Neil Lewis, Jr.
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

Dr. Neil A. Lewis, Jr. is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Social Behavior with graduate field appointments in Communication and Psychology at Cornell University, and Assistant Professor of Communication Research in Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Lewis's research examines how the interplay between people's identities and social contexts influence people's motivation to pursue their goals, and their success in goal pursuit efforts. He most often studies these processes in the domains of education, health, and environmental sustainability, in hopes that a better understanding of situated identity-based motivation processes can provide useful insights for developing interventions to help people achieve their goals. He is particularly interested in developing and scaling interventions that have the potential to reduce disparities in education, health, and environmental outcomes.
Research Focus
Professor Lewis’s research examines how and why people’s identities and social contexts interact to influence their motivation to pursue their goals and success in achieving them. He directs the Motivation and Goal Pursuit Lab which studies these processes most often in the domains of education and health. One goal of the lab is to use the knowledge gained from this research to inform interventions to improve outcomes and reduce social disparities
Teaching Focus
Professor Lewis teaches students how to use principles from the social and behavioral sciences to better understand their social world, and challenges them to use that knowledge to better the world around them. At the undergraduate level, he teaches courses on persuasion and social influence as well as stereotyping and implicit bias. At the graduate level, he teaches courses on research methodology in the social and behavioral sciences.
Education
- Doctorate, University of Michigan - 2017
- Master of Science, University of Michigan - 2015
- Bachelor of Arts, Cornell University - 2013
- Bachelor of Arts, Cornell University - 2013
Awards & Honors
- Rising Star Early Career Award Association for Psychological Science
Courses Taught
- COMM 6770: Attitudes and Social Judgment
- COMM 2990: Directed Research Experience
- COMM 7990: Graduate Research
Contact Information
467 Mann Library Building
Ithaca, NY 14853
nlewisjr [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links
Selected Publications
- Lewis, N., & Yates, J. F. (2019). Preparing Disadvantaged Students for Success in College: Lessons Learned from the Preparation Initiative. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 14:54–59.
Neil in the news

News
Misperceptions of marginalized and disadvantaged communities’ level of concern regarding COVID-19 and other issues could undermine cooperation and trust needed to address collective problems, according to new Cornell-led research.
- Department of Communication
- Communication
- Health + Nutrition

News
Published research in 2020 found that Black and white Americans, when asked to take the perspective of a juror who would have to decide whether an officer should be indicted, reached different conclusions, even when presented with identical...
- Department of Communication
- Behavior
- Communication