Mark S. Chen

Mentor Spotlight

The ABCT Academic Training and Education Standards committee annually solicits nominations for the “Spotlight on a Mentor” recognition to highlight the diversity of excellent mentors within the membership ranks of ABCT. Its goal is to spotlight promising early-career and well-established mentors across all levels of academic rank, areas of specialization, and types of institution. We asked the four 2024 winners to share some wisdom related to their own influential mentors, their mentorship philosophy, and advice for mentees and aspiring mentors. Click here to learn more about Spotlight on a Mentor.

Dr. Mark S. Chen (he/him/his) is a Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Psychology at Yale University, working with Drs. Jutta Joormann, Dylan Gee, and Wendy Mendes. He received his B.Sc. in Psychology from Tsinghua University in 2017 and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University in 2024.

Before his postdoc at Yale, he completed his clinical internship at Weill Cornell Medical College. His work focuses on adversity, emotion regulation, and affective psychopathology across diverse contexts and development. More specifically, he integrates multidomain factors to delineate pathways to risk and resilience following adverse and traumatic life events, examines how developmental, situational, and broader cultural contexts shape the use and function of emotion regulation, and elucidates the role of emotion regulation flexibility in affective psychopathology among individuals in high-risk contexts.

The long-term goal of his work is to inform transdiagnostic interventions for affective psychopathology via targeting inflexibility in cognition and emotion regulation and tailor these interventions for specific individual and cultural contexts. Mark’s work has been published in various outlets, such as Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Mental Health, Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, American Psychologist, and Clinical Psychological Science. He enjoys working with undergraduate and master’s research assistants, supervising independent projects, and facilitating professional development (e.g., graduate school and job applications).

“Mentorship is one of my favorite parts of a career in science. I value the flexibility of meeting students where they are and helping them identify their unique values and goals. My philosophy has been heavily influenced by my graduate and postdoctoral mentors, particularly Drs. Jutta Joormann, Dylan Gee, Wendy Mendes, and George Bonanno. Each mentor’s distinct style has empowered me to develop an enthusiastic, supportive, constructive, and adaptable approach.

Since every student has unique strengths and needs, I strive to understand their goals early on, recognizing that these are dynamic and may evolve.  I foster a communal research environment that embraces creativity, curiosity, fun, and rigorous research. At the group level, I strive to offer learning experiences that most advisees find beneficial. I have facilitated regular group meetings where we updated research progress and discussed topics related to professional development (e.g., full-time research coordinator or graduate school applications). Additionally, I have encouraged students to learn from each other by presenting their research projects or discussing a research topic of shared interest. At the individual level, I have worked to develop supportive and rewarding advising relationships where students can feel both challenged and guided. I am transparent about my areas of expertise and readily connect students with other resources that may support their growth.

Having been both a mentee and mentor in many settings, I encourage graduate students and early career members to actively seek mentorship opportunities. The most effective approach is to set some goals–even if they are fully defined–while staying open to new possibilities. I continue to benefit from mentorship from senior faculty members and hope to pay it forward by supporting the next generation of clinical scientists in my new role as an assistant professor.“