Dr. Daniel Levitin earned his B.A. in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science at Stanford University, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oregon, researching complex auditory patterns and pattern processing in expert and non-expert populations.
He completed post-doctoral training at Stanford University Medical School (in Neuroimaging) and at UC Berkeley (in Cognitive Psychology). He has consulted on audio sound source separation for the U.S. Navy, and on audio quality for several rock bands and record labels (including the Grateful Dead and Steely Dan), and served as one of the “Golden Ears” expert listeners in the original Dolby AC3 compression tests. He worked for two years at the Silicon Valley think tank Interval Research Corporation.
He taught at Stanford University in the Department of Computer Science, the Program in Human-Computer Interaction, and the Departments of Psychology, Anthropology, Computer Music, and History of Science. Currently, he is a James McGill Professor of Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, and Music at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec), and Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI.
He is the author of the #1 best-seller This Is Your Brain On Music (Dutton/Penguin, 2006), which was published in nineteen languages and spent more than one year on the New York Times Bestseller list. His second book, The World in Six Songs (Dutton/Penguin, 2008) hit the bestseller lists in its first week of release. His newest book is the #1 best-seller The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload (Dutton/Penguin 2014).
Contact: Website
Daniel Levitin on KCRW
More from KCRW
Will Trump be impeached for inciting insurrection?
PoliticsToday the House of Representatives introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with “incitement of insurrection.”
Trump’s second impeachment: How California Congress members voted
PoliticsAmong California’s Congressional delegation, all Democrats voted for impeachment, and all Republicans, except David Valadao, voted against impeachment.
Aaron Sorkin: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
HollywoodWriter-director Aaron Sorkin on writing up to the edge of melodrama.
The Shkreli Awards for health care dysfunction and greed.
Health & WellnessEach year the Lown Institute calls for nominations from health care experts, journalists and others.
Joe Mathews: Is the Newsom recall effort good for California?
CaliforniaThe drive to force a vote on removing Gavin Newsom from office is picking up steam, spurred on by anger over coronavirus restrictions and other conservative grievances.
How the Church views a woman’s place in society
Health & WellnessHistorically men have been the figureheads of our religious institutions but it has been women who have played a fundamental role in establishing and sustaining them.
David Lynch Theater Presents: Weather Report for January 18, 2021
Los AngelesDavid Lynch Theater Presents: Weather Report for January 18, 2021.