Nichols Lodato’s mixed methods, interdisciplinary research examines how shock events (e.g., the Great Recession, COVID-19) impact identity development and education outcomes among diverse adolescents and young adults. Nichols Lodato’s book, COVID-19, the Great Recession and Young Adult Identity Development: Shock-Sensitive Dynamic Ecological Systems Theory (Routledge, 2024) advances a novel theory of identity development during shock events. Her theory highlights how diverse young adults reassess and adapt their postsecondary pathways, access supports and cultivate new coping strategies to sustain momentum toward their goals during periods of disruption. Additionally, her peer-reviewed publications have appeared in volumes addressing identity development and coping during shock periods (The Cambridge Handbook of the Development of Coping, Cambridge University Press, 2023); the application of W.E.B. DuBois’ scholarship to insights on identity development processes among African-American youth and young adults (The Oxford Handbook of W.E.B. DuBois, Oxford University Press, 2024); and the legacy of Edward Zigler (founder of Head Start) for child well-being in the wake of “morbid risk” that accompanies endemic inequality and shocks (Development and Psychopathology Special Issue 2: Honoring the Legacy of Ed Zigler's Lifetime Contributions to Science, Society, and Child Wellbeing, Cambridge University Press, 2021). Upcoming publications include her chapter for The Cambridge Handbook of Pandemic Impacts on Human Development (Cambridge University Press), which extends her research examining context factors impacting life course outcomes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a chapter in the Identity Theories in Education Research (Routledge). She is currently co-Editor of Research in African American Education (Information Age).

Additionally, Nichols Lodato has served as lead author or co-author of technical and methodological reports for a number of research studies, including High School and Beyond and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (i.e., Prospective Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health or Add Health). Her record of research and academic service reflect her interdisciplinary research agenda. She has delivered presentations and invited talks to domestic and global audiences, with the Society for Research in Child Development, World Education Research Association, the International Sociological Association and the Oxford Education Research Symposium among the venues where she has discussed her work. Nichols Lodato’s academic service includes leadership roles in national and international organizations. She is an appointed member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s United States National Committee (USNC) for Psychological Science. (The USNC represents the International Union of Psychological Sciences at the U.S. national level.) In 2025 she was elected to serve as Program Chair/Chair-Elect of the Adolescence and Youth Development Special Interest Group in the American Education Research Association and is a Steering Committee Member for Developmental Scientists for Climate Action.

Nichols Lodato’s research is enriched by her deep administrative and substantive expertise leading and directing the design and implementation of social science research studies at the local, state and national levels, with particular expertise in survey design, sample design and management, data collection, data system development and data dissemination. As Senior Vice President of the Education and Child Development Studies Department at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, she led studies and won awards from national funders, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Sloan Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation. Nichols Lodato’s interest in human development and person-context dynamics is enhanced by her service working with community groups advocating for arts education, equitable public park policies and environmental stewardship, with a focus on under-resourced urban areas and social justice. Activities include

advocacy for preservation of community ecosystems and restoration of vacant lots to serve as community gardens in under-resourced areas. She brings her senior leadership skills in research and organizational governance to her service on boards for several non-profit organizations, heading leadership, team development and strategic transformations of organizations.