Genes, Environment, and Youth Development (Su)

Lab Director and Principal Investigator: Jinni Su, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Dr. Su is a member of the developmental psychology faculty. Her research focuses on how genetic and environmental influences contribute to the development of substance use and related behavioral and emotional health outcomes. Integrating developmental psychology and statistical/molecular genetics, Dr. Su utilizes a multidisciplinary perspective to understand the interplay between genetic predispositions and psychosocial factors in influencing substance use and related outcomes across diverse populations, with a focus on racial/ethnic minority adolescents and young adults. She applies innovative genetically informed designs to examine the genetic and psychosocial pathways underlying the intergenerational transmission of substance use disorders and related outcomes. Dr. Su also examines potential differences in pathways of risk and resilience across racial/ethnic groups, with the goal to understand mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in substance use disorders and related health outcomes and inform effective, personalized prevention and intervention efforts. Her research involves self-report data from surveys and interviews and genomic data collected from saliva or blood samples. Dr. Su received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Beijing Normal University, China. She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Su continued as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University under the mentorship of Dr. Danielle Dick.

Contact Dr. Su | Read her CV  

Graduate Students

Belal Jamil

Belal is a fourth-year in the Developmental Psychology PhD Program. He is interested in understanding how parenting, genetics, and culture can influence mental health and substance use-related outcomes among racially/ethnically diverse samples of adolescents and emerging adults. He has a particular interest in understanding pathways of risk and resilience among ethnic minority populations. Outside of the lab, Belal enjoys crocheting, drawing, and reading.

Lab Coordinator 

Aryn Layno

Aryn is a senior getting a B.S. in Neuroscience. She will be graduating in Fall 2024 and hopes to pursue a career in medicine as a physician. Aryn is interested in researching substance use, mental health, and health disparities in underrepresented communities. Aside from working in the Genetics, Environment, Youth and Development lab, Aryn is a clinical research intern and newsletter editor-in-chief for Med-RAMP, a patient care assistant, a volunteer for Duet: Partners in Health and Aging and Big Brothers Big Sisters Arizona. In her free time, she loves to try new restaurants with her friends, play guitar, and go to the gym.

Lead of Outreach and Communication

Shereen (Jing He)

Jing He is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She is interested in exploring the roles of both genetics and the environment in children’s and youth’s mental health issues across different racial groups, as well as the unique pressures faced by ELL (English language learners) and Asian Americans. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. Jing also enjoys learning different languages and cultures behind them. In her free time, she loves cooking, dancing, working out, bouldering, and trying out different sports.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Chiara Fusciello

Chiara recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences and a minor in psychology in May 2024. She also completed her honors thesis entitled "Coping Mediates the Link between Social Support and Depression in Patients with ADPKD on Dialysis: Acceptance Helps and Planning is Harmful". Chiara will be applying to graduate schools for the upcoming cycle, where she hopes to conduct research on how adverse life events/stress impact mental well-being in youth and adolescents. Chiara has been a member of the Genetics, Environment, Youth and Development lab since January 2022, and is excited to continue to pursue her research interests with Dr. Su through the conduction of an independent project. In addition to being a research assistant with the GEYD Lab, Chiara volunteers at Phoenix Children's Hospital and is working on publishing her first research manuscript. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, crocheting, and spending time with friends and family.

Moira Semple

Moira is a junior expected to graduate in Fall 2025 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences (Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior) and a certificate in Evolutionary Medicine. Alongside her work in the G.E.Y.D. Lab, Moira is also a research assistant in the Brain, Epigenetics, Altered States of Consciousness Research (BEAR) Lab, where she will be conducting her honors thesis with Dr. Lewis this year. As a recipient of the SOLUR Fellowship, Moira's research, which explores how life experiences induce epigenetic changes linked to mental health, will be funded by the School of Life Sciences. Additionally, she serves as Vice President for the NeuroDevils club here at ASU and is a student of the Barrett Honors College.

Allison Miller

Allison Miller is a junior majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She will be graduating in December 2025. This is her third semester as an RA in the GEYD lab. She currently is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She spends time interning at Sojourner Center, a local domestic violence shelter, and is an active member in Page Turners, where she reads to children at Tempe Library. She completed her Barrett thesis working with various school districts to assist in writing grant applications. Allison enjoys reading, listening to indie music, and trying new restaurants.

Haley Patel

Haley is a freshman majoring in Medical Microbiology (class of 2028). She loves to dance, play badminton, travel, and read philosophical texts when she gets the chance. She wishes to pursue her goal of being a physician and researching psychology/genes in order to raise awareness of misunderstood facts. She would also love to explore the avenues of clinical psychology.

Samantha Dela Cruz

Samantha is a senior getting a B.S. in Psychology and will graduate in May 2025. She plans to attend graduate school and later wants to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. Her areas of interest are epigenetics, prenatal health, and fetal development. In addition to being a research assistant for the GEYD Lab, Samantha works as a nutrition assistant at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing video games, and spoiling her dogs.

Mikaelyn Dela Cruz

Mikaelyn is a senior getting a B.S. in Psychology and will be graduating in May 2025. She is planning to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and eventually a PhD in Social Psychology. She is interested in researching relationship conflict between romantic partners, between parents and children, as well as how self-esteem impacts relationships. Outside the lab, Mikaelyn works at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center as a nutrition assistant. In her free time, she likes to write stories and listen to music.

Ellie Han

Ellie is Senior at Tempe Preparatory Academy who is working as a volunteer research assistant under Dr. Jinni Su and the GEYD lab. She is interested in pursuing developmental psychology in college. In her free time, she likes to read and bake cookies.

Lab Alumni 

Mariam Ewais, Biological Sciences and Global Health (Fall 2020 - Spring 2023)

Avery Murphy, Psychology minor in Philosophy and Political Science (Spring 2022 - Spring 2023)

Abdullah Warsi, Neuroscience (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023)

Valerie Tan, Psychology (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023)

Kathleen Heaston, Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023)

Madeline Smith, Psychology minor in Family and Human Development (Fall 2022 - Spring 2023)

Ashlynn Rooney, Psychology and Family and Human Development (Spring 2021 - Fall 2022)

Ian McNamara, Psychology (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022; Graduated May 2021); Former lab coordinator, currently Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at University of Missouri at St Louis. 

Valeria Perez, Biological Sciences and Global Health (Fall 2020 – Spring 2022)

Isobel Conroy, Psychology (Spring 2021 – Fall 2021; graduated in December 2021); Honors thesis titled “COVID-19 Related Stress, Mental Health, and Alcohol Use Outcomes among College Students: Examining the Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation”. 

Christopher Hernandez, Biology and Society, Global Health, and Transborder Studies (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022; Graduated May 2022); currently student at University of Arizona College of Medicine 

Dylan Wang, Biomedical Sciences (Spring 2021 - Fall 2021)
Elizabeth Cheng, Biological Sciences with minor in Psychology (Spring 2021 - 2022 Spring) 
Riley McKenna,  Biological Sciences and Psychology (2020 summer- 2020 Fall)
Karen Northrop, Business Data Analytics and Psychology (2020 Spring - 2020 Fall)
Mahasin Shigdy,  Psychology (2019 Fall - 2020 Fall; Graduated in December 2020)
Derek Soto,  Psychology (2019 Fall - 2020 Fall; Graduated in December 2020) 
Nicole Taylor, Psychology (2020 Spring - 2020 Fall; Graduated in December 2020); Honor's thesis titled "Depressive Symptoms and Drinking to Cope in Relation to Alcohol Use Outcomes Among European American and African American College Students"; Finalist for the Psychology Department award for Best Undergraduate Research Paper.

Join the Lab!

We are actively recruiting motivated and responsible undergraduate research assistants (RA) to join our lab! Students from underrepresented backgrounds (e.g., racial/ethnic minority, first-generation college students) are strongly encouraged to apply through the ENERGIZE Research Initiative. If you are interested in becoming an RA (for credit or volunteer) in the Genes, Environment, and Youth Development Lab, please fill out this application form and/or contact us at [email protected]. 

Dr. Su is accepting new graduate students in the Developmental Psychology PhD program. If interested, please email Dr. Su at [email protected] with a copy of your CV.

Select publications

Below are a sample of recent publications from Dr. Su’s research and lab. A more complete listing may be found in Dr. Su’s curriculum vitae

*undergraduate student co-author; **graduate student co-author

1. Su, J., Trevino, A.**, Jamil, B.**, & Aliev, F. (in press). Genetic risk of alcohol use disorders and childhood impulsivity: Examining the role of parenting and family conflict. Invited paper for the Special Issue of Development and Psychopathology entitled “Leveraging Genetically Informative Study Designs to Understand the Development and Familial Transmission of Psychopathology”. 
2. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Trevino, A.**, Barr, P., Aliev, F., Bucholz, K, Chan, G., … & Dick, D. M. (2022).Examining social genetic effects on educational attainment via parental educational attainment, income, and parenting. Journal of Family Psychology.
3. Su, J., Trevino, A.**, Kuo, S. I., Aliev, F., Williams, C. D., Guy, M. G., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2022). Racial discrimination and alcohol problems: Examining Interactions with Genetic Risk and Impulsivity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 
4. Su, J., Conroy, I.*, Trevino, A.**, Zheng, Y., & Kuo, S. I. (2022). COVID-19 related stressors, parent-child relationship, and profiles of alcohol and mental health outcomes among White and Hispanic/Latinx first-year college students. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. doi: 10.1007/s10578-022-01337-4
5. Taylor, N. L.*, Su, J., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2022). Depressive symptoms and drinking to cope in relation to alcohol use outcomes among White and Black/African American college students. Substance Use and Misuse. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2034871
6. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Aliev, F., Chan, G., Edenberg, H. J., Kamarajan, C., McCutcheon, V. V., Meyers, J. L., Schuckit, M., Tischfield, J., & Dick, D. M. (2021). The association between polygenic risk, sensation seeking, social support and alcohol use in adulthood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 130, 525-536. doi: 10.1037/abn0000568. 
7. Su, J., Seaton, E. K., Williams, C. D., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2021). Racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, ethnic-racial identity and alcohol use among Black American college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 35, 523-535. doi: 10.1037/adb0000717. 
8. Barr, P. B., Ksinan, A., Su, J., Johnson, E. C., Meyers, J. L., Wetherill, L., Latvala, A., Aliev, F., Chan, G., Kuperman, S., Nurnberger, J., Kamarajan, C., Anokhin, A., Agrawal, A., Rose, R. J., Edenberg, H. J., Schuckit, M., Kaprio, J., & Dick, D. M. (2020). Using polygenic scores for identifying individuals at increased risk of substance use disorders in clinical and population samples. Translational psychiatry, 10(1), 196. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-00865-8 
9. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Derlan, C. L., Hagiwara, N., Guy, M. C., & Dick, D. M. (2020). Racial discrimination and alcohol problems among African American young adults: Examining the moderating effects of racial socialization by parents and friends. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(2), 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000294 
10. Patterson, R. E., Kuchenbaecker, K., Chen, C., Popejoy, A., Walters, R., Periyasamy, S., Lam, M., Iyegbe, C., Strawbridge, R., Brick, L., Carey, C., Martin, A., Meyers, J. L., Su, J., Bigdeli, T. B., Chen, J., Edwards, A. C., Kalungi, A., Koen, N., Majara, L., Schwarz, E., Smoller, J., Sullivan, P., Vassos, E., Mowry, B., Prieto, M., Cuellar-Barboza, A., Edenberg, H., Huang, H., & Duncan, L. E. (2019). Genome-wide association studies in ancestrally diverse populations: Opportunities, methods, pitfalls, and recommendations. Cell. 179, 589-603. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.051 
11. Ksinan, A., Su, J., Aliev, F., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2019). Unpacking genetic risk pathways for college student alcohol consumption: The mediating role of impulsivity. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43, 2100-2110.
12. Silventoinen, K., Su, J., Pulkkinen, L., Barr, P., Rose, R. J., Dick, D. M., & Kaprio, J. (2019). Genetics of Perceived Family Interaction From 12 to 17 Years of Age. Behavior genetics, 49(4), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-019-09960-z
13. #Cho, S. B., #Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Bucholz, K. K., Chan, G., Edenberg, H. J., … & Dick, D.M. (2019). Positive and negative reinforcement are differentially associated with alcohol consumption as a function of alcohol dependence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33, 58-68.  #co-first authors 
14. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Myers, J. M., Guy, M. & Dick, D. M. (2018). Examining interactions between genetic risk for alcohol problems, peer deviance, and interpersonal traumatic events on trajectory of alcohol use disorder symptoms among African American college students. Development and Psychopathology, 30, 1749-1761. 
15. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Aliev, F., Guy, M. C., Derlan, C. L., Edenberg, H. J., … & Dick, D. M. (2018). Influence of parental alcohol dependence symptoms and parenting on adolescent risky drinking and conduct problems: A family systems perspective. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 42, 1783-1794. 2018-2019 top downloaded and most read paper in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 
16. Su, J., Kuo, S. I., Bucholz, K. K., Edenberg, H. J., Kramer, J. R., Schuckit, M., & Dick, D. M. (2018). Understanding mechanisms of genetic risk for adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems: The mediating role of parenting and personality. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 21, 310-321. 
17. Su, J., Leerkes, E. M., & Augustine, E. M. (2018). DRD4 interacts with adverse life events in predicting maternal sensitivity via emotion regulation. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 783-792. 
18. Su, J., Supple, A. J., Leerkes, E. M., & Kuo, S. I. (2018). Latent trajectories of alcohol use from early adolescence to young adulthood: Interaction effects between 5-HTTLPR and parenting quality and gender differences. Development and Psychopathology, 31, 457-469. 
19. Dick, D. M., Barr, P. B., Cho, S. B., Cooke, M. E., Kuo, S. I., Lewis, T., Neale, Z., Salvatore, J. E., Savage, J. E., Su, J. (2018). Post-GWAS in psychiatric genetics: A     developmental perspective on the “other” next steps. Genes, Brain, & Behavior. 2017-2018 top downloaded and most read paper in Genes, Brain, and Behavior. 
20. Su, J., Hancock, L., McGann, A., Alshagra, M.*, Ericson, R.*, Niazi, Z.*, Dick, D. M., & Adkins, A. (2018). Evaluating the effect of a campus-wide social norms marketing intervention on alcohol use perceptions, consumption, and blackouts. Journal of American College Health, 66, 219-224. 
21. Su, J., Supple, A. J., & Kuo, S. I. (2018). The role of individual and contextual factors in differentiating substance use profiles among adolescents. Substance Use and Misuse, 53, 734-743. 
22. Su, J., & Supple, A. J. (2016). School substance use norms and racial composition moderate parental and peer influences on adolescent substance use. American Journal of Community Psychology, 57, 280-290
23. Su, J., & Supple, A. J. (2014). Parental, peer, school, and neighborhood influences on adolescent substance use: Direct and indirect effects and ethnic variations. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. 13, 227-246. 

• Dr. Jinni Su is awarded $1,656,143 over five years (9/2023 – 5/2028) from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH/NIAAA) for research project R01AA031281, “Gene-Environment Interplay and Alcohol Use among Racially-Ethnically Diverse Youth: A Developmentally and Culturally Informed Approach”.  We are so excited for the award and look forward to collaborations with co-investigators Drs. Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, Jose Causadisas, Eleanor Seaton, and Kevin Grimm. Wohoo!!!!
• Congratulation to Angel Trevino on the acceptance of his first-author paper to be published in Behavior Genetics. We are so proud of you!! The paper is titled “Alcohol use disorder polygenic risk scores and trajectories of early adolescent externalizing behaviors: Examining the role of parenting and family conflict in the Racially/Ethnically Diverse ABCD Sample”. (September, 2023)
   
• New paper led by Dr. Jinni Su, graduate student Belal Jamil and colleagues is accepted for publication at Development and Psychopathology! The paper is titled “Polygenic risk, social support, and alcohol use among European American and African American adults”. (August, 2023)
   
• Graduate students Angel Trevino and Belal Jamil both presented first-author papers at the Behavior Genetics Annual Meeting, at Murcia, Spain!! Way to go, Angel and Belal!! (June, 2023)
   
• Graduate student Angel Trevino successfully defended his Master’s Thesis! His thesis was titled “Genetic and Environmental Influences on Youth Externalizing Behaviors across Racial/Ethnic Groups”. Congratulations, Angel! (April 2023)
   
• Graduate student Belal Jamil successfully proposed his Master’s Thesis. Congratulations, Belal!! (April, 2023)
   
• Graduate student Angel Trevino successfully proposed his master’s thesis! Congratulations, Angel! (August, 2022)
• Graduate student Angel Trevino presented a poster entitled “Alcohol use disorder polygenic scores and trajectories of childhood externalizing behaviors: Examining the role of parenting and family conflict in the ABCD study” at the Behavior Genetics Association Annual Meeting at Los Angeles! (June, 2022)
• New study by Dr. Jinni Su, graduate student Angel Trevino, and colleagues examining the role of genetics, personality, and racial discrimination in alcohol use among Black/African American young adults is published in Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and is featured by ASU News.
• New study by Dr. Jinni Su, undergraduate student Isobel Conroy, graduate student Angel Trevino, and colleagues is published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, and is featured by ASU News. (March, 2022)
• Dr. Jinni Su’s research on polygenic risk scores, social support, and alcohol use was featured in the APA Monitor in Psychology. (January, 2022)
• Dr. Jinni Su's new study published in Journal of Abnormal Psychology is featured in the U.S. News and World Report and ASU News. (September, 2021). 
• Dr. Jinni Su's new study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors is featured in ASU News (September, 2021).
• Congratulations to lab members, Mahasin Shigdy, Derek Soto, and Nicole Taylor, who graduated from ASU Psychology in December 2020!!! Many congratulations and best wishes for your bright future!
• We are so excited to welcome Angel Trevino, the very first graduate student in the GEYD Lab, to the ASU Developmental Psychology PhD program!!! (August, 2020).
• Dr. Su was invited to speak at the 3rd Annual Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Tempe, AZ (via zoom; April 18, 2020). Her presentation was titled " Genetic and Environmental Influences on Substane Use Disorders".
• Our undergraduate research assistants, Derek Soto and Mahasin Shigdy, presented at the 3rd Annual Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Tempe, AZ (via zoom; April 18, 2020). Their poster presentation was titled "A systematic review of racial/ethnic discrimination and alcohol use outcomes in the Latino population in the US". 
• Dr. Jinni Su received seed grant from the Institute for Social Science Research (11/13/2019). Her grant proposal is titled "A Cultural Genomics Approach to Understand Gene-Environment Interactions and Alcohol Misuse among African American College Students".
• Dr. Jinni Su is featured on ASU Now about her research, addressing the importance of increasing representation of minority populations in genetic research.
• Dr. Su attended the 2019 World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics  in Los Angeles on 10/26-31, 2019. She presented research showing that higher sensation seeking and lower levels of social support serve as pathways linking genetic risk to alcohol use disorder symptoms in adulthood, using data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism.