Meet Outstanding Master’s Mentor Dr. Hung-Chu Lin
Dr. Hung-Chu Lin is the SLEMCO/LEQSF Regents Professor in Liberal Arts. Her research focus includes the development of emotions, parenting, attachment relationships, and developmental disabilities. She runs the Developmental Science Laboratory (DSL), which takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the complexity of adjusted and maladjusted developmental processes.
The Graduate School has selected Lin as a recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Master’s Mentor Award. 
Lin is an accomplished researcher who has published 17 peer-reviewed papers within the last five years — 10 as a first author and four with graduate student collaborators.
“She is very supportive of the professional development of her master’s students: encouraging them to apply for grants and awards, and to present research at conferences,” says Dr. Amy Brown, associate professor and department head for the Department of Psychology.
“In interacting with graduate students, Dr. Lin is warm and supportive, but also holds high standards—she expects hard work and improvement, and creates an environment where students feel empowered to work hard and succeed,” she notes.
Madeline Jones, master’s candidate in psychology, describes Lin as “an amazing mentor” who “has given me strength and confidence throughout my time in this program.”
“I would describe my relationship with Dr. Lin as one filled with mutual respect, kindness, communication, support, and positivity. I attribute my success as a graduate student to her qualities as a mentor, especially her resourcefulness, efficiency, and determination,” Jones says.
Developing a mutual understanding with her students through effective communications is key to Lin’s approach to mentoring. She works with them to establish clear goals for addressing their research interests while efficiently completing degree requirements, and preparing them to be able to conduct research independently.
“It is also crucial to permit flexibility for adjusting goals based on the progress of the mentees — often associated with their personal learning patterns and their physical, psychological, and socioemotional statuses,” Lin notes.
“As a mentor, I constantly question and examine my preconceived assumptions and beliefs about mentees and strive for bias-free mentoring. By actively listening and discerning, I convey my unconditional respect and emphatic care with affirmation, understanding, and acceptance,” she says.
Lin’s nurturing guidance of graduate students’ development has even earned her the unofficial title of “research momma” among her students.
“No words can express how rewarding and fulfilling it is to grow along with my research children academically, professionally, and personally,” she says.
