Lucas Augustine, Ph.D. (Candidate)
Principle Investigator at Memakosa

 

Luke Augustine is a cybersecurity and organizational psychology researcher with over two decades of experience in information technology and information security risk. His career spans multiple industries, including financial services, intellectual property law, consulting, and software development. A U.S. Navy veteran, Luke began his professional journey in systems and network administration, where he helped pioneer early cloud infrastructure using Microsoft, Cisco, and VMware technologies—long before “cloud” became a mainstream concept.

Today, Luke’s research lies at the intersection of cybersecurity, psychology, and organizational behavior. He investigates how human factors—such as decision-making, motivation, and leadership—influence cybersecurity, and overall rule compliance in highly regulated industries. His work has driven enterprise-wide initiatives in technology risk management, including concentration risk analytics, regulatory reporting, emerging threat governance, and GenAI oversight.

Luke is also the founder of Memakosa, a research and consulting initiative named after his four daughters—Meredith, Madison, Kora, and Samantha. As a father, his work is deeply personal; he is driven by a desire to lead by example, demonstrating to his daughters that curiosity, integrity, and resilience can shape the future of both technology and society.

Luke advises senior leaders on cybersecurity risk and behavioral science, translating complex systems into actionable strategies that support executive decision-making, board-level reporting, and regulatory engagement. He holds an MBA, several industry certifications (CISSP, ISSAP, CRISC, Risk AI Specialist), and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. His dissertation—The Role of Psychological Need Satisfaction in Prosocial Rule-Breaking: Examining Leadership Moderators in the Financial Services Industry—examines how basic psychological needs and leadership styles influence rule-breaking for ethical or organizational benefit.