Angela Lukowski, left, is congratulated by Provost Hal Stern on being named this year's recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Fostering of Undergraduate Research in the School of Social Ecology.
Associate professor recognized for distinguished fostering of undergraduate research
Psychological Science Associate Professor Angela Lukowski is the recipient of the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Fostering of Undergraduate Research in the School of Social Ecology. The award was presented May 16 during the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Poster and Performance Showcase.
What makes the honor all the sweeter for Lukowski is that she was nominated for the award by her students, with the final decision made by the UROP.
“I am so honored to have been nominated and selected to receive the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Fostering of Undergraduate Research in the School of Social Ecology this year,” Lukowski says. “Working with post-baccalaureate and undergraduate research assistants is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career at UCI, and it is extremely special to be recognized by the students I serve as excelling in this domain. I am so grateful to my research assistants for all of their contributions to our work, for the richness they bring to the lab through their great ideas and their friendships with one another, and for the joy they bring to my life by allowing me to be a small part of their personal and professional journeys.”
The associate professor’s research assistants, including two honors students, presented six different posters at the UROP showcase this year, just as several had also done at the Western Psychological Association Convention in Las Vegas earlier this month.
She credits her own academic journey that began at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, for the success she has had in lighting a fire in her UC Irvine students to conduct research.
“I actively mentor my post-baccalaureate and undergraduate research assistants in the same way I was mentored as a young scholar at a small liberal arts college,” says Lukowski, who went on to earn her doctorate degree in developmental psychology from the University of Minnesota. “I hold weekly lab meetings for all of the students in my lab, and I meet with my research assistants in small groups to discuss the studies on which they are working. I also work with students independently to help them identify their own research interests and to help them determine their career paths post-graduation. I benefited immensely from having close contact with faculty who helped shape my research interests and my understanding of career opportunities that were available to me after graduation.”
The associate professor is there for Anteaters whenever they need her.
“I hope that my students know that my door is open to them now, when they are enrolled as students at UCI, and that my door will remain open to them beyond their graduation — once a mentor, always a mentor!”
— Matt Coker