Jamshed Bharucha
Encyclopedia
Jamshed Bharucha is President of Cooper Union
. Prior to this, he was Provost
and Senior Vice President of Tufts University
and Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Music and in the Medical School's Department of Neuroscience. Prior to Tufts he was the John Wentworth Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Dartmouth College
, where he received the Huntington Teaching Award. His research is in cognitive psychology
and neuroscience
, focusing on the cognitive and neural basis of the perception of music. He was Editor of the interdisciplinary journal Music Perception and was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
. He has served as a Trustee of Vassar College
, where he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Alumnae & Alumni of Vassar College.
in the 1960s. Elizabeth Bharucha was organist and choral director at the Scots Kirk (Church of Saints Andrew & Columba) and the All Saints Church in Mumbai. Jal and Elizabeth were founding members of the Bombay International School, from which Jamshed graduated.
Bharucha graduated Phi Beta Kappa
from Vassar College
where he majored in biopsychology (1978), then received an M.A. in philosophy from Yale University
(1979) and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology
from Harvard University
(1983). He spent the 1982-83 academic year at Cornell University
, working in the lab of Carol Krumhansl. At Harvard he worked with Stephen Kosslyn
, William K. Estes and Roger Brown
.
Bharucha studied violin with Adrian De Mello in Mumbai, received an Associate’s Diploma in violin performance from Trinity College of Music
(London) in 1973 and then studied violin with Matthew Raimondi at Vassar
. He was a member of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Joachim Buhler; the Vassar College Orchestra under the direction of Luis Garcia-Renart
; the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra
performing at Sanders Theatre under the direction of James Yannatos
; and the Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard University
.
, where he was the John Wentworth Professor and rose up through the administrative ranks, from Associate Dean for the Social Sciences to Deputy Provost to Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. He was the first Indian American
to be named dean of a school at an Ivy League
institution. While in the Dartmouth administration, he established the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center - the first teaching and research MRI facility outside a medical school, accessible to undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. His principal faculty appointment was in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, but he also taught in the Program in Linguistics & Cognitive Science and the Program in Electroacoustic Music
(now called Digital Musics).
As an academic administrator, he launched initiatives on teaching and research, as well as their integration in the form of active learning, encouraging undergraduates to get involved in research with their professors.
Bharucha chaired a self-study committee on the future of computing, which made recommendations designed to build on Dartmouth's historic strengths in academic computing. The two principal recommendations have since been implemented via the creation of the Neukum Institute for Computational Science and the Dartmouth Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. Bharucha himself has developed two computer-based teaching tools: MindLab, which enables undergraduates to design and conduct experiments in cognitive psychology, and DartNet, which allows undergraduates to build and test simple neural net models. As Deputy Provost he oversaw the newly created Institute for Security Technology Studies and the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network.
Bharucha's primary legacy at Tufts is raising its academic stature. He recruited deans and faculty that together have put Tufts on a steep upward trajectory. Among the senior thought leaders he helped recruit to Tufts are Vali Nasr
, Nalini Ambady
, Ray Jackendoff
, Mathias Scheutz and Peniel Joseph. During his tenure, the volume of sponsored research has doubled, the average number of patents per year from research has doubled, and revenues from technology transfer and industrial collaboration have increased tenfold.
Bharucha launched the Summer Scholars program, which provides opportunities for undergraduate students to work on collaborative research with faculty across the university and its affiliated hospitals. He also launched the University Seminar, a cross-disciplinary course, open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students, focusing on a topic of global importance.
Additions to the campus during his tenure include the Granoff Music Center and the rebuilt Neuroscience Department at the Tufts School of Medicine.
He has published on the topic of higher education partnerships with Asia. At Tufts, he and Dean Harris Berman of the Tufts Medical School established a joint program in Public Health with the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India.
effective July 1, 2011.
(2005)
Undergraduate Teaching Initiative special award, Dartmouth College
(2002)
Huntington Teaching Award, Dartmouth College
(1989)
John Brockman
's World Question Center on edge.org:
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
. Prior to this, he was Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
and Senior Vice President of Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Music and in the Medical School's Department of Neuroscience. Prior to Tufts he was the John Wentworth Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he received the Huntington Teaching Award. His research is in cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, focusing on the cognitive and neural basis of the perception of music. He was Editor of the interdisciplinary journal Music Perception and was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is an American interdisciplinary research body in Stanford, California focusing on the social sciences and humanities . Fellows are elected in a closed process, to spend a period of residence at the Center, released from other duties...
. He has served as a Trustee of Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, where he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Alumnae & Alumni of Vassar College.
Biography and education
Jamshed Bharucha was born in Mumbai, India. His father Jal Bharucha, an engineer from Mumbai, and mother Elizabeth Bharucha (born Elizabeth Emily Robinson) a musician from Albany, New York, met at the University of Michigan. Jal Bharucha was the first engineer in India to employ computers in structural design, using an early facility at the Tata Institute of Fundamental ResearchTata Institute of Fundamental Research
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a research institution in India dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is located at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai...
in the 1960s. Elizabeth Bharucha was organist and choral director at the Scots Kirk (Church of Saints Andrew & Columba) and the All Saints Church in Mumbai. Jal and Elizabeth were founding members of the Bombay International School, from which Jamshed graduated.
Bharucha graduated Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
where he majored in biopsychology (1978), then received an M.A. in philosophy from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(1979) and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1983). He spent the 1982-83 academic year at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, working in the lab of Carol Krumhansl. At Harvard he worked with Stephen Kosslyn
Stephen Kosslyn
Stephen Michael Kosslyn is an American psychologist who specializes in the fields of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Until 31 December 2010 he was John Lindsley Professor of Psychology in Memory of William James and Dean of Social Science at Harvard University, having previously...
, William K. Estes and Roger Brown
Roger Brown (psychologist)
Roger William Brown , an American social psychologist, was born in Detroit.-Early Life and Education:...
.
Bharucha studied violin with Adrian De Mello in Mumbai, received an Associate’s Diploma in violin performance from Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
(London) in 1973 and then studied violin with Matthew Raimondi at Vassar
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
. He was a member of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Joachim Buhler; the Vassar College Orchestra under the direction of Luis Garcia-Renart
Luis Garcia-Renart
-Biography:Born is Barcelona, Garcia first studied at the National Conservatory of Music and then at the conservatories of Bern and Basel in Switzerland with Sándor Veress and Sándor Végh. Between 1956 and 1960 he studied directly under Pablo Casals in France and Puerto Rico. In 1959 he won the...
; the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra
Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra
The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra is a collegiate symphony orchestra comprising Harvard students and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in March 1808 as the Pierian Sodality, the orchestra is considered by some to be the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States...
performing at Sanders Theatre under the direction of James Yannatos
James Yannatos
James Yannatos was a composer, conductor, violinist and teacher. He was a senior lecturer at Harvard University until his retirement in the spring of 2009....
; and the Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard University
Bach Society Orchestra of Harvard University
The Bach Society Orchestra, known as BachSoc, is Harvard's premier chamber orchestra. The orchestra is staffed, managed, and conducted entirely by students. Each year, the members of the orchestra select the next year's conductor, always an undergraduate...
.
Dartmouth College
Bharucha spent most of his academic career at Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he was the John Wentworth Professor and rose up through the administrative ranks, from Associate Dean for the Social Sciences to Deputy Provost to Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences. He was the first Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
to be named dean of a school at an Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
institution. While in the Dartmouth administration, he established the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center - the first teaching and research MRI facility outside a medical school, accessible to undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. His principal faculty appointment was in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, but he also taught in the Program in Linguistics & Cognitive Science and the Program in Electroacoustic Music
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
(now called Digital Musics).
As an academic administrator, he launched initiatives on teaching and research, as well as their integration in the form of active learning, encouraging undergraduates to get involved in research with their professors.
Bharucha chaired a self-study committee on the future of computing, which made recommendations designed to build on Dartmouth's historic strengths in academic computing. The two principal recommendations have since been implemented via the creation of the Neukum Institute for Computational Science and the Dartmouth Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. Bharucha himself has developed two computer-based teaching tools: MindLab, which enables undergraduates to design and conduct experiments in cognitive psychology, and DartNet, which allows undergraduates to build and test simple neural net models. As Deputy Provost he oversaw the newly created Institute for Security Technology Studies and the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network.
Tufts University
Bharucha moved from Dartmouth to Tufts in 2002 to assume the position of Provost & Senior Vice President. As Provost, he was the chief academic officer of the university, overseeing the seven schools, the Tisch College, the Institute for Global Leadership, the Fares Center and the Clinical & Translational Research Institute.Bharucha's primary legacy at Tufts is raising its academic stature. He recruited deans and faculty that together have put Tufts on a steep upward trajectory. Among the senior thought leaders he helped recruit to Tufts are Vali Nasr
Vali Nasr
Vali Nasr is a leading expert on Middle East and Islamic world, a best-selling author, influential commentator and Professor of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings Institution, and a columnist for...
, Nalini Ambady
Nalini Ambady
Nalini Ambady is a social psychologist. She is currently Professor and Neubauer Faculty Fellow at Tufts University in the Department of Psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University in 1991 under the guidance or Robert Rosenthal, with whom she researched thin slice...
, Ray Jackendoff
Ray Jackendoff
Ray Jackendoff is an American linguist. He is professor of philosophy, Seth Merrin Chair in the Humanities and, with Daniel Dennett, Co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University...
, Mathias Scheutz and Peniel Joseph. During his tenure, the volume of sponsored research has doubled, the average number of patents per year from research has doubled, and revenues from technology transfer and industrial collaboration have increased tenfold.
Bharucha launched the Summer Scholars program, which provides opportunities for undergraduate students to work on collaborative research with faculty across the university and its affiliated hospitals. He also launched the University Seminar, a cross-disciplinary course, open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students, focusing on a topic of global importance.
Additions to the campus during his tenure include the Granoff Music Center and the rebuilt Neuroscience Department at the Tufts School of Medicine.
He has published on the topic of higher education partnerships with Asia. At Tufts, he and Dean Harris Berman of the Tufts Medical School established a joint program in Public Health with the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India.
Cooper Union
Bharucha was appointed as the twelfth president of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtCooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
effective July 1, 2011.
Personal
He resides in New York City with his partner, Jessie Papatolicas, who is a non-profit management executive, and their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Charles and Hudson. He is an avid Cricket fan and he enjoys playing in string quartets.Honors and awards
Distinguished Achievement Award, Alumnae & Alumni of Vassar CollegeVassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
(2005)
Undergraduate Teaching Initiative special award, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(2002)
Huntington Teaching Award, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(1989)
Public commentary
- Good Vibrations: The Science of Sound (with John Schaefer, Jacob Kierkegaard, Polygraph Lounge, Christopher Shera, Mark Whittle) World Science Festival, New York, June 3, 2010.
- Behind the Universal Language, Soundcheck (Radio interview with John Schaefer) WNYC, New York, June 12, 2009.
- Notes and Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus (with John Schaefer, Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, Daniel LevitinDaniel LevitinProfessor Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D. is a prominent American cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, record producer, musician, and writer...
& Lawrence Parsons) World Science Festival, New York, June 12, 2009. - Reconciliation in Iraq (Interview with Barbara Macleod) New England Cable News, July 8, 2008
- Iraqi Leaders Find Common Ground in Secrecy (Interview with John Moroney) New England Cable News, April 28, 2008.
- The Library Café (Radio interview with Thomas Hill) WVKR, Poughkeepsie, NY.
- Grey Matters: Music and the Brain (Radio interview with Mandy Patinkin) Public Radio International, March 1998.
- The Mystery of Music: How it Works in the Brain (by Sandra Blakeslee) New York Times, May 16, 1995.
- Music of the Hemispheres (by James Shreeve) Discover Magazine, October 1, 1995.
Essays on higher education
- Bharucha, J.J. (2009). Overlapping crises. Inside Higher Ed, December 10.
- Bharucha, J. (2008). Cognitive dilemmas in higher education. In M.E. Devlin (Ed.), Futures Forum 2008. Cambridge, MA: Forum for the Future of Higher Education and NACUBO.
- Bharucha, J. (2008). America can teach Asia a lot about science, technology, and math. Chronicle of Higher Education, 54 (20), January 25, pp. A33-34.
- Bharucha, J. (2006). Squeeze a bit more from this sponge. Times Higher Education, September 8, p. 4. London: TSL Education.
John Brockman
John Brockman (literary agent)
John Brockman is a literary agent and author specializing in scientific literature. He founded the Edge Foundation, an organization aimed to bring together people working at the edge of a broad range of scientific and technical fields. Referencing C.P...
's World Question Center on edge.org:
- "Education as we know it does not accomplish what we believe it does", for the 2006 question: "What is Your Dangerous Idea?"
- "The globalization of higher education", for the 2007 question: "What Are You Optimistic About?"
- "Education as stretching the mind", for the 2008 question: "What Have You Changed Your Mind About?"
- "The synchronization of brains", for the 2009 question: "What Will Change Everything?"
- "The Internet promotes the synchronization of minds", for the 2010 question: "How Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think?"
Research papers (selected)
- Curtis, M.E. & Bharucha, J.J. (2010). The minor third communicates sadness in speech, mirroring its use in music. Emotion, 10, 335-348.
- Ambady, N. & Bharucha, J.J. (2009). Culture and the brain. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 342-345.
- Bharucha, J.J. (2009). From frequency to pitch, and from pitch class to musical key: Shared principles of learning and perception. Connection Science, 21, 177-192.
- Curtis, M.E. & Bharucha, J.J. (2009). Memory and musical expectation for tones in cultural context. Music Perception, 26, 365-375.
- Bharucha, J.J., Curtis, M. & Paroo K. (2006). Varieties of musical experience. Cognition, 100, 131-172.
- Janata, P., Birk, J., Van Horn, J. D., Leman, M. Tillmann, B. & Bharucha, J. J. (2003) The cortical topography of tonal structures underlying Western music. Science, 298, 2167-2170.
- Tillmann, B., Janata, P., & Bharucha, J.J. (2003). Activation of the inferior frontal cortex in musical priming. Cognitive Brain Research, 16, 145-161.
- Janata, P., Birk, J.L., Tillmann, B., & Bharucha, J.J. (2003). Online detection of tonal pop-out in modulating contexts. Music Perception, 20, 283-306.
- Janata, P., Tillmann, B., & Bharucha, J. J. (2002). Listening to polyphonic music recruits domain-general attention and working memory circuits. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 2, 121-140.
- Justus, T.C. & Bharucha, J.J. (2001). Modularity in musical processing: The automaticity of harmonic priming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 1000-1011.
- Tillmann, B, Bharucha, J.J. & Bigand, E. (2000). Implicit learning of tonality: A self-organizing approach. Psychological Review, 107, 885–913.
- Tekman, H.G. & Bharucha, J.J. (1998). Implicit knowledge versus psychoacoustic similarity in priming of chords. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 24, 252-260.
- Bharucha, J.J. & Mencl, W.E. (1996). Two issues in auditory cognition: Self-organization of categories and pitch-invariant pattern recognition. Psychological Science, 7, 142-149.
- Bharucha, J.J., & Todd, P. (1991). Modeling the perception of tonal structure with neural nets. Computer Music Journal, 13, 44-53. (Reprinted in P. Todd & G. Loy (Eds.), Music and Connectionism (pp. 128-137). Cambridge: M.I.T. Press.)
- Bharucha, J.J. (1991). Pitch, harmony and neural nets: A psychological approach. In P. Todd & G. Loy (Eds.), Music and Connectionism (pp. 84-99). Cambridge: M.I.T. Press.
- Bharucha, J.J. (1987). Music cognition and perceptual facilitation: A connectionist framework. Music Perception, 5, 1-30.
- Bharucha, J.J., & Stoeckig, K. (1986). Reaction time and musical expectancy: Priming of chords. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 12, 403-410.
- Bharucha, J.J. (1984). Anchoring effects in music: The resolution of dissonance. Cognitive Psychology, 16, 485-518.