Professor recognized for mentoring, increasing representation in and out of the lab
Students in the Genes, Environment, and Youth Development lab pose with Jinni Su (front row, far left), assistant professor of psychology. Su was recently recognized with the 2024 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Early Career Award from the ASU Faculty Women's Association. Photo courtesy Jinni Su
When Jinni Su was in graduate school, she got so nervous during her first presentation that she almost passed out. Despite that experience, she persevered with her studies.
Today, Su is an assistant professor in Arizona State University's Department of Psychology, where she not only directs her own lab dedicated to increasing minority representation in genetic studies but also mentors the lab’s student researchers with the hope they never have to have an experience like that themselves.
“I was a first-generation college student and was also an international student, and I know that students who come from underrepresented backgrounds can go through challenges beyond the typical graduate school experience,” Su said. “I prioritize their mental health and well-being and let them know that I am always willing to listen and support them.”
In recognition of her mentorship, the ASU Faculty Women’s Association has bestowed Su with the 2024 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Early Career Award.
Su is open with her students about the challenges inherent in training to become a scientist.
“I do not shy away from sharing with my students about my upbringing and the obstacles I overcame getting to graduate school and while I was in graduate school,” Su said.
Belal Jamil, an ASU psychology graduate student in Su’s Genes, Environment, and Youth Development lab, nominated Su for the award. Jamil said that Su is quick with practical tips, such as how to block out time to focus on specific tasks and increase efficiency, but is also able to provide guidance when it comes to things like dealing with feelings of uncertainty or even imposter syndrome.
“Jinni makes sure I understand that it’s OK to make mistakes and not know everything, that the best scholars are those who ask questions and aren’t afraid to reach out when they need guidance,” Jamil wrote in his nomination.
Su is also upfront with her students about what she is currently going through as an assistant professor, such as what it takes to publish a paper in an academic journal or secure funding for studies.
In his nomination of Su, Jamil shared an anecdote about a recent grant Su received from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study how risk of alcohol use disorder manifests as children grow up using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. That grant was funded after multiple rounds of rejections and revisions, a process that took years.
Su makes sure her students understand that rejections are normal and do not define researchers, Jamil said.
The importance of minority representation guides both Su’s mentorship style and the work being done in her Genes, Environment, and Youth Development lab.
Among racial and ethnic minorities, there is an increased risk of negative social and health consequences associated with alcohol use. But untangling the connections between the genetic and social environmental factors that contribute to this in underrepresented populations can be difficult because, until recently, genetic databases were created almost entirely from people of European descent.
“Genetics play a role in predicting whether someone is diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. We also know that someone’s environment — for example, their family relationships — can exacerbate or buffer their genetic risk,” Su said. “It is important to identify early precursors or manifestations of genetic risk that could inform prevention before alcohol use begins.”
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