Julia Merrill

Julia Merrill serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Kassel's Institute of Music and Senior Research Fellow in the Music Department at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics since 2014. Her academic journey includes a Habilitation in Musicology (2018, University of Kassel), PhD in Cognitive Science (2013, University of Potsdam), Diploma in Speech Science (2010, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg), and Diploma in Church Music (2004, University of Church Music Heidelberg).

• Habilitation in Musicology, University of Kassel (2018)
• PhD in Cognitive Science, University of Potsdam (2013, summa cum laude)
• Diploma in Speech Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (2010)
• Diploma in Church Music, University of Church Music Heidelberg (2004)

Merrill's research centers on the psychological and physiological dimensions of musical aversion, with groundbreaking work on disliked music's emotional and bodily impacts. Her concert research examines physiological synchrony during live performances, while vocal studies explore the speech-song boundary and aesthetic evaluation of voices. Current projects include investigating perceived versus felt emotions in music and analyzing pandemic-era shifts in musical engagement.

Her publication trends reveal a methodological evolution from lesion studies and fMRI toward ecological concert research and psychophysiological measurement. Recent work emphasizes mixed-methods approaches combining self-report with cardiac/respiratory monitoring, particularly regarding musical dislikes and live audience experiences.

No scientific awards are explicitly documented in available materials.

Merrill has served as guest professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (2015-2016) and edited conference proceedings for the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. Current externally funded work includes the INHABIT Artist-in-Residence program at the Max Planck Institute. She collaborates extensively on interdisciplinary projects spanning music cognition, neuropsychology, and empirical aesthetics.

Her laboratory work focuses on the Music Department at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, where she leads research on disliked music and concert experiences. Current team initiatives include the Musicovid international research network examining pandemic impacts on musical behavior and projects studying physiological synchrony during ensemble singing.