Dr. Jessica Gaby

Assistant Professor

Dr. Jessica Gaby
(615) 898-5640
(615) 898-5027
Room ACB 335, Academic Classroom Building (ACB)
MTSU Box 87, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Office Hours

*Fall 2023*

Wednesdays 12-2 and by appointment.

Degree Information

  • PHD, Cornell University (2017)
  • MA, Cornell University (2014)
  • BA, University of Miami (2005)

Areas of Expertise

Areas of Expertise:

Human olfactory perception, social olfaction, psychophysics.

My research focuses on the impact of human olfactory signals on our daily social interactions.

I am particularly interested in how experience and environment influence our perception and production of these cues.

Biography

TEACHING EXPERIENCE  

2020-PSY 4030 - Psychology of Sensation and Perception

2019-Co-Instructor, FDSC 422 - Communicating Research in Agricultural Science (hybrid; graduate and undergraduate students)

2019-Guest Lecturer, Principle of Sensory Evaluation Short Course, Penn State (adult learners)

2018-Assistant Instructor, Food Science - Sensory Evaluation (FSC404), Penn State(graduate and undergraduate students)

2016-2017-Instructor, Freshman Writing Seminar (Psych1130), Cornell University

2011-2017-Graduate Teaching Assistant, Psychology, Cornell University

Publications

Gaby, J. M., & Tepper, B. J. (2019) A comparison of hedonic and emotional responses to common odors delivered by PODs (Portable Olfactive Devices) and traditional sniff jars. Food Quality and Preference, 0.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103804.

Gaby, J. M., Baker, A. N., & Hayes, J. E. (2019). Vanillin modifies affective responses to but not burning sensations from ethanol in mixtures. Physiology & Behavior, 112668.

Gaby, J. M., & Dalton, P. (2019)...

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Gaby, J. M., & Tepper, B. J. (2019) A comparison of hedonic and emotional responses to common odors delivered by PODs (Portable Olfactive Devices) and traditional sniff jars. Food Quality and Preference, 0.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103804.

Gaby, J. M., Baker, A. N., & Hayes, J. E. (2019). Vanillin modifies affective responses to but not burning sensations from ethanol in mixtures. Physiology & Behavior, 112668.

Gaby, J. M., & Dalton, P. (2019). Discrimination between individual body odors is unaffected by perfume. Perception, 10.1177/0301006619872055.

Gaby, J. M., & Zayas, V. (2017). Smelling is telling: human olfactory cues influence social judgments in semi-realistic interactions. Chemical Senses42(5), 405-418.

 

PAPERS IN PROGRESS

Gaby, J. M., Bakke, A., Baker, A. N., Hopfer, H., & Hayes, J. E. (in revision). Individual Differences in Thresholds and Consumer Preferences for Rotundone added to Red Wine. Nutrients.

Gaby, J.M., Günaydýn, G., & Zayas, V. How do I like you? Let me count the ways: Olfactory judgments of body odor on t-shirts and snap judgments based on 100-ms photograph exposure predict judgments in real life dyadic interactions. To be submitted to PNAS.

Gaby, J. M. & Hayes, J. E. Fat’s where it’s at: The impact of information framing on taste, liking, and perceived healthfulness of milk. To be submitted to Food Quality and Preference.

Primrose, R. J., Gaby, J. M., Gardner, D. G., Kelley, K. E., Elias, R. E., & Hayes, J. E. Dose Response Functions, Difference Thresholds, and Weber Ratios for Back-Sweetened Red and White Table Wines. To be submitted to American Journal of Oenology and Viticulture.

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Presentations

Gaby, J. M. and Hayes, J. E. Fat’s where it’s at: Information framing on milk labels affects expected liking, sensory qualities, and healthfulness of milk in an online survey, 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, July 2019

Gaby, J. M., Baker, A. N., & Hayes, J. E. Adding vanillin to ethanol increases liking but does not affect perceived burn, Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), April 2019

Gaby, J. M. and Tepper, B. J. A Comparison of Hedonic a...

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Gaby, J. M. and Hayes, J. E. Fat’s where it’s at: Information framing on milk labels affects expected liking, sensory qualities, and healthfulness of milk in an online survey, 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, July 2019

Gaby, J. M., Baker, A. N., & Hayes, J. E. Adding vanillin to ethanol increases liking but does not affect perceived burn, Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), April 2019

Gaby, J. M. and Tepper, B. J. A Comparison of Hedonic and Emotional Responses to Common Odors Delivered by qPODs (Portable Olfactive Devices) and Traditional Sniff Jars, Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), April 2018

Gaby, J. M. and Zayas, V. Does The Nose Smell What The Eyes See? Olfactory and Visual Influences on Multimodal Social Interactions, International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste (ISOT), June 2016

Gaby, J. M. and Zayas, V. Smelling is Telling: Human Olfactory Cues Influence Interpersonal Judgments, Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), January 2016 Also presented at Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), April 2016

Gaby, J., Lundstrom, J. and Dalton, P. Can Learned Responses to Body Odor Affect Human Social Interactions? AChemS Annual Conference, April 2015

Gaby, J. and Zayas, V. Towards a Novel Method for Human Olfactory Research, AChemS Annual Conference, April 2013

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Awards

2019; Top 100 Posters, Pangborn Symposium 2019

2019; AChemS Childcare Grant, AChemS 2019

2018; Electronic Poster Presenter, AChemS 2018

2016; First Place, Graduate Student Poster Competition, SPSP

2015; AChemS Travel Award

2015; Selected to participate in Cornell Center for Teaching and Learning Peer Collaboration Program

2015; Knight Institute Teaching Assistantship, Cornell University

2013; AChemS Housing Award

2012; ECRO Travel Grant

2011-2016; Sage Fellowship, Cornell University (tuition for 5 years, stipend for 2)

Research / Scholarly Activity

2020-Present-Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University

2018-2020-Postdoctoral Scholar, Penn State University

2017-2018-Postdoctoral Researcher, Rutgers University

2014-2017-Doctoral Researcher, Cornell University

2013-2014-Visiting Scholar, Monell Chemical Senses Center

2011-2013-Graduate Researcher, Cornell University

2004-2005-Student Research Assistant, University of Miami

Creative Activity

Membership in Academic Societies:

Association for Chemoreception Sciences

European Chemoreception Research Organization

Association for Psychological Science

Psi Chi

Sigma Xi

Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Golden Key Honor Society

 

In the Media

Super Awesome Science Show, “This Episode is the Arm(pits)!” July 23, 2019.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5654657/super-awesome-science-show-this-episode-is-the-armpits/

PBS NOVA, to be released Fall 2020

AChemS Press Release, April 2016

Special Projects

Outreach and Mentoring:

Outreach Coordinator, Penn State Postdoc Society (2020)

Workshop Leader, stEMPOWERed Girls (middle school girls) (2019)

Workshop Contributor, Special Olympics Village at Penn State (athletes) (2019)

Speaker, Science Café @ Webster’s Coffee (community) (2019)

Organizer & Workshop Leader, ENVISION (middle school girls)(2019)

Workshop Leader, Exploration-U (community/fami...

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Outreach and Mentoring:

Outreach Coordinator, Penn State Postdoc Society (2020)

Workshop Leader, stEMPOWERed Girls (middle school girls) (2019)

Workshop Contributor, Special Olympics Village at Penn State (athletes) (2019)

Speaker, Science Café @ Webster’s Coffee (community) (2019)

Organizer & Workshop Leader, ENVISION (middle school girls)(2019)

Workshop Leader, Exploration-U (community/families) (2018)

Reviewer, Penn State College of Ag Grad Student Competitive Grants (2018)

Workshop Leader, Expanding Your Horizons (middle/high school girls) (2012-2016)

Organizer & Workshop Leader, Kids Science Day (kids 3-10) (2012-2016)

Mentor, Monell Science Apprenticeship Program (paid internship)(2014)

Workshop Leader, Philadelphia Science Festival (community)(2014)

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Courses

FALL 2020

PSY 4030-D02; Psychology of Sensation and Perception

PSY 4030-D03; Psychology of Sensation and Perception