” or “bad, ” and the MAPLE Lab is a perfect place to explore that curiosity. She is excited to explore the research process up close and explore her interests about the building blocks of a research paper. Hannah is thrilled to help out in the MAPLE Lab!
	Amaria McGibbon is a third-year Psychology Neuroscience and Behaviour student. As a dancer of 10 years, Amaria has first hand experience with the impact music and auditory stimuli have on cognition, perception, and behaviour. She is thrilled to be a member of the MAPLE lab, and looks forward to investigating more ways music can be used to improve health-related industries. Fun fact: She absolutely loves studying to lofi music! (She does cheat and listen to Reggaeton when she want a good pick me up).
	Sarayu Nambiar is a third-year Arts and Science student minoring in Psychology. She has been singing since she was six, sparking a lifelong passion for music. Since then, she has learned guitar and ukulele, and enjoys a variety of music genres like R&B, jazz, and neo-soul. After taking PSYCH 2MP3, she realized that her two passions -music and psychology- intersect beautifully. She’s most excited to gain hands on research experience in the MAPLE Lab and play a part in shaping the field of music cognition! In her free time, she is interested in photography, style, and watching video essays.