Biography and expertise
Dr. Eunjin ("Jin") Seo is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas State University, where she joined the faculty in August 2023. She earned her B.A. in Education from Seoul National University as a first-generation college student and came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue her doctoral studies, earning her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin.
In 2026, Dr. Seo received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award, one of the U.S. government’s highest honors for early-career scientists and engineers, for her work developing interventions to foster growth-oriented peer cultures in STEM classrooms. She was also awarded the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2023, one of the most prestigious early-career fellowships in education research, in recognition of her foundational work on peer mindset culture.
In 2026, Dr. Seo received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award, one of the U.S. government’s highest honors for early-career scientists and engineers, for her work developing interventions to foster growth-oriented peer cultures in STEM classrooms. She was also awarded the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2023, one of the most prestigious early-career fellowships in education research, in recognition of her foundational work on peer mindset culture.
Education
Doctorate Degree
PhD in Educational Psychology
University of Texas at Austin, 2017
Master's Degree
MED in Educational Psychology
University of Texas at Austin, 2015
Master's Degree
MA in Education
Seoul National University, 2011
Bachelor's Degree
BA in Secondary Education
Seoul National University, 2008
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Seo, Eunjin. CAREER: Growing Together: Shaping Peer Culture to Boost STEM Motivation and Retention, National Science Foundation, Federal, $943242. (Submitted: 2025, Funded: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2031). Grant.
- Goble, Priscilla Maria (Principal), Shen, Yishan (Principal), Weimer, Amy Ann (Supporting), Alfaro, Edna C (Supporting), Seo, Eunjin (Supporting), Behnke, Andrew Owen (Supporting). REU Site: Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development and Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship Program, National Science Foundation, Federal, $439005. (Submitted: September 2023, Funded: September 2024 - August 2027). Grant.
- Seo, Eunjin (Principal), Fong, Carlton Jing (Co-Principal). How Do Peers Signal the Culture of Innate Brilliance? Microdynamic Video Analyses of Peer Interactions Signaling Fixed Mindset, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $16000. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: January 2024 - 2025). Grant.
- Seo, Eunjin (Principal). A Causal Examination of How Peer Mindset Climate Shapes STEM Major Belongingness and Persistence, National Academy of Education / Spencer Foundation, $70000. (Funded: September 2023 - August 2025). Grant.
- Seo, Eunjin. What Motivates People to Achieve? A Cross-cultural Examination, Fulbright Program / United States Department of State, $70000. (Funded: August 2011 - August 2013). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Seo, E., Lee*, S. Y., Muenks, K., & Yan, Y. (2025). The secret language of peers: How peer behaviors signal mindset and influence classroom experiences. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 1286–1309. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12759
- Seo, E., *Clapper, M., Hecht, C. A., Crosnoe, R., & Yeager, D. S. (2025). Peer mindset culture as a developmental context for belonging. Educational Psychology Review, 37, 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10082-8
- Seo, E., Lee*, S. Y., & Lee, Y. (2025). Growth mindset in action: Teaching practices that fuel student interest and academic success. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54, 3008–3022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02216-6
- Shen, Y., Seo, E., Jiles*, A. I., Zheng, Y., & Wang, Y. (2022). Language brokering and immigrant-origin youth’s well-being: A meta-analytic review. American Psychologist, 77(8), 921–939. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001035
- Seo, E., & Patall, E. A. (2021). Feeling proud today may lead people to coast tomorrow: Daily intraindividual relations between emotion and effort in academic goal striving. Emotion, 21(4), 892–897.
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professors of Fall 2025, Alpha Chi National Honor Society. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: Paul R. Pintrich Memorial Research Award, American Educational Research Association. 2017
- Award / Honor Recipient: Michael B. Salwen Research Award, Korean-American Educational Research Association. 2015
Featured service activities
- Member
Korean-American Educational Research Association Mentoring Committee
- Editorial Review Board Member
Educational Psychology
- Editorial Review Board Member
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Member
Graduate Admissions Committee
- Other
Bobcat Day
- Member
High School Outreach to Promote the HDFS Major