It is my distinct delight to introduce Dr. Laurel Trainor. The nature of these awards is that many of us already well know of her immense contributions to the field. She has been notably prolific in both depth and breadth of her work in music cognition. Her work ranges from auditory perception to musical development to cognitive neuroscience, and frequently finding elegant intersections where theory or technique in one subfield could inform and intersect with another. This is perhaps best exemplified in her vision and direction of the LIVELab at McMaster University, a one-of-a-kind facility with all the features of a concert hall and all the experimental control of a world-class research lab. This is a perfect example of how, throughout her career, Laurel has pushed her own work forward with endless creative energy and pushing the field to new places along the way.

Throughout her career, Laurel has been an excellent ambassador for music cognition in the public, for example as a participant in NIH Sound Health initiatives at the Kennedy Center, not to mention countless interviews for the CBC, the NY Times, the Globe and Mail, and Discovery channel, just to name a few. These kinds of activities have undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of music science on the global stage. As one nominee wrote, “Laurel’s advocacy demonstrates to the public that music cognition is rigorous, essential, fun, and worth supporting!”

She has undoubtedly had an impact on the field through her mentorship. She has trained dozens of graduate students and postdocs, and probably hundreds of undergraduate students. And because her approach to the scientific endeavor is highly collaborative, the number of trainees she has influenced throughout her career is likely much, much higher. She has shaped the field through not only her own work but the scientific creativity, ethos and rigor that she encourages in others. As said by another nominee: “Her mentorship not only prepares her trainees for a career, but inspires us to keep asking big questions and embrace the joy of curiosity”.

So today we congratulate Laurel on a lifetime’s worth of scientific contributions to music cognition, and look forward to the innovations that are sure to come in the future. Please join me in welcoming Laurel..

• As read by Haley Kragness at the 2022 SMPC Meeting