Nicola Marae Allain, Ph. D.
Professor, Arts and Media
College of Arts and Sciences
- Doctor of Philosophy, European Graduate School, Switzerland.
Focus: Media & Communication (Media Arts & Theory) - Master of Arts, University of California, Santa Barbara
Focus: Dance, Dramatic Art, Music - Bachelor of Arts, University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa, Canada. Focus: English (bilingual designation).
As a professor and academic leader, Dr. Nicola Marae Allain brings over two decades of interdisciplinary teaching, research, and creative practice focused on digital media arts, emerging technologies, and inclusive, post-traditional learning environments. Her faculty appointments have spanned undergraduate and graduate levels, including service as Academic Area Coordinator for digital media and core graduate faculty in the Master of Arts in Learning and Emerging Technologies at SUNY Empire State University. She has mentored students across disciplines, supported faculty development in online and immersive pedagogies, and designed numerous courses grounded in digital fluency, creative inquiry, and applied theory.
Dr. Allain’s scholarship bridges critical digital studies, visual pedagogy, and ethical technology use in education. Her recent work includes co-authoring the SUNY FACT² Guide to Optimizing AI in Higher Education (2024) and co-editing the forthcoming volume AI and Metaliteracy: Empowering Learners for the Generative Revolution (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026) with Dr. Tom Mackey. These works explore the pedagogical, ethical, and epistemological implications of generative AI in higher education, contributing to national and SUNY-wide conversations on AI literacy and responsible innovation. She is a co-principal investigator, with Dr. Tom Mackey, for a 2025 SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant on Metaliteracy and AI: A Framework for Ethical Integration Across the Curriculum. ($40,000).
Her creative and scholarly research draws on her background in performing arts, media arts and theory, and visual communication, with a particular focus on Oceanic and Asia-Pacific cultural traditions. Her doctoral work explored intersections of cultural concepts, artificial life, and transgression in digital worlds, and her ongoing research includes translation and comparative analysis of Tahitian, French, and Classical Chinese literary texts. A passionate advocate for student creativity and interdisciplinary exploration, Dr. Allain’s academic practice reflects her commitment to transformative education, cultural awareness, and collaborative knowledge-making in an evolving technological landscape.
A practicing artist and poet, Dr. Allain’s creative work reflects her interdisciplinary and intercultural commitments. Her background in performance includes choreography and artistic direction of culturally grounded dance ensembles, including the award-winning Ballet Folklórico de las Américas at Sul Ross State University and The Desert Islanders, a Tahitian dance company. She has performed with her dance ensembles in the U.S. and Mexico. Her scholarly and artistic research is informed by her multilingual and international perspective, shaped by a life lived across North America, Europe, and Oceania—including formative years in French Polynesia, where she developed an enduring commitment to cultural stewardship and transoceanic knowledge traditions.
Dr. Allain’s administrative record is grounded in more than two decades of leadership in adult, online, and distance education. She has directed large, grant-funded initiatives exceeding $4 million, overseeing multidisciplinary teams in STEM/STEAM, Fire Services, Homeland Security, and DEI projects—including Title V work with Hispanic-Serving Institutions and national collaborations on citizen-science and remote-laboratory networks. As director of SUNY Empire’s Curriculum & Instructional Design group she supervised designers, instructional-technology staff, and guided full-time and adjunct faculty in large-scale program and course development. Her international reach includes serving as external advisor to the Tertiary Accord of New Zealand’s eCampus and invited keynotes and reviews in digital arts, emerging media, and online learning worldwide. A multilingual, multicultural scholar, Dr. Allain sits on the Steering Committee of the Open SUNY Innovative Instruction Research Council and co-chairs the SUNY FACT2 Task Group on AI & Digital Accessibility.
She previously co-chaired the subcommittee on AI for Teaching and Learning for the SUNY FACT² Task Group on AI in Action, and has co-authored the second and third editions of the SUNY FACT2 Guides for o Optimizing AI in Higher Education.
She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and volunteers with North Country Wild Care, and serves on the boards of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and the Daoist Foundation.