Emma Risley

Emma has just started her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Stephanie Pitts and Prof. Dominic Broomfield-McHugh. Her PhD investigates the experiences of professional musical theatre (MT) performers, focusing on the psychological and physical impacts of a career in MT. Emma is keen to engage with MT performers from all backgrounds to ensure her research is diverse and inclusive. In collaboration with two industries charities, Emma hopes to make recommendations to improve the wellbeing of MT performers.

Emma's academic journey began at the University of York, graduating with a 1st in Music in 2021. Her undergraduate dissertation investigated musical theatre and empathy, understanding whether participants with higher levels of trait empathy respond with higher emotional intensity to musical theatre excerpts compared to those with lower trait empathy scores. This is in the process of being published with co-author Dr. Katherine O'Neill at York. Emma recently graduated with a distinction in her MA in Psychology of Music from the University of University of Sheffield.

Emma is so excited to be part of the PhD community here at Sheffield, making connections and learning with the Music Mind Machine Group!