Dr. Elise Piazza, Principal Investigator

Elise is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Brain & Cognitive Sciences and Neuroscience at the University of Rochester. She completed her B.A. at Williams College, her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and her postdoctoral training as a C. V. Starr Fellow at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. Her research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms of human auditory perception and interpersonal communication, including dialogue and musical interactions. She is also interested in how musical training impacts the hierarchical organization of sounds in the brain and how listeners compute statistical summary (or “gist”) representations of complex sounds. Outside of the lab, Elise can be found chasing her toddler around town and aspiring to return to her hobbies (playing chamber music and strategy board games).

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Riesa Cassano-Coleman, Graduate Student

Riesa received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Princeton. She is interested in how the brain processes music, especially while playing music - alone or with others. She is also interested in the interaction of music and memory and how the brain changes with aging and dementia. Riesa is currently a part of the women’s rowing team, and enjoys playing the oboe and hiking in her free time.

Calli Smith, Graduate Student

Calli received her B.S. in Cognitive Science from UConn in 2021. She is primarily interested in how we process language, and how that depends on experience and context (particularly social, interactive context). She enjoys hiking, playing music, reading, and petting dogs (sometimes cats, too).

Qingzhi (Ruby) Zeng, Graduate Student

Ruby received her B.A. in Psychology and Music in 2020 from Bryn Mawr College. She has been playing the violin since she was nine years old and has been actively performing in chamber ensembles and orchestra. She is fascinated by the science behind musical activities and their roles in human cognition and perception. One of the topics that she is most interested in exploring is improvisation as a means of communication and a type of creativity among young children in the domain of both music and language. Outside of academia, she enjoys diary writing, binge watching Criminal Minds, and exercising. She is from Shenzhen, China. E-mail

Aliza Lopez, Undergraduate Student

Aliza is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Health, Behavior, & Society with an intended minor in Legal Studies. Passionate about intersecting natural sciences with culture and social sciences, she is interested in how humans’ different backgrounds and distinct experiences influence their perception and cognition. By exploring interactions and communication, she also hopes to gain a greater sense of the multidisciplinary relationships between social factors, language, neurological conditions, and behavior. Outside of the university, Aliza enjoys going on long walks, writing, listening to music, and playing her instruments.