Steffen Herff
@steffenherff.bsky.social
Sydney Horizon Fellow | ARC DECRA Research fellow (University of Sydney). Interested in Imagination, Music, Learning, Memory, Biofeedback, and Neuroscience.
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Following the publication of our paper "Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery", the University of Sydney has just shared a media release!
How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
New research from the Sydney Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the University of Sydney has found that even the smallest of human touches in music can shape and enhance...
www.sydney.edu.au
September 10, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Following the publication of our paper "Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery", the University of Sydney has just shared a media release!
How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
The first study from my PhD project is now available! 🎉
"Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery"
Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social.
Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery"
Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social.
Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery
www.nature.com
August 25, 2025 at 3:20 AM
The first study from my PhD project is now available! 🎉
"Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery"
Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social.
Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery"
Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social.
Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
“Whether we’re celebrating or grieving, music is something we can turn to."
A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
Music is good company: new study shows music induces social imagination
Music keeps you company: a new study led by Dr Steffen A. Herff, cognitive neuroscientist at Sydney, Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has shown for the first time empirically that music can indeed keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
go.sydney.edu.au
August 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM
“Whether we’re celebrating or grieving, music is something we can turn to."
A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Wonderful to see our research being featured on the ABC's Weekend Breakfast. In a wonderful chat between @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the Sydney, Music, Mind, and Body Lab, and Fauziah Ibrahim & Tom Oriti from the ABC, they discussed how music can be good company. @sydney.edu.au
August 9, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Wonderful to see our research being featured on the ABC's Weekend Breakfast. In a wonderful chat between @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the Sydney, Music, Mind, and Body Lab, and Fauziah Ibrahim & Tom Oriti from the ABC, they discussed how music can be good company. @sydney.edu.au
@cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the @smmb-lab.bsky.social just did a wonderful interview on live TV discussing our recent research looking at 'Can Music be good company'.
#musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au
#musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au
August 9, 2025 at 12:52 AM
@cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the @smmb-lab.bsky.social just did a wonderful interview on live TV discussing our recent research looking at 'Can Music be good company'.
#musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au
#musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Can you think of examples of books, films, TV shows, etc. featuring earworms or other types of imagined music? Please share them here! musicinmyhead.org/inner-music-...
Inner Music in Fiction and Biography - The Inner Music and Wellbeing Network
Inner Music in Fiction and Biography ‘Inner music’ or ‘musical imagery’ refers to the music that one hears in one’s own head. For example, an ‘earworm’ is a catchy piece of music that is stuck in one’...
musicinmyhead.org
August 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Can you think of examples of books, films, TV shows, etc. featuring earworms or other types of imagined music? Please share them here! musicinmyhead.org/inner-music-...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
My supervisor, Dr @steffenherff.bsky.social, and I wrote this piece for The Conversation on music and imagination:
“Can music be good company?”
…based on our lab’s recent work
@smmb-lab.bsky.social
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
“Can music be good company?”
…based on our lab’s recent work
@smmb-lab.bsky.social
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
Can music be good company? Research shows it makes our imagination more social
When people listen to music, they’re more likely to imagine social interactions.
theconversation.com
August 6, 2025 at 7:55 AM
My supervisor, Dr @steffenherff.bsky.social, and I wrote this piece for The Conversation on music and imagination:
“Can music be good company?”
…based on our lab’s recent work
@smmb-lab.bsky.social
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
“Can music be good company?”
…based on our lab’s recent work
@smmb-lab.bsky.social
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Can music be good company?
We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
Can music be good company? Research shows it makes our imagination more social
When people listen to music, they’re more likely to imagine social interactions.
theconversation.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Can music be good company?
We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery
theconversation.com/can-music-be...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Delighted to share our new work 'Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions'. We show that music is indeed good company! #musicscience #mentalimagery www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions
www.nature.com
August 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Delighted to share our new work 'Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions'. We show that music is indeed good company! #musicscience #mentalimagery www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I had the great pleasure to chat with Sarah Ayoub about Music, Imagination, and their potential benefits for children transitioning from day care to 'big school' www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @australia.theguardian.com @sydneyuni.bsky.social #mentalimagery #musicscience
Worried about your child’s transition from daycare to ‘big school’? Music can make it easier | Sarah Ayoub
Music may help to connect children to one another and their new place – if it is well chosen
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
I had the great pleasure to chat with Sarah Ayoub about Music, Imagination, and their potential benefits for children transitioning from day care to 'big school' www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @australia.theguardian.com @sydneyuni.bsky.social #mentalimagery #musicscience
Reposted by Steffen Herff
The ALS is offering five scholarships and prizes to provide funding support of up to $5,000 for linguistics research students conducting research in any area of linguistics.
Deadline: 6 May 2024
Find out more here: www.als.asn.au/Pages/ALS/Gr...
Deadline: 6 May 2024
Find out more here: www.als.asn.au/Pages/ALS/Gr...
April 17, 2024 at 1:58 AM
The ALS is offering five scholarships and prizes to provide funding support of up to $5,000 for linguistics research students conducting research in any area of linguistics.
Deadline: 6 May 2024
Find out more here: www.als.asn.au/Pages/ALS/Gr...
Deadline: 6 May 2024
Find out more here: www.als.asn.au/Pages/ALS/Gr...
I’m truly honoured to have been awarded a Sydney Horizon Fellowship at USYD. #musicscience #mentalimagery www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Sydney attracts top research talent with innovative Fellowships
The University of Sydney's unprecedented investment in its appointment of 40 research fellows across a range of disciplines.
www.sydney.edu.au
March 1, 2024 at 2:25 AM
I’m truly honoured to have been awarded a Sydney Horizon Fellowship at USYD. #musicscience #mentalimagery www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Discover the science behind why some tunes stick in your head forever! Dr Steffen Herff breaks down the relationship between music and memory. From emotional nostalgia to the 'reminiscence bump', explore the power of musical memories. Read more: tinyurl.com/2vk5cy72 | @steffenherff.bsky.social
February 19, 2024 at 5:30 AM
Discover the science behind why some tunes stick in your head forever! Dr Steffen Herff breaks down the relationship between music and memory. From emotional nostalgia to the 'reminiscence bump', explore the power of musical memories. Read more: tinyurl.com/2vk5cy72 | @steffenherff.bsky.social
Reposted by Steffen Herff
"Think about music as a strong emotional amplifier, and we can use it for many purposes." ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Dr Steffen Herff (@steffenherff.bsky.social), talked about harnessing the power of music with ABC Classic. #musicscience #powerofmusic | Read more: tinyurl.com/ycyxer7w
January 25, 2024 at 12:34 AM
"Think about music as a strong emotional amplifier, and we can use it for many purposes." ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Dr Steffen Herff (@steffenherff.bsky.social), talked about harnessing the power of music with ABC Classic. #musicscience #powerofmusic | Read more: tinyurl.com/ycyxer7w
Delighted to share that our (with @matskussner.bsky.social S.Hashim @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social) project on using music-induced #mentalimagery to alleviate feelings of loneliness in older adults was funded (2yrs) by the DAAD and the UA under the AU/GER Joint Research Cooperation Scheme #musicscience
December 4, 2023 at 5:13 AM
Delighted to share that our (with @matskussner.bsky.social S.Hashim @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social) project on using music-induced #mentalimagery to alleviate feelings of loneliness in older adults was funded (2yrs) by the DAAD and the UA under the AU/GER Joint Research Cooperation Scheme #musicscience
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Do you want to do a phd on #speech and #song and how we use our brain for it #electrophysiology #neuroimaging #motor #rhythm ? Come work with us at the MPI_ae ! Apply here and contact me for questions.
e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7...
Please forward to everyone interested!
e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7...
Please forward to everyone interested!
October 16, 2023 at 8:35 AM
Do you want to do a phd on #speech and #song and how we use our brain for it #electrophysiology #neuroimaging #motor #rhythm ? Come work with us at the MPI_ae ! Apply here and contact me for questions.
e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7...
Please forward to everyone interested!
e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7...
Please forward to everyone interested!
Reposted by Steffen Herff
JCU has the Elizabeth Pearse Music Scholarship to fund the study of music at Masters or PhD level. Applications now open. #MusicScience
November 5, 2023 at 11:49 PM
JCU has the Elizabeth Pearse Music Scholarship to fund the study of music at Masters or PhD level. Applications now open. #MusicScience
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Interested in a #musicscience / #musicology internship in the Department of Musicology and Media Studies at HU Berlin? Apply for one of our projects before 10 Dec and join our team in the summer of 2024: hic.hu-berlin.de/en/internshi...
November 3, 2023 at 12:41 PM
Interested in a #musicscience / #musicology internship in the Department of Musicology and Media Studies at HU Berlin? Apply for one of our projects before 10 Dec and join our team in the summer of 2024: hic.hu-berlin.de/en/internshi...
New #musicscience & #mentalimagery work on "Music listening evokes story-like visual imagery with both idiosyncratic and shared content" by
Sarah Hashim, Lauren Stewart, @matskussner.bsky.social ,
Diana Omigie
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Sarah Hashim, Lauren Stewart, @matskussner.bsky.social ,
Diana Omigie
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
November 2, 2023 at 8:26 PM
New #musicscience & #mentalimagery work on "Music listening evokes story-like visual imagery with both idiosyncratic and shared content" by
Sarah Hashim, Lauren Stewart, @matskussner.bsky.social ,
Diana Omigie
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Sarah Hashim, Lauren Stewart, @matskussner.bsky.social ,
Diana Omigie
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
Funded PhD project on music, autobiographical and collective memories with me at Keele Uni, UK -psych grads only, sorry, but distance learners welcome. Closes 4 December. #musicscience
PhD studentships in the School of Psychology at Keele University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Programme - PhD studentships in the School of Psychology at Keele University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 28, 2023 at 11:37 AM
Funded PhD project on music, autobiographical and collective memories with me at Keele Uni, UK -psych grads only, sorry, but distance learners welcome. Closes 4 December. #musicscience
Welcome to PhD students @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social (researching how 🎵 rhythm & instrumentation affect directed mental imagery) & @ugurmkaya.bsky.social (how vocal techniques shape vividness & sentiment of mental imagery) who just joined our #mentalimagery and #musicscience communities on 🟦sky.
October 25, 2023 at 11:52 PM
Welcome to PhD students @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social (researching how 🎵 rhythm & instrumentation affect directed mental imagery) & @ugurmkaya.bsky.social (how vocal techniques shape vividness & sentiment of mental imagery) who just joined our #mentalimagery and #musicscience communities on 🟦sky.
Reposted by Steffen Herff
+++ Luiza and I met *virtually* two years ago at SysMus21, and now we’re doing our PhDs together at the MARCS Institute, not only attended #SysMus23 together until 4 am Sydney time, but virtually sat together! 👯♀️🎶🎙️👀 #musicscience
October 24, 2023 at 2:01 PM
+++ Luiza and I met *virtually* two years ago at SysMus21, and now we’re doing our PhDs together at the MARCS Institute, not only attended #SysMus23 together until 4 am Sydney time, but virtually sat together! 👯♀️🎶🎙️👀 #musicscience
Reposted by Steffen Herff
It was great attending #SysMus23 and presenting our recent research on the prevalent role of imagined social interactions during music listening @steffenherff.bsky.social Liila Taruffi! ✨✨✨🎶🧠 #musicscience
October 24, 2023 at 1:55 PM
It was great attending #SysMus23 and presenting our recent research on the prevalent role of imagined social interactions during music listening @steffenherff.bsky.social Liila Taruffi! ✨✨✨🎶🧠 #musicscience
Reposted by Steffen Herff
We are hiring! I’m not on this search committee, but would be great to see some #musicscience peeps apply northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...
Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor – Generative AI and Sound Design/Conversation Design
About the Opportunity Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD) invites applications for open-rank (tenured or tenure-track) faculty positions in generative AI for creativ...
northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
October 21, 2023 at 12:19 AM
We are hiring! I’m not on this search committee, but would be great to see some #musicscience peeps apply northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...
Reposted by Steffen Herff
We have two postdoc positions at the Center for Philosophy of Science at Pitt. Join us in this unique place for philosophy of science. Please share widely.
Post Doctoral Associate, University of Pittsburgh
- PhilJobs:JFP
Post Doctoral Associate, Univer...
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
October 12, 2023 at 2:55 AM
We have two postdoc positions at the Center for Philosophy of Science at Pitt. Join us in this unique place for philosophy of science. Please share widely.