I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Director of the Music Cognition Lab, and Associate Director of the Program for Music, Mind & Society at Vanderbilt. I also hold a secondary appointment in the Department of Psychology at Vanderbilt University and am an investigator in the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute.

I hold a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Neuroscience from University of Aix-Marseille, and a PhD in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences from Florida Atlantic University. I also completed postdoctoral training in developmental disabilities at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. The intersection of these multi-disciplinary interests eventually to my current research program focused on the role of rhythm in language development and disorders from behavioral, cognitive, neural, and genetic perspectives. Music Cognition Lab research is currently supported by NIH NIDCD funding, a Vanderbilt Trans-Institutional Programs Grant, and Otolaryngology departmental support. My work has appeared in journals including Developmental Science, Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, PLoS ONE, and NeuroImage. I am passionate about community outreach and have contributed to public awareness about #musicscience by leading research partnerships with community organizations, co-chairing the Society of Music Perception and Cognition 2015 meeting, serving on the Board of the American Foundation for Music and Science, and having my work featured in international media coverage such as NPR and the BBC.