PhD Recruiting: Brain Music Lab
Prospective PhD Student Opportunity: Brain Music Lab @ CU Boulder
The Brain Music Lab in the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder is seeking motivated, interdisciplinary PhD applicants for Fall 2027.
About the Brain Music Lab
Directed by Professor Grace Leslie, the Brain Music Lab investigates how music interacts with the brain, body, behavior, and technology. Our work spans music cognition, neurotechnology, human-computer interaction, physiological computing, movement, affect, and health and well-being.
We are especially interested in research that combines rigorous experimental methods with the design and use of new technologies for understanding musical experience. Projects may involve behavioral experiments, physiological and neural signals, wearable or interactive systems, movement sensing, machine learning, multimodal data analysis, or the development of new tools for studying music in naturalistic and real-world settings.
Our core research areas include:
Music, Health & Well-Being
Research examining how musical experiences relate to emotion, stress, regulation, social connection, mental and physical well-being, and other health-relevant outcomes. We are interested in both controlled studies and technologies that enable music-related research outside traditional laboratory environments.
Physiology, Biosignals & Neurotechnology
Measurement and analysis of physiological and neural responses associated with music and interaction, including signals such as heart rate and heart-rate variability, electrodermal activity, respiration, EEG, and other multimodal measures of brain and body activity.
Movement, Embodiment & Musical Interaction
Research on the relationships among music, movement, perception, coordination, entrainment, and embodied experience. This may include motion capture, wearable sensing, gesture analysis, or interactive systems that respond to human movement.
Music Technology & Human-Computer Interaction
Design and evaluation of technologies for musical interaction, creative expression, sensing, performance, and research. Projects may involve novel interfaces, wearable systems, real-time interaction, multimodal systems, or computational tools for understanding musical behavior.
Multimodal Measurement & Computational Analysis
Methods for integrating behavioral, physiological, neural, audio, movement, and contextual data to understand complex human experiences. We are particularly interested in computational approaches that preserve meaningful connections between quantitative measurement and lived musical experience.
Who Should Apply
We welcome applicants interested in interdisciplinary research spanning music, technology, cognition, neuroscience, health, and human-computer interaction.
Preferred applicants have undergraduate or graduate degrees in:
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
Applicants from closely related quantitative or experimental fields are also encouraged to apply when their research interests align strongly with the lab.
Ideal candidates may have experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Experimental design and human-subjects research
- Programming and computational analysis
- Signal processing or time-series analysis
- Machine learning or statistical modeling
- EEG, physiological sensing, or wearable technologies
- Movement or motion-capture analysis
- Human-computer interaction
- Music information retrieval or computational music research
- Psychology, cognition, affect, or neuroscience
- Designing and prototyping interactive systems
A formal background in music is not required. More important is a strong interest in investigating questions about music, the brain and body, and human experience using rigorous interdisciplinary methods.
What We Look For
Strong applicants will demonstrate:
- A clear interest in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of music, technology, brain, body, and behavior.
- Evidence of quantitative, computational, experimental, or technical research skills.
- Curiosity about methodological questions and a willingness to work across disciplinary boundaries.
- The ability to formulate interesting research questions rather than simply apply existing technologies.
- Interest in collaborative research and contributing actively to an interdisciplinary lab community.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Previous research experience is highly valued. Publications are welcome but are not required for applicants who can demonstrate strong research potential through theses, research assistantships, independent projects, technical work, or other substantial scholarly experience.
Funding Pathways
We are committed to supporting doctoral students through competitive funding opportunities available at CU Boulder. Depending on the student's program, stage of study, and available projects, support may include:
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs): Teaching opportunities through ATLAS and affiliated academic programs that may provide tuition coverage, health insurance, and a graduate stipend.
Research Assistantships (RAs): Grant-supported research positions may be available for students working on funded Brain Music Lab projects.
Institutional and Departmental Fellowships: Competitive university and departmental fellowships may provide recruitment funding, supplemental support, or dedicated research time.
External Fellowships: Applicants are strongly encouraged to pursue opportunities such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and other national or international fellowships. We are happy to support students in developing competitive fellowship applications.
Funding structures vary by program and year and cannot be guaranteed through an informal inquiry.
How to Express Interest
1. Explore the Brain Music Lab
Review the lab's research, publications, and ongoing projects to determine whether your interests align with the lab's work.
2. Send an Initial Inquiry
Prospective students are welcome to email Professor Grace Leslie at grace@colorado.edu.
Please include:
- Your CV
- A link to your website, GitHub, portfolio, or research materials, if applicable
- A brief description of your current research interests and background
- 2-3 paragraphs describing the kinds of research questions you would be interested in pursuing in the Brain Music Lab
- A short explanation of why the Brain Music Lab and CU Boulder would be a good fit for your goals
You do not need to arrive with a fully formed dissertation topic. We are much more interested in seeing evidence of intellectual curiosity, methodological readiness, and promising research questions.
3. Submit a Formal Application
Applicants must also apply formally to an appropriate PhD program at the University of Colorado Boulder and should explicitly identify the Brain Music Lab and Professor Grace Leslie in their statement of purpose when appropriate.
Students interested in joining the lab should carefully review the admission requirements, application deadlines, and funding structure of the specific doctoral program to which they are applying.
Why Brain Music Lab?
The Brain Music Lab is designed for students who want to work across conventional disciplinary boundaries. A project here might begin with a question about musical experience and lead to an experiment involving wearable physiology, movement sensing, machine learning, interactive technology, or neuroscience.
We are especially excited to work with students who want to develop new ways of measuring and understanding complex human experiences—and who see music not only as an artistic domain, but also as a powerful model system for studying emotion, movement, cognition, social interaction, technology, and well-being.