News Releases

Pam Davis-Kean has been selected as the Director of the Survey Research Center (SRC) for a five-year term beginning September 1, 2024. Davis-Kean is a Professor of Psychology, a Research Professor in the Survey Research Center and Research Center for Group Dynamics, and a Faculty Associate of ICPSR.

Davis-Kean brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role. Her research examines the various pathways that socioeconomic status (SES) of parents relates to the outcomes of their children. Her primary focus is on parental educational attainment and how it can influence the structure of the home environment and changes in cognitive outcomes in individuals throughout childhood, adolescence, and the transition to adulthood. She started her career at the University of Michigan at SRC as a Research Investigator with the Panel Study of Income Dynamics where she was hired to create and manage the Child Development Supplement.

Davis-Kean has held multiple administrative roles on campus, including the Associate Director of the Center for Human Growth and Development (CHGD), the Associate Director of the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), and currently the Area Chair of Developmental Psychology. She has also founded and directed two Interdisciplinary Centers at ISR (Center for the Analyses of Pathways from Childhood to Adulthood-CAPCA and the Population, Neurodevelopment, and Genetics Center-PNG).

“Pam brings expertise in research and a talent for leadership that will set SRC on a strong path and advance social science inquiry,” said ISR Director Kate Cagney. “I know that Pam will excel in this role.”

SRC has a long history and a stellar reputation in social science research. The center conducts studies of great distinction and advances research through teaching and training.