George is a Performance Scientist who has has spent his life performing and learning what it means to perform.
George grew up on a farm near the village of Shoal Lake, Manitoba, Canada in a household obsessed with sport and music. Much of his time was spent at the piano, the hockey rink, and helping at his parents’ veterinary clinic as he learned first-hand how skills in one kind of performance transferred to others.
He studied piano performance at Brandon University in Canada, specialising in performing music by living composers and receiving the Gold Medal for the Master of Music degree. Meanwhile, he became fascinated by and studied the field of psychology and how its insights into how people learn, memorise, communicate, and make decisions could enhance what musicians do.
While at university he learned about the work of the Royal College of Music’s Centre for Performance Science; a like-minded community of musician-scientists focussed on the applied questions of what it means to perform. He moved to London to pursue his PhD with them, studying how those who judge musical performances come to their decisions.
In 2016, as George neared the end of his PhD study, he joined RCM faculty to work on a project developing new technologies to help violinists learn their technical skills. He went on to work on projects furthering musicians’ health, the effects of music on society, and the optimisation of performance and performance evaluation.
At the end of his PhD study George was accepted in the first cohort of the Imperial College MedTech SuperConnector developing technology to help train clinical communication skills. This was his introduction to the world of research enterprise. He now helps RCM students design businesses, drove the RCM’s implementation of its first IP policy while leading on its research commercialisation work, and provides leadership and communication training for business schools and organisations.
George works with experts across fields to examine parallels in performance practice and to develop and deliver bespoke training to students and professionals, including stage presentation skills, managing performance anxiety, creative leadership, and thriving under pressure. He has led exchanges with organisations including the United Nations Development Programme and the Football Association.
George also led Software Development for the RCM’s one-of-a-kind Performance Laboratories. As the RCM’s Area Leader in Performance Science he ensures that scientific technologies and tools are embedded at the heart of how some of the world’s best performers hone their skills.
Dr George Waddell 