Dr. Vanessa Elbaz

Associate Professor

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Biography

Vanessa Paloma Elbaz is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Music, focusing on Ottoman Auralities in the Eastern Mediterranean. Her research explores cultural histories of sound in diasporic regions, particularly related to the Sephardi community since the expulsion of 1492. Combining ethnography and historical musicology, she investigates themes of voice, sound, and the impact of music on identity within diasporic communities. Elbaz has contributed extensively to academic discourse on Judeo-Muslim relations and popular music culture. She earned her Ph.D. from Sorbonne University’s CERMOM program, with a dissertation that received nominations for awards. In addition to her research, she founded KHOYA, a project dedicated to archiving the sounds and music of the remaining Jewish community in Morocco. Elbaz has been a recipient of various prestigious awards, including the H2020 Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship and the Florence Amzallag Prize. Her work is featured in numerous international media including BBC and Al Jaz`eera, and she is a well-known performer of Sephardi repertoires, as well as an engaging keynote speaker at academic conferences. She has also actively organized and participated in symposiums focusing on Mediterranean music and sound studies.

Research Interests

Experience

Research Associate

— Present

University of Cambridge • Cambridge

Leading research on Ottoman Auralities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Senior Research Associate

— Present

Peterhouse • Cambridge

Conducting research on sound, media, and power in the context of diasporic communities.

Requirements for University of Cambridge

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
UK Bachelor's Degree with good Upper Second Class Honours or international equivalent Background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is a definite asset
Application Checklist
  • Two academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Personal statement (approx 500 words)
  • Research proposal (1-2 pages/500 words)
  • Application fee (£50)
Specialization Notes

Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.