Dr George Waddell
BMus, MMus, PhD, ARCT
Dr George Waddell is Performance Research and Innovation Fellow at the Royal College of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ. He is also Area Leader in Performance Science for the BMus programme and an honorary Research Associate in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. His research focusses on understanding and optimising how performers learn, prepare, perform, and are evaluated, including the role of technology in enhancing these processes.
George works with experts across fields to examine parallels in performance practice and to develop and deliver to students and professionals, including stage presentation skills, managing performance anxiety, creative leadership, and thriving under pressure. He led software development on the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ’s pioneering Performance Laboratory and oversees its use in research and teaching settings. As Area Leader in Performance Science he oversees a range of modules ensuring that students benefit from the latest research and scientific knowledge in their training. He designs and leads courses on scientific research methods, the psychology of performance, enterprise and innovation, professional skills, musicians’ health and wellbeing, and the science and practice of performance evaluation. He is a coauthor of the research methods textbook (Oxford University Press) and serves as a consultant on external research projects.
George holds a PhD in Performance Science from the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ. He completed his BMus and MMus in piano performance at Brandon University (Canada) while studying psychology, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for the Master of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Degree. He holds an ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ in Toronto. He is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Performance Science and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Piano Research.
Selected publications
Waddell G, Hockings D, & Williamon A (2025), The healthy musician, in C Lawson, D Salazar, and R Perkins (eds.), Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ, London (pp. 156-166), Routledge [].
Waddell G & Williamon A (2024), Enhanced performance training, in C Johnson and A King (eds.), ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ, Technology, Innovation: Industry and Educational Perspectives (pp. 59-74), Routledge [].
Ramirez R & Waddell G (2022), Technology-enhanced learning of performance, in GE McPherson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Performance Volume 2, Oxford University Press [].
Williamon A, Ginsborg J, Perkins R, & Waddell G (2021), Performing ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Research: Methods in ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Education, Psychology, and Performance Science, Oxford University Press .
Waddell G, Perkins R, & Williamon A (2019), The Evaluation Simulator: a new approach to training music performance assessment, Frontiers in Psychology, 10(557), 1-17 .
Waddell G, Perkins R, & Williamon A (2018), Making an impression: error location and repertoire features affect performance quality rating processes, ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ Perception, 36, 60-76 .
Waddell G & Williamon A (2017), Eye of the beholder: stage entrance behavior and facial expression affect continuous quality ratings in music performance, Frontiers in Psychology, 8(513), 1-14 .
See a full list of publications and find out more about George and the Centre of Performance Science
Find out about the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ’s Performance Laboratory (BBC feature)
Faculties / departments: Research, Academic staff
Research areas
Research projects
TELMI
Performance Simulator
Time to Decide
MedTech SuperConnector
Healthy Performer
Songs from Home
Research students
Contact
For enquiries please contact:
Dr George Waddell
Doctoral Supervisor, Area Leader in Performance Science, Performance Research and Innovation Fellow