Dr. Bill Thompson

Biography

Bill Thompson is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Macquarie University and the Director of the Music and Sound Performance Lab. He completed his honors BSc at McGill University, followed by an MA and PhD at Queen's University, Canada, where his thesis focused on the perceptual aspects of Bach Chorale music. Before joining Macquarie in 2007, he held academic positions at the University of Queensland and York University in Canada, as well as the University of Toronto, where he was involved in several leadership positions including Head of the Psychology Department. Bill has been a chief investigator on multiple ARC Discovery Projects and has significant involvement in research addressing the cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural implications of music. His lab is productive, having published over 120 articles and chapters on topics related to musical creativity, emotion, and neurological disorders. Bill's contributions also extend to teaching, where he instructs courses on perception and cognition, and he has published extensively in the field, including a textbook on music psychology. He is passionate about student supervision, and his community engagement includes work with industry partners on music-based treatments for neurological impairments.

Research Interests

Experience