Ceren Ayyildiz is a PhD candidate at the Sydney Music, Mind, and Body Lab, Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

My research topic explores how musical features, such as rhythm and instrumentation, affect music-induced mental imagery. I’m using behavioural and computational methods across different age groups, from children to older adults, to deepen our understanding of this field. My goal is to advance the techniques applied in psychological therapies and recreational practices like music performance and sports.

I was drawn to this topic because I’ve long been fascinated by how music can create vivid inner worlds and how understanding the mechanisms behind this could improve lives across various contexts.

I am currently in the first year of my PhD, but I’ve been conducting related research for four years. Finding a PhD with a scholarship can be difficult and challenging, but I was determined to pursue research in this very niche field.

I was very fortunate when Dr Herff advertised this position, which I discovered through a friend I met at a conference. Later, it turned out my previous undergraduate thesis supervisor was a close collaborator of Dr Herff. I was already familiar with his paper, “Music influences vividness and content of imagined journeys in a directed visual imagery task”, which really struck a chord with me, sparking my curiosity about the possibilities within this area of research.

After reaching out to Dr Herff to express my interest and having a Zoom meeting with him, it became clear that his expertise, mentorship style, research vision, outlook, and beliefs about work-life balance made him the right supervisor for me.

Overall, doing my PhD here has been a very supportive and rewarding experience. I am especially grateful to be part of the Sydney Music, Mind, and Body Lab, where there's a strong sense of community and collaboration, and valuable research knowledge to draw on, such as how to apply for grants or attend conferences. The Conservatorium also offers a unique research environment and includes a library which houses an extensive historical and contemporary collection.

In terms of workload, the nature of research means it can be intensive and unpredictable, but I find it very fulfilling. The guidance and support from Dr Herff and my co-supervisors, Professor Muireann Irish and Associate Professor Andrew J. Milne, have made difficult challenges much easier to navigate. For instance, Dr Herff’s help with strategic planning and setting clear milestones has been instrumental in managing my workload effectively.

The most surprising thing about my studies has been realising that I’m not limited to just my PhD project. I was often told that I wouldn’t have time for anything else, but I’ve found many opportunities to develop skills in different areas and contribute to other research projects (of course, with careful time management).

I’ve been involved in infant research, gained valuable experience in applying for and securing external grants, and discovered an unexpected enjoyment of coding and computational work, which has become an exciting part of my research journey.

After I receive my PhD, I would like to pursue an academic career, continuing my research and teaching in the areas of music cognition and perception.

I am passionate about contributing to the field and society through research, collaboration, and mentorship. At the same time, I’m also open to applying my skills in industry or interdisciplinary roles where I can continue to work on projects that bridge science, data, music, and psychology.

Dr Steffen A. Herff, Sydney Horizon Fellow, DECRA Awardee, Leader of the Sydney Music, Mind, and Body Lab

I’m a cognitive neuroscientist and leader of the Sydney Music, Mind, and Body Lab, where we use behavioural, neuroimaging, and computational methods to explore how sound, in particular music, is processed in the brain, and how we can use it to shape higher order cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and imagination.

Our goal is to use music to support wellbeing. At the same time, we also create tangible impact for the music community by supporting musicians’ mental and physical health through custom-built, evidence-based technology targeting musculoskeletal injuries and music performance anxiety.

I’ve supervised eight PhD students, and over 40 Bachelor, Honours, and Master Theses. To me, supervision is a generational contract, whereby we return the support given to us by our mentors to the next generation of scientists. I see a supervisor’s role as that of a catalyst to support and develop emerging talent, help them contribute, and find their own path through a constantly changing world. Contributing to the growth of these impressive minds is a great privilege.

During my own PhD, I was very fortunate to be supported by an exceptional panel of supervisors and mentors. I saw first-hand how impactful good research supervision can be on both personal development as well as research quality. Back then, I decided that I wanted to take every opportunity I could get to receive additional training on how to be a good supervisor and be the pillar of support to my students that my mentors were —and still are— for me.

I receive many inquiries about PhD positions every day, yet Ceren’s research proposal immediately stood out. It was exceptionally well written, demonstrated a good understanding of the research field, as well as impressive technical skills without overclaiming. Most importantly, she was clearly passionate about research in general and the project in particular. She made a compelling argument that she was uniquely qualified to conduct the ambitious project she proposed. Mental Imagery is a notoriously difficult field to study. Everyone knows of imagination, but to actually measure and design experiments on such an elusive phenomenon scientifically requires exceptionally precise work.

Ceren showed that she was well aware of the intricacies of mental imagery, and offered bold, new, and innovative ways to tackle them.

My advice to current postgraduates and people thinking about a higher degree is that a PhD is a marathon and not a sprint. You need to find a way —and that way is unique for everyone— that allows you to develop your thinking, your skills, and your project in a sustainable way. Research, at its heart, is a creative industry. You are constantly faced with problems in an unknown territory (if it was known, we wouldn’t need research on it) and time and time again, you need to find, develop, and sharpen new means to rise to the occasion.

Burnout is the greatest threat to creativity and passion, and with that, your ability to overcome the unknown and unforeseeable. You might lose the wonderful joy and fulfilment that can come from figuring out a particularly tricky problem; so it's important to remember to balance your work and life.