Nikola Prendergast Lucas

Dr. Nikola Prendergast Lucas is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health and 
Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Nikola earned a 
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology with a minor in Comparative Literature from California State University Long, Beach (CSULB) followed by a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Physiological Psychology/ Research Psychology from the pre-doctoral program at CSULB in 2004. Here she conducted research investigating the use of neurotrophic factors on injury induced cytogenesis in the avian hippocampus and her photomicrographs were published on the front cover of the academic journal, NeuroReport. She began teaching at the university level shortly after and worked with students from a diverse array of backgrounds in both community college and university settings. To become a more effective professor, Nikola earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Behavioral Neuroscience in 2013 from Florida Atlantic University, while teaching hybrid and online courses at Palm Beach State College. During her doctoral studies, she examined functional neural connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using electroencephalography (EEG) and mentored new graduate students in their research efforts. She transitioned to teaching purely online in 2023 and designs and instructs undergraduate (bachelor level) and graduate (master and doctoral) courses in behavioral neuroscience and developmental psychology. Dr. Prendergast Lucas was appointed a 2025-2026 Faculty Fellow to engage in cross departmental collaborative research analyzing instructional practices and student learning outcomes and was selected as a recipient for the UAGC Faculty Quarterly Employee Recognition Program for representing the Culture of Care. Additional interests and activities include associate faculty and student mentoring, advising doctoral students, empowering student leadership through the Psych Club, and research proposal review with the Institutional Review Board (IRB).