They have emerged as a leader in the field of comparative and computational musicology. They have been the driver of multiple multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural, inclusive collaborations -- including work with over 200 coauthors across 25 countries -- and have produced some of the most influential papers in music cognition over the past decade. These have included evidence for the near-universal importance of social bonding to human musicality. Their work is currently funded by multiple million-dollar grants from both the Japanese and Canadian government, as well as the Yamaha corporation.

As part of this research program, they have supervised dozens of trainees, including negotiating funding for students from underrepresented groups, and providing extensive training to create an inclusive and supportive research environment in their lab, the CompMusic Lab at Keio University. Their trainees represent a large and important contingent at SMPC, both at this meeting and at our last SMPC in 2019!

Congratulations to the faculty Early Career Award recipient, Patrick Savage.

• As read by Adena Schachner at the 2022 SMPC Meeting