Meet the BPM Research Team

Erica Knowles, PhD – Principal Investigator

Dr. Knowles is an associate professor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department at Berklee College of Music. She received her B.S. in Historical Musicology from Hofstra University, her M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Seton Hall University, and her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University.

Dr. Knowles is interested in how we acquire and understand musical structure. She is particularly interested in how musical training can influence how we learn from the auditory environment, and how different types of musical training can change the representation of and access to this information.

Outside of teaching and research, Dr. Knowles enjoys playing cello, running, and spending time with her family and friends.

Ethan Bessette – Research Assistant

Hi! My name is Ethan Bessette, and I’m a student at Berklee College of Music studying Electronic Production and Design, Interactive Media Scoring, and Psychology. I plan to continue my education at least to a master’s degree (for now) to delve deeper into extended reality research and design. In my free time, I enjoy playing video and tabletop games with friends, as well as running!

Sarah Naqvi – Research Assistant

Sarah Naqvi is an undergraduate flute student at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Electronic Production and Design. She hopes to pursue a career in music cognition research, blending her passions for music and science. Sarah is particularly interested in Pan-Asian music and non-western musical traditions. She is excited about incorporating these topics into her future research. In her free time, Sarah enjoys playing music with friends, cooking, and exploring Boston.

Fernando Crespo – Research Assistant

Fernando Crespo is an aspiring music therapist studying at Berklee College of Music. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he is eager to explore ethnocultural approaches to music therapy, particularly within Latin American communities. Fernando plans to further his studies in music therapy, with interests in the Nordoff-Robbins approach and cross-cultural research. Outside of music therapy, he is passionate about piano performance, especially jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa, as well as philosophy, with a special interest in existentialism. When he’s not studying or practicing, you might find him reading, working out, or playing salsa around Boston.

Matt Issa-Abba – Research Assistant

Matt Issa-Abbas (any/all) is an undergraduate student at Berklee College of Music studying Professional Music (composition and electronic performance tracks) with minors in Psychology and Acoustics & Electronics. He works as an intern at Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, researching central auditory processing and audiology. He also volunteers at a dementia facility, performing sound-guided meditations for the residents.

Matt is interested in the physiological effects of music on the brain and how they can be utilized to influence greater health. She plans to pursue graduate study and a career in research in the field of auditory neuroscience.

Outside of music and research, Matt enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time in nature.

Monicki Firouzmand – Research Assistant

Monicki is a vocalist, songwriter, composer, and Tar player. She began her musical journey studying Persian classical music and later expanded her interests to jazz and pop. Before coming to Berklee College of Music, she studied psychology for three semesters in Iran. Currently, alongside her major in Contemporary Writing and Production, she is pursuing a minor in Psychology. Monicki is passionate about exploring the connection between music and the human mind.

Lab Alumni

Ella Shalev
Mi-Lan Hoang
Logan Bautista
Noah Solomon
Bethanie Liu
Rose Koo
Mateo Larrea
Sheena Odabashian
Holly Jurca
Claire Zhang
Alexandra Grace
Sierra Coe-Frisco
Andrew Levine