Mimi O'Neill
Associate Lecturer

Profile

Biography

Dr Mimi O’Neill is a music psychologist whose research involves the systematic, or empirical approach to studying music. With a PhD in Music Psychology from the University of York (2022), funded by the VolkswagenStiftung, her doctoral research explored how audience dynamics influence live and digital concert experiences. Mimi combines quantitative, empirical and theoretical approaches to examine how people experience music socially and emotionally, particularly in concert settings.

She has published in peer-reviewed journals such as Musicae Scientiae, Frontiers in Psychology, and Music & Science, and she serves as Associate Editor for Psychology of Music. Beyond research, Mimi is committed to inclusive, student-focused teaching. She is Programme Leader for the MA in Music, Management, and Marketing and BA Music at the University of York, where she also received a Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Award.

Mimi’s work spans multiple institutions, including previous roles at the University of Lincoln and University of Sheffield. She has led modules across music psychology, music education, and empirical methods, marketing, festival organisation, dissertations, and she actively supports student well-being and progression. In parallel, she is the School Ethics Chair at the University of York and a former Athena Swan Chair at the University of Lincoln.

An enthusiastic communicator, Mimi frequently shares her insights through media interviews, podcasts, and public engagement. She welcomes new PhD applicants with interests aligned to her expertise.

Research

Overview

Mimi’s research explores the emotional and social experiences of music listening and performance, particularly in live and digital concert settings. She has also explored music and empathy, and the influence of music on biospheric perception, and climate behaviours. She uses empirical, primary methods to understand music’s psychological effects; particularly quantitative surveys.

Research Interests:

• Music and emotion
• Social experiences of music
• Music psychology
• Empirical methods in music research
• Music and biospheric values

Projects

• The Intra-Audience Effect in concert settings
• The Digital Concert Experience Project
• Evaluating the psychological and commercial impact of hold audio
• Music, consumer behaviour, and emotion

Grants

• Classical Music Ecology and City Hall Review
• University of York Internal Funding
• VolkswagenStiftung PhD Studentship
• Additional institutional and research funding (SEMPRE, Teaching Innovation Fund, etc.)

Supervision

Mimi welcomes new PhD applicants, particularly in the areas of:

• Music and emotion
• Social experiences of music
• Empirical and primary research methods
• Music psychology
• Music and climate change

Current/Recent PhD Supervision Includes:

• Rap music social bonding, wellbeing, and identity in teen boys (2024–c.2030)
• Salutogenesis and musicians’ health (2024–c.2030)
• Musical coordination and shared undrestanding in string quartets (2024–c.2027)
• Music emotion recognition in Chinese adolescents (2022–2024)
• Music selection in everyday life (2021-2024)
• Performance anxiety and meditation (2020-2025)
• Sound and immersion in metaverse concerts (2024-c.2027)
• Social bonding and wellbeing via VR group singing (2023-c.2026).

Publications

Selected publications

• Egermann, H., Siebrasse, A., Weining, C., O’Neill, K., Tröndle, M., & Wald-Fuhrmann, M. (2024). Developing digital classical concert stream offerings–A typology of audience preferences. The Journal of arTs ManageMenT, law, and socieTy, 54(3), 125-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2024.2347397
• O’Neill, K., Weining, C., Greenwood, S., Tröndle, M., & Egermann, H. (In Review). Presence, immersion, and personality predict a change in mood and the social experience of a virtual reality Western art music concert. Musicae Scientiae
• O’Neill, K., & Egermann, H. (In prep). Social facilitation in live and digital presentations of a concert. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Kreuzer, M., Wald-Fuhrmann, M., Weining, C., Meier, D., O’Neill, K., Tschacher, W., ... & Egermann, H. (2023). Digital concert experience: An online research project on live streaming during the pandemic. In Classical Music and Opera during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Research on the Digital Transformation of Socio-Cultural Institutions and Aesthetic Forms (pp. 95-112). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-42975-0_6
• Wald-Fuhrmann, M., O'Neill, K., Weining, C., Egermann, H., & Tröndle, M. (2023). The influence of formats and preferences on the aesthetic experience of classical music concert streams. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000560
• O’Neill, K., & Egermann, H. (2022). Development of the Social Experience of a Concert Scales (SECS): The Social Experience of a Live Western Art Music Concert Influences People’s Overall Enjoyment of an Event but not Their Emotional Response to the Music. Music & Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043221106478
• Maloney, L., O’Neill, K., & Gray, J. (2021). Alone together: A mixed-methods analysis of Spotify listening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing, 1-16. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Liam-Maloney/publication/356997671
• O’Neill, K., & Egermann, H. (2022). Induced empathy moderates emotional responses to expressive qualities in music. Musicae scientiae, 26(3), 476-496. https://doi.org/10.1177/102986492097
• Wald-Fuhrmann, M., Egermann, H., Czepiel, A., O’Neill, K., ... & Tröndle, M. (2021). Music listening in classical concerts: Theory, literature review, and research program. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638783
• O’Neill, K., & Egermann, H. (2020). Induced empathy moderates emotional responses to expressive qualities in music. Musicae Scientiae, https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864920974729

(Full list available on request or via ORCID)

Teaching

Undergraduate

Mimi’s teaching philosophy is grounded in inclusivity, empathy, and student empowerment. She believe in creating a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment where every student feels empowered to engage, question, and grow. She designs my teaching to be research-led and practice-informed, encouraging students to connect theoretical concepts with real-world applications, particularly in the fields of music psychology, education, and management and marketing. She prioritises student well-being and pastoral care alongside academic development.

• Programme Leader, BA Music (2025–Present)
  • • Introduction to Music Psychology
    • Various core
  • Undergraduate dissertation supervision
  • University of York Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Award (2020)

Postgraduate

• Programme Leader, MA Music, Management, and Marketing (2023–2025)
  • Music Psychology for Marketing
  • Empirical Methods for Music Management and Marketing
• MA Pathway Leader, Music Psychology (2021–2023)

External activities

Overview

• Associate Editor, Psychology of Music
• Host of The Psychology of Music podcast (2022–Present)
• Media features:
• BBC One Morning Live! (2024)
• Spotify Shot and Chaser podcast
• Wired, Esquire, TalkMobile, Skoda
• Senior Lecturer at The University of Lincoln