Samantha Brady, PhD
Research Scientist, MIT AgeLab MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics
- Cambridge MA
Dr. Brady's research focuses on the intersection of longevity and the changing nature of work.
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Biography
Currently, her research focuses on the intersection of longevity and the changing nature of work, exploring how to best support, engage, recruit and retain talent in today’s more flexible and multigenerational workplace. This work also explores opportunities and challenges of the expanding role of artificial intelligence in the workplace and how it impacts employees across generations.
Samantha received her Ph.D. in sociology from Brown University, a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from Indiana University, and a B.S. from Cornell University.
Areas of Expertise
Education
Brown University
PhD
Sociology
2025
Indiana University Bloomington
MPA
Public Finance, Policy Analysis
2014
Cornell University
BS
Environmental Economics
2012
Languages
- English
Media Appearances
SilverSneakers exercise program fights isolation
MIT News online
2018-11-29
“No one wants to raise their hand and announce to the world, ‘I’m lonely,’” says Samantha Brady of the MIT AgeLab, the lead author of the study. “There is a stigma to social isolation that makes it hard to tackle head-on.”
Speaking Engagements/Featured Conversations
Workplaces are failing caregivers—here’s how to fix it | Samantha Brady | TEDxNewbury Street Women
Companies are struggling to retain top talent, but a massive workforce of potential hires are still undervalued. Caregivers bring exceptional skills that companies crave: multitasking, coordination, grace in emergencies. If caregivers receive greater workplace support, such as hybrid/remote options, USA GDP could increase by over $1 trillion USD.
Samantha Brady is a Research Scientist at the MIT AgeLab. Her research has spanned multiple domains including the impacts of caregiving on work and family, future decision-making and planning behavior, the impacts of physical fitness on the well-being of older adults, social isolation, student debt and its impact on retirement planning, and the role of artificial intelligence in the future of work. Watch full TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amJhgx_IfdU
Research Papers
State Policy Liberalism in Adolescence and Risk for Dementia from 2000 to 2016 among Older US Adults
Journal of Health and Social BehaviorMeghan Zacher, Samantha Brady, Susan E Short
2025-10-18
Although prior research identifies many social determinants of dementia, few studies look upstream toward dementia’s macrosocial correlates, and fewer still consider macrosocial conditions in early life. This study focuses on state policy contexts in adolescence and, specifically, on state policy liberalism, defined as the overarching conservative–liberal orientation of state policies. We link panel data from a nationally representative sample of 6,410 U.S. adults ages 65 to 80 in the 2000 wave of the Health and Retirement Study with longitudinal data on state policy liberalism extending back in time to when respondents were young. Discrete-time hazard models examine relationships between state policy liberalism and the development of dementia from 2000 to 2016. Results show that more liberal state policy contexts in adolescence are associated with lower dementia risk in older age.
Mapping the Caregiver Experience: Predicting Dimensions of Caregiver Strain Through Task-Based Profiles
Research on AgingSamantha Brady, Sophia Ashebir, Lisa D’Ambrosio, Alexa Balmuth, Adam Felts, Chaiwoo Lee
Objective: Family caregiving is a prevalent, diverse, and often challenging experience. We develop caregiving activity profiles to better understand how sets of care-tasks contribute to various aspects of strain.
Methods: Using diary data from a survey of 213 family caregivers in the U.S., we perform latent class analysis to group commonly occurring care-related tasks into activity profiles. We then use these classifications to predict physical, financial, and emotional strain.
Main Findings: We identified 4 unique activity profiles based on a set of 36 daily caregiving activities performed. Activity profiles varied significantly across the three analyzed strain dimensions.
Conclusion: Activity profiles present opportunities to better understand how caregiving tasks are related to specific types kinds of caregiving strain.
Do Preferences for Telework Impact Job Opportunities for Older Job Applicants? Evidence From a Hiring Experiment
Innovation in AgingSamantha Brady, Lauren Cerino, Lisa D’Ambrosio, Joseph Coughlin
2024-12-31
Older adults represent an increasing share of the labor force, with adults aged 55 and older comprising almost one-quarter (24%) of the labor force in 2023 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). As the labor force ages, increasingly popular flexible work arrangements, like telework, can be especially beneficial at supporting older adults in the workforce. Although the labor force is aging and work is becoming increasingly conducive to prolonged working lives, age stereotypes and age discrimination remain rampant in today’s labor market, often limiting employment opportunities for older job seekers. And while telework provides benefits to older workers, requesting or utilizing telework arrangements may further exacerbate existing ageist stereotypes, as research prior to the pandemic found that teleworkers may be perceived as less competent and less committed employees.
