Research Ambassadors
Ester Luo ‘26
Email me at: hluo10@u.rochester.edu
Discipline(s) of Research
- Life sciences
- Social sciences
- Humanities
Major(s) and Minor(s)
- BS in Computer Science
- BA in Music
- Minor in Music Cognition
Areas of Interest/Research Focus
My research focuses on music cognition, auditory perception, and semantic analysis, using behavioral methods and computational approaches including fMRI and NLP/LLMs. I am mentored by Dr. Elise Piazza (Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Neuroscience) and Dr. David Temperley (Music Theory, Eastman). My work explores musicians’ vs. non-musicians’ mean pitch estimation, auditory “gist” processing in naturalistic music perception, musical invariance in similarity perception, and music-evoked autobiographical memory, integrating neuroscience with computational and music-theoretical perspectives.
Areas where I may be particularly helpful
- Interest/lab choice within:
- Brain and cognitive science
- Computer science
- Music
- Center for Advanced Brain Imaging and Neurophysiology
- Study abroad
- Feel free to ask me anything!
What advice do you have for prospective or new researchers?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions or make mistakes, no one expects you to know everything or get it right all the time. Stay connected with other researchers, observe how they approach both their work and their lives, and reflect on whether research truly aligns with your passion. Along the way, think about what a healthy balance between research and life might look like for you.