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Amy McDonnell

Assistant Professor

Programs: Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology

Office: 

Phone: 9704915888

Education:

  • Ph.D., University of Utah, 2023

Website: http://amymcdonnell.github.io/

Curriculum Vitae: View Curriculum Vitae

About

Area of Specialization: attention, applied neurophysiology, environmental neuroscience, human factors/engineering psychology

Teaching Courses:

Current Research: Our lab studies human cognition in laboratory, virtual, and real-world environments. In one line of research, we utilize electrocardiography (ECG), scalp electroencephalography (EEG), intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG), and virtual reality (VR) to study the psychophysiological effects of immersion in nature on attention, affect, and stress. In another line of research, we study how humans interact with technology–from smartphones to AI to automated vehicles. Our work advances brain-body measurement methods and data fusion techniques for studying cognition in applied contexts, with implications spanning public health, urban design, environmental psychology, engineering psychology, and human-technology interactions. At the heart of our research is a commitment to translating science into tangible impact for human health and safety.

Publications

  • “Immersion in nature decreases neural sensitivity to extrinsic reward.” McDonnell, A. S., LoTemplio, S. B., Scott, E. E., McNay, G. D., Greenberg, K., Castro, S. C., & Strayer, D. L. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 102, 1-15. , 2025
  • “The influence of a walk in nature on human resting brain activity: A randomized controlled trial.” McDonnell, A. S., & Strayer, D. L. Scientific Reports, 14, 1-12., 2024
  • “Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention.” McDonnell, A. S., & Strayer, D. L. Scientific Reports, 14(1845), 1-15., 2024
  • “This is your brain on Autopilot: Neural indices of driver workload and engagement under partial vehicle automation.” McDonnell, A. S., Simmons T. G., Erickson, G. G., Lohani, M., Cooper J. M., & Strayer, D. L. Human Factors, 65(7), 1435-1450., 2021
  • “Toward a unified model of stress recovery and cognitive restoration in nature.” Scott E. E., McDonnell, A. S., LoTemplio, S. B., Uchino, B. N., & Strayer, D. L. Parks Stewardship Forum, 37, 46-60., 2021