Reyna Gordon

Reyna L. Gordon, PhD, is an accomplished Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she heads the Music Cognition Lab.

In addition to her role in Otolaryngology, Dr. Gordon is also an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University and serves as the Associate Director of the Program for Music, Mind & Society at Vanderbilt.

She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Neuroscience from the Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I), and a PhD in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences from Florida Atlantic University.

Her postdoctoral training revolved around developmental disabilities at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, ultimately shaping her research interest in the impact of rhythm on language development and disorders.

Dr. Gordon leads a diverse team of individuals from various academic backgrounds, contributing to research in areas such as Neuroscience, Music Performance, Biology, Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, Psychology, Medicine, Special Education, and Biomedical Engineering.

The Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab, under her guidance, is supported by NIH NIDCD funding, a Vanderbilt Trans-Institutional Programs Grant, and Otolaryngology departmental support.

Her research work has been published in reputable journals like Developmental Science, Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, PLoS ONE, and NeuroImage.

Apart from her research endeavors, Dr. Gordon actively engages in community outreach efforts, collaborating with organizations to raise public awareness about research in music cognition.

She has also taken on leadership roles such as co-chairing the Society of Music Perception and Cognition 2015 meeting and serving on the Board of the American Foundation for Music and Science.