Who is Jazlyn?
Cognitive Scientist, public scholar, cultural strategist, and founder and CEO of Cognitive Horizons
Education
I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Psychology with Minors in Philosophy and Neuroscience. I completed my dissertation research at Columbia University as an IvyPlus Exchange Scholar and hold a M.S. in Cognitive Science.
I became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Brown University in 2023.
R
esearch
During my undergraduate career, I conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging research on cognitive development between early childhood through adolescence. Specifically, I researched social cognition in middle childhood, and negative urgency impulsivity during adolescence. Broadly, my graduate research studied the role of lived experience, technology, and culture on cognitive development, specifically working memory development in early childhood. I passionate about taking an inclusive, equitable, and interdisciplinary approach to science that involves taking a global perspective.
Federal Child Policy
Former Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) U.S. Federal Executive Branch Fellow/ American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. My fellowship placement for the 2023-2025 term was in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department for Health and Human Services (HHS).
Read about my experience and lessons learned on Substack.
International Scholarship
Thus far, I have worked on projects in the United States, Ghana, Jordan, consulted with the Katsuiku Academy in Tokyo, Japan, and am a member of the Communicating and Expanding Research on Adversity (CERA) Network that is based in the Netherlands. The CERA Network is a group of scientists that advocate for strengths based approaches to developmental science and work with journalists, educators, and policymakers to improve science communication outside of academia. I co-organizing a workshop on communicating the science of adversity meeting for the CERA Network in Leiden, NL with scientists, journalists, and policymakers that in May 2025.
Consulting
In 2019, I became the Educational Research Lead for the upcoming Katsuiku Academy in Tokyo, Japan. This has been an opportunity to pursue my dream of applying current research into policy and practice. In this position I inform a research-based curriculum that hopes to educate and nurture high school students in preparation for the future.
Mentoring
Mentorship has played a large role in my academic journey. My first experience came when I was a mentor/tutor for America Reads*America Counts at the University of Maryland, College Park. In this role, I was able to mentor and teach middle school and college students in a small group setting. My experience as McNair Scholar at the University of Maryland College Park motivated me to become a mentor within the program during graduate school. I have an ongoing relationship with the McNair program at Rhode Island College where I get to engage with a community of passionate and insightful students. In addition to conducting academic workshops for the program, I was the Graduate McNair Academic Advisor in 2019. In this role I supported students during their planning and application cycles for their intended graduate programs. I helped them develop their application materials and identify the best program and mentor matches.
Personal Mission: In this moment where many seek to promote social change, I hope to highlight the importance of supporting programming that uplifts and supports the next generation. Ultimately, I hope to continue academic and social programming consulting and research to support children at the margins. I am currently a cohost of the Millennials Unpublished podcast where a fellow PhD and I talk everything academia and life.
Education
I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Psychology with Minors in Philosophy and Neuroscience. I completed my dissertation research at Columbia University as an IvyPlus Exchange Scholar and hold a M.S. and became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Brown University.
R
esearch
During my undergraduate career, I conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging research on cognitive development between early childhood through adolescence. Specifically, I researched social cognition in middle childhood, and negative urgency impulsivity during adolescence. Broadly, my graduate research studied the role of lived experience, technology, and culture on cognitive development, specifically working memory development in early childhood. I passionate about taking an inclusive, equitable, and interdisciplinary approach to science that involves taking a global perspective.
Consulting
In 2019, I became the Educational Research Lead for the upcoming Katsuiku Academy in Tokyo, Japan. This has been an opportunity to pursue my dream of applying current research into policy and practice. In this position I inform a research-based curriculum that hopes to educate and nurture high school students in preparation for the future.
Mentoring
Mentorship has played a large role in my academic journey. My first experience came when I was a mentor/tutor for America Reads*America Counts at the University of Maryland, College Park. In this role, I was able to mentor and teach middle school and college students in a small group setting. My experience as McNair Scholar at the University of Maryland College Park motivated me to become a mentor within the program during graduate school. I have an ongoing relationship with the McNair program at Rhode Island College where I get to engage with a community of passionate and insightful students. In addition to conducting academic workshops for the program, I was the Graduate McNair Academic Advisor in 2019. In this role I supported students during their planning and application cycles for their intended graduate programs. I helped them develop their application materials and identify the best program and mentor matches.
Personal Mission: In this moment where many seek to promote social change, I hope to highlight the importance of supporting programming that uplifts and supports the next generation. Ultimately, I hope to continue academic and social programming consulting and research to support children at the margins. I am currently a cohost of the Millennials Unpublished podcast where a fellow PhD and I talk everything academia and life.