David Seidenfeld Named Senior Vice President for the American Institutes for Research
Will lead AIR’s growing work in the international development sector and technology services
Arlington, Va. – David Seidenfeld, a researcher with extensive experience designing and implementing evaluations of international economic, health and education programs, has been named Senior Vice President for the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Seidenfeld leads AIR’s International Development Division, oversees its Technology Services and Data Science practices, and serves as executive liaison for the organization’s Institutional Review Board.
AIR has significantly expanded its international development work and capabilities with the acquisitions of IMPAQ, LLC, in May 2020 and Kimetrica, LLC, in November 2020. In addition to AIR’s existing work, its International Development Division now has more than 50 active research, evaluation and technical assistance projects in low- and middle-income countries around the globe. This includes work on a wide array of topics, including education, social protection, food insecurity and famine relief, nutrition and agriculture, workforce development and women’s empowerment.
“David has the vision and experience to lead our mission-focused international development work and ensure that we fully harness the combined experience and expertise of AIR, IMPAQ and Kimetrica,” said David Myers, AIR’s President and CEO. “He is committed to high-quality research and is a champion for using evidence to find effective solutions to the challenges we face around the world.”
Seidenfeld joined AIR in 2010 as a researcher and has been serving as a vice president since 2016. Over the past decade, he has conducted research that focuses primarily on social protection and cash transfer programs, child nutrition, and refugee populations. This work includes two randomized controlled trials in Zambia that generated evidence to support the government’s decision to scale up a national cash transfer program and was named best UNICEF Research study in 2014. He also led two evaluations on cash transfers for Syrian refugees in Turkey and Lebanon, and several cash transfer studies for child nutrition in Mozambique and Madagascar. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Development Studies, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
In addition to his work with AIR, Seidenfeld co-founded and supports the Impact Network, an independent non-profit that brings eLearning and wrap-around services to 45 rural schools in Zambia as well as girls support programs and children’s health programs.
Learn more about AIR’s international development work on the AIR website.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world. The AIR family of organizations now includes IMPAQ, Maher & Maher, and Kimetrica. For more information, visit www.air.org.