Eduardo Miranda, Professor in Computer Music, is an unrivalled visionary who marries accomplished musical composition with advanced technological innovations to change lives. He is Head of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR) and has developed brain-computer music interface systems to grant those with severe motor impairments the opportunity to play music again.
Enriching lives with artificial intelligence
Eduardo’s research is the epitome of innovation. He has developed musical algorithms controlled by electrical signals from the brain and developed ‘biocomputers’ that use live organisms as processors. His ICCMR lab remains one of very few where musicians are at the forefront of computer science and engineering, while opening up possibilities for musicians with disabilities and supporting music-based activity for palliative care within occupational and music therapy.
RadioMe, in collaboration with Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research, uses artificial intelligence to adapt and personalise live radio for people living alone with dementia, aiding their quality of life and helping them to live independently for longer. His unique Brain-Computer Music Interface technology has allowed musicians to make music again, such as Rosemary Johnson, who was in an accident 27 years ago that resulted in brain damage preventing her from becoming a world-class violinist.
Currently, Eduardo is establishing the Music and the Brain research group within the University’s brand new Brain Research & Imaging Centre (BRIC). This uniquely interdisciplinary group will study how the brain engages with music and apply this understanding to develop technology for health care and human development.
Thought leadership
Music is more than entertainment, it can transform lives
Fundamentally, music is mathematics. However, now music has the added bonus of creativity, subjectivity and emotions. In order to handle music, we deploy a wide range of problem-solving brain functions that would not have been engaged together otherwise. Read more about the power of music
Carving a new future for computer-generated music
At his core, Eduardo is a distinguished composer who has shared the stage with BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Singers, Jarvis Cocker and American beatboxer Butterscotch.
His opera, Lampedusa, converted particle collision data from the Large Hadron Collider into music and is sung in a language invented specifically for the performance. His choral symphony, Sounds of the Sea, commemorated the University of Plymouth’s 150th anniversary and featured computer-aided compositional methods, including music generated from mathematical models of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
He is currently developing QuTune, a bespoke programme that will enable musicians to access and become early adopters of quantum computing in music, which uses quantum theory principles to allow computers to operate at atomic and subatomic levels and has the potential to revolutionise how music is created and used.
The person behind the pioneer
OK computer: decoding the composer behind music generated from brain waves and outer space.
To enquire about future collaborations, please contact Professor Eduardo Miranda
I believe that interaction between music and science should go both ways. That is, in addition to drawing from science and engineering to develop technology for music, we ought to draw from music to contribute to science and engineering as well.
ICCMR is committed to harness the positive side of these to continue contributing to the health sector. Our radar is also alert for opportunities to combat climate change. Ultimately, we want to make the world a better place for all.
Professor Eduardo Miranda
Current projects and research activity
Champion for health
Our research tackles the most pressing public health issues to improve the health and care of the populations we serve. We have a vibrant community of interdisciplinary research that is truly cutting-edge, from disease discovery to innovative care practices, novel treatments to clinical trials. We are at the forefront of research into the mechanisms, treatments and best care practices for areas including brain tumours, Parkinson’s disease, ageing communities, digital health, antibiotic resistance, and health inequalities.
Our close partnership with the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, together with the Derriford Research Facility, place us on the frontline of applied research from the laboratory to the patients across medicine, dentistry and healthcare professions.
