Miriam Lense

Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Psychology and Psychology & Human Development
Fellow, Curb Center for Arts, Enterprise, and Public Policy
Member Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Director, Music Cognition Lab

Dr. Lense received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University in 2014. She completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral training at the Marcus Autism Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine. Her research and clinical work focuses on infants, children, and adults with or at-risk for developmental disabilities, with a particular emphasis on autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. She has developed two novel lines of research examining individual differences in social-emotional and cognitive processes in these populations including (1) auditory neuroscience/music cognition as a window into affective, social, and cognitive processes; and (2) stress biology in individuals with or at-risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Her current research examines the development of rhythmic entrainment in the first years of life, relationships between rhythm and social communication/engagement, musical engagement experiences in individuals with and without developmental disorders, and relationships between music and sensory processing.