I am a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster University, supervised by Dr. Laurel Trainor. I currently investigate the neural mechanism of auditory scene analysis using EEG, mTRF decoding, and ICA decomposition, focusing on the initial stream formation process.
I also have 7+ years of industrial research experience at a braintech startup, Sandbox, evaluating the sensory and psychological experiences of products by combining questionnaires and EEG with end-to-end pipelines involving structural equation modelling, factor analysis, EEG analysis, and acoustic analysis.
I completed my master's study at Keio University, supervised by Dr. Atsushi Aoyama and co-supervised by Dr. Shinya Fujii and Dr. Patrick E. Savage, while working as a research assistant at Sony Computer Science Laboratories under Dr. Shinichi Furuya. My past projects include the topics of auditory imagery, music preference, and brain-computer interfaces. I'm that signal processing guy in your favorite EEG lab (yes, I do use EEGLAB).
Contact: sakams1 [[at]] mcmaster.ca
Education
2022.09–Present Ph.D. Candidate, McMaster University (Supervisor: Dr. Laurel Trainor)
2020.09–2022.08 Master's student, Keio University (Supervisor: Dr. Atsushi Aoyama; Co-supervisor: Dr. Shinya Fujii, Dr. Patrick E. Savage)
2017.09–2020.08 Undergraduate student, Keio University (Supervisor: Dr. Atsushi Aoyama)
Experiences
2026.05–2026.08 PhD Data Science Intern, Stripe
2018.12–2026.04 Research Team Lead & Senior Researcher, Sandbox, Inc.
2021.02–2022.08 Research Assistant, Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Supervisor: Dr. Shinichi Furuya)
2018.03–2022.03 President, Society for Young Researchers in Neuroscience. (Staff 2018.03 - 2021.04)
2020.10–2021.03 Research Intern, International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo (Supervisor: Dr. Tatsuya Daikoku)
2018.02–2020.04 Research Intern, NTT Communications Science Laboratories (Supervisor: Dr. Makio Kashino)
Awards
2021. SFC STUDENT AWARD [Outstanding extracurricular activity, top 0.08% of all students in 5 faculties at Keio SFC]
2020. Gold Prize, Keio SFC Academic Society
2020. Excellent Graduation Project, Keio University [top 13%]
2020. Given "Likes" (9th place), Japan Neuroscience Society
2019. Excellent Student Paper Award (3rd prize), IEEE LifeTech 2019
2018. Abe Research Award for Young Researchers (Nominated), Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering
Publications
Bold indicates me, underline indicates corresponding author
Sakamoto, S., Wood, E.A., & Trainor, L.J. (2026). Pre-attentive and attention-independent stream formation is dynamically linked to later stream separation. Under review.
Cheung, V. K. M., Harada, T., Sakamoto, S., & Furuya, S. (2025). Time-warped representational similarity analysis reveals acoustic contributions to musical pleasure are weakly shaped by autonomic neural inputs. iScience, 28(12), 114072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.114072
Sakamoto, S., Cheung, V. K. M., & Furuya, S. (2022). RAPIDLY PREDICTING MUSIC ARTISTIC EXPRESSION PREFERENCE FROM HEART RATE AND RESPIRATION RATE. Extended Abstracts for the Late-Breaking Demo Session of the 23rd International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference.
Cheung, V. K. M., & Sakamoto, S. (2022). Separating Uncertainty from Surprise in Auditory Processing with Neurocomputational Models: Implications for Music Perception. The Journal of neuroscience, 42(29), 5657–5659. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0594-22.2022
Sakamoto, S., Kobayashi, A., Matsushita, K., Shimizu, R., & Aoyama, A. (2019) Decoding Relative Pitch Imagery Using Functional Connectivity: An Electroencephalographic Study. Proceedings of 2019 IEEE 1st Global Conference on Life Sciences and Technologies (LifeTech), 1, 48–49.
(Please see my CV for domestic publications, invited talks, and conference presentations)
Scholarships and Grants
Scholar, Nakajima Foundation. 2022- [<10% acceptance rate; partial tuition and living expenses]
GAO Scholar, 2020 - 2022 [top 1.5%; full tuition for master's course]
Taikichiro Mori Memorial Research Grants. “Choukaku Souki NI Okeru Shinkei Ritsudou to Kinouteki Nettowa-ku [Neural Oscillations and Functional Networks in Auditory Imageru]”. 240,000 JPY. 2022.
Keio SFC Academic Society. “Presentation of ‘Neural Oscillations and Networks in Auditory Imagery-Specific Processes’ at the Society of Music Perception and Cognition conference 2022’” 85,000 JPY. 2022.
Koizumi Travel Grant. 150,000 JPY. 2022
Taikichiro Mori Memorial Research Grants. “Ongaku Choushu no Kitai ni Kansuru Shinkei Ritsudou to Sono Jikan Hendou [Neural oscillations and temporal dynamics related to expectation during musical listening]”. 210,000 JPY. 2021.
Keio SFC Eccentric Research Program. “Kandou suru Ongaku no Himitsu: ‘muzu-muzu kan’ no kaiketsuni kannsuru nouha seibunn [The secret of pleasurable music: neural components related to the resolution of ‘tingle’]”. 150,000 JPY. 2021.
Yamagishi Student Project Support Program. “Soukion no Picchi ni tokuiteki na Shinkei Katsudou no Doutei oyobi Tokutei [Specification of neural activity related to pitch of imaged sound]”. 150,000 JPY. 2020.
Incentive to Study and Conduct Research Through SFC Education Promotion Foundation. “Soukion no Soutaiteki Picchi Henka ni Tokuiteki na Shinkei Ritsudou no Doutei to Sono Shikibetu [Identification and classification of neural oscillations specific to relative pitch change of imaged sound]” 210,000 JPY. 2019.
Incentive to Study and Conduct Research Through SFC Education Promotion Foundation. “Seiri Shihyou, Noukinou Keisoku wo Mochiita Ongaku no Raudonesu to Namidakann no Kankei no Kaimei [Revealing the relationship between musical loudness and feeling of tears using psychophysiological measures and neural measurement]”. 160,000 JPY. 2018.
Keio SFC Academic Society. “Dai 57 kai Nihon Seitai Ikou Gakkai Taikai ni Okeru ‘Kikai Gakushuu wo Mochiita Kouonn, Teionn Soukiji no Nouha Deta no Bunrui’ no Kenkyuu Happyo [Presentation of ‘Classification of EEG data during high- and low-pitch imagery using machine learning’ at the 57th Annual Conference of Japanese Society of Medical and Biological Engineering]’” 14,300 JPY. 2018.
[As the president and staff of Society for Young Researchers in Neuroscience]
Junior Symposium Grant, Japanese Neural Network Society. “Lecture & Workshop Symposium for Young Researchers: Understanding and Implementing the Neural Mechanisms by Optical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence” 250, 000 JPY. 2021.
Junior Symposium Grant, Japanese Neural Network Society. “Lecture & Workshop Symposium for Young Researchers: Exploring the Neural Mechanisms of Learning through Experiments and Theory, Workshop of Collaboration Research Planning” 200, 000 JPY. 2020.
Junior Symposium Grant, Japanese Neural Network Society. “Lecture & Workshop Symposium for Young Researchers: Exploring Function-related Neural Mechanisms and Practice and Application of its Theory” 200, 000 JPY. 2019.
Symposium Grants, Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation. “14th Workshop Camp of Society for Young Researchers in Neuroscience”. 300,000 JPY. 2021.
Symposium Grants, Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation. “13rd Workshop Camp of Society for Young Researchers in Neuroscience”. 200,000 JPY. 2020.
Symposium Grants, Kato Memorial Bioscience Foundation. “12nd Workshop Camp of Society for Young Researchers in Neuroscience”. 300,000 JPY. 2019