Rainer Polak

Rainer Polak is an Associate Professor at the Department of Musicology, University of Oslo, and a key researcher at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion. His work bridges ethnomusicology, cognitive science, and neuroscience through studies of West African drumming and dance.

• Current projects: DjembeDance (2023–2027, funded by the Research Council of Norway)
• Past affiliations: MPI for Empirical Aesthetics (2017–2022), Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (2011–2016)

Research focuses on West African rhythm, exploring biological, social, and cultural dimensions of musical timing. He emphasizes multimodal performance and cross-cultural comparisons, collaborating with experts in music theory (Justin London), computational science (Nori Jacoby), and cognitive neuroscience (Sylvie Nozaradan).

His recent articles analyze neural correlates of rhythm perception, comparative tapping synchronization, and non-isochronous meter in Malian music. While no explicit awards are listed, his work includes organizing concert tours and CD productions to promote Malian artists in the Global North.