Student Spotlight: Jordan Johnson
December 1, 2025
Jordan Johnson is a doctoral student in psychological sciences and human development from the Tuscarora Nation in Western New York. She earned her B.S. in psychology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY and completed her post-bacc at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and now studies how internal bodily signals shape emotions and cognition under the guidance of Adam Anderson and Eve De Rosa at Cornell.
What is your area of research, and why is it important?
I study the connection between the brain and the body, particularly how our internal bodily signals—such as heart rate and respiration—shape our emotions and cognition. This is important because our brain and body are constantly communicating with each other, so this relationship has a significant impact on nearly everything we do. By understanding the brain-body relationship, we can gain insight into physiological aspects of many phenomena, such as cognitive flexibility, addictive behaviors, and even cultural ways of knowing, all of which I have been working on.
What are the larger implications of this research?
Arriving at Cornell, I found myself wondering how people in rural, minoritized communities like mine would ever have access to an MRI machine. I soon realized that maybe they wouldn’t have to. Our lab uses measures of the brain-body connection, like heart rate and respiration, as an index of autonomic nervous system functioning. Because heart rate and respiration shift predictably in response to autonomic activation or deactivation, they can provide information about the brain-body connection from a simple measurement. Furthering this research would eventually allow me to provide an accessible measure of brain-body functioning to communities like my own.
What does it mean to you to be a Dean’s Scholar?
To be a Dean’s Scholar is a great honor that I also view as a great responsibility. This opportunity allows me to contribute to the Dean’s Scholar program by fostering a sense of community and shared space where diverse people can share their diverse research, experiences, passions, etc. I benefit greatly from the hard work of others within this community, and I hope to positively impact others as well. I believe the reciprocal nature of this community is what makes it so special.
What do you most appreciate about being a Dean’s Scholar?
Starting a new position at a new university, new city, surrounded by new people, can be daunting for anyone. What I appreciate most about being a Dean’s Scholar is that I was able to enter with a community already waiting to welcome me. Even before I physically made it to campus, there were networking, professional development, and social events on the calendar for us. Graduate school can be such a stressful time, so having these resources readily available has been truly invaluable.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of your research or scholarship?
When I’m not in the lab, I play recreational soccer, hike, read, and am teaching myself beadwork.
Why did you choose Cornell to pursue your degree?
It sounds cheesy, but Cornell felt like home as soon as I walked around campus. Location was important for me as my reservation isn’t too far away, and I knew that Cornell sits on the ancestral lands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’. Meeting the Affect and Cognition Lab for the first time then solidified my decision as I knew both my research and cultural interests would be nurtured during my time here.