Jessica Grahn

Dr. Jessica Grahn studies how music affects our brain and behaviour, specializing in the study of rhythm. Her major focus has been understanding why we move to music, and her work has shown that the brain areas that control movement respond when we listen to musical rhythm, even if we are sitting still. By studying the neural mechanisms of how we ‘feel the beat’, her work can be applied to optimize our understanding of how patients with neurological movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, may benefit from musical interventions.

Dr. Grahn has degrees in Neuroscience and Piano Performance from Northwestern University, as well as a PhD from the University of Cambridge, England. She is an Associate Professor in the Psychology department and the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University (Canada). She has received the Charles Darwin Award in Public Communication of Science from the British Science Association, the Early Researcher Award from the Ontario government, a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, and an Understanding Human Cognition Award from the James S. McDonnell Foundation. Dr. Grahn’s research is supported by the GRAMMY foundation, Parkinson Society Canada, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the three major Canadian research councils. Her two TedX talks on music are popular online.