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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DR. TRAINOR’S BACKGROUND &amp; WORK</div><div>Laurel Trainor received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the
University of Toronto and is a Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience,
and Behaviour at McMaster University. She has received the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Society for Music Perception and Cognition
and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Arts Culture and Design, and
is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Trainor is a prolific
researcher and has been a long-time supporter of the European Journal of
Neuroscience (He et al., 2009; Fujioka et al., 2011; Slugocki &amp;
Trainor, 2014; Flaten et al., 2022; Prete et al., 2022; Poikonen et al.,
2024). Trainor’s research focuses on the role of music in development
and social behaviors. Her lab has shown how infants learn the structure
of the music in their culture similarly to how they learn the language
in their environment. Her studies on rhythm perception demonstrate that
listening to rhythms activates brain networks associated with motor
control, reflecting multisensory interactions measurable by EEG and MEG.
She also explores how rhythm and timing facilitate communication,
increasing prosocial behavior through synchronous movement. Trainor
founded and directs the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (MIMM)
and its LIVELab, a research concert hall for studying music’s influence
on the brain and mind, including performer-audience and
performer-performer interactions. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of
Music Performance from the University of Toronto and is the principal
flutist in the Burlington Symphony Orchestra.</div>