Bobby Lee Townsend Sturm JR

Bobby Lee Townsend Sturm JR is an Associate Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, leading the MUSAiC project (ERC-2019-COG). He holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UC Santa Barbara (2009), followed by postdoctoral research at LAM, Paris 6, and academic roles at Aalborg University and Queen Mary University of London. His research focuses on AI ethics in music, generative AI for music, and folk music preservation.

Current roles at KTH include teaching and supervising in Machine Learning, Music Informatics, and AI Ethics. He has pioneered AI music generation challenges (e.g., 2020 Double Jigs Challenge) and investigates societal impacts of AI on traditional music cultures. His work bridges technical innovation with cultural and ethical considerations, addressing issues like data colonialism, algorithmic bias, and human-AI collaboration in creative contexts.

• Education: PhD (UCSB, 2009), Postdoc (Paris 6), Academic appointments at Aalborg University (2010–2014) and Queen Mary University (2014–2018)
• Key Projects: MUSAiC (ERC), Virtual Session System for Irish Music, Traditional Music Dataset Analysis
• Teaching: Courses in Machine Learning, Music Acoustics, and ICT Innovation

Publications span peer-reviewed journals and conferences, emphasizing ethical AI, music generation, and interdisciplinary research in MIR (Music Information Retrieval). He actively collaborates with musicians, anthropologists, and technologists to ensure culturally informed AI development.