Robin Cooper 

Robin Cooper is a professor of neurobiology and neurophysiology. His research focuses on the mechanisms underlying synaptic differentiation and communication between neurons and muscle cells. A comparative physiologist, he has spent decades investigating how living systems work and fostering the same curiosity in his students. Cooper’s lab uses invertebrate models — including crayfish and Drosophila — to explore synaptic transmission, behavior and receptor subtypes that influence the larval Drosophila heart. 

Cooper earned his bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and zoology from Texas Tech University in 1983 and his Ph.D. in physiology there in 1989, followed by postdoctoral training in Switzerland and Toronto. He joined UK in 1996 and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UK in 2012. An accomplished scholar, he has published extensively, served as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Zoological Research, and is deeply engaged in community outreach and STEM education. 

Mark Prendergast 

Mark Prendergast is an endowed professor and director of the neuroscience Bachelor of Science degree program. His research is focused on examining biochemical mechanisms involved with the development of alcohol and drug dependence. In addition, his lab research efforts include the study of novel drug targets, such as stress hormone receptors systems, which might be targeted in the treatment of dependence. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He joined the UK faculty in 1999. Prendergast is the faculty adviser of NeuroCATS, a 600-member student organization dedicated to expanding neuroscience education. He is a well-published researcher in the study of substance use disorder.