Arlington, Va. – October 14, 2026 -- The American Institutes for Research (AIR) has hired neuroscientist Gayathri "Gaya" Dowling, who for more than a decade directed the $500 million Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, to lead its 100-year AI Century Study on how artificial intelligence shapes human development, education and opportunity.
Dowling brings a decade of large-scale longitudinal study management to AIR
Dowling has led the ABCD Study since its inception in 2015. The project is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It follows nearly 12,000 students from late childhood through adolescence into young adulthood, tracking biological and behavioral development.
As director, she oversaw study design, execution and evaluation, data and biospecimen sharing, coordination among agencies and partners, and the analysis, publication and dissemination of results. She joined AIR this month.
Earlier at NIH, Dowling served as deputy director for the Office of Science Policy, Engagement, Education, and Communications at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She also served as chief of the Science Policy Branch at NIDA. She holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Davis.
AI Century Study will track individuals and generations using mixed methods
AIR announced the AI Century Study in March as a national, longitudinal cohort study. Participants will take part in repeated data collections over time, drawing on surveys, interviews and administrative records. The study will examine changes within individuals, across life stages and across generations.
The design is observational. It aims to document patterns and associations rather than intervene in or manipulate AI exposure. Results will be released on an ongoing basis.
AIR President and CEO Jessica Heppen said the study will give policy leaders, decisionmakers and the public evidence to make informed decisions about AI.
Study anchors AIR's AI Nexus evidence platform
The AI Century Study is one component of AIR's AI Nexus, which generates, connects and translates evidence on AI's effects on people, organizations, institutions and society across sectors.
AIR has run long-term cohort research before. In 1960 it launched Project Talent, which followed high school students into adulthood to study educational attainment, occupations, family formation, military service, income and health. Researchers still use the data for studies on aging, dementia and healthcare access.