Vanessa Pope

Vanessa Pope serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate specializing in Cardiovascular Imaging, conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cardiovascular physiology and music science. Her work investigates how musical structures influence autonomic responses, with emphasis on blood pressure regulation and heart rate variability.

Her research interests center on physiological entrainment to music, examining synchronization mechanisms between expressive musical elements (tempo, loudness, phrase structures) and cardiovascular dynamics. Key focus areas include hypertension's impact on music responsiveness and computational modeling of autonomic variables, leveraging machine learning for diagnostic applications in cardiovascular conditions.

Recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating biomedical engineering with music psychology, utilizing graph convolutional networks and signal processing to analyze ECG/respiration data during music exposure. This work spans cardiovascular medicine, computational physiology, and therapeutic music applications, particularly for hypertension management.

She actively disseminates findings through conference presentations, including the Society for Psychophysiological Research Annual Meeting (2024), and contributes to Sustainable Development Goals through cardiovascular health innovation.