Daniel HarasimI am a Postdoctoral Researcher in Computational Musicology at the Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab (DCML).My main research focus lies on probabilistic modeling of musical structures at the moment, combining approaches from machine learning, Bayesian statistics, computer linguistics, and music theory. Besides, I am studying and developing methods related to representation learning and probabilistic programming.In my PhD thesis The Learnability of the Grammar of Jazz: Bayesian Inference of Hierarchical Structures in Harmony, supervised by Martin Rohrmeier (EPFL) and Timothy O’Donnell (McGill University), I simulated how abstract knowledge about musical structure is learnable without a teacher from listening and engaging with music.In 2015, I earned a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science at the TU Dresden where I in particular worked on geometric structures of voice-leading spaces. My research interests further include topics from mathematical music theory, music cognition, and computational cognitive science. Aside from my academic activities, I enjoy playing the upright bass in Jazz improvisations.
Gabriele CecchettiAfter being awarded an MPhil at the Centre for Music and Science (University of Cambridge), Gabriele Cecchetti joined the Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab (EPFL) as a doctoral assistant in 2019. In Rome, his hometown, he previously graduated in physics (Università ‘La Sapienza’) and as a cellist (Conservatorio ‘S. Cecilia’). His research interests lie on a spectrum spanning from music analysis and performance to the mathematical and theoretical modelling of the cognitive underpinnings of the experience of music. For his master’s project, he focused on a small-scale information-theoretic model of tonal affinity based on psychoacoustic and neuroscientific insight. Within the ERC-funded project ‘Principles of Musical Structure Building’ he will engage with matching theoretical and computational approaches with empirical cognitive and psychological frameworks. He is also an experienced musician with a particular devotion to chamber music, and has been extensively involved in music teaching over several years of collaboration with the educational programs of the National Academy ‘S. Cecilia’ in Rome.
Christoph FinkensiepSince 2017, Christoph is a doctoral researcher at the Digital andCognitive Musicology Lab. He obtained his Master's degree in CognitiveScience at the University of Osnabrück with a thesis entitled"A Formal Model of Voice Leading" (2017). His Bachelor in ComputerScience at the University of Paderborn was completed with a thesisthat addressed the problem of "Automatic Composition of SemanticWebservices" (2014).His current research focuses on computational modeling of musicalstructure. Further scientific interests include music cognition,probabilistic modeling and machine learning, artificial intelligence,as well as philosophy of mind and philosophy of science. In addition, heis an active trombonist and occassional arranger, composer, and conductor.
Steffen Alexander HerffSteffen graduated in Psychology at the Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf in Germany before going on to complete his PhD at the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development focusing on 'Memory for Melody' in 2017, under the supervision of Prof. Roger Dean and Dr. Kirk Olsen.After his PhD, Steffen secured a DAAD-UA grant to conduct the "Noisy Ear" project in Germany, exploring context effects of background noise on memory before accepting a position at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore, where he worked on Statistical Learning and memory paradigms in the auditory domain.Steffen's research is situated at the intersection between Memory, Music, and Neuroscience. His diverse interests and background have made him an integral part of many inter-disciplinary projects. These projects range from fundamental memory, learning, and perception research, over social negotiation between musical co-performers and the creation of new compositional tools, to non-invasive and invasive brain imaging in musical rhythm perception as well as brain stimulation to modulate memory encoding. Steffen strongly believes that inter-disciplinary research is the key to tackle complex, multi-facetted research questions.
Johannes HentschelAvant de commencer son doctorat à l'École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Johannes Hentschel a étudié pédagogie de musique, théorie de musique et français à Fribourg-en-Brisgau, Lübeck et Helsinki. Accordéoniste, chanteur et chef de chorale diplômé, il est avant tout maître de conférences en théorie de musique. Depuis 2018, il poursuit des études doctorales d'Humanités Digitales à l'EPFL. Sous la direction du professeur Martin Rohrmeier au sein du Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab (DCML) Johannes prépare sa thèse sur les changements diachroniques de styles musicaux, approfondissant ses connaissances dans la construction de corpus et l'organisation de métadonnées.
