Chris Janiszewski receives Simonson Mentoring Award

Chris Janiszewski, Russell Berrie Eminent Scholar in Marketing at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, has received the Itamar Simonson Mentoring Award from the Association for Consumer Research in recognition of his contributions to doctoral student mentorship. 

Since his arrival at Warrington in 1987, Janiszewski has served on the doctoral thesis committees of more than 90 students, in addition to several master’s students. Janiszewski’s students have gone on to serve at major national and international universities, including Cornell University, New York University, the University of Georgia, and the London School of Economics, as endowed-chair professors, award-winning teachers, senior academic leaders, productive scholars and applied behavioral scientists. 

Janiszewski’s collaborative approach to mentorship is reflected in his research. Out of the 60 papers he has published since 2000, 53 were coauthored with Ph.D. students. In 2007, his efforts were recognized with the University of Florida Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award. 

Fifteen of Janiszewski’s former students, including Florida State University Assistant Professor Cammy Crolic (BSBA ‘08, BS ‘08, MBA ‘11, Ph.D. ‘16), wrote to the award nomination committee to attest to his excellence as a mentor. 

Crolic recalls the exceptional time and energy Janiszewski invested in her during her time as a Ph.D. student. His support created an environment in which she was empowered to take risks as a researcher, she said. 

“Chris supported me by believing in my scholarly abilities long before I believed in them myself,” Crolic said. “He used to tell me that I’d already convinced him that I was smart, which was his way of giving me permission to be bad at something, the freedom to learn and the license to brainstorm ideas without worrying whether they were immediately good.”

In her role as a faculty member and researcher at Florida State, Crolic sees Janiszewski’s influence come through in her intellectual resilience. 

“Research comes with more failure and criticism than success and accolades,” she said. “Chris helped me develop a sense of intellectual toughness and perseverance required to creatively tackle research challenges and a strong sense of self to persist in the face of negative feedback. Both made me a stronger person and researcher.”

Janiszewski’s mentorship has made such an impact on Crolic that it has inspired her own work with doctoral students. 

“While I cannot wholly emulate Chris’ particular style, I try to bring the core elements of his mentorship to my own advising: investing deeply in students’ development, encouraging intellectual independence and helping them focus on questions that are both rigorous and meaningful,” she said. “Even years after leaving Florida, he has remained someone I can call for advice about research, professional decisions and the challenges that come with an academic career. That lasting investment in his students is one of the qualities I most admire about him and one that I hope to carry forward in my own career.”

Janiszewski is now the second University of Florida Warrington College of Business professor to receive the Simonson Mentoring Award, following Joe Alba’s 2025 selection. 

“I was thrilled when I received the Simonson Mentoring Award,” Janiszewski said. “The award implicitly recognizes the accomplishments of the students I have advised. It is a celebration of their research contributions and professional development.”