Alison Bernice Ma (b. 1998) is a Master's of Science Music Technology student and recipient of the College of Design Dean's Fellowship (2020) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she participates as a member of the Music Informatics Group research lab under Dr. Alexander Lerch. Previous degrees include a Bachelor's of Music in Electronic Production and Design from the Berklee College of Music, where she studied under the guidance of Dr. Richard Boulanger and was the recipient of the Max Mathews Award (2019). Currently, she is working on her Master's project, Representation Learning for the Automatic Indexing of Commercial Sound Libraries.

​

As a graduate student and researcher, Alison believes that the current and future potential of music technology is both exciting and imperative for its cross-disciplinary applications. Alison's current research interests reside within the field of music information retrieval, digital signal processing, and machine learning for musical applications. Her efforts are motivated by her enthusiasm for creative expression, discovering uncharted sonic creativity, enhancing the music creation process, and further exploring the truths and intricacies that make up sound.

​

As a sound designer, Alison is always looking to discover new possibilities of layering, mangling, and morphing sounds, constantly adding to her personal sound library. She loves to apply her sound design skills in numerous different contexts, whether that be in discovering new and innovative styles of composition or various interactive media applications. As a composer, Alison's works are often inspired by storytelling and perennial existential themes of morality. In March 2020, one of Alison's fixed 2-channel DSP compositions for voice, Engulf, was selected for presentation at the SEAMUS 2020 National Conference (Concert 4) on behalf of the University of Virginia.