Brianne Gilbert

Brianne Gilbert is a researcher and social and spatial scientist who serves as Managing Director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University. A specialist in public opinion research, survey methodology, and GIS-based spatial analysis, Brianne manages the most comprehensive research center focused on civic life, governance, and quality-of-life trends in Los Angeles County.

Since joining StudyLA in 2008, Brianne has led or co-led more than 60 major research projects, including the annual Angeleno Poll, LA County leadership studies, LAPD public-perception projects, civic engagement and voting research, and large-scale client studies with agencies such as LAWA and LADWP, and multiple community-based organizations. Her current portfolio includes co-leading the 2026 Angeleno Poll, multi-year governance and public-safety studies, and CAP.LA, a post-wildfire research initiative analyzing contamination, environmental health, and resident experiences across affected communities.

Brianne is also a Senior Lecturer at LMU, where she has taught courses in political internships, GIS, spatial research, and urban studies. She also has mentored more than 100 undergraduate researchers, many of whom have earned fellowships and presented at national conferences.

Her work includes publications on civic engagement, voting, public safety, inequality, and geographic patterns of wellbeing in Los Angeles. She has been cited by outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, LAist, Spectrum News, The New York Times, and NPR, and she has shared StudyLA findings with numerous public agencies, nonprofits, elected officials, and community groups.

Brianne is an active member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO)—where she heads up the Center Review Committee—and Women in GIS, where she is a founding member.

She holds an M.A. in Comparative Sociology from Florida International University, where she also completed advanced training in statistics, program evaluation, and GIS, and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Statistics, summa cum laude, from Wittenberg University.