StudyLA’s Brianne Gilbert Named President-Elect of National Survey Research Association

Brianne Gilbert, managing director of LMU's Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA), has been elected president-elect of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO), a national network of university-based research centers. Gilbert will serve as president-elect beginning in Fall 2026, before beginning her term in Fall 2027.

"At the heart of our work is a simple but important question: How do we better understand the people and communities around us?" said Gilbert. "I'm looking forward to bringing researchers together around that shared purpose, building on what we've learned at LMU, and finding new ways to strengthen the work universities are doing in communities across the country."

For more than two decades, StudyLA has used public opinion research to better understand the people, communities, and issues shaping Los Angeles. Its research captures the experiences, priorities, and changing perspectives of Angelenos, helping civic leaders and communities better understand the region they serve. As AASRO's next president, Gilbert will bring the lessons and expertise developed through that work to a national community of academic survey researchers.

AASRO brings together around 60 university-based research organizations, including centers at the University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire, Harvard University, and USC. Its members collaborate to advance the methods, standards, and practices of academic survey research and prepare the next generation of researchers.

Gilbert's leadership will deepen StudyLA's connections with peer institutions, opening new possibilities for collaboration, professional development, and student learning at LMU.

"For me, one of the most exciting parts is what those connections can mean for our students," Gilbert said. "They can introduce students to new ideas and new people, expand how they think about research, and help them see where the questions they begin asking at LMU can take them."