Dr Shantala Hegde

Faculty In-Charge, Music Cognition Lab

Additional Professor | Consultant Neuropsychologist
Clinical Neuropsychology Unit & Neurorehabilitation Services
Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India
For inquiries or collaborations, please contact:
  • ​Office Phone: +91 80 2699 5183
  • Lab Phone: +91 80 2699 5369
Dr. Shantala Hegde is an Additional Professor and Consultant Neuropsychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. She leads the Clinical Neuropsychology Unit and Neurorehabilitation Services, specializing in neuropsychological assessment, cognitive rehabilitation, and the intersections of cognition, emotion, and neuroscience.

As a Principal Investigator and Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance Clinical and Public Health Intermediate Fellow, she is at the forefront of research in neuromusicology, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical neuropsychology. Her work has been featured in the Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Fellow Spotlight Story for its innovative contributions to the field.

Dr. Hegde holds secondary affiliations as an Adjunct Professor with the NIAS Consciousness Studies Programme at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, and has served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

​Beyond her clinical and academic roles, Dr. Hegde is also a trained Hindustani classical vocalist, continuing her musical journey under the guidance of Smt. Bharathi Prathap of the Agra Atrauli Gharana. She has composed and sung for the music album ‘Uma Sahasram’, blending her passion for music and cognitive science.

​Awards and Honours

  • 2021: Featured in the Women in Science Calendar (The life of science)
  • 2018: Wellcome Trust UK- India Alliance DBT Intermediate Fellowship
  • 2017:
    • Affiliate Professional Member - The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy Fondazione Pierfranco e Luisa Mariani Foundation
    • Scholarship- Neurosciences and Music VI Conference, Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA
    • ACIAN Trust International Travel Grant (4th Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Neurology Trust) Honored by the Bhaaratiya Saamagaana Sabha- Abhijnana Thyagaraja Sangeetham on 17th January
  • 2016: Selected as a fellow to participate in the 3rd International Conference on Music and Mind, organized by the Shepherd School of Music and Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
  • 2012:
    • Nominated for the Young researcher award by the Society for Education, Music and Psychology  Research (SEMPRE) at the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC) & the 8th Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), 23-28 July 2012 in Thessaloniki, Greece. (http://icmpc-escom2012.web.auth.gr/?q=node/58)
    • The Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) attendance bursary award (750 Euros) to present paper at the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC) & the 8th Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), 23-28 July 2012 in Thessaloniki, Greece. (http://icmpc-escom2012.web.auth.gr/?q=awards)
    • International Travel Grant, by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to present paper at the 12th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC) & the 8th Triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), 23-28 July 2012 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
    • International Fellowship awarded by the IAN Trust (Indian Academy of Neurology)
  • 2011: ​
    • Best Paper Award, at the at the First National Conference on Neuropsychology & Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, KA, India, November 24-26, 2011.
    • Travel Fellowship awarded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India to present paper at the 2011 Conference of Society for Music Perception & Cognition, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, August 11-14, NY, USA.
    • Program committee member for the European Cognitive Science Conference 2011 (EuroCogSci 2011) held New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria 21-24 May 2011
  • 2009: ‘The International Young Investigator Award’, by the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research. This award was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Glaxo SmithKline (GSK), USA.
  • 2007: ​
    • Travel Fellowship awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to present paper at the 2007 Society for Music Perception & Cognition Conference held in  Concordia University, Montreal and towards one month laboratory visit to International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound  Research (BRAMS)
    • Travel Fellowship awarded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India to present paper at the 2007 Society for Music Perception & Cognition Conference held in Concordia University, Montreal and towards one month laboratory visit to the International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS)
    • Fellowship awarded by the ACIAN Trust topresent paper at the 2007 Society for Music Perception & Cognition Conference held in Concordia University, Montreal and towards one month laboratory visit to the International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS)
    • Fellowship awarded by the NMR School of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
  • 2005: Fellowship awarded by the Vivian Smith Advanced Studies Institute of the ‘International Neuropsychological Society’