Affiliated Research Centers

Alabama Research Institute on Aging

The University of Alabama Institute on Aging (ARIA) is a campus-wide, multidisciplinary research center whose mission is to develop new knowledge, test new interventions, and disseminate information related to mental health and aging. The Institute has 65 faculty associates from diverse departments and colleges campus-wide; its five core faculty collaborate with more than 50 other institutions around the country.

Research foci of ARIA include family caregiving, quality of long-term care, racial/ethnic and geographic diversity in aging, and end-of-life care. Through applied interdisciplinary research, ARIA promotes improved quality of life for older adults.

Acting Director: Dr. Sharlene Newman

The Center for Youth Development and Intervention

The mission of the University of Alabama is to advance the intellectual and social condition of the people of the state of Alabama and beyond through teaching, research, and service. The Center for Youth Development and Intervention (the ‘Center’) embodies this mission. The Center also adheres to the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, in which diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are welcomed.

Director: Dr. Susan White

The Center for Innovative Research in Autism

The purpose of the Center for Innovative Research in Autism (CIRA) is to facilitate basic and translational research that can help understand the cognitive and neurobiological bases of autism, and to apply this knowledge to achieve early diagnosis and to design evidence-based intervention practices, ultimately leading to improving the lives of people with autism.

Director: Dr. Rajesh Kana