Miriam Lense, PhD

Miriam Lense, PhD, is an Associate Professor and licensed clinical psychologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she co-directs the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab. Her research program investigates the intersection of rhythm and music with social, emotional, and cognitive processes with a particular focus on children with and without developmental differences such as autism and their caregivers/families. Her work develops and advances music component frameworks, mechanistic processes, and clinical applications to enrich our understanding of, and impact on, health and development. Current research includes investigations into rhythm and multimodality as mechanisms through which music and song support social interaction and social-emotional well-being in children with and without autism, as well as music-based interventions to support social interaction and positive parenting in early development.