Jeff Lucas is Professor and Chair in the Department of Sociology. He oversees the mission of a vibrant department that ranks #24 among all U.S. sociology programs by U.S. News and World Reports. From 2016 to 2020, Dr. Lucas was Associate Dean for Research in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). The University of Maryland ranks fourth among U.S. universities in federal funding for social science research, and BSOS researchers secure more than $50 million in external research awards each year. Dr. Lucas’s role was to help facilitate an environment for faculty and students in the college conducive to maintaining the excellence in research that these award levels reflect. Dr. Lucas received his B.B.A. in Business Administration (1992) and PhD in Sociology (2000) from the University of Iowa. He joined the Maryland faculty in 2004. In sociology, he teaches courses on social psychology, research methods, group processes, and leadership. In his research, he carries out experimental group processes studies, largely on power, status, and leadership, that have received funds from agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, and Army Research Institute. In the Department of Sociology, before taking the role of Chair he served as Graduate Director, Director of Research, Associate Chair, and Director of the Group Processes Research Laboratory.