Official Story
Pablo Ripollés is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Music Technology at New York University (NYU), where he leads the Ripollés Lab. He holds dual engineering degrees in Computer Science and Telecommunications from the University of Valencia, where he graduated as the top student in his cohort. He later earned a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Navarra with the support of the prestigious La Caixa Scholarship. Ripollés completed his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit at the University of Barcelona, receiving the highest distinction (Cum Laude) and securing Spain’s most prestigious PhD fellowship (FPU grant). He then joined NYU as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. David Poeppel, before becoming faculty in 2020. Ripollés serves as the Associate Director of NYU’s Music and Audio Research Laboratory (MARL), where he has helped launch interdisciplinary initiatives such as a summer school and a seed award program. In 2022, he co-founded ViBILLER, a Brooklyn-based startup developing innovative technologies to enhance musical experiences. The company has received $120,000 in funding and was part of the 2023 NYU Entrepreneurial Institute Accelerator. His research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying music, reward, and learning, and has resulted in over 80 publications in leading cognitive neuroscience and music technology journals. His work has been supported by more than $2 million in funding from federal agencies including NSF, NIH, and the European Research Council as well as industry partners and private foundations.
Unofficial Story
I was always a nerd. Growing up, I was obsessed with science and devoured science fiction books and shows, particularly Star Trek, which inspired my love for discovery. I knew early on that I wanted to do research, but I had no idea what kind. Hoping to find my passion, I enrolled in a dual degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications at the University of Valencia. I quickly realized that while I liked coding, I didn’t enjoy most of my coursework. Too stubborn to quit, I pushed through, spending my junior year in Italy as a much-needed escape. During that year I mostly partied, barely attended classes, and yet somehow managed to pass my exams.
My first real taste of scientific inquiry came when I received a research assistantship during my senior year at the University of Valencia. The project (studying synchronization between wireless sensors) wasn’t particularly thrilling to me, but the scientific process was. I spent most of my senior year barely attending classes and mostly doing research, finally graduating in 2009. Not knowing what to do next but still drawn to research, I stumbled upon a new master’s program in biomedical engineering that was perfect for engineers looking to apply their skills to medicine and biology. A scholarship allowed me to focus entirely on my studies. A neurology class sparked my fascination with the brain, and neuroimaging courses cemented my decision to pursue a PhD in cognitive neuroscience.
After discovering my passion for the brain, I needed a research internship to complete my master’s. Most internship offers only valued my coding skills, but an opportunity at the Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit in Barcelona stood out: they would offer me a job, but only if I was genuinely interested in learning cognitive neuroscience. I took the challenge in the summer of 2010, the internship went well, and I stayed on as a research assistant during 2011. Determined to pursue a PhD, I applied for scholarships in my first year and got rejected across the board. I tried again, and in 2012 I secured a PhD fellowship.
Enthusiastic and eager to learn, I said yes to every project I could: studying language, memory, reward, music, and brain plasticity in both healthy and clinical populations. My thesis eventually focused on language learning and reward, though I kept side projects in music research. Doing research in Spain at the time was tough. The 2008 financial crisis had gutted the science budget, making it nearly impossible to fund neuroimaging studies. Fortunately, my PhD cohort was incredibly supportive, sharing resources and helping each other navigate the challenges. By the time I finished, I had published extensively, but at a steep cost. I had taken on too many projects and was completely burned out. My PhD funding ran out before I could finish writing, but one of my advisors stepped in to support me during the final stretch. The last months were grueling, and I seriously considered leaving academia. With the unwavering support of my colleagues, family, and friends, I pushed through and successfully defended my dissertation, graduating in the summer of 2016.
Deciding I needed a fresh start, I planned to move to Australia for a postdoc. After defending my PhD, I took several months to backpack through Southeast Asia, only to learn mid-trip that the postdoc (which I was told was a done deal) had fallen through. Suddenly unemployed, I checked my email for the first time in two months and found a message from NYU professor David Poeppel offering me an interview for a postdoctoral position. The timing was surreal. Just before leaving for my backpacking trip, I had attended a conference in Barcelona where I happened to meet Poeppel by chance. I interviewed in January 2017, got the position, and moved to New York a couple of months later.
My postdoc years were exhilarating. I had freedom, and an amazing lab, and I was able to expand my line of research in music neuroscience. When NYU opened a faculty position in Psychology and Music Technology, Poeppel told me to apply. I hesitated, feeling unqualified, but he responded simply: “Shut up and apply.” I did, and somehow got the job.
I launched my lab in January 2020. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing the university to shut down and bringing everything to a halt. With no access to lab space and all research moving remotely, my plans had to be completely reimagined. To make matters worse, NYU froze all funding from startup accounts to prepare for the financial impact of the pandemic. Suddenly, I had a lab to run, salaries to pay, experiments to fund, but no money to do so. Scrambling for resources, I applied for every funding opportunity I could find, large and small. Navigating those first years was incredibly difficult, both professionally and personally. I often thought about quitting, but somehow kept finding reasons to stay in academia. Over time, things stabilized. NYU eventually released my startup funds, and I managed to secure steady external funding from multiple sources. However it took nearly four years for the lab and for myself to fully recover from the chaos of the pandemic.
Now, I have published more than 80 papers over my career, 40 of which have come from my lab. But behind every success is a mountain of rejection: on average, each of my papers gets rejected two or three times before publication, meaning my work has faced rejection roughly 200 times. The same goes for funding. While I have secured more than 20 grants, another 50 were rejected along the way. After years of turbulence, I am enjoying science again, balancing academia and life, and most importantly, spending time with my friends, wife, and two-year-old daughter.