Layla Dowdy

Strategic Leader, UNC Research

Layla Dowdy, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Engagement & Impact at UNC-Chapel Hill, leads strategies that promote the university’s $1.5 billion research enterprise. She oversees Research Partnerships & Impact and Research Communications. Previously, she worked at NASA Headquarters managing strategic communications for the Space Technology Mission Directorate. She also served at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as a public affairs specialist during the final years of the Space Shuttle Program. She holds an MBA from Florida Institute of Technology and master's and bachelor's degrees from Florida State University.