Breaking Barriers: 海角社区 Professor Alyssa Johnson Inspires Future Scientists through the Power of Mentorship
March 19, 2025
As a first-generation student raised in a working-class family with no scientific background, 海角社区 Department of Biological Sciences professor Alyssa Johnson had to navigate entry to the biomedical research field on her own. Now she鈥檚 dedicated to breaking down barriers in science.
Johnson, who was born in South Korea and adopted at 2 years old, grew up in Muskegon, Mich. In 2007, Johnson received her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Hope College in Holland, Mich.
She was exposed to research through a college work-study job washing dishes in a research lab. This sparked her interest and led her to apply for the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. She was accepted for the summer program.
海角社区 Department of Biological Sciences professor Alyssa Johnson.
鈥淭hat immersive research experience was really transformative for me,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淲hile I was not always the strongest student academically, I really found my niche with research. I realized that while I was not great at memorizing information, I really loved the creative process of thinking of new ideas. I found it amazing to be at the forefront of new discoveries and realized I learned a lot more when I was driven by my own curiosity.鈥�
Johnson went on to get her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University in 2013.
Johnson and her husband, Adam Bohnert, met in graduate school and both did postdoctoral training in San Francisco. Johnson was awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Jane Coffin Child Memorial Foundation to support her postdoctoral training.
After completing their postdoctoral training, Johnson and Bohnert applied to jobs all over the country but needed to find a place where they could both obtain faculty positions. They landed at 海角社区 in January 2018.
鈥淲hile many universities are not that open to the idea of a dual hire, when we interviewed at 海角社区, the faculty in the biological sciences department made it clear that they viewed it as a strength rather than a weakness,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hat ultimately led us to 海角社区.鈥�
Johnson and Bohnert now run a joint lab which has helped them navigate the challenges of their academic life together, while also balancing their home life.
From her previous hands-on learning in biological sciences, Johnson uses active learning in her classroom, putting science directly into the hands of students to allow them to think critically and creatively about science. She said she makes sure to create assessments that require critical thinking and require students to solve complex problems.
鈥淥ne of the most important things I learned over the course of my training is that learning how to think rather than what to think has the most significant impact on students鈥� long-term education,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚t is my belief that empowering students to think critically arms them with lifelong skills that are translatable to any field they choose to pursue in the future.鈥�
Johnson advises aspiring STEM majors to find a mentor and begin research as soon as possible, and believes there are a lot of opportunities at 海角社区 where students can get started. Johnson emphasizes the amount of outstanding female scientists in her department that have achieved success in a male-dominated field and who have paved the way for future female faculty members.
鈥淚 believe that representation is important for recruitment and retention of female academic scientists,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淗aving other female faculty members in our department to lean on for advice has been very helpful and makes the job less isolating when there are others that might be sharing similar experiences as you.鈥�
Looking ahead, Johnson hopes to successfully train the future generation of scientists and help them achieve their future career goals, as well as lead by example the same way that her mentors did.
鈥淔ind supportive mentors, stay curious, and don鈥檛 be afraid to fail,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淔ailing is a huge part of doing science and you can鈥檛 be afraid to be wrong. That鈥檚 part of the scientific process, but it鈥檚 how you respond to the failures that will ultimately dictate your success.鈥�
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